Speaker's Corner

I attended a workshop last week held by the Department of Education in Concord.  It addressed the difficulties for adult learners (adult high school, GED, etc.) transitioning to college, and how we (adult ed facilities and colleges) can make the transition less tangled.  It was a great workshop and I learned a lot about adult learners. One of the activities we did was take the LASSI test, Learning and Study Strategies Inventory.  It evaluates a student's current habits and thinking and is designed to bring to light areas in which he or she is likely to run into trouble. The one area I completely tanked was the Study Aids area--I hated to ask for help when I was a student.  Thinking about this flaw in my character led me to another online test--the Jung Myers-Briggs personality test.  Turns out I am ISFJ, which stands for introverted sensing feeling judging.  I disagree with the experts that say this means I have a good memory and unexpected analytic ability (if only), though it is true that I have few close friends and like to serve others. Overall, I was not too excited about the test results.  I was hoping for something more mystical and esoteric (which is completely normal for us ISFJs). 

I am kinda glad that I didn't take these tests as an incoming student (some NH colleges and adult education programs have their students take LASSI).  They would have made me cranky.  When I started college I was trying to figure out the finals parts of who I was and how to meet the goals I had made.  It would have been too much to also contemplate what I should do about  my low score in information processing, or ponder the ramifications of my need to be needed.  I think there is a point where the learning just has to come from doing.  Most Granite State College students are already A+ students in learning by doing.  They have been learning this way on their feet in the workplace for years.  This is a skill very hard to learn at a traditional college, but one that is so necessary.  Forget the online testing--we're all learning about who we are as we go along, and if we're smart (like GSC students!) we take the phrase "lifelong learner" literally, not only in terms of book smarts but in terms of self-smarts.

But in case you're curious . . . www.humanmetrics.com