Introduction
Hello!
My name is Alexandra and I am in my fourth year of Political Science at UVIC. My education journey has been very interesting to say the least. After graduating from high school, I started my post-secondary endeavours at Mount Royal University in Calgary. During my first year COVID happened and I took the winter semester off, the winter semester turned into 1 year and I then found myself at the University of Victoria in 2021. I am looking forward to my last year of school and I am excited for my future after university.
Understanding Learning
My most successful style of learning when it comes to school and life in general is visually. When I am able to see concepts and talk them out with peers, I am able to grasp them much faster than just hearing someone talk.
I define learning as an opportunity to gain knowledge and deepen your understanding of concepts. As a young child I categorized knowledge into two categories: street smarts and book smarts. Now that I am older I have a way different perspective on learning and knowledge. I value the education I am getting in school but I also value life skills.
A time that I learned something effectively was the train/bus system while living in the south of France. Anyone who has travelled knows the struggle of going to a different country and navigating around, especially in a different language. That was a learning challenge for me because not only are all the bus app systems in French the busses just like In Canada can switch routes at a certain point. The most effective way I found learning this system was through trial and error and asking questions. I would often get on the wrong bus or miss my stop but once I figured out the colour coded system I was able to grasp their system. I would also ask my friends in France to explain or translate bus routes and transfer system from french to english which was also really helpful. It only took me a few weeks to fully understand and I was quite happy with myself once I figured it out. Much like Canada bus drivers in France would drive their similar routes which also verified I was on the right bus when I saw a familiar face.
