Thinking about the comedy act by Father Guido Sarducci:
Is he right?
Is it possible to go through college and graduate without having learned practically anything?
And if someone managed to do it, would there be consequences?
COMMENT then REPLY to a comment that presents a different point of view.
I think that Father Guido Sarducci is only partially right. In my opinion, I don't think that it is possible to go through college and graduate without learning anything. There are things that we will remember a lot about, most likely topics that interest us, and things that we will remember almost nothing about, as Father Guido states. Every one is different and absorbs information differently. If someone managed to learn practically nothing from college, there can be consequences in the sense that they may not be prepared for what life will present to them. But I do believe in most cases, learning is always best done hands on, not from a book. Therefore, the consequences I think people will face may be minimal.
ReplyDeleteFather Guido raises a good point about information retention. Still, while I don't think it's possible for someone to remember *everything* they learn in college, most people do retain quite a bit, so long as the professors and fellow students made for a good learning environment. If someone does manage to go through four years of college without learning anything, there will most definitely be consequences - they probably won't be able to retain information in the world at large. (Plus, they'll have wasted a ton of tuition money.)
ReplyDeleteI agree Joshua. As a teacher in an elementary school, I believe the type of learning environment directly affects the student's learning experiences and level of learning that is attained. Therefore, establishing a healthy and supportive learning environment increases the amount of learning within students.
DeleteI do not believe it is possible to go through college and graduate without having learned practically anything. With the amount of time we spend in class there are many things that we retain whether we want to or not. However, there are also a lot of pointless things that go in one ear and out the other. If someone was able to manage to not learn one single thing then they will definitely be facing some consequences in the future. Not only have they wasted a bunch of money but they have missed out on the many life lessons that one could learn during their college career. Without a doubt, they definitely would not be as prepared for the real world as much as a person who actually learned a thing or two.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I agree with the idea of it being impossible to avoid learning, retention of information is specific to the level of interest the student has in the material and more-so on the amount of attention said student gives the professor. I have always been surprised by how easily one can tune out hours of talking and sometimes I've seen students simply sleeping through class.
DeleteI agree with Zahidul, I believe due to the overwhelming nature of liberal arts educations as well as common core students often are overstimulated from the diverse nature of all the information required to obtain a degree. This is where interest is often disregarded and instead of creating a student who is a expert in one area we develop students to know minor details of all elements this is important but I believe is something people can learn through platforms like the news or articles and not be required to pay for knowledge so distant from their degree.
DeleteI believe that Father Guido Sarducci make a good point Personally, I think its almost impossible to go all the way through college with out without learning anything….and graduate. Personally I have found that I remember and learn things that interest me most are the things I remember.
ReplyDeleteIf someone does go through 4 years of college classes and not learn anything they just spent a whole lot of money for no reason. They will also not be prepared for life. IF you can honestly waste all that money and time and not apply your self to learn then I personally believe you are set up for failure forever.
Father Guido Sarducci's theory that one can go through college without retaining or learning anything is interesting. I believe he has a valid point. I have experinced it many times. I will focus on a class in order to get good grades, but as soon as the class is over, I forget majority of anything I learned. If someone asked me about it in the future I would be able to repeatr one or two things I learned. I believe that subconciously I retain the information but it is not in the forefront of my mind.
ReplyDeleteThis hasa consequences for the future because one is supposed to learn in college.Depending on the feild they are in this can impact their careers. Some feilds are about what you know and some are on the job learning. It is a shame to sit through college, and leave knowing nothing and not prepared to face the world.
I agree with you to an extent regarding not being able to recall things learned, but I only feel like that applies to topics that students find irrelevant to their major of choice. I think that depending on the student's choice in major, they have a better liking for and memory of the material they learn, and therefore are a little more equipped for their field.
DeleteDespite the medium, the message conveyed by Father Guido Ducci is accurate becauase as a student I do not retain everything I learn in my various classes. I don't think its as dramatic as he makes it out to be during the routine, in that students do not learn "anything" in college, however the retention of information is broad rather than granuler. I believe students retain concepts and ideas but certainly not the entire curriculum of any given course. The only exception being those subjects or areas which are of specific interest or valuable to the student.
ReplyDeleteAs far as consequences, they would be limited to the ambitions of the student, for example someone who becomes a doctor without learning anything in Medical School will sooner or later pay the price for their failure to learn.
Like many of you shared, I also believe that it is impossible going through college or any long-term learning experience without retaining vast amounts of knowledge. Our brains are wired to retain information after applying and practicing it repeatedly. Therefore, the information that is applied and practiced over and over again is more likely to be stored in our brains. We need to use information from our working memory in order for it to be stored in our long-term memory. Also, student's motivation plays a role in the retention level of information. Students need to feel motivated in order to learn.
ReplyDeleteI think retaining knowledge and repeated use is important but not necessarily the point of a liberal arts education. Being able to develop reasoning and critical thinking skills that can apply to any part of life is probably the most important aspect of a college education, more so than retaining knowledge.
DeleteI think Father Guido Sarducci's comedy act is very accurate about what college sometimes feels like. Out of four years of studying, there is often very little factual information that is retained, however, I don't feel that is the true point of a college education. A true liberal arts education should teach you how to think and reason and expose you to different fields of study. The facts aren't so important, it is the concepts and general knowledge that you leave with that should prepare you for the working world and life after college. Retaining factual information is more of a vocational type of training. I don't think anyone who graduates and goes through college could possibly not have learned anything since they were able to pass classes that hopefully crafted their reasoning and critical thinking skills. If someone managed to graduate without "learning" anything, then they will be ill equipped to respond to a working environment that will ask them to use skills and knowledge beyond what they were taught in college.
ReplyDeleteI think Father Sarducci's comedy act has some truth to it. Years after college is over, it is possible to not retain any information from some classes and just the foundation material from others. I believe certain bits of information will stick, especially if it is applied. If, however, it is not applied years later on a consistent basis, it is likely to lose it. I took french for four years in high school, went to France the summer afterwards, used it and now, years later I barely recognize it. However, if your an accounting major and you become an accountant directly after graduating, it is likely that you will retain the information learned in your college accounting classes.
ReplyDeleteI think this comedy is somewhat true. I do not retain a lot of information from classes that are not going to help me in the future. On the other hand, classes for my major I pay close attention to and always retain the information. It is very hard to come out of a class with nothing because of how often we are in class and how repetitive the classes are.
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