Learning Challenge: The Pomodoro Technique

I have used this technique in the past before. I can admit that there is some benefit to using it, but I've realized that it's not for everyone. A major determinant of its helpfulness would be the type of task at hand. I've noticed it helping with more simple assignments and tasks that can be easily broken up into pieces. Something more long-winded like an essay or complex math problems would definitely not be the best situation to employ this technique in. 

In order to use the Pomodoro technique with better results, I'd have to use it regularly enough to become familiar with its steps and get in the groove of using it. I could see myself getting used to its breaks and losing focus on the tail-end of the 25-minute interval. So, it'd definitely take some discipline for me to use it with good results. 

I didn't know Pomodoro was a red sauce used in spaghetti! It's apparently low-calorie too. Source

Learning Challenge: Reading Out Loud

For this learning challenge, I read out loud! Reading in this way is definitely different. I'm sure most of us are not used to it. It sort of adds a whole other step to reading in that your brain has to process what was said, find its meaning, and spit it out through your mouth. All this extra cognitive work causes my reading speed to slow down, as I'm sure it would for almost anyone else as well. Despite this, I suppose an advantage to reading out loud would be the ability to hear yourself and engage more parts of your mind, which may ultimately help with understanding and retaining the material. An obvious disadvantage, as I said earlier, is the speed decrease. I don't think reading casual pieces of text out loud would benefit you much; you'd have to use it on a case-by-case basis. However, I can see the value in it if you're critiquing work or trying to catch grammatical errors, as we do in this class. Nine times out of ten, I'll still be sticking to the quicker way of reading. :P

I really really wish I had read more books as a kid. This library looks like a place of great fun and exploration. Source

Learning Challenge: Time

Overall, I'd have to admit that I'm approaching this course in a non-concrete way. I've recognized one of the factors that make me lazy and not want to get to work is the specific assignments that I don't like having to do. Because of this, I see myself putting things off and completely disregarding the pre-determined schedule that I set for the course. I always tell myself, "Oh, I'll have time later to make-up whatever I need to do. Or, wait, I could also do extra credit to make it up!" But, in using those excuses, I give myself so little time to do what I need to do. One step I wish to make is actively substituting extra credit assignments for whatever core assignment I don't feel like doing that week, and just altogether ignoring that less than favorable assignment. And, I don't say that to give the idea that I hate certain assignments or feel like I'm forced to do things I don't want to do. I just don't always feel like writing in-depth feedback for peers, while trying not to be overly-critical but still helpful, or writing stories just for the sake of writing stories. I love writing with intention, as inspiration fuels it. It's ultimately up to me bear down and get ish down, or change how I approach the course. Letting things get to me and thrash my time management is no bueno, so I have to do something about it. Hopefully, these changes will help me manage my time better for the remainder of the semester!

I wonder how much better we would be at time management if we knew exactly how many more hours, minutes, and seconds we had left on Earth. Source