During the course of a student's progression through academia, he must
learn that the teacher cannot think for him. It is essential for a student to
free his mind, allowing thought to flow. Instead of waiting for the answers to
be handed to him on a silver platter, he will rise to his full potential, above
to the meta level, and for himself, determine what the answer is. The student
must also become active in his learning. Therefore taking his academic potential
to the higher level. As well as achieving the higher level of thinking, the
student must actively pursue his learning. The way a student approaches his
education, weather he be in junior high or seeking his doctorate, is his
academic attitude.
The student should no longer be baby sat. She must think for herself
rather than be force fed information. To achieve this higher level of thinking,
as Roger Sale explains, takes discipline. Through discipline the students' mind
becomes liberated, allowing her knowledge to become "active" (Sale 14).
Therefore, by making her knowledge active, the student is able travel past the
surface and explore the information in a deeper sense. In doing this, learning
does not become a habit. Rather, instead of memorizing material to perform well
on a test, or regurgitate it into a paper, the pupil synthesizes the information
presented, relating it to other things, hence, learning about the subject.
Information, then, is no longer strictly exchanged from teacher to student. It
allows the learner to open her mind, liberalizing it, allowing deeper thought
into the subject. Approaching learning with a free mind demonstrates quality
academic attitude.
It is commonly believed that ...