This week, we began our discussion on creativity. We started in a rather strange way, by competing in our own version of a Craft Corner Deathmatch. I particularly enjoyed this activity because it was a fun experience and it allowed us to examine our own creative processes after the activity was over. Our group created a bulletin board of sorts that included a collage of pictures related to psychology. During the activity, I felt that our idea was very creative, but after seeing the other groups' creations, I started thinking that we could have done so much more . The idea was mine and it was the first thing that I thought of when the challenge was presented. I wish that we had spent more time brainstorming.
My favorite creations from the class were the brain sculpture and the art piece that used the textbook cover as a background. I thought that the brain sculpture was especially unique because it used the textbook pages for their physical structure and ability to be shaped, rather than using the images printed on them. I thought that this was a great way of thinking about the materials and really encompassed what the challenge was about: going beyond the expected typical use of the materials.
Overall, I thought that this class was a great way to shake things up and put our own creativity to the test before we began discussing it.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Intelligence Tests in Admissions - Week 7
I enjoyed this week's debate on whether or not intelligence tests should be used in college admissions. I have heard people raise the idea of this issue before, but I have never really listened to the arguments before. In my opinion, I think they should continue to be used but not because they are a "complete picture" of an applicant. I think that colleges should continue to use SAT/ACT scores as a part of the admissions process, but only a part. In our current system, other factors such as class ranking, GPA, extracurriculars, and application essays are considered, but our society seems to put more weight on SAT scores.
In order to make the admissions process fair to all applicants, we need to remember that those scores are only part of the picture. Getting a lower score should not make teenagers feel inadequate, which unfortunately it tends to do. We put so much stress on the importance of improving our test scores and buying practice test books and paying for prep courses, rather than accepting that some people may not test as well as others and moving on from that to focus on other aspects that can reflect their intelligence and abilities.
In order to make the admissions process fair to all applicants, we need to remember that those scores are only part of the picture. Getting a lower score should not make teenagers feel inadequate, which unfortunately it tends to do. We put so much stress on the importance of improving our test scores and buying practice test books and paying for prep courses, rather than accepting that some people may not test as well as others and moving on from that to focus on other aspects that can reflect their intelligence and abilities.