A Philosophy of Learning: The Right Attitude

The opening volume of the 12-tape How to Become a SuperStar Student series, A Philosophy of Learning is intended to be used as an introduction to the other 11 tapes that feature more promising, meatier titles, such as Class Notes & Exam Preparation, Annotation and Active Reading and The Research Paper: A Demonstration. The basic idea of this initial lecture is that learning takes place when you can connect new information to previous knowledge and apply it, rather than simply engage in rote memorization. Academic learning is like athletics: one must train to excel, and the process can be a wee bit painful and requires hard work. The course is taught by Dr. Tim McGee, a young, energetic high school English teacher who has developed advanced placement curriculum at his school. He's easy to relate to, and is obviously a gifted speaker, since he managed to hold my attention much longer than usual for a talking-head tape. However, it is just that: a taped lecture with confusing angles and little to no visual aids. Perhaps in other, more practical volumes in this series, McGee offers more instruction and less monologue, but this first tape cannot stand on its own and is recommended only if the entire series is going to be used. Aud: H, P. (E. Gieschen)