The purpose of this page is twofold—to give a bit of background on myself, as well as share some of my thoughts on learning. My name is Eric Gardner, and I’m a freshman at the University of New England (UNE) in Biddeford, Maine. I am a Medical Biology major. which is the Pre-Medical track for students at UNE.
I think my drive to become a physician stems from an innate desire to help others; and a genuine, insatiable need to have a lasting, meaningful impact in lives. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school, that I discovered my passion for biology; especially in vertebrate anatomy. Realizing that this was something I loved, I decided that a career of some sort in the biological field would be the best fit for me.
In my spare time, I enjoy practicing martial arts, especially Kempo; which I hold a black belt in. Since arriving on campus, I have also a bit of a electricity hobbyist, and enjoy creating and tinkering with simple circuits.
My philosophy when it comes to learning, is that every person learns differently. However, I would argue, based on anecdotal evidence, that students tend to learn best in a 1-on-1 conversation. Because of this that the very traditional system of a tutor and a student working together is an ideal method of learning. Of course, a 1:1 ratio of students to teachers is an absurd pipe dream.
Something much more realistic to implement is the use of analogies. When tutoring or studying with friends, I was amazed by the leaps and bound they made in understanding material when I used just one analogy. Likewise, when I am not quite getting a chemistry concept, my roommate is always happy to explain using metaphors. I can only claim to be an armchair psychologist at best, but perhaps the human brain is hard-wired to seek out patterns, and integrate new knowledge into these already pre-existing patterns. What I am reasonably sure about, is that analogizing a topic requires one to really, truly understand the topic.
