With the right methods, could we all become proficient learners?

When beginning a new semester I have always worried that my professor would teach above my head, so to speak. I have had trouble with this in the past and it tends to make me feel like I lack the brain power to understand a concept. I have found that this isn’t true at all. With the right professor, I can learn about and be able to understand any subject. I could be a rocket scientist if I set my mind to it! The key, as the article stated, is in “meeting students where they are at”. When trying to learn about a new thing, you must use what you already know to grasp the concept. It’s like the old saying goes, “you have to learn to crawl, before you can walk”, or something to that effect. In all my years of going to school it amazes me that some professors cannot figure this out. I’m not sure if it is because they are so intellectual that they do not realize that most students are only of average intelligence or if it is because they are too stupid to see people struggling within the classroom.
The article also said that an approach that builds a students confidence within their enterprise and then work towards greater proficiency as a scholar of that enterprise the results will be more beneficial to all involved. I couldn’t agree more. If I feel that I am making progress…I don’t have to catch everything…but if I am really starting to feel apart of something then I will work harder to become a part of that something. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are being left behind and that no one is missing you. I believe with the right methods, we would all feel more intelligent and could all be more proficient learners.
That’s just my $.02.

Cindy