Feedback: Things that went wrong

Think of something that went wrong in your learning - an unsuccessful learning experience (if you've ever had one, that is). Write down a few words about what went wrong.

Use the form below to send us your responses - just keywords please - or see some typical replies below.

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Previous Responses

Date: Wed, 8 Dec 2004 22:38:11 GMT
From: Fiona Walker <feeheb@vinrouge.fsnet.co.uk>

My marriage! It started to go wrong after 2 years and we patched it up a couple of times, but to no avail. We are now separated and good friends, surprisingly.
Also maths! Horribly bad at it!

Date: Thu, 25 Nov 2004 23:48:02 GMT
From: Hamida Mansouri <mansourihamida50@hotmail.com>

I am quite shocked actually when I see that in University it is a bit more individualistic than in school and at first I was a bit confused also lost because of that. I was really hoping to find helpful students and friends but everybody thinks for himself. So, I hope that in the future within the next three years it would evolve and change completely in a positive way.

I'm a very very sociable person, got mixed cultures but felt lost at first there in London Metropolitan University because of the individualism! I am not at all a dependent person but effectively speaking yes I  like close contacts and true friendships between people and do not appreciate superficial feelings...! So I cross my fingers and expect a real improvement humanitarianly speaking! (I go towards others but some of them are introverted personalities. I still respect them but some look like xenophobic, they like only people from their original country so it is a bit shame and sad to know that, in fact!)

Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2004 00:38:54 GMT
From: Maritza Valpais <seeking12344@aol.com>

My unsuccessful learning experience was in my previous college.  It was in my English course I  was doing very poorly and finally, my
professor stood after class with me and I was finally able to understand what he was teaching me.  I was good at it.  I was so happy that I
finally understood the work.  The big day arrived when we had to take our final exam.  He warned us the night before the test not to be
late as he will start the examine on time, and those who come late will not be able to come in if the doors are closed.  Well, guess what
that day we had registration for Summer Youth Employment in my agency and I lost track of time.  I rushed, trying to make it in time but with
the luck I was having, by the time I made it there the doors were closed and a sign saying sorry you're late.  Oh I cried, especially when I got
my grade and I had to repeat this course.  This final test was 40% of my grade, you just don't understand how I felt.

Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 08:25:29 +0100 (BST)
From: Shona Paterson <shona@rottie.freeserve.co.uk>

Being in too much of a hurry, would make me dispondent and confused.
Relying on other people opinions too much instead of relying on intuition was not a good idea, things wouldn't feel right as they were not my idea.
Not being honest and doing things to please others is not good.

Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 10:01:51 +0100 (BST)
From: Steve Griffin <steve@dramanet.info>

Things that go wrong are almost always come down to lack of preparation.  Either I step in at short notice to cover something, or I put something off until the last possible moment because I have no clear idea of how to do it.

Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 18:33:23 +0100 (BST)
From: Yoga <joe_yogan@yahoo.com>

Why student are graduate from university with low CGPA and what their strategy was and what went wrong?

Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003
From: heldtrat@msn.com (Rachel Heldt)

I had a time when my faith in God conflicted with my morals (or lack of). The morals won and I spent several years wandering in a fog till God helped me get back on track. It would have been better to do what was right in the first place.

Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003
From: ami.cooper@kau.se (Ami Cooper)

I haven't really had any situations when it went wrong. I believe I've always carefully avoided things that I might fail in doing although I always have believed that I can learn anything as long as I want to - Want, need desire are keywords.

Date: 10 Oct 2002
From: tara@stara.co.uk (Tara O'Leary)

Learning disembodied from its context, i.e. having to learn about the life of animals from specimens pickled in jars.

From: mandy summons (mandy@msummons.FSNet.co.uk)
Date: 11 Nov 2001

I can not spell very well and had to go into a special class during my early education.

I could not get identify sounds and still can not use this skill. I am not sure why but my teachers did get frustrated with me because my verbal skills are very good.

Date: Sat, 11 Mar 2000 16:55:33 GMT
From: Florence Rozier (rozier@acsu.buffalo.edu)

In junior high school (grades 7-9)I would work harder for teachers that I liked or thought they cared about me. Most of the time I thought that the subjects I liked the best were the ones that were run by the teachers who liked me most. I learned from my mother that that should not matter to much to me because everyone was not going to like me(that broke my heart as a child).

Once I realized that I was responsible for my own learning, I did much better. I still had a tender heart, but I didn't let the teachers attitude enfluence me as much.

From: Maurice D. Ramos (mauriceramos@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 17:43:10 GMT

My marriage
My relationship with the kids
My desire or motivation to learn

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2000 12:07:34 GMT
From: Nicola Pilnick (10076905.99@lgu.ac.uk)

I hate writing essays and feel I know what to say but find it really difficult to get it down on paper.
I dislike negative feedback and sometimes feel I am wasting my time at uni.

Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998
From: cecilia lowe (cecilia@bilkent.edu.tr)

DTEFLA - took course at British council - tutors were real academics - heavily into linguisitics - i am more practical - object to studying and researching and writing at length about obscure theories when i wanted to be a better teacher - appalling feedback on coursework - resented whole aim of the course - had to do course for job requirements - failed final exam despite getting excellent course grades.

Date: Mon, 6 Oct 1997
From: L.S.Myers@uel.ac.uk (Lea Myers)

My whole experience of learning at school was a disaster.
I did learn a lot but it had nothing to do with the formal curriculum.
There are a number of probable reasons:
I felt like an outsider - I am Jewish,there weren't many of us at my schools, the currculum didn't reflect my experience of life at all, I now realise that some of the teachers were racist.
I was bored - the pace of teaching did not match what I needed.
I didn't understand what was going on most of the time - I don't think anyone bothered to explain why we were doing things. I needed to know this.

Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997
From: cmjk1@york.ac.uk (christine kelly)

Unprepared for differences between school and uni:

• too many unrelated facts
• impersonal system, no support
• poor confidence in self as a learner
• subject not as expected, didn't like it.