Applying+Past+Knowledge+to+new+Situations

**Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations

One example of when I applied past knowledge to new situations is when we began our acids and bases unit this year. Acids and bases are chemicals that add hydrogen ions and remove hydrogen ions, respectively. All the other AP Biology kids and I had a slight advantage because we learned all about acids and bases earlier in the year in Biology class. We learned all about the pH scale, the meaning of the number, and the relationships between acids and bases. However, the new twist to the situation is that we never had actually applied any of the information we learned from biology about the pH scale because we just don't have the time to experiment with it. As a result, this was a very enjoyable unit for us because it didn't take us too long to review the material** **so** **we had the time** **to** **actively engage in the titrations. This was a new situation to us, but we efficiently applied our knowledge of the relationship between acids and bases to help us get through the unit.**  **This is a very important habit of mind to me because I enjoy trying to find connections between classes and subjects. I always try to apply whatever I learn from other subjects or from past experiences to my current situation and looking for the similarities between them. For example, I also applied my knowledge of the kinetic theory from chemistry to help me understand the rates of enzyme reactions in biological processes from biology class. This is a very important habit of mind because I know in the future I'll be always in new situations: new jobs, new roles, new positions. The more knowledge I obtain, the more it will help me with adapting to my new situation. I know that the faster I can apply past knowledge from prior situations and past jobs or school learning, the better I can adapt to succeed in my new job or situation.**