Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
An experience no one on this earth can avoid is fear. It's an emotion that brings out the best, and worst in people. Fear has the capability to push us to the limits of our comfort zone. Most of the time, fear forces us to act instinctively, instead of logically. Fear also goes through quite the change as we get older. In other words, we start to worry about different things as we age. As a kid, fear is typically a dark room with the closet open, or monster movies. But for teenage fears, they are a lot more realistic. Fears for teenagers range from girls, to acceptance, to confusion, the unknown, and most of all, to failure. Failure has been proven to be teenagers number one fear along side the fear of loss. Why is this? It very well could be because we live in a society that is competition based and failure is spotlighted to heavily on teenagers. We can see examples all over the media stating that girls have to be thin and good looking, while boys have to be muscular and 'manly'. This puts an enormous amount of subliminal pressure on young minds. So much so that it ingrains this image into young people's understanding of how things should be.
This fear of failure isn't just in the media. It's also very common in schools. Actually, it's very obvious in schools. For starters, schools judge student's work with an 'F' for failure. The education system starts implementing this way of grading very early on in a young persons life. Which means that we start forming a fear for failure early. Which also means, that failure would now be a foundational fear for someone. What I mean by this is that because we have had this notion of fear in our lives at an early age, it's going to be very hard to get rid of it as we grow older. It's the same thing for fears of heights, snakes, roller-coasters. People mostly have these fears because they had a bad experience with them at an early age when their mind was fragile and susceptible.
Fear of failure is also the number one reason of procrastination. If students feel like their behaviours are self-determined or they feel lively, they procrastinate less. But most student are not self-motivated. In fact most student are extrinsically motivated (working for a grade rather for the betterment of themselves). This will create a higher fear of failure which, in turn, turns into more procrastination and eventual lower grades. Could this be justification that grades actually make kids achieve less in school? Maybe. But point here is that schools are putting a huge damper on their reputation by having students fear school. There is also another argument that students learn more outside of school because they aren't restricted or feeling the pressure of grades.
Implementing this fear of failure into students has very prevalent repercussions as they mature. I believe the school system as to critically revaluate themselves and find an approach that is different from what it has been for the last trillion years. We live in a new and different era even from ten years ago, so why do we use a system of educating that is not appealing to students? This may be because people fear change. But that's a whole other argument to discuss later.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Efficacy
To me, Efficacy is the ability to produce a desired result.
We all have desires that we want to reach. But do we all have the self-awareness, confidence, persistence, work ethic, and overall belief in one's self to get there? I would say most students and teachers are not. This is because all these are skills that develop over long periods of time. Not only that, but most of these skills seem to be discouraged in our schools. Think about the possibilities of having kids who are confident in their abilities. This would lead students to have a desire to learn and find meaning in what they're learning. In my opinion, it would improve their overall quality of life because this found confidence would carry on into other aspects of their lives. This confidence would help the student find self-awareness, persistence, great work-ethic, and a belief in themselves that will create a very bright future.
So why aren't students more confident? Could it be that schools actually discourage students with an old system of learning? Tests that show students that they "fail" and classrooms that cramp the body and mind. My philosophy is that if we see consistent statistics of students failing, we have to work to figure out how to em-better them. No matter how long it takes. Testing out different ways of educating instead of just talking about them. Makes sense to me.
As for teachers, it applies the same way. Teachers can't teach effectively unless they are confident themselves. This lack of confidence may have started when the educator was a student. The impact of an educator on a student is immeasurable. This cycle continues and will continue to happen unless we alter the change with adapted learning. Only the individual knows what they need help on, so we need to form lesson plans around the student's need.
We all have desires that we want to reach. But do we all have the self-awareness, confidence, persistence, work ethic, and overall belief in one's self to get there? I would say most students and teachers are not. This is because all these are skills that develop over long periods of time. Not only that, but most of these skills seem to be discouraged in our schools. Think about the possibilities of having kids who are confident in their abilities. This would lead students to have a desire to learn and find meaning in what they're learning. In my opinion, it would improve their overall quality of life because this found confidence would carry on into other aspects of their lives. This confidence would help the student find self-awareness, persistence, great work-ethic, and a belief in themselves that will create a very bright future.
So why aren't students more confident? Could it be that schools actually discourage students with an old system of learning? Tests that show students that they "fail" and classrooms that cramp the body and mind. My philosophy is that if we see consistent statistics of students failing, we have to work to figure out how to em-better them. No matter how long it takes. Testing out different ways of educating instead of just talking about them. Makes sense to me.
As for teachers, it applies the same way. Teachers can't teach effectively unless they are confident themselves. This lack of confidence may have started when the educator was a student. The impact of an educator on a student is immeasurable. This cycle continues and will continue to happen unless we alter the change with adapted learning. Only the individual knows what they need help on, so we need to form lesson plans around the student's need.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Creativity in the Classroom
Encouraging creativity in the classroom is one of the most essential efforts an educator can make in his career. Raising our youth correctly requires educators to expose students to their talents and the talents around them. Not only will exposer to student's gifts expand individual creativity, but it will expand the mind as well. We all grow in different ways and recognizing these differences will help build overall respect.
It seems that schools are killing creativity. Classrooms in the past and even now have a reputation for restricting students from exploring different areas of interest. This is because we teach areas in school the same way we did 50 years ago (math, science, writing, reading, exec). In order to make progress in an area, some change from the norm has to be made. Teaching these topics when a different flare will open different parts of student's brain. Movement, visual learning, anything tat gets away from the normal sit in a desk and listen to an older person will have some positive impact.
the best way to encourage creativity is to expose kids to the arts. Anything, band, choir, instruments, dance, acting. These will uncover so many elements in an individual that are priceless for growing up and enjoying your LIFE. Lives will be changed by doing this. The potential of our youth is indescribable and restricting kids from exploring other areas is almost a crime. I believe we're stuck in a dead system of teaching the youth and a dramatic change needs to happen. Especially in his 21st century lifestyle. It's almost like we're ignoring that our society is changing beneath out feet. We have to adapt to what's around us, and incorporate the areas in our lives that we ignore, creativity. In a society that needs a change, it's time for those who have a creative mind to find a solution to this educational recession.
In a very cliche' statement, life is too short to be forced down a path we don't want to be on. School has to be a place where students uncover their passion in life which will lead to happiness for them, and those around them.
It seems that schools are killing creativity. Classrooms in the past and even now have a reputation for restricting students from exploring different areas of interest. This is because we teach areas in school the same way we did 50 years ago (math, science, writing, reading, exec). In order to make progress in an area, some change from the norm has to be made. Teaching these topics when a different flare will open different parts of student's brain. Movement, visual learning, anything tat gets away from the normal sit in a desk and listen to an older person will have some positive impact.
the best way to encourage creativity is to expose kids to the arts. Anything, band, choir, instruments, dance, acting. These will uncover so many elements in an individual that are priceless for growing up and enjoying your LIFE. Lives will be changed by doing this. The potential of our youth is indescribable and restricting kids from exploring other areas is almost a crime. I believe we're stuck in a dead system of teaching the youth and a dramatic change needs to happen. Especially in his 21st century lifestyle. It's almost like we're ignoring that our society is changing beneath out feet. We have to adapt to what's around us, and incorporate the areas in our lives that we ignore, creativity. In a society that needs a change, it's time for those who have a creative mind to find a solution to this educational recession.
In a very cliche' statement, life is too short to be forced down a path we don't want to be on. School has to be a place where students uncover their passion in life which will lead to happiness for them, and those around them.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reflectiveness
Reflection is one of the most important actions a student or teacher can execute before, during, or after school. As a student, I catch myself multiple times going through the days and not retaining anything from the school day. I believe many students don't take the time to mentally step back from their busy lives and analyze their day(s). A lot of important moments can be forgotten if individuals don't recollect them. Going through your whole day once a night (reviewing notes) can have a huge impact on retaining information for the future.
I believe both students and teachers find it hard to reflect because they're so busy and preoccupied with something other than school. Taking small moments away from each day will not only make tomorrow better, but it will make you appreciate the little things. Students have a hard time reflecting, I believe, because the lessons in classrooms aren't applying to students life (or the students fail to see the application to their lives). Because of this, students sub-consciously don't see the point of reflecting on it. Typically, individuals reflect on something important that has happened to them. Not enough students are not seeing school as important, therefore not reflecting on it. And teachers aren't realizing enough that students don't see the importance because they're not reflecting themselves.
Reflection can be argued as the heart of the teaching process because it requires the individual to recollect on the information that was given to them. You can't look over a lesson once and expect to get an A on a big exam. It requires reflection on the material. Most of the time when you reflect, you answer questions in your head that you never thought of. Students worry so much about a letter grade that they forget to apply whatever they learn into their lives, then they eventually forget it. Encouraging students to reflect will make them into strong, critical thinkers and that will play into almost every element in their youth and adult lives. Having students become individual thinkers is the main goal for most educational institutions, isn't it?
Reflecting effectively is really up to how the individual wants to handle it. But I believe the most effective way is to let the individual just think by themselves. Have no outside voice influence their thought. Let students go and have them think of original thoughts. Have them write down what they think (like I'm doing right now). This expands the brain to think of things that it might have never thought before (creating new opinions and answers). I also see reflecting being done with other people involved. Talking about something will bring in other opinions and will eliminate others. Sometimes hearing an outside opinion can make you reflect upon your own.
I believe both students and teachers find it hard to reflect because they're so busy and preoccupied with something other than school. Taking small moments away from each day will not only make tomorrow better, but it will make you appreciate the little things. Students have a hard time reflecting, I believe, because the lessons in classrooms aren't applying to students life (or the students fail to see the application to their lives). Because of this, students sub-consciously don't see the point of reflecting on it. Typically, individuals reflect on something important that has happened to them. Not enough students are not seeing school as important, therefore not reflecting on it. And teachers aren't realizing enough that students don't see the importance because they're not reflecting themselves.
Reflection can be argued as the heart of the teaching process because it requires the individual to recollect on the information that was given to them. You can't look over a lesson once and expect to get an A on a big exam. It requires reflection on the material. Most of the time when you reflect, you answer questions in your head that you never thought of. Students worry so much about a letter grade that they forget to apply whatever they learn into their lives, then they eventually forget it. Encouraging students to reflect will make them into strong, critical thinkers and that will play into almost every element in their youth and adult lives. Having students become individual thinkers is the main goal for most educational institutions, isn't it?
Reflecting effectively is really up to how the individual wants to handle it. But I believe the most effective way is to let the individual just think by themselves. Have no outside voice influence their thought. Let students go and have them think of original thoughts. Have them write down what they think (like I'm doing right now). This expands the brain to think of things that it might have never thought before (creating new opinions and answers). I also see reflecting being done with other people involved. Talking about something will bring in other opinions and will eliminate others. Sometimes hearing an outside opinion can make you reflect upon your own.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Passion in the classroom
Passion: A strong and barely controllable emotion
The most rememberable classes for me were the classes that had teachers who had 100% legitimate enthusiasm in their subject. I remember them so distinctly because of how the teacher went about leading the class. It's so unbelievably obvious to see if a teacher has a passion for what they teach or not. So many elements seem to apply when it comes to passion in the classroom. From dynamics of voice, to body language, these natural human tendencies should be used to their full potential in order to emphasize whatever the teacher is instructing. Engaging in the students and putting that extra effort into making sure that the student is learning the material is showing passion. Relating to the students personalities and adapting your learning style to how the students learn can separate a passionate teacher from a non-motivated one.
I had a teacher my Junior year of high school who had a great sense of passion for what he did. He went way beyond the 'norm' of how to teach a psychology class. Whether is was playing his guitar, jumping on desks, applying the information to actual situations, or putting us in a hands on situation to learn, he did it. It's either you can talk and feed bland information, or you physicalize and incorporate other elements into your lesson. That way, you can make any topic interesting and fun to learn. You also give the student a good and fun foundation on that topic. That way the students will think of that topic in the same way that they retained it, fun and interesting.
This may go for a lot of former or current students, but I had very poor math experiences in the past. It is a hard topic to make interesting, but the personality of my teachers and their lack of enthusiasm really put a damper on my foundational experience with mathematics. Now I only see math as boring and, sometimes, pointless. It was an obvious negative impact on me, and it took a lot to make me enjoy even the concept of math again. I believe some teachers forget how much of an impact they're actually playing on students. I know I've been going on about this 'foundational experience' concept, but I really believe it's really important to evaluate. A teacher can directly impact a students life for the better or worse. They could de-motivate a future scientist, or motivate a future musician. That sense of passion as to be in the teaching position, or it will directly change the youths future for the worse.
The most rememberable classes for me were the classes that had teachers who had 100% legitimate enthusiasm in their subject. I remember them so distinctly because of how the teacher went about leading the class. It's so unbelievably obvious to see if a teacher has a passion for what they teach or not. So many elements seem to apply when it comes to passion in the classroom. From dynamics of voice, to body language, these natural human tendencies should be used to their full potential in order to emphasize whatever the teacher is instructing. Engaging in the students and putting that extra effort into making sure that the student is learning the material is showing passion. Relating to the students personalities and adapting your learning style to how the students learn can separate a passionate teacher from a non-motivated one.
I had a teacher my Junior year of high school who had a great sense of passion for what he did. He went way beyond the 'norm' of how to teach a psychology class. Whether is was playing his guitar, jumping on desks, applying the information to actual situations, or putting us in a hands on situation to learn, he did it. It's either you can talk and feed bland information, or you physicalize and incorporate other elements into your lesson. That way, you can make any topic interesting and fun to learn. You also give the student a good and fun foundation on that topic. That way the students will think of that topic in the same way that they retained it, fun and interesting.
This may go for a lot of former or current students, but I had very poor math experiences in the past. It is a hard topic to make interesting, but the personality of my teachers and their lack of enthusiasm really put a damper on my foundational experience with mathematics. Now I only see math as boring and, sometimes, pointless. It was an obvious negative impact on me, and it took a lot to make me enjoy even the concept of math again. I believe some teachers forget how much of an impact they're actually playing on students. I know I've been going on about this 'foundational experience' concept, but I really believe it's really important to evaluate. A teacher can directly impact a students life for the better or worse. They could de-motivate a future scientist, or motivate a future musician. That sense of passion as to be in the teaching position, or it will directly change the youths future for the worse.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Authenticity
Showing authenticity is a true sign of genuine engagement and commitment. If you are doing something that you're passionate about and enjoying it, chances are you're demonstrating authenticity. On the other hand, let's say for example you're working a job you hate or have grown to not enjoy. To keep earning money, most likely you are going to put on a happy face when working and not put in 100% effort or commitment. And certainly you're not going to enjoy yourself. This could be an example for not showing authenticity. So when looking at you (the individuals) limits for your own authenticity, i believe it's important to analyze and determine if you're truly enjoying what you're doing, and if you could put 100% effort into it without feeling burden or regret. My philosophy is that if you're not enjoying what you're doing, you need to rethink if what you're doing is the right thing. You can always see those workers who aren't showing authenticity. They're the ones who look physically not interested and have little enthusiasm when engaging with someone else. I believe you have to be genuine with yourself and work to be as authentic as possible in any situation. Then knowing your limits will come naturally.
Teachers are one of the easiest to catch not having authenticity. I think everyone has had a teacher in the past that just seemed totally not interested in the students. Those kind of teachers that keep looking at the clock and just trying to get threw the day. Students feel this lack of interest the most. They're the ones who are suppose to be retaining knowledge from the teacher. If the teachers going to have low energy and feed information with an uninterested attitude, the students are going to retain that same attitude and probably not have the interest to absorb the information. Learning is different for everyone. So if a teacher doesn't have the dedication to become flexible and patient with their lessons, they should reconsider their position. It's as simple as this. If the student isn't gaining anything out of a class, the teacher could be one to blame for that. If you can't feel the authenticity from a teacher, then they're not giving any.
Not having authenticity in the classroom can have some long lasting repercussions. As stated before, if the teacher is feeding information with a non-interested filter and showing no interest in students learning, the student will soak up that same attitude and tainted information. For example, I had a terribly uninterested teacher for history, and my friend had an enthusiastic and interested teacher in high school. Because of my teacher not showing authenticity in his lessons, I didn't retain much and i now look at history as boring and uninteresting. When on the other hand, my friend's teacher portrayed history in an interesting light because he taught in a way that adapted to every student. He made history fun for his class and now my friend loves the subject. Teachers can be amazing influences to developing students, or they can be a burden to their development. Students get what the teacher puts in. It's really that simple.
Teachers are one of the easiest to catch not having authenticity. I think everyone has had a teacher in the past that just seemed totally not interested in the students. Those kind of teachers that keep looking at the clock and just trying to get threw the day. Students feel this lack of interest the most. They're the ones who are suppose to be retaining knowledge from the teacher. If the teachers going to have low energy and feed information with an uninterested attitude, the students are going to retain that same attitude and probably not have the interest to absorb the information. Learning is different for everyone. So if a teacher doesn't have the dedication to become flexible and patient with their lessons, they should reconsider their position. It's as simple as this. If the student isn't gaining anything out of a class, the teacher could be one to blame for that. If you can't feel the authenticity from a teacher, then they're not giving any.
Not having authenticity in the classroom can have some long lasting repercussions. As stated before, if the teacher is feeding information with a non-interested filter and showing no interest in students learning, the student will soak up that same attitude and tainted information. For example, I had a terribly uninterested teacher for history, and my friend had an enthusiastic and interested teacher in high school. Because of my teacher not showing authenticity in his lessons, I didn't retain much and i now look at history as boring and uninteresting. When on the other hand, my friend's teacher portrayed history in an interesting light because he taught in a way that adapted to every student. He made history fun for his class and now my friend loves the subject. Teachers can be amazing influences to developing students, or they can be a burden to their development. Students get what the teacher puts in. It's really that simple.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Compassion and its influence
Compassion: a sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
This powerful noun is a word that, I believe, everyone has seen or demonstrated sometime in their lives. I also believe it's something every person experiences wether they know it or not. And more often than not, someone has felt compassion for you. Why are we attracted to this concept? I think it's simple. Because it feels good for someone else to have sympathy for you. When I feel down or have felt like I've failed at something, I tend to go to others to 'vent' because I know they can relate to me, or just have some sort of pity. Is that selfish to do? I don't think so.
One of my favorite teachers in High School taught me one of the most influential lessons through compassion. We were having a talk about me and how I have a hard time finding confidence. Especially when I think I have failed at something. In this case, it was not making a show that I wanted to be in very badly. Throughout the conversation she didn't say much, she just let talk. When someone is speaking from the heart, let them speak. I felt that because of that one 'failure', it affected other confidence aspects of my life and I couldn't see my success as much as my failures (like I think most people are raised to think). After my venting session. My teacher sympathized with me about how she had dealt with the same issue growing up (she was compassionate by being at my level and relating to my troubles). That made me feel like I wasn't 'weird' or being a 'baby' for having this issue. She very well could have said, "Sorry, champ. These things happen. You'll get over it". But that approach isn't very beneficial.
She continued to talk about how our we need to look at our, for a lack of better words, 'failures' as growing experiences. Don't look at it as a failure. Look at it as an experience and take away what you can from it. We learn so much from failure. In fact, we grow as a person every time we fail. By having that compassion for my situation, she made a big impact in my life.
When we show compassion to other people, we may never know how much we're actually doing for them. It may feel like we've done nothing. But coming from someone who has been on the receiving end of compassion, it's priceless. That sympathetic attitude was exactly what I needed to get over that emotional hump.
This is why compassion is so essential in the classroom. It seems like education focuses on our 'failures' rather than our success. This puts people down and they may lose their confidence to get better. A teacher has to be that compassionate, sympathetic resource. They have to be a consistent reminder that it's Ok and NORMAL to do something wrong. People do it every day multiple times. Especially for students that are in the prime of their brain development, teaching them that failure isn't FAILING and that having compassion for others is essential, is something this generation of youth should learn. This, in my belief, can only do more good than bad.
This powerful noun is a word that, I believe, everyone has seen or demonstrated sometime in their lives. I also believe it's something every person experiences wether they know it or not. And more often than not, someone has felt compassion for you. Why are we attracted to this concept? I think it's simple. Because it feels good for someone else to have sympathy for you. When I feel down or have felt like I've failed at something, I tend to go to others to 'vent' because I know they can relate to me, or just have some sort of pity. Is that selfish to do? I don't think so.
One of my favorite teachers in High School taught me one of the most influential lessons through compassion. We were having a talk about me and how I have a hard time finding confidence. Especially when I think I have failed at something. In this case, it was not making a show that I wanted to be in very badly. Throughout the conversation she didn't say much, she just let talk. When someone is speaking from the heart, let them speak. I felt that because of that one 'failure', it affected other confidence aspects of my life and I couldn't see my success as much as my failures (like I think most people are raised to think). After my venting session. My teacher sympathized with me about how she had dealt with the same issue growing up (she was compassionate by being at my level and relating to my troubles). That made me feel like I wasn't 'weird' or being a 'baby' for having this issue. She very well could have said, "Sorry, champ. These things happen. You'll get over it". But that approach isn't very beneficial.
She continued to talk about how our we need to look at our, for a lack of better words, 'failures' as growing experiences. Don't look at it as a failure. Look at it as an experience and take away what you can from it. We learn so much from failure. In fact, we grow as a person every time we fail. By having that compassion for my situation, she made a big impact in my life.
When we show compassion to other people, we may never know how much we're actually doing for them. It may feel like we've done nothing. But coming from someone who has been on the receiving end of compassion, it's priceless. That sympathetic attitude was exactly what I needed to get over that emotional hump.
This is why compassion is so essential in the classroom. It seems like education focuses on our 'failures' rather than our success. This puts people down and they may lose their confidence to get better. A teacher has to be that compassionate, sympathetic resource. They have to be a consistent reminder that it's Ok and NORMAL to do something wrong. People do it every day multiple times. Especially for students that are in the prime of their brain development, teaching them that failure isn't FAILING and that having compassion for others is essential, is something this generation of youth should learn. This, in my belief, can only do more good than bad.
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