tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post7803398407012302604..comments2023-10-15T10:29:12.991+01:00Comments on Karyn's erratic learning journey: When it all comes together by flukeThe upsychohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-82748852146973596132011-03-08T22:26:16.630+00:002011-03-08T22:26:16.630+00:00@Virginia Ah, the 64 million dollar question! That...@Virginia Ah, the 64 million dollar question! That mindset is the result of generations of a results-focused education system, where getting it right is what counts, not the process by which we achieve that rightness. Or so I believe anyway. We have become so fixated on results that we have lost the courage to experiment.<br /><br />I attended a presentation recently where the speaker said something along the lines of "the fear of failure is the enemy of success." We learn so much from failure. That presentation was part of the Learning Technologies conference and a key theme that emerged was how grossly undervalued failure is in our current culture.<br /><br />I think we are limited in the extent to which we can make a difference, but we could do worse than praise students for trying, even (especially?) when they fail.<br /><br />At the risk of entering into forbidden territory, all my childhood I had known the story of the disciple Peter trying to walk on water and sinking. Oh, how we scorned him! Oh, what a loser he was! I was an adult before it occurred to me to realise that Peter was the only one who got out of the boat. Sure, he sank, but he walked on water first! Meantime, the eleven <i>real</i> losers were sitting in the boat. Whether or not you believe that story, it serves as an analogy, here.<br /><br />The trick is to achieve that mindset with the students: that the real loser is the one who doesn't try. I wish I had the magic recipe switch on that particular light!The upsychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06345558899662051670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14184878.post-29482799074659619172011-03-08T18:36:04.230+00:002011-03-08T18:36:04.230+00:00This actually reminds me of something I've bee...This actually reminds me of something I've been thinking of lately as my students expect me to "teach them how" rather than giving them opportunities to learn. <br /><br />Many times, because of our inner critic, we are afraid to just let the situation go where it will, using a gut feeling. The difference between my husband's photos and mine, for example, is that I will take dozens with the hope that one or two will come out "perfect". I don't wait, but just DO. He tries to set up his perception of what perfect would be so he misses that odd photo where someone has such glee on their face. I'm looking at a picture I took when my son was 18 months old where he is smelling the flowers. It is perfect. It only took me about 10 different shots to capture.<br /><br />So my question to you is, how to you get students to just let go and try things, knowing they may end up being total disasters? How do you get them to quiet their inner critic until AFTER they've experienced something they will learn from?V Yonkershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11910904367068063554noreply@blogger.com