Response to "No Blue Pill, No Red Pill" by Ana Christina Pratas

Response to "No Blue Pill, No Red Pill" by Ana Christina Pratas

 

             The constant modern development makes education a necessity for survival. Nowadays, strong education leads to a significantly better future. However, even after realizing this, many students suffer to motivate themselves to learn. Hence, teachers step in to do their duty of inspiring the students for motivation towards learning.

             "Learning may be social, but in the end its individual." I am in total agreement with this quote. Social interaction is a crucial part of learning, however, without the learner's will for education, learning no longer exist. As mentioned in the article "It is the inspiration and not the motivation that an educator may trigger among learners" thing means, only oneself has the ability to trigger the motivation within himself/herself. In other words, it is not the teacher's duty to get their students to 'want' to learn. It is the students' duty to motivate themselves.

             “If you can see it, you can achieve it." Motivation is the key to a successful education and the most powerful tool for motivation is vitalization of your goal. This goes beyond having an idea of what you want to accomplish, however, constantly imaging yourself at your goal.

            There is no recipe, no secrets, no short cuts. Learning takes time and effort, however, without the motivation, all time and effort will be wasted in no time. As mentioned in the article, in reality, "Learning is hard work. There are no red pills. There are no blue pills." However, also in reality, as soon as you grasp the motivation to learn, the 'hard work' can pass by like nothing. Because "If you can see it, you can achieve it".

Reply option?

Does the reply option for comments work for any of you guys? It's not working for me, just wanted to know. Also I need some help on how to make reply work. =.="

Response to “No Red Pill No Blue Pill”

        The post “No Red Pill No Blue Pill” is written by a educator who is frustrated in teaching. It analyzes the processes and problems of learning in a particular writing style, in an attempt to regain her lost motivation.

This is a response to “No Red Pill No Blue Pill” by Ana Cristina Pratas. Read about it here.

The writing style of this post was unique and appealing in many ways. Its brief, narrative,  and first person story-telling style used in the introduction and conclusion was effective in adding “life” into the post. It also helped express your frustrated feelings vividly. This certainly explains why your “recipe” to help student make connections and learn is by stories. Next, the usage of visuals in your post aided my understanding of your ideas, while also making the post less dull. One thing I would suggest is that maybe you could try to place the visuals so that

they 

don’t 

look 

like 

this.

Occasionally, it may slightly disturb my reading. Finally, the text to text/world connections you made to “The Matrix” and the webinar discussion were quite thought inducing. Overall, I really liked the style of your post and the way it conveyed your ideas.

        

        Lots of great ideas were shown in the post, most of which I can really relate to. An example is your idea of “Learning may be social, but in the end it is individual.” Yes, of course we learn at school - English, mathematics, socials, and sciences – but in the end, why do some students excel while others do not? As you wrote, “Learning, assimilating skills and information is left to the individual.” That final process of absorbing is still done by oneself. Later on, you discussed the eight steps of learning, more specifically, the passion portion. In a student’s view, I would think of motivation as part of the “push”. In my opinion, passion is the initial excitement that causes us to begin the process of education while the push or motivation is the power that helps us continue on that journey. Also, I think that it is the educator’s job to constantly remind us of that passion.

     
        In the next part of your post, you talked about the transition between high school and higher education. I was especially interested in the part where you wrote about “accountability” and “responsibility”. After doing some research, I came up with an explanation. Accountability is induced responsibility, you do something because others – teachers, in this case - require you to do it. On the other hand, responsibility is taking up something according to your conscience. I also found a picture that Dean Shareski posted: 

Understanding these differences further helped me interpret the next idea you presented. I realized that high school education to university education is jumping from accountability to responsibility. Instead of constant supervision from a teacher, we are expected to adopt the self motivated, self-governed, and autonomous way of learning. However, I disagree that “learning hurts”. Although I understand why you think that the rote to digital learning, resistance to change, and fear to be factors that make leaning painful, I personally look at learning as exploration and challenge. Exploring the unknown landscape involves lots of hard work, but when you make a stunning discovery, that joy, that accomplishment - it is all yours.

Spring.

I run in the field, sun in my eyes. Grass glisten from melted frost.

All around me, I see my own kind. Some are running with me. Others, struggling, yet slowly rising from hibernation. Rest is good, but it is time to start again.

No blue pill. No red pill.

Just reality.

Just education.

Just life.

Response to Ana Cristina's "No Red Pill No Blue Pill" Article

                “Learning is hard work. There are no red pills. There are no blue pills.” This was stated by the author, Ana Cristina, in the beginning of the article No Red Pill No Blue Pill. In the article that she hyper-linked Red pill and blue pill, these two pills symbolizes the choice between the blissful ignorance of illusion (the blue pill) and taking the painful truth of reality (the red pill).

                I disagree with that line she said in the beginning of her article. She clearly stated in the middle of her article, “Learning hurts.” Isn't this the same as the red pill, where we embrace the painful, hard truth of learning? This further confused me when she said “Red pill. Blue pill.” in the end of the article. Did she mean that there is a red pill and blue pill when it comes to learning?

                “Learning may be social, but in the end it is individual.” I agree with this statement. She says that the process of how one person learns, being it in a classroom environment, in the library alone, is left to the individual themselves. It doesn't matter how much a teacher may push you to learn something, if you don’t want to learn it, or stay ignorant of it, then there will be no evident learning shown. On the other hand, if they are willing to learn something, out of their own interest, then they will learn more. This is true, even in me. I love searching up things and learning about things that I enjoy, it seems that I sometimes learn even more than what I learn in class sometimes. This also goes back to the red pill, blue pill reference. If a person is unwilling to learn about something, aren't they staying ignorant of that topic, believing what they want instead? This refers to the blue pill.

                What does being an “Autonomous Learner” mean? According to the picture that the author included in her article, it shows four main parts that you need to have so you will be “college ready”, key cognitive strategies, academic knowledge and skills, contextual stills and awareness, and academic behavior  These are demanded from students once they enter higher grades and post-secondary school. I think that these things are important and being an autonomous learner is very important. If you cannot stand on your own two feet, who can you lean on? I believe that leaning on others is not always good because they may not always be there for you. Being able to work and learn independently is essential for future success.

                The author’s writing style is very interesting. She uses some sentences where they can stand alone with no description to back it up, yet I still can understand many things from it. The very first word of the article (excluding title) is “Spring.” Spring makes me think of being beauty, a chance to start again, and most of all, a new beginning where everything is fresh. There are many metaphors in this article, comparing bridges to learning, and fear as unknown landscapes. The main metaphor in this article was the red pill, blue pill comparing it to the way of learning.

This pictures gives me a feel of fresh, and a new start. 

                “Red pills. Blue pills.” This tells you that you can perceive learning in two ways. Being ignorant and believing in only what you believe, or taking in everything you can, takings risks knowing that the road you tread may be thorn-filled and painful.  

Response to "No Blue Pill, No Red Pill" by Ana Christina Pratas

     I agree, learning is hard work. Knowledge is something that can only be obtained over time with dedication and perseverance. Take learning a new language for example, there is no way someone could be fluent in a foreign language in a couple of days. It takes months (at a minimal) to learn the basics, let alone truly understanding the roots of the language. There are no shortcuts, no secrets, no 'pills' to acquiring true wisdom that lasts.

     "Learning may be social, but in the end it is individual." I can really relate to this conception, and not just in my school education. In class, group discussion, peer critique, and other interactive ways of learning with your classmates are always important to help you learn more effectively. You get to compare your standpoint with others similar to you, which can open your mind to new perspectives.
     Even in other practices, like sports, you learn in a social environment. Sports are pretty self-explanatory; it is much easier to practice with other people, rather than hitting a ball against the wall. But in order to actually improve your skills, you must constantly pit yourself against tougher opponents; for how can you know you are 'good' when there is no one to compare yourself to?
     Proficient learning is definitely social, but it all depends on the individual. If one chooses not to cooperate, whether in a discussion or game, they are hindering themselves of learning, and (slightly) obstructing others who may want to learn. If you are really committed, you should be able to find a way to get over obstacles, and that itself would be a good learning opportunity.

     I do not exactly agree that "Resistance to change is easier than change itself,". I don't think that changing from a rote learning system like in China, to a more meaningful way here in Canada is "painful". Of course, I have no right to say this, but this is my opinion judging from what my friends in China tell me about their schools.
     Now specifically, changing to and learning digital literacy. I actually find the use of technology and the internet much easier and appealing than written works. Maybe it is because I never had to make a huge, sudden transition in the first place. Instead, as I grew up, I gradually taught myself how to use computers and the internet.

     Times change - and so must we. No matter the circumstances, learning will always be a step-by-step process.

No Red Pill No Blue Pill Response

Nowadays, the pace of development in our society is rapidly increasing. Therefore, education plays a significant role in our modern world. A person’s level of education signifies his or her success in the world that we, humans, are living in right now. However, not every student can understand the importance of studying. The majority of them would rather choose to suffer later in their lives instead of working hard in the beginning. As a result, the duty of a teacher or parents is not only to educate students, but more importantly, to motivate ones’ will to study.

In Ana Cristina Pratas’s digital narrative No Blue Pill, No Red Pill, she indicated that “Learning may be social, but in the end its individual.” I am a strong believer of this viewpoint. No matter how hard the parents or teachers are, they cannot force people to learn. Without the willpower that comes from the students themselves, their learning progress is little. If one has little to no learning progress, their future is full of worrisome thoughts. In addition, little education also represents a lack of confidence in students’ future careers. Hence passion becomes an essential part in one’s education process. Even though a pupil is not clever, their passion for new knowledge can bring them success. In contrast, a learner who is smart, but is without passion, can only face failure. Similarly to what Ana Cristina Pratas illustrated, “Only the self can walk through the door of learning.”

If a student wants to walk through the door of learning, being only passionate is not enough. Even more significantly is the learners’ persistence to gain new knowledge. Persistence is another major role that needs to be present during a pupil’s learning process. In my opinion, having passion is not enough to change one’s fate, but by being persistent one can seek new possibilities. For example, Albert Einstein, the famous mathematician, scientist, physicist of the 20th century, did not reach success because he was a genius, but rather as a result of persistence towards certain questions. Like education, if a pupil can persist on exploring a specific topic, then undeniably, he or she can be the triumph of their life. Elbert Hubbard said “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” Most of the time, students do not give up during education because of the difficulty; it is the fear of putting more effort into the study.

In the narrative No Blue Pill, No Red Pill Ana illustrated that “Resistance to change is easier than change itself.” From my perspective, I agree with this statement. However, despite the fact that change is effortful, I argue that if one has the passion to change, has the persistence to change, then he or she is the real champion of life, regardless of whether it is in the category of education or in social relationships.

Speech Draft - REVISION

This is the revised version based on the comments and feedback I received, it helps a lot!

Chocolate Speech - Revised

Thank you all for the feedback! Please comment about anything else that may need changing~

Response to "What if students designed their own school?"

You can read all about the "Independent Project" here.

Here is the video: 

As our society continues to advance, many begin to look back, reflect, and rethink old ideas. “Was that really the best method?” In recent years, some high schools implanted an innovative way of learning through a program called “Independent Project”. The program began in Monument Mountain Regional High School in Massachusetts and was designed by a student. The goal of the programs is to let students acquire credits through working in small “individual studying” groups, monitored by teachers. Throughout the semester, each student is expected to develop their academics by exploring/ creating projects on various topics that interests them. The completed project is then shared with other members of the program to pass on the knowledge. In addition, students also work on personal/ collective endeavors to develop other skills. Just like any other new idea, the “Independent Project” is receiving lots of attention: support and doubt.

        The ‘Independent Project” brings motivation and hope to lots of students. Students who do not work well in regular classes are able to focus on their passion. Why should one learn about everything and fail everything? Is it not better to focus on one area that you are passionate in and excel in it? Another reason that proves the “Independent Project” to be a better method of education is that it can prepare students for the “self-governed” mode of studying / working in university. Overall, the program can definitely benefit lots of students and prepare them for the future.

        However, another concern arises as the program takes a step forward: How is the eligibility of a student determined? In the video, no specific guidelines were mentioned in how students were chosen. In my opinion, if the program was to be widely offered, it would need an application process. The process should not only include a series of tests to assess the learning/ focusing ability of the applicant, multiple interviews would be necessary to make a final decision. Moreover, there should be a fixed amount of students chosen each year to ensure that supervising teachers will be able to keep track of the students’ progress.

        To be honest, I really don’t think that the “Independent Project” is worth the complex application process. Despite all the advantages of the program, there are several major problems with its design. The first obstacle that the students in the program will meet is staying on task. After a few months, students may run out to ideas for projects or motivation and it is not hard for them to just slack off. Even if they do stay on task, does it mean that they will learn all the content in the regular curriculum? It is likely that the dedicated students will try to do projects that educate them in most of the areas, but without the direct guidance of the teacher, it is nearly impossible to cover ALL the content. As a result, it will put a student in an obvious disadvantage if he/she goes to university. Although the “Independent Project may seem fun and innovative, I think that it does not fully serve its purpose in educating students.

        I agree that designing and exploring our own projects is a great way to educate and prepare ourselves for the modern society. However, I don’t think that that we are at that stage yet. We still need to be guided by teachers and learn more “basic knowledge”. Then, only after that, can we begin to explore, imagine, and innovate.

What if students designed their own school? – Response

Sitting in a classroom with 30 other students, taking notes off the whiteboard, writing an exam for a higher mark, what do all these actions remind you of? This is what most pupils do during the education stage of their lives. However, can we imagine a class that does not have as many students, a class that does not have any notes to copy down, and a class without exams? Can we imagine a class conducted by students, making their own policies, and gaining knowledge in a way full of freedom? From my perspective, more freedom during learning processes would be more effective and productive for one’s own education.

As Benjamin Franklin said "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." As a student, copying notes and listening to teachers is not really useful for our education development. Nevertheless, pupils researching new questions by themselves, and exploring new answers on their own, would be a better method of grasping information for most students. Applying and advancing in knowledge using a personally benefiting way to figure out all the struggles they have, alongside inquiries, is a more convincing way than just sitting in a classroom and depending on the teacher. For instance, the video ‘if students designed their own schools...' introduced to us The Independent Project, a new style of studying. Nine students designed their own policies on how to learn and what to learn in one semester. They discussed all the problems they had, and at the end of the week the nine students presented their results of their particular question. In this independent project, teachers and counselors are playing the roles of mentors and coaches rather than instructors. Therefore, students can be self-sufficient and more independent regarding what they want to study and how to understand various ideas. In my opinion, this strategy is significant for a student who wants post-secondary education.

Regarding the above, The Independent Project can result in a new era of education. It is a new concept that traditional learning can't compete with. In this case, I wish that someday, on our course selection forms, there will be a new course called The Independent Project.

Response to "If students designed their own school...it would look like this" article

“It’s crazy that in a system that is meant to teach and help the youth there is no voice from the youth at all.” This was the first line of the video “If students designed their own schools…”  and the article "If students designed their own school...it would look like this" where it showed us about the Independent Project, where a semester of high school was dedicated to their own choice of studying. This can be good or bad, depending on the students mainly.

There are many good things that this “Independent Project” offers. Students have a chance to study what they want, learn to work together with others through a group project, and to present individual projects on what they chose to research about. These things can help a student manage their time better because they are learning about what they want, instead of things they may not like much, like math, science, socials or any other course. Although they do not have to be in these teacher led classes, they still choose a specific topic within a bigger topic, like the workings of an airplane, which would be under physics, and mechanics.

Some students may think that this is an interesting program that they may want to have implemented at Fraser Heights Secondary School . But, will it work? This program depends on the independence of each individual student, where if one does not pull his/her weight, then the program can collapse. The principle of Monument Mountain Regional High School, Principal Marianne Young, took a big chance with the program, whether if the program would take off or not. She knew that there would be many things to consider, the parental views, each individual student, and most of all, the enthusiasm to learn, be it with the students, or on just what they want to learn. This program would not work well for me, as I love learning about many new things, and also touching on many different topics, instead of just the ones I am interested in.

This School-in-School idea, where students “teach” themselves is similar to Genius Hour, which is a project that we take on in Ms. Lees’ English 10 class. The Genius Hour idea is to make a project on whatever we are interested in or enjoy, and present it to the rest of the class. This idea is similar to the Independence Project at Monument Mountain Regional High School because we have a chance to explore what we want, while under the mentoring of a teacher. Although the Genius Hour projects are a part of our English class, it is also going to become a course at Fraser Heights Secondary school, as an elective, where students get one block per day to work on whatever they want.

The Independence Project is indeed, “independent” because students choose what they do and what they want to learn instead of the normal teacher led classes every day. Although the Independence Project works at Monument Mountain Regional High School, I prefer normal teacher led classes because the teacher goes over everything within the textbook, and covers a lot of material, meaning that we get knowledge on many topics, instead of the ones that I am interested in which may be quite narrow. 

If Students Designed Their Own School...?

Response to the article and video on "If students designed their own school... it would look like this"

Letting students teach themselves - this is a really daring decision Principal Marianne Young took.
     Monument Mountain Regional High School most likely is a quaint, modest school with a good reputation of it's students. That's the problem, this "Independent Project" course may not work out as well at other schools with poor reputations. It really depends on the students themselves who take this course. If they are not actually motivated to do anything, nothing will happen. It wasn't specified how the 8 students were first chosen, but I would suggest there be a kind of test or examination. Of course not a real IQ based test, but more of a psychological/mental capabilities exam to make sure students are dedicated to learning, and are able to manage by themselves just fine.
     Compare this to the upcoming new program here in Fraser Heights, called Science Academy. I've already applied for this program, which basically provides much higher and advanced math, chemistry, and physics courses (including first year university and AP courses). The application process is pretty troublesome I must admit, but it is necessary to ascertain that all students can handle the tough, fast-paced learning/workloads. A student profile form, activities list, and short essay needed to be handed in to the office, as well as a practical exam and essay, and an interview. This is a very elaborate and thorough application process, which I strongly believe would be needed to assess students wanting to take the "Independent Project" course.
     Another problem with this student-run-school idea that has been bothering me is about how the students choose what they want to research on. Sure there is a specific curriculum or guideline they may need to follow, but what if there is that one particular section that all students despise, and no one decides to look into it and show others? I don't think the video has provided enough information on the Independent Project, so I can't say for certain that I know what they are trying to do. If this program was meant to completely replace normal teacher-classes to student-run-classes, I don't think students will thoroughly learn all the necessary subjects. For example, if all the students for some reason strongly hated radicals in math, who would research it, or any kinds of questions related to radicals? No one. If no one even touches the subject of radicals, no one will learn it, even though it is a very important part of mathematics in general.
     The idea of having students come up with their own methods of learning, and working together on group projects is really good for leadership and collaboration skills, but I feel this can be achieved in a normal teacher-classroom as well. In our English 10 class, Ms. Lees introduced this ingenious project, Genius Hour. We get to study what we are passionate about, work in our own groups (or by ourselves), design our own project, and show what we have learned in our own different methods. In a way, Genius Hour is like the Independent Project, but in a normal class setting.
     Whether teachers or students should teach, I am leaning more to the traditional teachers side. I am completely fine with how schools and classes run currently, but if they can somehow find a way to smoothly implement student-run-classes/schools... so be it.

A bit on Google:
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CSI:Lab

Speech Draft

I'm not compeletly done with my speech.
I want to add a few more stuff and edit more ......
But here my draft =)

Speech

 

 

             Let's go back in time, your lost on a deserted island, it's midnight your life depends on whether you escape or not. You search franticly for anything that may be able to help you... and you find a calculator, pencil, and a piece a paper. Luckily you've been paying attention to the dreadful lectures from your teachers and as a student you've spent countless hours memorizing complicated math problems, physics laws, and astrology. So you start working out your escape plan. Education well spent

             Now, let's fast forward to the modern day. You're stuck in the same situation again...... You've forgotten everything you've learned at school and all hope seems lost. But wait, you remembered your phone! So you search up the deserted island your stuck on and find your way back safe. Problem solved.

             The internet has changed the world. We no longer need to rely on the old methods of solving problems such as navigating. But we have advantages of modern technology and the Internet.

             Technology now runs in the veins of society, it is the fuel that drives our lives, and is an essential tool for survival. Technology has brought luxury in the life of every common man.

             The internet first went public in 1989, but it wasn't until many years it become widely known and used. By 2000 the Internet truly went 'main stream' changing the society and our behaviors drastically. However, education has not yet changed with the stream of modern development.

             Unlike the old days, many university graduated students suffer from getting jobs in their field of study. About half of the graduates are not working in the profession they've majored in, and one quarter are unemployed. To me, this sounds like a terrible outcome for thousands of dollars spent on the educational system.

            Back in the days when internet was not available, all intrinsic learning was based on memorization. However, Kathy Harris, a managing director for the recruitment and placement of professionals for corporate growth states that, "The ability to problem solve and the ongoing dedication to learning new technologies or solutions that will continue to advance in the changing workplace" are what large, successful corporations are looking for in new hires. Therefore, if top corporations are looking for hires who are critical thinking individuals, who think outside of the box, why is the education system still valuing wrote memory? Shouldn't schools prepare students to thrive in a constantly changing, modern environment?

             So I ask, what can we do to make our education suitable in this modern age? Because it doesn't make sense that we learn something Google can solve for us. Therefore, teaching needs to evolve with society's advancements and meet the current needs of students, and not be fooled to teach in an old outdated way. It is time for critical thinking and creativity to become the foundation of our education, and properly equip students to obtain future they deserve.