Innovative Ways of Learning

When I read about TIM ( Torrance Incubation Model) I was pleasantly surprised by what it entailed. The three steps that are part of TIM, Heighten Anticipation, Extend Learning, and Deeper Exploration, I find to be a great tools in the entire learning process. Not only can they be used for schooling, but in the workplace environment it would a worthwhile way of keeping employees on top of the ever changing world that we live in. I like the idea of having learners do a personal reflection that also involves setting goals. I think to often, people become styfled and if they were to write down what it is they want out of their learning process, then they would be able to set realistic goals, that for the most part, they would work hard to achieve. The concept of doing pre-learning before class begins is a good idea as long as its the kind of learning that is fun. Learning from others would be beneficial to the entire process, because have different viewpoints helps students to see things from a totally different perspective. To collaborate with others in an online environment is beneficial to keeping the dialogue moving forward. Extending the learning process through videoconference as well as with materials that can be downloaded is also a great way to keep a person on top of what is new and it would also help them to continue the collaborativ effort that they had started from the beginning. I wish that public school districts would incorporate this type of learning, instead of the boring lecture environment that seems to be everywhere. Sorry to say, for me, I can't sit in a classroom and listen to someone preach at me. My attention span is very limited and at least if I was given the opportunity to learn in a different way, I think that I would become more engaged in the process. School is not fun if kids are stuck sitting in a classroom for hours on end having to memorize a multitude of information, only to have to take a test which in essence, is testing our memory, more so than any knowledge that we hope to retain. Because, lets face facts, if something is boring, how many of us will store that information? I don't think that number will be too high. Learning needs to be fun, and it shouldn't be about testing our memory. Testing I feel should not be used as a gauge for one's intelligence, because not everyone learns the same. Each individual student has their own unique way of learning and I think that an environment that incorporates tools like those found in TIM, would be beneficial to so many students, specifically learning impaired students. I am a big believer that schools have a tendency to overlook the learning impaired students, who are extremely creative, and therefore would benefit from a more interactive learning environment. Lectures don't work for learning impaired students, I can attest to that. My memory is not good and having to be tested on what I remember, is pointless. I would much rather allow my creativity to emerge and this would allow me to grow my knowledge in a way that I would not be able to if I was just lectured at. School systems it seems have not changed with the advent of all this new technology. They are still stuck in a time warp and if they looked at educating children in todays world, they would see that what they are doing is not completely beneficial the learning process. Standardized tests have in my opinion are not a way to gauge a child's knowledge. They don't allow for creativity and they create more fear and aniexty amongst kids, especially those who are learning impaired.

Creativity at its finest

I came across this outdoor museum in Japan and the pieces are just beautiful. This place must be something to marvel at in person. It really is creativity at its finest.

Losing My Way

I have found that over the past few weeks I have lost my way. I have hit a brick wall so to speak and I can't seem to get back on track. As hard as I try, I just keep spinning my wheels. I find the same thing happens when I try to be creative. No matter how much effort I put forth, it never amounts to much. I can only talk myself into so much and after awhile it falls on deaf ears. I envy those people who can keep it all together. Those people who have their life completely laid out in their planner. They know exactly what they have to do at every waking moment. I, on the other hand, can't seem to remember what day of the week it is. I could attribute it to the fact that I just am a disorganized mess, or I could just not make an excuse and just find a solution. Implementing CPS it seems would be the way to go. But where to begin. I think that I just need a day where I'm not running in twenty five different directions. I guess its OK to say no. I just hate disappointing people, especially my mother. I am looking forward to this coming week and the hope that it brings a renewed passion in me. I think alittle down time would rejuvenate my creativity. This time of the year I find to be extremely difficult, not just because we are getting down to the end of the semester, but because the holidays represent so many things to me. I want this holiday season to be a special one and i will do my best to see that it is. I plan on giving back to those less fortunate. I think that is a step in the right direction.

Global Communication

I found this interesting slide show about global communication. Check out the link.

<div style="width:425px" id="__ss_1457265"> <strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jerryfishenden/beyond-the-internet-seamless-global-communication" title="Beyond the Internet: Seamless Global Communication" target="_blank">Beyond the Internet: Seamless Global Communication</a></strong> <iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/1457265" width="425" height="355" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="padding:5px 0 12px"> View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/" target="_blank">presentations</a> from <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/jerryfishenden" target="_blank">Jerry Fishenden</a> </div> </div>

Cognitive Biases

Having looked over the list on cognitive biases, I'm not sure if I actually can relate to 5 or 7 of the biases. I went over the list several times and I came up with two that I know that I have used. The Positivity Effect is when older adults remember relatively more positive than negative things, compared with younger adults. I know that I always try to focus on the positive, especially when I'm surrounded at times by the negative things. In this day and age, its hard to be happy with the way the economy has just about destroyed my husband and myself. But, I always try to look to the positive, and remembering my childhood always helps with that. I personally don't feel that it is a bad bias to have. I really would not look to change it. And the other one that I sometimes find myself doing, is the Hostile Media Bias. This is the tendency to see a media report as being biased due to one's own strong partisan views. I just think that I really need to be more open to other opinions. Granted, it may not be something that I would totally agree with, but I would at least take what's being said and maybe look at it from a different perspective. Maybe by reframing what is being said, maybe it would be more appealing to me.

Flow in the Workplace

After listening to the gentleman talk about flow in the workplace, it reminded me a lot of my past employment. People for the most part I think don't really like what they are doing, and as Mihaly stated, if people are bored with their jobs and they're not happy, they will usually rush to get the work done as fast as possible. He suggests that people should become engaged with their work. People look for a sense of happiness with their jobs. People need to find a challenge with their job in order to make it more rewarding, they also need to perfect their skill level in order to become proficient in what they are doing and lastly, they need to focus on that task at hand, because that would shift their negative feelings towards their job. I recall in my last job that it got to the point that I hated going to work. I worked in a highly creative job, I was a floral designer for almost 10 years. But, I would add, that when you have owners who tend to be negative and who always dwell on negative things and who always dwell on mistakes, then there really is no room to move forward in that job. It can become extremely stifling and often times, it become detrimental to your health. It was actually making me ill. My staff quit because they couldn't take the constant daily negative comments. In order for employees to be happy, they need to feel appreciated and they need to know that they are valued.
Karen

Do Schools Kill Creativity?