Frank Williams

Dr. Jung Lee

CCTS MAIT

18 June 2011

LEARNING TO THE 21st!

R e f l e c t i o n   P a p e r

Reflection on STUDENT RESPONSES

        I’d be lying if I said that I was prepared for the responses that I received from the students of CCTS during the filming of my documentary. It’s nice to be surprised by the intellectual prowess of America’s youth. They are the future after all, so they will need to use their higher order thinking skills to address unforeseen problems that arise in the future. The questions of tomorrow need to be considered and evaluated today so that our young people have minds capable of answering them. During production of this documentary, it became evident that these students have begun to think in ways that will enable them to do so.

Reflection on TEACHER RESPONSES

I was not incredibly surprised by the responses of my colleagues. Many of the teachers responded the way that I thought they would, with answers fashioned in wording that I myself would have probably used. Yet, I find comfort in this, because I think that it is reassuring to know that other teachers share in my thinking. It’s important that educators share common philosophy and practice. Now, this isn’t to say that every teacher should teach the same or utilize the same methodology. I believe that all teachers should create, maintain, and cultivate a learning environment that is unique to their teaching style and creativity. Creativity in education is very important, and judging by the responses from the teachers surveyed, they understand this too.

How did the PROJECT IMPACT MY THINKING?

 I believe that in order for growth and development of cognitive processes to occur, there must be an active exchange of ideas and concepts between people. Intellect does not derive from independent thought, it forms out of correspondence and communication between individuals. In producing my documentary, I uncovered answers to questions that I had never considered. It really proved to be an eye-opener. I did not expect such a variety of responses. The students possessed such unique insights into each of the concepts and ideas explored.

What is OPPORTUNITY? It is my belief that the greatest means of teaching anything is to provide breathing room for thought and creativity following initial conveyance of ideas. Students need to interpret the material in a fashion that is suitable to their own understanding, so giving them the opportunity to make sense of a lesson is vital. As with literature, interpretation is paramount. If there is rigid expectation or evaluation of the learning, then students don’t have the necessary opportunity to grow and develop as thinkers and intellectual beings. When I questioned the students about what they believed “opportunity” was, it became very apparent that they too find great value in the space between the lesson and the assessment (the space and opportunity to explore) and maintain that true learning depends on roaming this endless landscape of possibility within the realm of education.

What is MOTIVATION? I’ve always believed that intrinsic rewards yield greater effort

than extrinsic rewards. If the inspiration to do something comes from within, then it is genuine and natural. It is important for teachers to offer opportunities for achievement of these types of rewards so that students who are motivated can quench a natural thirst that exists within them. However, not all students are naturally motivated to strive for higher levels of achievement. Thus, I was expecting to hear a lot of students respond to this question with examples of extrinsic rewards that provide them with motivation (i.e. money, candy, video games, etc.). However, I did not get this kind of response at all. Many of the students interviewed actually responded to this question with a great deal of maturity and wisdom. There was much acknowledgement of laziness and apathy in young people, and that extrinsic rewards tend to influence action and effort more than those of the intrinsic type, but also a firm realization that without motivation of a genuine nature, people do not maximize their efforts in opportunities to better their well-being and livelihood, both in school and beyond.

What is INDIVIDUALIZATION? Before I produced this documentary, I believed that this question would only yield meaningful responses from the teachers interviewed, being that a teacher’s ability to individualize learning and cater to the needs and demands of each student is essential. Yet, I learned that students have a greater understanding of what individualization really means and how it applies to themselves as students with one mind in a shared classroom.

What is SOCIALIZATION? Students operate in a world that is consumed with agents of social networking and their ability to communicate with others is of the utmost importance. They understand this. We understand this; as teachers, we must. Thus, I was excited to hear their responses to this question. It was reaffirming while also enlightening as well. Many students communicated an understanding and value in why it’s important to learn from others and practice norms and routines that are generally accepted to be right, valid, and/or true. Yet, others entertained the notion that perhaps a disconnection from the social landscape might be meaningful discourse for anyone interested in finding themselves. Students never cease to amaze me...

What is ACHIEVEMENT? In my opinion, achievement is the realization of goals through applied effort. Students had a variety of responses that more or less echoed this definition. The more important aspect of their responses was the value prescribed to achievement. The students tended to place a great deal of value in accomplishing goals and being successful in school and everyday life.

How do you think this project helped your critical/creative thinking skills?

        I think that my critical thinking skills were sharpened by the project. I was not prepared for the responses that I received from the students, so I had to take what I was given through the interviews and decipher which ones were worth inclusion. Ultimately, I wanted a variety of responses, so I had to sift through and really pick the ones that I believed were not only unique, but additionally revealed more and possessed the most articulate viewpoint of a particular opinion.

        As for my creative thinking, I believe that there are many ways to go about accomplishing a common task. I think that should I opt to do another documentary, or perhaps continue my work on this one, I will explore additional perspectives to really provide the most well-rounded coverage of the topics addressed.

Overall, I really enjoyed making the documentary. It was very interesting and insightful to hear what my students and colleagues had to say about the various concepts and ideas. Education in the United States has struggled in recent years, but in doing this documentary, I have a newfound confidence in what lies on the horizon of the 21st century.