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Harry Potter and the Glorification of Zero Effort - Fine Structure
welikesnow
Posts tagged “learning”
“ When it all really boils down, learning something - being good at something - takes effort and the better you are with a skill, the more effort it takes to improve on all the little subtle pieces that you hardly even noticed before. If there’s a single piece of information I wish I understood growing up, it would probably be this: zero effort is a myth, effort yields results, innate skills are limited to passing gas. ”
Page from How to Be an Explorer of the World: Portable Life Museum by Keri Smith…
This book started with a list that I wrote one night when I couldn’t sleep. These ideas are an accumulation of things that I have learned from various teacher and artists over the years. They all spewed out at once.
How to Be an Explorer of the World:
1. Always be looking. (Notice the ground beneath your feet.)
2. Consider everything alive and animate.
3. Everything is interesting. Look closer.
4. Alter your course often.
5. Observe for long durations (and short ones).
6. Notice the stories going on around you.
7. Make patterns. Make connections.
8. Document your findings (field notes) in a variety of ways.
9. Incorporate indeterminacy.
10. Observe movement.
11. Create a personal dialogue with your environment. Talk to it.
12. Trace things to their origins.
13. Use all of the senses in your investigations.
“Students begin to view academic wealth as determined by the number of points they can accumulate. Teachers set the currency rate when they establish their grading standards and simplify the required bookkeeping with modern computerized grading programs. Savvy students keep track of current exchange rates, calculating far in advance the exact number of points they need to attain the grade they want, and adjust their efforts accordingly. They know they must plan cautiously since they can lose points or be fined for certain transgressions, such as not completing a homework assignment or turning in a project late. They also make note of contingencies that allow them to earn points or bonuses, such as doing special projects or volunteering for work outside of class (Guskey & Bailey, 2001, p. 19).
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Sadly, this emphasis on earning points in order to procure the grade commodity diminishes the value of learning
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(Guskey & Bailey, 2001, p. 20)
MeTA musings: Grading: Points vs. Learning
Interesting that I found this just as I was considering the end of checked homework in my classes.
What single book is the best introduction to your field (or specialization within your field) for laypeople?
“ The key factor separating geniuses from the merely accomplished is not a divine spark. It’s not I.Q., a generally bad predictor of success, even in realms like chess. Instead, it’s deliberate practice. Top performers spend more hours (many more hours) rigorously practicing their craft. ”
