Educated Mind and Heart
I did not expect this week’s reading to be as informative as previous weeks. I thought it was going to be a simple happy ending summary of what we have learned. They tended out much more profound. I have read them all. Although the readings delayed my blog posting, I do not regret it. I was not that good at liberal arts. The middle school classes were boring, and the standardized tests did not require liberal arts that much. It is not that I still know nothing. I just do not feel like having a solid background of liberal arts knowledge. I do not plan to start blaming how I have been educated, but I am trying to reflect on myself. I did have exposure to learning music, but I was still on the technical level without enough art and humanity involvement. It is a good opportunity to look through this selection of articles on the merits of intelligence in non-science fields and its influence on people’s learning, working, and life. The mentioned topics are not completely new to me. I was already recognizing and exploring many of the perspectives. I have gained some preliminary theories out of my own trial and errors. However, I was still too ignorant to reach a more comprehensive understanding in such a short time than from quality articles. I am pleased to use this understanding as a new starter to deepen my humanity dimensions.
I agree that education is not merely about equipping students with the knowledge and skills for life and work. It is also about identifying the motivations and energy sources that drive what they do. When kids first start school, they usually do not need to worry about motivations and reason about what to do because they have enough external drives and planned work for them. As they grow up, they have to transit to motivating and energizing themselves. This is not easy. Understanding the passion and driving force is partly a psychological task. Self-reflection is even more tricky and iterative with many things taken for granted. The heart is the hidden engine of mind. If students can be educated to recognize their heart, we give them ways to amplify their power.
Students should know human emotions are meaningful signals of exploring the world and themselves; coaching is a good way of raising self-awareness and facilitating self-improvement; liberal arts triggers more creativity; humanity adds value to knowledge and meaning to life. The last sentence looks like individual bullet points or unconnected dots. However, once taught and applied, the dots will connect tightly. While science domains work through calculations and logic, the non-science domains work through the charm of dynamic mechanisms.
Dec 4, 2017 @ 6:06 PM
I think you actually have some good insights here. You probably, like I tend to do, did not expect to get much benefit from something that did not show results and quantifiable data because that is how we have been trained to evaluate things in the sciences. But maybe this is a good exercise for us, to take a step back and recognize that there is more to life than the right answer.
You make an interesting point about how kids change as they get older, but I think there are actually three phases. I think that when kids are little, probably under age 5 or 6, they enjoy school and are motivated by learning new things just because they can. But as they spend more time in school they are trained to do what we tell them to and to follow directions (the external motivations you mentioned). Only later (if we’re lucky) will they begin to develop their own drive to learn again. To me, this seems to point to a problem with what we do in school. The TED talk video about what school is supposed to be about is really good (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc).
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Dec 4, 2017 @ 9:14 PM
I’m glad that you enjoyed the readings this week! I really appreciate how much you emphasized reflection in your post. For me, as I have learned more about learning theories, pedagogies, and education more broadly, I have reflected quite a bit on my own education and my own motivations. And I have learned so much from that reflection and self-awareness! Thanks for your post!
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Dec 5, 2017 @ 3:12 PM
Interesting. As you mention ‘motivations and energy sources that drive’ what we do is truly the source from which our passions stem. I think a great starting point for us to remain curious as we grow is to be consciously aware that these motivations, energy sources etc. do actually exist before we are in search for what these mean/are to us as individuals on more personal levels.
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Dec 5, 2017 @ 4:53 PM
This is amazing, especially “The heart is the hidden engine of the mind. If students can be educated to recognize their heart, we give them ways to amplify their power.” There is a ritual in Kabbalah that you always tie your right shoe before your left, put your right glove on before the left, etc. etc. It is because the right side symbolizes Love and the left side symbolizes Power. The purest and most powerful power is always rooted in love. I agree that we have to bring passion to the forefront of the student experience, let them dictate their own directions based on their interests and instill a love of learning that stays with them for the rest of their lives!
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Dec 6, 2017 @ 1:57 PM
Very thoughtful post, I couldn’t agree more. Self-reflection is critical to understanding what motivates us, what makes us happy, and it helps us realize our calling in life. I feel that a lot of people settle for standard 9 to 5s when they could doing work that is truly meaningful to them. But we push this idea of “professionalism” or the “perfect” career more so than a push for following your heart. Think of how much more fulfilled we could all feel if we learned it’s ok to listen to our feelings!
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Dec 6, 2017 @ 3:58 PM
Your post talked about a lot of great points. When I think about my future career as a teacher I always think about how am I going to teach the same class over and over again, and how am I going to motivate myself and not get bored. I believe reflection in my teaching, trying new strategies, and the most important thing is to be up to date with everything happening in education and the whole world I think will help with that.
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Dec 6, 2017 @ 5:36 PM
I agree that education is one of the remarkable methods to find or recognize the true dream works in mind. It is not easy, and lot so challenge both students and educators faced during the process. The responsibility of education is not only transferred the dream ideas in real-world individually but also helps students to meet and conquer the challenges in 21st century.
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Dec 6, 2017 @ 5:40 PM
It is such a common misconception in younger students, especially those interested in science related fields that they do not need to focus on the humanities. I really related to your post and your realization that these skills really are essential for a meaningful and productive life. I really liked your statement in the last paragraph, “Students should know human emotions are meaningful signals of exploring the world and themselves.” I think that our education system should spend more time evaluating the emotions we all feel and developing the tools to harness those emotions into actions.
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