Blog Assignment #10

What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

         

     In the video, Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, he briefs over every encounter that got him to where he was that day.  It was truly inspiring to see the different people and circumstances that helped mold him to the man he had become.  I tried to remember to take some notes during the lecture, but to be honest he had me so captured with his stories that I did not get as many things down as I would've liked.  He started off saying "Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted".  I thought that was perfect!  There have been so many instances in my life where I have sat back and said "what did that achieve?", and now I have something to remember.  Just because I'm the teacher doesn't mean things will always go the way I plan them to go in my classroom (no matter how hard I try to steer them that direction).  It's important for me to remember that I need to keep things fun in my classroom.  There is no way I can know every single who,what,where,when, and why that happened in history!  Through this video I was reminded that I need to be earnest and tell the truth.  Own up to the fact I don't know, but I will find out the answer and share with them as best I can.  Randy Pausch also said there's a good and bad way to say 'I don't know'.  I can't tell you how many times I've felt discouraged by the simple inflection in someone's voice telling me 'I don't know'. It's also important to apologize when I screw up something. 

     Most of what my students take from my class will be indirectly learned.  Whether it be through other students, projects, or their exams the information they obtain may be accidental.  I've retained a lot of information from being wrong and finding out the correct answer; I tend to never forget when that happens. Teaching, and learning, take fundamentals and hard work.  It's important I work with other teachers to help get a curriculum that will challenge my students.  Randy Pausch made a comment that he taught a class that completed the whole semesters curriculum in one class assignment.  He didn't know what to do so he called up his mentor, and they worked out a new lesson plan to help his students thrive.  He wasn't afraid to admit when he had undermined their intelligence.  He had to drop his feelings and focus on their needs. "Brick walls are there to let us prove how badly we want things", probably one of my favorite things he said in this lecture.  It made me recall the times I had given up on things because of a 'brick wall'.  I'm embarrassed to say there were many.  To say I learned many things from this video would be a huge understatement.  I really enjoyed listening to him and getting to hear about his life.  I too have worked at Disney World so I could relate to him on some level there.  It was really neat having something in common with this great man.