Observation Paper
Video 1: Howard Gardener: Five Minds for The Future
I anticipated learning about multiple intelligences and how to apply them. The video matched my expectation as Howard Gardner discusses a new concept of five minds which are related to the various types of intelligence. He discusses the disciplined mind, synthesizing mind, creating, respectful and the ethical mind.
Key topics addressed in the video
In the video, Gardner proceeds to discuss the five minds and how they are going to be important in the future. He says that each person should strive to cultivate and develop the various minds for the greater good of the future society. Most importantly, the five minds can only be developed through education. He, however, emphasizes the need to move away from traditional education practices as they are quite conservative and do not allow the mind to expand and create things. Gardener introduces the concept of the disciplined mind as the ability to think in ways associated with the major scholarly disciplines like science, history, math and even law. Many students have not mastered the art of thinking in a disciplined manner. To make this possible, teachers need to appreciate the difference between subject matter and discipline. Second, Gardner addresses the synthesizing mind as the things we pay attention to or ignore and why we do that. It is how we put things together in a way that we can hold on to such that it sticks in the mind. Synthesizing is a crucial content to teachers as it helps young people understand concept and ideas.
The third topic addressed is the creating mind. This is the mind that comes up with new questions and answers outside the box. It comes up with new solutions and ideas across different genres. Students have to be made to deal with tough things to bring out their creative mind. Thus, educators should make it a habit to cultivate the creating mind of students in new and wider areas. The respectful mind is able to respond to differences among individuals and groups. Gardener says it involves giving people and giving them the benefit of doubt by virtue of being human beings. Respect begins at birth and proceeds when the child grows and observes the environment. The ethical mind is that which is able to continually strive towards good to fulfill the roles of a good citizen. Gardner says that there is no universal ethics that determine what people live by. Ethical workers depend on their own guiding principles.
Lessons from The Video in Relation to My Life/Career as A Respiratory Therapist
As a respiratory therapist, I can get many lessons from the lecture “Five Minds for The Future.” To begin with, an ethical mind should be every medic’s pillar. More often than not, I come across patients willing to bribe me so that I can prescribe double doses for them. My ethics often guide me in such cases. The same applies to the respectful mind in that I always avoid forming stereotypes based on how a patient looks like. The creating mind, synthesizing mind, and the disciplined mind, are also relevant to my profession.
Video 2: The Five Principles of Highly Effective Teachers
I expected the video to be a guideline on how teachers can improve themselves for efficacy and success in the classroom. True to my expectation, the video had valid points that explain how teachers can motivate students to be achievers. In the video, Pierre, the former CEO turned teacher takes his time to give practical and real-time steps that he took to help improve the performance of his learners. Those are relevant steps that every teacher can use to motivate their learners to ultimate success even in the future.
Key Topics Addressed in The Video
Pierre Pirard believes that every teacher has the ability to improve the learners’ performance and even change their line of thought towards their future through proper leadership skills. Strong leaders are able to apply the five principles to ensure their success in their career. According to Pirard, the principles are:
- The belief that one can achieve great results: In the video, Pierre says that teachers have to believe that every student has the ability to achieve great results and make it known to them.
- Setting goals: Teachers should take it upon themselves to set goals that are ambitious, measurable and meaningful to students.
- Making the goals an everyday priority and working to achieve them: According to Pierre Pirard, investing in learners requires the teacher to move out of their comfort zone and get to know some of their students’ families.
- Planning to ensure the goals are met: this involves planning backward to create the path to success.
- Working hard: Pierre concludes that both the teacher and the students have to work extra hard to achieve their goals.
Lessons from The Video in Relation to My Life/Career as A Respiratory Therapist
I find Pierre Pirard’s principles very relevant both in my life and career. In my career as a respiratory therapist, I have often met patients on the verge of giving up due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders. This is a condition that makes it difficult to breathe due to increased sputum in the lungs. Many older patients often lose the meaning of life when they go through such episodes. I usually have to remind them to believe in themselves that they shall be well.
Video 3: Classroom Management
I anticipated a video discussing how best to manage the classroom while emphasizing the habits that should be encouraged in the classroom because they keep students organized, attentive and focused and behaviors that should be avoided. The video matched my expectation as it was a more practical approach that shows me how an experienced and focused teacher manages his class.
Key Issues Addressed in The Video
From the video watched, the teacher tries to relate with the students through his choice of words and behavior while still being strict and stern. He greets each one of them while giving them direction on what seat to take. He then goes around the class watching their work while occasionally announcing the instructions they are required to follow. The teacher creates a welcoming environment to his learners while maintaining professionalism. Classroom management techniques do change with the times. Traditional techniques, while still relevant cannot be used exclusively. This explains why the teacher tries to be friendly but still keeps a no-nonsense face. Second, the video points to the importance of making rules in the classroom. In the video, the teacher agrees with the students that there should be no noise in the classroom. However, should there be a constructive discussion, then when he claps there should be silence. Rules are important in the classroom as they regulate constructive behavior. Lastly, it is possible to make learning fun and still achieve the objective of each lesson. In the video, the teacher makes the students do fun activities like ripping the papers yet they could have done it in a normal way. In another instance, he tells the learners to point to the person they will be passing their paper then after he tells them to stop pointing, he tells one student still pointing absent- mindedly that he is rude. That is a sarcastic remark considering he just told them to do so. He also uses words that the students can relate with like “cool”. In their minds, the students already know that the teacher is indeed one of them.
Lessons from The Video in Relation to My Life/Career as A Respiratory Therapist
The lessons from the video are very relevant to any classroom experience but not to the respiratory therapist. A patient who is sick and struggling to breathe will not benefit from any of the lessons in the video.
Video 4: The Power of Student-Driven Learning
I anticipated tips on how a teacher can move from the common methodology of teacher-centered learning to the learner-centered one. The video still matched my expectation though as Mrs. Wright brings in the concept of student-driven learning with a new twist. She allows her students to take total control of their learning from the construction of ideas to the implementation.
Key Topics Addressed in The Video
From the video, I have learned that students become more creative and open-minded when they are allowed to take charge of their learning experiences. When Mrs. Wright allowed her students to sit on the floor as opposed to the conventional method of sitting on desks and taking notes, ideas sprouted. She gave them the classroom-freedom they always longed for and because of that, they became free to voice their ideas. One of them brought up the idea of joining the competition of schools for schools which was aimed at rebuilding schools in war-torn Uganda. The other topic addressed in the video is the need for teachers to support their learners. Students often look up to their teachers for guidance. Even though they may have ideas in their minds, they may not properly implement it without the guidance of a teacher. In the video, Mrs. Wright supported her students by signing them up for the competition. The act itself showed her students that she was indeed part of their team and not just an onlooker.
The video also addresses the importance of setting goals for long-term success. Mrs. Wright’s students set a goal of raising $10,000 for the competition. Having a goal shows one’s commitment towards a concept. The students were no longer just going to raise the money for the sake of it since that had a target. The students also worked in teams to ensure the success of their cause. They had the PR team, finance team and fundraising teams all this pointing to teamwork. Finally, learning goes beyond the walls of the classroom when students take charge. Learners always have incredible ideas engrained in their minds. Most of the ideas always take them beyond the classroom.
Lessons from The Video in Relation to My Life/Career as A Respiratory Therapist
From the video, the greatest lessons I have learned is that one should always dare to be different. Apart from my conventional training as a respiratory therapist, I can choose to make my patients’ hospital stays interesting.