The Rights to Write Week 6

How do you usually look at your mistakes?

People make mistakes, and I am no exception. I am a person who takes things seriously. So when I make a mistake, of course I will feel upset and think about the mistake I just made all day long. And I will probably keep blaming myself and regretting doing the wrong thing. But I know that it is no use crying over spilt milk. So after the terrible feeling, I always tell myself that this is a lesson to learn, and I gain an experience.

How do you define mistakes?

When I do something wrong, I always ask myself if there is anything I can learn from it. If the answer is “yes”, then I know I can be better next time, and I will try hard not to let the same thing happen again; however, if the answer is “no”, then the mistake must be a stupid one which I should not make. Thus, I will blame myself and remember the wrong thing I done for a very long time.

After listening to Prof. Pausch, do you still see mistakes in the same way?

After watching the video, I still see mistakes in the same way. I agree with Prof. Pausch on the sentence: “Experience is what you get when you did not get what you wanted.” For example, when I was in senior high, I joined a Chinese speech contest. I was so confident then, and was sure I would win. However, when that very day came, I had a cold, and the worst was that I draw a topic which was the only one I had not prepared. Therefore, I lost the contest. I was so upset because I could not believe I would lose. After several weeks, I finally released myself from the sad mood. If everything is just so easy to do and achieve, then people make no progress. And of course those things will not become the so called experiences since there will be nothing new to be discovered nor will there be things deserve remembering. I learned the lesson in a hard way, and the memory of losing the contest became the most unforgettable experience I ever had.

The Rights to Write Week 5

1.Can you explain what this picture is showing about collaborative learning (or group learning)?

The picture is showing the effects upon collaborative learning. For example, several students are working on a common problem; they form a group and share their viewpoints together. After brainstorming, they come up with several ways towards the problem, and they start to deliberate upon what is the best approach. At the end they reach a consensus among answers. Through collaborative learning, students learn to share opinions and to welcome different viewpoints. Also, during their discussion, they learn through reflection. They rethink their viewpoint and come up with a better idea.

2.What is your favorite part of this type of learning?

I once joined a camp called “The New Century Leaders.” During the days in the camp, I learn how to generate multiple perspectives, how to do collaborative deliberation, and how to deliver the result on stage. Among those parts, my favorite one is Generating Multiple Perspectives part. I like this part because it is a good chance to learn new ideas and various viewpoints from others. I am often worried about being stubborn and I do not like to be limited to my own thoughts. So I think that being able to look at things from a different aspect may be one of the good ways to broaden my horizon.

3.What would be the part that usually bothers you when working with others?
Give an example from your personal experience and elaborate on it.

I often feel uneasy when facing the Collaborative Deliberation part because it is not easy for me to accept others’ opinions and change my own thought at once. So that would be the part usually bothers me when working with others. For example, in the camp I mentioned above, teamwork was considered the most important part. Each group had to present their final works on the stage. I remember having a hard time persuading them to perform in the way I preferred because ten people have ten different ideas of presenting the work. I got frustrated when ten voices were running in my head. I do think that learning to think in others’ shoes will be one of the things I need to improve.