learner, know thyself!
DESCRIPTION
In the era of ubiquitous computerisation and cheap automation what skills and competencies will students need to really shine? What dispositions will lead to success? In a guided introspection workshop, which I conducted for students of Vasant Valley school and Ramjas school, R.K. Puram (both based in New Delhi), I looked at these issues.TRANSCRIPT
Learner
This is where Ar*ficial Intelligence has already reached h5p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-‐QYchgv5dMM
What skills, competencies and disposi*ons will
you need to flourish in the 21st century?
The Evolving Story of Education...
Agrarian Age
-‐ 3Rs
-‐ No formal educa*on
Industrial Age !"
-‐ 3Rs + Technical skills + Basic Cogni*ve skills
Information Age !"
-‐ 3Rs + Basic Cogni*ve skills
-‐ Knowledge in a Domain (college degree)
We are NOW in the midst of a Phase Change and do not know what the future will hold…
The amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 18 months -‐ ASTD
Language Writing
Printing Press Internet
While in the midst of a Phase Change it is very difficult to predict what the future will hold...
From 99°c to 1°c we cannot anticipate what will happen at 0°c
From 1°c to 99°c we cannot anticipate what will happen at 100°c
Phase Change
Automation
Computers
Phase Change... I N T E R N E t
Complexity
Hyper-connectivity
We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist... using technologies that haven’t yet been invented... in order to solve problems we don’t even know are problems yet.
-‐ Richard Riley, Secretary of EducaCon under President Clinton
• How will a tradi*onal profession like engineering or banking transform due to computerisa*on, automa*on, connec*vity…
• E.g. Profession of Doctor – Self-‐diagnos*cs – blood pressure, diabe*c – Automated X-‐ray reading (radiologists)
– Pace maker linked through internet to a doctor
Think...
Knowledge Age!"
- Knowledge in a Domain"
- Higher Order Cognitive skills "
- Learning to Learn"
- Learning to Think"
- Learning to Tell"
- Empathetic Collaboration"
- Learning to Earn"
- Learning to Be"
To survive and thrive in the 21st century…
Knowledge explosion
…learn to self-learn and keep reinventing yourself
Learn to Self-Learn
Learn to learn and become an excellent SELF-‐DIRECTED LEARNER
Learner Dispositions for the 21st Century
1. Growth Mindset
2. Grit
3. Emo*onal Resilience
4. Intrinsic Mo*va*on
Intelligence is not ?ixed, it grows with hard work
Dabbler vs. Dilettante
Dealing with Inner Con?licts
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose
Learner Dispositions for the 21st Century
1. Growth Mindset
2. Grit
3. Emo*onal Resilience
4. Intrinsic Mo*va*on
Intelligence is not ?ixed, it grows with hard work
Dabbler vs. Dilettante
Dealing with Inner Con?licts
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose
Your friend, Alisha, who is generally considered a good vocalist, was going to the inter-‐school music compe**on.
Although she was a li5le anxious, she was confident that she would be among the top three. You were accompanying her for support and encouragement.
You are the Counselor
Based on Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
There were four events and the person with the highest score would be the winner. Alisha performed well but others were be5er. By the *me the compe**on was over Alisha was not in the top three. In fact, she did not even get a special men*on from the judges.
You are the Counselor
Based on Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
1. Hey Alisha, I think you were the best.
2. You definitely deserved a spot in the top three. The judges were biased!
3. Reassure her that it was just a music compe**on and that is not very important.
4. You definitely have the ability and will surely win next *me.
5. You didn’t really deserve to win.
What would you tell Alisha and why?
Pause, Ponder, Discuss…
The first (you thought she was the best) is basically insincere. She was not the best – you know it, and she does too. This offers her no recipe for how to recover or how to improve.
From Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
The second (judges were biased) places blame on others, when in fact the problem was mostly with her performance, not the judges. Do you want her to grow up blaming others for her deficiencies?
From Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
The third (reassure her that music doesn’t really
ma5er) teaches her to devalue something if she doesn’t do well in it right away.
From Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
The fourth (she has the ability and will next *me) may be the most dangerous message of all. Does ability automa*cally take you where you want to go? If Alisha didn’t win this meet, why should she win the next one?
From Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
The last op*on (tell her she didn’t deserve to win) seems hardhearted. But that’s pre5y much what you should have told her.
From Carol Dweck’s book ‘Mindset’ http://mindsetonline.com
Carol Dweck’s work shows that people have one of two mindsets about intelligence and ability (mindsets are beliefs about yourself)
• Either they believe they have ‘fixed intelligence’ i.e. their abili*es are innate
• Or they believe intelligence and abili*es can grow through hard work
Fixed Mindset! • Intelligence and talent
are fixed traits
• Talent alone, without effort, creates success
• Intelligence - if you have it you have it, if you don’t you don’t
• You have to be flawless, right away
Growth Mindset! • Intelligence and talent can be
developed through dedication and hard work
• Brains and talent are just starting points, love of learning and resilience matters more
• Years of passionate practice and learning brings success
• Stretching yourself and sticking to it, even when things are not going well
• Much can be achieved through years of passion, toil and training
For people with fixed mindset, set-‐backs are trauma*c because they destroy their self-‐belief that they were innately intelligent and talented
They do not admit or correct their deficiencies
People with growth mindset take failure in their stride because they believe performance can be improved through hard work
They challenge themselves and set stretch goals and hence increase their abili*es, even if they fail at first
You can test your Mindset here…
h5p://mindsetonline.com/testyourmindset/step1.php
Learner Dispositions for the 21st Century
1. Growth Mindset
2. Grit
3. Emo*onal Resilience
4. Intrinsic Mo*va*on
Intelligence is not ?ixed, it grows with hard work
Dabbler vs. Dilettante
Dealing with Inner Con?licts
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose
Joachim de Posada: Don't eat the marshmallow! h5p://www.ted.com/talks/joachim_de_posada_says_don_t_eat_the_marshmallow_yet.html
In a longitudinal study done in the 1960s at Stanford University, a group of four-‐years-‐olds were given one marshmallow and promised a second one on the condi*on that they wait for 20 minutes before ea*ng the first marshmallow
Children were able to wait for different periods of *me, some could not wait at all, some could wait for 4-‐5 minutes and others for a longer period of *me
The Marshmallow Experiment
The Stanford University researchers then followed the progress of each child into adolescence and beyond and found that those with the ability to wait longer were be5er off (e.g. be5er SAT scores, be5er jobs and be5er rela*onships)
The experiment, which has been repeated at other places with similar results, shows that the ability to delay gra*fica*on in exchange for long-‐term achievement is impera*ve for life success
The experimenters have also found that self-‐control to delay ea*ng the first marshmallow is based on children’s ability to formulate strategies for self-‐control
E.g. some children said that they thought to themselves that the marshmallow was just a pain*ng, it was not real and hence could resist ea*ng it
• Self-‐control or ability to resist tempta*on is good for standard achievement, like maintaining a diet, or scoring a high GPA
• But for really high achievement, where the challenge is great, like solving a complex social problem, or
becoming a celebrity rock star, you need GRIT
• Grit = tenacious, dogged, perseverance to pursue a long-‐term, almost impossible goal (Westpoint Military Academy and Spelling Bee Contest)
• Grit is opposite of being a dile5ante or dabbler
• Grit is not abandoning a pursuit because something novel, or an obstacle comes up
• Grit is sustained passion
• You can think of grit as the stamina to learn
• Learning is like running a marathon, you need stamina
• Despite boredom or disappointment you need to stay the course
• Long-term Goals
• 10,000 hours to mastery
(Ericsson’s research
and ‘Outliers’ book by
Malcolm Gladwell)
How to Cultivate Grit
Angela Lee Duckworth on GRIT h5p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaeFnxSfSC4
You can find your Grit Score here… (opens a PDF)
h5p://www.sas.upenn.edu/~duckwort/images/17-‐item%20Grit%20and%20Ambi*on.040709.pdf
A short video I made to explain ‘Time Span of Discre*on’ (amount of
*me one is capable of spending on a task) to my 11-‐year old.
Its About Time -‐ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN9FkPz2-‐LA
Learner Dispositions for the 21st Century
1. Growth Mindset
2. Grit
3. Emo*onal Resilience
4. Intrinsic Mo*va*on
Intelligence is not ?ixed, it grows with hard work
Dabbler vs. Dilettante
Dealing with Inner Con?licts
Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose
Whenever you set a ‘stretch goal’ for yourself, you feel the pressure. To relieve this pressure you can either lower your goal or you can move towards your goal.
Based on Peter Senge’s book – The Fifth Discipline
But while moving towards your goal there are inner conflicts that hold you back. Typical nega*ve inner conflicts are – you think you are either powerless and incapable, or you believe you are unworthy i.e. you do not deserve what you desire.
Based on Peter Senge’s book – The Fifth Discipline
Inner con(licts of a learner could be...
Wrong Beliefs
Trying is the first step towards failure
- Homer Simpson
Fear of Failure or Ridicule (what will other’s think of me)
Cynicism, Skepticism, Frustration, Failure
Inertia to Act or lack of energy and enthusiasm
Focus on Problems not Solutions
Inner con(licts of a learner could be...
Lack of Self-Efficacy Self-belief about lack of abilities, that in-turn leads to lesser effort being put into learning
Boredom & Anxiety
Ambiguity or Lack of Clarity
• The moment you find yourself blaming something or somebody for your problems you need to immediately pause
• Consider if it is not some inner conflict in yourself that is leading you to blame others
• Mental structures we are unaware of hold us prisoners
• Once we can iden*fy them and name our inner conflict (e.g. I think I will not be able to achieve my goal because inside me I believe I am not worthy of it) their hold on us diminishes
• We realize we have a choice!
Overcoming Inner Conflicts!
Once upon a time there was a boy who was heart-broken because he got ‘F’ grade in Math and Science. He thought to himself he was no good at studies...
Changing your Perspective
" Instead of looking at the bad grades he considered his ‘A’ grade in English"
" How did I get an ‘A’ in English?"" Good study habits?"" Hard work?"" Multiple performance
opportunities (writing, debating)?"
" Deep interest and confidence?"
" He then applied the same learning approach to other subjects"
" He got a ‘C’ in Math and Science and a ‘B’ in History!"
Changing your Perspective
In their book ‘SWITCH - How to Change
Things When Change is Hard’ authors
Chip and Dan Heath take a deeper look at
process of change..."
They look at the impediment to change as a
dilemma between ‘HEART and MIND’
and use the analogy given by psychologist,
Jonathan Haidt...
Your Mind or rational side is THE RIDER
Your Heart or emotional side is THE ELEPHANT
THE RIDER (mind or rationality)!(+)" - is a visionary (thinks long-term)" - good at planning and direction" - accepts delayed gratification "(-)" - Over analyzes (analysis-paralysis)" - Self-supervision is exhausting"
THE ELEPHANT (heart or emotions)!(+)" - can provide energy and enthusiasm" - responds well to positive emotions" - love, compassion, empathy, loyalty "(-)" - lazy and unpredictable" - desires instant gratification" - negative emotions (loss of energy/focus)"
To bring about change, you need to appeal to both your rider and your elephant!
Managing your �Attention
A5en*on Management
• A5en*on vs Distrac*on (wandering thoughts) • Focus • Mindless vs Mindful studying
Are you good at mul*tasking?
Watch this carefully…
h5p://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo
• How do we stay focused?
• To understand this let’s look at play, because while playing we are usually naturally a5en*ve
• This happens because our mind is wired such that it seeks variety and in play the s*mulus is constantly changing
Every moment of a tennis match is different, and if runs are not being scored or wickets are not falling then even cricket becomes boring -‐ we stop paying a5en*on!
Ellen Langer, Harvard Professor of Psychology, conducted a study where she asked par*cipants, who did not par*cularly like classical music, to listen to classical music
• One set of par*cipants was asked to no*ce three to six novel aspects about the ac*vity, like no*ce the musical instruments they could iden*fy
• Another set was not given any instruc*ons to no*ce differences
• The Study revealed that more the dis*nc*ons drawn by careful no*cing, the more the subjects liked the ac*vity
• Thus, the more we deliberately engage with a task the more interested we become and more we learn
• Langer calls this a ‘mindful’ axtude to learning -‐ the opposite axtude is a ‘mindless rote’ or ‘autopilot’learning
• Connect what you are learning with your life and make it more meaningful
• Self-‐reference Effect -‐ informa*on that is related to us is easier to learn
• While studying we should mentally ask ques*ons about the topic, look at the informa*on from various perspec*ves and relate it to our personal life or of someone we know
• By making informa*on meaningful we remember it longer
Good learners know how to make learning interes*ng by deliberately bringing in variety in what they are studying
For example, while reading a book, they mentally ask ques*ons and try to answer them, look at the book from various perspec*ves or think about different endings to a story
What Facilitates Deep Understanding
Based on Howard Gardner’s work
1. Make predic*ons to ac*vate Prior Knowledge
2. Build curiosity and fire up intrinsic mo*va*on to learn
3. Make learning contextually relevant
4. Secure cogni*ve commitment (for the learning adventure)
5. Ac*vely engage with the learning material
6. Make connec*ons (with prior knowledge / bigger picture)
7. Update Mental Model
The Learning Journey
KWL-‐Plus is a self-‐ques*oning strategy for learning
Know -‐ making predic*ons, invoking prior knowledge
Want to Know -‐ genera*ng interest in the topic by posing ques*ons
about expecta*ons from the text
Learn -‐ Plus -‐ reflec*ng upon the text through techniques like
lis*ng, mapping and summarising
KWL-Plus Learning Strategy
Learning Journal
Managing your �Morale
What, in your opinion, is the difference between a student and a learner? Write down the traits of students and learners:
STUDENT LEARNER
STUDENT
LEARNER
THINK...
ü What mo*vates you to study and what mo*vates you to learn a new video game?
ü How do you prepare for an exam and how do you learn how to use a new mobile phone?
ü What is level of joy in study vs play?
STUDENT ✓ More exam focused
✓ More emphasis on knowing (because of exam system) than on deep understanding
✓ Rote learning (memorize and regurgitate)
✓ ‘Out of syllabus’ mindset
✓ ‘Why do I need to study this’ mindset
✓ Emphasis on learning ‘what’
✓ For a specific goal, like exam or qualifica*on
LEARNER
✓ Intrinsic mo*va*on to learn (e.g. when you learn a new video game)
✓ More emphasis on deep understanding (e.g. how can I make the most of my new smart-‐phone)
✓ Emphasis on learning ‘how’
✓ Real-‐world applica*on, trial and error approach (benevolent axtude towards mistakes)
✓ Lifelong enthusiasm
LEARNER
✓ Hard-‐working ✓ Curious
STUDENT
LEARNER
✓ Hard-‐working
✓ Curious
STUDENT ✓ More exam focussed
✓ More emphasis on knowing (because of exam system) than on deep understanding
✓ Rote learning (memorize and regurgitate)
✓ ‘Out of syllabus’ mindset
✓ ‘Why do I need to study this’ mindset
✓ Emphasis on learning ‘what’
✓ For a specific goal, like exam or qualifica*on
✓ Intrinsic mo*va*on to learn (e.g. when you learn a new video game)
✓ More emphasis on deep understanding (e.g. how can I make the most of my new smart-‐phone)
✓ Emphasis on learning ‘how’
✓ Real-‐world applica*on, trial and error approach (benevolent axtude towards mistakes)
✓ Lifelong enthusiasm
You need to be both - a good student
and an excellent, lifelong learner!
Self-Determination Theory!
Amo7va7on Extrinsic Mo7va7on Intrinsic Mo7va7on
Indifferent to a task
External Regula7on: you don’t want to do something but do it because someone wants you to do to it
Introjec7on: do it because it enhances your status – I will do it because others will value me
Iden7fica7on: I don’t really enjoy doing it but I will do it because I see value in doing it. E.g. study math
Integra7on: I will do it because it aligns with my goals (even though I might not enjoy doing it). E.g. exercise
Doing something for the love of it Not for the reward E.g. spending *me with family, listening to music
THE MOTIVATIONAL SPECTRUM External RegulaCon > IntrojecCon > IdenCficaCon > IntegraCon > Intrinsic
In his book ‘Drive - The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us’ author Daniel Pink suggests that the new operating system for the 21st century, or Motivation 3.0, has three components:
– Autonomy: the urge to direct our own lives
– Mastery: the desire to get better and better on something that matters
– Purpose: a yearning to do something larger than our self-interest
Factors that influence Intrinsic Motivation!
Meta-Learning Learning about your Learning, inten*onally
Meta-Cognition
Self-‐interroga*ng how learning and performance can be improved
• There is no universal algorithm for learning
• You need to find out how you learn best • While you are learning experiment with different ways of
learning and figure out what works best for you
• Apply this new understanding of how you learn be5er and keep improving
Source: http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/2803/1/Watkins2001Learning.pdf
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
From the poem, Invictus
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
Feel free to email me:
Atul Pant