Randy Pausch is a remarkable human being. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 47. In his lecture at Carnegie Mellon University he gives a full auditorium his Last Lecture. He gets right to the issue of the situation and informs all about his condition and the message he wants to get across.
Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
He tells all about his and explains them. The first one is about experiencing zero-gravity. His class won a chance to ride on the Vomit Comet. However, he goes on the explain "the brick wall". It is not there to keep us out it is in place to prove to us how badly we actually want to achieve something.
His next dream is joining the National Football League. This lesson is more about a "head fake". A head fake is about learning something indirectly. It is a great thing for students because they believe they are playing football but in reality they are learning more prevalent things such as teamwork, perseverance, and sportsmanship. These are the tenants that they should take away from the sport instead of just learning the sport alone.
In regards to education this is a phenomenal idea. I remember in school that the mere idea of learning Math was exhausting, terrifying, and annoying all at the same time. Those are brick walls. If my teachers had used the skill of using a "head fake" maybe then I would have been able to learn Math in a way that would disguise the fact that it is Math and been able to grasp the true point of the lesson. As an English major this will be very useful. Time and time again from my non-Education Major peers I get the same comment when I tell them my major, "I hate English...It was my worst subject...It is so hard that I quit paying attention". These statements upset me. I have such a drive and want to teach it that I truly want to find ways to make it easier, enticing, and fun for my students in each and every lesson. I think using a "head fake", incorporating useful and fun technologies, as well as using PBL it will inhibit a higher outcome of students more willing and open to learn in any subject-especially one that they are apprehensive about.
Wrapping Up the Full and Complete Message of the Last Lecture...
Randy Pausch is a truly inspiring individual that reminds us to go out and achieve all that you can imagine. Why wouldn't we want this for our students? He has changed the way I think about education and how I will become one of the most influential people in my students' lives. He leaves us with some key points from his lecture that I will directly quote:
Loyalty is a two-way street.
Never give up.
You get people to help you by telling the truth. Being earnest. I'll take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short term. Earnest is long term.
Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself.
Get a feedback loop and listen to it. … Anybody can get chewed out. It's the rare person who says, oh my god, you were right. … When people give you feedback, cherish it and use it.
Show gratitude.
Don't complain. Just work harder.
Be good at something, it makes you valuable.
Work hard.
Find the best in everybody. … No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side; just keep waiting, it will come out.
- And be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.
Hi Kelia!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed Randy Pausch's last lecture. It was inspiring in so many ways. I loved his "brick wall" metaphor, it keeps reminding us that only the ones that truly want to succeed in something will push through that brick wall and the ones that don't care enough to word harder will just turn around.