Learning Challenge: Making Learning More Automatic

Learning by H.E.A.R.T: Making More Automatic

For this week's learning challenge, I decided to explore the Attention aspect of the Learning by H.E.A.R.T challenges. The article that caught my attention most quickly was, How to Make Learning More Automatic. This article mainly focuses on how an individual can make learning on-the-job a habit. The author's main points were that a person should begin by identifying what they need to learn. The author tells readers to take time to think big and think small. This means that we should be thinking about where we want to be in the future as well as where we want to be at the end of the day. In order to make learning habitual, we must be specific about what we want to accomplish. We should monitor the habit we want to make and create a schedule in order to make the habit. So, if I really want to get in the habit of reading the material before my classes, I need to start setting up a time everyday for me to read. 

(Habits. Source: Flickr)

Growth Mindset: Actual Meaning

Growth Mindset: Actual Meaning

This week, I decided to read into the actual meaning of having a growth mindset. The founder of this concept, Carol Dweck, wrote an article about how people have misinterpreted her idea of a growth mindset. The real idea is that those who have this mindset believe that their talents were achieved through hard work, good strategies, and input from people around them. The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset. People with this mindset view their talents as innate gifts. The main misconception about growth mindset, in my opinion, is that people think it's all about praising people and rewarding them for their efforts. Dweck stated that simply rewarding people for unsuccessful efforts isn't doing any good. It is critical to emphasize the processes and strategies that allow someone to achieve success. After reading this article, What Having a "Growth Mindset" Actually Means, I have learned that it's more than just adopting the idea. You must actually implement the practices and actively engage in your actions in order to successfully achieve a growth mindset. 

(10 Growth Mindest Statements. Source: Flickr)

Tech Tip: Google Site Video

For this week's technology tip, I decided to add a YouTube video to my storybook page. My entire storybook focuses on Hanuman so I decided to add a video of the Hanuman Chalisa. The Hanuman Chalisa is a Hindu devotional song dedicated to Hanuman. Here is a link to my storybook site: Hanuman.

Week 14 Reading Diary: The Indian Storybook continued

The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson

For the rest of this week's reading assignment, I finished reading the assigned stories in The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson. The last story, Shakuntala, discusses the love story between King Dushyanta and Shakuntala. King Dushyanta meets the beautiful Shakuntala while he while on a hunting trip in the forest. (So much happens in the forest in the Mahabharata). The two fall in love with each other and get married, without Shakuntala's father knowing. Their witness was mother nature. When King Dushyanta had to leave, he promised he would send for someone to pick Shakuntala up. To show her his promise, he gives her a ring. One day, a sage visits Shakuntala, but she is so lost in her thoughts of King Dushyanta, that she does not hear the sage's calls. The sage becomes very angry and curses Shakuntala. He tells her that the man she is thinking about will not remember her. And King Dushyanta will only remember her if she comes up with a significant souvenir. Shakuntala is pregnant with the king's child, so her father sends her to the royal court. On the way, the ring she was given falls into the river. So when they met, King Dushyanta couldn't recognize his wife, because she was unable to present a significant souvenir. Shakuntala can't bare to live without King Dushyanta remembering her so she pleas to the gods to help her disappear from earth. After a fisherman finds the lost ring, King Dushyanta remembers his wife. They get back to each other and have a son, named Bharat. 

(King Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Indian Storybook, Richard Wilson. (1914)

Week 14 Reading Diary: The Indian Storybook

The Indian Storybook by Richard Wilson

For the final week of reading for Indian Epics, I have chosen to read some famous Indian stories. For the first part of the week, I will be reading about the dispute between Vishvamitra and Vashishta over the ownership of a sacred cow that grants wishes. The sacred cow that the two men were fighting over was named Sabala. King Vishvamitra was a well-liked king, but he was always in search of an enemy. The only problem with this was that he befriended everyone he met, so it was hard to find an enemy. King Vishvamitra was an avid hunter and enjoyed the hunting for game. One day he went to the forest with some of his men to hunt. As he and his men were wondering, they came across the home of the sage, Vashishta. Vishvamitra and his men were hungry, so Vashishta offered him food. Vashishta had an entire feast prepared for the men. Vishvamitra was confused as to how he was able to make such a grand feast while isolated in the forest. Vashishta went on to tell the king that Indra blessed him with a sacred calf that was able to yield any sort of riches. Vishvamitra became angry when Vashishta refused to give him the cow, after he offered thousands of dollars. Regardless of the refusal, Vishvamitra took the cow anyway. The cow grew very angry at Vishvamitra and was able to conjure up an entire army. Vishvamitra soon ended up becoming a hermit after seeing that the Kshatriyas had to power when they were up against Brahmins.  

(Sabala the Sacred Cow. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Bibliography. The Indian Storybook, Richard Wilson. (1914)

Tech Tip: Name Display

I decided to take my full name off of my blog posts, solely due to personal preference. I haven't really thought about my online identity much, but I do know that I don't want everything popping up if someone were to ever google my name. I will definitely have to start thinking about my online identity more as I'm applying to PA schools. 

Learning Challenge: Young Children and Empathy

Learning by H.E.A.R.T: Young Children and Empathy

This week I decided to look into the empathy aspect of the Learning by H.E.A.R.T challenges. Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. The article I read, What Stealing Cookies Teaches Us About Young Children and Empathy, talks about how analyzing children and the concept of stealing cookies can show their empathy. The study included showing young children a scene where a puppet steals their cookies and also a scene where one puppet cries out when another steals his marbles. The experimenters recorded that the children, not only felt bad for losing their cookies, but also felt sorry for the puppet that had his marbles stolen. The three-year olds would attempt to give back the stolen marbles, if they were given the chance. This shows a lot about how, even the youngest kids, can feel empathy towards others. 

(Puppets. Source: Wikimedia Commons)