Metacognition: Tribute to Aristotle... a Christmas tree

        My mother went out of town last week and she asked me to set up the Christmas tree before she came back. Last year I remember that she had set up the Christmas tree and the ornaments all by herself. Not only did she set up the entire tree but she also took it down and placed it in storage. For this reason, I feel guilty about not helping her with it last year and that now I felt it was my turn to set it up. Throughout the break, I was procrastinating on starting the tree and bringing it from the basement because of how heavy the box is and all the boxes of ornaments that are also apart of it.
       As I began taking each branch and beginning to outstretch them and placing them on the vertical support, I felt each branch was a token of my appreciation to my mom. Within the hour, I was only able to do one row of the eight that make the tree. Despite my efforts, I felt very accomplished because I had started and for me that is always the hardest part.
       During the process of outstretching the branches I felt my anxiety (about it being a Sunday) and knowing I have school tomorrow was channeled in a more positive way and I became relaxed. I also became focused as I worked on the tree and this for me lets me relax my mind and only concentrate on the task at hand. As I reflect upon the exercise, I realized that I can be compared to a train. It is hard to start me up and get me moving but once you do its easy for me to keep going strong and efficient. I was surprised about the way I felt throughout the process because I have never really put too much thought into thinking about the way that I feel when I was organizing. When I begin organizing so does my mind.

Carry It Forward: Spinoza

        Spinoza and I have remarkably assembled a philosophy of what we believe “God” is. As said in Sophie’s World, Spinoza thought that the bible was not inspired entirely by God. Spinoza explained the bible was not written by the God and therefore is written by interpretation of others, which is not accurate. Spinoza took the words out of my mouth when I came across this line in the text. I was surprised to realize I was not the only crazy one to pose this thought about the bible. How can one truly read the bible and believe in its teachings and this entity of god if they have never truly heard from this higher being directly? To me the church and religions have just been rules for people to follow to lead a “fulfilling” life. Who’s to say that this is the only way that one can live, there is no rule for obligating someone to live their life a certain way.
        Spinoza thought religions such as Christianity and Judaism only stayed alive through time because of the outside rituals that surround the religion. Spinoza criticized the church and as a result his family disowned him. I valued his observation as a risky and tough critique of the church but one that was needed to be recognized. Religions are based on faith and Spinoza says that one cannot believe in something that is not reasonable. Spinoza would say, that something is existent through ones senses and only then can they reason that God is nature.
        Spinoza thought that God is all, and all is in God. Not only was Spinoza saying that God is nature and is one single reality but that nature follows natural laws that cannot be broken. A surprising example of these natural laws of natures two known attributes said in Sophie’s World, was that one can have the thought that ones finger detaches itself from its hand and begins to dance around but because of our natural laws/inner cause that this cannot happen. We may imagine it happening but is entirely impossible due to the natural laws of a human. In this case the natural law is that a finger can only move as allowed by its range of motion according to ones hand.
         This was the end of my frustration and distinguishing what is god. I was able to understand my thoughts as come from Spinoza in a concise manner. I began to see the similarities between how the real world fit into how others interpret god. Beginning with the fact that I am a rationalist myself, I found it easy to follow his philosophy and what Spinoza truly meant. Not only will I remember Spinoza’s name for time to come but I will be able to say, “Do you know Spinoza?”
“If you do, well then you know me/nature.”

Change of Mind: Sophie’s World and Buddhism

       Growing up in a secular home, I was never exposed to religion or its effects on others. My mother never understood the significance of the religion she grew up with, and in turn decided she was going to raise us without a particular religion. With this in mind, her intent was for us to be able to guide our own way of thinking.
       As I began to read Sophie’s World, I was able to relate to many of the schools of philosophy. Finding common ground with types of schools made me feel more connected with this book and began to see the similarities of the schools with the way that I think. This was exciting for me because I finally had come upon ideas that engaged thoughts.
       The Stoics and the Cynics were the two schools I agreed with the most. For example, the stoics are known for their “calm” because they do not allow feelings to overcome their everyday lives. I was able to relate with this because I am often caught in this middle sense of calm throughout the day. As for the Cynics, I agreed with the fact that they believe that material object make others unhappy and thus one finds happiness within.
       I was then able to see many similarities between the Cynics, Epicureans and the Mystics to Buddhist ideas. The Cynics believed that happiness is found within and that is why the Buddha meditated. As for the Epicureans, they were Buddhist in the way they wanted to attain the highest amount of enjoyment. The Mystics also seemed to share ideas with Buddhism because they believe in the fusion of human with the divine and this was like a Buddhist saying that a raindrop will soon fall and become one with the sea. With these schools of thought, I found common ground with Buddhism.

Best of Today: Organizing Principle

       An organizing principle is a reoccurring idea that Mr. Allen has encouraged us to use to summarize and help us memorize the main ideas of Shadow Catcher and Sophie’s World. A phrase or word at the top of each page to summarize what has happened helps when trying to figure out the organizing principle.

       Today we used the organizing Principle of “Place Matters!” to connect the importance of the last three chapters we have currently read in Sophie’s World. (“Fate”, “Socrates”, “Athens”) With this principle, I connected that Socrates was the first philosopher born in Athens and his life goal was to answer the question what is man’s place in society (Fate). I was then easily able to connect and remember all the events that happened in all three chapters.

       I think that finding this connection is the best way to approach literature because books all have a binding correlation at the end, but it is up to us to look for that connection. Just like in The Shadow Catcher, the organizing principle was the bracelet and the characters all had a weird way of connecting to each other all through this one symbol. The effectiveness and ability to help my mind remember the events and significance of the story makes for the best idea for my future.

iMedia: Minimalism

     Looking at this photo of a modern bathroom, you see the least amount of materials used as well as the large open space in the bathroom. The sink does not touch the floor and in turn leaves more space for the consumer. The contour of the chair, sink and the mirror complement each other well because they are rounded. In the bathroom, there are no corners to the sink and this gives the room a more luxurious and basic look. These are all examples of what attracts me to this style called minimalism.

      Minimalism is a practice that many modern interior designers are starting to use in the 21st century. Luxury homes use this approach in decorating to seem more simplistic and more resourceful. The wealthy are crazed with the thought that everything has to be “green” in this day and age and as a result minimalism has been taking over many homes in America.

       Minimalism conveys a calm flow of energy and that allows me to clear my mind and feel a sense of tranquility. My chaotic mind is affected by its surroundings so to me this is a perfect example of how I would like my house to look like. Minimalism does not just effect the way we furnish our homes but also the way that we modernly create music as well as art. The result of this style affecting so many aspects of life allows us to conclude that it molds the current American culture today.

Carry It Forward: The Shadow Catcher

In the Book Shadow Catcher Marianne Wiggins creates two stories that are told simultaneously. Her initial story is about her figuring out the connection between Curtis Edwards and her father. Later on Wiggins create a second more traditional story about how her fictional characters Clara and Edward get to know each other and their future. Having such a complex storyline requires the reader to go into depth with details in the traditional story and analyze why characters have certain feelings and traits. This type of analyzing is open to interpretation and is exactly why this story is so exciting for the reader.

I appreciate the time Wiggins took coming up with a way to convey a story in more than one way. Despite the books difficulty it is extremely enjoyable once understood. Very few authors take the approach of writing two stories that is truly one. I have found that this structure is mostly seen in movies and TV shows but is unheard-of with books. I thought her creative and innovative way of telling her fictional story was a modern approach to writing.

Next year in college I know books will only get harder to comprehend and be more abstract than previously. This book will help me look at books in the future with a keener eye for detail and understand how to take the story apart piece by piece. Questioning the structure of the piece is also a big idea that is over looked and tells a lot about the stories importance. I will also focus more on asking why the author chooses to include some information about a topic and be specific with another. The choice of language and word usage is another big idea that can help when it comes to analyzing and understand books that I will read in college.

Metacognition: QE Essay

Starting the QE essay was definitely the hardest part. Picking out which question I was most comfortable with was the toughest task. My thesis was what role education serves in creativity and imagination. I was surprised I picked the question I did because I would usually dispute that question. After I turned in the first section of my essay and reading the comments made on it, I realized I was concentrating more on my intro example than the question at hand.

This is a recurring issue I have with writing papers. I tend to get lost in thought about my essay and try to analyze all parts when I digress without even knowing I did so. I have to learn to always refer back to the thesis so that I do not get lost in trying to prove my point.

I was surprised how easy it was for me to write the body paragraphs. Once I got started, I was able to accurately communicate what I wanted to get across and had strong examples to support my thesis. Even though my first three paragraphs were hard to follow, I realized I needed to get into the swing of writing and then I was successful communicating my thoughts in a concise and thoughtful way.

I find it increasingly helpful when I have another pair of eyes look at my work because I may think I am communicating something when the reader realizes I have not touched based upon what I want to come across in the essay. I have always had trouble with writing and I dread it every time I have an assignment such as this one. Even though I dread these assignments, I try to do my best and always push through my obstacles, in this case communicating my points.

When writing the third section of my essay I easily came up with a resonant image that many have already heard. I used the metaphor a house is built from the ground up, education is like the basic building blocks to ones imagination and just like a house, it cannot be built without the foundation. This image was easy to relate because it made a direct relationship to the reader, therefore making it a strong relationship. I felt if there were more deadlines, for example to turn in a revised section two that it would not only help the teacher when grading but also me because I would learn from my mistakes that maybe I did not catch.

Blogging Around

In Becca’s “Best of the Week” blog she explained that thoroughly reading and applying ourselves to the reading will help us with its understanding and help us in the long run.

My comment on Becca’s blog:

Becca,
When you began explaining how many of us have trouble really learning something, I had a flashback of reading The Shadow Catcher. For example, I had read the same paragraph for 10 minutes straight one time without even remotely understanding what I had just read. Sometimes letters become bunched together and become blurred while your brain is thinking and communicating with something else entirely different than looking at the task at hand.
I realized that thinking about how we think is a very complex and different way of analyzing oneself and I appreciate you writing a blog about this because most do not take the time to think of the importance of a word that most would just blow over. I agree that it is a smart and beneficial move to actually take the time and look up that unknown term for ones greater understanding.



Rayn had an interesting initial reaction to Susan Sontags Essay one that was objective and not Biased.

My comment on Rayn’s blog:

Rayn,
I appreciate your perspective on how you let yourself look outside of the box as you heard Susan Sontag’s essay. Most classmate’s initial reactions were just completely disagreeing with Sontag and her “anti American views” but I enjoy that you did not automatically take an initial side as you familiarized yourself with what really happened with facts and looked at the bigger picture rather than just passing biased judgment.

I also enjoyed your comment about how you thought that media runs America and this is true in many aspects especially for all ages. For example, magazines, newspapers, movies and much more all create biased views for those reading articles or those watching the news. I agree that America likes to think its all about the facts when in reality they just really want to skew the perspective of what they want you to believe.

Metacognition: MindBooks (projects)

When mindbooks were first introduced to my class there was so much pressure to complete them correctly. This pressure came from the examples Mr. Allen had talked about during class. When first looking at the many mindbook prompts I was once again intimidated because of the vast number of ones to choose from as well as the variety. After reading all the requirements and the instructions of how a mindbook entry should be done it was only the smallest bit easier to understand the task at hand. Mr. Allen then said that the entry should challenge you and become something that you did not expect. This sentence alone told me all I had to know.

As soon as I started on my first entry with reassembling a magazine picture my initial approach stood, but the original background did not. The changing of the backdrop was not intentional as I began to add to the entry with colored pencils and markers. Adding on made my mind go wild as I began to think of the vast possibilities of what I could do to enhance the composition of the entry. I was very effective with this approach of the unknown because it let me contribute to what I had already created. With traditional assignments I would be more planned and informed of what I have to do but with this task it was unlike any other. Not knowing what to do is the beauty of these assignments because its lets your mind explore and do what you normally would not.

What I love about the way I think is most times its out of the box. Many teachers may not like out of the ordinary approaches when it comes to homework or writing papers but being able to express yourself in a way you did not know you could even accomplish makes the product even more rewarding. I am also a visual learner and if I do not have a picture or diagram to follow it becomes very hard for me to memorize things. For example when I write notes they are different than most notes that you would see anyone else write. My notes are organized with many headings short phrases and aesthetically pleasing placement on the paper. The placing of my notes helps me more times than not when memorizing something for a class. If time was endless, then my entries would be one of a kind. The limited time in the day only hinders students homework because they could be completed in much more descriptive and thorough manner.

Best of Week: Sharing MindBooks

The best activity of the whole week was having the class brag about others mindbooks. When sharing our mindbooks in groups, it was interesting to see the different approaches everyone had on their entrys. Some used colored pencil while others used magazine cutouts. It was exciting to see how everyone thinks differently and expresses themselves in odd and inspiring ways.

For example, Kevin drew a portrait of himself in caricature form using sharpie and crayon. Kevin not only drew himself as a child but also as an overweight child with a bottle of spray paint in his hand. This was a good representation of himself because he is always up to stir a bit of trouble. I also was intrigued by his entry because he wanted to show a side of him and share it with everyone. He also used crayon to draw his skin pink, which was an interesting view of how he thought he should look.

Watching individuals minds at work made me feel as if I had an entry into my peers minds. I was then able to feel as if I was communicating with them on the same level because I placed myself in their shoes. I was able to connect with my peers for a moment that was not just a surface connection. This made me feel a sort of trust in my peers because they were allowing me to jump inside of their brains. I enjoyed sharing mindbooks because it would also allow others to understand each other better and when accepting and getting along with others it creates an energy in the classroom that is contagious. The liveliness taking place is needed at the end of the day because most students are waiting for the bell to ring to go home.

The sense of trust that I got while looking at every ones mindbooks is the same idea used in my gym class, Adventure ed., to ensure that we are keeping each other safe when climbing the rock wall. I can apply this idea of working openly with a class to allow relationships to grow beyond just an acquaintance in my class. Being able to place myself in others shoes and really getting to know them is more valuable than just keeping an impression that may be horrendously wrong.

Connection: Vertical thinking and AP art class

Learning about vertical thinking allowed me to explain what I have enjoyed doing in two words. As Mr. Allen began to explain that vertical thinking is taking individual parts from a whole, for example a song, and dividing it into its basic parts, (melody, harmony) you really examine the song and hear all it has to offer. Most people only skim the surface when listening to a song and stick to concentrating to the melody because more times than not they are the highest and easiest notes heard. Mr. Allen had us listen to the song in three specific ways and during those three different times we were supposed to hear something different. The first time we heard the song we were supposed to differentiate the left hand on the piano, the right hand on the piano and then concentrate on placing those two separate parts together in a way that you would lose yourself in the music. Labeling this type of thinking allowed me to describe how I feel about music and art in a way that others can understand.

This year I have taken upon myself the challenge of taking AP art. This experience is going to be an exciting and inspirational time in my life and in doing so I must use this type of thinking to critique works of art and make decisions of how I want my pieces to ultimately look. This directly connects to how you look at the composition of the work, for example, if there is something in the background? Is there is a vanishing point? If so, how are the other objects positioned? Is there an object of concentration, what is the mood that is inflicted on the observer? What choice of color is used to set a tone or idea? What about the lighting allows the work to come to life? When all of these questions can be answered together it is what really makes a work of art breath taking.

Vertical thinking will serve as a focus when looking at paintings or sculptures for me in the future. It has also provided me with clarity of what I had been previously doing before, which was slowly analyzing why a certain artist was so successful in his execution. This type of thinking is a lot deeper than most and really allows you to open your ears eyes and your heart to what you may have been missing the first time you saw or heard something. When exposing yourself in this manner, you can apply different feelings to the work of art and you remember that piece of art work a lot longer than another painting that has no meaning to you. For this reason, you can also differentiate a good movie from a bad movie. Due to this, you can describe a good movie as opening a book of I spy because you catch a new clue every time you watch the movie.

Carry It Forward: IDEO video

After watching Dateline: IDEO it got me thinking about how I would embrace working with others differently. I do not want to wake up every morning to sit in a desk and think about how others are judging me. As the founder began to talk about his company, he had innovative ways of how to run his office. The ambiance of the working space was decorated and bizarre and it suited the creative innovators. From hanging bicycles on the ceiling to airplane wings coming out of the walls, this place was completely abnormal, to say the least. Even with all these corky additions to the workplace there was nothing more outstanding than the way he worked with his employees.

The way the founder interacted with his employees intrigued me and therefore got me to think of the ways that I would want to use those methods in the future. One of the outrageous methods the founder would use was the lack of job titles at his company. No one, not even him, had a job title at the work place. With this established in the workplace it created a sense of equality among the employees and therefore everyone was more focused on inventing than the competitiveness of the sales aspect.

Seniority was also not important to his company because the founder said that great whacky ideas are what get you ahead in this company, not how many years you have been working. Coming up with creative inventions was the intention for that workplace and was gladly welcomed as all kept and open mind and accepted and added on to others ideas. Without someone speaking up and starting the bizarre ideas no can add on to the invention or divergently think about how to make or change a product. Having an open mind is extremely important if you want to work with others.

Open mindedness would serve most of the students at GBS a lot of good. Most students are too caught up with what there wearing or what everyone else is doing or saying to even begin thinking about something other than what everyone else is thinking. Due to this, some become insecure with themselves and it alters how they think they should act in front of others. I think it is a shame to waste precious time on superficial things that do not mean much in the end. If we all conform to the norm and don’t keep an open mind we will never see the greatness that it can bring out in all of us.

After watching this film, it then made me think of how I can approach others more effectively rather than taking a ten second impression of them that could be horrendously wrong. Judgments and stereotypes only go so far in this world and getting to really know others is more important than disliking them for the rest of the year. The office space in IDEO really opened my eyes to staying open minded with others to positively affect my classrooms and how the rest of everyone’s day may go.