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.
Hey sammy,
ReplyDeleteYour blog post is impressive. I feel like I just learned a lot about you. For instance, I didn't know that you were a visual learner. It's so interesting to learn about how one organizes notes and such compared to someone else. Like you, for example, write notes with many headings using different locations around your paper. However, I tend to write my notes in sloppy lists, using arrows and circles to point out things of importance. It's amusing to see how differently two minds can work.
I liked the way that you went about your mindbook entry... I think a lot of times, when it comes to mindbooks, they come out very differently from what we first expected. It might be because our minds are working so abstractly and using new methods, they get excited and tend to change paths, finding better ways to get our messages across. I appreciate the way your mind functions.
Sammy,
ReplyDeleteAs Marlee said above, this post is very impressive. I had the same overwhelming feeling that you did when the mind books were first introduced. After reading your blog post, I feel as if we think the same way. I definitely learn more when the notes look neat, but are actually very messy and out of order. I always like to draw pictures of what we are learning and see if I can interpret it like that. One thing that we differ in is that you definitely think a lot deeper than I do. I remember you shared your mind book entry with the class and it looked amazing. Not only that it looked amazing, you had something great to say with it.
-Doug