Learning How I Learn
Grade 10 has been a wild ride, but for some reason it has gone by so fast. When I look back on everything we did, I remember all of it so vividly. That’s strange for me, because usually the year feels so stretched out and long that I can’t recall everything I did. This isn’t to say that I don’t think I’ve done as much as years past however, in fact, I think the reason I remember everything is because I worked really hard this year to push myself and create work that I knew I would be proud of in the future. I’m able to recount all of the little details of my work from this year because I’m not just remembering the final product, I’m remembering the process, the memories attached to it. I’m happy to say that I believe this year has been my best year in PLP yet. From my passion, to my teamwork, to my individual effort, I truthfully believe I am more than ready for what next year has to come.
MY MINDSET STRUGGLES
In terms of discussing all my work from this year, I’m gonna start with the bad, because what’s a reflection without a little negativity?
I won’t go too in depth because I covered this in my MPOL, but in the first term, my motivation to go above and beyond on projects wasn’t really there. I wasn’t striving to achieve anything amazing nor did I put myself on a path towards success. My teamwork with my partners for the two projects of that term (Lucas for Trigonometry and Marshall for Algebra) didn’t help with that either. As I mentioned in my MPOL I was mainly just upset with my effort levels and my internal motivation to do what I normally do; strive for perfection.
From second term onwards however, I worked really hard to not let myself slip in to bad habits again, and I feel confident that I succeeded in that. Since my MPOL and deciding to switch my mindset, I have noticed changes in my motivation and the work I produce as a result. I think I needed that wake-up call to realize it was time to make a change within myself, and I’m glad I was able to do just that.
I CAN’T ENJOY EVERYTHING
I’ll just say it, Destination Imagination is not for me. It’s not, I truthfully don’t think that if I continued doing it more for 50 more years that I would ever resonate with everything about it nor would I be motivated to do amazingly. Ms. Willemse and I have had multiple conversations about DI and I’m going to be honest in saying that I am glad it’s over. There has always been something about it that just seems so childish to me and I feel uncomfortable in the scenarios it presents. I’m not saying that I don’t think DI is an amazing creation and a wonderful experience for some children. Unfortunately it’s just not for me. I’m okay with this though. In most cases where I’m not good at something I’ll be upset. I have come to realize though, that there is simply no way I can work at 100% motivation for every single project across different subjects. Its sad that I couldn’t enjoy my time with DI more, because I genuinely do think it can be a great way to express creativity and teamwork.
Although I mentioned I have been ‘defeated’ by DI, I don’t actually see it as loss, I see it as an opportunity I have taken for me to learn something about myself.
THE GOOD STUFF
Alright, now that the sad stuff is over I’m going to highlight some of my favourite work from this year that I want to celebrate.
I talked extensively about this project in my MPOL, but I’m still really proud of myself for what I was able to accomplish in the short span of time we were given. I will always be able to look back at this and see it as one of the best and most memorable presentations I have ever given.
Our Circle BC trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and all of what I said in my podcast was straight from my heart. I was truly bewildered by the breathtaking things I was seeing across our beautiful province. I’m extremely happy with how my podcast turned out and even more proud of myself for completing it and fulfilling the initial vision I had. It was really rewarding to see that the teachers enjoyed it just as much as I did, and I will make sure to have this podcast be a key piece in the portfolio of my favourite works going forward.
PGP was a great, external component to PLP that I didn’t know I needed until I was a few months in and was already seeing changes in my mindset. It’s hard to really describe what’s it like to experience a positive shift in your mindset, but I definitely noticed one and it even helped me to create this video that I am proud of. This video has a couple meanings to me that both have to do with PGP. The subject and story if the video is the story of me wanting to dunk and envision myself succeeding. I didn’t give up and eventually my dream turned in to a reality and I was able to dunk using Habit 2: Begin With the end in mind. Not only does the story of the video focus on PGP Habits, the fact that I was able to turn my vision of a more dramatic-style conceptual video in to a reality was super rewarding and made the entire process of PGP so much more meaningful.
WHY I AM READY FOR NEXT YEAR
As strange as it may sound, over the past 3 years in PLP, the most important thing I have learned is how to learn. I’ve constantly been learning how I, myself, operate. Working in various situations both individual and collaborative I’ve developed my own ‘style’ of learning. Heading in to next year, only a couple of my classes will be PLP classes, and this is going to be quite a large jump forward in the way my education is presented to me. It’s my job to take all of these internal core values of mine that I have been honing and perfecting over the past 3 years, and apply them to the work I do going forward. Regardless of the teacher or class, I truly believe that what I have been taught in PLP is right. I won’t let myself conform when presented with a task that doesn’t fit a PLP-style mould. Because if there’s one thing I can take away from the past 3 years, it’s that everyone learns differently, and no one learns like I do.
danielw • June 19, 2019