- This picture was taken in summer 2007 in Cheonggyecheon canal in downtown Seoul. There are times I miss living in a massive, sprawling city. Coming from a relatively small city (Fredericton, NB; pop. 50,000), the move to Seoul in mid-06 was a shock to the system in many important ways. It is entirely because of taking this step that I am an educator today. #rhizo14
- Enforced: I feel like there is a certain element of putting yourself outside your comfort zone implied in this week’s topic. When I was in Korea, I was briefly without sufficient financial resources to get back to Canada on a plane if I needed to. It was sink or swim in my new surroundings and my new role; and for a few fraught months I wasn’t sure if I would make it.
- Independence: I teach this report writing course. Students write a 20 page paper on a topic of their choosing over the course of a semester. The content is secondary to the preparation of the report itself. There are not many hours allocated to this course in students’ weekly schedules.
- Topic selection is of major importance in this course. I told a class today that a seemingly difficult topic could be made into an easier topic, but that it would be hard to make a topic that they found boring into one that was interesting.
- Thinking back on it, I’m not totally sure if that is true. But it feels true. Perhaps this is more “cheating as learning” from last week; trusting your gut even if your gut is not necessarily giving you factually accurate information.
- In order to want to be independent as a learner, in order to have the desire to dig in and find those skills of expression, literacy and time management needed to complete the course successfully it is important for students to have a topic which they are truly engaged with and are willing to live with for 12+ weeks.
- And, although I didn’t mention it in class today, this is not too far removed from where I am with my doctorate program right now. #rhizo14
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