Unstoppable Learning
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Prompt 1 - Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay. Tutorial Screencast - Model Essay Prompt 2 - It has been said, "Not everything that is learned is contained in books." Compare and contrast knowledge gained from experience with knowledge gained. Tutorial Screencast - Model Essay |
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...more writing prompts for Unstoppable Learning!
About Me - Tell about things that you regularly do to increase your knowledge.
Descriptive - Describe what early childhood learning is like in your country. Narrative - Tell about a situation where you taught yourself a particularly skill without help from a teacher. Tell about what happened before, during, and after this situation. Problem / Solution - A friend must stop the English class they've been taking because of a work conflict. Give her advice as to what she can do independently to keep learning. |
Abstract - Albert Einstein said, "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." What did he mean and to what extent do you agree?
Hypothesis - How will the 'learning experiences' available to children be different in ten years, twenty years, and fifty years? Try to be as detailed and specific as you can. Support an Opinion - Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Those with the best chance of using their education should be given priority in receiving it. Use specific details and examples to support your answer. |
Note for Teachers - The purpose of our 30 minute timed writing prompts is to engage learners in a carefully crafted exercise that will improve fluency of both thought and pen. Quality writing effectively expresses how a person feels, or thinks, in response to any given topic. This doesn't just happen, but requires consistent and meaningful practice (time on task)... the aim and focus of our Daily Writing Prompt website. A guide to constructing a 5 paragraph essay, along with a model passage for students to study and dissect can also be found on this page.
Model Essay - Certainly one of the most distinguishing features of humanities is our ability and motivation to learn. The advancements of modern civilization are in large measure because of improvements in our ability to learn information. The ability to learn independently has been increased by technology and increased access to information. Some now question if we are past a point of needing formalized instruction from a teacher. Others claim that we will never outgrow our need for teachers. While some tasks and knowledge can be gained independently, learning from a teacher is better for many reasons including its increased efficiency, the empowering human connections it fosters and the context that a teacher can provide to their learners.
Teachers help eliminate trial and error learning. Without a teacher, the only way to learn is to figure out what works after experiencing what doesn't work over and over and over. This is obviously very inefficient, but it's also demotivating. To only learn after you have failed many times may cause you to give up trying to learn or take so long that you no longer need what it is that you were trying to learn. Imagine trying to learn to play a song on the piano but not have anything to show you which keys to play in which order instead you just had to experiment with different sounds in different orders. This would take a long time. It would be painful to listen to and you likely would give up before you succeeded. Trial and error learning may be necessary when learning something that no one knows yet, but it's just foolish to learn on your own what someone close to you already knows; if someone can show you the light why stumble around in the dark?
Teachers provide a role model. All people but particularly young people need someone in their life that they can look up to and pattern their lives after. Teachers can be that person who through regular contact in a supportive and encouraging environment fosters respect in a young person and inspire that young person to achieve great things while avoiding poor choices. Many people as they list those who have greatly influenced them will identify many teachers who not only passed to them knowledge but also helped them shape their character. One particular high school teacher made a great impact on me. He was funny so he taught me that learning could be fun. He was passionate about service and helped me to recognize that even when we are busy we can take time to help others. He set goals to make a difference including becoming mayor of our town. This helped me to develop my own aspirations to achieve. Like so many others, I would be a different person without the influence many teachers.
Teachers can help contextualize learning. Learning what it is that you don't know is often not enough; you need to know why you need to know it. Learning on your own may give you the facts and rules for something but its important that you have a guide who can show you when and how you should apply that knowledge. Teachers have not only mastered the basics but they have also applied this knowledge in real world situations. This helps them to teach what is most important and motivate learners to see that their learning can make a difference. Many of my business college professors came from the private sector that means that between their own college education and returning to teach at our university they spent time working for companies. During this time they used the principles that they would later teach. This helped them to know what would be most valuable for us to understand. They could also answer our questions when we asked why something was important. Being able to contextualize what they are learning is critical for students.
Through showing their students how what they are learning matters and who they can become while helping them avoid unnecessary failures teachers will continue to have a great impact on the best ways to gain knowledge. Self study will continue to be important but likely only when a teacher is not available or to help a student be even more prepared for what the teacher will show them. The important role of teachers justifies some important changes. First as individuals we should increase our levels of respect for those teachers who influence us. As communities and groups we should also invest in educational programs that enable teachers to be more effective. Society also can help elevate the station of teachers and be quicker to praise and slower to criticize their contribution.
Teachers help eliminate trial and error learning. Without a teacher, the only way to learn is to figure out what works after experiencing what doesn't work over and over and over. This is obviously very inefficient, but it's also demotivating. To only learn after you have failed many times may cause you to give up trying to learn or take so long that you no longer need what it is that you were trying to learn. Imagine trying to learn to play a song on the piano but not have anything to show you which keys to play in which order instead you just had to experiment with different sounds in different orders. This would take a long time. It would be painful to listen to and you likely would give up before you succeeded. Trial and error learning may be necessary when learning something that no one knows yet, but it's just foolish to learn on your own what someone close to you already knows; if someone can show you the light why stumble around in the dark?
Teachers provide a role model. All people but particularly young people need someone in their life that they can look up to and pattern their lives after. Teachers can be that person who through regular contact in a supportive and encouraging environment fosters respect in a young person and inspire that young person to achieve great things while avoiding poor choices. Many people as they list those who have greatly influenced them will identify many teachers who not only passed to them knowledge but also helped them shape their character. One particular high school teacher made a great impact on me. He was funny so he taught me that learning could be fun. He was passionate about service and helped me to recognize that even when we are busy we can take time to help others. He set goals to make a difference including becoming mayor of our town. This helped me to develop my own aspirations to achieve. Like so many others, I would be a different person without the influence many teachers.
Teachers can help contextualize learning. Learning what it is that you don't know is often not enough; you need to know why you need to know it. Learning on your own may give you the facts and rules for something but its important that you have a guide who can show you when and how you should apply that knowledge. Teachers have not only mastered the basics but they have also applied this knowledge in real world situations. This helps them to teach what is most important and motivate learners to see that their learning can make a difference. Many of my business college professors came from the private sector that means that between their own college education and returning to teach at our university they spent time working for companies. During this time they used the principles that they would later teach. This helped them to know what would be most valuable for us to understand. They could also answer our questions when we asked why something was important. Being able to contextualize what they are learning is critical for students.
Through showing their students how what they are learning matters and who they can become while helping them avoid unnecessary failures teachers will continue to have a great impact on the best ways to gain knowledge. Self study will continue to be important but likely only when a teacher is not available or to help a student be even more prepared for what the teacher will show them. The important role of teachers justifies some important changes. First as individuals we should increase our levels of respect for those teachers who influence us. As communities and groups we should also invest in educational programs that enable teachers to be more effective. Society also can help elevate the station of teachers and be quicker to praise and slower to criticize their contribution.
Model Essay - The complex world that we live in requires that a person cultivate the ability to create, respond and apply knowledge dynamically. Society depends on people who have these abilities to innovate and lead. Naturally this creates discussion about what is the best way to gain the skills and expertise we need. Some people promote the efficiency of books as the best way to gain necessary knowledge. Others say that closing the books and experiencing the world directly and personally is more meaningful. While books allow you to experience a diverse range of situations vicariously, knowledge gained from experience will be more readily applicable to real life and seen as of greater value.
Books allow you to expand your experience beyond what is reasonable or possible. There are many places and situations in the world that are beyond your reach or potential experience. Reading can give you a window into these places and let you see the consequences of choices that you will never make; this would naturally augment your knowledge and life skills. For example in one of my favorite books the Count of Monte Cristo. A man is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes comes into great wealth and uses the wealth to engage in vengeful warfare against those who wronged him. Through reading this book I could experience the pain of accusation and treachery while also learning the consequences of untempered revenge. Thus reading has expanded my vision of what is possible and likely.
Life experience is more readily transferred to the future life situations that you will be in. It is highly likely that the experiences that we have faced will be close in circumstance and events to those that we will face again in the future. Thus through gaining broad and varied life experiences we are preparing for the future situations that we will later experience. Ultimately being better prepared will increase the likelihood of success. When I was 19, I lived abroad independent of my family. Although I was very well supported during this time I had to learn to adapt to a new place, new food, different people and a different culture. I gained interpersonal strengths and expanded my empathy for others. Although I am no longer in the same place or doing the same things that I was doing at that time, I continue to apply what I learned to interactions and events that occur now.
Life experience is seen as more credible in professional evaluation. While future employers certainly value theoretical education as credentialed by degrees from universities, they really want to know if potential employees can apply theory in the real world. That's why although they may require a university degree to apply, the resume and interview reveal the practical life experience that someone has acquired that may prepare them for the future challenges of the profession. When I applied for my first job, I wasn't asked any questions about my education, rather I was asked to respond to possible scenarios by providing how my life experiences would shape my reactions and decisions. I was grateful that I had applied my knowledge in practical applications like working part-time and doing an internship. The stories from my book of life ended up being more convincing that I was the right person for the job.
In order to be prepared for future professional demands and to have the expertise you need to overcome difficulties, gaining life experience is going to be a more valuable than the shallow experience gained through books. Schools and colleges should seek to provide robust opportunities for their students to apply what they are learning through service, internships and experiential courses. Society should support libraries and schools but they should also invest in parks, museums and other contexts where people can learn organically. The return on these investments will be communities that have the shared expertise to overcome collective difficulties.
Books allow you to expand your experience beyond what is reasonable or possible. There are many places and situations in the world that are beyond your reach or potential experience. Reading can give you a window into these places and let you see the consequences of choices that you will never make; this would naturally augment your knowledge and life skills. For example in one of my favorite books the Count of Monte Cristo. A man is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes comes into great wealth and uses the wealth to engage in vengeful warfare against those who wronged him. Through reading this book I could experience the pain of accusation and treachery while also learning the consequences of untempered revenge. Thus reading has expanded my vision of what is possible and likely.
Life experience is more readily transferred to the future life situations that you will be in. It is highly likely that the experiences that we have faced will be close in circumstance and events to those that we will face again in the future. Thus through gaining broad and varied life experiences we are preparing for the future situations that we will later experience. Ultimately being better prepared will increase the likelihood of success. When I was 19, I lived abroad independent of my family. Although I was very well supported during this time I had to learn to adapt to a new place, new food, different people and a different culture. I gained interpersonal strengths and expanded my empathy for others. Although I am no longer in the same place or doing the same things that I was doing at that time, I continue to apply what I learned to interactions and events that occur now.
Life experience is seen as more credible in professional evaluation. While future employers certainly value theoretical education as credentialed by degrees from universities, they really want to know if potential employees can apply theory in the real world. That's why although they may require a university degree to apply, the resume and interview reveal the practical life experience that someone has acquired that may prepare them for the future challenges of the profession. When I applied for my first job, I wasn't asked any questions about my education, rather I was asked to respond to possible scenarios by providing how my life experiences would shape my reactions and decisions. I was grateful that I had applied my knowledge in practical applications like working part-time and doing an internship. The stories from my book of life ended up being more convincing that I was the right person for the job.
In order to be prepared for future professional demands and to have the expertise you need to overcome difficulties, gaining life experience is going to be a more valuable than the shallow experience gained through books. Schools and colleges should seek to provide robust opportunities for their students to apply what they are learning through service, internships and experiential courses. Society should support libraries and schools but they should also invest in parks, museums and other contexts where people can learn organically. The return on these investments will be communities that have the shared expertise to overcome collective difficulties.