Blog Assignment #8

What Can We Learn About Teaching and Learning From Randy Pausch?

             After watching Randy Pausch's Last Lecture, I learned quite a few things about teaching and learning. In teaching, the power of enthusiasm goes a long way and gives the students confidence. A major thing that teachers should do while teaching is to have the opportunity to allow their students to have an opportunity to experience how it feels to make other people excited about what is being taught. The most precious thing to give is for an educator to make students learn how to become self-reflective. 

       When learning most of what is being learned is from indirect learning. Mr. Pausch explained that indirect learning is when someone learns but does not realize that they are learning. An example that he gives is playing some of the games that his students have created but in actuality it is teaching people how to create different things and learn how to make things, such as a java script. A major point about learning is to listen to feedback given to you. A great quote that Mr. Pausch talked about that pertained to teaching and learning is "when you're screwing up and nobody's saying anything to you anymore, that means they gave up". This quote is great because when one feels like someone is being hard on them whether it is a faculty member, educator, or a peer they need to realize that they are just being hard on them because they care and know that they can do better. One should become worried when nobody is saying anything at all because it means that they no longer care.