Small Changes, Significant Impact!

Presented by Lidia Sharon Don, 9G4

Lifeskills Spring Break Project 2016

Individual Essay

The Westminster School, Dubai

One Team, One Vision, One Mission!
LIFESKILLS: YEAR 9 HOLIDAY ASSIGNMENT, APRIL 2016
Choose a topic. Create a trigger question/statement. Research the topic and present it in the form of an essay
of 1500-2000 words (introduction, body, conclusion)with supporting evidence, and bibliography.

The aim of Education is not to prepare us for assessments, but for life.
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
- John Dewey
What is Education? How is education defined?
The wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual after studying particular subject matters or experiencing life
lessons that provide an understanding of something. Education requires instruction of some sort from an
individual or composed literature. The most common forms of education result from years of schooling
that incorporates studies of a variety of subjects.
-www.businessdictionary.com
Everyone agrees that education is hugely important in our lives, though over time, the definition and the
acknowledgement for the purpose of education is misinterpreted. Every mind is susceptible to learn, and
education is where it all begins that prepares every individual for survival. The world is becoming a wealthy
place each day and makes education essential for a wealthy living.
Having all said and done, why has the concept of education still being misapprehended? Children all over the
world are sent to schools even against their own will. I believe that these students have not being led to the
correct perspective of education. Its all about how they perceive it. Many students believe that what they learn
is only to be reminded and confined within the walls of their classrooms and day by day, education loses its true
purpose. This is because there is a huge gap between the educators and learners.

75% of students reported enjoying learning new things, and that same percentage felt that what they
learn will benefit them in the future.
84% of students agree that getting good grades is important, and 69% feel testing is an important part of
their education.
65% of students said they have a teacher who is a positive role model.
49% of students taking the survey enjoy being at school, 54% enjoy their classes and 64% believe
learning can be fun.

On the other hand:

Only 38% of students felt their classes help them understand what is happening in their everyday lives.
47% felt school is boring and only 31% felt teachers make school an exciting place to learn.
Just 48% felt teachers care about them as individuals and even fewer 45% -- felt teachers cared if
they were absent from school.
Only 30% of students respect their fellow students.
Statistics from: http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat239.shtml

Small Changes, Significant Impact!

Presented by Lidia Sharon Don, 9G4

Lifeskills Spring Break Project 2016

Individual Essay

The Gift of learning

What is learning?
Learning is the act of acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values,
or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information.
-Wikipedia.com
Traditionally, research and studies around learning focused primarily on early-years learning through childhood
and adolescence. However, it is now recognised that learning is a continuous process that commences at birth
and continues until death; it is the process through which we use our experience to deal with new situations
and to develop relationships.
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/learning.html#ixzz4525BVgDl

The aim of education should be to prepare us for the challenges of life. Yet from this perspective it is clear that
the schools fail all but a tiny portion of that students, whether in highly academic private schools or in deprived
government schools. They give in their best but learning the values of dealing with lifes challenges are hardly
taught, and students are made to believe that education is to prepare them for assessments and forget to enjoy
the gift of learning.
Perfection is made necessary and Failure are made their fears. Fear is what hinders them to enjoy learning, and
instead of aiming for permanent success, the students thrive to succeed temporary satisfaction without
realising it. Human ingenuity, goodwill and talent is being lost on an industrial scale. To get more ambitious
about education doesnt necessarily mean spending more money, building more schools, employing more
teachers or making exams more difficult, rather it should mean focusing more on the real purpose of education.
Students are made to believe that quantity is important over quality.
Learning is not just done within the walls of ones classroom, but beyond that, their daily lives are an example
of learning, how they build their interests and relationships and being able to interact with the real world
these actions therefore prepares them for the future life and survival.

Fear of failure destroys the love of learning

The fear of failure is something we all struggle with. Its a battle that begins at a young age, and its one that will
probably last a lifetime. But that doesnt mean we shouldnt equip ourselves with the skills and mind-set
necessary to fight a winning battle.
Young learners sacrifice their natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement. In simpler terms,
young learners lose the love to learn. When young learners lose the love to learn they face a lot of difficulties in
life, and that small thought can make all the difference. Students must be led into the path in which they can
perceive the right perspective from which they contemplate and understand the true meaning and purpose of
education and the gift of learning.
Teachers who believe that education is mainly about accumulating certificates, diplomas and degrees are going
to instil in their students a fear of tests and exams. Eventually, their students will fear learning, because learning
has become so closely linked to those terrifying exams.
And this is the real shame: fear of failure taints the waters of learning, keeping kids from taking risks. Making
failure normal even celebrated Lahey contends, may be uncomfortable in the short-term, but in the long
haul makes for happier, more confident kids.
Trial and error are usually the prime means of solving lifes problems. Yet many people are afraid to undertake
the trial because theyre too afraid of experiencing the error. They make the mistake of believing that all error is

Small Changes, Significant Impact!

Presented by Lidia Sharon Don, 9G4

Lifeskills Spring Break Project 2016

Individual Essay

wrong and harmful, when most of it is both helpful and necessary. Error provides the feedback that points the
way to success. Only error pushes people to put together a new and better trial, leading through yet more errors
and trials until they can ultimately find a viable and creative solution. To meet with an error is not to fail, but to
take one more step on the path to final success. No errors mean no successes either.

-http://www.lifehack.org
Every strength can become a weakness. Every talent contains an opposite that sometimes makes it into a
handicap. Successful people like to win and achieve high standards. This can make them so terrified of failure, it
ruins their lives. When a positive trait, like achievement, becomes too strong in someones life, its on the way to
becoming a major handicap.
Achievement is a powerful value for many successful people. Theyve built their lives on it. They achieve at
everything they do: school, college, sports, the arts, hobbies, work. Each fresh achievement adds to the power of
the value in their lives.
Gradually, failure becomes unthinkable. Maybe theyve never failed yet in anything that theyve done, so have no
experience of rising above it. Failure becomes the supreme nightmare: a frightful horror they must avoid at any
cost. The simplest way to do this is never to take a risk. Stick rigidly to what you know you can do. Protect your
butt. Work the longest hours. Double and triple check everything. Be the most conscientious and conservative
person in the universe.

Perspectives
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change
-Wayne Dyer
If one person sees something as everything and to the other sees the same thing as nothing, then that thing
can either be regarded as the most powerful or most useless tool ever to have existed.
-Justin Raphael G.
Perspectives. What are perspectives? Perspectives are ways in which we grasp and look at different things, for
instance, either as good or bad. Perspectives play a major role in young learners lives. Perspectives are
important to an extent that if the right perspective isnt perceived then the good can be made bad and the bad
good. The right things can be done in the wrong way and the wrong things can be done in the right way. The
end could look like the beginning or the beginning can look like the end.
In my opinion, (as mentioned before) many learners grasp the wrong perspective of what EDUCATION is. Many
times, parents/teachers neglect the way students look at education, and because of the confined environment,
students assume that education are only for assessments. Why are they forced to believe or assume so?
Because of the learning environment. Students are given the idea because of their unsuitable learning
environment wherein students lose their love to learn. Schools are the places where most perspectives are
drawn from.
It is the way the students look at education. Education must be seen as a window where they can see the whole
world and will know how to respond to a variety of things/aspects/concepts/encounters, etc. Or education
could be seen as a key that unlocks the doors for them to explore so that they wont be confined within walls,
but has the ability to go beyond that. Perspectives also enable us to know how to approach different situations.
Without perspective, we would be walking blindly towards what is ahead of us.

Small Changes, Significant Impact!

Presented by Lidia Sharon Don, 9G4

Lifeskills Spring Break Project 2016

Individual Essay

Grades dont matter, learning does!

To what standard are grades important?
The sorting and selecting of students/young learners by grading them had completely outmoded the model of
education. Grades seldom reflect the quantity of learning, they hardly motivate students to learn, and they are
usually based on the quantity rather than quality grades over what is learnt. Learning is made to look like an
act of punishment. Learning is a natural human endeavour. Grades therefore do not determine what we have
learnt because our perspectives are different.
Nearly 40% of parents believe that high schoolers feel high levels of school related stress. Grading systems may
cause symptoms of increased heart rate, sweating and decreased appetite. The national institute of mental
health reports that anxiety in children and young adults have increased since 1950s, according to some
researchers, the increase of standardized testing may contribute to this. Examinations are despised by young
learners because the purpose for learning / education is grasped in a wrong manner. Therefore students are
forced to believe that exams are more important than anything.
Schools have been formulating their curriculums around the test. This is believed to be a result of incentive
systems put in place by the departments of education of different provinces and countries that reward schools
with higher test scores.
Although, we shouldnt neglect getting better grades, as that is a part of our survival and is the most common
way we are judged. But in the perspective of learning, grades truly dont matter as it depends on what you
learn, how you perceive it and most importantly how you use it. Those who advocate using grades to motivate
students assume that they encourage students to try harder both from negative and positive perspectives. On
the negative side, receiving a low grade is believed to motivate students to try harder. On the positive side, it is
assumed that receiving a high grade will motivate students to continue or renew their efforts.

Young learners of the 21st century

Young students should be introduced to the subject of learning who they are amidst the process of learning
every other aspect of life and education. How can this relate to education is the preparation for life? Every
individual born in the 21st century is quite different. Young Learners should be encouraged to know who they
are, what are their talents and most importantly the path they want to follow. Every individual is born to learn
and survive, and every individual is different from the other. But the dilemma in our world today is that every
young learner is judged and criticised using the same standard, which tells them how wise or foolish they are,
but the fact is that, we all are intelligent in our own way and that is why we shouldnt be judged using the same
criteria. Young learners should also be familiarised with the fact that learning never ends. Even educators are
still learners
Albert Einstein once remarked: Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will
live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
Old learning forms focused on the thinker rather than the thoughts, the source rather than the information, and
correctly citing that source over understanding what made that information worth extracting.
-teachthought.com

Time for the tables to be turned!

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into Windows.
-Google.com
In order to bring awareness of the real purpose of education, the department of education could stop producing
incentives that reward schools with higher test scores as that is what could change the motive of the schools

Small Changes, Significant Impact!

Presented by Lidia Sharon Don, 9G4

Lifeskills Spring Break Project 2016

Individual Essay

allowing them to focus more on teaching in a way that students would love to learn instead of students being
forced to believe and misunderstand the purpose of education. Education should be fluid and expressive and
tailored to students needs and wants. Teachers could be trained to teach the right way and encourage young
learners to perceive education differently, bringing about the significance of education and the love of learning
rather than the fear of failure and assessments. Its about time we take charge of our learning and value the gift
of learning.
In order to overcome our fear of failure, we first need to realize that there are three stages in the journey:
(http://personalexcellence.co/) Approval, Acceptance and Adventure.

Approval: At this stage, students seek the approval of their parents and teachers.
Students try to do well in school primarily to make other people happy. Theyre afraid of doing badly because
they worry about disappointing their parents and teachers. When they are given the approval theyll experience
the freedom of taking full responsibility of their lives, instead of trying to live up to other peoples expectations.
Acceptance: Stage 2 is where students begin to accept themselves fullytheir strengths, talents, shortcomings
and inadequacies. They become more purpose-driven in their pursuits, and arent so fixated on their
performance. To continue to make progress toward overcoming their fear of failure, they should be encouraged
to declare to themselves thateven though our academics are importantour identity isnt based on how
many accomplishments we rack up. Instead, our identity is found in who were becoming as individuals, and in
the decisions we make.

Adventure: When students begin to see education as an adventure of discovery, they become intrinsically
motivated. They work hard to be the best they can be, instead of trying to be better than their peers.
At Stage 3, students see failure not as something to be feared, but rather as something to be embraced. They
understand that failure is an integral part of the success journey.
---- END OF ESSAY (2496 words including statistics, quotes, articles) ---

Small Changes, Significant Impact!

Presented by Lidia Sharon Don, 9G4