An Open Source Learning Network
September 16- What makes you feel Alive? Not just like you're functioning, not just surviving, but really, truly Alive? (My inner surfer might call this "stoked.") Describe a moment that you conquered a fear, did something that made you feel triumphant, or experienced anything else that shocked you into a feeling of being totally Alive. It can be as simple as the hot water shutting off or realizing you walked into a room for something and totally forgetting why. September 15- Please describe -in vivid detail- the last time you laughed so hard you couldn’t catch your breath. Bonus if you fell out of a chair or dropped to your kneesSeptember 14- Make a plan. What will you do in this class over the next grading period? What’s your goal?September 13- What did you learn from completing your brag sheet over the weekend? How did it feel to look back on your accomplishments? September 12- Describe your understanding and experience of time. Is there ever enough? When does it go faster or slower? Do you have the sense you use it well? Why/ why not?September 9- Explain the significance of the phrase, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” What does it mean and how does its origin relate to what we’ve learned about the use of language this week. https://translate.google.com/?hl=en&tab=wT#fr/en/qu'ils%20mangent%20de%20la%20briocheSeptember 8- Last week we talked about how we see reality and distinguish it from dreaming. As you think about characters in stories and people you know, what gives you the sense that someone is real? Why do you think the phrase “keeping it real” became popular? What does the word “real” mean when we use it to describe how people act in their communication/ relationships with others?September 7- Describe a time you figured something out. Did you learn or do anything that you can use or repeat the next time you’re confronted with a mystery/ challenge? Why does figuring something out make you happy?September 6- Where do smiles come from? September 2- How well do you expect to do on today’s vocabulary quiz? Why? Are you happy with your performance on the satire and the first literature analysis? Why/ why not?September 1- Adults say it to toddlers all the time: “Use your words.” What do you mean, my words? We know that fiction authors use dialogue for the purpose of indirect characterization—as you write the story of your life each day, how do the words you choose create an impression of who you are?
August 31- “All that I see or seem/ Is but a dream within a dream.” Can you prove you’re not dreaming right now? How?August 30- Does language merely describe reality or does it create a sense of reality? Do speakers of different languages just use different words to describe the same things, or do they actually think and see the world differently because of the language they use? Explain your answer.August 29- What song do you sing when there’s nothing on the radio? What thoughts do you think when it’s quiet and you have the chance to think about whatever you want?August 26- On your walk home a dog starts talking to you. As soon as someone else walks by, the dog stops. He only talks when you’re alone. And he tells you a secret that can save the world. But to share it, you’ll have to divulge your source, and that might make you sound crazy. What will you do?August 25- This is a quick write: Describe what you learned in this course so far this week. If you need inspiration, listen to the song and/or consider this pictureAugust 24- A Native American elder described his conflicting emotions as two dogs, one good and one evil, fighting all the time. When someone asked which dog wins, the elder replied, "The one I feed the most." Describe a time you were ambivalent and explain which dog you fed.August 23- What do you need to do in order to catch up and/or get ahead? What will you do first and why? What's better to do in class with your colleagues, and what do you feel better about doing at home?August 22- When we read we make connections between the text and what we already know. Sometimes we find ourselves surprised when a book calls to mind an old memory we haven't thought about in a long time. What are your earliest memories? What makes some things impossible to remember and other things impossible to forget?August 19- Please reflect on your independent work process. Are you getting stuff done? What about your working environment is helping you achieve? What's holding you back? What are you going to do next in order to succeed?August 18- So many phrases say the same thing: Talk is cheap. A picture's worth a thousand words. It's not what you said, it's how you said it. Since words are so easy to create we tend to mistrust them. We use our intuition to "read between the lines" and determine what someone really means. Describe how we listen, read, and learn without depending on words.August 17- Why do people argue? What factors should determine who wins an argument? Describe a time when you won or lost an argument. Did the experience change your mind? If it did, why? If it didn't, what would have? ALSO: What role/s can humor play in persuasive argument? When do you think it's appropriate and effective?August 16- We use phrases like "pay attention" and "make a decision" all the time-- what do they mean to you? How would you teach a child to do either? How might you improve your own abilities in these areas?August 15- What did you learn in this class last week? August 12- According to author Salman Rushdie, "A poet's work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep." Do you agree? To what extent does Bukowski accomplish these goals in "The Laughing Heart"?August 11- Describe the most memorable moment from yesterday's class.August 10- "Action expresses priorities." -Mohandas Gandhi What are your priorities? Specifically, what are you doing here? Why are you enrolled in this course? What actions can your colleagues and I expect from you this year that will show us what's important to you? What does success look like to you? How will you know -- and how will we know -- when you've "made it"?