Our surroundings are an integral part of our identity and affect everything about us even down to the way we think. It is human nature to try and tame our surroundings whether its conquering a new frontier or organizing a bedroom. Obviously I chose to attempt the latter (mostly because I have yet to amass my army) but also because my room could using a little sprucing up...or a lot of sprucing up.
A warzone, aftermath of a nuclear meltdown, or a scene from after a 9.0 earthquake. These are the images that would flood your head when you open the door to my room. I hyperbolize a little bit of course but my room was one of those things that could definitely use a makeover. Before continuing one should note that its a lifestyle choice to have a disaster for a room and though others may perceive it as dysfunctional I have no problem with it. My room is a dystopia. I know exactly where everything is located and can navigate through my room in the dark but it is the messiest thing ever. After spending a good few hours over the last few days I believe my room is now habitable by people other than just myself. I was proud of my work and thought about how in class we engage in a lot of metacognitive examinations of the self but now I get the chance to examine a job that I personally completed.
I'll be honest, like I always try to be in these blogs, I wasn't entirely satisfied with the job I have done. I still have that sixth sense of knowing where everything is but now I feel like the job will never be done. Sure my room may seem organized for the moment but to keep it this way requires constant maintenance and reorganization every time things get a little messy. See what you've done Mr. Allen? You've created turmoil in my mind over something as trivial as the status of my room. Now I am pondering whether it is worth the constant cleaning to have a neat room. Before I began my project I felt like cleaning my room because I could blog about it and because I knew it would please my parents. Then while in the midst of my project all I could really think about was that I have way too many clothes. Now that I have completed my project I wonder if it will ever truly be done and whether or not I had just wasted my time. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it was not a waste of time and I hope that Aristotle can back me up on this point. From this experience I have probably gained more than I have lost. I have a cleaner room, happier parents, and something to blog about. The only thing I really lost was a couple hours and God knows I've wasted more time on dumber things.
Veering back from my tangent I suppose I should discuss the matter of actual organization. I think organizational skills are extremely valuable and having things in order is beneficial in almost anything and everything. Of course I cannot always practice what I preach because often I am disorganized and messy. I suppose it is a constant war to stay organized but the benefits are sweet. All in all, this was a weird experiment and I'm still not entirely sure of its purpose. All I know is that it got me to think about my working process and work ethic in a metacognitive lens and I guess that is pretty cool.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Metacognition: What Makes You Tick
Thinking about our thinking. Now that is intense. Breaking it down a little though I think that focusing on a single aspect of metacognition will help us understand what it is really about. I think that our frames of thinking or narratives are a driving force in how we think and that it has implications on both the micro and macro scale.
To me personally I think that addressing the concepts of narrative thinking and frames has helped me grow as a thinker in a lot of ways. For one my writing has become exponentially better than say five years ago. I am not even talking about the mechanical aspects of writing but just the expression part. I am able to sum up my thoughts about anything from Orlando to the global demographics circa 1450-1750 in a much shorter time than before. I am able to express my voice more clearly and get across my point much more efficiently in my essays and writing. This honestly applies to more than just personal writing though where I am able to express my opinions. It applies to historical and literature context as well. In a metacognitive state I know what is the most efficient way for me to absorb information say about the slave trade because I understand how I think and what frames I like to think under. Extending this idea about the slave trade at first glance it may seem overwhelming but it becomes much more manageable when I break it down into smaller parts like political, economic, and religious effects. Now going past even writing I think that because of my understanding of my own narrative I am able to better understand others'. This propagates in depth debate and discussion within our Academy class that I think is virtually unobtainable in any other setting. Not only have we been introduced to our own frames of thinking but for an extended time we have been exposed to the narratives of about thirty others. In this way we have a much better understanding about what issues some of us may find touchy or what issues enrage some of us. This surely helps us reach an overall better level of group thinking.
Now if we could just take the dynamics of the Academy class and apply it to a grander scale...well there would practically be world peace but aside from that our political dialogue would become much less cluttered. In a political context our narratives are the ideals that we hold most dear to us. National security, gay rights, immigration, or abortion are all just some a few of the topic matters that are worth dissecting. When we watch the debate on Tuesday it will be fun to see how Dana and Avi address the issues. This is because the two of them are more than well equipped with knowledge but they will try to employ tactical diversion, appeal to morals, and ethical remarks to try and persuade the audience to their side. Basically to sum it up they are going to be thinking about their thinking while thinking about someone else's thinking too ( in this case Romney and Obama). Normally, I would think that a debate like this between high schoolers would end tragically but because we are all aware of the driving forces of thought in the debate I am pretty sure it is going to be sick.
Now for some closing thoughts I would like to return to me. On a quick side note I just realized how self centered these blogs actually are; but strangely it is in a good way. Now back on track I would like to talk about my own metacognitive state. In this blog I have dissected a lot of the aspects of frames of thinking and narratives but I also realize that I have much more to learn. As a high schooler I am finally beginning to cement my beliefs but my thinking and rationale is still extremely suspect to change. Also I think that if I wish to grow as an intelligent person that I need to spend more time understanding the driving forces that other people have in their lives. Overall I think my mental growth in the first quarter of this year alone is pretty outstanding. The largest recognizable contributor to this has to be the fact that in the Academy we are forced to face ourselves. This is honestly one of the coolest and scariest things ever because it is honestly reflecting your thoughts inwards and discovering what makes you tick and how your thinking process works.
To me personally I think that addressing the concepts of narrative thinking and frames has helped me grow as a thinker in a lot of ways. For one my writing has become exponentially better than say five years ago. I am not even talking about the mechanical aspects of writing but just the expression part. I am able to sum up my thoughts about anything from Orlando to the global demographics circa 1450-1750 in a much shorter time than before. I am able to express my voice more clearly and get across my point much more efficiently in my essays and writing. This honestly applies to more than just personal writing though where I am able to express my opinions. It applies to historical and literature context as well. In a metacognitive state I know what is the most efficient way for me to absorb information say about the slave trade because I understand how I think and what frames I like to think under. Extending this idea about the slave trade at first glance it may seem overwhelming but it becomes much more manageable when I break it down into smaller parts like political, economic, and religious effects. Now going past even writing I think that because of my understanding of my own narrative I am able to better understand others'. This propagates in depth debate and discussion within our Academy class that I think is virtually unobtainable in any other setting. Not only have we been introduced to our own frames of thinking but for an extended time we have been exposed to the narratives of about thirty others. In this way we have a much better understanding about what issues some of us may find touchy or what issues enrage some of us. This surely helps us reach an overall better level of group thinking.
Now if we could just take the dynamics of the Academy class and apply it to a grander scale...well there would practically be world peace but aside from that our political dialogue would become much less cluttered. In a political context our narratives are the ideals that we hold most dear to us. National security, gay rights, immigration, or abortion are all just some a few of the topic matters that are worth dissecting. When we watch the debate on Tuesday it will be fun to see how Dana and Avi address the issues. This is because the two of them are more than well equipped with knowledge but they will try to employ tactical diversion, appeal to morals, and ethical remarks to try and persuade the audience to their side. Basically to sum it up they are going to be thinking about their thinking while thinking about someone else's thinking too ( in this case Romney and Obama). Normally, I would think that a debate like this between high schoolers would end tragically but because we are all aware of the driving forces of thought in the debate I am pretty sure it is going to be sick.
Now for some closing thoughts I would like to return to me. On a quick side note I just realized how self centered these blogs actually are; but strangely it is in a good way. Now back on track I would like to talk about my own metacognitive state. In this blog I have dissected a lot of the aspects of frames of thinking and narratives but I also realize that I have much more to learn. As a high schooler I am finally beginning to cement my beliefs but my thinking and rationale is still extremely suspect to change. Also I think that if I wish to grow as an intelligent person that I need to spend more time understanding the driving forces that other people have in their lives. Overall I think my mental growth in the first quarter of this year alone is pretty outstanding. The largest recognizable contributor to this has to be the fact that in the Academy we are forced to face ourselves. This is honestly one of the coolest and scariest things ever because it is honestly reflecting your thoughts inwards and discovering what makes you tick and how your thinking process works.
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