The Strawberry Generation

What do you think about this stigma?
Does the description match your self-identity or -realization? If not, offer a counter claim.

I think this kind of stigma has many reasons behind it. Around 1980, since our economy development is stable, most of parents pay more attention to their children than elder generation. These parents mostly don’t receive so much protection when they are young. In old times, many families have more than one child. That is, these children in old times tend to be independent. However, once they become parents, many of them regard their offspring as all their hope. As a result, they might give their children too much protection. These protections always present as over material supply. For common example, parents work too hard out side to have enough time staying with their children. Their children who only have sufficient money instead of care are gradually become lazy, selfish, weak “strawberry generation”. In my opinion, this stigma results not only from e-generation themselves but old generation.
As to myself, I think I have some qualities on the provided paragraph like well-dressed certificate but inability, selfishness and laziness. I admit that I am a spoiled child. On regular basis, I over rely on my parents and teachers rather than solving problems on my own. To be frank, I feel my life change dramatically after I come to CCU. Before days in CCU, I don’t know how hard to live independently. I hope in CCU, I can get out of those bad qualities and present some good identities of strawberry generation.

The Definition of Mistakes

How do you usually look at your mistakes?
How do you define mistakes?
After listening to Prof. Pausch, do you still see mistakes in the same way?

I have been a perfectionist. That is, I took every mistake serious and couldn’t bare any error in my life. If I do something wrong, I always appeal to emotion and crazy about making things correct. To me, mistake is like injustice, the most disgusting thing in the world. But this perfectionism was replaced with temporization after I graduated from junior high. In junior high, classmates saw me as an arrogant people because I am not willing to cheat, to be perfunctory and to tease teachers behind their backs like most of my peers. I felt absurd and resorted to my teacher. However, I “upgraded” to be an invisible man in class after my accusation. I gradually lost confidence to myself. I even had no confidence to “check” right and wrong. I am tired, dreadfully tired.
From then on, I changed. I was not sure of what real justice is and this pessimism also influenced my learning. I learn passively. I couldn’t demand myself at all. I felt like a failure from bottom of my heart. I tried hard to erase all the memories in junior high but in vain. Those memories were like a part of my shadow. They would follow me throughout my life.
After listening to Prof. Pausch, the more precise is, after entering college, I change again. I think the biggest mistake in my life is pursuing no mistake since life is too complex to define mistakes. Now, I realize how silly I was to be a perfectionist or a pessimist. As Prof. Pausch said “Brick walls are there for a reason; they prove us how badly we want things. They are there to stop people who don’t want badly.” I really belong to those passive people. But I know those memories in junior high are not only a part of my shadow. They are spurs in my life. It is inappropriate to define mistakes because mistakes may become a gift one day. I think what I should do now is keep walking on winding path of life. And one day, a “correct” answer of life will appear automatically.

collaborative learning

Can you explain what this picture is showing about collaborative learning (or group learning)?
What is your favorite part of this type of learning?
What would be the part that usually bothers you when working with others?
Give an example from your personal experience and elaborate on it.

This picture shows the procedure of collaborative learning. The center of collaborative learning is learning through reflection. First, students and instructors team up to decide a topic and pose a question to this topic. Second, team members deliberate on this question together. After deeply thinking, members will find out that their ideas are different. Through generating multiple perspectives, members will learn to appreciate and criticize others’ viewpoints and present their own ideas clearly at the same time. Additionally, members can make their thoughts diversely by listening to others’ opinions. Finally, members will find out several solutions to the question. Members produce their deliverables by written or oral. These steps form a invitational communication climate.
In college, I have a course called summary of philosophy. In this course, students are divided into several groups and discuss a class related question in different classrooms. In last class, we talk about logic. Like the procedure of collaborative learning, group members show our opinions orally and criticize others’ proof graphically. Generalizing multiple perspectives is my favorite part in this procedure. But in every discussion, my group always has a problem. Members (including me) are afraid of speaking out opinions. I think this problem has something to do with our culture. We are used to think twice before we take action. However, this thinking way contrarily weakens our thinking ability. We will become irresolute, dread to make mistake and have no courage to have different idea.