Blog Post #10

What can we learn about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch?

There is so much that we can learn from Randy Pausch! In his video, "Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", I learned so many things. Not only did I learn so much, but it was so intriguing. His story and wisdom kept my attention. One of the things I learned about teaching and learning is to take the good out of everything: lesson plans, colleagues, project, etc. Will things always go as planned? No. But just like Randy Pausch said in the video, he may not have become an NFL player, but he learned and received something good from that childhood dream.

Another thing I learned from Randy Pausch is the importance of dreaming. It is important for our students to dream, but it is also important for us as teachers to dream. Dream about what we want our children to learn, what we want our classrooms to be like, or what resources we hope to have one day. It is also important for our students to dream big! Help them to cultivate dreams for themselves and push them to go further.
The last thing that I learned about teaching and learning from Randy Pausch was the importance of learning from students and listening to the advice of others. Often, teachers seem to think they are are the only possessors of knowledge in the classroom. However, that is untrue. Students bring so much to the classroom to learn from, and it is important to acknowledge that. Also, listen to feedback and advice from others. Don't be so critical when others give you feedback. You need to know it.
I really enjoyed watching this video. I learned so much about teaching and learning!