Daily #4 and final Element assignment

Okay, some of you contacted me earlier today about daily #4. Too much time off has turned my brain to mush. I blanked out daily #4 . . . until now. This will be due January 4th.

Here are the topics for daily #4. I've taken many of these right from your papers as I read them. If you wish to expand on the quote I took from your essay, that's fine. If you see another quote that you find interesting, feel free to explore that too.

Daily #4 Topics

The final The Element assignment is to finish the book and then text or email me what chapter you want to present to the class on and lead a discussion on Tuesday.

Thanks and have a great New Year!

Collaborize Classroom

Try this link to access our conversation on Ch. 6 of "The Element" and barrier to people attaining their passions.

Daily #3

Here is a link on finding your passion. Read the article and then using at least three quotes from The Element, write a 2-3 page essay in which you write about finding your passion or element.

This will be due Monday.

Favorite Lines from you Daily #1

". . . but my brain is not for numbers!"

"This is proof that the schooling system is so concrete and formulized that it can't recognize true beauty or talent when it literally knocks on their front door."


"Who cares if you have an elective on your high school transcript? It does not mean you are lazy or stupid. Students need to take those types of classes so they do not have to give themselves a high rating to the statement and can figure out what they want to do."
* the "statement" was this:"too many students graduate or leave [school] early, unsure of their
real talents and equally unsure of what direction to take."

"It all comes down to the connectivity and the common passions and commitment."

". . . and now I'm in the waiting process. The worst part. It's the part where it hits you that your future is really going to happen, and it's so much closer than you think."

"If you really want me to be in my element, give me a piece of string and my kitten and we could be entertained for hours."

Daily #2

For daily #2 (due Wednesday) think of someone who is passionate about what they do or who is in their element. Interview them to see what their high school experience was like.

You might want to ask them questions like:

What was your high school experience like?

What classes did you like?

What classes did you hate?

Besides your classes, what else did you love about high school?

What aspect of high school was overrated?

Is there anything that you learned (or were a part of) in high school that pertain to your passion or element now?

Take their responses and then write a 2-3 page paper in which you analyze how their high school experience affected (or failed to affect) their passion/element.

Ha, talk about being in your element: I'm already half way through my lunch period and I'm still working. Didn't even know the bell rang!

Wallwisher #3 for "The Element"

Find five examples of creativity and post them in the wallwisher below. We will watch and discuss them in class tomorrow.

* remember, if you do an image search, please click on "Full Size Imager" before getting the url.

I have included my five examples.

How are you Intelligent? And creativity.

For today, take a run through some of these assessments. Choose one to leave a short repsonse to.

Right brain vs. Left brain


Creativity Self-Assessment


Here is one related specifically to Gardner's work. See where you land.

Wallwisher #2

Do some searching on the internet and find two people or groups of people who you think are totally in their element. Put them on the wallwisher site below. I got carried away and found three examples.

I wasn't able to get the LHS example to play properly. So I'm embedding it here because it's awesome.

In their Element

What do a group of people totally ensconsced in their element look like?

Check this out --

vuvox example

take nothing for granted

Ken Robinson Wallwisher

Please go out on the internet and find a video (as I have done) or an article related to Ken Robinson, one of the people he focuses on in the either of the first two chapters, passion, creativity, imagination, or school. Then leave a brief explanation connecting it to "The Element."

Walt Jones

I found the story on line for you and have a pdf version here for you if you're interested.

The Element

Today, we start Sir Ken Robinson's magnificent The Element.

Here are some key quotes from the first chapter (followed by questions you may choose to develop into a short essay for Wednesday):

Page 4 - "She just needed to be who she really was."

Question: So, who are you, really? And what is it that you do that allows you feel most like your true self?

Page 7 - ". . . the importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play."

Questions: Why do you think finding work that seems like play is important? How much 'play' do you have in your life?


Page 8 - "The Element: the place where the things you love to do and the things that you are good at come together."

Questions: What is your element? If you don't know, what things do you love to do? What things are you good at? How can you bring these together?

Page 9 - Why don't people find their elements?
A. Take fro granted the range of capabilities
B. Capabilities are related.
C. Our potential for growth (life is not linear)

Question: What obstacles to finding your element have you encountered?

Page 11 - "Too many [students] graduate or leave early, unsure of their real talents and equally unsure of what direction to take next."

Question: On a scale of 1-10, how does the above quote describe you? Explain that.

Page 16 - "Most students never get to explore the full range of their abilities and interests."

Question: If this is true, how can you most to 'explore the full range' of your 'abilities and interests' over the next four or five years?

Page 21 - People who are in their element "find that time passes differently and that they are more alive, more centered, and more vibrant than at any other times."

Question: Write about a time when you were in your element.

Finally, Robinson states that "The Element has two features, and there are two conditions for being in it. The features are aptitude and passion. The conditions are attitude and opportunity."

For aptitude, Robinson states, "We don't know who we can be until we know what we can do" (23).

Question: So, who is it that you can become and what is it that you can do?

For passion, Robinson states,"People who are in their Element take a deep delight and pleasure in what they do" (24).

Question: Write about someone who you believe to be in their element (okay, so that's not a question, but you know what I mean).

For attitude, Robinson states, "People who love what they do often describe themselves as lucky. People think they're not successful in their lives often say they've been unlucky."

Questions: Do you believe in luck? Do you know of anyone who is definitely not in their element and is having a miserable time because of it? Write about them.

For opportunity, Robinson states, "Being in your element often means being connected with other people who share the same passions and have a common sense of commitment. In practice, this means actively seeking opportunities to explore your aptitude in different fields" (25).

Question: do you interact with a group of people that makes you feel like this?

More from Robinson in person, via TED Talks.