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By I wonder a lot about anticipation. It's one of the strongest unexplored and unexplained feelings. Heck, I'm not even sure if it's formally a feeling, even. The effect anticipation can have on me, at least, is amazing. And, with Christmas officially here -- or whatever gift-giving holiday you might celebrate or recognize -- it's probably at an all-time high.
But the question I have... how does anticipation affect learning?
Right now, it's a coupl'a minutes before 7 AM, and I'm anticipating my two boys coming bounding down the stairs to see what Santa brought them, and to tear through three weeks of gift-shopping in about three minutes. It will be an amazing-good time (it's bad grammar but good description), and I'm looking forward to it. The anticipation woke me up this morning, and has me sitting around waiting while I try and envision what their responses will be.
I have a new guitar arriving at my mother-in-law's tomorrow, and I'm greatly anticipating that. So much so, in fact, that I've packed a bunch of guitar stuff in a backpack to take with me when we visit them today. My anticipation caused me to remember to do several things that I would normally forget (like stick a capo and tuner in the backpack).
I don't look forward to work already racing back... I'm enjoying a break. But I'm also a borderline workaholic, and check my mail -- and reply to my authors -- as often as I can. The anticipation -- or worry -- that a book might go wrong or off-track while I'm not paying attention causes me to do things I normally wouldn't on my vacation.
Our third child is due in about 3 weeks -- a girl! I can't wait to see her, and experience how she'll wrap her daddy around her fingers. At the same time, I don't look forward to long nights, being up-and-down three-hundred-and-twelve times a day, an even-more exhausted family, and endless dirty diapers. Anticipation, good and bad, but in the balance, a really worthwhile and wonderful feeling that overrides the rest.
Starting to see how powerful anticipation is, in both its negative and positive forms? And these are just a few obvious cases going on for me right now!
So what happens if you're awful at, for example, solving a system of linear equations? You've failed a test a few weeks ago, and realize that you're almost certainly going to have to take Algebra I again. When that subject comes around again, anticipation is a raging reptilian force. It causes you to sweat, to lock up, to doubt yourself. To stay up all night repeating obscure facts while you scribble away at a sheet of exercises, convinced all your work is hopeless anyway, semi-confident that not only will you not get it tomorrow on the test, but that you'll in fact never get it.
Anticipation wraps its sausage fingers around your heart and brain and constricts, and you're hopeless to do anything but feel its callouses.
Yuck, huh? I feel the same way. So how do we learn from anticipation? In a Head First book, I do think we present hope, but the anticipation is the same. If you were terrified of linear equations, you'd probably at least see where they came in Head First Algebra's table of contents... or casually look it up in the index... or perhaps skip ahead, figuring if things go the way they usually do, Head First won't be able to help anyway. Anticipation causes you to doubt yourself before you even get started, and robs you of much of your momentum and the self-confidence that is so crucial to success in learning something new.
So what do you do? What do we do? Are you doomed? How can anticipation become a positive force again?
I'll say more on this tomorrow, because I have lots of ideas (and the kids will be up soon!). But, in the meantime, what do you anticipate? What is the one thing right now you most anticipate in a positive sense, usually accompanied with a bit of euphoria when you dwell on it? And what is the most negative thing you're anticipating, that causes a bit of clammy sweat? I want to know... so comment away!
Thanks
Brett
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Anticipation...seems to be tied to expectation. I've been poking around a bit for the last year, looking for a better fit job-wise.
I've been an absolute basket-case waiting for the results from interviews.
My expectation has swung from a healthy "It's going to be ok. If I'm not a good fit, I don't want to work there and I _will_keep_looking_ until I find my spot." to "These guys are way out of my class. I can't even begin to think what they'll do. Why did I even bother?"
(and that's on the days that I _do_ get my meds..)
(just kidding)
Seems like anticipation is tied to expectation. Self talk feeds that ~ good and bad. Other habits (healthy and otherwise) feed or deplete my brain chemistry, making it easier or harder for me to keep a "good" attitude. (exercise, good. refined sugar, bad. caffine, jury is out.)
Momentum and self confidence in doing something new...seems also tightly tied to attitudes about self and perceptions on how learning works. I know that I was brought up in the "you're either bright or you're not" mentality. With the attendant attitude that when I found anything I wasn't instantly good at, I dropped it. "Nope. No thank you. I'm not cut out for it." Because, you know, if I was smart in _that_ way I'd already be good at it. (yes, that bespeaks other internal issues too, but let's not open the tupperware 'o neuroses too wide)
Actually, this explained it best...there was a really cool article I ran across on how to raise smart kids ( http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-secret-to-raising-smart-kids ) ...and this resonated/reminded me of that. Short story ~ those kids who were taught that the intelligence is maleable/changeable did far better over the long haul then those taught that intelligence was a fixed quantity. (born with smarts or not)
Where was I? Oh yeah...attitude. Specifically math problems. (ahh...that's where this came from) Teaching middle school kids math, those who had the fixed mental model gave up much more quickly then those who's attitude (and who were taught/reinforced) that they could "get it", but the mental exercise was similar to muscle exercise ~ you've got to do the reps to get the bulk. Do the math exercises, fail, try again, keep at it and eventually those neural pathways were reinforced and learning occurred.
Empowering, really. "Oh, you mean I can succeed? I just have to do it x times?"
(solve for x. heh. anyway...)
Sorry. It's now christmas night and my kids have already done their pile 'o presents, the extended family has left, the toys assembled, the kids wound down, and my brain is fried. Time to do one of those "good anticipation" builders and get a good night's sleep.
cheers all! may you have enjoyed this day with your family whatever your tradition...
aaron