Portfolio & Reflection

Unit 1

Although it didn’t hit the required word count, I didn’t add anything to it. I struggled to find any additional information that wouldn’t make the essay sound redundant. I believe I was able to effectively get my point across otherwise.

Education Narrative: “There is no end to education,” and “Learning is a Lifelong Process” are quotes that I appreciate more over time. As of recently, I’ve been developing interests in different hobbies outside of my field of study. While learning about these hobbies I realize the value of these quotes and the mindset behind them. Education goes beyond school. It is equally as important to educate yourself outside of class than it is inside of class. Even if it’s something not as significant like watching a youtube video, reading small articles, or just picking up on certain trends, regardless you are teaching yourself about that topic. I find this valuable because you gain additional knowledge on the subject. This compliments learning in class because you can make connections and tie loose information you may not have realized before. It will also deepen your overall understanding and propel you as a learner not only in school but in life.

Growing up I haven’t always been the most focused child. I didn’t dislike education, games and TV were just constantly on my mind. That being said, I wasn’t always conscious of these ideas or how effective it was to study on my own. However there were times where I would go out my way to learn more about a topic that really interested me. During my elementary school years, I had a self revelation that I could draw pretty well and so I chose to pursue art. My school at the time didn’t have any art classes or programs so I decided to learn more on my own. I began by searching for “how to draw…” videos. Those videos turned into “drawing tips and techniques” and then “helpful drawing exercises”. I would find myself drawing all the time in class and at home. I would draw the characters I watch on TV or that I played with in my video games. I decided that I wanted to go to a school majoring in fine arts. Once I enrolled, I quickly found myself at home. Having an instructor put me in a more clear direction with my art. However, I also realized that some of what I learned and practiced on my own were being taught in lessons. I felt like I was learning at a greater rate because certain information taught in class were things I knew and were being expanded on. Having those habits of practicing, studying, just overall experiencing these methods propelled my learning and made me a better artist.

Leading into high school, I was more focused on being social. I stirred away from education and more into hanging out and goofing off. Even in these times I found the value in the quotes. Something everyday like communication I found myself expressing these very ideas. Growing up, it use to be difficult for me to articulate my thoughts or express me feelings. However, over time, as I got to meet people and experience different personalities, I got a better understanding of how to communicate. Schools sometimes teach communication when saying “Say you respectfully disagree” in a debate, or “Make sure to ask politely” when you need help, however, it goes deeper than that. It taught me to be observant and to study how people react in different situations as well as how I act. This is important because I can better understand what I want and how to appropriately portray that to who I speak to. Whether it is my professor when teaching a lesson, cooperating with my peers on a group project, or connecting with a supervisor at my job. As a result, me learning to better communicate still helped me grow as a person and as a learner even though I was struggling as a student.

In conclusion, education goes beyond what a student learns in class. Education is extracting lessons gathered in life and applying that to anything they do. Coming to this realization, quotes like “There is no end to education,” or “Learning is a Lifelong Process” have become a concept that I now live by. As for my hobbies, not only will I continue to learn more, but learning more will continue to be a hobby.

Unit 2

After reading comments on my essay, I realized where most of the mistakes came from. I wrote this essay as a thesis with evidence when it was essentially a piece to digest the research and break it down for the next unit. My changes revolved around taking the focus away from the thesis and more towards the articles and my annotations of them.

Annotated Bib.: I’m a serious NBA fan. I like to listen to/read a lot of stories about young players and their journeys to the NBA. When I hear these stories, I would often hear about the endless work ethic these guys have and the time and effort they put in to perfect their game. I noticed that these players would often be described as gifted players or generational talents. The way they are described makes it sound like their gift/talent is a result of their hard work and dedication, and not so much something they are born with. Growing up, I always thought being gifted or talented was about being born with certain abilities or skills considerably above average. When I first started drawing, I would always show off my work to my parents and they would compliment me by saying things like “wow you’re talented” or “you have a real gift.” Of course they were just being supportive, but this made me believe that I was born with this natural ability to draw and that because of this natural ability, I can become a great artist. Hearing these terms used differently, made me think about the concept of being gifted and being talented; their true meaning along with the similarities and differences between them. This also lead to the connection of other terms like mentality and mindset.

Google’s definition of these words are: Being talented is to have a natural aptitude or skill for something, while the definition of being gifted is to have an exceptional talent or natural ability: essentially an elevated version of talent. The definition of mentality is the characteristic attitude of mind or way of thinking of a person or group, and mindset is the established set of attitudes held by someone. Essentially, the characteristics of a mentality make up a mindset.

When I was doing research, I was mainly looking for how these terms were being used and defined by people. I came across this article titled “What Is The Difference Between Gifted And Talented?” written by an elementary school teacher named Ray Fitzgerald who talks about the differences of gifted and talented. In this article Ray Fitzgerald states “While a test that identifies a gifted child looks more at broad cognitive skills, testing for an academically talented child focuses on the nitty gritty these students are ones who score in the top percentiles of all students on individual subject-area tests for math, science, reading or any other topic.” This quote is stating that tests for children identified as gifted, focuses more on their mental action, tendencies, and process of understanding information while testing for talented children focuses more on them applying their smarts to different subjects. This didn’t line up with the definitions from google. This article is essentially saying gifted it about one’s process of thinking while talented it the application.

When continuing the research, I wanted to focus more on mentality and mindset. I decided to look into Kobe Bryant’s book “Mamba Mentality.” Kobe Bryant was a professional NBA player that spent his entire 20 year career on the Los Angeles Lakers. Besides the successful career he had, one aspect about him that he will always be remembered for was his “Mamba Mentality” (Black Mamba was his nickname). In an excerpt of his book, it states “When it came to basketball, I had no fear. What I mean by that is: if I wanted to implement something new into my game, I’d see it and try incorporating it immediately. I wasn’t scared of missing, looking bad, or being embarrassed. That’s because I always kept the end result, the long game, in my mind…” Bryant breaks down and describes different characteristics of his mentality. He explains how he was never in fear of losing or failing. He didn’t care if he looked bad or felt embarrassed. He explains how eager he was; he had the urge to constantly learn and apply new material. He also explained how focused he was; he stay focused and keep his long term goal in sight. Another characteristic that wasn’t directly stated was his high work ethic which kind of glued everything together. When reading this I began to realize that all of these characteristics, among others unmentioned, are characteristics of his mentality, which built the foundation of his mindset. He talks about applying himself, and that when applied, his mentality made him the generational talent he was. What Kobe says in his book links more with what Ray Fitzgerald said in his article about gifted vs talented. Gifted is more about the mental while talented is more about the action. Gifted, talented, mentality, and mindset all have some type of connection.

In an article titled “Is There a Mindset Misconception with Giftedness?” By Emily Mofield speaks more on the affects of a mindset. It states “The buzz about mindsets, what we believe about our intelligence, has captivated parents and educators in recent years. Its message is powerful if you believe your intelligence can grow, you will embrace challenges and achieve more… this mighty notion of mindset can be misinterpreted. In discussions about giftedness and mindsets, there may also be misconceptions. Research about praise tells us that when we praise students for their intelligence, they are likely to develop fixed mindset beliefs—the belief that your abilities do not change and so, they are more likely to avoid challenges in order to maintain a smart identity…” This quote identifies 2 different types of mindsets, 1 being a growth mindset and 2 being a fixed mindset. A growth mindset is a mindset that regardless of any limitations, one’s intelligence can still grow and achieve more. A fixed mindset is where one believes that one can’t grow beyond the gifts they have. This article brings up an idea that when an individual has a certain mindset/gift, they are able to perform or achieve certain things faster and/or at a greater level than others. However, with the right mentality, anyone can still achieve anything they desire even if it’s outside the domain of their gifts. This sort of relates to the excerpt from Kobe’s book.

This is what I’m understanding so far. The first mindset is the mindset everyone potentially has. Anyone can develop new characteristics of their mentality to accomplish things even if there are setbacks. For example, let’s say there are 2 people: person A who has is gifted with math expertise; and person B who is gifted with language arts expertise. They are both equally gifted in their own right, but what if they both are striving to become authors? Both can do so however person A will have to work harder to achieve this feat. This is because their characteristics don’t compliment the goal they’re after as well as person B. However, along the way, person A will develop their mentality to accomplish the goal they’re after.

After researching, I learned that having a gift is the result of a mindset that allows one to be proficient in something. Being talented it the application of said mindset. Mentality is the building blocks to one’s mindset, and that anyone’s mentality can grow and add more.

Unit 3

I liked the result of this unit. I didn’t want to change much in this, the only thing I did was include a more clear argument towards the end.

Reddit Post/Written abstract:

What is the true meaning behind being gifted and being talented?

A question to ponder to all viewers on this Subreddit.

There are two ways I’ve seen the terms gifted and talented being used:

• Associated with possessing a natural born ability/skill.
• Result of high work ethic, fearlessness, determination, and other attributes alike.

When I was growing up, my parents would call me “gifted” or “talented” whenever they would see my drawings (they were just being nice). It gave me the impression that being “gifted” or “talented” meant having some special natural ability. In other cases, I hear stories about successful people would be called those terms get praise for their hard work and dedication. So what does being gifted and talented really mean?

Google’s definition is this:

• Being talented is to have a natural aptitude or skill for something.
• Being gifted is to have an exceptional talent or natural ability.

Essentially, being gifted is like an upgraded version of being talented.

Before I get to my definition, I want to define mentality and mindset.

• Mentality is the characteristic attitude of mind or way of thinking of a person or group.
• Mindset is the established set of attitudes held by someone.

Essentially, the characteristics of a mentality makes up a mindset.

The reason I included mentality and mindset is because I believe there is a connection. I believe that being gifted identifies more with the mentality of an individual while being talented focuses more on the application of an individual’s mindset. Being gifted is the foundation of being talented.

I decided to look up any instances where those terms were being used. There’s an article titled “What Is The Difference Between Gifted And Talented?” By Ray Fitzgerald who was an elementary school teacher. He spoke about how he’d answer a question similar to this one, what he told parents, and the purpose behind different tests. I’m focusing on what he said about the test.

“While a test that identifies a gifted child looks more at broad cognitive skills, testing for an academically talented child focuses on the nitty gritty these students are ones who score in the top percentiles of all students on individual subject-area tests for math, science, reading or any other topic.”

Tests for children identified as gifted, focuses more on their mental action, tendencies, and process of understanding information while testing for talented children focuses more on them applying their smarts to different subjects.

One person that came up in my research is Kobe Bryant. He’s one person that if you didn’t watch basketball you would still hear his name and that’s because of his “Mamba Mentality.” He’s the type of person that gives his all in everything he tries. In his book “Inside the Mamba Mentality” he goes into depth with his attitude and approach to challenges he faced.

“When it came to basketball, I had no fear. What I mean by that is: if I wanted to implement something new into my game, I’d see it and try incorporating it immediately. I wasn’t scared of missing, looking bad, or being embarrassed. That’s because I always kept the end result, the long game, in my mind…”

Kobe breaks down the different characteristics of his mentality and how it played a part in him practicing to get better. His fearlessness, eagerness, and focus, where all aspects that contributed to the foundation of his mindset, leading him to become the 18x All-Star, 5x Champ, League MVP, and overall great person he was.

In addition to my concept of mentality and mindset, there is also the idea that when an individual has a certain mindset/gift, they are able to perform or achieve certain things faster and/or at a greater level than others. However, with the right mentality, anyone can still achieve anything they desire even if it’s outside the domain of their gifts.

One interesting article I found is titled “Is There a Mindset Misconception with Giftedness?” by Emily Mofield. It speaks about the concept of mindset and growth of intelligence as well as a common misconception about them.

“The buzz about mindsets, what we believe about our intelligence, has captivated parents and educators in recent years. Its message is powerful if you believe your intelligence can grow, you will embrace challenges and achieve more… this mighty notion of mindset can be misinterpreted. In discussions about giftedness and mindsets, there may also be misconceptions. Research about praise tells us that when we praise students for their intelligence, they are likely to develop fixed mindset beliefs—the belief that your abilities do not change and so, they are more likely to avoid challenges in order to maintain a smart identity…”

This article identifies 2 mindsets:

• Growth mindset – being a mindset where one believes in growth of intelligence; expansion of their mentality.
• Fixed mindset – where one believe they can’t grow beyond the mentality they have. I believe people can break out of this fixed mindset. People can add to their mentality.

Let’s make up a hypothetical situation: There are 2 people: person A who has is gifted with math expertise; and person B who is gifted with language arts expertise. They are both equally gifted in their own right, but what if they both are striving to become authors? Both can do so however person A will have to work harder to achieve this feat. This is because their characteristics don’t compliment the goal they’re after as well as person B. However, as long as person A keeps a growth mindset and believes that they can complete their goal, they will.

All in all, I believe that having a gift is the result of a mindset that allows one to be proficient in something. Being talented it the application of said mindset. Mentality is the building blocks to one’s mindset, and that anyone’s mentality can grow and add more.

So what do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? What are your thoughts on the meaning behind gifted and talented? Comment below.

Reflection

Over the course of this semester, I learned a lot about myself. I learned that as a reader, I like to make connections with other pieces and with my experiences in life. I often try to relate to things I’ve read. When reading ” Liking is for Cowards, Go for what Hurts” I tried to relate the the argument the author was making. This ended up affecting how I went about other assignment; for example, my unit 2 essay took on a similar approach and topic as the article. As a writer, I can become a bit of an over thinker. I tend to re-read what I have written 4-5 times before continuing even if what I have written down is only a couple sentences. I constantly stress about whether I was able to get my point across effectively without leaving out information or repeating myself too many times. I also struggle with formatting. When I’m towards the end of including all the information necessary, I constantly re-arrange the paragraphs for better cohesion. It sometimes takes a while until I’m satisfied. This can be seen in all my unit essays. Between my first draft and the final piece, lots of information was moved around in order to have a better flow for the reader. As a scholar I learned that I can still do good and have fun in a subject I struggle in. With all the oddities that comes with working online, I can say that I still enjoyed reading, discussing, and writing about all the different, interesting topics in this course although I may struggle with this subject.

There were also lots of technical things this semester taught me. I learned how to look a writing in a different light; whether it be mine or someone else’s. When I read, I not only process the material but also pick up on tools used, why they were used and the effectiveness it had. Taking this knowledge to other writing situations, I will be able to better understand the argument, the purpose, the author etc. in other’s work and understand how to convey those very elements in my work. I learned how to go about writing a first draft. Learning that it’s okay to have many mistakes in the beginning stages of an essay and to continue perfecting my arguments. I’ve learned to get comfortable when sharing my ideas. Being online influences me to be more conservative, so it was difficult, but when given an interesting topic to talk about, it helped me break out of that and speak my mind, whether it was in discussion or in writing. I’ve learned to power through things I find difficult. Unit 2 was something I found difficult. Writing an annotated bibliography was foreign to me, and A lot of writing techniques I’m used to using did not apply to it. Although the result may have not been the best, I was able to complete it, have fun, and learn a lot from it.

With that being said, I realize that I still have a lot more work to do as a student. I didn’t always apply myself like I should have. But with this semester now in the books, I feel like I can come back with the motivation to improve. Thank you!