Resourcefulness – Knowledgeable Thinkers who use multiple resources for research (K16) During the summer of 2019, I was able to partake in a once of a lifetime experience, tagging along aboard a Hokudai research ship, and learning what oceanographers and researchers do at sea. This was an experience that I feel ads alot of value to my life, and also helped me understand how the research done at the ocean can benefit us, humans.
Knowledge is gained through an eye-opening experience, and when one is able to partake in the experience, they learn more from it. During 2019, my science teacher generouslly invited me and two other students to tag along on the research ship, so that we could gain a further understanding of the world of research and science. I went with the intention to know if science was an option for my future career. I also wanted to see the different modes of research that oceanographers use. This falls with the husky of knowledgable thinkers who use multiple resources of research, and the habit of mind of curiosity. The cruise itself lasted for 3 days and two nights, and we stayed in Hakodate for a day and a night as well. Hakodate was a beautiful city filled with vintage items and buildings, and they had the best hamburger restaurant I have ever been to, Lucky Pierot, The first day we explored and learned about the coastal city, and we gained an appreciation for the history of this unique location. Through this, we used our curiosity to gain a understanding of the city of Hakodate, and its history. The cruise itself started on our second day. We were all very excited, and we were talking about how it must be on a ship. However bad news struck, as we learned that a typhoon was on the way, so our cruise on the seas would be delayed one day, however the good news was they would let us on the ship and allow us to tour and stay the night on the ship. We were able to see the engine room as well as the deck and we were given our cabins. Inside the ship, there is movement, that made me really dizzy. On the third day, we were able to go out to sea, and we were able to experience hands on, the life of an oceanographer and researcher. We were allowed to steer the boat, fish for squid and fish, dissect them, clean the decks, and we were given lectures on tidal movement, as well as biodiversity. We were given the opportunity to throw jars into the ocean that would track ocean currents, and we were also able to measure levels of ocean temperature and plankton abundance through the use of their expensive research machinery, We also were able to go up on the observatory deck to observe the life above the seas, in the form of ocean birds. Through this, I gained an understanding of the importance of multiple research resources. We learned that these different modes of research all contribute to our overall understanding on how the ocean and organisms within, function. Through these data we are also able to predict and understand where the state of the ocean is headed. Without these informations, we will be none the wiser, and thus we would not be able to make smart decisions on climate change control or the preservation of endangered species. This was eye opening in how these different methods all are each important in their own way. On the last day we had to head back to port, however, on the way we were able to steer the ocean drone that allowed researchers to see what its like under the waves. We also were given the task of giving the ship a thorough clean. On this day however, I started suffering from extreme fatigue and nausea as I had not slept well the night before. However, as we got back on shore, I started to feel abit better after we ate some more hamburgers. Overall this trip was a very eye opening experience, that I value very much to this day. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity I was given. In the end I learned so much about life on and within the sea. The curiosity that I had, gave me so many memories that I can carry with me, and tell my children about. I attached some pictures above that show myself using different methods of research to gain an understanding of the marine life. That is me dissecting a squid, and also the tool that they used to calculate ocean temperatures. I also attached a picture of the ship I was on, as it itself is a tool of research. Through this experience, I learned that pursuing new experiences will create memories and eye opening experiences that will last a lifetime. I also learned that there are many different modes of research that go into our understanding of our world. In the future I will be more open to understanding these many methods of research, and maybe even use them. I loved this research trip. Curiosity and Knowledge is goals.
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K14 - Confidence – Knowledgeable Thinkers who are confident and explore new experiences (K14)
We all start life in the same state, knowing nothing, our mind is a blank slate. However as we live, we gain insight and experience, never to be the same again. This scenario is better put by Plato, in his famous allegory, The Cave. Please look at the above attached image of the cave as you read along. In this famous work by Plato, one is told to imagine three prisoners tied up to rocks, facing a wall. Behind the prisoners is a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners, people from the outside walk, casting shadows on the walls that the prisoners are forced to see for eternity. The Prisoners have never seen anything else so they do not realize that what they see are shadows of objects in front of a fire, much less that these objects are inspired by real things outside the cave. But! Imagine that one prisoner escapes, goes out the cave and experiences the world, a whole new experience compared to the mere shadows he had seen before. He has been enlightened, having experienced and seen something he cannot unsee. Now imagine that he goes back to tell his fellow prisoners who are tied up, about what he saw. But once he goes inside the cave, he realizes that his eyes have been blinded, and unable to see inside the cave. The fellow prisoners hear him and think he is crazy, as they do not understand nor comprehend the things he profess to have seen. And therefore they resist escaping, as they fear going outside. In simpler terms, what this means is that once one experiences and understands something, they cannot undo it, and others will not understand the importance of it, unless they too open their eyes to experience new things. If we fear learning new things, we are trapped in ignorance like unto the prisoners who remain chained, forever seeing glimpses of what reality could be, never really knowing what it is. I myself have seen this allegory apply to my life. When I was in America, I absolutely detested singing. I would just mouth the words in music class and when my teacher would ask me to sing, would comment that I sounded like a turkey. That hurt. I moved to Japan in 2016, and came to HIS, and once here my schedule had choir in it. And I was freaking scared and anxious, as I really did not enjoy singing with people. Sure enough, my first day here, I was asked to sing row row your boat in front of the choir. My voice cracked, I was sweating and I was embarrassed. At this point, I like to say that I was still a prisoner looking at a fraction of the reality I could be if I could sing. Fast forward a bit, and concert time was rolling around at my school, I for some reason wanted to challenge myself and make the most of the time I had in choir, so I started to sing, horribly at first, but then my teacher encouraged me to perform in a trio at the school concert. At first I was hesitant, but I agreed. I. Was. So. Bad. I literally couldnt get the dance down, and I struggled so hard, however I gave it my best. The above left picture is me putting on a show for 750+ people!, and I can proudly say I did my best. Once the concert was over, I was overcome with a feeling of pride and self satisfaction that I, a turkey had been able to sing in front of people! I never looked back. The year after that, I willfully pursued opportunities to sing and perform, and lo and behold I was given the opportunity to perform in a quartet with me being the lead character. I performed with all I had, unleashing my inner cheesiness, as I played my part as a boyish character who didnt want to grow up in the piece, I Wont Grow Up. I have attached a video clip of the performance above. This is definately a part of the best hours of my life. After this one, I was able to see music and performance from a whole new perspective, and I realize that that was the moment that I had come out of the cave, and seen reality and perspectives, I can now never unsee nor forget. For those who are reading this, the experience I felt you will most likely not understand, however I do encourage you to do something similar. Pursue new and mysterious things that scare you, and you will never look back. What I have learned from this experience is that Plato was right. Experiences make the man, and I love them. My goal is to pursue an online degree while working, so I can transfer to America once I have enough money. My side goals are, to go deep sea fishing for a summer gaining experience and money there as well. Although obscure this is my wish and my goal. I will not stop anything from letting me get experiences in my life. I am interested and am curious in the world around me - (K13)
People who do nothing gain nothing. Those who make the effort to learn or experience new things gain more knowledge. A way that one can gain more knowledge about the world is to be interested and curious about the world around them. Consider the following example of two people who go camping. One hates the bugs, the rain, the pollen, the weather, the dust, the tent and everything uncomfortable that comes his way. The other person admires the beauty in everything around her -- the intricate anthills, the sound of the rain, the flowers, the clouds covering the sun, all creating a picture perfect situation -- and takes on the challenge of setting up a tent with enthusiasm. From this we see the different things that these two take away. The person who only sees the negative side takes away a horrible experience, one that he will never go on again, because all he remembers is the horrible experience that he encountered on his trip. The other person however, takes away a great experience, because she enjoyed her trip, and would be more than willing to go again. I went on a couple camping trips in Hokkaido during the summer break. I grew up camping, in places ranging from the middle of the Rocky Mountains of Utah, to the red desert of southern Utah, but what I have learned is that, each camping trip is a new experience. On this particular camping trip, I went to Akabira, which is about two hours north of Sapporo. I experienced many firsts on this camping trip. I saw huge flies, slept in a tent without a floor, went exploring in the forest at 3 in the morning, saw my first frog and made fire by rubbing a stick against a log. I found my backpack infested with ants on the third day. However, during this camping trip, I enjoyed every bit of it. Because I met each experience with optimism and curiosity, I was able to make a potentially bad camping trips into a new and interesting experience. I could have stayed inside my tent avoiding the huge flies, I could have called my parents to go home, and I could have complained my way through the camp, but I chose to make it fun and memorable. I chose to have fun even when the conditions were not the best. I had fun by making new memories with my friends. Through this, I was able to strengthen the idea that I had that it is important to try new things to experience what things are like. The pictures above are all pictures taken during the camping trip. Each shows me having fun and experiencing something new, a water balloon to the face, lighting a stick on fire while its in my mouth, and hanging out with my new friends. Through these moments, I was able to make unforgettable memories. This husky may be one of my favorites, as exploring new things is something I truly love doing. I found out through this camping trip that to truly make lasting memories, I have to be interested in what I am doing. I will make sure that I have a purpose of doing things, and I will do that by doing my best to make each challenge a good memory. I use multiple resources for research Knowledgeable Thinkers - (K16)
In order for a student to effectively survive through school, they need to learn to use the resources that they have, effectively. In other words, to effectively learn to use the internet. The internet is a beautiful tool if used correctly. It can help check your equations, educate us with videos such as Crash Course World History, help with vocabulary, give definitions to an unknown word and most importantly, offers great amounts of knowledge. Some of the websites that I use to effectively learn new things is through essential websites and applications such as Google Docs, Quizlet, Wolfram Alpha, Khan Academy and Evernote. These tools help me be organized, learn more about a field of potential intrest and helps me in places that I do not understand. One of the biggest problems that I encounter is citations. APA format and MLA format always confuse me. However, I know that it is very important to give credit properly where credit is due, so in order to cite correctly, I use https://owl.english.purdue.edu/ to make sure I am citing correctly. This website teaches clueless students like me, how to properly use MLA/APA citations and in-text citations without fear of being misunderstood for incorrect citations. Right now, I am using weebly. It is a great platform that allows anyone to create a proffesional looking website. I used google to get to this website. Google is another tool that I use daily. One important thing that the web can be used for is to fact check things to make sure information that you take in is accurate. For example, I can make sure that the information that I have on hand corroborates with that of experts, and other scholary papers or websites that offer accurate information. In a world where fake news is starting to have(or already might) taken an effect on people, it is important to make sure information is factually accurate. This is why it is important to not rely on one sole website, but multiple, to make sure that you get the whole picture, or all the information as needed. The above websites are examples of websites that I use to gather information, or to check the information that I have on hand, to see if it is factually correct. |
Tadashi ShichidaSenior @ Hokkaido International School Archives
June 2020
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