Response to Chapter 8: Learning in a Community

The ability to work by oneself and with others are equally important. However, in the traditional way of education in Taiwan, working by oneself is emphasized more in the secondary school. Students who study in a competitive environment might regard others as their imaginative enemies, so teaching others are seen as a waste of time for studying. During the process of studying, they ignore the importance of collaboration and cooperation which they will encounter later at work in society. Students have more opportunities to work with others in the university in Taiwan. For example, study group is a very effective way to discuss literature: every group member discusses the plot and his or her interpretation to the plot. Sometimes there are some different interpretations to the same plot with reasonable explanations. When I took educational linguistics at graduate school in the US, we were required to form a book circle for the discussion of Pinker’s book “The Stuff of Thoughts.” At first, everyone just posted their reflection on the assigned chapter, but the professor encouraged us to response to each other’s post. Therefore, the discussion was getting more interesting. Since “Stuff of Thoughts” was not an easy book for international students because Pinker uses examples in American daily life to illustrate the linguistic concepts. I posted some of my doubts about the examples in the chapter, and my American group member would answer my questions with her native speaker’s knowledge. Sometimes, I also gave some examples of Chinese to expand the examples Pinker gives in the chapter. In the discussion, we were trying to share what we knew to those who didn’t know, so that in the end everyone would expand his/ her knowledge. In the Teaching Second Language Reading class, we worked in pair to give peer review feedback to each other’s reading project. It was easier to praise than to give constructive suggestions, and it was also easier to criticize than to give explanations of criticism in a polite manner. Therefore, I spent quite a time writing the feedback that I hoped to be helpful. While giving peer review feedback, I learned to communicate with others while giving my honest opinions; while receiving feedback, I learned to accept others’ suggestions. Sometimes, my partner seemed not to understand the points I was trying to make and gave a suggestion that showed his misunderstanding. I would explain to him verbally again and revised my sentences to be more readable. Receiving peer review feedback motivated to write my papers for my readers (the professor and the partner). Learning with others always makes learning more practical, inspiring, and fun.