Texts and human experiences have the power to reshape our understanding of the world by challenging our ingrained assumptions, igniting new ideas, and prompting personal reflection, ultimately leading to a more nuanced perspective.
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in our last video
we looked at the anomalies paradoxes and
inconsistencies in human behavior and emotion
emotion
today we'll check out the next section
of the rubric
the way texts invite the responder to
see the world
differently to challenge assumptions
ignite new ideas
we all have assumptions expectations and beliefs
beliefs
about the world and how it works every day
day
we assume that the sun will rise and set
we expect that our bus to school will
arrive on time
and that class will finish when the bell rings
rings
we believe that if we study hard we will succeed
succeed
if we're kind to others they will be
nice to us in return
and that if we don't do dangerous or
silly things
we will stay safe and happy
thinking like this makes the world
predictable and
meaningful so we can live life with confidence
confidence
and certainty imagine a world
where you couldn't expect anything for certain
certain
our beliefs about life make up our
assumptive world
which basically means everything that we
expect and assume to be true
your assumptive world is made up of
different schemas
which are patterns of expectations about
particular aspects of our life
another related word is worldview that is
is
the way we look at and understand the world
world
our assumptive world schemers and worldview
worldview
all relate to the same thing the assumptions
assumptions
beliefs and expectations that help us
understand the world and guide our actions
actions
everyone looks at the world in their own
unique way
however often common beliefs are also
shared by people in a society
of course shared beliefs about the world
can vary across different cultures
before you jump into an essay or
comprehension question drawn from this
section of the rubric
try to identify which specific assumptions
assumptions
beliefs and expectations are explored
some human experiences can challenge our
everyday expectations
making the world seem less predictable
and certain
think about euphoric experiences those which
which
overwhelm us with joy and traumatic
experiences which have lasting negative
mental and emotional impacts both euphoric
euphoric
and traumatic experiences and everything
in between these extremes
can shatter our assumptive worlds
and it's not just our own experiences
that can shake things up
encountering other people's experiences
in our texts
can also change our beliefs about the world
world
just like the rubric says texts and
human experiences can make us
see the world differently challenge our assumptions
assumptions
ignite new ideas and provide us with
opportunities to
reflect personally let's jump in and
unpack each of these in turn first up
let's think about how texts and
experiences help us see the world
differently for example some experiences
lead to a re-prioritization of our values
values
which is where we reassess what is truly
important and meaningful to us
after near-death experiences people
often develop a greater appreciation for life
life
and experience more compassion for others
others
this seems like a paradox or contradiction
contradiction
having a close encounter with death can
lead to a renewed appreciation for life
and don't forget reading texts can also
make you
re-prioritize your values often
writers playwrights and filmmakers
intentionally try to help people
re-prioritize their values when you
identify and explain how texts
shape our values you'll be well on the
way to creating
a great essay other human experiences
allow us to perspective take that is
to see a situation from someone else's
point of view
have you seen the tv show filthy rich
and homeless
where celebrities sleep out on the
streets for a few nights
by experiencing first-hand what it's
like to be homeless
hopefully they recognize how hard life
can be for the most
disadvantaged the creators of shows like this
this
want us to have a perspective take so
we can be more charitable and empathetic
what kind of people does your text
depict try and think from their perspective
perspective
how does this change your understanding
of the world
consider how perspective taking helps us
foster kinship with others
which is when we recognize the common
humanity that underlies
our differences we've just talked about
how our experiences help us see the
world differently
leading us to re-prioritize our values
and perspective take
let's think about the next phrase in the rubric
rubric
to challenge assumptions when we see the world
world
differently we might find that our
assumptions are seriously
challenged remember everyone has their
own set of assumptions about the world
around them
these make up our assumptive worlds
but what happens when our experiences
are incongruent
or don't match up with our assumptive worlds
worlds
well we might have to change our mind
in our last lesson we looked at stereotyping
stereotyping
stereotypes are big assumptions made
about a person or a group of people that
are often wrong
or oversimplified some common
stereotypes are based on gender
for example people often assume that
women are the caregivers
whose primary role is to raise and care
for children
while men are the breadwinners or money makers
makers
other stereotypes are about nationality race
race
or age for example many people believe
that the elderly
are slow learners and technologically incompetent
incompetent
while all young people are foolish and reckless
reckless
sure some grandmothers might struggle to
send a text
and some teenagers can be crazy
risk-taking party-goers
but these stereotypes aren't true for everyone
when you meet someone who does not
conform to these stereotypes
your assumptions are challenged you have
to reconsider your understanding of the world
world
this process can be uncomfortable confusing
confusing
take pete for example he has never been
to australia
all he knows about australians are based
on crazy stereotypes
when he gets here he is shocked that we
don't all ride kangaroos to school
have pet koalas and wrestle crocs in our
spare time
pete also had no idea that australia is
home to the oldest
continuing cultures in the world and is
super excited to learn about the rich
complexity of our aboriginal
and torres strait islander peoples he's
forced to reconsider his view of australians
australians
and finally admits that we aussies might
what stereotypes are challenged in your
text how does your composer break down
your assumptions and what's the effect
of revising your assumptions by
challenging our assumptions
we develop a more realistic and nuanced
the next phrase in the rubric sounds
pretty exciting
ignite new ideas when our assumptions
are challenged
we encounter new ideas that we've never
thought about before
our experiences can spark amazing new ideas
ideas
that might lead to creative expression
or a newfound ability to solve
complex problems we can intentionally
cultivate new ideas
but they can also be spontaneous that is
for example an artist might
intentionally spend time in a beautiful
natural environment to find inspiration
for a new painting or photograph
similarly when you go to school and read
a text
you're intentionally seeking new ideas
for your english essay
however after school you might randomly
come across a stunning image of nature
or hear an incredible new song on the radio
radio
these experiences may incite a flurry of
spontaneous ideas
and inspiration a huge realization that
suddenly helps us
understand something or solve a big
problem is called
a eureka moment or epiphany
one of the most famous historical
epiphanies was experienced by sir isaac newton
newton
a famous philosopher and scientist one day
day
when sitting under a tree in his garden
an apple
hit him on the head aha he thought in a
moment of brilliant insight the reason
the apple falls
is because of gravity the simple
experience of being hit on the head with
an apple
led to a huge eureka moment
understanding gravity has had an immense
influence on
all future science and physics and it
all started with one
apple sometimes writers want us
to experience eureka moments and
epiphanies too
maybe the narrator has a sudden
realization maybe the tone of the poem
shifts abruptly or maybe we meet a new character
character
identifying and explaining these moments
will help you create some great paragraphs
paragraphs
and thesis statements
as we've seen some human experiences or texts
texts
can inspire outbursts of creativity action
action
or spontaneity however other experiences require
require
careful deliberation and personal reflection
reflection
these experiences are difficult to fully understand
understand
immediately perhaps they are super intense
intense
or have complicated consequences for the future
future
so individuals may require time alone to process
process
and understand what their experiences mean
to do this we might engage in introspection
introspection
which is where we look within ourselves
to find new ideas
and answers to problems this is
something we do by ourselves
often in complete solitude being
introspective requires something called metacognition
metacognition
which is where we think about our own thoughts
thoughts
sound complex it's not too tricky and in
fact we do this all the time when we are
mindful of our own thoughts and feelings
take a moment to consider what you're
thinking and feeling
right now do you notice your thoughts
racing all over the place
or are you calm great job you just
engaged in introspection
looking inwards to find answers about yourself
yourself
intentional mindfulness about your own
thoughts and emotions
is an important aspect of the buddhist religion
religion
some people combine buddhist practices
of mindfulness
with western theories of psychology to
treat depression
and anxiety or even just to help people
understand their own thought patterns
introspection is very important for
english as many of our greatest books
films plays and poems originate from writers
writers
being introspective writing is tricky
and requires imagination
emotion focus and dedication
writers also often make their characters introspect
introspect
to allow us to get a glimpse of their
deeper selves
their thoughts and feelings
be sure to look out for moments of
introspection in your text
and think about how it helps your
characters process their experiences
maybe the writer wants you to do some
introspection too
as you wrestle with the complex ideas in
however personal reflection isn't always
positive and
productive rumination is personal
reflection gone wrong
where someone becomes stuck in negative
self-focused thinking that limits them
from processing their experiences and
engaging in the world
traumatic experiences often promote rumination
rumination
we might become fixated on these events
and find ourselves trapped in
cycles of negativity so we can't seem to
lots of characters in literature are
serious ruminators
shakespeare's prince hamlet is famous
for his lengthy soliloquies
where he ruminates about his troubled
family situation
and miserable existence do you have any
moody or angsty characters in the text
to study
is there self-reflection helping them
process their experiences
or does it seem overblown and unproductive
human experiences are powerful as you
can see
they can make the world seem different
challenge assumptions
ignite ideas and promote personal reflection
reflection
don't forget you need to reflect on how
your assumptive world is challenged as
you read your text
this means we have to exercise something called
called
self reflexivity that is our ability to think
think
about ourselves how do you read a text
how do you write how do you extract
meaning from
and interpret texts as you read
think about the insights that you glean
from texts and
why you make them why do particular
moments stand out to you
or make you feel the way that they do
how does a text
challenge your assumptions or those of
other readers
leading to a more nuanced understanding
of the world
if you practice self-reflexivity like
this while reading and writing
you will be well prepared to develop
sophisticated arguments
in your essays [Music]
[Music]
we hope you enjoyed this schooling
online production
for more easy lessons on human experiences
experiences
check out our analysis of language representation
representation
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