It's the beginning of Semester 2!

It is the beginning of a new semester. If you are like a lot of people, you are setting new goals for yourself or perhaps you are re-committing to old goals. Just like the new year, you are setting resolutions for yourself.

Often, for a student, the resolution could sound a lot like: "I will try my best" or "I will do better" or better yet, "I will not procrastinate." Regardless of what your goal is, it is pretty safe to assume that we all want to be better. We want to improve. Do better than last semester or yesterday. 

That is where the Learning Cycle graphic may come in handy. This graphic was designed specifically for a music student but you could adapt it to many things. Instead of "Perform", try the word "Create", "Write", "Make" or "Do". Whatever it is that you "do" in your subject matter.

When you start, you just have to "do" that thing. After that, you realize that you survived. You made it through the challenge. Now, you are gaining confidence in yourself. You know that you can do this. This means you are ready to try something new or take a risk. When you do that, you challenge yourself and push yourself to become better. 

This is when you learn. Learning results from playing, making, creating, doing, writing or performing. The more you do it, the more you realize what your strengths and weaknesses are. This allows you to focus on the areas you need to focus on.

So, at the beginning of Semester 2, don't forget this simple graphic. Try to adapt it to your learning. Do you have anything to add or change about this graphic? If so, let us know.

Otherwise, your Arts teachers are looking forward to meeting you all come Monday!