TOK and CAS

To what extent can symbols be used to unite people?

One of my favorite CAS activities is Field Hockey. This relates back to the Nelson Mandela quote:

"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."

I started Field Hockey later than when most people start to play sports. I started in my sophomore year of High School. Though I have only been playing for two years, field hockey is one of my favorite things to do. I have made all sorts of new friends, with people I never thought I would be friends with. I believe that field hockey has brought us all together. We are untied for a common good, and it allows us, as a whole to work together. Although we don't often win, in fact we almost never do, we all love each other and stand by each other. 

Decision Making: Emotion vs. Reason

1. High Reason are choices that are made based off of logical conclusions. The somatic hypothesis is that we are often faced with decisions that involve lots of different alternatives. We usually try to choose the one that we think will be most beneficial to our well being.
2. Teenagers do not have as much myelin, as adults. The lack of the fatty white substance surrounding the brain, myelin, causes reactions and decisions to be made slower and are more difficult to make.
3. The cerebellum is not only involved in physical process but in mental decisions as well. Just as we can physically clumsy, we can be mentally clumsy too. 
4. The socialization of babies will affect their morals. Babies can be influenced based on who they are socialized with. By socializing babies in the same way, we can create a set of universal morals.
5. When making a decision and taking an action, there a few different ways to know if the benefits outweigh the costs. One is to think for a long time, not just making a rash decision. Another is to make a pros and cons list. I think that it does matter. Oftentimes, I will make decisions and then later regret that I acted on it. 

WOK emotion – contemporary links

This article is taken from the Cape Cod Times and is entitled Teen ordered held in Falmouth shooting.

This article is about the shooting that happened in East Falmouth on Thursday, April 12, 2012. 18 year-old, Devante Fernandes, shot his stepfather. There was a three hour manhunt following the shooting and nearby Teaticket Elementary School was put into lockdown.

Where Devante Fernandes' emotions that caused him to shoot his stepfather a result of the society he lived in?

IB Survey

1.Which word best describes the IB programme at Sturgis?

Challenging, Rigorous, Worth-while

2. What are the most important qualities for an IB student?

An IB student has to be a risk-taker, and has to persevere.

3. What are the best and worst aspects of being an IB student?

4. The IB is challenging, but in the end it is worth it. There is a lot of work and stress involved, and there are a lot of reflections, which I do not enjoy.

5. Which trait in the IB learner profile do you consider to be most important in your life?

I think that Risk Taker is the most important aspect of the IB learner profile.

6. What is the biggest difference between the IB and the national [state] curriculum in [the USA, or in Massachusetts]?

The IB is much more difficult and prepares you better for college.

7. What type of career would you like to pursue upon leaving school?

I would like to be the captain of a ship or an officer in the Coast Guard.

8. Add one more question of your own to the IB World Student Survey (may be the one chosen in small group discussion), and give your personal response.

(To be asked to people who have gone through the IB)
Do you think that the IB was worth it?

Happiness

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
Dalai Lama

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
Dalai Lama


I know that I feel happy when I am smiling or laughing. I know that I am happy when I start Irish Step dancing in place. I know that I am happy when I feel ready to take on the world, and I don't care who is watching.

One way that happiness can limit knowledge is in the sciences. The goal of many people's life is to be happy. Often, when one comes up with a hypothesis in a science experiment, they want it to be correct so that they experience the happiness that goes along with it. This can influence their results because they want to be happy and right.

Machiguenga - Saving a lost language

Machiguenga is a traditional language of Peru. It is spoken by approximately 10,000 people, near Cuzco. The Machiguenga people live in Peru, and have done so since the days of the Inca. They live on the river Urubamba, and make much of their living from the surrounding mountains.
Information Sources (sorry they are in Spanish): Cuidad Archeo Logico, Inka Natura Tavel

Why save Machiguenga?
In Peru, there are many different groups of indigenous people. However, the majority of Peruvians are Mezicos, or a mixture of Spanish and Indigenous people. In this way, many traditions of the native people of Peru are lost, and one important way to preserve this is through language.
Information Source: EF Tour February 2012 Peru, Tour Guides, Washington and Omar.

Image

This image shows a Machiguenga translation of the first chapter of Genesis in the Bible.
The Machiguenga language was first written down about 40 years ago, and some of the Machiguenga people are now graduating from tertiary education.
Information: A case study of the Manchiguenga of the Peruvian Amazon , Manchiguenga bible passage

Symbols

1. This symbol is called khamsa, and it is Arabic in origin.
2. This symbol is used to represent the number 5. It is also known as the hand of Fatima, or the King's favorite daughter. It stands for good fortune. It also means, support group, blood revenge group, or closest male relative of five degrees of separation.
3. This symbol is emotive. It is representative of good luck and familial bonds, both of which are positive.
4. The Hand of Fatima takes its name from a female. However, the meaning of the symbol brings the idea of male relatives. Also, the symbol has connotations of bringing good fortune. This makes it seem as though a male is needed to bring good fortune. When did the connotations change from female to male?