This is week 10 of the term and students are interacting more with each other and I'm serving more as facilitator. These are the first two threads from that discussion.
Current Forum: Week 10 and
11: Ability Testing Read 16 times
Date: Tue Mar 16 2004 5:33 pm
Author: MH
Subject: Abilities & Achievements
I thought I would take a shot at the abilities & achievements mentioned
in this week's case study, some may be a stretch:
ABILITY............................ACHIEVEMENT
-Renae's drawing -art prize
-mom's intellectual functioning -recovery
-mom's stitching -cross-stitch project
-Andrew's model drafting -teacher's acclamation
-Andrew applying himself -do well in school
-Andrew worked late -promoted to manager
Some questions about ability:
-Is Andrew working late necessary an ability? Would it be best to say that his
working late is an effect of his ability to discipline himself?
-Are abilities always defined by the extent of their ensuing achievements? What
if someone's ability is never recognized?
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Current Forum: Week 10 and
11: Ability Testing Read 13 times
Date: Tue Mar 16 2004 6:11 pm
Author: KS
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
I agree with MH's ability and achievements with the case study. Yet I think
that there is probably other abilities and achivements that are not mentioned.
For example having an ability, and comparing it to self instead of another standards.
An example would be having a driver's license yet not knowing how to parralel
park. Then finally after ten years of driving a person can parrellel park. The
achievement was haveing the driver's license yet they did not have all of the
abilities for the achievement until ten years later.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 15 times
Date: Tue Mar 16 2004 7:49 pm
Author: AK
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
Although this may be a little on the philisophical side, MH brought up a good
thought about whether abilities are defined by the achievements. So, similarily,
do abilities exist unless they are measured? Or does anything that is defined
quantitativly exist if it is not measured. For example, I could have an ability
singing but if I never try to sing, do I have an ability?
AK
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 18 times
Date: Tue Mar 16 2004 9:56 pm
Author: WH
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
I believe that abilities do exist if not measured. Just because something isn't
measured doesn't mean it doesn't exist. For example I could have the ability
to sing. If I never measure that ability I still have the ability. That idea
reminds me of a question that my astronomy professor asked one time. "Define
what really exists in reality without using your senses." Just because
you can't measure or define something that doesn't necessary make it nonexistance.
We all believe that birds exist but cannot prove it without using some form
of our senses.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 15 times
Date: Wed Mar 17 2004 1:05 pm
Author: MH
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
Philosophically speaking, some abilities would have to exist prior to recognition
because some abilities do not follow a pattern of development. If you attempted
to paint for the first time and painted a masterpiece, it would only make sense
to say that you always had that ability. That is, that it was not developed
by practice or experience.
Then the interesting question might be, do we have any abilities that we are
unaware of?
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 14 times
Date: Fri Mar 19 2004 8:00 am
Author: AK
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
Working late I'm not sure is an ability, or even that it is a sign of the ability
of discipline. It sounds like it is a defense mechanism for not wanting to deal
with his family problems. So, do defense mechanisms count as abilities?
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 11 times
Date: Fri Mar 19 2004 10:06 am
Author: MP
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
I would definitely say that working late is not an achievement or ability. Any
person can work late in an attempt to avoid what's going on in their family.
It would actually be more of an achievement for him to go home and deal with
some issues in his family. So, working late would be a defense mechanism, just
a way for him to avoid problems.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 11 times
Date: Fri Mar 19 2004 9:56 pm
Author: ET
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
i say you have the ability, but you would never know to what magnitude. for
example: in middle school my friend wanted me to try out for the volleyball
team with her. i had never really played volleyball before that. i made the
team. icould have played volleyball at any time, because i had the ability,
but i never knew that i was good until i made the team. so, i don't think abilities
are defined by achievements. you have abilities that you never won an award
for.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 9 times
Date: Fri Mar 19 2004 10:00 pm
Author: ET
Subject: Re: Abilities & Achievements
so, i agree that him working late is a defense mechanism, however, i think it
could also be an ability. some people can't work late. some people can. that
alone should categorize it as an ability. some people can do it and others can't.
in this situation i think he is fueled by not wanting to go home. under normal
circumstances i think we could tell if he could in fact work late hours.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 5 times
Date: Mon Mar 22 2004 6:02 pm
Author: Kuhlenschmidt, Sally <sally.kuhlenschmidt@wku.edu>
Subject: Summary
The conversation is bringing up a lot of good points but I thought a summary
would help it cohere some.
The question being debated is: what is the relationship between abilities and achievements? Most seem to feel that ability can exist independently of achievement, that some capacities may pretty much just appear.
There is some debate about
whether an "achievement" (e.g., staying up late) can be there without
an underlying ability.
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SECOND THREAD BEGINS HERE
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Current Forum: Week 10 and
11: Ability Testing Read 15 times
Date: Tue Mar 16 2004 10:04 pm
Author: WH
Subject: case study; what's important!
It sounds to me like in order for Carol's mother to recover she is going to
need time. Six months to a year is what it said in the case study. This is the
opposite of what Carol needs. She needs her "old" mom back asap. She
hates to see her mother in her condition and wants to know that she will fully
recover.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and
11: Ability Testing Read 11 times
Date: Fri Mar 19 2004 1:11 am
Author: AK
Subject: Re: case study; what's important!
In the cases of both of carol's kids, they seem to have an ability, but need
time and practice to develop the ability so they can achieve in them. For example,
her daughter may have the ability to be an artist, but if she never drew again
she would never achieve in art.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 10 times
Date: Fri Mar 19 2004 9:45 am
Author: MP
Subject: Re: case study; what's important!
I agree. Some people may be born with a natural ability, but this ability doesn't
really exist until they start developing it and working on it. For example,
a person can be naturally talented in art, but they don't start our being a
Monet...they have to start at the basics and work up before they are really
considered a talented artist. Generally, the same theory goes for any talent,
even good singers could use a lot of practice. So, I think the something must
be worked at before it can be considered an ability.
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Current Forum: Week 10 and 11: Ability Testing Read 7 times
Date: Sun Mar 21 2004 11:42 pm
Author: AJ
Subject: Re: case study; what's important!
An ability does exist whether it has been developed or not. For example, the
average baby 9 -12 months has the natural ability to walk. Whether he actualy
walks or not is his choice. Once he tries to walk and practices everyday he
begins to perfect his ability of walking. When he is able to walk without falling
then he has achieved his goal.
Therefore abilities do exist
if you do not use them. You just don't realize you have it until you use it
and you do not realize how good you are until you practice constantly. The result
of practice is achievement.
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Page created: February 26, 2005. Last modified: February 27, 2005.