Movie Clips
This short clip is from a 2006 film called Akeelah and the Bee, which follows Akeelah, a girl with a talent for grammar, as she competes to win the national spelling bee. I think that this clip demonstrates an important part of learning that translates to any form of education: the ability to break large things into smaller components. In the clip, the teacher Dr. Joshua Larabee shows Akeelah many incomprehensible (and overwhelming words), and reveals that they are derived from smaller, recognizable words. This is important to me because I often find tasks overwhelming, but by deconstructing them and working on them bit by bit they become manageable. As well, I find the clip displays a positive way of teaching - that you can’t just memorize facts, you must be able to understand them and put them into context.
I wanted to post this video because I think it reveals a very flawed form of learning. Upon first glance, it seems to provide a quick and easy way to become good at the piano. In reality, though, it does not teach any fundamental understanding of the piano or of pedagogy, nor provide any lasting explanations that can take you further. To someone who understands the importance of slow and dedicated growth when it comes to learning an instrument, the concept of “faking” it is an unhealthy form of learning.