Three Wishes

Blog by Bryony Gilbert, Lecturer and Student Experience Manager, Faculty of Business and Law

You may be familiar with the old folk tale, where a poor wood cutter spares a tree, and in return is granted three wishes. Of course, the woodcutter and family argue over what to ask for, and as a result the wishes are wasted. As we approach the season of stories, pantomimes and presents, I’ve been musing on what gifts I would wish for my students. Would it be super-intelligence? Perpetual good grades? A few more hours in each day? They would be grand, but would these be wise things to ask for? After much thought, and in true fairytale tradition, I’ve sought out the Fairy Godmother and the Genie of the Lamp, and have wished for my students three gifts. Here’s what I asked for:

1. The gift of resolve:
2. The gift of resilience.
3. The gift of reflection:

‘Resolve’ has several meanings: perhaps the most obvious one at this time of year is ‘promise’, as in New Year’s resolution. But a resolution is unlikely to succeed without the resolve (determination) to carry it through. The Marshmallow Experiment is a simple test which has proved surprisingly accurate. Children were given one marshmallow and were told that they could eat it immediately, but, if they waited, they could have two marshmallows later. It turns out that the ability to delay eating the marshmallow is an accurate predictor of later educational success. And the good news is that according to the test’s creator, Michio Kaku, this ability to take the long view can be developed. So, resolving to stick to your study schedule, and having the resolution to keep to it, even if it means delaying or sacrificing an immediate pleasure, will give you greater success in the long run.

Resolve can also mean courage. It takes courage to submit an assignment- putting yourself forward for constructive criticism – and to read and accept the resulting feedback. It can also take courage to accept the need for help and reach out to tutors or support services.

A popular graduation gift in the US is Dr Seuss’s final book “Oh the Places You’ll Go” (Seuss, 1990,). Written in his unique style, it lists all the great things that the reader will achieve:

“…Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you. You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump. And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

Resilience means picking oneself up after setbacks, ‘Un-Slumping’, and getting back on track.  Psychologist Angela Duckworth identified that across a range of occupations (including study) those who achieved the greatest success weren’t the cleverest, but those who understood that learning can be a slow and difficult process, with no quick fixes. Successful people accept that they will fail at times and meet other setbacks but carry on regardless. Duckworth,2016). You can watch her TED talk here: When I attend an OU graduation ceremony (something I would highly recommend!), I am always moved by seeing students who have overcome multiple difficulties and setbacks walk across the stage to receive their degree. You can read about Aqua Koroma’s journey, and how she found the resilience to succeed. 

We live in a rapidly changing world. New technologies have changed the way we work. Jobs exist which no-one had heard of 10 years ago, and today’s graduates are likely to have  ‘portfolio careers’,  encompassing several different roles, rather than staying in the same job for their whole working life. To succeed in this changing world, employees must continuously evaluate their performance and develop their skills where necessary – that is, be lifelong learners. David Boud suggests that it is essential to develop these skills as a student: “Students must be effective self-assessors; to be anything less is to be dangerously ill prepared to cope with change” (Boud, 2000). 

Developing reflective skills can have a positive impact on your studies, too. Like many tutors, I have known students increase their marks to Distinction grades, through reflecting on tutor feedback Thinking about what you are doing and how well it is working – and if necessary trying something else- can help you to develop more effective study skills. The OU Help Centre has some useful advice on how to do this: Introduction: Strategic study techniques | Help Centre | The Open University.

Reflection also means taking the time to think over the material that we have studied; pondering on how it links to what we already know about the world, and wondering where it might take us. Einstein developed his theory of General Relativity by musing on what would happen if he could chase- and catch up with- a light beam. What we might be able to discover if we allowed ourselves the time to wonder about the subjects we are studying and daydream around them?

So there we have it; three gifts for the coming year. The best news is that we all have these gifts within us, and with a bit of practice they can be developed. I’ll leave the final word to Dr Seuss:

“And will you succeed?

Yes! You will indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) ”.

References 

Boud, D. (2000) ‘Sustainable Assessment: Rethinking assessment for the learning society’, Studies in continuing education, 22(2), pp. 151–167. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/713695728.

Duckworth, A.L. (2016 Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverence: New York; Simon and Schuster.

Kaku, Michio. “How Marshmallows Predict Your Success.” Youtube, 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=47DmUM7MW7s&t=69s.

Koroma, A (Undated). “I failed a module but came back stronger” Open University Law School Aqua Koroma | The Open University Law School (accessed 9^th December 2024)

Seuss (1990) “Oh ,The Places You’ll Go” New York; Random House