Blog Post Seven- Randy Pausch

Dr. Randy Pausch, a deceased professor at Carnegie Mellon University who passed away after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, truly lived to teach others. In his final lecture, Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, explains how he accomplished his childhood dreams, and strongly believed that others can as well, as long as you strive to achieve them. Randy forced his dreams to become a reality, which is why influencing others to accomplish childhood dreams was his mission in life.





Randy explains that teachers need to trick their students in order for students to learn, which is a process he calls "Head Faking". Project and group-based learning are great ways to do this because students learn life lessons, such as teamwork and responsibility. Students may believe that they are completing an assignment in order to receive a grade, but the more important lessons being taught are those the teacher doesn't assign. Head faking truly allows students, and even teachers, to learn without realizing it!



Randy also discussed a concept known as brick walls, which is a concept used to show the desire we have to achieve our goals. I have definitely learned from the brick walls that I have hit in my life, and I believe that I will hit many more in the future, both professionally, as a teacher, and personally. A brick wall is symbolic for anything that forces us to change paths, but with faith and perseverance, we can climb these walls and overcome any challenge. The brick wall simply shows people the determination and desire in which they either have about something or don't. This is a great way to teach students about overcoming challenges, and I will use this technique in my personal life and in my classroom.


Creativity is the key to allowing students to learn anything, and Randy absolutely believed this. He allowed his students to make mistakes and did not set standards for projects, which taught students about life. Once students are in the "real world", they are not going to have people explaining what to do, so if teachers allow students to make mistakes, the learning process will be very effective and efficient. Granting students the ability to make mistakes and be creative is a great way to teach and learn!


Randy Pausch is a true inspiration to me, and I have learned many things about teaching and learning, but also about life in general. Dr. Pausch did not allow his terminal cancer to take over his life, but instead he used his time on earth to make an impact on peoples' lives. I will definitely remember the lessons that I have learned from Dr. Randy Pausch and I will incorporate these lessons into my personal and professional life.