Badges

This week, we look into Badges. There are two ways one can look at badges, portrayed beautifully in Disney’s Up.

The first way of looking at badges is from an honorable point of view. The badges are a measure of achievement, much like medals of honor or Boy Scout badges. The Hero pursues it relentlessly, sometimes trying again and again, perhaps doing it with too much obsession, like little Russell of the movie Up. He didn’t give up trying to help Carl, going to great lengths all because he was only missing the “Assisting the Elderly” badge to become a Senior Wilderness Explorer!

The other point of view is the cynical one, like how old Carl saw things. He thought that Russell was full of nonsense, just pursuing things for the sake of pursuit. Ugh, what’s the point of pursuing one badge after another? We are all just going to rot anyway! He thought that maybe Russell, the badge chaser, was narcissistic. Or maybe Carl was just being lazy, or, on a darker note—being a nihilist.

The truth is that every one of us has moments where we think like Russell, and moments where we think like Carl. For most of us, it depends on the context. Here’s a quick test as you browse through all the photos below—do you feel the same admiration for these different souls that engage in these acts of courage & competition?

For every individual above (yes, this includes human inventions), one can argue that they are pushing the human spirit a little bit further. Even if it makes little initial sense, you know effort and triumph when you see them. Is life solely about the pursuit of achievements, however? We would like to offer an alternative view.

The 3rd View of Badges

We acknowledge that badges are a form of celebration, a point of completion of work, or even a mark of pride in one’s life. Here’s an alternative point of view, one which is linked to the philosophies of Clear Thinking and the Learning Journey. The third goal of badges is this:

In every (learning) journey, it’s important to know where you are, where you are heading, and how to get there. Hence, having milestones allow clarity in the journey, both in terms of knowing where you are and where you are heading. With the help of other travelers and mentors and a good map, one can figure out how to get there too. Let’s translate that into badges.

Badges provide a clear mental map of stages of learning and mastery. With a clear goal and milestones, Eagles can move forward with confidence. What’s happening is that if the Eagles commit themselves to their goals, they engage in a cycle of dopamine chemical release, or the feeling of flow, as they progress through their goals. It makes learning meaningful.

Excellence

Acton Academy does one thing differently. Each badge has a set of requirements, usually peer-reviewed and occasionally audited for quality check. For many pieces of work, the goal is not just a showcase standard, but doing multiple drafts until it is good for an exhibition. Much like Austin’s Butterfly as told in the story below:

A badge is approved as “excellent” based on one or more of the following standards:

1. If this is the first time: Is this your best work?
2. If attempted before: Is this better than last time?
3. As work quality soars and plateaus: How does it compare to a world-class example?
4. Finally: Have you won a contest or been approved for a public exhibition?

If you visit an Acton Academy exhibition, you know the standards demanded of the Eagles. However, the badge submission does not include merely the good parts. It also includes lessons learned and the initial drafts where one is still figuring things out. It is a body of work that resembles a portfolio which visualizes the Learning Journey of an Eagle.

The badges also provide a framework for Acton Academy to translate an Eagles’ work into an academic transcript. A combination of badges is mapped to a series of credits, and all this translates into a classical High School Certificate.

One might ask, isn’t this the same as grade measures? Jenny, from Acton Taipei, also dove deeper in making a comparison of badges versus grades.

And the Eagles from Austin had their opinions too:

Badges are another process of Find your Calling; Change the World

Regardless of how you see Badges, it is easy to get bogged down by the nitty-gritty of badges or the obsession of chasing one badge after another. Here is a lighter way of seeing it, Disney style :))

Imagine each badge as a balloon where you have to put in the effort to blow it up, shape it, and hold it together. As you accumulate more and more balloons, they will bring you to further places and deeper journeys.

Like Carl and Russell, they engage in a journey of finding each other.

Badges is another process, albeit an important one that helps provide clarity, in the mission of finding a calling and changing the world.

Weekly Updates

Preschool / Spark Studio (PS) Update

“Okay, come everyone, anyone who cleans up a lot you will get one Eagle Buck and whoever cleans up a little bit will get one Star.” This was a conversation in a video that was sent to Guide Aaron recorded by Guide Jia Hong (Mr. Jia).

Let’s rewind. On Monday, Mr. Jia guided the PS Studio. This was a planned process where a Studio can be kept in check, making sure that the Studio is meeting its goal of being learner-driven.

Fast forward a little. It was the end of the day and the Eagles had finished cleaning up after playtime. The Eagle in charge was giving out Eagle Bucks and Stars. Mr. Jia asked if this was the agreement 3 times, and 3 times the Eagle in charge maintained that this was what was agreed upon. Mr. Jia then mentioned if that is so, I will record this and send it to Mr. Aaron just to be sure. The Eagle in charge maintained her stand and gave out Eagle Bucks and Stars.

Side note: Contract in the PS Studio for cleaning up, made known to and agreed upon by the Eagles:

1. All Eagles to participate in cleaning up.
2. Clean up the Studio within the time.
3. All toys must be put back to where they belong.

If these criteria are fulfilled, the Eagles can collect 3 sticks (representing points).

Collection of points is done based on trust. The value of 1 Eagle Buck = 100 points, and 1 Star = 10 points; Eagle Bucks and Stars are highly valuable!

So the video was shared with Guide Aaron. It was obvious that what had transpired was wrong and a clear misuse of freedom and trust.

The next day, the day started as usual and the Eagles went about their day. Guide Aaron had decided to address the issue during the morning circle time. Right before circle time was snack. During snack time, some of the Eagles were comparing the number of Eagle Bucks they had. Out of ‘curiosity’ Guide Aaron asked, “How did you earn your Eagle Bucks?” to which they replied, “Don’t know.”

Circle time started off as usual with Eagles checking in, followed by storytelling done by Guide Aaron. The story deliberately chosen was The Boy Who Cried Wolf. After the story, the Eagles reflected on what they’d learned from the story. Many of them mentioned how the boy lied and tricked the villagers.

The guide then went on to ask, “I was wondering, where have all the Stars and Eagle Bucks gone to?” The bank was empty of Stars and Eagle Bucks. Immediately, an Eagle mentioned that the Eagle in charge of toys yesterday gave out Stars and Eagle Bucks. This was followed by the Eagle in charge of toys confessing to what she did while trying to explain herself.

Guide Aaron then asked about the agreement the Studio agreed upon about cleaning up and asked if any of the Eagles reminded the Eagle in charge of the agreement. The Eagles all said, “No,” except for one who said he did but no one listened.

At this point, all the Eagles were very quiet. Guide Aaron then asked, “What should we do now?” At once an Eagle suggested, return the Stars and Eagle Bucks that were given out. Immediately, all who took part (the whole studio, except those who missed school on Monday) returned what was taken. We ended the circle with a call out of the Eagles who were, in the end, courageous and honest.

Other than that, the PS Eagles had a fun and productive week, as you can see!

Elementary Studio (ES) Update

Orienteering

On Monday the ES Eagles learned to use compasses to navigate around the Acton campus. It was confusing at first, but after a little persistence, they got the hang of it. On Tuesday the orienteering skills they learned were put to the test when they had to orientate around the basketball court in Taman Aman Park. Their reward … sweets! Read the full details in the MS Updates as this challenge was run by the MS team in charge of this week.

Teamwork: Helping Each Other

The teamwork theme continues with a Socratic Discussion about helping one another. There was general agreement with this quote by Maya Angelou:  “When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

Identity Maps

The question of the week: “What makes you, YOU?” Read the full details in the MS Updates as this challenge was run by the MS team in charge of this week.

Myer Briggs Test

The ES Eagles did the Myer Briggs Test along with the MS Eagles to better understand their personality types. Read the full details in the MS Updates as this challenge was run by the MS team in charge of this week.

Camp Packing List 

One week to camp! The Eagles brainstormed about what to pack for the trip and came up with lists of things to bring. Discuss your Eagle’s list with them over the next week to be well-prepared for the camp this Saturday.

Exhibition Prep

This Sprint is unique because the Exhibition will be held at camp! We have 4 stations for this Sprint. 

1. Fire
2. Cooking and Nutrition 
3. Tent Setup
4. Water Filtration 

It’s full steam ahead for preparations with plenty of discussion about the best way to showcase the fun and useful survival tips they’ve learned over the past few weeks. One Eagle suggested, “We will teach our parents to light a fire using a magnifying glass and flint and steel,” and another countered, “The easiest is to use matches!!”

Teamwork: Think Win-Win

The team got together to identify various situations in the studio that were lose-lose, win-lose, lose-win and win-win. One wise Eagle observed, “I think it was a win-lose when my friend took my noodles. I was sad that they took it without my permission.” 

Middle Studio (MS) Update

Orienteering

On Monday the MS Eagles ran an orienteering challenge to prepare the ES Eagles for next week’s camp. They led the ES Eagles in:

• learning to use a compass.
• following orienteering instructions.
• trying to orientate around the Acton grounds.

On the same day, Team Girlz planned a bigger challenge in Taman Aman for the next day.

On Tuesday, with Team Boyz as support, Team Girlz handled everything from the logistics of the drop-off to the park, safety of the ES Eagles at the park, to running the entire challenge.

”I liked it a lot because it is fun and different,” and “I wished the challenge was longer and more challenging,” was some feedback given by the younger Eagles.

This is a sample of the orienteering instructions given to the ES Eagles:

• Take 8 steps South (210).
• Take 40 steps South-West (240).
• Run in between the pillars till Pillar 4 of 8. Collect your first clue.
• Take 24 steps East.
• Walk down the path till the bent pole. Here you will find another clue.

Identity Maps

On Wednesday the MS Eagles led the ES Eagles to complete Identity Maps.

Goal
Create an Identity Map, an image that highlights who you are.

Creative Constraint
Answer these questions in your Identity Map with words or illustrations:

• What are your best traits?
• What are some things that are really important to you?
• Who is really important to you?
• What motivates you?
• What ideas inspire you?

Materials Available
Various types of paper and markers/crayons/colored pencils.
Explore these examples of Identity Maps as resources: MS Identity Maps

Debrief
What traits do you have to help you survive? What traits do you share?

Creativity was one that came up a lot.

Myer Briggs Test

Introduction

On Friday the MS and ES Eagles did a Myer Briggs Test as they pondered Descartes’ question:

Ted Ed video on Descartes.

Launch Questions
What is personality?

• Is your personality a product of your thoughts, or your experiences?
• Does your personality change with age, or does it stay the same your whole life?
• How is understanding your personality important to survival? This is a question for you to come back to throughout today’s challenge.

The Myer Briggs Test

At the heart of Myers Briggs theory are four preferences. Do you prefer to deal with:

• People and things (Extraversion or “E”), or ideas and information (Introversion or “I”).
• Facts and reality (Sensing or “S”), or possibilities and potential (Intuition or “N”).
• Logic and truth (Thinking or “T”), or values and relationships (Feeling or “F”).
• A lifestyle that is well-structured (Judgment or “J”), or one that goes with the flow (Perception or “P”).

To read more deeply into what each personality type means, go to this link: https://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tt/t-articl/mb-simpl.htm

The Results

We did the test and compiled the results for both MS & ES. It seems that we have equal numbers of Extraverts and Introverts. The Eagles are predominantly Sensors, with very little Intuitives. There is a balance between Thinkers and Feelers, whereas there seem to be more Judgers and fewer Perceivers. How well can you guess your Eagle’s personality type? Take a guess and then ask them about their results!

KL Outing 2 Prep

Friday’s outing was a bigger orienteering challenge as the MS Eagle teams were challenged do to orientate around Taman Paramount & Sea Park.

Using a physical map and a physical compass, the teams had to write orienteering instructions for each other to navigate. (Team Boyz plotted instructions for Team Girlz to walk to their destination, and vice-versa.)

The whole challenge took 1+ hours longer than originally planned with each team having their ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, which they all learned from.

Team Boyz’s instructions for Team Girlz were spot on and everyone reached the lunch destination (KFC Taman Paramount), although they were less experienced in navigating with the compass and took a loooong time to prepare the orienteering instructions.
On the other hand, Team Girlz prepared the orienteering instructions for the Boyz quickly and navigated efficiently, but Team Boyz got lost because of errors in the Girlz’s instructions.

All in, this was a good eye-opener for Monday’s big challenge. Details TBA…