TED Community » Sam Austin

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Learning, and never to stop thinking and exploring.

Comments

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• A comment on Conversation: How many languages is it possible to know?

  Mar 12 2013: I only speak the one language, but am learning spanish, so hopefully one day it'll be two.
  
  I was brought up monolingual, and was given no opportunity to learn any language until french was forced onto me at 14 for two years. I had a teacher who took offence to me being quiet and had a goal (that he admitted) to make me shout at him by making me angry. He suceeded and I went from loving french to hating it in record time. Spanish I've self taught because I don't want a teacher to make me hate it. It's slow going but I still love the language. If I could learn another, I might go for mandarin, or maybe arabic or russian (too many interesting languages to choose from).
  
  I think that it is very important for people to start speaking more languages. We need to become more connected, not stay isolated. I have no idea what the unifying language should be, but I think there should be one.
  
  I would think it is possible to know a great deal of languages, but the upkeep would be huge. You could only practice so many and without practice they would go downhill. I'd say if you spent all day just practicing languages, maybe 20 or so would be possible. To live a life around it, a lot fewer. But it depends what people around you speak. If your neighbour chats to you in a few languages, your shopkeeper another language, the practice would be easier. So maybe as we aquire more languages and share them, we can help others aquire more languages. That would be an interesting world to live in if it did happen that way.
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  A comment on Conversation: What should educational systems try to bring out of every child?

  Mar 1 2013: I think the number one thing every education system should teach is how the child can teach themselves. There are too many passive learners who believe they can't learn anything without a teacher spoon feeding them.

• A comment on Conversation: If you could do anything in your life over again, what would you do?

  Mar 1 2013: Everything. I'd just like to start over from somewhere between ages 2-5 with what I know now. With the ability to push for my rights, and to self teach maybe things would have gone differently.

• A comment on Conversation: What is the something you learned as an adult you wished you learned as a child?

  Feb 25 2013: How to learn, and that not everyone is right or good or tells the whole truth.
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  A comment on Conversation: How do we prove an answer

  Feb 25 2013: I'd say we can't. We can't prove anything, and we can only disprove with a certain probulity that allows us to make theories about the world around us. Our world is one of theories, just some theories are more likely than others, and one day a new theory might come along that is even more likely that the one we hold true now.
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  A comment on Conversation: What are the challenges that gifted and creative individuals face at present?

  Feb 25 2013: I'd say for gifted - its just not valued in our education system. Teachers like clever students, so they don't have to spend time teaching them, but not too clever because then they might demand to be taught! At school everyone is taught at the same speed - and because of the 'no child gets left behind' scheme, that level is to the slowest people in that class, no one is allowed to learn ahead - in fact independent learning is barely taught at all so pupils are stuck at the teachers pace. At older ages we have some levels - but the testing to get in a level is terrible. Every year for science I would be put in a low group, then the teacher would realise I knew the whole sylabus and move me up, we would be tested again and I would start the next year in a low group (I think because I was diagnosed with a learning disability). For maths I was barely taught anything new, classes consisted of worksheets because no one seemed to understand algebra but me, everytime you finish one worksheet you are given another equally easy worksheet. Utter boredom.
  
  For creativity - its just not valued. Creative writing barely comes up, and when it does we are given no tips apart from spelling until 15/16, when we might if lucky do one creative writing piece as part of gcses and get feedback, or we might not get this opportunity until a-level if we choose the right subjects. Art is another thing - no tips until secondary school age. Then if you have a good teacher the class as a whole might get some instruction - but no individual because of large class sizes and the tendency of everyone to use art as a way to muck about. There is also little room for development even in afterschool art club (basically used as babysitting rather than instruction). I learnt a little from art class, but most from self teaching. I joined a creative writing club as well - but again, no guidance. Everything we wrote was 'brilliant' which is annoying because that is terrible feedback.

• A comment on Conversation: Can Money Buy Happiness?

  Feb 25 2013: I think that money can buy happiness, if you use it the right way. Money can buy security for your future, which is key to happiness. So that is a plus, but if all you do with the money is to buy loads and loads of toys and work all hours to buy new toys, then that is not happiness (unless you really love working). Money used the right way is knowledge that you will be able to eat, don't have to worry about the future, and can take time to look after your family if they need it.

• A comment on Talk: Caroline Casey: Looking past limits

  Feb 25 2013: An inspiring talk. The only difficulty is being someone when no one will let you be that person. I have aspergers syndrome where a reported 88 percent are unemployed. I have been unemployed pretty much since I graduated from university in 2009. I've tried declaring it, and I've tried not declaring it, but while I can do the job everyone is looking for that 'bubbly' person they click with, and due to how I am while I am very high functioning I haven't been able to master bubbly so I never make it past interview. I've also applied to medical schools as well, and just got rejected from the two I interviewed at already even though I tried so very hard and made it through everything before then. I'm starting to consider that there comes a point where even trying hard to make up for differences will get you nowhere. Yet I have nowhere to turn, I can't get a job and I can't get the higher education that will get me a job, and I'm not 'disabled enough' for any benefits. While I love inspiring stories like this where people make it, I don't think it holds true for everyone. Or maybe it is just invisible disabilities like mine that have this problem.

• A reply on Talk: Andrew McAfee: Are droids taking our jobs?

  Sep 24 2012: There was a think tank in the uk that proposed we cut the working week to 23 hours, only then could everyone have a job. Personally I think cutting the working week is a great idea. People don't wish on their death bed they had spent more time at work, they regret not spending more time travelling or being with family.
  
  I think we also need to rethink the job idea a little. It has always annoyed me that a parent staying home to raise their children instead of sending them to daycare is not considered a job, yet if you send said child to a babysitter then yes that is a job. There is also a growing movement toward homeschooling that has as studies show churned out some pretty fantastic kids.
  
  I think the time has finally come where we as a society can afford to pay a bit more respect to time spent with family and on self development. A shorter workweek would do that.
  
  The issue people have is that we have turned ourselves into such a consumer mad society, that yes most could survive on less hours but it would be a struggle to give up that need to buy the latest cool stuff. Plus in america at least employers profit from hiring few workers and demanding more of them as they have to pay for health benefits for each one they hire.
  
  I think the first step we need to get over is to make it equally or more profitable for employers to hire more people for less hours. Then the next big barriers are cost of living and reducing stigma attached to working less hours. Its a possible solution that we will have to turn to at some point as jobs decrease but it would take an effort to get it accepted by the majority of society.

• A comment on Talk: Carolyn Porco: This is Saturn

  Jul 4 2011: Just wow. I wish I had known about it when it happened. I would have celebrated it for sure.