COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES

Telefax: 563-7527
Email: education@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

NAME: Carel Kaye P. Gaviola DATE: May 1, 2022

LEARNING TASK 3.1 CLASS SCHEDULE: T&TH 4 – 5:30

Instruction:

Watch and reflect on “Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion.” Provide your perspective on
the subject discussed.

Complete the task by providing:

(a) a summary of the presented topic and,
(b) a critical analysis of the issue. Outline: Title, Introduction, Analysis, Conclusion

Click this link for your reference on the video:

(7589) Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion | TED - YouTube

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. Page 1 of 3
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and FM-VSU-03
innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES
Telefax: 563-7527
Email: education@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

“Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion.”

Share any personal reflections about the activity.

“Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion.”

There are two groups of people, the haves, and the have-nots; people either come from
money or they do not. There is no in-between. The school system is also a little less forgiving
to those who are often thought of as being less fortunate. It seems like the underprivileged
students are treated as if they have a contagious disease, while the wealthier ones can get
away with incidents they should be punished for. Kids perceive money as an equivalent to
being smart and prominent in the eyes of their peers. Unless a person has a great deal of
money they are considered to be a no body and are easily forgettable. All children are
important and should have someone who will advocate for them no matter what. Rita Pierson
has been a child educator for over forty years, teaching junior high, elementary school, and
special education. She was also a testing coordinator, an assistant principal, and a counsellor,
bringing a special energy into every role. Rita Pierson gives this speech to an intended
audience of educators throughout the world, showing how relationships can affect a child’s
academic studies. I believe Rita’s speech is appropriate for her intended audience because
there are some educators out there who do not believe in relationships can alter a child’s view
on education.
Pierson states in her speech that building relationships within the class is a key element. She
then says, “Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult” (Pierson.) With
this statement, her audience has something to reflect back on and makes her topic more
relatable. She then proceeds to tell the audience how doing simple things, like apologizing,
helps build a stronger relationship. She tells a story that happened to her personally about
teaching a lesson wrong to her class, realizing it and then going back to the class the next
day and apologizing to them (Pierson.). This story also helps build her credibility because this
really happened to her and because of this mishap, she was able to create a relationship with
her students because she didn’t try to act like she had taught it right or just ignore the fact that
it was wrong, she owned up to it and apologized and that takes a lot of guts to do in front of
young children. Pierson uses the genre known as oral presentation in order to effectively
communicate with her audience. Oral presentation is also known as public speaking. Public
speaking is considered as “speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner
intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners” (Public Speaking). I think that Pierson
is giving an oral presentation rather than just giving a speech or a lecture, because she is
giving a lecture that is meant to “inform, influence, [and] entertain” her audience. This is
different than a speech or a lecture because she is doing more than just trying to solely
express her thoughts or educate her audience. In her oral presentation, Pierson amuses,
enlightens, and impacts her audience, which is why it is such an effective presentation.
Pierson begins her video by establishing credibility. She says that her parents were educators,
her grandparents were educators, and inevitably she is now also an educator. She has been
teaching for about 40 years, again reassuring the audience of her credibility. By starting off
giving a background of her teaching experience, it assures –

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. Page 2 of 3
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and FM-VSU-03
innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES
Telefax: 563-7527
Email: education@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

the audience that she is a person they can trust. After describing a quick background of her
experiences as a teacher, she moves on to what she will be speaking to the audience about.
The topic of her speech is “the value and importance of human connections” in educating
people (Pierson). She again shows credibility in her statement by quoting famous people such
as James Comer and George Washington Carver, who have had experience with the
importance of relationships in education. Finally, throughout her presentation, she gives
examples of what she has seen through her teaching experience that have led her to believe
that relationships are the most important factor in education.

The purpose of the communication that Pierson uses is to convince the audience that forming
relationships in the classroom is essential in teaching that student. Pierson carefully structures
her speech in order to grasp the attention of her audience and keep it. The point of her
presentation, and all Ted Talk’s, is to put an intriguing idea into the audience’s mind. Pierson’s
passion about her work shows as she talks about her real experiences with her students and
colleagues. She is able to keep the attention of her audience by using structure. She is able to
convince her audience to believe what she is saying by the end of her speech because she is
able to create a relationship with her audience. Throughout Pierson’s Ted Talk video, she uses
many strategies in order to persuade her audience. Pierson uses an oral presentation in order
to inform, influence, and amuse her audience. She is not just trying to lecture them on what she
believes, but she wants them to actually be able to connect with her so they are able to feel the
same way. This is why she uses a very specific structure in her presentation. She starts off
establishing credibility so her audience knows she is knowledgeable in her topic. Next, she uses
evidence of people before her who have had similar theories about the importance of
relationships in the classroom. This also shows that she has researched and is informed on the
topic about which she is speaking. She then gives examples of her own personal experiences
that have led her to believe that forming relationships with students is the only way they will be
able to learn. Finally, she targets her audience’s emotions by telling a story about her mother.
By using all of these strategies, Pierson is able to gain her audience’s affection, and therefore is
able to persuade them to believe that forming relationships with students is the most important
factor in that student’s education.

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation. Page 3 of 3
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge and FM-VSU-03
innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.