The surprising truth about what motivates us

Dear GEDIs,

Here is a short video from RSA talking about the motivation behind the high cognitive tasks. According to the video, motivation comes from autonomy (the desire to be self-directed), mastery (the urge to improve at work), and purpose (making a contribution through transcended purpose).

Regards,
Miloš

New Instructional Terminology?

For a paper that I am writing, I chose to explore the terms  "teacher-centered" and "student-centered" instruction in more detail. One of the sources that I was perusing was Human Learning by Jeanne Ellis Ormrod. In her book, Ormrod voices something unique that I have not seen in any other source to date. Ormrod argues that "teacher-centered" and "student-centered" instruction are inadequate and misleading terms. She insists that all instruction is "student-centered," even lectures (if designed appropriately) because they are (or should be) centered around the students (to what degree, that varies). Instead Ormrod introduces the terms "teacher-directed" and "student-directed" instruction, which she claims are more accurate. While she argues that all instruction is "student-centered," she argues the real difference is in who directs (or is in control) of instructional and the learning process.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Ormrod?

Course evaluations: The more, the merrier

Hi everyone,

I came across this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education and thought it fit into what we discussed last night in seminar. In it, a tenured professor discusses her experiences with administering four course evaluations throughout the semester. She also provides some meaningful reflection on the value of formative and summative evaluation. Enjoy :)

-Katie

Challenging young minds

"When we treat teens like adults, they almost immediately rise to the challenge."

The myth of the teen brain is presenting some interesting thoughts on societal expectations from the young people and the consequences of those low expectations/high restrictions.

My old professor from Serbia, in a lecture of roadway design, told us: "If you treat drivers as idiots, they will behave as idiots". I see that quote applicable to complete education system, and something we forgot on the way to the modern age.


All the best,
MM

No-tech Classrooms?

Here's a couple articles that represent two different paradigms that aim to establish a common foundation. Its pretty fascinating that both perspectives hinge on developing critical thinking skills through social interaction, but there is a complete disparity in how each believes this interaction should manifest.

yuppies paying a lot for education

like "social" learning

I wonder which one is right...

Steve Job's model for education reform

An article I have run into, pointing out some of the interesting points that we keep on coming back to.

Best regards,
Milos

Ideas for improving scientific (and non-scientific) teaching

Hi Everyone,

For anyone in Dean DePauw's PFP class, you have (I hope) taken a look at the Alan Alda improv seminar at Stony Brook. I felt, even though the program is tailored for scientists, the concepts mentioned might help those GEDIs in any field that need to communicate in a classroom setting.

I know someone who's working on a post-doc at Stony Brook and asked him if he'd heard of the Center for Communicating Science. Turns out, they have regular seminars by faculty from the center and there's a significant focus by a large number of faculty at the university on updating teaching styles and techniques. The center also sends out references for articles published regarding teaching and learning. Thanks to my Stony Brook colleague, I have a reference for a article published in Science Magazine about Scientific Teaching that I found interesting. Though the topics are given in the context of teaching science, I can see where some of the ideas mentioned could translate to other subjects. For example, the authors mention that universities should promote awareness of new teaching strategies and even allocate funds for instructors to attend workshops on the subject. It's a short read and Science caters to a general rather than discipline-specific audience, so I hope others will find it useful too.

Nikki

Unschooling?

Hey everyone,

I caught this interesting segment this morning on the Today show. The story covers unschooling, a method of homeschooling that involves no testing and no structured lesson plans. Learners decide what they want to learn when they want to learn it and drive their own learning process.

My initial impression was that the girls featured in the segment seem very well adjusted, but is unschooling an effective way to engage learners and prepare kids for college and the workforce? On the other hand, if done properly, is unschooling actually a MORE effective way to engage learners than our current school system? I am somewhat conflicted about it- I definitely see the value in self-directed learning, but I guess it's hard to immediately embrace a method that's very different than what most of us are used to. I imagine it also depends a lot on individual families (i.e., whether parents can provide the right structure for unschooling and kids are self-motivated, independent learners).

Instructional technology acceptance study at Virginia Tech

I recently got this email asking for our input on instructional technology acceptance, and perhaps some of us can help out with this study. This is exactly the data we would like to see as we develop our own teaching strategies.

Hello,

Have you used instructional technology (laptops, tablet PCs, smart phones, etc.) to either teach or to assist a professor as a teaching assistant in the classroom? Please tell us about your experience and let us help make it better!

I am a doctoral candidate working with Dr. Scales and Dr. Smith-Jackson and we are conducting a study to understand instructional technology acceptance and would greatly appreciate your input. This survey will take approximately between 15-20 minutes to complete. It is completely anonymous and the results will be kept confidential. I need about 20 more responses before I can close the survey, so any help will be greatly appreciated! You can access the survey by clicking the link below. If you are interested in the results or have any questions, please contact me at skoth26@vt.edu .

https://qtrial.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6ROqf3tkCzNFyPa

Thank you!

Shreya Kothaneth

Doctoral Candidate,

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Virginia Tech

Smartphones usage in classrooms

Here is an article that talks about what we read and saw in the beginning of the semester. I am interested in it since I want to use smartphones in my research. The numbers of smartphone users is high but really not that surprising.

Education - Youth for Human Rights

http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights/videos/right-to-education.html
This is the website that has all the Youth for Human Rights videos from two classes ago...

I copied the one for education given our discussion from this evening... what is the ultimate aim of education? Personal Growth? Workforce Development? Childcare? Prison? Check out bullet number 2 in the link above...

Have a great night!
jake

This is my brain on the internet

I only got through about 2 paragraphs of the Carr article before my mind wandered to this article
http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el200903_wolf.pdf

I vaguely remembered reading this article before, and it turns out that she references Carr.
I didn't read it deeply at the time, but it clearly left an impression. So, maybe that's what we'll have until we learn how to navigate, contain and comprehend the vast amount of information available - a society of people who have the vague imprint of knowledge encountered with little deep knowledge. Or peace of mind for that matter - now, what was I doing again...?

Creativity, and how education systems throughout the world kills it

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Hello everyone,
If you haven't watched this video, please take some time to watch it. Sir Ken Robinson, a prominent international figure in education and creativity, delivered a captivating speech back in 2006 at a TED conference. He talked about how the education system throughout the globe suppresses creativity and human's natural talent as most of the modern education system were built upon the basis of the industrial revolution. He is hilarious!!!

As educators, it probably takes a tremendous amount of effort to go against the mainstream of education that mostly tailors everyone towards one goal that not everyone can achieve - becoming "university professors" as Sir Ken Robinson puts it.

There is another video that's sort of the sequel to this one, and I'll post it later.

Have fun watching it!
Rose

Stuttering & Diversity

Here is an interesting article about a stuttering student those professor refused to call on him. Being hearing impaired with speech impediments, this hits very close to home. I really wished the professor hadn't declined to discuss the matter. I would like to know the whole story.

Adam

The Dreaded Teaching Statement - Eight Pitfalls

Interesting blog from an enthusiastic professor that likes to share her experience on some common mistakes we could avoid in developing a teaching statement.

MM

NYT - "Inflating the Software Report Card"

New York Times on technology in the classroom, this time from somewhat a negative point of view, - link to the article here.

The Trouble with Diversifying the Faculty

Dear GEDIs,

We were talking last time about discrimination and diversity so here is one text presenting a perspective on those issues in the higher education. The author is referring to inequalities related to race, sex and class.


Best regards,
Milos

Elevator Law

In undergrad I was given a project to go against the social norm.  So I chose an elevator experiment.  On an elevator it is proper procedure (if there are only 2-3 people riding) to stand on opposite ends of the elevator.  I chose to stand on the same side within 1 foot of the other passengers.  We went up 7 flights and they (I suspect they were a couple, bf & gf) tried to move to the other side of the elevator car.

Last night we discussed the rules of engagement when riding an elevator. Turns out New York Actually has a state law on elevator behavior \_o_/

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22323/99603-i-m-arrest-what-fifty-bizarre/3

The Great Debaters

As long as we are recommending books, indeed, why not recommend some movies? =)

Has anybody seen "The Great Debaters", directed by Denzel Washington. It goes right into the guts of so many issues we are discussing right now, namely the role of an educator (acc. to Freire, whom we just read) and diversity. Definitely worth checking out!

As long as we are recommending books....

....I'd like to suggest David Willingham's "Why Don't Students Like School." Though I have not yet personally read this book, I saw a keynote address by Willingham a few months ago. One of his main points ties directly into our discussion of possibly removing course content in favor of allowing students opportunities to engage with the material through critical thinking exercies.

Simply put, Willingham argues that without the content, you can't begin to think crtically. And, what seperates the "smart kids" from the "dumb kids" is ability to recall facts. We must teach facts, because recalling facts builds the base upon which criical thinking happens.

If the book is anything like the presentation, his argument is pretty convinving. It does, I think, apply more to the notion that we can simplg Google search any of the small details rather than actually memorize and learn them, but I think it can easily be applied to decisions of how much content needs to be cut from our courses.

"A whole new mind", D.H.Pink

Hi everyone,

I am reading this book called "A Whole New Mind" by D. H. Pink. I heard Dean DePauw recommending it on several occasions, so decided to finally read it. And, although, it is not directly related to teaching, students, pedagogy, etc., it does explain, to an extent, what tendencies there are and why they are taking place.

D. Pink argues that under certain geopolitical and sociological circumstances, the whole state of our mind is undergoing a change towards using more of the right side of our brain, rather than the left (if you don't know the difference, the book explains it in plentiful detail), and that, in turn, might help explain why the students we encounter are the way we are.

So, nothing major really - simply wanted to bring an interesting book to your attention.

Cheers,

Ivan

"Education isn’t magic. Education is the wisdom wrung from failure."

Dear GEDIs,

Take a look at this interesting text about pcyhological research relating brain research and learning from failure.

Bellow this, there is a lot of other interesting texts - take a look at them when you have extra time - but do not procrastinate if you were supposed to do your research! :)


Best regards,
Miloš

GOAL

As part of the SCALE-UP concept, Dr. Beichner's team created a testing format to determine the level of understanding of concepts, rather than simply guessing at multiple choice questions or writing down everything you know about a concept and hoping some of it can be recognizable for partial credit.

Here is a link to the page that Dr. Beichner's students see about GOAL.  http://www4.ncsu.edu/~beichner/PY208/Docs/tips/Problem-Solving_Strategy.html

Additionally, this article may add some clarity to the purpose.  ftp://ftp.ncsu.edu/pub/ncsu/beichner/RB/GOALPaper.pdf

How about this for improving scores?

I posted this in the blog for Preparing the Future Professoriate, but I want to re-post it here as I know not everybody is in both courses.

 

This article was published by the New York Times on Oct. 2. It is really interesting. This strategy definitely got results. Is this how we want to motivate students to learn? What do you think about this? 

Incentives for Advanced Work Let Pupils and Teachers Cash In

By SAM DILLON

WORCESTER, Mass. — Joe Nystrom, who teaches math at a low-income high school here, used to think that only a tiny group of students — the “smart kids” — were capable of advanced coursework.
But two years ago, spurred by a national program that offered cash incentives and other support for students and teachers, Mr. Nystrom’s school, South High Community School, adopted a come one, come all policy for Advanced Placement courses. Today Mr. Nystrom teaches A.P. statistics to eight times as many students as he used to, and this year 70 percent of them scored high enough to qualify for college credit, compared with 50 percent before. One in four earned the top score possible, far outpacing their counterparts worldwide.
South High students said Mr. Nystrom and his colleagues had transformed the culture of a tough urban school, making it cool for boys with low-slung jeans who idolize rappers like Lil Wayne to take the hardest classes.
They were helped by the National Math and Science Initiative, a nonprofit network that provided laboratory equipment and special training for teachers and organized afternoon tutoring and Saturday sessions. It also paid $100 each to students who scored a 3 or above on the A.P. exam — and to their teachers, who can also earn additional rewards. Because 43 of his students passed the exam this year, far above his target, Mr. Nystrom will add a $7,300 check to his $72,000 salary.
Organizers of the initiative, who met with lawmakers and staff members at a Congressional briefing last month, said that over three years, the program led to nearly 38,000 A.P. exams being taken in math, science and English, many of them by black and Hispanic students. This year, 308 schools in six states are participating.
The initiative’s success is refueling a debate over whether cash bonuses can coax improved performance from teachers and students — a New York City incentive program was disbanded — and whether paying students for schoolwork diminishes their ability to feel intrinsic pleasure in achievement for its own sake.
Roland G. Fryer, a Harvard economist who won a MacArthur Foundation award last month for his research on educational incentives, said that cash alone did not consistently raise achievement, but that combining payments with tutoring, teacher training and other tactics could be promising.
Of the 1,853 teachers participating in the initiative last year, more than half earned bonuses of at least $2,000, said Gregg Fleisher, a director of the initiative. Brian Leonard, who teaches A.P. calculus and statistics at Lake Hamilton High School in Arkansas, earned the largest award, $12,500, because 65 of his students passed the exams.
Three years ago, Lake Hamilton High had nine A.P. math students, and their parents were all doctors, lawyers or other professionals, Mr. Leonard said.
“I had a boy last year who was your quintessential average rural student: always dressed in camo, his dad was a mechanic,” he said. “He signed up for A.P. statistics, I worked with him, and he came out passing the exam.”
The College Board, which administers the A.P. program, has endorsed the math and science initiative, which is based in Dallas and is financed largely by Exxon.
In a book published last year, “AP: A Critical Examination of the Advanced Placement Program,” some academics expressed concern that under a push by the College Board to broaden its reach, too many unprepared students were taking — and failing — A.P. classes.
But Philip Sadler, a Harvard lecturer who edited the book, said of the effort: “They’re doing the right things and have had substantial increases in the number of kids who pass some A.P. exam. So that’s all good news.”
South High Community, which sits on a hilltop in this gritty town west of Boston, acquired a violent reputation after a Hispanic student stabbed a black classmate to death in 1989. Eighty-five percent of its 1,220 students this year were poor enough to qualify for the federal lunch program. Like many schools, South had previously let students take A.P. classes only they if had passed certain prerequisite courses with high grades and obtained a teacher’s recommendation.
In 2009, the school began working with the math and science initiative, which requires that all barriers to A.P. enrollment be removed. “My initial instinct was that if we let everybody in, it was just going to dumb down the classes,” Mr. Nystrom recalled.
But the school began urging students during announcements to sign up for A.P. classes, making it clear in guidance sessions and in meetings with parents that they were not just for white or middle-class students.
Mr. Nystrom had his own recruitment program. He made tongue-in-cheek posters portraying the rap stars Lil Wayne and Flavor Flav, as well as the male heartthrobs in “Twilight,” endorsing A.P. statistics as the supposed keys to success in life.
Forty-six students enrolled in Mr. Nystrom’s class in 2009, up from 12 the year before, of whom six had earned qualifying scores of at least 3 out of 5. Of the 46 students, 22 earned qualifying scores on exams in May 2010.
Last fall, enrollment surged to 61 students. Forty-three of those passed the exam, and 15, or 25 percent, got the top score. Worldwide, 13 percent of the 143,000 people who took the statistics exam got 5’s this year.
Thirty-one low-income students from Mr. Nystrom’s class passed the exam, more than at any other high school in Massachusetts.
The teacher’s manic energy and persistence may be one reason for his success. In his first-period class the other day, Mr. Nystrom outlined the meaning of basic vocabulary words in statistics — sample, parameter, inference — and then went over nuances.
Using an overhead projector, he drew a contingency table relating the relative preferences of males and females for hip hop, country and indie rock music, then used the table to explain marginal distribution.
Some students struggled to understand the table, and he explained it again — until Ashley Tran, a 15-year-old sophomore, interrupted.
“Oh, I get it!” she exclaimed.
“My favorite sound!” Mr. Nystrom said. Kristopher Santana, 17, a senior whose mother is a customer service representative at a tool company, was among those who scored a 5 in May. He said the 18 hours of Saturday classes organized by the initiative, and Mr. Nystrom’s twice-weekly, after-school tutoring sessions, had been helpful.
And the $100 incentive?
“There’s something cool about the money,” Kristopher said. “It’s a great extra.”
Mr. Nystrom attributed his students’ success to the Saturday classes, the extra training he got and the collective effort by his colleagues to persuade students that hard work can bring success.
“I’d like to think the incentive payments had little impact,” he added. “But maybe way in the back of my mind, I know that if I just push a little harder and work every minute of every class, more students might pass the exam, and I might increase my monetary incentive.”

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: October 4, 2011
An article on Monday about a program that pays cash incentives for teachers and students in Advanced Placement classes misstated the number of students worldwide who took the A.P. Statistics test in May. It was 143,000 — not 18,000, which was the number of test-takers who earned a 5, the highest score. The article also misstated the percentage of students worldwide who scored a 5 on that test. It is about 13 percent, not 15 percent.

What influences pre-teen's thoughts on diversity

Soooo.......... At the end of the contemporary pedagogy class we watched a video on children's perception towards individuals from different ethnic backgrounds.  I hate we ran out of time.  I was intrigued by the video.  I always presumed that people formulated opinions and thoughts about different ethnic groups based on stereotypes that they learn during their adolescent years; not to mention just association with peers in general. 

But it was obvious to me that the children in this video weren't taught to feel any particular way towards any ethnic group.  The honestly just felt the way the felt.  I've racked my brain for the past week trying to understand what the major influence in pre-teens thoughts on diversity could be..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTYn1WRCuoU

Are we ready for the work force? You tell me

I read two articles from the Chronicle: "Beyond Super and Ill-Prepared Students, How About Some With Creativity?" And "To: Professors; Re: Your Advisees" .
The main point is that through our graduate education we are prepped and trained on how to finish a project for our advisors, how to publish, write a thesis or desertions and how to defend that. But are we trained for the work place or are we not? I agree with both articles we are not quite there, we are not prepared for what awaits us in the industry. I am talking about working out there and not staying in the academy. See we do have the skills for manual labor, but do we have the creativity needed to bring fresh ideas to your coworkers. That is what is asked of you and not what you are taught as PhD or MS student (follow my ideas and hypothesis on this project, make it work and then you will be published and present your results). The industry is no longer interested in only how much we know, they are ready for us to come up with new ideas, risk things so that we get the wanted results and not following years old protocols.

Which students should we teach to?

Cool opinion piece (or series of pieces I guess) in the NY Times yesterday on how to teach to students at range of levels. Should they all be in the same class, or should the smart students have a separate class? There are a couple of well stated opinions, some with interesting statistics to support them.

Are Top Students Getting Short Shrift?

Learning Objectives

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a freshman's blog about learning objectives.

- Kelsey

Concerned parents are criminals?

Hello all,
I came across this article - law enforcement officers may now follow students as they are going home from school to check on their "real" address. Some concerned parents, specially minorities, use different addresses when enrolling their children in better schools outside their neighborhood. Some are convicted for that. Please do read the article and I believe it is very relevant to us.

The Latest Crime: Sending Your Children to A Better School

Have a great weekend!
Rose