Make Teaching Fun

This speaker has got to be one of the best I have seen on synthesizing difficult information in a digestible, memorable way. His technique preserves the richness of the topic, but draws learners in for the long-haul by making the subject something they can actually relate to and sink their teeth into. Imagine struggling with the sciences and then meeting this guy -- it would be like the sky opened and the angels sang!

I agree with him in the way he responds to criticism that his method leaves out some of the specificity of more complicated principles. The truth is, you are never going to get learners to a place where they understand those specifics unless you engage them in a meaningful way. I mean really, once you've taught your students the method and logic to making pancakes, how much harder is it to explain where the syrup goes? (That is a metaphor, by the way -- time for a snack.)

Enjoy!

Empowering Students

"When students have the power to make decisions regarding their own learning, they can take steps to ensure they are working in their optimal challenge zone." (Elizabeth A. Barkley, 2010, p. 31).

The notion of less is more has never been more accurate than in empowering others to achieve their best. In Barkely's text, "Student Engagement Techniques," chapter five includes a section on creating synergy between motivation and active learning through encouraging students to work at their optimal level of challenge. Besides making clear, meaningful connections between new learning and previous knowledge and providing authentic feedback and assessment, the author discusses empowering students to challenge themselves and doing this by saying and doing less.

Think for a moment of how many times in a day we receive feedback from the world -- commercials, media, family, friends, our own conscience, and how many times we receive directives -- turn left, grab me that pot, buy this shampoo, be a better student, please press 1 for English. It is overwhelming, really, but it sets the tone for the power of quiet.

Maria Montessori taught widely on the importance of allowing children to realize their potential to concentrate and complete "work," extolling the virtues of patience, organization, and confidence in doing so. And it is confidence that rings true here.

In her book, "Learner-centred teaching: Five key changes in practice," M. Weimer (2002) describes her college students as "hopeful, but generally anxious and tentative. They want all classes to be easy but expect that most will be hard ... Most like, want, indeed need teachers who tell them exactly what to do."

Not exactly the picture of empowered, self-confident, self-directed learners generally suggested by the "recruitment" pages of university and college websites.

One of my favourite political theorists-turned-education-theorist Paulo Freire says the lack of confidence and self-motivation is due to the removal of power and critical thought inherent in traditional education pedagogy. In his famous work, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," Freire says oppression is justified through a mutual process between the "oppressor" and the "oppressed" or the "colonizer" and the "colonized," and says the relationship stays stable because the powerless in society can often be afraid of freedom. "Learners must see the need for writing one's life and reading one's reality," he wrote, calling for "informed balance" between theory and praxis.

Weimer says, in less political terms, that the solution is less -- less direction, less control, by the hand of the instructor. "When students realize she is not going to tell them what to do, they begin to exercise their power tentatively and anxiously, wanting feedback and needing reinforcement in order to move forward with a bit more confidence (Barkley, 2010)."

Students are provided opportunity and freedom to explore, create, fail, recover, and move within their own academic space and the results are empowering and inspiring: "It is difficult to say precisely when it happens," she reports, "but one day, quite unexpectedly, the students are engaged and involved with the course and its content (Barkley, 2010)."

The important thing to note is that the process is not perfect in terms of ultimate success at every turn, but it embraces error and "failure" as part of the process. Think again about how many ways we spring into action when someone is hurt or feeling upset. We can't wait to wipe tears, offer Kleenex, give hugs, throw out distraction, lather people in sympathy -- anything to avoid allowing other people their sadness. But what a service we can offer if we just let "failure" or upset happen and be with people as they experience the full range of their emotions and learn they can recover.

There is an inherent personal and academic growth that occurs from pushing through the discomfort of not always knowing how to manage an assignment or course; having to be in control of the process, get creative, and take risks; and, operate without specific guidance and protocol.

3250 Digital Presentation Review - Jeopardy

Todd Turton took an interesting approach to teaching with his Jeopardy game. The premise is the same as the TV game show where students are provided the answer to a question and are in a race to see who can be the first to provide the fitting question. Todd's idea is interesting and fun, and I could see it breaking up the lecture or book work format of a classroom.

In his presentation, Todd did a nice job of using Powtoon graphics and images to display his work. There were a few logistical points where I had extra questions (how are the categories displayed? How does the instructor keep his or her answers organized according to category, etc.) and I didn't see the answers in the presentation. There were also some typos and punctuation errors that could have been spotted to give the presentation a more complete appearance.

I liked the way Todd pointed out the game's application (trivia, facts, light material) and I would have been interested to see where Todd has used this in his own classroom, what subjects he teaches, and whether his students gave him any feedback. I am sure if they did is was abut how much fun this game was!

One More Time

The black dog with speckled feet is 80 pounds of lean muscle, but when a cat struts by, he cowers in fear.

Read that sentence once, look away and try to remember it word for word. Maybe you can or maybe you'll miss a few words. There is a good chance that if you revisit this task tomorrow morning, most of it will be a long forgotten memory.

Unless you have a black, speckled muscular dog who is afraid of cats.

Or a big dog of any kind.

Or a cat.

Because retention of information comes easiest to when the new information is closely linked to information you already have in your head somewhere, and the more recent, the better. In fact, learning is sometimes described as altering information already stored in your brain, according to this article on memory and forgetting, which also links forgetfulness to sensory overload. I like the premise of this article because it suggests we forget more as we age past 30, not because our minds are failing (yet), but because we have more going on, more responsibility, more multi-tasking to conquer and a finite amount of memory space to manage it all.

Here is a good short term memory test from Psychologist World. It is followed by some explanations and further reading on memory as well as some retention exercises. I scored 8-12, which is average. How about you?

Here is a great list of retention strategies that help students make deeper meaning out of lessons and subsequently retain information in a more authentic way. The important factor in many of these activities is that the mind and body are moving at once, which crosses the information between brain hemispheres and thus ingrains it with meaning and purpose.

3250 Digital Project Review - Infographic on Academic Controversy

Alena Buis published this fantastic infographic on academic controversy for PIDP 3250 in 2015. I don't know if it is the great topic or shiny object syndrome, but I really love this project.

Infographics are a lot like editorials (which I also love) because they synthesize a large amount of information into a shorter, digestible format that appeals to the eye and a natural sense of organization. In this project, the information is arranged in a logical and readable flow, and uses some fantastic quotes to bring the material to life, such as Dewey's, "Conflict is the gladfly of life ..." and this helps break up the "listing" effect this type of graphic could take on if done ineffectively.

From a design perspective, the project is balanced and aesthetically pleasing because it minimizes the number of fonts and colours, and uses these in a consistent pattern. The ratio of words to images is well done and not overwhelming, and even the shapes and outlines are used to guide the eye with consistency and implied direction.

The project's topic is appealing because it speaks to a sense of rigour and enthusiasm I like in teaching. Why shouldn't we challenge, debate, and learn through pushing past discomfort into realms we didn't think imaginable (or agreeable!). There are also so many life skills to take away from a project like this -- communication, debate, respect for others, effectively organizing materials, and health risk taking, for starters.

Overall a great project!

What Story are You Telling?

“We are all made of stories. They are as fundamental to our soul, intellect, imagination, and way of life as flesh, bone, and blood are to our bodies.”

~ J. MacGuire (1998) “The power of personal storytelling: Spinning tales to connect with others.”

Storytelling is older than language and larger than any particular ethnicity or region. Social scientists, anthropologists, and educators of all types have extolled the virtues of storytelling because stories weave a common thread through cultures, and it makes for an exciting and engaging teaching technique for these same reasons.

Grade school teachers have great success bringing students together with the practice of telling stories and inviting feedback, or through telling anecdotal stories to explain concepts and help children remember. 

In adult education, storytelling helps students and teachers connect and operate from a place of trust and support. In his paper, "The Power of Storytelling with Adult Learners," Breck A. Harris of Fresno Pacific University says, storytelling can be a powerful way for the adult educator to build genuine personal connections and friendships with students. The effective use of storytelling with adult learners can create moments of powerful, unforgettable moments of epiphany in the classroom that lead to transformative learning for both the teacher and her adult students (2005)."

There is science behind the efficacy of storytelling as the neocortex receives information through storytelling and as the brain envisions scenes from the story, new neuropathways are created. Here is a great little video about how this works:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWcIBbBJw24

Most importantly, the power of storytelling is universal and has global application. It is possible to transcend and even unite cultures through sharing stories and telling tales to explain the world. UNESCO offers a programme called Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future (TLSF) that focuses on curriculum and teaching strategies that support sustainability and global equity. TLSF has several modules on storytelling that bring components of environmental awareness to a digestible, cross-cultural platform by way of folktales, legends, and creation myths. According to A. Gersie, author of Earthtales: Storytelling in Times of Change, “Storytelling is currently experiencing a considerable revival of interest. This has led many educators to think about ways in which storytelling can be used to explore important shared themes and visions.

“The current concern about environmental issues is connected with this revival, since folktales about the relationship between the Earth and its human inhabitants have been at the heart of storytelling since earliest times. Not only do such stories offer a source of inspiration, they also contain a potential for understanding the many ways in which we value and devalue our beautiful green and blue planet.” 

In a professional or educational environment, storytelling has many functions and can take many forms. This page looks at some of the Myths and Facts of storytelling and gives some great suggestions for activities instructors can use to implement storytelling into their practices.

Poke-shoot Me Now

In a broad effort to stay both relevant and sensible, I am trying to keep a reluctant eye on Pokemon Go and acknowledge its benefits. The challenge is accepting that it is getting people out walking, rousing depressed people from their illnesses, and luring secluded people into the community. These are all great concepts, of course, but the bigger issue is whether these victories -- exercising, conquering illness, reconnecting with the world -- are diluted and "cheapened" but attaching them to a video game. Are people really achieving a sense of accomplishment associated with exercising if they are not really focused on the exercise, their bodies, or the world around them? Depression is more complex than deep sadness and involves a chemical imbalance in the brain that can't be corrected by a video game. So is this an authentic solution? I have colleagues and acquaintances who swear by the efficacy of Pokemon Go in getting them moving and out into the sunshine; I suppose my question is whether this is really a genuine connection to what makes the sunshine great, or a temporary, shiny object lure. What will happen, for instance, when the video game is no longer novel? Will these people still go outside? I guess time will tell. 

Authenticity aside, I have seen some great examples of the way real-time feedback is increasing awareness of important issues and subsequently improving motivation and productivity in a variety of contexts. This article on How Pokeman Go Relates to Gamification in the Workplace is an interesting, general look at how principles of immediate progress and feedback (ie; in fitness trackers) can prove valuable and effective. This is an authentic experience because you enter your food and fitness into your Fitbit and know immediately your caloric balance for the day. The improvement here is that people didn't necessarily know how many calories are in a Heineken and how much running it takes to burn one off, but now they do and can make changes accordingly. 

I work in construction trade publishing and have seen a marked improvement in building energy reduction thanks to real-time energy consumption technology. Previously, a building would be constructed to meet a series of energy reduction goals and to achieve some kind of environmental rating such as LEED or Living Building Challenge. If the building successfully met all of the requirements of the rating system, it received a nice plaque for the front door and the owner enjoyed the benefit of charging more for rent. 

The trouble was, an important study found that the majority of buildings were not meeting their environmental / energy reduction targets one year to 18 months after occupancy, largely because building occupants were not using the building and its various technologies appropriately. One of the most effective ways of managing building use was installing real-time energy monitoring devices on and throughout buildings so occupants can see precisely how much energy buildings are using and whether their individual contributions to the building environment are effective (they are). This type of technology is revolutionizing building use and reversing a negative trend against energy savings. 

I noticed Lockheed Martin is using a similar tactic to help Americans understand energy use. Its Education, Action, Analytics campaign is bringing every user into the proactive fold, and showing them they do indeed have the power to make a difference. These are all great examples of how gamification, by way of accountability and not by way of diluting reality, can make positive change as a realistic and authentic teaching tool.