“You Must Remember This…As Time Goes By?”

would like to explore and discuss how kids RECEIVE and RETAIN what they hear.

I recently came across a book by James Zull, a Biology professor at Case Western, called  The Art of Changing the Brain – Enriching Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning. I have only read excerpts from the book, which considers the positive and negative role of emotions, motivation (both extrinsic and intrinsic), and  feelings in the learning process. He points to the importance of “changing data into knowing” and how it can be transformative in three important ways:

“• by using past experience we determine and carry out plans for the future

• rather than remain a passive “receiver” of information, we become a “producer” of knowledge

• we take control of our learning by figuring out what we need to know and actively pursue finding it out”

He then goes on to lay out three factors necessary for effective learning that ultimately can affect what students retain in long-term memory versus what gets lost/discarded in the very short term. –

a.  the student having some sense of control

b.  his/her understanding of the reason for learning

c.  recognition of the student’s affective approach to the task

I often wonder how much the lack of control that many of our juniors and seniors experience in their lives runs counter to the ideals that Zull articulates.  I am certainly seeing students struggle more with retention and portability of knowledge and skills. As kids apparently see the college process becoming ever more competitive, is extrinsic motivation threatening to overwhelm intrinsic, and is the ‘passive’ receiver of information eclipsing the ‘producer’ of knowledge?   How can we best figure out if all our talents and tools will have a deep and lasting impact in our students’ knowledge and skill development?

Is he talking about us?

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/clay_shirky_on_institutions_versus_collaboration.html

the facebook dilemma

As with other technology, I didn’t get introduced to using Facebook until I had a compelling reason to explore it.  I was invited to Facebook by a friend with kids in Africa who wanted to show me pictures and snippets of her AIDS prevention campaign work.  Within a month, I was being “friended” by old classmates, friends, and colleagues around the globe.  There is a nuance to social networking that is different than simply reconnecting by email.  And I doubt I would have looked up many of the folks who have friended me though it is meaningful to know what where they are now.  The questions raised in previous posts about whose “domain” the online networking world are important.   As far as students go, they may still harbor a mentality that it is a peer- exclusive domain.  I’m not sure they will think to filter/ adjust their content until they have a compelling reason themselves; knowing that faculty, professors, adults, parents are using Facebook for their own legitimate reasons (and many more are) is a compelling reason to edit content appropriately.  Other questions to consider:  If students knowingly post content (however questionable) that will be seen by the world, should we avoid it, respond to it if concern is raised, discount it?   If we avoid “friending” students as a rule, what is the rationale?   Is there an easy way to divide the domain between students and teachers, adults and adolescents, or is that a false divide in the online universe.   The reality is, the online world does overlap and intersect all ages and will continue to do so.  A broader question is how to be acutely aware of personal boundaries and privacy needs in an era of cookies, data-mining, online-fraud, and expansive licensure rights (as with Facebook) and to teach students (and ourselves) the best way to proceed with thoughtfulness and care.

Teaching as a conversation.

I have been trying to think about how I interact with students in the classroom and how that interaction can sometimes work and sometimes go awry.

While I believe that there is value to basic discussion that doesn’t involve any media or other tools, I also recognize that there are many other ways to connect to a students passion than there were when I was in school.

I can remember a number of times as a student when I wished that there were some visuals to go along with what the teacher was saying.  The mimeographed handouts were helpful, but they held in them that elusive quality of being “teacher made.”  When I was asked to work with another student to give a presentation on King Lear, I proposed making a video that showed two “experts” giving a lengthy analysis of the major themes in the play while standing in a cow pasture.  While it was definitely fun and somewhat ridiculous, I actually read over the play more carefully than I had even for the paper.  The fact was that I felt more engaged in the material because I was excited about the idea of making this film.  In fact, the video camera helped to tap into a creativity that I felt was stifled during class discussions.  It was a seminal moment in my time as a student of English literature.

I am realizing more and more that students benefit from having multiple ways of entering into the discussion about a book or an idea.  I have not found one way that is universal for all kids, although I have found that there are certain ways that make me feel more comfortable.  The hard part is to find the energy and the willingness to practice those other ways (perhaps through technology) of entering into the conversation with the students.  I am trying to encourage myself to seek new ways of expanding my horizons in this regard.  Please let me know if you have ideas or suggestions.  It is helpful if you can include a sense of the time frame that it might take to learn the new skill.