I went from face-to-face teaching to remote this Spring – not something for the faint of heart. It is likely that many colleges and universities5/7/20
I went from face-to-face teaching to remote this Spring – not something for the faint of heart. It is likely that many colleges and universities will be online or remote at some point in the Fall. Given that, I have been trying to consider how to handle this unfortunate and undesirable situation as well as I can.
It's not that I hate teaching online. I am always pleasantly surprised that it is better than I fear. Still, online does not compare in fun and excitement to teaching in a more traditional classroom. Not all days with my F2F students, but many are: my students make me excited and think, and I hope this is a two-way street. I haven't experience that same level of ongoing excitement online.
I've read Small Teaching twice and have referred to it on a number of occasions in between. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and personal. In Small Teaching, Lang argued that rather than attempt a radical redesign of our courses, we should make small changes that can be successfully implemented immediately. In making small changes, we are less likely to be overwhelmed and more likely to make the changes successfully. Having made Massive Changes in one of my courses in 2017, I know that feeling of being overwhelmed – although I am glad about where my course ended up. Several semesters later.
Although Small Teaching Online has a new first author, it has the same excitement, the same foundation in the teaching and learning literature, and an equal respect for students, as its predecessor.
Online students drop courses more frequently than face-to-face students. Online classes require students to have stronger literacy skills and to accept greater personal responsibility for their learning to succeed. Some students can do this without additional support and some cannot, but others will succeed under the right conditions. Darby and Lang argue, as do others, that online students especially benefit from having a clear structure for navigating the course, support as needed, and ongoing engagement with faculty and each other. As Darby and Lang note, online teaching can be about social justice.
We have the ability to empower our students to succeed. We know that online classes may be the only option for learners juggling full-time work and family obligations. (p. 224)
A couple of things stood out for me and will be among next year's small changes. I will be communicating more frequently with my online students and will leave more video announcements. I will be asking my online students to be more personal with me and with each other from the beginning, even in their introductions. I'm going to rethink how I talk/think about late assignments. I like the syllabus annotation assignment, although may use this in a face-to-face course, and am going to ask my students to consciously think about their connections with professionals in the field, also in a face-to-face course.
I hope to be teaching face-to-face in the Fall, but will be ready if not.
* * * * *
7/25/20
I decided to reread Small Teaching Online as part of the STP book club (online, of course). The combination of rereading this, talking about it with these online colleagues, and all the other reading and webinars I've engaged in over this period. I am overwhelmed and anxious about the Fall, will be at least partly but may be wholly online, but I am also excited. I have thoughts about how to make my courses more engaging and support my students' success.
And, I wanted to add this quotation, which felt very apt, then noticed I'd already quoted it:
We have the ability to empower our students to succeed. We know that online classes may be the only option for learners juggling full-time work and family obligations. (p. 224)
Repetition is sometimes absolutely right. We can and should make a difference in our students' lives.
Merged review:
5/7/20
I went from face-to-face teaching to remote this Spring – not something for the faint of heart. It is likely that many colleges and universities will be online or remote at some point in the Fall. Given that, I have been trying to consider how to handle this unfortunate and undesirable situation as well as I can.
It's not that I hate teaching online. I am always pleasantly surprised that it is better than I fear. Still, online does not compare in fun and excitement to teaching in a more traditional classroom. Not all days with my F2F students, but many are: my students make me excited and think, and I hope this is a two-way street. I haven't experience that same level of ongoing excitement online.
I've read Small Teaching twice and have referred to it on a number of occasions in between. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and personal. In Small Teaching, Lang argued that rather than attempt a radical redesign of our courses, we should make small changes that can be successfully implemented immediately. In making small changes, we are less likely to be overwhelmed and more likely to make the changes successfully. Having made Massive Changes in one of my courses in 2017, I know that feeling of being overwhelmed – although I am glad about where my course ended up. Several semesters later.
Although Small Teaching Online has a new first author, it has the same excitement, the same foundation in the teaching and learning literature, and an equal respect for students, as its predecessor.
Online students drop courses more frequently than face-to-face students. Online classes require students to have stronger literacy skills and to accept greater personal responsibility for their learning to succeed. Some students can do this without additional support and some cannot, but others will succeed under the right conditions. Darby and Lang argue, as do others, that online students especially benefit from having a clear structure for navigating the course, support as needed, and ongoing engagement with faculty and each other. As Darby and Lang note, online teaching can be about social justice.
We have the ability to empower our students to succeed. We know that online classes may be the only option for learners juggling full-time work and family obligations. (p. 224)
A couple of things stood out for me and will be among next year's small changes. I will be communicating more frequently with my online students and will leave more video announcements. I will be asking my online students to be more personal with me and with each other from the beginning, even in their introductions. I'm going to rethink how I talk/think about late assignments. I like the syllabus annotation assignment, although may use this in a face-to-face course, and am going to ask my students to consciously think about their connections with professionals in the field, also in a face-to-face course.
I hope to be teaching face-to-face in the Fall, but will be ready if not.
* * * * *
7/25/20
I decided to reread Small Teaching Online as part of the STP book club (online, of course). The combination of rereading this, talking about it with these online colleagues, and all the other reading and webinars I've engaged in over this period. I am overwhelmed and anxious about the Fall, will be at least partly but may be wholly online, but I am also excited. I have thoughts about how to make my courses more engaging and support my students' success.
And, I wanted to add this quotation, which felt very apt, then noticed I'd already quoted it:
We have the ability to empower our students to succeed. We know that online classes may be the only option for learners juggling full-time work and family obligations. (p. 224)
Repetition is sometimes absolutely right. We can and should make a difference in our students' lives....more
Reflect for a minute on your history of learning. If you are typical, you have probably had professors set up adversarial relationships (and positive Reflect for a minute on your history of learning. If you are typical, you have probably had professors set up adversarial relationships (and positive ones), obsess about cheating, and respond as though there must be winners and losers, but that we cannot have both faculty and students win. Catherine Denial asks, instead, that we respond with kindness. But, she notes,
people confuse kindness with the idea of “being nice”—of being agreeable in all circumstances, of masking disagreement, of refusing to ripple the waters in our institutions and professions. But real kindness is not about individual pleasantries or letting injustices pass. Niceness, in contrast to compassion, is often unkind, a Band-Aid we’re urged to plaster over deep fissures in our institutions, wielded as a weapon instead of as a balm. (pp. 1-2).
Denial's kindness is compassionate and just rather than merely nice. "Kindness is real, it’s honest, and it demands integrity. It’s unkind to mislead people or lie to them, for example, meaning that kindness necessitates tough conversations. Boundaries, too, are a form of kindness, a way of respecting and honoring our physical and mental energy so that we do not deplete ourselves in the service of others" (p. 2). Such kindness considers accessibility and equity in all corners of academic life, recognizes the value of self-care, examines the language in syllabi, advocates for greater transparency in assignments, and uses universal design for learning in every corner of the teaching environment.
As someone who has read a fair amount on teaching college students, I was not surprised by much in Denial's book; nonetheless, what made Pedagogy of Kindness an interesting read is the greater umbrella (compassion) that it set out encompassing and explaining all these other ideas.
I read Pedagogy of Kindness with my university's CFE....more
Knapp and Fingerhut's text is their fourth edition. I've used three of these with my students, who have consistently commented that they like it (highKnapp and Fingerhut's text is their fourth edition. I've used three of these with my students, who have consistently commented that they like it (high praise from students). This is especially high praise, as I have colleagues who use it with doctoral students – and I enjoyed reading/rereading it.
Why do I like Practical Ethics so much? They talk not just about what we shouldn't do (the floor), but focus also on what we want to do, who we want to be as psychologists (the ceiling). Their text is liberally peppered with helpful case examples. As they discuss these cases, mostly drawn from psychotherapy, they often observe, "It depends" (a very important question when making ethical decisions). And, they are kind and compassionate as they discuss ethical errors. For example, as they discuss Zimbardo's and Milgram's research – often used to talk about ethical lapses – they graciously recognize both researchers' best intentions while suggesting other questions that could have been asked. I also like Knapp's ethical acculturation model, their discussions of boundaries, of competency and, new to this edition, their focus on social justice.
I've known both Sam Knapp and Randy Fingerhut for years and have worked closely with Sam at various points (as have half of the psychologists in my state). The thoughtfulness, compassion, and the clarity of their writing is no surprise....more
My colleagues and I have received some pretty spectacular cases of plagiarism in our careers. One student turned in an article from Science for her reMy colleagues and I have received some pretty spectacular cases of plagiarism in our careers. One student turned in an article from Science for her research proposal (e.g., "There will be 257 participants initially, although seven will drop out before the post-test"). Another left a copy of the original student paper below his desk, the same paper that he'd turned in – with his name.
I identified those papers before widespread use of the internet and Turnitin (software that matches words from the student paper with other articles). However, as I've taught longer (and gotten wiser), I've focused on other kinds of issues, especially whether I've been clear about my expectations. Was it clear that students could work together on this assignment but not that one? Was it clear when and how they could use material from other sources?
I've enjoyed James Lang's columns in the Chronicle, as well as his other books. He combines a nice mix of research articles, case studies from several disciplines, and personal stories, that make his books accessible and readable, punctuated by clear, reasonable, and sometimes unexpected conclusions.
Here, though, the conclusions are both predictable, if you have read his other books, and unpredictable, if you have focused only on student behavior in plagiarism/cheating. For example, he concludes plagiarism is more frequent when (a) there is an emphasis on performance rather than learning, (b) it is a high-stakes assignment, (c) the student has extrinsic rather than intrinsic motivation, and (d) the student has a low expectation of success. In other words, he observes that plagiarism/cheating is a state that faculty have some control over, rather than a student trait.
Lang recommends, in perhaps the briefest section of Cheating Lessons, that our responses to instances of cheating discriminate between first-time and serial cheaters, be flexible and consistent with the seriousness of the offense, contribute to student learning (!!!), and reduce bureaucracy. Most academic integrity policies would fail on most, if not all of these recommendations.
In sum, I received all that I'd hoped for and more, especially a new perspective on an old problem.
I read this with my university's center on teaching and learning....more
My senior year of high school, I attended an innovative program: the Center for Self-directed Learning. We had no grades or organized classes, althougMy senior year of high school, I attended an innovative program: the Center for Self-directed Learning. We had no grades or organized classes, although faculty or students could create learning groups. Our only restriction was that somehow we needed to meet our state's graduation requirements. I remember attending groups on speculative fiction and radical movements in the US, respectively meeting my English and History requirements, as well as a more formal Mathematics course. This was one of the most powerful experiences in my educational career. I went from being a marginal (bright) student, contemplating not going to college, to one who gobbled down books, courses, and ideas.
What made the difference? I think it was moving from extrinsic motivators and goals to more intrinsic ones. When I returned to a graded, typical curriculum in college, I arrived with a different mindset and, quoting Robert Frost, "that has made all the difference."
I don't use ungrading in my own teaching, although I have taken tiny baby steps in that direction across time. I have taught between 60 and 140 students a semester – while doing all sorts of other job-related tasks (e.g., writing, service, advising, admin). I don't really think I can pull off ungrading well under such a system, one where I rarely feel that I can put my feet up and contemplate where I'm going. Still, reading Ungrading gets me thinking about what strategies I can adopt to offer my students greater control, choice, autonomy, and intrinsic motivation. I'm not just teaching content; I want to help my students learn how to learn, to learn how to approach learning and life with passion. Alfie Kohn's foreword and Joy Kirr's and John Warner's chapters and were especially exciting and got me thinking about how I could take bigger steps in this direction.
* * *
I listened to about 40% of Ungrading, complaining most of the time. Kohn narrated his wonderful foreword, but the other narrators sounded arrogant or like AI-generated speech. I'm glad that I had access to a print copy or I would have tossed Ungrading aside. That would have been a pity....more
I had read and enjoyed Stephanie Land's Maid when it came out, but that wasn't necessary to appreciate Class, which continues Land's story from thI had read and enjoyed Stephanie Land's Maid when it came out, but that wasn't necessary to appreciate Class, which continues Land's story from the time when she moved to Missoula, Montana, for college and focuses on her Senior year in college.
As with Maid, I found myself constantly appalled by the choices that Land needed to make – feed her daughter or herself, work to feed her daughter or go to class, sleep or work on her homework. And then there were the gendered choices: when do you fight a sexist or harassing professor, when do you go after more child support, and when is it not worth it? "My biggest fear as a single parent living under the poverty line had always been someone calling child protective services. They would then inform her dad [of their food insecurity] and possibly open up a can of worms with custody while giving him leverage to use against me."
So, I appreciated Land's work in terms of both definitions of the word "class." I think of myself as a social justice-oriented person, was very poor in graduate school (but mine was a temporary poverty and I had a good support system), yet kept being surprised by Land's limited choices: "But the one-step-forward-and-two steps back dance the government forced me to do felt purposeful, like the who thing was meant to keep me poor." As a result, I've picked up $2.00 a Day for a more academic view of these issues. I need to know more. And, as I read my students' emails – migraines, grieving dead cats, COVID, court cases, just this week – I'll remember this second layer of privilege (i.e., I have a busy life but greater relative control over my schedule)....more
Shea et al. provide a useful set of ideas to consider for effectively teaching neurodivergent students (autistic students and those with ADHD and learShea et al. provide a useful set of ideas to consider for effectively teaching neurodivergent students (autistic students and those with ADHD and learning disabilities). Some of their suggestions (e.g., using principles of Universal Design for learning) are just good teaching – although many faculty still need to be reminded of such. Other things (e.g., removing barriers, creating neurodivergent-friendly universities inside and outside the classroom, offering coaching services) may be more novel. And, to be fair, during my book club's discussions (with faculty from multiple campuses), we easily generated examples of faculty who are resistant to even basic accommodations (e.g., extended test-taking time for a student who'd broken her dominant hand).
I especially liked the first chapter, which discussed various models for conceptualizing disability (e.g., medical, rehabilitation, social, social justice, legal). Again, no surprises, but usefully summarized....more
When I was in high school, I was full of questions like these. I wondered whether you and I saw the same c What is true? And how do you know? (p. 144)
When I was in high school, I was full of questions like these. I wondered whether you and I saw the same color as red. I wondered whether what was true for me was also true for you. The adults I knew didn't know what to make of such questions and mostly dismissed them. What would it have been like to have a teacher, like Sarah Viren's Dr. Whiles, who took those questions seriously and helped students develop the skills to question the nature of reality and the stories people tell about them.
As Viren observed, while this questioning is a useful and important skill to develop, it can also be a dangerous teaching strategy if not handled well (e.g., the difference between the philosophical freshman year Dr. Whiles and the conspiracy-filled junior year version).
Against this backdrop, Viren described the story of her partner – and eventually Viren, herself – being (falsely) accused of sexual harassment by several anonymous students. How does one believe – and we encourage people to believe victims – and fight back? How does one go through this without it damaging one's career, family, and friendships? Viren's story is about truth and survival, but it's about more:
Would I have been able to distinguish truth from fears from propaganda? Would I have sided with Socrates? Or those standing beside and among me who wanted to put him to death? The question of justice inherent to those calculations no longer seemed all that abstract. Neither Dr. Whiles nor Jay was a figure like Socrates—I knew that—but I still felt myself, both audience member and author of this much smaller drama, wanting not only to know what was true but also what was just. (p. 158).
Dr. Whiles' story alone would make a thrilling book, but it becomes a thought-provoking one when seen against both the political times in the US, which she only briefly talked about, and her history as Dr. Whiles' student. Aren't we always looking at our world through a glass distorted by what happened earlier? Viren clearly recognized this duality, what Virginia Woolf called the "I now" and the "I then," and that each influences the other. I am my history, my history is seen through my present eyes.
I wouldn't have read The Bigger Lie if it had been a novel, as most thrillers feel far-fetched. The Bigger Lie is far-fetched, but sometimes far-fetched is true. I felt paranoid along with Viren, worried about how students (or professional enemies) might spread rumors that would hurt me and my family. Not far-fetched in these times.
One narrative that analysts tell about conspiracies is that those subscribing to conspiracy theories are less well-educated and less intellectually-gifted. One of the interesting things is that Dr. Whiles was clearly thoughtful and well-read, yet fell down a conspiracy rabbit hole, taking a number of his students with him. Subscribing to conspiracy theories is about more than poor critical thinking skills.
Viren originally published this story in the New York Times. The original story is compelling, the intertwined stories are so much more....more
"Learning to live with—and sometimes love—one’s monsters while not letting them rule" us, is Sarah Rose Cavanagh's goal with Mind over Monsters (p. 22"Learning to live with—and sometimes love—one’s monsters while not letting them rule" us, is Sarah Rose Cavanagh's goal with Mind over Monsters (p. 226). Although she wrote for faculty working with high school and college students, her observations and suggestions are equally useful for other people working with students in this age group and for other people struggling with anxiety and depression.
Mind over Monsters presents a wider range of suggestions for preventing anxiety from ruling us than I had expected, especially as she did not explicitly discuss challenging automatic thoughts – at least in the ways that a clinical psychologist would do. She used psychological research, interviews with students and experts in the field, and her personal experiences (she has had panic attacks and periods of selective mutism) to describe a nuanced way to handle anxiety successfully and handle high school college well. Bottom line, she recommends compassionate challenge, with equal emphasis on both compassion and challenge and makes a compelling case for this approach to teaching (or working with this age group).
Among many other things, Cavanagh discussed going toward achievable tasks rather than avoiding them, matching anxiety to the task, recognizing that not all anxiety is a monster, supporting physical health and safety, learning to accept that some discomfort is normal (and health-guiding), and creating warm and safe environments (not cushioning). Adults need to create challenging but achievable environments, where students can succeed with appropriate work. She argued that "accommodating the student’s anxiety permanently also communicates that the anxiety is a core feature of the person, that it isn’t malleable or subject to change" (p. 51). Instead, we should be communicating, "I think you’re amazing. I think you are so smart, and so strong. Let’s do this together. I am here to support you” (p. 115).
I enjoyed Mind over Monsters a lot. Cavanagh is a clear and entertaining storyteller who offers strong and compelling examples. She's a bit like me as a gardener: she likes a bit of chaos rather than a well-tended formal garden. This isn't entirely true, as her chapters are well-ordered and organized, just that they travel in such unexpected directions that I wasn't always able to summarize them afterwards, even though I had been familiar with the research she'd discussed beforehand....more
People lie with statistics and graphs, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. Our job is to think critically about what we sePeople lie.
People lie with statistics and graphs, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. Our job is to think critically about what we see, to look at the things that don't make sense in how the data presented.
Thinking critically about data is more difficult than we expect it to be. We are seduced by patterns, seeing them even when nothing is there. People make mistakes, both in their arithmetic and their reasoning. We look for what we expect to find and create theories to explain what we found (without treating these data as a pilot).
I believe in science, in data. I love numbers (the Count is my favorite Sesame Street character).
[image] The Count
Science isn't the problem, numbers aren't the problem either, but we need to be careful not to jump to conclusions, to hold ourselves honest, even when we are the reader. There's often too much weight put on the process (sales, publications and careers, awards, promotions, our theories)....more
Malcolm Gladwell is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoy reading him and enjoy his podcast, Revisionist History. I appreciate the ways that he findsMalcolm Gladwell is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoy reading him and enjoy his podcast, Revisionist History. I appreciate the ways that he finds patterns and new ways of seeing things.
The “chapters” in this audiobook, I Hate the Ivy Leagues, include episodes drawn from Revisionist History and, like his previous work, happily turns things on its head. His basic thesis is that the US educational system, as opposed to the Canadian system where he was educated, is one that overinvests in wealthy, privileged students, so that privilege is maintained and expanded. As a result:
– Poor students have significant barriers making it difficult for them to enter the Ivys, that have little to do with intelligence, determination, or grit, and more to do with social barriers.
– It makes more sense to invest in average students than the top ones (think soccer rather than basketball.
– Philanthropists are more likely to give to extremely wealthy schools where they are unlikely to make a significant difference rather than small, poor schools where contributions can make a huge difference (see the last bullet).
– The college rankings of the US World and News Report reward reputation and large endowments. Reputation appears to be a function of endowment size rather than variables with more apparent relationships to the task of educating students. (And US World and News Report should find someone else to serve as their spokesperson.)
– Schools that want to increase their rankings could best do so by refusing admission to poor, Black, and nontraditional students – and by building posh dorms.
– Voting lotteries for high school Student Senates can open leadership opportunities for a broader of students (and perspectives) than more traditional elections.
These and other ideas are central to Gladwell’s book. If you enjoy having your world shaken up, even somewhat, you will enjoy this “book.”...more
These are hard times for higher education in the US. Legislators and the American pub"Higher ed will take as much as you give it" – Rebecca Pope-Ruark
These are hard times for higher education in the US. Legislators and the American public think education is a frill that is not cost-effective or socially useful (there is considerable evidence opposing this conclusion). University budgets have been slashed by unsupportive legislatures. Many universities are consolidating or closing (Higher Ed Dive Team, 2022). Since the start of COVID, faculty have been more isolated and teaching larger classes while also expected to learn and use unfamiliar learning software under more challenging circumstances (e.g., hybrid/hy-flex/multimodal classrooms, see Beatty review). We are often asked to be all things to all people. These stressors have disproportionately affected women, young faculty, and parents (Fidelity Investments/Chronicle of Higher Education, 2021).
These factors mean that significantly more faculty have felt burned out since COVID (69% of respondents felt stressed in 2020, only 32% in 2019). They are reporting more anger and fatigue (respectively 35% and 68% in 2020, and 12% and 32% in 2019). Only 13% felt hopeful in 2020, down from 41% in 2019 (Fidelity Investments/Chronicle of Higher Education, 2021).
As a result, even experts in academic productivity (i.e., Rebecca Pope-Ruark) are reporting feeling burned out. She took a medical leave, then left her more traditional teaching position to work without tenure on faculty development.
Pope-Ruark proposed a four-pronged approach to battling (preventing?) burnout. People who have read the positive psychology literature will not be surprised that her prescription includes purpose, compassion (self-compassion and compassion from others), social support, and work/life balance. These prongs all focus on faculty changes, however, rather administrative or cultural changes. Perhaps she plans another book addressing university culture??? (Would administrators buy and read such a book?) To me, this feels like focusing on addressing PTSD rather than also the sexual violence in our families and culture. Let's do both/and.
Pope-Ruark also focused almost entirely on cis-gendered, heterosexual, white women. She admitted this and apologized on several occasions that she was unable to get a broader sample. (Why couldn't she?)
I am angrier and more stressed than I generally am, but this is not burnout at this point, perhaps because I naturally attend to Pope-Ruark's four prongs. I'm reading Unraveling Faculty Burnout with my faculty development group, who are finding her ideas more novel....more
How do we make changes to create a more equitable society? Putting diverse minds and voices in leadership roles may help but, without a shared languagHow do we make changes to create a more equitable society? Putting diverse minds and voices in leadership roles may help but, without a shared language, that change may be built on a shaky foundation.
Glenn Singleton argues that the we need to focus on our communication style. He argues that we should stay morally, emotionally, and socially involved in the dialogue, even when uncomfortable. We should avoid shifting to "easier" topics or checking out. We need to speak our truth, being honest with our thoughts, feelings, and opinions rather than only saying what others want to hear. That means that we must be willing to experience discomfort as we deal with race and racism in an honest and forthright way. We cannot demand "quick fixes" and must commit to an ongoing dialogue. The more we talk, the more we learn.
Singleton intentionally uses old quotes and citations, which he argues “thus reveal[s] the pernicious and seemingly permanent problems of racism and evidence of an unending struggle for racial injustice and equality” (p. 7). His explanation made sense and was helpful. His use of racial autobiographies from a diverse group of educators enriched his discussion
Courageous Conversations is aimed at people working within K-12 schools; yet these ideas are useful for and important to people teaching or working in other contexts....more
There are at least two ways to teach: (a) gather a bunch of fun activities related to a topic, or (b) identify the big questions you want students to There are at least two ways to teach: (a) gather a bunch of fun activities related to a topic, or (b) identify the big questions you want students to consider and strategies for responding to those questions.
Understanding by Design strongly argues in favor of the latter option (backward design). UbD describes a set of strategies useful for university students and first graders, science classes and physical education. Wiggins and McTighe include a surprisingly wise range of questions and activities for answering them, which left me thinking that each example illustrated their backgrounds. Obviously, impossible.
Wiggins and McTighe build a multifaceted kid of understanding in students, including the abilities to explain, interpret, apply, perceive diverse perspectives, empathize, and develop self-knowledge. “Understanding” sometimes has a bad reputation, but not in their use of it. For Wiggins and McTighe, understanding is not vague and wishy-washy, but complicated and multifaceted, with the depth to be used in different contexts. It includes the abilities to explain, interpret, apply, perceive diverse perspectives, empathize, and develop self-knowledge.
[s]ometimes understanding requires detachment; at other times it requires heartfelt solidarity with other people or ideas. Sometimes we think of understanding as highly theoretical, at other times as something revealed in effective real-world application. Sometimes we think of it as dispassionate critical analysis, at other times as empathetic response. Sometimes we think of it as dependent upon direct experience, at other times as something gained through detached reflection. (p. 85)
I’ve been taking a fairly intensive faculty development course over the last month, but felt that my questions about objectives weren’t sufficiently addressed within the course. I’ve meant to read UbD for several years. I wish I’d read this beforehand. I’m glad I read it, even afterwards....more
Susan Robison hopes that her readers of The Peak-Performing Professor "…will do productive great work [as a result of reading of The Peak-Performing PSusan Robison hopes that her readers of The Peak-Performing Professor "…will do productive great work [as a result of reading of The Peak-Performing Professor] while they live happy and balanced lives and that [they] will become positive influences for more balanced institutional cultures" (p. 275).
This is a grand vision. Robison centers her book around developing a mission and vision for their career, a strong personal and professional support system, being well and having a sense of wellbeing. On the way she discusses making good choices for spending time, time management, organizational strategies, etc.
There's a lot here, organized in hundreds of bullets. I love bullets, but The Peak-Performing Professor may break me from their overuse. Her goal is to lay out all the options, even though they might not be appropriate for any given person.
I am not early in my career, where Robison's advice might be especially welcome and needed. Maybe if I were, I would have had a more positive reaction to her book. It didn't help that she confused happiness (a temporary emotion) with wellbeing (a longer evaluation of how life is playing out, generally defined as happiness or positive affect, low negative affect, and life satisfaction, plus elements like meaning in life and maybe ability to pursue goals).
I read this with the book club sponsored by our center for faculty development....more
Somewhat to my chagrin, I will be teaching Research Methods next Spring. This is a course that I had expected to teach 30+ years ago and which I havenSomewhat to my chagrin, I will be teaching Research Methods next Spring. This is a course that I had expected to teach 30+ years ago and which I haven't expected to ever teach in almost as long. This is also a course that is the foundation of what it means to be a psychologist, any sort of psychologist, so reading Research Methods in Psychology: Evaluating a World of Information has been both somewhat overwhelming and exciting.
Let me be clear, Beth Morling's text is clear, accessible, and readable, aimed at smart undergraduates, without demanding that they have already taken a Statistics course. The only calculations recommended by this text can be easily performed using online calculators. It focuses on critical thinking about research studies and research claims, which will be useful for my students who are more to become consumers of research than researchers, per se. They may use research strategies as they critically evaluate the data they obtain out in the field.
Nonetheless, sometimes I felt like a frog being slowly boiled alive – apparently, a myth. Morling starts slowly, building to a boil across the course of her book (e.g., moderators, mediators, and factorial designs).
It wasn't a difficult process, though, as the conscientious reader is well-prepared by the point at which she finally brings things to a boil. Morling repeatedly referred back to earlier-discussed studies to offer familiar context. She also repeatedly discussed popular articles and how the writers got the research right (or not). She supplements these with many examples and useful review questions or applications. Each of these factors made working through this text as exciting as it could also be challenging.
In sum, some of my students will love Morling. Some will not – but they would find any of the other books out there challenging, too....more
Published well after Kurt Vonnegut's death (in 2005), Pity the Reader was collected and collated by Suzanne McConnell, a former student from the Iowa Published well after Kurt Vonnegut's death (in 2005), Pity the Reader was collected and collated by Suzanne McConnell, a former student from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, using considerable original material from Vonnegut's fiction, letters, and interviews. Pity the Reader is not a typical writing manual. It is also writing coach, with a dab of memoir/biography thrown in for good measure. This combination would be deeply satisfying for some, while irritating others. I was satisfied.
First, the writing manual was characterized by these pieces of advice first published in 1980 in a New York Times column:
1. Find a subject you care about. 2. Do not ramble. 3. Keep it simple. 4. Have the guts to cut. 5. Sound like yourself. 6. Say what you mean to say. 7. Pity the readers.
McConnell expanded on these themes, drawing on his writing, exemplars from others (including his daughter's letter to a disgruntled customer complaining about the service received from another waitress), and some of his and others' revisions of his work. It can be dispiriting for aspirants who believe that their gods have always been successful.
Vonnegut's goals in teaching young writers was broader than helping young writers learn to string words together. As McConnell observed:
Vonnegut’s assignments at the Writers’ Workshop now, I see that more importantly than the craft of writing, they were designed to teach us to do our own thinking, to find out who we were, what we loved, abhorred, what set off our trip wires, what tripped up our hearts. (p. 19)
Vonnegut believed that teaching young writers should be thought of holistically, that writers should know themselves to help others change. Kilgore Trout responded to the question, "What is the purpose of life?" with the following poem:
To be the eyes and ears and conscience of the Creator of the Universe, you fool. (from Breakfast of Champions)
All of the above offered a very human and humane view of Vonnegut. We read what he said when teaching, including his advice to and mentoring of aspiring writers (McConnell and others). He also shared the difficulties, as very few writers only get good news from the get go.
Pity the Reader was an engaging read – and makes me consider going back to reread Vonnegut. I mostly read him (obsessively) in high school/college, and lately have set him aside as something to have read early in life. The Vonnegut I read in Pity the Reader is still a writer for when I need a fun and cheering read, but I also now see that he is a writer who inspires, who raises and responds to difficult questions....more
Molly Bang deconstructs images and how their shape, size, orientation, and color affect our emotional responses to an image. Bang starts small: a red Molly Bang deconstructs images and how their shape, size, orientation, and color affect our emotional responses to an image. Bang starts small: a red triangle representing Little Red Riding Hood. Here, she reflects on the feeling inherent to this simple shape.
The figure is not exactly fraught with emotion, yet I knew I felt things about it that I didn't feel for others.
It isn't huggable. Why not? Because it has points. It makes me feel stable. Why? It has a flat, wide, horizontal base. It gives a sense of equanimity, or balance, as well, because its three sides are equal. If it were sharper, it would feel nastier; if it were flatter, it would feel more immobile; and if it were an irregular triangle, I would feel off balance. What about its color? We call red a warm color, bold, flashy; I feel danger, vitality, passion. How can one color evoke such a range of disparate, even conflicting, feelings? (p. 4).
Bang describes a number of simple, but increasingly complicated thought experiments. How does changing the wolf's size, rounding its points, and changing its color impact how we see it?
[image] From Picture This
Bang's simple experiments are effective, more so than only talking about the roles of shape, size, orientation, and color. She encourages her readers to continue to play with images, recognize and use the underlying principles of illustration, and deconstruct what makes them effective.
If I taught in introductory art history course, I would use this book for the first several weeks of the semester, then move to more complicated pieces. What makes these effective? And, with PhotoShop – or other apps – how can we change an image to understand both it and what makes art effective? Are there other versions of an image that would be more effective?
[image] Four versions of the Mona Lisa: by Leonardo da Vinci, Bernardino Luini, Philippe de Champaigne, and a version stored by the Prado Museum in Madrid
I am currently taking a teaching workshop that I think is fairly ineffective and disappointing. Part of the difficulty is that the presenter talks too much and has us experiment too little.
Both Bang and this workshop presenter teach me the same lessons: sometimes less is more, sometimes doing is more important than talking. I will try to remember. ...more
I was skeptical about HyFlex teaching beforehand, so although I recognize the advantages – increased university and programmatic enrollments, universiI was skeptical about HyFlex teaching beforehand, so although I recognize the advantages – increased university and programmatic enrollments, university in your PJs, and increased accessibility for learning – I was hesitant (at best). I like the idea that this approach to learning gives students increased control and flexibility in how they want to take their classes.
The theory that Brian Beatty puts forth is that F2F, synchronous online, and asynchronous online should all be available to students and the learning opportunities should be equivalent, so that no group is short-changed when moving among these three options – or in choosing one. Beatty also argues that, while this teaching approach may require more work initially, in the long run it should not.
But this book does not help me see a way of making this work – at least under my teaching circumstances. It spends considerable time talking about things that I don't need as much – the barriers and opportunities associated with the HyFlex approach – and less on the nuts and bolts. How does a single faculty member handle the increased technology needs, monitor students in the classroom and online synchronously, and lecture or lead a discussion under these circumstances? I am sure that some faculty can do this well and some institutions can support the necessary hardware and software, but I remain skeptical, unless I have the kinds of technology sand support seen in this Belgian classroom. I am guessing the desks, monitors and other technology in this classroom cost near $100,000 (US dollars). My university cannot afford to deck out more than one classroom like this.
[image] Image: A hybrid classroom (Raes, Pieters, & Bonte, 2019, in Beatty, 2019)
A bigger concern is that the class may look like this one: here there are no students present in the room, although there are asynchronous students – with five of the eight visible student cameras turned off.
[image] Image: Another hybrid classroom (Raes, Pieters, & Bonte, 2019, in Beatty, 2019)
That is not the kind of teaching that I enjoy and, if I need to be teaching online, I'd rather do it from my office as I am currently, where some of the difficulties I face in this sort of teaching are diminished (e.g., Where do I look? How do I see everyone? How do I handle the technology and respond to my students, too?). I don't know about you, but the cognitive load in simultaneously teaching and responding to technology problems is nontrivial: when my computer freezes while I teach I can't handle this task, a simple one when I am alone in the room. This is in a normal classroom with less complicated technological needs.
And, then, there is the cognitive load for students – both in the classroom and outside it. How do they handle the technology, the sea of faces, and problematic wifi? How do they handle the dangerous temptations to multi-task when on Zoom (been there, done that)? And, those students who choose online learning, will they be able to keep themselves on track? Online learning requires more personal responsibility and focus on long-term rather than short-term goals.
I try to adopt a student-centered approach in my teaching, so I shudder to admit my skepticism about my students' skills with online learning. Nonetheless, although some students do better online, but most of my students report doing more poorly, some significantly more so. Student-centered teaching should give students choices, but help them make wise choices....more
This summer, I was working on the questions in Me and White Supremacy. White Supremacy was comprised of a series of short essays and a series of questThis summer, I was working on the questions in Me and White Supremacy. White Supremacy was comprised of a series of short essays and a series of questions for each day of the month. Now I'm working on Be Antiracist, the companion to How to Be an Antiracist. The two books have different formats and strengths and weaknesses.
Be Antiracist has about 200 questions. Despite – or because – there are so many questions, I did not write proportionally more (15 single-spaced pages for White Supremacy and 25 for Be Antiracist). Be Antiracist tends to ask more factual questions (e.g., List three examples of..."), while White Supremacy asked more reflection sorts of questions.
I initially skipped a number of questions, as they did not seem as relevant to me. As I went on, however, I returned to most and felt that I profited. For example, he asked, "What policies, historically or currently, could be behind the struggles of the most impoverished immigrant group in New York City – Asians?" This was a question that I knew nothing about, although Dr. Google was helpful (see Working but Poor: Asian American Poverty in New York City). . Saad (White Supremacy) seemed to assume bad intentions on my part, while Kendi (Be Antiracist) was more palatable for this White woman, as he assumed that we are all racists, including himself, and that we should engage in a continual path of questioning, including himself.
Saad encouraged a lot of reflection, which I enjoy, while Kendi asked us to consider not only what we think and feel but also what we do. I appreciate both and wished that Kendi had included specific opportunities for reflection at various points, especially during those parts of the workbook when I did not feel that his questions clearly fit me.
I wish that Kendi cited his quotations and clearly divided Be Antiracist into chapters in the same way as How to Be an Antiracist. That would have made toggling between the two easier. As it was, although I own copies of both, it was easier to refer to Dr. Google when I had questions. Could you only buy Be Antiracist and not one of his other books? I don't think so, but you know yourself better than I do.
Bottom line, I'm glad that I worked my way through both books. They have different purposes – White Supremacy) was more of a workbook for a cultural diversity group, while Be Antiracist could be used with few changes in a college course. ...more
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