-
Wonder, Irresistible Learning and Heroic Imagination
The name game is an intriguing one. Word pantomime or labels? A number of people I know, and in the fields I work closely in, dislike labels. Many believe labels have the potential to subtract value from who they truly are. (Have you heard of the “Label Jars Not People” organization established by Siobhan Brady to reduce mental health stigma?) Yet, human beings like to find pattern in chaos and ways to make sense of the world. So being aware of layers of perception about organizers as starting points (versus…
-
Hodge Podge of Thoughts on Inclusive Teaching Institute
I thought of you In the land of plenty Disconnected from the rest of Richmond city Riding in a car Someone pointed out “This school‘s roof leaked. The ceiling tile hit a child!” What went through the minds of young students To be broken up and bused to different strange schools? Further the car took me To another school sited next to the city jail Hope sits adjacent to despair City planning gone awry Or a deliberate act of marginalization In the four Courts silence pervaded There were no children…
-
The Canvas Babe
Once, there was a little girl who slept on a white canvas bed with wooden legs. Every morning, she woke up and made her own bed. She folded the white canvas bed and leaned it against the bedroom wall. She also liked to sing and dance. One day, she came home from dancing in a school concert. Her teacher had made up her face with some pretty colors — blue on her eyelids, orange on her cheeks and red on her lips. She saw papa talking to a man…
-
Border-Crossing Research Update in Syracuse
Open House & Research Update, Syracuse University, May 8, 2014. Short subtitles are included. A more detailed description of the slides in the video in GoogleDoc A more detailed description of the slides in the video in PDF [Right-click to open document in new tab on browser] Sometimes, a somewhat ordinary remark dwells longer than it probably should in my mind. “You like research, right?” Said in the context of new job duties being articulated at my workplace. I like doing research, just as I would likely say I like…
-
Smiles of a Summer Day
[Blog title inspired by Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, adapted from Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night] Curiosity, yes (What a story one could write using this picture prompt!). But more so, gratitude. Moments of beauty and curiosity have ways of showing up when they are the least likely qualities I’m holding in my heart. Driving home from Syracuse University, we stopped to unfurl(?) — our folded bodies contorted within our sedan for some hours and to have a bite. Walking into the woody rest area, I espied…
-
Research Update
Our research team is planning an update. My dissertation advisor has organized an Open House to disseminate our findings. This coincides with my Syracuse trip for graduation ceremonies. Here are the details, crafted by my advisor, Prof. Marj DeVault: It’s a mostly informal event where we’ll chat/sign. I’m looking forward to catching up with friends from both the hearing and Deaf communities in Syracuse. I’ll share more as the event unfolds.
-
Magically Imperfect Groupwork
Team Limitless Project Prototype. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeRIMO3Gwkg Group work in Tina Seelig’s MOOC was a rewarding high-impact learning experience for me. In this post, I describe why it was so. We faced quite a few odds. Communication was a significant problem along a few dimensions. Night is day to my team mates. I want to sleep and they want to discuss potential project solutions. We used Whatsapp for synchronous and asynchronous communications after our MOOC message boards failed dismally. [I noticed that Whatsapp is popular with my international friends, but not so…
-
Group Work
It is no secret that students hate group work (Check References). Mazella (2007) summarizes it cogently in his blogpost some seven years ago. Students often encounter unmet expectations and vexations: Equitable contribution Submaximal goal setting Lessened contingency between input and outcome Lack of evaluation Unequal distribution of compensation Non-cohesive group Though widely investigated, the misery of group work continues to plague courses, UNLESS group work is carefully taught, designed, supported and supervised (Check Maryellen Weimer’s Teaching Professor blogpost, July 21, 2008). Just telling students to collaborate doesn’t mean they know…
-
Wicked Memories
Altria Theater, Richmond, VA. Yin Wah Kreher (Copyright). Dancing through life. Defying gravity.“Like a comet pulled from orbit, as it passes a sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the wood… Because I knew you.”
-
Mythbusting Instructional Design
Yo, I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want, So tell me what you want, what you really really want, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna really really really wanna bust out something dat been buggin’ me.- Adapted from Wannabe, Spice Girls Yo, would love to write a rap song but IMA just a wannabe. I don’t claim to be a rap artist. As my…
-
Listening with Care
One of my work duties involves observations of learning interactions in an experimental classroom, the Learning Studio. Until I completed the Listening Differently assignment in the Creativity MOOC, I hadn’t realized how I had seen the Learning Studio with my eyes, but hadn’t captured a lot of other interactions with my ears. The scope of my observation had been limiting and limited. Julian Treasure’s video is a fabulous resource to review (Thanks again, Tina Seelig!). He is right; “we are losing our listening.” When novelty ceases to be so, we…
-
Online Icebreaker: A Life Story Album Cover
As an online introduction, Tina Seelig invited us — participants in her MOOC — to design an album cover of our lives to construct a narrative of who we are. Add to that the creation of a 10-song playlist, fictional or actual songs, and we’ll get some bonus points. I created two album covers. Which one do you think I submitted? A or B? I think these ideas are excellent as icebreakers in online teaching. They afford students multiple means to participate in course conversations. It helped me to reflect,…
