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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…
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Mental Wonderland: Inspiring Hope & Greatness
Before you scratch your head in perplexity, let me say this, “Give this video a chance!” SEE. THINK. WONDER (Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education). Two singers rendering a foreign language song can be helpful as an instructional strategy? Yes, please give yourself permission to wonder (three words I’m borrowing from Philip Yenawine’s book (2013) which my colleague Enoch Hale highlighted to me). Also, part of the effortful joy of learning new things involves the deployment of grit (Angela L. Duckworth, U Penn, has been conducting studies on…
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The “Proper” Artwork in Office Space
Is an office setting an appropriate place to hang nude artwork? I’ve been asked by a colleague why I don’t hang my own artwork in the office — I do have a few pieces up. I didn’t answer him directly because I’ve done mostly figure drawings of nude models. I hesitate to hang any of these pieces in my office. The question surfaced again, today. Someone stopped by my office and looked around my office environs. He asked if I was an artist. I am not a trained artist but…
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3D Browser
POPULAR: Microsoft Research reveals 3D browser SurroundWeb http://t.co/otnwuR99Gs pic.twitter.com/S9y8I8IBnH — The Next Web (@TheNextWeb) March 3, 2014 “… the prototype allows Web pages to display content across multiple surfaces in a room.” Educational implications?
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Seize Your Limitations
Need a pick-me-up for the day? Watch this video. “Limitations may be the most unlikely of places to harness creativity, but perhaps one of the best ways to get out of ruts, rethink categories and challenge accepted norms.” – Phil Hansen, artist
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Thinking through Art: How Prior Knowledge Paralyzes
4th Figure Drawing Class. We warmed up with 10 gesture drawings. In one minute, I must capture the outline of the model. It is especially challenging when the model knows multiple unusual ways to contort himself/herself. I struggle to capture the essence of the gesture. The bodily muscles exert themselves in peculiar ways that I find difficult to sketch rapidly. Today, I also have to learn how to use new tools — it is Conte Pencils instead of the familiar charcoal pencil or vine to quickly build the “armature” that…
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The 4Ps of Co-Consulting
… subheading, The Promise and the Practice My colleague, Stan, and I have been working with two instructors to convert their face-to-face course to a blended course before it is fully delivered online. What makes this co-consulting distinctive in our case are the following key features: 1. People There are two consultants in this session interacting with two clients (at times 3!) in real time. This entails a negotiation of roles and the values, beliefs and behaviors that come with the enactment of those roles. I am an instructional designer…
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Preparing to Teach Online 2013 Wrap-Up
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Jodie Foster’s Speech
“Normal is not something to aspire to, it’s something to get away from.” There has been a lot of talk about Jodie Foster’s acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. Some good, some trashy, and some just silly; many were perplexed by her words. I was fascinated. Not that I watched the show. After Downton Abbey, I flipped channels, and lo and behold, it was Jodie’s moment. A Guardian Film writer dissected her speech and hailed it an oratorical marvel. For me, here are four quotes that reverberated with me and…
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Accessibility, Accommodations & Uniqueness 2
Cont’d from an earlier post… 2. We need to be more aware of how to accommodate learners who are different in our instruction. It starts with cultivating an open mindset and becoming informed. This is not a new idea but bears repetition because I encounter people who don’t have that awareness. I know that some people complain about the cost and labor of providing accommodations. It is a real issue that we have to work on. It involves changing some national and institutional policies so that support for access can…
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#CrashCreativity Thoughts Post 1
This MOOC, Crash Course on Creativity, is taught by Prof Tina Seeling (http://about.me/tinaseelig) of Stanford University and runs on Venture Labs’ e-platform. There is a lot of interest in this course with over 35,000 enrollees from all over the world. The platform is pretty minimalistic in a good way, with a menu bar that lets students navigate to Home, Lectures, Assignments and Community. I’ve watched a short course video intro so far and a week 1 TED talk by Prof Seelig on the Innovation Engine. Both were not captioned, nor…
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Soaring
“It’s an uphill battle and I come out scarred but victorious. If you clip my wing, I’ll grow a new one and fly higher.” – Fiona Xie
