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In Faculty Words: From Desire to Educated Ability to Promote Inclusivity
Faculty Development. A phrase I’ve long considered rather odd and incongruous. Maybe it’s because I’ve been emotionally damaged by the words of one of my ID professors in grad school. He told me that faculty (in his world) hate the term “faculty development” because they are already developed. They don’t need to develop anymore. They are possibly open to training, but not development. Another reputable ed psych and edtech professor who upon learning that I was going to tread the path of a practitioner (and not join the hallowed halls…
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There’s a Place for Us
[I revised this piece quite a bit and it is published at EdContexts: http://edcontexts.org/diversity/theres-a-place-for-us/]In late 1999, I relocated to the USA and have had much adventure navigating cross-cultural zones of change. As a Singaporean Chinese, I am often perceived as someone from the Republic of China, which is not a problem or a bad thing at all. It is when I am expected to exhibit behaviors that go along with that misperception that things get awkward and challenging. What follows are little snippets of the faux pas some people have committed…
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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…
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Research into Practice: ‘Cuse ASL
In mid February 2012, I founded ‘Cuse ASL Club with an enthusiastic co-organizer, Corinne Sartori, a Hard-of-Hearing iSchool freshman. I can now say that I’ve happily passed the torch over to Corinne to lead the club as I prepare to finish off my graduate program. Milestones though, there were several: Club launch poster I created with Corinne as model. I was in a hurry and needed someone to help realize my poster concept and Corinne was perfect! She signed “love it” – so apt for an intriguing poster! Corinne does…
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ASL Song Interpretation: Who Says
ASL Music Video: Who Says by Selena Gomez from Rosa Lee Timm on Vimeo. What a cheerful song by Selena Gomez! It sends a great message about embracing yourself for all you are. Beautifully signed. Spread the cheer!
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Deaf Meetings
Though my signing has improved, the flying hands at DC@PB by some people were too fast for me. I think being the only hearie, other than the little boy present, they were in THEIR world. No complaints because it helps me to understand what it is like for deaf people to be in a hearing world when we are the majority. I should be present at more meetings to improve my signing. At DAC’s picnic 6/4, there were a few more hearies who could sign very well. Everyone was welcoming…
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One element to foster creative thinking
One thing I find some students tend to not do is to venture beyond their disciplines or universities to work with other people. One of the oft-studied components to foster creative thinking and outcomes is multiculturalism, sometimes variously studied under terms like heterogeneity, interdisciplinarity or multiple perspectives. My diss. chair herself recognized that I’m a bridge person and pointed that out to me: I cross cultures frequently and I live at the intersection of cultures. I am used to this; I come from Singapore, a melting pot of cultures. I’m…
