Transforming Education

A Book That Goes Beyond Book Smarts

2011-08-04T06:03:00.002-04:00

A college education may help an individual develop intellectually but often fails to prepare the graduate for the practical realities of living life on one’s own. Author Jim Randel has written a new book to supplement the book smarts gained in school. Entitled Street Smarts, the book is written to help prepare the graduating college student for the realities of life after school. The book contains 125 one-page lessons ranging from buying a used car to what to do if you are arrested. The contents are arranged into nine major topics. These include creating your brand, communication skills, career advancement, personal productivity, persuasion techniques, financial literacy, savvy, investing, and personal development. Though the book is angled toward young people going into the business world, any graduate can benefit from the book’s lessons. The single-page lessons in the book provide the essential information on each topic. A companion website provides additional information that is continually updated. The book is written in clear prose and produced in an appealing format. The information contained within its pages is practical and understandable. The volume provides the new college graduate with a helpful reference for confronting the challenges of creating a life after school.

Learning As A Way Of Being

2011-04-10T07:58:00.003-04:00

I highly recommend reading Peter Vaill's book Learning As A Way of Being . Vaill describes seven qualities of learning as a way of being. He differentiates this type of learning from what he calls institutional learning--our current mode of educating. The seven qualities of learning proposed by Vaill include:

Self-directed: The learner should be able to manage his/her efforts to confront unique learning challenges.

Creative: An attitude of exploration is needed when confronting novel learning problems.

Expressive: This is learning by doing.

Feeling: The learner needs to be able to deal with feelings of confusion, fear, and incompetence as well as experience the meaning of what is learned.

On-line: Learning takes place within the environments we find ourselves rather than being confined to educational institutions.

Continual: The realization that we are to learn throughout our lives and maintain the mindset of a beginner.

Reflexive: Learn about learning and be aware of one's own learning process.

Vaill explains each of these qualities in depth. I am considering how to incorporate these qualities into my future courses.

Education vs. Learning

2011-03-25T11:22:00.000-04:00

One of the exciting insights I have gained from the discussions in the Transforming Business course is that there is a difference between education and learning. Here is how I perceive those differences.

Education has students hear about a subject. Learning has students do something with the subject matter.

Education conveys information. Learning involves application.

Education is future oriented; it is about what students will need to know someday. Learning occurs in the present; we learn what we want or need to learn when we want or need it.

Education is a spectator sport. Learning requires the learner’s participation.

Education is about control; faculty control what students are to be exposed to and required to do. Learning allows the learner the freedom to decide what is needed when and what to pursue in the learning process.

Educational assessment is test oriented. Learning is assessed through results achieved.

Education develops followers; students are conditioned to be order takers. Learning facilitates the development of leaders.

Education is structured. Learning is unstructured.

Education considers hypotheticals--case studies, examples. Learning acts on reality--projects.

Education is passive. Learning is active.

This is a quick summary. Each of these points can and need to be explored in more depth. It also may be argued that this is a simplistic differentiation. However, I find the summary helpful as I consider how I want to design my own courses. My goal has become to move my course designs away from an educational model toward facilitating learning.

Facilitating a new course

2011-03-23T11:25:00.002-04:00

This semester I am facilitating a new course entitled Transforming Business. To transform business, the students and I decided we must begin by transforming ourselves. As we considered how education is typically conducted, we realized that to prepare students to be future business leaders, we need to reconsider how we educate. As a result, we in the course have been collaborating to transform the course into a learning community. We started by rearranging the seating into an open circle. We employ name tents to help us get to know each other. This has had a dramatic impact on the class dynamics. No one sleeps or texts in class. Everyone is more engaged. There is no packing up early as class nears the end of the scheduled time. In fact, students are not in a hurry to leave. And when students arrive to class, the room is filled with energy as students are talking with each other. We are all getting to know each other. This is in contrast with the typical class where students arrive and go to their seats and text, sleep, read, or daydream before the start of class.

In our class sessions we have been exploring how we may transform the college education process. We have invited outside guests to join us in these working sessions. We also would welcome comments on this blog. I will share more about our findings in subsequent posts.

Geekspeak

2011-03-01T22:09:00.001-05:00

Geekspeak: How Life + Mathematics = Happiness by Graham Tattersall, an English freelance engineer, is a fun and fascinating read. If you are a math teacher, I recommend you consider using this book as the text for your course. At the least, get a copy for yourself as a resource for lesson planning. The problems in this book are far more interesting than the traditional two trains traveling at different speeds. For example, Tattersall explains how to calculate the time it would take Scotty to beam you from Earth to Mars. Or how to determine the speed in miles per hour of a sneeze as compared to a fart. Now that’s interesting! If you prefer to consider more serious issues, there is calculating the number of trees you would need to plant each year to offset your carbon footprint. Or how to determine which is more efficient, a car powered by gasoline or electricity.

Geekspeak is for everyone. This book could even be a cure for those who have a phobia for math. Tattersall’s purpose is to help non-mathematicians use figures to analyze and understand the world better. He laments that we have come to rely too heavily on experts without checking for ourselves the reliability of their advice. What is the danger of sea levels rising because of melting artic ice? How much energy does it take to construct a home? How has smaller families contributed to lower social connectivity and loss of community? These are a few questions Tattersall addresses using math.

There is also plenty for trivia enthusiasts. Learn how to calculate how many flies it would take to pull a car. Determine how long you could keep a 100-watt light bulb lit with the energy released by jumping off a 300-foot cliff. Be able to tell the weight of a bus by simply looking at it.

Tattersall has a clear and engaging writing style. This is no dry mathematical treatise filled with complicated formulas. In fact, most of the math in the book can be done in your head. Tattersall has an entire chapter on things you can figure out while sitting on a deck chair at the beach.

If you are a student who complains that math is irrelevant to everyday life, read this book. If you are out of school and glad you are no longer tortured having to take math classes, read this book; it will help you develop an appreciation and interest in math you never thought possible. If you want to be an informed citizen, read this book. If you are just looking for something to read while sunning yourself on the beach, take this book along. You’ll discover just how enjoyable math can be. Who would have thought being a geek could be so much fun?

Gunning For The University

2010-08-11T07:04:00.001-04:00

There are a growing number of enterprising individuals and groups out there working hard to transform higher education. They are using technology to do to the university what is being done to newspapers, the music industry, and publishers. Far fetched? Well, consider that college tuition and fees increased 439 percent between 1982 and 2007--after inflation—while employers complain that graduates are unable to apply what they supposedly learned in college. How much longer will people be willing to go into debt to pay escalating fees for a service decreasing in effectiveness? And consider the impact technology is having on every aspect of our lives. When is the last time you took a roll of film to be developed? How many young people do you see wearing watches? Ever ask a student for their “home” phone number? Or ask to see their CD collection? Do you think the university is as secure as the printed page? Amazon now sells more e-books than hardcover volumes.

Replacing marker boards with Smartboards will not constitute keeping up with technology. For an explanation of the challenges facing higher education and the transformative efforts underway, I recommend reading DIY U by author and journalist Anya Kamenetz. The first part of the volume provides an informative overview of the history, demographics, and economics of higher education. These chapters provide an understanding of the current challenges facing higher education. Kamenetz clearly explains why college costs have dramatically escalated and why efforts to increase access to college are likely to fail under the present educational model. Part two of the book describes the opportunities and threats for higher education emerging from innovations in technology. Educators who hope to remain relevant in a changing world are advised to read this book. Using past approaches to prepare today’s students for tomorrow’s world will not suffice. We must join our students in becoming educated about what the future may hold.

Possible Text on Persuasion

2010-06-07T20:50:00.002-04:00

For those looking for a quick, inexpensive text on the subject of persuasion, you may want to consider The Skinny on The Art of Persuasion by Jim Randel. The book has been designed with the internet reader in mind. Sound information is presented in an engaging, conversational style. The text is delivered in short frames with simple visuals. The information is concise. The essence of the topic is covered in a fun way that keeps the reader’s attention. For those who want more details on the subject, the reading list at the end provides sufficient recommendations. This book is a good introduction to the subject and a handy resource. There is even a removable bookmark printed with the nine rules of persuasion the reader may use as a quick reference. A good book for those new to the subject. Would be appropriate for high school or college students.

Adrenalin Rush

2009-03-28T07:47:00.001-04:00

Learning excites me. Gaining new insights and perspectives gives me an adrenalin rush. I want the same for my students. Unfortunately, my excitement is often met with blank or, at best, amused stares. They don’t get it.

The reason I get excited about learning something new is because I see how the new information or skill connects with my passion. If we want students to be excited about learning, we need to help them first discover their passion. It troubles me when college students in their last semester before graduating are unable to tell me what they are interested in. I don’t mean what they are interested in academically. I mean they can’t identify anything that excites them. To me, that is scary.

A book I recently read conveys the excitement of learning. The Cosmic Serpent by anthropologist Jeremy Narby traces his journey of discovery across academic disciplines as he undertakes research in his field. The book conveys the thrill of research and learning. We need to help students uncover their own questions and assist them in discovering answers. Let’s find ways to help our students experience the adrenalin rush of learning.

Join The Network

2009-03-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

In one of the university leadership courses I teach, the students and I were exploring ways to break out beyond the classroom to extend our opportunities for learning how to become better leaders. As a result of that discussion, I have started an online network called Learn To Lead. I invite the readers of this blog to join us at http://learntolead.ning.com. The intent of the network is to create a forum where college students and lifelong learners may support each other in becoming better leaders. It is a place to share your questions, experiences, thoughts, and resources with fellow learners on the subject of leadership. It is also a way to help educate our young leaders. I invite you to join the journey.

u 2 cn luv txtng

2008-12-19T11:44:00.001-05:00

New technologies typically generate debate about their impact on society. The printing press, telegraph, telephone, and broadcasting all generated fears of harmful effects. One of the current technologies being debated is text messaging.

There are those who argue that texting is preventing students from acquiring adequate literacy skills. I haven’t experienced this with my university students. I occasionally receive an email in all lower case and an occasional “i” in a paper. I have not observed any general decline in ability to communicate as a result of the practice of texting.

If you fear text messaging is destroying the English language and marks the end of civilization, you can relax. u 2 cn luv txtng. Linguist David Crystal, in his new book txtng: the gr8 db8, explains how text messaging is actually nothing radically new. Texting simply involves adapting a new technology through the application of centuries-old linguistic processes. Crystal explains that use of lower case simply avoids extra key-pushes, saving time and effort. Regarding use of abbreviations, Crystal cites research that shows very few text messages actually contain abbreviations. And abbreviations are nothing new, being in use since at least the seventeenth century. We use them everyday. Some common ones are Mr., Mrs., VIP, CD, DVD, AIDS, IOU, AWOL, mph, p.m., etc.

While there are those who argue that texting is preventing students from acquiring literacy skills, Crystal makes the case that texting actually benefits the development of these skills. He argues that text messaging requires students to already have sophisticated reading and writing abilities. The use of abbreviations requires a sense of how the sounds of a language relate to letters. Abbreviating words demands awareness about alternative spellings. Use of abbreviations also requires sensitivity to the communication needs of the person receiving the message. Crystal reassures us that texting is just another form of language that has emerged as an adaptation to a particular technology.

txtng is an informative and interesting read. Anyone concerned about the impact of technology on students and society will benefit from reading Crystal’s book. As a bonus, the list of abbreviations at the end of the book can help you decipher the next text message you may receive from a student.

Too Busy To Blog

2008-12-12T15:01:00.001-05:00

Is it my imagination or is everyone increasingly busy? I was surprised to discover how long it has been since my last blog entry. I haven’t stopped thinking about learning and working on improving my teaching. I just haven’t taken the time to stop to write about it. I have been too busy. Probably just as well. You have probably been too busy to read anything I would have written.

This leads me to a concern. Everyone at my university seems to be enormously busy. That includes administrators, faculty, staff, and students. My question is, “Why are we so busy?” One answer is because we care. I am fortunate to work at an institution where we care about each other and those we serve. As a result, we all strive to improve the service we provide colleagues and students. This usually means we add to what we are already doing. But how much can we add to our workloads before we collapse?

The semester break is a good time to examine our priorities. What activities do we want to keep entering into the New Year and which ones can we discontinue? The coming holidays are also a good time to rest and rejuvenate. It is a time to remember why we do what we do and who we serve.

So, may your holidays be restful. Now, I got to get back to prepping for next semester.

The Simple Things

2007-12-24T06:20:00.000-05:00

It came to me in a dream:

Try harder to do the simple things.

So what are the simple things of teaching?

Listening. Listening connects us with our students. It is through listening that we learn what our students need. By listening we learn how to connect with our students. Listening is how we show we care.

Courage. Courage gives us the will to act on what we hear. Courage compels us to act in spite of our doubts and fears. Courage moves us beyond our own needs so we may serve the needs of our students.

Through listening we discover how we may serve; through courage we nurture our will to serve. Listening reveals to us the reasons we are to serve; courage provides us with the strength to serve.

Now, may each of us have the courage to listen.

The Three Rs of Higher Education

2007-10-09T07:02:00.000-04:00

The three Rs of higher education are critical to the success of any college or university. These three Rs include Recruitment, Retention, Revenue. Every member of administration, faculty, and staff impacts these three performance criteria. One’s individual compensation is justified by one’s contribution to the institution's success in attracting and keeping students and in saving and generating money.

Concern for the three Rs does not contradict an institution’s higher purpose. The needs of running the institution must be met if the institution is to have the resources to act on its values. The stronger the institution, the better it can serve others.

Assessment has been increasingly emphasized in higher education. Assessment needs to include measurement of the three Rs. Such measurement will indicate how well the institution is serving its students. Each employee’s contribution helps create an institution attractive to potential students, fulfilling for enrolled students, and meaningful for supporters.

Summer's End

2007-08-23T16:30:00.000-04:00

The summer break has come to an end. I spent much of my summer gearing up for the new academic year. One of the projects I undertook, outside of staining the seemingly infinite expanse of decking surrounding our house, was to redesign an already successful course. I had intended only to insert one new approach into the existing course design. I ended up designing the course from scratch. Why? Ethics. As I researched the one aspect of the course I wanted to change, I discovered many other ways I could make the course more effective. As a result, I was faced with what, for me, is an ethical question. Can I continue to teach in a way that has worked before if I discover what I think is a better way to serve the learning needs of the students? My answer to the question is that I cannot. Even though the course was well received by students in the past, I feel a commitment to give my best to the students who take my courses. The challenge is that my best is always changing. Immediately after I finished typing the lesson plans for the entire semester, I came across in my reading ways to make the course even better. As a result, I am making revisions in the course before I even deliver it. That is why I keep my course designs as brief outlines. By the time I am to deliver a specific class, I have learned alternative ways from my original plan to present the material. In this way the course remains fresh for me and the students get the benefit of my most recent learning. As a result, I never present a course in the same way.

It may seem that I am creating a lot of work for myself. I am. But I find it a lot more enjoyable than staining decks, which, I may add, I still have not finished. Oh, well. I guess that’s what weekends are for.

Questions 101

2007-05-26T10:10:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am still on the questions kick. Thinking about questions got me considering how students need to ask more of them. Learning starts with a question. Learning is prompted by the desire to know something, either out of mere curiosity or because of a need to solve a problem or to improve in some way. Asking questions prompts the search for answers, thus learning something new as answers are discovered.

I normally begin my courses by asking students what questions they have about the subject matter. I want to know what they seek to learn from the course. Other than the usual questions about what is required for a grade and if attendance is mandatory, I typically get no questions about the subject itself. Basically students are expecting to be told whatever I as the instructor think they should know about the subject. What they want to know is how I expect them to dutifully regurgitate back to me what I have told them. That is parroting not learning.

I recognize that students probably are not familiar enough with a particular course subject to know what it is they need to learn. But the lack of questions also indicates a lack of curiosity. What is communicated is that the students come to the course to fulfill a curriculum requirement rather than from a desire to know something. This is not the way to instill a passion for learning.

I experience a natural adrenalin rush from learning. I eagerly scour the bibliographies at the end of books and articles to find additional sources I can pursue. I am always on the lookout for workshops and conferences I can attend. I even look forward to my 65 minute commute to the university I teach at because I am eager to listen to the latest audio learning program I have acquired. By the time I enter my 8 a.m. class I am pumped with ideas and questions, much to the dismay of the sleepy-eyed students in the course. I am eager to know more so I may continue to improve and develop. And the more I learn the more I become aware of how much more I have to learn. That is what is most exciting; the realization that learning is a never-ending lifelong process. And each new challenge initiates a new learning cycle. To take on something new is a joy rather than a burden because it is an opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills.

I want my students to be as nuts about learning as I am. I want them to discover their passion and calling. I am continually discovering connections between my life experiences and my vocation. There is no separation between who I am and what I do. I experience my life as an integrated whole. Work is play. Play contributes to my work. I experience learning holistically. Learning nurtures my body, mind, soul, and spirit. I want to help my students experience the same power from learning that I do.

That power emerges from within. Learning cannot be imposed from without. No one can learn for someone else. We each must learn for ourselves. That process begins with a desire to learn. That desire is ignited by the questions that burn within us.

What may be needed is a freshman course entitled Questions 101. In this course students would discover the role of questions in learning and life. They would study how human progress has been driven by the search for answers to questions. They would be introduced to the art and skill of asking questions. The key outcome of the course would be personalized lists of questions each student seeks to answer during his or her college career. Obviously, questions would continually be added to this list. These questions would give direction and purpose to students’ education beyond the earning of a degree. Faculty and staff would be resources for uncovering answers to students’ questions. Before each course students would be helped to understand how the course relates to their quest for answers to their questions. Presently students do not recognize the relevance of much of what they are required to study in college. If faculty knew the questions driving students’ learning, the faculty could help students realize the relevance of the subject matter being studied.

This then is another one of my questions: How can we as university and college faculty, staff, and administrators instill a passion for learning in students? Perhaps we can’t answer that question until we hear what questions our students seek to answer.

101 Questions

2007-05-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Another question. If everyone thinks of himself or herself as being right, what can be considered as wrong? Facts are disputed, scholars disagree, morals differ. Who is right? Who is wrong? Is there a right and a wrong?

What are the implications of this question to our teaching? We could say our role is to help students come to their own conclusions. What if they come to conclusions different from our own? We could argue that for a conclusion to be valid it must be in agreement with the recognized standards of a discipline. But progress is usually initiated by those who stray outside of the recognized conventions.

I don’t have answers to the questions I pose. Even if I did, would it make any difference? If you agreed with my answers, you would consider me to be right. If you disagreed with me, you would say I was wrong.

There is always “maybe.”

100 Questions

2007-05-24T06:08:00.000-04:00

Last September Dropping Knowledge brought together 112 leading thinkers from 56 countries to respond to the top 100 questions posed by individuals from around the globe. The questions and answers are posted on the organization’s website (www.droppingknowledge.org).

What question would you pose? One I have is why do we continue to do what we know does not work? In private conversations, during meetings, at conferences, and in workshops I hear discussed what is wrong with higher education. The literature is full of the same. Yet we continue to perpetuate the very practices about which we complain. How come?

As an example let’s take my pet peeve—grades. I think grades are a key obstacle to learning. Students are obsessed with them. Whoever I speak to—whether student, faculty member, or employer—agrees that grades are a problem. So why do we continue to use grades? I say let’s find better ways to assess learning. The answer I generally receive from those within higher education is that we can’t eliminate grades. Why not? Yes, it means changing the system; not an easy endeavor, but it can be done. It is not that the system cannot be changed; it is that we won’t change it. It is easier and safer to stay with what we know even when it doesn’t work than to exert the effort and take the risk of creating something different.

Why won’t we change what we know doesn’t work? I say the primary reason is fear. Yes, I know all the rationalizations for why changes can’t be made. I heard one speaker say that to rationalize is to perpetuate “rational lies.” Change requires courage, commitment, and community. Change can happen if we work together.

So, what question would you pose to the world?

From Good To Great

2007-05-13T06:07:00.000-04:00

During a recent faculty discussion of Ken Bain’s book What The Best College Teachers Do, the question arose of what differentiates good teaching from great teaching. What occurred to me during the discussion is that good teachers have a passion for their subject and employ good teaching techniques. Great teachers, however, go beyond possessing passion for their subject. Great teachers also care passionately about their students. Great teachers are energized by teaching their field of expertise because they understand how that knowledge will serve the students. What drives great teachers is not their passion for their subject but their compassion for their students. Great teachers understand how the knowledge they hold can benefit their students. Students respond to great teachers because the students feel cared about. What moves teachers from being good to being great is moving from caring primarily for the subject to caring more about the students.

What struck me in reading the examples of exceptional teaching described in Bain’s book is that there is no set formula. Different approaches are employed by different teachers with equal success. What really matters, in my view, is the connection between teacher and student. The great teacher answers the key question in students’ minds—“Why do I need to know this?” Great teaching makes the subject matter relevant to students’ lives now and for the future.

Great teaching, then, fulfills the call to serve. It is not an academic discipline or knowledge or truth that we as teachers are called to serve. We serve human beings. If what we teach does not serve who we teach, then it does not matter how good our teaching techniques. It is when our students experience what is in our hearts as well our heads that we will move from good teaching to teaching that is great.

Why Professors Go Mad

2007-05-06T11:10:00.000-04:00

After spending days slogging through students’ final course papers, I have come to realize why there are mad professors. I am convinced that reading student essays kills brain cells. And by the time I finish reviewing the papers, final exams will begin. I will then be faced with an infinite stack of blue essay booklets. Now I understand the motivation behind the invention of multiple choice exams.

Appreciative Inquiry

2007-02-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

As we strive to improve our performance as professionals, we typically focus on what is wrong and needs to be “fixed.” This focus on problems generates a keen awareness of what is not working. What gets lost is an awareness of what is working.

Appreciative Inquiry is a generative change process that begins with identifying what works and then analyzing how to do more of the same. AI operates from the assumption that in every society, organization, or group something works. We can apply this at the individual level as well. All of us are doing things in our lives that are working.

Following is an AI inspired approach you may take to improve your own performance. Start by inquiring about your own successes. These questions can help you explore what you are doing well:

1. What attracted you to your work?
2. Describe a specific time or situation when you felt most alive, involved, excited about your involvement in your work.
3. Locate a time in your work when you felt most effective and successful. Describe how you felt and what made the situation possible.
4. What do you value most about yourself as a professional?
5. Based on your answers to the above questions, what are some key factors that if present, could replicate the peak experiences from your past?

Taking the key elements that emerge from your inquiry, write an affirmative statement that describes the idealized future as if it were already happening. This statement is to envision you performing at your best. It depicts the future you want to create. This is no idle dream disconnected from reality. Your future vision is based on the best from your past performance. You have already proven it is something you are capable of. And as you grow toward your ideal, you will discover that you are not only capable of more but you are more than who you thought you were. As we appreciate our past, we create our future.

It's About Time!

2007-02-07T06:21:00.000-05:00

I hear students, colleagues, and clients lament the lack of time. Everyone, me included, seems to be continually pressed for time. Time is much on our minds, yet we seldom think about time. So following are some of my random thoughts about time and other things that have occurred to me as I have taken the time to think about time.

We usually think of time as linear--past, present, future. Yet the past is present in its influence of our current reality. How we view the future influences the present. If I view a goal as possible or impossible, that perspective will influence how I act in the present. What I have done in the past determines my present and future circumstances. What I do now influences how I perceive the past and future. My present influences how I interpret the past. My view of the future impacts how I perceive the present and past.

There is only the now. We create our past through memory and our future through anticipation. Both are imagination. We image our past and future from the now. Time flows from the now. When is the now? We can’t nail it down. If all there is is the now and we can’t identify that, we have eliminated time.

If we think of time as linear, we plan in a linear fashion. Yet life is experienced in cycles and in disorder. We attempt to gain order out of the disorder by gaining control. Control restricts. It eventually strangles the life out of life.

We say that things change in time. But time is change. Without change there would be no time. Change is life. We seek change to avoid boredom. Yet we try to minimize change to gain control. Our attempts to control lead to slow suicide.

We seek to control by knowing. Yet we are limited by what we know. Knowledge locks us into the past. We can only know what is or has been. Knowledge limits change, which limits life. To stay within the known is to remain in the past.

Knowledge brings clarity. We are unclear about that which we do not know. Growth involves change. This means having to venture into the unknown, which is unclear. Insight is clarity emerging from confusion. Questioning leads to certainty. Certainty eliminates questioning.

Life requires growth which requires change. This calls for openness. Closed systems experience entropy and die. Perfect equilibrium is death. Open systems evolve to higher complexity.

If I am clear, you know what I am talking about. So I am then simply reiterating what you already know. This reinforces stagnation. If what I share confuses you, then I have moved you into the unknown. It is from the realm of the unknown that growth emerges.

This is why our situation remains the same. We continue to operate from the known. That is why we keep getting what we have always gotten. We may rearrange the furniture, even replace the furniture, yet we are still living in the same house. We must change houses if we are to live in a new place. By changing our minds, we change our lives.

Trainer Resources For Teachers

2007-01-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

My career has been in training. Active learning methods that are new to many teachers are familiar to most trainers. That is why I recommend to college faculty the following resources for training facilitators. These links will take you to some of the leaders in the training field. The tips and techniques can easily be applied to classroom teaching.

Bob Pike is known as the trainer’s trainer. His website at www.bobpikegroup.com includes articles, an e-magazine, and other resources.

Thiagi is one of the leaders in interactive training. Go to www.thiagi.com and click on the link for free resources. You will find games, puzzles, interactive lecture activities, and much more.

Dave Meier has long been instructing trainers on accelerated learning methods. Click on tips at www.alcenter.com/alindex.html. You will also find the schedule of training workshops.

The leading professional association for trainers is the American Society for Training and Development. You may learn more about this organization and its resources at www.astd.org.

Trainers have benefited from the academic research on learning. I recommend academics benefit from how trainers have applied that research.

What Is The World Coming To?

2006-12-19T07:19:00.000-05:00

The cover story in the September issue of Ode magazine is about the use of video and computer games in education. I can hear the protests now: “What is the world coming to?” What the world has already come to is the digital age. Unfortunately, education has not caught up. This is confirmed in another cover story appearing in the latest edition of Time magazine.

Both articles make the point that success in the 21st century depends upon the ability to think, analyze, and synthesize. This doesn’t sound much different to me than what has always been needed to succeed. But educators who have incorporated gaming into their courses claim that computer games teach these skills better than fact-laden textbooks.

I am not going to take time to get into all the arguments for and against video games. I refer you to the Ode article (http://www.odemagazine.com/backIssue.php?oID=216). One point the article makes is that those who play the games are usually under the age of 40, while the critics of gaming tend to be older and have rarely played the games themselves. Game developer Marc Prensky differentiates between digital natives and digital immigrants. The natives are those who grew up with digital technology. Those who came to computers later in life are referred to as digital immigrants. I am an immigrant to the digital world. My image of gamers is of antisocial, zoned-out teens with glazed eyes and brains of mush. The Ode article opened my mind to the beneficial aspects of gaming. Those involved in gaming claim that games encourage learning, problem solving, creativity, perseverance, and self-confidence. And the claim that games isolate youths is refuted by the fact that many games involve team play.

The arguments put forth in the Ode article for the educational benefits of computer games have prompted me to explore this mode of learning more closely. The article includes a list of resources on the use of games in education as well as the web addresses of suggested games. I am already exploring how I might experiment with computer games in my own classes. So before you chide your students for playing computer games, keep in mind they may very well be working on a class assignment. What is the world coming to?

The Map Is Not The Territory

2006-11-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

The late Catholic priest and psychotherapist Anthony de Mello in his book The Song of the Bird recalls a story of an explorer who returns to his people, who are eager to know about the Amazon. There is no way he can convey in words his experience of the beauties and dangers of his journey, so he urges them to go and find out for themselves. To guide them he draws a map of the river. The people eagerly study the map and become experts on all the information contained within the map. They eventually come to believe they know everything about the river.

We would do well to remind our students that what they learn in the classroom is merely the map. The best way to do this is to give them the opportunity to experience the territory for themselves. Experiential exercises, internships, service projects are some of the ways students can gain direct experience of a field.

Those of us who teach also need to regularly venture out into the territory to test our intellectual knowledge against experience. It is when we teach from our own experience that our teaching becomes authentic.

General Education

2006-11-19T11:55:00.000-05:00

I support the concept of general education requirements in college. I have had students tell me that while fulfilling their general education requirements they developed an interest in history, science, art, or other subjects outside their declared majors. However, I have had far more students complain to me that they have experienced general education courses as a waste of their time and money. They did not perceive the courses as having any relevance to their personal or professional lives.

General education courses play an important role in promoting integrative learning, which includes making meaningful connections between disciplines. Yet students do not seem to be grasping those connections. I continually hear students question the usefulness of a general education. Their questions have prompted me to seek answers.

There are two arenas in which I have been conducting experiments to find those answers, the academic courses I teach and the leader development process I coordinate. What I have found is that students enter a course or workshop expecting to be told specific answers to their life and career questions. They are not accustomed to devising their own answers. They also are generally unskilled at learning from their own experiences. They lack reflection skills. I have found they do enjoy learning about themselves. These observations inform my suggestions for approaching general education.

The primary complaint I hear from students about general education courses is the lack of relevance to their lives. How do these courses help them with their future careers? One of the explanations I give students is that a general education exposes them to various ways of thinking. To compete in the job market, one must differentiate oneself from all the others vying for the same positions. Being innovative is a key factor in differentiating oneself from the competition. One skill in being innovative is the ability to apply the perspectives and knowledge from one field to another. The majority of practitioners in any profession tend to read the same books and journals, attend the same conferences and seminars, belong to the same associations and clubs. They all draw from the same pool of ideas. To stand out from the pack requires the ability to draw from different sources of ideas and to synthesize new solutions.

Simply telling students of the value of learning from other disciplines is insufficient. They need to experience the connections between disciplines. Students need to practice how knowledge of history can help in making better decisions; how the arts foster personal creativity; how the scientific method can be used in problem solving; how philosophy may be applied to resolving life’s dilemmas. And students need to be helped connecting various disciplines to their own areas of interest.

Those interests are not limited to career. General education courses can play a critical role in personal development. In addition to general courses in religion, there could be a course in spirituality. In such a course students would journey inward. They would discover their inner source of strength and direction. They would discern their personal calling and sense of mission. There would be the opportunity to experiment with a variety of spiritual practices.

My point is that general education courses should go beyond teaching students about subject matter in a discipline. General education courses can also expose students to the paradigms and practices within each field. These courses also need to help students make specific connections between the academic disciplines and their own personal interests. Helping students cultivate the capacity to integrate interdisciplinary knowledge with life practice leads to wisdom and individuals prepared to learn, serve, and lead.

The Scary Side of Learning

2006-11-04T11:02:00.000-05:00

I love learning. It energizes me. This week I attended training on learning assessment. I came away from the workshop with many practical methods, some of which I have already applied in the classroom. Attending the program was well worth my time. I came away renewed. I also left scared.

What scared me about what I learned is the realization that my teaching is not as effective as it could be. I then wonder how I have shortchanged my past students. I experience such anxiety whenever I learn better ways to teach. I have the same reaction every time I learn something new about child rearing now that my children have been reared. My new learning prompts me to wonder how I may have psychologically scarred my children because of what I did not know. I have these thoughts in spite of the fact that my children are healthy, loving, productive adults.

My fears are not lasting. They dissipate as soon as I experience the thrill of applying my new learnings. My fear, however, does make me aware of why people may resist learning. Learning challenges our self-image. We discover we are not as knowledgeable and able as we thought. On the flipside, learning promotes our growth. We discover we are more than who we thought we were.

Learning reminds me that I am a work-in-progress. I strive to give and be my best at whatever I do recognizing that I will always have more to learn. Holding this perspective keeps me close to my students and open to learning with them. This keeps me fresh and energized. The scary side of learning keeps me alert. So I look forward to what I may learn from the next workshop, book, article, conversation. I may find it scary to discover what it is I don’t know, but I am more frightened of becoming content with what I do know.

Why Have Classes?

2006-10-12T17:38:00.000-04:00

Why offer classes? The reasons should be obvious. Our entire educational system is structured around the class model. How else are students to learn what they need to know if we don’t schedule classes? That is where the subjects are taught. Isn’t that where the learning takes place?

Most of the real learning takes place outside of the classroom. Students are exposed to what they need to know during class. They may even have opportunities to practice applying their new knowledge while in class. But only with repeated use does one truly learn a subject and its required skills. The repetition needed for learning usually takes place outside the classroom.

So students do most of their learning outside their scheduled classes, but they still need to attend class to discover what it is they need to know, right? Not necessarily. It has been over 30 years since I attended a college course, but I have certainly continued to learn. I read books and periodicals, access audio and video resources, search the internet, speak with colleagues, attend workshops and conferences, journal, write, present, and teach.

OK, but classes are needed to teach students how to learn, right? Well, that is certainly one approach to learning to learn, but there are other ways to learn the art of learning.

If we are able to learn outside the classroom, then why does our educational system revolve around offering subject matter through classroom teaching? Efficiency. One instructor can expose any number of students to course material at one time. It seems to work. Or does it? Are students actually learning or are they simply meeting requirements for a grade? I never have students ask me what they can do to learn more about a subject. I do have students ask me what they can do to improve their grade.

And look at how the typical classroom is arranged; rows of seats facing front. All eyes and ears are on the instructor. What the teacher has to say is the focus of the class. This establishes a passive role for students. I have experimented with my own classes. When I have students seated in a circle facing each other, whether in small groups or as an entire class, the level of energy and participation increases. When I remove myself from the circle, the students begin to explore the subject with each other rather than relying on me for answers. They begin to become engaged with the subject. The opportunity for students to explore a subject with their peers is what I find to be the most valuable aspect of having classes.

Holding classes is an efficient way to teach. The challenge is to make those classes an effective way to learn.

Think About It

2006-09-03T11:23:00.000-04:00

A key goal of education is to get students to think. I don’t want my students to passively accept or reject what I share with them. I want them to generate their own insights about the subject we are exploring. But what does it take to get students to think about the subject at hand?

I think about that which interests me. That interest forms the focal point of my thinking. It is the center around which I organize the input of information. Each piece of new information is like a piece of a larger puzzle. By finding where the new piece fits with past knowledge and experience, I add to my understanding. As more pieces of the puzzle fit together, a new and larger picture emerges. When enough pieces have come together, an entirely different perspective may arise. What I once thought becomes transformed. I experience a different reality. My consciousness expands and I thereby have a new experience of myself, others, and the world around me.

For students to think about a subject, they need a focal point around which to organize new inputs. However, students often do not have a central focus. Yes, they are concerned about finding a career, getting a job, making money, forming an intimate relationship. What is typically missing, though, is an overriding passion. They lack enthusiasm. They live uninspired lives. When I ask students what interests them, many have difficulty answering. Others will rattle off a short list of interests. When I ask which of those interests sparks their enthusiasm and energizes them, I usually get a blank stare. What troubles me the most is when I get this response from seniors. College should be a time when students discover their passion. They should graduate with more than a degree; they should leave college with a calling.

This is why I have designed a leader development process, which is offered to students at the University at which I teach, that begins with a journey inward. Students start their development as leaders by discerning their personal mission, vision, and values. Once students discover who they are and who they want to become, they can then decide what they need to do to achieve what they are called to create. Their academic pursuits then have meaning within a larger context. Their courses are no longer perceived as hurtles to get over. The end goal is not the mere earning of a degree. Their education becomes preparation for a calling.

We want students to think about what we strive to teach them. However, we need to help them discover a reason to think about what we teach. How might we do this? Think about it; then let the rest of us know what you think.

No Pain, No Gain

2006-08-22T10:56:00.000-04:00

“No pain, no gain” strikes me as a masochistic philosophy; sadistic if we impose it upon others. Yet it appears to be the philosophy behind some common educational practices. An example is what I wrote in my last entry about the tortures of reading boring textbooks. There is also the ordeal of sitting through interminable lectures. Then there are the “dim and dose” PowerPoint presentations (the instructor dims the lights and the students dose). Burdensome homework assignments that lack relevance or learning value are another form of torture. Pointless and embarrassing class activities are also a way to harass students. There are many more ways to make students’ lives miserable. I find it necessary to regularly examine the impact on students of my own teaching methods. Are there course requirements and practices that I impose that have no educational value to the students and may even hinder learning?

I do believe in challenging students. My experience is that students want to be challenged. To challenge is to engage students in the subject matter. It is to encourage the students to stretch beyond what they may initially think themselves capable of doing. To challenge is to promote growth. Students not only come to know more, they become more. Moving students beyond their current limits can generate enthusiasm and energy for learning. I don’t believe education was meant to be an endurance test.

Soliciting feedback is critical in determining if we are teaching or torturing our students. There are many ways to do this. Written evaluations are an option. These are usually completed at the end of a course. Unfortunately, the resulting feedback does not benefit the students who just completed that course. Distributing questionnaires at mid-term, or even more frequently, can alert faculty of any problems and identify what students find helpful. I will ask during a class if an explanation or exercise was helpful and useful. I have found meeting with students individually several times throughout a semester an effective means for soliciting and receiving valuable student feedback. This requires much time when there are forty students in a course, yet I find it well worth the effort.

Students will balk at doing work that is tedious. When challenged, though, I have had students do more than what I asked for. They took the initiative for their own learning. They have proven to me that there can be gain without pain.

Why Use Textbooks?

2006-08-19T10:39:00.000-04:00

I love to read. I dread reading textbooks. I find them informative but boring. I can read only a few pages at a time before I must go do something else to relieve my boredom. Like now. I am reading a textbook as I prepare to teach a course. Fifteen minutes after I sat down to read I am at my computer writing this blog entry.

At the end of last semester I had the students in the three sections of the introductory management course I was teaching do a self-assessment. One of the questions I asked was how thoroughly they read the textbook. Keep in mind that I started each class with a quiz on the assigned textbook chapter for that day. I was surprised by the students’ honesty. I was not surprised by the answers I received. Even my best students admitted that by mid-term they did nothing more than skim the chapters. That was doing well. Most students gave up on the text. They might turn to it to cram before an exam. Some students didn’t even own the textbook. Two or more students might share a copy. Those who did buy the textbook were likely to try and keep it in pristine condition so they could get more money when they resold it at the end of the semester. No one mentioned that they planned to keep the text as a reference after the course.

So why use textbooks if students don’t read them? My experience is that textbook use is more for the convenience of the teacher than for the benefit of the students. First, the textbook chapters provide the outline of the course. As the teacher, I don’t have to develop a course outline from scratch. All I need do is open to the text’s table of contents. The chapter titles give me the topics to be covered in the course. Then textbook publishers provide me with lecture notes, discussion questions, case studies, homework assignments, exam questions, PowerPoint slides. They may even have video segments I can show in class. Additional web resources are provided. Professionally prepared resources can save me an enormous amount of preparation time and effort. All of this I get for free! The students, by purchasing the assigned textbook, are paying to ease my workload.

As I said at the start of this piece, I find textbooks informative. I learn something from every textbook I read. And I keep my copies for future reference. But students are not going to receive value from the exorbitant expenditures they make for textbook purchases if they don’t read the books. We complain that students don’t read. We develop all kinds of strategies to force or entice them to read. How about we give them something interesting to read? I find students read when the book is relevant and engaging. Students will even recommend or pass on a copy of such books to their friends and even their parents. I suspect that textbooks are the primary culprit in killing students’ love for reading.

So what to do? I long ago eliminated the use of textbooks in my advanced courses. I provide handouts, internet resources, learning instruments, PowerPoint slides, and other materials. I have continued to use textbooks in my introductory courses. I am now questioning that decision after reviewing last semester’s student self-assessments. Developing alternatives will require more effort on my part. I will need to develop or identify alternative resources. I will need to search for more engaging books. I might make more use of periodicals. This will require some redesign of my curriculum. The extra work is worth it if it will result in more learning for the students. Why torture myself and my students with boring textbooks when there are so many engaging resources available? Today we can easily access exciting materials in text, audio, and video formats. Why use textbooks? It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to come up with a good reason. I am sure my students would agree.

New Literacies

2006-08-05T08:24:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in an earlier entry that Will Richardson’s book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms made me more aware of how changes in technology are creating a shift in how we think and learn. Richardson makes the point that the literate person of the 21st century must be able to do more than simply read and write. These two skills alone are not enough to ensure understanding and the ability to communicate in a web-based world.

A key shift is that individuals are no longer simply consumers of information but now have the opportunity to produce information for a wider audience. Anyone with access to the internet can publish. This means that information is no longer filtered through editors and publishers before getting to the public. Writers can communicate directly with readers. This requires that web readers serve as their own editors and be able to critique the veracity of what is written. And writers need to be versed in publishing on the web. But communication on the web is not limited to text. Internet communications also come in the form of audio, video, music, and digital photographs. The effective internet communicator needs to be familiar with how to convey a message visually and orally as well as in writing. All of these technological developments have created an explosion of information available to the individual. This requires the ability to manage information. Individuals must be educated in how to collect, store, and retrieve relevant information.

So how do we educate for these new literacies? One change I have made in my courses is to have students publish their papers on Blackboard for the entire class to read. Why should I be the only one who benefits from what each student has learned? Students also get to practice writing for an audience of more than one. I have students post their papers on the discussion board. This allows other students to comment online. I also have the students assess their classmates’ papers. This requires that they read critically.

The internet has become a multimedia medium. Today’s effective communicator needs to be able to think in multiple modes. I incorporate art and music in many of my courses to move students out of a sole reliance on analytical thinking. I want them thinking in sights and sounds. I want them to feel as well as think. I will have students draw and create music individually and collaboratively.

Reading Richardson’s book has made me more aware of the world our students inhabit. This awareness allows me to be intentional in providing my students with the literacies required to operate in that world. I have only scratched the surface in finding ways to better prepare students for the new world we are in. Of course, if I am to help my students, I first must learn how to inhabit this new world in which we find ourselves. That is an entire learning curve of its own.

Educating The Whole Person

2006-08-03T10:38:00.000-04:00

Point to yourself. Where is your finger? It is likely not pointed at your big toe, or even your head. You are likely pointing at your heart. We identify ourselves with our heart while education focuses on the head. It should be no surprise then that students are often bored with their educational experience. Teaching concentrates on training our minds while neglecting those parts of ourselves with which we identify. If we want students engaged in learning, then we need to speak to the whole person—head, heart, and hands. We need to continue exposing students to the knowledge base in their fields of study. We are not to neglect the head. However, we also need to speak to the heart. We need to tap students’ passions and channel that energy into the learning process. We also are to train students’ hands to have the skills to implement the knowledge they obtain. We are to address the science, spirit, and skills of whatever discipline we are teaching. In this way we engage the whole person in the learning process. Learning will then become the exciting endeavor it is meant to be for teachers and students alike.

Three Ts of Teaching

2006-07-26T08:41:00.000-04:00

Teaching requires learning. Faculty must continue to be learners in their disciplines to remain current with the latest findings. It has traditionally been expected that teachers be lifelong learners in their academic specialty. So the first T of teaching is having knowledge of the Topic being taught. But being an expert on a particular subject is no longer considered enough to be an effective teacher.

The second T of teaching expertise is Teaching. Faculty must extend their learning curve to include developments in teaching methodologies. There has been increasing emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and learning. Reliance on lecture as the sole methodology used to teach is becoming increasingly unacceptable. Teachers are having to become familiar with active learning, integrated learning, accelerated learning, action learning, constructivist classrooms, learner-centered teaching, transformative learning, mentoring, service learning, alternative assessment, neurobiological learning, cooperative learning, interactive lecture, emotional intelligence, multiple intelligences, learning styles, teaching styles, constructive-developmental pedagogy, andragogy, self-authorship, self-directed learning, integral learning (yes, this is different from integrated learning mentioned earlier in this list), collaborative learning, multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, etc., etc., etc. It’s enough to make a teacher’s head spin. Now it is not enough to research one’s topic, a teacher must also study the latest developments in how to deliver that scholarly knowledge to students.

But wait! There is a third T—Technology. Teachers must now become adept in the use of computers, digital cameras, instant messaging, blogs, podcasts, videocasts, course-casting, screen-casting, fly-casting (woops, wrong blog), RSS feed, wikis, social bookmarking, aggregators, alligators (sorry, wrong blog again), URL, Furl (ready to hurl yet?), digital, virtual, links, blinks and a whole lot more I don’t have a clue about. And you thought you were doing well having figured out PowerPoint and Blackboard. The use of technology in teaching is not about merely adding flash (no, I’m not using this word in the techie sense) to your courses. Technology shapes how we think, learn, and relate. To prepare students for today’s world we must use the tools of today. We would not find a buggy whip useful in driving a car. Likewise, we must employ more than textbooks and chalkboards to convey information to our students.

The upshot of all this is that faculty must pursue three tracks of learning. If we are to serve our students well as teachers, we need to commit to keeping abreast with our disciplines, with the methodologies to engage our students with those disciplines, and with the tools to communicate subject matter to our students. The mantra for today’s professional teacher is, “learning, learning, learning.” Learning about our topic; learning about teaching, learning about technology. That should keep us all busy. Happy learning.

I Have Seen The Light!

2006-07-21T13:10:00.000-04:00

I am no techie. (I am not even sure I spelled the word correctly.) I am definitely not an early adopter. I bought my first computer in 1993 and didn’t get my next one until twelve years later. I once had to call the manufacturer with a tech question about my old computer and they had to search for some old guy (age 30?) in some back office who could figure out what I was talking about. I have no cell phone (I tried it but gave it up years ago), no iPod, no digital camera. I am not totally clueless, though, when it comes to technology. I do use email, search the internet, have a website, keep discovering more features of Blackboard, and I am blogging. I have been guilty, however, of lamenting over the inevitable downfall of civilization due to young people’s growing obsession with any electronic gadget that can be put to the ear.

But I have come to see the light! I have heard the call! I have gotten the message! All this new technology stuff is here to stay and is going to continue to develop at an ever faster pace. And it is changing the world and us.

My initial breakthrough occurred upon reading The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman. That book opened my eyes to how developments in technology are shaping the global economy and societal relationships. My latest revelation struck as I read Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson. What Richardson helped me see is how technology is reshaping how we think and the implications for education. I will explore in future entries what I discovered from my reading of Richardson. In the meantime, I recommend you read the book.

What I want to write about now is my concern. I am worried. I am worried about our students, our colleges, and our nation. I am concerned that we are preparing our students for a world that no longer exists. Current technological developments demand that we transform our paradigms of teaching, learning, literacy, working, writing, creating. If we want to serve our students, if we want our colleges to thrive, if we want America to remain vibrant, we all need to think in new ways. I am not talking about simply learning skills to use new technologies. We need to become aware of how those technologies are shaping how we think, learn, and interact. Without this awareness, we will unknowingly become victims of progress. I would rather we be in a position to take part in leading that progress.

Freedom To Learn

2006-06-27T09:51:00.000-04:00

One of the exciting aspects of learning something new is that it typically sparks my interest in several other topics. I am grateful for the freedom to pursue what interests me. I lament that my students do not enjoy the same degree of freedom as I do. Their course work tends to restrict how far their learning can range. Students are constricted in their learning by prescribed readings, required assignments, and imposed deadlines. There are ways, though, to encourage students to expand their range of inquiry within a course.

One way I employ is to expose students to relationships between subjects the students may consider as unrelated. For example, in my management principles course I include a visit to the art museum on campus. The students and I explore what managers can learn from artists about innovation. After one such visit, one of my students was inspired to do his course paper on the subject of management as art. He is now honing that paper for publication.

Another method I use is to link students’ personal interests with the course material. How might management skills be applied to personal relationships, making career choices, team sports, shopping, or composing music? I encourage students when deciding on a focus for their course papers and presentations to connect the course material to areas of interest to them or to their personal experiences. I have them post their papers on the course’s website for all the students to read. After reading the papers and hearing the oral presentations of others in the course, students have reported to me how surprised they were by the range of contexts in which the subject matter could be applied.

Integrated learning can be facilitated by helping students make connections between various disciplines and by giving them the freedom to range far and wide in their pursuit of learning.

What's The Incentive?

2006-06-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

In January I was appointed as the coordinator for my university’s student leadership development program. As I began planning the program's offerings, I wrestled with the question, “What is the incentive for students to participate in the program?” After my appointment, I established a student advisory committee for the program. The students raised the same question I did. So I asked them why they are involved. Because they want to learn how to lead, was their reply. They aren’t motivated by a grade or academic credit. They are motivated to learn about a subject that is of interest to them. Wow! What a concept. Students pursuing a subject for the sake of learning rather than for a grade! There was my answer. Design a program that appeals to those who want to learn to lead. After all, those are the students who I want to attract and work with.

I wrestle with the same question about motivation when designing my courses. How do I get students committed to learning the subject of the course? Again I turned to my students. In my performance management course this past semester I used the course as a laboratory. The students learned performance management principles by applying those principles to the course. In other words, the students designed the course. It didn’t take long for the issue of motivation to surface. What became obvious is that half the class wanted to learn the course subject and the other half wanted to know how early they could get out of class. After all, it was an evening course that ran nearly three hours. Who would want to stay for three hours to learn about performance management? I discovered the answer to that question one evening when I gave up on trying to devise incentives to motivate them all to learn. I gave the question of motivation to the class and I left early. The next day I received excited emails from a few of the students. The half of the class that stayed after I left experienced the most rewarding learning experience of the course; for some it was one of the best classes of their college career. And they stayed beyond the class period! Wow! What a concept. Students involved enough in learning to be oblivious to the clock!

For each subsequent class I gave my lesson, posed a question to the class, and left early. During the week that followed I received emails with answers to the question I posed. I emailed my feedback and in answer received the students’ revisions. Only half of the class was motivated to stay and work on the issues I presented. What those who stayed discovered, however, was that learning was more rewarding and energizing when not dampened by the listless attitude of the unmotivated students.

What did I learn? Design courses for those who want to learn the subject matter. As teachers we spend so much time and energy trying to devise ways to motivate the unmotivated that we neglect the students who are committed to learning. If someone does not want to learn what is needed to prepare them for a profession, why are we trying to persuade them to learn? We end up certifying mediocre candidates for professions they have little interest in. That is not serving the professions or the students. It would be better for us to help those who are not motivated to learn a subject to discover what they are excited to learn about. And if they can’t find a field that motivates them, then perhaps they are not ready for college.

Part of my university’s mission is to develop within students “a passion for learning.” I suggest we turn this around. Let us help students discover what they are passionate to learn. Motivation is inwardly generated. It cannot be imposed externally. Let us stop trying to persuade students and help them to discover.

I'm baaaack....

2006-06-21T11:28:00.000-04:00

Did you miss me? Or perhaps you hoped you were rid of me. I was caught in an end-of-semester “perfect storm” of student papers, assignments, and tests to grade. Then I had a flurry of conferences to attend and present at. All that time I continued to reflect upon teaching and learning. I simply didn’t have the time to record my thoughts. So allow me to backtrack to the end of the semester.

After I dug myself out from under the mountain of student works I had to review, it came time for me to tally the final course grades. That is when I was confronted with the question from one of my readings, “Should the final course grade reflect the student’s cumulative efforts over the entire semester, or should the grade represent the level of expertise the student has achieved by the end of the course?” I have always practiced the first approach and did so again this semester. After all the grading I had just completed I was too brain dead to contemplate the philosophy of grades. The question persists, however. I don’t have an answer but intend to consider the question as I plan my courses for the next semester. Meanwhile, I welcome your thoughts. What do you think a final grade should represent?

Emphasizing The Negative

2006-04-17T13:36:00.000-04:00

Am I squelching my students’ creativity? My recent reading on creativity has caused me to raise this question. The authors I am reading point out that teachers primarily teach students what is wrong with their thinking, not what is right with it. In tests and papers students’ attention is drawn to grammatical errors, spelling errors, mistakes in logic. The positive aspects of students’ work may be ignored. The result is that students are conditioned to concentrate on not making mistakes rather than on taking risks. Students become cautious. This dampens creativity and originality. I must admit that when I am correcting students’ work I highlight more errors than accomplishments. I do question, though, how significantly I am hindering their creativity. After hearing students’ explanations for their errors, I think I actually may be encouraging creative thinking.

Learn To Learn

2006-04-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

I question whether we are adequately preparing our students for life after college. I say this because of a recent experience in one of my classes.

I asked each student to think of a question regarding the course subject he or she would like answered. The assignment I gave was for each student to find answers to his or her question and report back to the class what was learned about the topic. I received confused looks and was then asked, “But how are we to learn about our topic?” These are college juniors and seniors and they are not clear about how to learn on their own. The next class I spent time talking about how to learn.

Success in any profession--success in life—requires ongoing learning. Students need to develop an attitude of lifelong learning and acquire the ability to teach themselves. What is known in any discipline will change. Current knowledge is quickly outdated in today’s rapidly-changing environment. Success will go to those who can keep pace with change. This requires that our students learn how to learn. That is the knowledge that will prepare them to lead a fulfilling life after college.

Naive Me

2006-03-17T14:30:00.000-05:00

I choose to believe my students. Experience tells me that is an overly optimistic perspective. Call me naïve, or gullible.

At the start of each semester I ask my students how they prefer to learn. The majority say they prefer class and small group discussion along with opportunities for hands-on application of the subject matter. They want a participatory learning approach. This pleases me since it is my preferred approach to teaching. So I design my courses with plenty of time for discussion and application. Well, my students must be fast learners. In their small groups they are able to race to a resolution of some of the thorniest issues with time left to discuss their weekend plans. And I must misunderstand what students mean when they say they like class discussions. They must mean they enjoy listening to rather than contributing to such discussions. The first time I initiate a class discussion with a question and wait for a response I am confronted with expressions of panic. Enough students eventually become uncomfortable in the long silence that follows my question that a discussion begins. The class quickly learns to either respond to my discussion starters or start practicing silent meditation. Eventually some students begin to initiate discussion questions on their own.

I also get a lot of surprised looks whenever I implement what students have asked me to include in the course design. In one course I am currently teaching many students indicated that they find role plays helpful. I recognize that not everyone likes this method of learning, but there were enough students who requested it that I decided to include it in the course. When it came time to practice the skill I had outlined and demonstrated, I gave students three options for forming practice trios. I suggested that those who find role plays helpful form their own groups. Those who prefer to discuss their action plans rather than act them out could form separate trios. The third set of trios was for those who prefer to discuss their plans for the upcoming weekend. I started to explain the role play process when I decided to ask how many groups were going to use this method. To my surprise no hands went up. Even though a significant number of students said they find role play useful, no one chose this approach when given the option. At least it saved class time since I didn’t have to give the role play instructions.

I suspect that students have been giving me what they believe to be politically correct answers to my questions concerning their learning preferences. Nonetheless, I will continue to ask my students what they want in a course design. And I will continue to act on their recommendations. First, I get a kick out of the incredulous looks on students’ faces when they realize I took their suggestions seriously. Second, it may teach them to be careful what they ask for. They may actually get it.

For Auditory Learners

2006-03-16T13:34:00.000-05:00

I regularly post slide presentations on my courses’ websites for the benefit of visual learners. Now I am addressing the needs of auditory learners by posting links to relevant podcasts.

World-Class?

2006-03-05T04:59:00.000-05:00

Several people on campus recommended I read the book "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman. So I did. Now I recommend it.

Friedman contends that we have entered into a new era of globalization. What makes the new form of globalization unique is that individuals are shaping the global system. Computer software has empowered individuals to collaborate and compete globally. Countries and companies are losing control of globalization to people. Reading the book gave me a new perspective on the meaning of a world-class education.

According to Friedman, work that can be digitized can be outsourced to either the smartest or the cheapest producer anywhere in the world. To provide students with a world-class education, we need to make them aware that they are moving into a global workplace. This requires a world-oriented perspective. Ethnocentrism will lead to failure in a world-wide market. Our students need to be prepared to work with people from anywhere in the world. Technology is making geography increasingly irrelevant. The workplace is no longer defined by geographic location. The virtual workplace is expanding. A work team can consist of individuals spread around the globe. Our students need to develop the skills and attitudes that will enable them to synthesize practices and perspectives from various cultures. Globalization is the reality that will define the future in which our students will be living and working. We must prepare them to be citizens of the world.

To The Rescue

2006-02-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

I am in the midst of a significant teaching experiment in one of my courses. We are a month into the course. This is the time in the emerging process that student frustrations begin to appear and my sense of panic increases. It is a natural part of the learning process. What I am tempted to do, however, is to rescue us all and revert back to the comfortable and familiar. What I need to do is remind myself of why I decided upon the experiment. I need to recommit myself to the learning goals I established. I need to be courageous.

I share this because anyone who ventures into the unknown to experiment, learn, and grow will experience times of panic. Know that you are not alone. What you are experiencing is normal. The challenge is to find ways to reinforce your resolve to follow your vision. What helps me is to keep learning. I learn by reflecting upon my current experience to identify what is going well and what may need to be changed. I continue to read, attend training, and dialogue with colleagues to bolster my confidence. What most inspires me to continue with my experiment, though, is to focus on how much I care for my students. I care about what happens to them when they venture forth from college. I want them to be able to deal with the ambiguities of life. I don’t want to spoon feed them answers. It is critical that they learn how to learn. So I will strive to continue to give them my best and to evoke the best from them. That means I will refrain from coming to our rescue. May we all survive to tell the tale at the end.

Fear In The Classroom

2006-02-18T08:35:00.000-05:00

I hear students and faculty agree that the current educational system is flawed. Yet we cling to the very methods we condemn. How come? Fear. Students fear attempting anything that may lower their grade point average or that will differentiate them from their peers. Faculty fear losing control of the classroom or of looking incompetent if a teaching experiment flops. I am sure each of us can name other fears that prevent us from exploring new options. To counter our fears we need to foster an attitude of experimentation. Learning involves an ongoing journey from the known into the unknown. It is not possible for us to know what experiments will succeed until we try them. It takes courage to live within the unknown. Here is where peer support can help. Our courage is bolstered when we can share our hopes and fears with others who understand what we are feeling. We are encouraged when we know that there are others who believe in what we are doing and who share our goals and experiences. When we struggle alone, doubt stalks us. We question our competency. It is helpful to hear from others who share our struggles. The support of others renews our confidence. We again have the courage to make a difference until the next cycle of fear overtakes us. Fear will continue to visit us as we venture beyond our known limits. But as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Where is the Passion?

2006-02-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

I recently had one of my classes identify the implications of our university’s mission and vision to the design of the course. I had the students form into small groups to discuss how the course was to be conducted if we stayed true to the university’s mission and vision. The one theme that every group identified as important to how we conducted the course was to exhibit “a passion for learning.” Part of the university’s purpose is to instill a passion for learning in students. After hearing each group report on the importance of the course evoking passion, I looked out at the forty students in the class and asked, “Where is it? Where is the passion?” They spoke of passion as if they were reciting from a grocery list. It then occurred to me. They were afraid of it! To be passionate would differentiate them. They would stand out from their peers. They would be perceived as weird. They would be labeled crazy. What they were saying is that they would act like me and that was frightening!

What evokes passion? Caring. When you deeply care about something, you can’t help but be passionate. That passion does not have to be wild and loud. It may be quiet but it will still be felt by others. Passion is an energy that emerges from the core of our being. My wife, Gwen, says, “Passion drives dreams to reality.” Passion can make great things happen. It can also wreak havoc. The outcome depends upon the values that channel our passion.

Passion is contagious. It is a spark that can ignite a flame in others. If we expect our students to be passionate about learning, we must be role models. That requires that we allow ourselves to be vulnerable. Passion is a surrendering of control. To be passionate is to allow something to grab hold of us, to direct our energies. Obviously, we do not give up all control. We must channel our energy towards positive outcomes. This is where our values play an important part. What we are to give up control to when we allow ourselves to be passionate is a higher calling. Our call will take us beyond our perceived limits. As a result we will feel vulnerable, unsure, and anxious. We will also experience exhilaration, insight, and growth.

To fulfill our university’s mission, we must lead our students to experience a passion for learning. Where is that passion to be found? Deep within.

Is This Student Serious?

2006-02-05T06:23:00.000-05:00

Following is a recent email I received. I have deleted the name to protect the guilty. Is this student serious? You judge based on your own experience.

Dear Professor Alegre,

May I please have your class and office hour schedule so that I can meet with you to talk about what I need to do to get an A+ in your class?

Because of my work schedule, I won’t be able to attend any of your classes and because of a busy personal life, I won’t be able to complete any assignments. And, is it OK, if I take your exams late? My husband keeps me busy reading other stuff on weekends, so I don’t have time to study for your course. Oh, and my snow shoe team coach makes me attend practice daily, and I have a note for that. Hope that’s not a problem.

But, I am a really, really good student and I deserve an A+.

Sincerely,
[name deleted]

Do It Your Way

2006-01-29T12:40:00.000-05:00

In this web log and in presentations I make I share my approach to teaching. My approach, however, may not be right for you. There are as many ways to teach as there are teachers. You need to assess the needs of your course, your students, and your style. What is the best way to achieve your course objectives? What are the learning styles of your students? What teaching methods fit your personality and values? At the same time, I suggest you stretch beyond your comfort zone. Experiment with new methodologies. Expose your students to different ways of learning. Discover new teaching capabilities. My sharing through this blog is meant to spark your own exploration of teaching. To be effective, your teaching needs to be an expression of who you are. To be a successful teacher, you need to do it your way.

Evocative Education

2006-01-28T09:27:00.000-05:00

The spiritual writer Thomas Moore in one of his musings in Meditations considers study as a spiritual practice. He differentiates being educated from being informed or trained. He defines education as “a drawing out of one’s genius, nature, and heart. The manifestation of one’s essence, the unfolding of one’s capacities, the revelation of one’s heretofore hidden possibilities….”

I observe that education is typically thought of as a process of “putting in” rather than of “drawing out.” Students are to be filled with knowledge and skills that they do not yet possess. What Moore suggests is that education is to evoke the hidden wisdom and talents that may lie dormant within the learner.

How might we make education evocative? A key tool is questions. Rather than teach by telling, ask questions to help students discover what they already know about a subject. Help students connect the subject under study to their own experiences. Students know more than they realize. They simply need help making the connections between what is being learned and what they already know.

Students are also drawn out by the teacher’s enthusiasm for the subject. The teacher’s energy sparks the interest of the students. The instructor’s excitement for learning stirs the motivation of students to learn. The teacher also needs to be open to learning from students. This bolsters the self-confidence of students and helps them to realize that they have something worth contributing to the learning process.

The teacher’s attitude toward students is the defining factor. What you see is what you get. Are students seen as ignorant brains to be enlightened or as whole persons to be encouraged? Is the learner considered a passive recipient or an active participant in the learning process?

Moore points to education as being more than the acquisition of diplomas, degrees, and certifications. He perceives it as a soulful practice. The stirring of spirit and soul is the true value of an evocative education.

The Seed of Knowledge

2006-01-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

We ask questions in order to know. There is something we do not know so we inquire so that through an answer we may come to some new knowledge. Yet the seed of our new knowledge is contained within our question. We need to know something of what we do not know in order to ask our question. If we knew absolutely nothing about the subject of our inquiry, we would not be able to ask our question. If I do not know what I do not know, then I am unaware that there is anything to ask. It is when I discover that I don’t know something that I ask a question so that I may know. I will explain in less convoluted reasoning.

Say there is a topic I don’t know exists. Obviously I can’t ask a question about that subject since I am unaware that there is such a subject. That topic is not a part of my universe. Then I become aware of the existence of the subject. I now know the subject exists but I have no knowledge of its particulars. This prompts me to ask questions so that I may become informed on the subject. But the seed of my subsequent knowledge is contained in the questions I ask. Those questions guide and focus my pursuit of new knowledge. I need to know enough, even if it is knowing what I do not know, to be able to ask for what I am missing.

So what is the point of these philosophical acrobatics? Our students may enter a course feeling stupid about the subject matter. They are reluctant to ask questions for fear of sounding dumb. However, the fact that they have questions is evidence that they already know enough about the subject to be able to inquire about it. They already know more than they think they do. Asking questions is not a sign of ignorance but evidence of intelligence. You are not stupid if you know enough to ask a question. By explaining this to our students we may be able to encourage their questions. Learning begins with questions. We will learn nothing if we have nothing to ask.

“Ask and you will receive, and so your joy will be complete.” John 16:24

Playing In The Fields

2006-01-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

I recently attended a conference on integrated learning. One important aspect of integrated learning is to take a multidisciplinary approach to a subject. I enjoy applying different disciplines to my course subjects. This is not always easy to do. It requires the ability to make connections between subjects. Those connections are often not obvious. Synthesizing from various disciplines requires us to be familiar with different fields of study. We need to take time to explore subjects outside our area of expertise. We then need to play with those subjects to find how they may relate to our own specialty. This requires an attitude of experimentation. We must be secure enough in ourselves to admit what we don’t know. It is necessary to take on the role of the novice. We are to make new discoveries along with our students.

I experienced this last semester while teaching a course on leadership and teamwork. During one of the class meetings I held at the art museum on campus, I pointed out a piece of art that consisted of a black Plexiglas square mounted in the center of a larger white square. I asked the class what the piece communicated about leadership. Now, the artist did not create this work as a lesson about leadership. And I had no ready answer to my own question. Nonetheless, I received some insightful answers from the students. One student learned from the piece that answers to problems do not always need to be complex. Sometimes the most effective leader is the one who helps followers find the simple answer. Another student, as he studied the squares, was able to see his reflection in the center black square. That sparked the insight that leadership begins by looking within ourselves before taking outward action. The insights of my students helped me make new connections between art and leadership.

This takes me back to my previous post. We need to lighten up and at times take a playful approach to our subject. We then create a safe learning environment in which our students dare to play. Together we can discover that playing in academic fields can be great fun.

The Best Years

2006-01-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

My parents said it to me. I hear parents today telling it to their children who are in college. “Enjoy college while you can. These are the best years of your life.”

What a depressing message! We are telling our young people that it is all downhill after school. Expect it to only get worse for the next sixty years or so. The lucky die young.

I enjoyed my college years but I never wanted to repeat them. There has always been too much to experience and learn at whatever stage of life I have been. I have always looked forward to what is next. There are people in their 80’s entering their next careers.

What fuels my enthusiasm for life is the joy of learning. Learning keeps me at my cutting edge, at the frontier of my identity. I keep learning that not only am I capable of more than I thought I was, I am more than who I thought I was. I keep discovering that the definition of who I am is dynamic and fluid. There will always be more of myself to discover as long as I keep looking.

The enthusiasm for lifelong learning is the message we need to be communicating to our students. The best way to communicate that message is by exhibiting our own joy for learning. I experience teaching as a gift. By teaching others I learn so much. There are times I break out in laughter in the middle of a lecture I am presenting. After I catch my breath, I explain to the confused class of students what new learning I have just grasped and how much fun I am having. No wonder I have a reputation for being crazy. But hey, I’m having the time of my life! And joy loves company. So I invite my students to lighten up and have fun learning, learning, learning!

We as teachers need to role model for our students. We need to lighten up and not take ourselves and our subjects so seriously. We need to allow our students to see by way of our actions the joys of learning, growing, and serving. Forget about youth being the best years of life. The best is yet to come!

Get Real!

2006-01-15T05:12:00.000-05:00

I hear students regularly refer to life outside of and after college as “the real world.” That is a telling phrase. What it implies is that what occurs in college is separate from what really counts. Academia is somehow divorced from reality. Life really begins upon graduation and when one has secured a job. This perception does not reflect well upon higher education. It indicates students do not experience college as relevant to life.

I recently attended a conference on integrative learning. An important aspect of this approach to education is to connect academics to students’ experiences outside of the classroom. I find students hungry for this type of learning. Integrative learning theory can help us respond to what students are saying they need us to do: Get real!

Grade Obsession

2006-01-14T11:33:00.000-05:00

As soon as I submit the final grades for each semester I receive emails from disappointed students. There are those who failed the course asking what they can do to pass the course now that it is over. I often hear from the “B+” students who are upset that they did not earn an “A.” What I have always counted on is not hearing from my “A” students. After all, what reason would they have to complain? Hence my surprise when the first two emails I received after the grades were posted for this semester came from “A” students inquiring why they did not get an “A+.” When I was a student I wouldn’t have dared to question a professor about an “A” grade. I would have feared the professor would have discovered that the “A” was given to me by mistake and that I had actually flunked the course. Not only did my two students question the lower “A,” but one student was not satisfied with my first explanation and continued to press his case—to no avail. Both students were genuinely interested in the course subject and committed to their own learning and growth. However, at the end they could not let go of their obsession with grades. It reinforces my belief that, within the educational system, grades are the primary obstacle to learning.

Entering Into Dialogue

2006-01-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

In my last post I mentioned the need for faculty and administrators to clarify their institution’s mission, vision, values, and goals. But clarification is not enough. This needs to be followed with identifying how these statements are to inform action at both the individual and collective levels. To accomplish this a community needs to enter into dialogue.

In discussion different views are presented and defended. Ideas are analyzed. Discussion is meant to facilitate a decision. Dialogue is an exploration of issues. Different views are presented as a means to discovering new perspectives. While discussion is meant to lead to action, the purpose of dialogue is to cultivate a deeper understanding of issues. Each person’s contribution to the dialogue contributes to a more holistic understanding of an issue. Dialogue enlarges the pool of ideas from which we may draw. By entering into dialogue first, we can have more informed discussions about what actions to take.

Certain conditions must exist for dialogue to occur. First, all participants must suspend their assumptions. This does not mean suppressing our assumptions. Rather, we are to put forth our assumptions for examination. Second, participants must consider each other as colleagues. This requires an environment of mutual trust and respect. The third requirement is a facilitator who will keep the group in dialogue and prevent people from straying into discussion. Dialogue can help particpants grow into a true learning community.

What Are We Doing?

2006-01-04T13:44:00.000-05:00

We don’t know what we are doing. “Who doesn’t?” you may ask defensively. Faculty, administrators, staff, students. Yes, most of us could describe our roles in higher education and what we are personally trying to accomplish in those roles. What I regularly hear from faculty at various colleges, though, is the lack of a common purpose. At many institutions there is not an explicit shared focus.

I have been regularly attending conferences and discussions about teaching methods. However, before we can assess the appropriateness of particular teaching methodologies, we need to know what we are striving to achieve. Are we preparing students for the workplace? Are we training citizens? Do we want to create critical thinkers? Before exploring teaching methods, faculty and administrators need to be clear about their institution’s mission, vision, values, and goals. And these statements need to be translated into explicit action. The mission, vision, and values define an institution’s identity. It is from this core that actions corporately and individually are to emerge. When the collective and individual purposes and values are aligned and all act congruent with those purposes and values, there is then integrity within the system. It will then become clear what it is we are to do.

Critical Incident

2005-12-24T05:04:00.000-05:00

Whenever you are striving to reinforce what you have learned, it can be helpful to review your attempts to implement the concepts, principles, or skills that you want to master. One process for conducting such a review is to complete a critical incident report. The process is as follows.

Recall an incident that provided you with an opportunity to apply what you have learned. Use the following questions to help you reflect upon the situation.
1. What was the situation?
2. What factors caused or contributed to the situation?
3. Where in the situation did you use the techniques/processes you recently learned?
4. Where could you have used your new learnings but did not? How come?
5. What can you learn from this situation that you can apply in the future to make the next outcome more effective?

Side By Side

2005-12-10T20:44:00.000-05:00

My daughter emailed me this quote. The author was not identified.

"A great teacher never strives to explain his vision--he simply invites you to stand beside him and see for yourself."

Moving Through Change

2005-12-04T09:32:00.000-05:00

There is no place to hide from change. However, we can choose how to deal with it. Change moves us into confusion. One way we deal with the discomfort of this stage is to hold onto what we know. In this case we continue to define competency according to what the past required. To move with change we need to redefine competency according to what the new circumstance requires. Gaining new competencies gives us a greater sense of control over our situation. This sense of control bolsters our confidence. As our confidence continues to grow we become more comfortable with our circumstances. Comfort can lead to complacency. We begin to coast. We either initiate a change to keep us growing or change will find us. Either way the cycle begins anew:

Change/Confusion/Competence/Control/Confidence/Comfort/Complacency/Change

Notes on Knowing

2005-12-03T08:06:00.000-05:00

Education emphasizes knowledge. Students and teachers alike are judged by what they know. Following are some musings on knowing that provide a different perspective. I offer them as thought-starters.

We seek to control by knowing. We are limited by what we know. Knowledge locks us in to the past. We can only know what is or has been. Knowledge limits change, which limits life. To stay within the known is to remain in the past.

Knowledge brings clarity. We are unclear about that which we do not know. Growth involves change. This means having to venture into the unknown, which is unclear. Insight is clarity emerging from confusion. Questioning leads to certainty. Certainty eliminates questioning.

If you know what I am talking about, I am then simply reiterating what you already know. This reinforces stagnation. If what I share confuses you, then I have moved you into the unknown. It is from the realm of the unknown that growth emerges.

Our situation will remain the same if we continue to operate from the known. We will keep getting what we have always gotten. We may rearrange the furniture, even replace the furniture, yet we are still living in the same house. We must change houses if we are to live in a new place. By changing our minds, we change our lives.

Three-Dimensional Learning

2005-11-17T17:06:00.000-05:00

Three-dimensional learning promotes long-term development. The three learning dimensions are:

Speed of learning: How fast one can move through the learning cycle (planning, implementing, reflecting).

Depth of learning: How well one is able to question underlying assumptions and improve the capacity to learn in the future.

Breadth of learning: How extensively one is able to transfer new insights and knowledge to other issues and parts of one’s life.

Developing Competence

2005-11-12T21:57:00.000-05:00

Competence = Knowledge + Ability + Experience

Knowledge is gained by acquiring information, which is an educational concern. Ability involves skill development. This requires training. Experience comes from practice. To learn from our experience requires us to reflect. To help our students develop competence in a field, we need to provide them with more than a sound knowledge base. We need to support them in developing the skills needed to put their new knowledge into action and to provide opportunities for students to practice those skills. We are to then help them reflect upon their experiences and provide them with feedback on their performance. After all, we do not learn by having experiences but by reflecting upon those experiences. If we limit the college experience to only the educational portion of competence development, we will graduate intelligent incompetents.

Dialogue

2005-11-10T19:39:00.000-05:00

Our assumptions are the source of our results. Our behaviors are simply the means by which we manifest our assumptions. Lasting and significant change occurs when we change our assumptions. A useful process for uncovering individual and group assumptions is dialogue. This process differs from the usual mode of group discussion. The intent of dialogue is not to come to conclusions but to explore the rationale behind people’s perceptions of an issue. In a dialogue, as we share our views on a particular topic with each other we also share the data upon which we base our conclusions. We then invite the other group members to ask questions to help clarify the assumptions that underlie our view. This process is repeated with each member of the group. The purpose is to understand the experiences and information that have led each person to his or her stance. By suspending judgment and debate, dialogue helps create a pool of common meaning. The group can then synthesize from this reservoir of meaning new assumptions to support the achievement of the intended goal.

Creating Reality

2005-11-08T16:46:00.000-05:00

Reality is not an objective static state but a dynamic creative process. Reality is what we perceive it to be.

The subjectivity of reality is illustrated by a tribe in the Kalahari who know that the world ends 250 yards beyond their local area. It is reported that if you take them to that boundary, they will see nothing beyond it but a void. If you step over that line, they are no longer able to see you and mourn your departure until your return into the existing world.

We may be quick to judge such beliefs as pathetically ignorant. However, all of us have our 250 yard limit; that point where we believe something to be impossible, untrue, or nonexistent. Some examples. In 1880 Thomas Edison, commenting about his own invention, declared, “The phonograph...is not of any commercial value.” Noted astronomer Simon Newcomb stated in 1902, “Flight by machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible.” In 1913 the American Road Congress decided, “It is an idle dream to imagine that automobiles will take the place of railways in the long distance movement of passengers.” It was the opinion in 1920 of the Nobel Prize winning physicist Robert Millikan that, “There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom.” In 1977 president of Digital Equipment Corporation, Ken Olsen, stated, “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”

Our reality is built upon our assumptions--the way we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us. Our assumptions drive our behaviors. Our behaviors, in turn, determine our results. Our outer reality is ultimately a manifestation of our thinking. To achieve significant and lasting change requires us to address our assumptions. Psychologist William James recognized this when he wrote at the turn of the twentieth century, “The greatest discovery in our generation is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives!” What we are to learn, then, is to identify the assumptions responsible for our current outcomes and alternative perceptions that will support the achievement of our desired results.

The first step in this process is to evaluate our current results. If we are satisfied with the present outcomes, there is no need to do anything different. If we keep doing what we have been doing, we will keep getting the same results. However, if we want different results, then we need to examine what actions have led us to where we are now and what assumptions have been generating those behaviors. We then must identify the outcomes we desire, the new behaviors that will achieve those results, and the assumptions that will be congruent with the behaviors. What we must learn is to be ready to change our minds.

Tapping Your Inner Wisdom

2005-10-31T19:25:00.000-05:00

You have heard it said many times, “We learn from experience.” Well, we don’t. If we learned from experience, we would not keep making the same mistakes.

You may know someone who has been at the same job for ten years. Yet that person describes performing the role in the same way as it was performed a decade ago. That individual does not have ten years of experience at the job but merely one year of experience repeated ten times.

We do not learn by simply having experiences. To learn, we must reflect upon our experiences. Too many of us live life in a semi-comatose state. We interact with others and our environment. If a situation turns out in our favor, we credit it to luck. If circumstances turn against us, we bemoan our fate.

To live life fully, we must live consciously. We need to continually review our thoughts, behaviors, and results. We need to determine what is helping us to reach our goals and to express our values. Those are the actions and attitudes we want to reinforce. When we find thoughts or behaviors that create negative outcomes, we need to take the initiative to think and act in more positive ways.

A helpful exercise is to review your day before retiring each night. Identify your accomplishments for the day. Congratulate yourself on your successes, no matter how small they may seem to you. Determine what you did that contributed to the positive outcomes so you can reinforce those behaviors. Review what you want to do differently. Decide what actions might bring you more positive results in the future. This simple daily exercise is one way you can tap your inner wisdom.

Mastery

2005-10-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

Learning is a lifelong process. No matter what our field, there is always more to learn. Learning is a continuous journey on the path to mastery. George Leonard, in his book Mastery, describes this process as “dedicated effort without attachment to immediate results….”

The key to mastery is patience. The practitioner takes on a discipline for its own sake, not for the achievement of some goal. Results are a by-product of a steady dedication. The enemy of mastery, says Leonard, is the obsessive pursuit of climactic moments. The insatiable appetite for titillation fostered by American culture is the antithesis of the diligence required for the long-term journey to mastery.

Leonard identifies five master keys for those serious about establishing a long-term practice. The first is instruction. Find a teacher from whom to learn. Seek out books, tapes, films, workshops on your topic of interest. Key two is practice, the pursuit of a discipline for its own sake.

The third key is surrender; giving yourself to the demands of your discipline. Surrender also refers to letting go of hard-won competencies in order to move on to the next stage of growth. To surrender is to be perpetually in the role of a learner.

The fourth master key is intentionality. Thoughts, images, and feelings are fused in mental rehearsal. As Leonard says, “Every master is a master of vision.”

The last key is what Leonard calls the Edge. While masters are dedicated to the fundamentals of their calling, they also are moved to challenge its limits. The path of mastery takes the practitioner to the edge of his or her being. Mastery is taking the next step beyond that edge.

To get to that point requires long-term dedication, openness to learning, and support from those who have gone before. The path of mastery involves an ongoing journey of learning, growth, and challenge. It is life.

Clowning Around

2005-10-24T19:52:00.000-04:00

In my last post I mentioned that there are students who think of me as being crazy. Some may think I am merely a clown or a fool. I certainly hope so! The clown and trickster figures in mythology break through taboos, create chaos and disorder, and disrupt the fixed and staid. Tricksters initiate change and becoming. They shatter boundaries. In Paleolithic times, trickster was the archetype of the hero, the teacher of mankind.

In Carol Pearson’s model of development, the Fool is the most advanced stage. She describes the Fool as at the root of our sense of vitality and aliveness. The Fool is also irreverent. When the Fool is active in our lives, we are motivated by curiosity and want to explore and experiment with life. When there is too little Fool in our lives, we become priggish, repressed, uptight, anorexic, tired, bored, depressed or lacking in curiosity. The contribution of the Fool to our lives is resilience.

According to William Torbert’s hierarchy of development, Clown is the next to highest stage. Individuals at this stage of development do not find their identity in a particular mindset or structure. Those at this stage embrace a reframing spirit that continually overcomes itself and divests itself of its own presuppositions, seeking the “common sense” and motivating challenge of each situation. Unpredictability and uniqueness characterize much of their work and play.

Henri Nouwen praised clowns for evoking in us a smile and awakening our hope. They live out the part of our being that wants to play, dance, smile, and other such “useless” things. Clowns remind us that what really counts is something other than the spectacular and sensational. They show us that many of our preoccupations, worries, tensions, and anxieties need a smile. In other words, they help us to lighten up.

Those who come to master any practice often come across as fools because they no longer adhere to the rules. They don’t fit the norm. They shed their self-consciousness and dare to express the fullness of who they are.

Do we who teach have the courage to embrace the Clown? Are we willing to go beyond the proven, the safe, the expected? Do we dare play and experiment as we take ourselves and our students to new levels of development? Are we willing to be Fools? After all, we did choose to be teachers.

Mad Professor

2005-10-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

When I try to remember anything said by any of my teachers at any stage of my formal education, only one statement comes to mind. A professor I had for an undergraduate philosophy course stated that he advocated controlled madness. The older I get the better I understand what he meant.

Word has gotten back to me that some students who have taken my courses are telling others that I am crazy. They don’t mean simply unusual. They mean CRAZY! They’re right! I find sanity confining. When people consider you sane, they expect the expected from you. When you are labeled crazy, you have far more freedom to experiment. In fact, when you are considered mad, people expect you to be unconventional. Since they don’t know what to expect from you, they are not surprised by the unexpected. This makes life a lot more fun. It also allows me to try different approaches to teaching. I am not confined in how I express myself. I cry and laugh. I am serious and playful. I learn and teach. I am foolish and wise. I can give expression to many facets of myself. Doing so creates the space for my students to do the same. Education is then truly holistic. I am grateful for the lesson shared in that class decades ago by a wise mad professor.

The Classroom Setting

2005-10-20T18:37:00.000-04:00

Go into a typical classroom. What do you see? Seats in neat rows facing the front of the room where the instructor stands. What are the assumptions that underlie this arrangement? What does the room say? What the room setup communicates is that the teacher is the important person in the room. Everyone else is there to benefit from the knowledge and experience of the instructor. The students come with empty brains to be filled by the overflow of knowledge from the teacher’s superior mind. Teachers give. Students receive. This puts students in a passive stance.

The common classroom arrangement is based on a mechanistic model. Rows of students are to be taught assembly line fashion. Efficiency is paramount. One instructor can expose large numbers of students at one time to course material.

The problem is that people are organisms not machines. Learning is an organic process. It emerges out of the interaction of learners with the subject of focus. Learning is not a predictable, manageable event. Learning usually comes as a surprise. The AHA! may come as a flash or as a slow realization.

How would an organic classroom be arranged? I envision a space that can be quickly reconfigured to match the learning needs of the moment. Chairs can be moved to form a large circle. Seating can be rearranged to form space for small group work. There is adequate space to allow for movement and kinesthetic learning exercises. The number of students in the class is small enough to allow for everyone to sit in a circle for large group discussions. There is enough room for individuals to get away from the group to take time to reflect or to work on individual projects. Everyone shares in the roles of teacher and learner. I envision the factory classroom giving way to a laboratory of learning.

Silent Minds

2005-10-18T19:36:00.000-04:00

I was standing at the back of the lecture hall while another instructor was presenting and looked out at the sea of student heads. That is when I heard it; the deafening silence of brains put on hold. I sensed a total lack of thinking going on in the room. Students were not absorbing the lesson; they were merely enduring the lecture.

It came time for me to face my own classes. As I now looked at the front of student heads, I paid attention for signs of thought. What I became aware of were brains shifting down to idle. I resorted to an old standby to spark student attention. “Page 52,” I announced, “is important. This will be on the exam!” Even the backbenchers woke up with that announcement. But I still didn’t have them thinking.

I am aware of the different approaches to stimulating student thinking. Questions are a common approach. I find, however, that students typically go through the motions of answering questions without giving deep thought to their answers. (This may be an adequate depth of thought for politicians but I seek more for my students.) An approach I do find that sparks thinking is to short-circuit the students’ minds. This can be done by exposing students to a new perspective on something they thought they already knew. Now they are not so sure they know what they know. First I see confused looks on the faces of students; then the frowns. It is at this point I hear the whir of brains starting up. I know they are thinking when I begin to see smiles break out as students begin to grasp the new perspective. I know they are really thinking when I hear laughter. It doesn’t mean they all agree with the new perspective, but they are assessing it. Now learning can begin.

Capturing Attention

2005-10-13T16:52:00.000-04:00

Attention/Awareness/Action

I have found this a useful sequence when designing class lessons. I first strive to capture the students’ attention. I may begin class with an activity, a story, a question, or a provocative statement. I may even drum. That really gets their attention! Once I have the attention of students, I can focus their awareness on the point of the lesson. I follow this with an exercise or discussion to give students the opportunity to put into action the information or concept I have shared in my presentation. I have discovered in speaking to past students that the lessons they tend to remember from my classes are those lessons that were preceded by an attention-getter. There is likely to be little learning unless we first capture the attention of our students.

Wonder

2005-10-10T19:44:00.000-04:00

There is an Arapaho proverb that goes: “If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.” How often do we stimulate our students to wonder? Our inclination is to provide information in an attempt to move students to knowledge of a subject. What would our teaching be like if we concentrated on stimulating our students’ sense of wonder?

The dictionary defines wonder as a “feeling of mingled surprise and curiosity; astonishment.” What I find students curious about when they start a course are the course requirements. How much work will be required to get a good grade? Must they attend classes? What will be included on the exams?

My first question to students is, “What do you want to learn?” I want to have students focus on the subject not the course. When I ask students why they are taking a particular course, the usual answer is that the course is needed to fill a degree requirement. Even if the student is taking the course as an elective, the motivation is to earn the necessary credits to graduate.

I wonder how I may cultivate wonder in my students. The Arapaho would say that if I stay with a question long enough, the answer will come. I wonder if that is true.

Reading

2005-10-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

According to the prominent eighteenth century literary figure Dr. Samuel Johnson, “A man ought to read just as inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good.”

College does a good job crushing any interest in reading. Students are expected to purchase high-priced texts that may be informative but are generally boring. The students are burdened with a heavy reading load that is difficult to carry. I question the value students receive from much of what is assigned for them to read.

I enjoy reading. My appreciation for reading, though, was not cultivated in college. My love for reading developed after leaving college, when I was able to choose what I read. Reading became a choice rather than a requirement.

There are many reasons to justify using assigned readings in courses. I use textbooks in my introductory courses. They contain the information students need to provide a foundation for their future studies in the particular discipline. I question, however, the value students receive from the reading I assign. In my advanced courses I do not assign a text. I have students identify what they want to learn about the subject of the course and have them identify the resources that will answer the questions raised. College is to help students learn how to learn. We need to help students learn what questions to ask and how to find the answers. By using general textbooks, we are often spoon feeding students information at the cost of real learning.

The Hero's Journey

2005-10-07T17:08:00.000-04:00

Many lament that our Western culture is bereft of rites of passage. I envision college playing this role. College can be experienced as the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey begins with separation from the known and common. The hero ventures forth, encounters adventures, is endowed with new powers, and returns to the community to share what s/he has learned while on the journey. Many students are bored with college. I believe college would become more exciting and meaningful for students if the college experience were explicitly framed within the myth of the hero’s journey. This would make college more than merely preparation for a career. College would become a journey of the spirit.

A Vision

2005-10-04T18:18:00.000-04:00

In recent entries I have vented my frustrations with the educational system in general. Expressing frustration may feel good initially but it does not facilitate moving forward. To create something different we must first envision what we wish to create. We cannot create that which we cannot see (in our mind’s eye). So I would like to articulate my vision for higher education.

I envision students and faculty filled with a passion for learning. Campuses are overrun with people with hair like Einstein due to the explosion of ideas in everyone’s brain. People are learning and growing in all aspects of their lives—body, mind, soul, and spirit. Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary learning abound. New ways to facilitate learning are continually explored. There is a general atmosphere of experimentation that permeates all aspects of the learning process. A flexible approach is taken to meeting the learning needs of students. There is a culture of ongoing improvement. Everyone on campus is treated with respect. Collaboration takes place between faculty, students, administration, staff, and outside organizations.

That is a summary of what I see for higher education. Campuses filled with learning, excitement, growth, enthusiasm, collaboration, spirit. Helping to fulfill such a vision energizes me. What is the vision of higher education that excites your energy?

An A For All

2005-10-02T20:44:00.000-04:00

Grades are the primary obstacle to learning. I have never had a student ask me what they can do to learn more about a subject. I have had students ask what they can do to get a better grade. Learning requires moving from the known into the unknown. This entails risk. Students hesitate to take risks, though, for fear it will adversely impact their grade. Music conservatory professor Benjamin Zander, who is also conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, deals with this obstacle to learning by giving all his students an A. There is one condition the students must meet to earn the A. Zander explains: “Within two weeks they have to write me a letter dated ‘May next year,’ which should begin with the following words: ‘Dear Mr. Zander, I got an A because…’ In the letter they tell me in as much detail as possible what has happened to them in the interim that merits this exceptionally high grade. In writing their letter they have to project themselves into the future, then look back and report on all the insights they have gained and milestones they have reached as if all those successes were already behind them. Everything should be formulated in the past tense.” What Zander is interested in is who the student has become by next May. Zander says, “I’m curious about how this person looks at life, their view of the world now that they’ve done everything they wanted to do, or become everything they wanted to become." To read some of his students’ reactions to his approach, go to http://www.odemagazine.com/article.php?aID=4124. I also highly recommend reading “Punished by Rewards” by Alfie Kohn. Kohn draws from research to demonstrate the harm done by a reliance on extrinsic incentives.

Learning vs. Performing

2005-09-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

In my previous weblog entry I expressed my frustration with my attempts to tap into the intrinsic motivation of students. It is relatively easy to get students to perform. Students tend to be adept at jumping through whatever hoops we put before them. Students are familiar with the game of education and what is required to get the grade for which they are willing to settle. They can stuff their short-term memories with information, regurgitate the information back on an exam, and immediately empty their brains of the information to make room for the next cycle of memorization—what I call Cram/Vomit/Erase. We then dole out grades and everyone convinces themselves that learning has occurred. Learning initiates change--change in assumptions, behaviors, and outcomes. I talk with students and faculty. I read the educational literature. I consult with employers. There is general agreement that the current educational system is flawed. There are numerous proposals of how to change it. Yet we continue to do what we agree doesn’t work. We have imprisoned ourselves in a self-perpetuating system. As frustrating as I find this situation, I am also energized by the challenge to find a better way. I will continue to share in this weblog what I discover along my journey. I encourage others to share their experiences. In this way each of us can move beyond simply performing in our role as teacher to become a role model to our students of what it is to be a lifelong learner.

Student Motivation

2005-09-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

I recently had an informative and discouraging conversation with two senior students, both of whom I have had in previous courses. Both did well in those courses. I asked them what would get students intrinsically motivated about the courses they take. The discouraging part of the conversation was that neither student could think of an answer. From their perspective, grades are the motivating force for students. Grades lead to a diploma.

At the start of each course I teach I ask students why they are taking the course, what they want to learn, how they prefer to learn, what would make the course energizing and productive for them, what would make the course boring. It isn’t long into the course before I realize that the answers the students gave to my questions were what the students thought were the politically correct replies to give. My courses are highly participatory. I strive to keep students engaged with the subject of the course. I relate the material to their current lives. Yet I find it difficult to tap into the intrinsic motivation of students. I have done numerous experiments in my courses around motivation. Each experiment confirms that students are primarily extrinsically motivated by grades. Nontraditional students are the exception. They are usually clear about why they are in college, what they want to learn from their courses, and how they can apply what they learn in their lives.

I can usually keep students involved and entertained and hopefully they learn something. Most student feedback I receive on course evaluations is positive. What eludes me is how to have students intrinsically motivated to learn the course material. I attend the seminars, read the studies, apply the methods, but I still have not found a satisfactory approach. All motivation is self-motivation. It cannot be imposed from outside. How, though, do I tap into the students’ intrinsic motivation?

One reason I may find it difficult to find an answer to my question is that many students are not intrinsically motivated to learn what they are offered in college. Both the students I talked to are unsure what they want to do after graduation. They are in college to get a degree. They are not earning a degree in order to further a particular goal. This is where nontraditional students tend to differ from many traditional students. Older students have chosen to resume their formal education as a means to achieving a larger goal. Unless a student has a reason for learning a particular subject, that student will rely on extrinsic motivators to get them through a course.

Levels of Questions

2005-09-24T04:58:00.000-04:00

For the past three summers I have attended the Summer Institute sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning Resources at the University at Buffalo. One of the presentations this summer was entitled “Developing Autonomous Learners” presented by Dr. Kelly Ahuna and Dr. Christine Tinnesz of UB’s Methods of Inquiry Program. They described how faculty may use questions to facilitate the learning process for students. Ahuna and Tinnesz identified four levels of questions. Level 1 addresses data. These are questions which point to facts. Level 2 includes conceptual questions which use data in analysis. These questions involve students in identifying patterns and connections. Students describe, discuss, compare, contrast, solve, structure, and relate. Level 3 is hypotheses. These questions speculate about changes in data or concepts. These include questions of what if, suppose, predict. Level 4 is judgment. These questions call for critical judgment, conclusions, or choice. Students might rank or value. Each level of questioning prompts students to dig deeper into a subject and exercise critical thinking.

History Lesson

2005-09-23T04:23:00.000-04:00

It is common for students to ask why they need to bother to study history. In my reading I came across a statement from the past that I found chilling when considering the present circumstances in America. The following quote is from a statement made by Hermann Gőring at his trial at Nuremberg: “The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. This is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in every country.” Awareness of the past can help us to be more discerning citizens in the present so that we may create a better future.

Oppressive Teaching

2005-09-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

In his classic “Pedagogy of the Oppressed,” Paulo Freire identifies the educational practices and attitudes which mirror oppressive societies. Below is his list. How many of these practices is our own educational system guilty of practicing?
· Teacher teaches, students are taught
· Teacher knows everything, students know nothing
· Teacher thinks, students are thought about
· Teacher talks, students listen meekly
· Teacher disciplines, students are disciplined
· Teacher chooses and enforces his choice, students comply
· Teacher acts, students have illusion of acting through action of teacher
· Teacher chooses program content, students adapt to it
· Teacher confuses authority of knowledge with her own professional authority, which she sets in opposition to freedom of students
· Teacher is the Subject of the learning process, students are mere objects.

Good or Excellent

2005-09-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

The following quote prompted me to think about what I am trying to achieve as a teacher. Perhaps you will find it a useful quote to ponder as well.

"A good teacher takes you somewhere else.
An excellent teacher changes you where you are."
Kazuaki Tanahashi

Learning Cycle

2005-09-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

Ask/Answer/Act/Assess

Learning begins with a question. I want to know something in order to solve a problem, achieve a goal, or satisfy my curiosity. I seek answers to my question. I decide on one to act upon. I test its viability. I then assess my answer’s effectiveness. I reflect upon whether it worked or not. My reflection usually then leads me to ask a new question and the cycle begins anew.

If we want students to learn, we must create opportunities for them to go through the learning cycle. I strive to find out at the beginning of a course what questions the students have about the subject of the course. What do they want to learn? In the course we explore answers to the questions. Through experiential exercises, students have an opportunity to test some of the answers. They can then reflect upon what has been learned and raise new questions for exploration.

One of my ongoing questions is, “How can I better incorporate the learning cycle in the courses I teach.” Each class becomes an experiment in applying the learning cycle. Some experiments are more effective than others. But each new attempt increases my own learning and experience.

Learning Formula

2005-09-03T21:05:00.000-04:00

Learning = Knowledge + Application

Learning implies behavior change. It is not enough to simply know something. We all know more than we practice. It is said knowledge is power. It isn’t. The application of knowledge is power. It does no good to know something and not use it. We are to give our students more than information. We need to give them opportunities to put the information to use. I design my class time to include exercises that will allow students to experience and practice the concepts we are studying. This experiential approach helps students to move from the conceptual to the practical.

Student As Customer

2005-08-30T16:51:00.000-04:00

I approach teaching assignments as I do consulting assignments. My role is to help my clients achieve their goals. It is my responsibility to give the clients what I perceive they need to achieve those goals. What they need may differ from what they want.

When I am teaching a course, the students in the classroom are my clients. They are my customers. To serve them I must first know what it is they want from the course. I begin each course asking the students to write for me why they are taking the course, what they want to learn, and how they prefer to learn. I use this input to help me design the course. This is why I do not finalize a syllabus until I have received the students’ input. Even then I will make changes during the semester as I discover ways that may better serve the students’ needs.

Viewing the student as the customer can have a profound effect on how you teach. Such a perspective fosters a learner-centered approach to teaching. The student as customer does not mean that control is handed over to the students. As with my clients, I am responsible to provide students with what they need to achieve their educational goals. What they ask for may not be what they need. I am to help them to realize this and to deliver that which will move them toward achievement of their goals.

Higher-Level Learning

2005-08-29T18:05:00.000-04:00

In a piece in To Improve the Academy, Dee Fink of the University of Oklahoma outlines how to formulate goals for higher-level learning. He describes six categories for teachers to address if they wish to move students to higher levels of learning. I have found the following categories and questions Fink provides useful as I have worked on my own course designs.

I. Foundational Knowledge: What key facts, terms, formulas, concepts, etc. are important for students to understand and remember?

II. Application: What kinds of thinking and skills do students need to learn?

III. Integration: Are there important connections students are to recognize and make?

IV. Human Dimension: Is there anything students are to learn about themselves and interacting with others?

V. Motivation: Are there any changes you want to see in what students care about, feel, value?

VI. Learning How To Learn: Do you want students to learn how knowledge is constructed for this subject or how to become a self-directed learner relative to this subject?

The Unknown

2005-08-28T08:31:00.000-04:00

At the end of the medieval spiritual classic The Cloud of Unknowing, the author writes, “It is not what you are, and not what you have been, but what you wish to be that God considers with His merciful eyes.” Life is about becoming. Living organisms are either growing or dieing. Either way the organism is moving toward a new state. We can know only that which is or has been. Knowledge is about the past. We cannot know that which is not yet. Knowledge is prelude to creation. We are to help our students gain knowledge and acquire the skills to use that knowledge to create anew. We are to foster creativity and innovation in our students. That is how humanity moves forward. Each generation must move beyond what previous generations have thought and created. We are to prepare our students to move beyond us. We are to instill in them the confidence to move out of the known into the unknown.

Know-Nothing

2005-08-26T06:30:00.000-04:00

I don’t know anything. That makes me well qualified to teach. But shouldn’t I be an expert in the subject I teach? I cringe whenever I am referred to as an expert in something. As soon as I believe I know something, I cut myself off from learning. If I know it, what more is there to learn? Knowing implies I have exhausted the subject; I have reached the limits of learning. To know is to box myself in and off. If I don't know, then I am open to learning. Openness to continuous learning is one of the key qualifications to be a teacher. One of the sources of learning for teachers is students. If I believe I know more than the students, I close myself off from what I might learn from them.

What can students teach me? Plenty! I can learn much each time I receive the student evaluations of my courses. Those evaluations can teach me how I did or did not connect with my students. I can learn the results of my experiments with various teaching methods.

If we want to instill a passion for learning in our students, then we must be role models of lifelong learning. The older I become the more passionate I am about learning. There is no end to what I can learn. I find that an exciting way to live. I want my students to experience that excitement. I don’t want them to know, I want them to learn.

Messing Up Minds

2005-08-25T04:19:00.000-04:00

I sometimes quip that one of the things I enjoy about teaching college is that it gives me the opportunity to mess up students’ minds. Yet that is one of the responsibilities we have as college teachers. Most students come to college with their minds programmed by parents, peers, media, religious instruction, education, etc. The thinking of students is dependent upon what they have been told by others. One purpose of college instruction is to help students think independently. This does not mean that students will necessarily reject what they have previously thought. Rather, students will come to own what they think. They may decide to confirm their previously held views or revise them. The key is that they will decide for themselves. This means, as college instructors, we must expose students to alternative views and give them the tools for coming to their own conclusions.

Opposites

2005-08-24T06:08:00.000-04:00

I was recently preparing a presentation for a business client on the subject of creating possibilities. To expand our thinking about what is possible, we need to maximize the space between what is and what might be. A way to do this is to identify the opposite of what is obvious. This can be applied to teaching. When I think of college teaching, what first comes to my mind is that teachers teach students what the students do not already know. The opposite of this might be that teachers remind students of what the students already do know. How would I conduct my courses if I took the second statement to be true? The assumption underlying the first statement is that students are empty vessels to be filled with the teacher’s wisdom. The opposite statement assumes that students bring relevant life experiences to the learning process. My role then as teacher is to help students connect their experiences with the subject matter.

An example. I teach management courses. Most of my students have no business management experience. Yet they do have experience managing other aspects of their lives. I can help them connect the principles of business management to management of their education, their careers, their relationships. I can have them reflect on how they currently apply management principles in their lives and how they might improve on their application of those principles. If students realize they already know something about the subject being taught, they may feel less intimidated about expanding that knowledge into new arenas. So after I help students recognize how they are already involved in managing, we can then explore how management principles are applied in the workplace. This approach also provides students who are currently not in management positions opportunities to practice management skills. They can practice applications in other arenas of their lives. As the saying goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” How can students learn if they have no opportunity to apply what they are being taught?

Here is another possibility to ponder. The obvious is that teachers teach students. The opposite is that students teach teachers. I have experienced the latter when I have brought my classes to an art museum. I never view a piece of art in the same way after I have had students share their perspectives of the piece. How can you become a student of your students?

Four Important Things

2005-08-23T06:35:00.000-04:00

Four Important Things in Life and Work

Find your people.
Find your place.
Tell your story.
Listen.

The above is from Life And Work by James Autry--business executive, writer, poet.

Autry’s four important things relate to the purpose of college. The college experience can be viewed as a rite of passage. Students are to discern their role in society and who they are to serve in that role. They are to discover what they have to contribute. And they are to be sensitive to how the community responds to that contribution.

Introduction

2005-08-22T07:48:00.000-04:00

My name is Mitchell Alegre. I want to use this weblog to explore the topics of teaching and learning. I already keep journals but blogging provides the opportunity to share with others. Of course, I may be simply talking to myself. Even if no one is reading these entries, however, writing them gives me a way to organize my thoughts. Perhaps my thoughts will spark someone else’s thinking. So in the event that someone else may read these entries, I will try to keep them short.

It may be helpful for you to have some background on me. I am currently a full-time Adjunct Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration at Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, just north of Niagara Falls. I also teach undergraduate courses in Communication Studies at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, and a leadership course in the college’s graduate program in Organizational Communications and Development. For the past 21 years I have operated my own consulting and training business. I focus on personal and organizational development. My area of expertise is the people issues within organizations. My passion is leadership development. I continue to consult with clients along with fulfilling my teaching responsibilities. My client work keeps me connected with the realities of the workplace.

My experience working with people at all levels in organizational hierarchies and from all types of organizations is one of the strengths I bring to my teaching. Some may consider my thoughts on learning and education naïve since I come from outside the academic system. However, I consider this to be an advantage. I bring an outsider’s perspective and curiosity.

The older I get (I am 54) the more passionate I become about learning. I look forward to the opportunity to explore the subjects of teaching and learning with whomever else may wish to join in the discussion.