September 18 - Mirror Neurons, and other thoughts

The danger in becoming complacent:

Some monumental theorists have been so good in their arguments that all of the sudden everyone who wanted credibility had to refer to the ideas of these men. The problem was we were marching forward, but looking backward at these theories.

Thorndike – very influential theorist in educational psychology

Gagne – very influential theorist in instructional theory

** The best ideas don’t always have a powerful advocate. Be careful to not get caught in a paradigm – there is no secure argument that sums up the whole world at once.

Gospel relation – in eternity we will keep learning and learning – we can’t encapsulate it all in one theory – the second we think we have it figured out, we are wrong.

The learning social ladder:

Social scientists are at a disadvantage when they study because when physicists or chemist research they can separate whatever they are studying from the rest of the world. Social scientists cannot – they are dealing with humans, they are complex, they are irrational, and they can’t be taken from the world.

There is a hierarchy of snobs in the academic world – they physicists are at the top while we are at the bottom with the sociologists. We can’t back up our findings the same way they can so we get pushed to the bottom.

Technology doesn’t try to figure out what happens naturally – they try to figure out how humans change what happens for their own purposes.

A possible problem we have today is that we are spewing forth a chain of meaningless research that isn’t answering the big questions – people are just playing off of each other and supporting each other’s research while avoiding the big topics.

Mirror Neurons

When we see something happen certain neurons fire in our brain – these same neurons fire when we perform the same action ourselves. This is especially applicable when we teach things like language, motor skills, etc.

Focus on demonstrations – creating an opportunity for them to ‘experience’ something before they ever do it. They will be more comfortable if they have already seen something happen before – as you do it they will be visualizing themselves do it as well.

**This is so true – I have had this experience at the MTC many times – there are few things that I can do as a teacher that will be as effective as modeling for them what I would like them to do. They watch me do it, they imagine themselves do it, they visualize it as I do it, and then they are more comfortable practicing it themselves.

**This was my experience in ASL – there is no other way to learn it than to see it done. It’s just not effective to learn ASL from a book – you need to watch someone do it and then you need to do it again yourself.

**Think of movies – you can experience so many emotions while watching a movie – even if you aren’t experiencing it yourself, it’s as if you are still having those emotions and that experience.

September 16

Micro-Worlds

My favorite presentation of the day today was the one on Micro-worlds. At first when she was explaining them I thought, “Well, yeah – duh.” But, I loved her example of the ski hills and then the baseball playing (starting first with tennis balls and a machine, and then moving to real balls, and a real field). That’s what life is all about – it’s all about slowly moving from a smaller micro-world to a larger one (whether that be in the sense of the gospel or just life in general).

I was thinking about my life and how the older I get the more I can expand my microworld to include more and more of my surroundings. I think that one thing that comes with more knowledge is an automatic expansion of our microworld – one of the greatest blessings I can think of that I have received from coming to college is an increased understanding of everything around me – and with that I think comes an automatic shift in micro-world.

As teachers it is so crucial to not only have an understanding of the micro-world the student is living in but to also constantly seek to push that and enlarge it. The implications that come with the proper understanding of a micro-world are also huge to an instructional designer. We need to start with the world they currently reside in and consistently create experiences that will place the learners in larger and more complex micro-worlds. The key is to constantly build on the knowledge and experiences gained in the previous experiences or micro-worlds (like scaffolding) so they are not overwhelmed.

I liked the idea as well that was shared in class about Gagne’s 9 steps. I think that they are all good and important to follow, but as we come to an understanding of each one we will naturally gain the ability to take artistic license in which order we use them in and which we chose to admit. As was said in class – just as Mozart had a firm understanding of what it took to make music and was able to work around and within those parameters, we as instructional designers can take artistic license and work around and within the steps shared by Gagne.

I like learning about all the theorists and seeing how I can use that knowledge in my own life or in the future – for example, the VoiceThread application that we were shown – that was great. I can very well see myself using that in the future as I prepare to become a teacher.

September 14

September 14, 2009

Meta Cognition

Thinking about thinking – I have learned about and thought about meta cognition many times. As a education major at BYU I don’t think you could possibly make your way through a SecEd class without having that word thrown at you a few times. I didn’t think I would hear anything new but I was surprised.

I liked the idea of sub-vocalization – how many times do we actually stop to think about what we are doing as we read? How often do we hold conversations with ourselves in our heads? I wonder what the implications are for teachers, designers, etc. – I’m sure there are some big implications here. What if we could design effectively enough that we could not only affect the sub-vocalization of our students, but also find a way to know what sort of sub-vocalization is going on? I don’t know – just thoughts I had.

I also liked the point about implicit and explicit knowledge. I really do believe that it’s important to know what sort of implicit knowledge our learners have so we can design with that in mind. Implicit knowledge is something hard to test I think – I mean most people I don’t think ever realize the implicit knowledge that they have. I don’t know that I ever sit and think about the implicit knowledge I have gained through the years – it’s just become part of me – part of what I bring every time I try to learn something new.

Production Systems

I wasn’t really impressed with this research – I’m sure that John Anderson is a very smart person but I do not agree with his thoughts that all human thinking can be characterized by ‘if-then’ statements. What ever happened to agency? What ever happened to the times when humans make decisions on a whim, or when we make decisions that are completely irrational? I do like the idea of breaking a larger goal into several smaller sub-goals that will lead to the accomplishment of the larger goal, but I think he tries to make too many objective statements about a largely irrational thing – human decision making and behavior.

Skill Learning

This was interesting to me because I had a teacher who used to always use ‘just-in-time-learning’ – he even called it that. I adopted this method when I began teaching at the MTC thinking that he had invented the idea. I think teaching principles that all build on each other and then assisting the learner with ‘just-in-time’ information is one of the most effective teaching strategies I have employed. The part of this theory that stuck with me is the part-task practice section. I think often as a teacher I forget to employ this part – there are certain tasks that just need to be practiced over and over in order for the students to really master them.

Roger Schank

Roger Schank

I did my research on Roger Schank. I included much of this information in my presentation. I was very impressed as I studied the life of Roger Schank – I learned many things, but one thing that I didn’t expect was how much I would be inspired by his research. It was a kind of an indirect way that he inspired me – I was so impressed by all that he has accomplished in his life so far. It made me want to do more with my life. He’s been all over the world, worked in numerous different jobs, and has goals far larger than anything I have every goaled.

The memory machine – one of his current projects is called the memory machine. Schank wants to create a database of millions of experiences that could become a sort of virtual sage that could guide us through anything we experience in the future. In essence it would be that grandpa who always has the best advice for anything – except it would be a computer, it would ideally never be wrong, and it would never pass-away. Schank talks about the importance of experience in learning – when we encounter something new in our life it is a natural reaction to seek out those who have been there before and take their advice to help us. Schank’s dream is to create the computer version of this model – a database full of the wisdom (brought through experience) of millions of sages through the ages.

Another project that inspired me was Schank’s call for a reform of public schooling. I was very blessed here at BYU to be in the major I am in. As a TEE major I had very few classes that were not ‘hands-on’ and I gained most of the education I received here at BYU through direct experience – through actually doing something. In talking with my roommates I have realized that this is not the norm. Many of them complain that in their classes they are asked to be regurgitators of information and little more. I agree with Schank when he argues that there is a big difference between knowledge acquisition and factual acquisition. Simply memorizing facts so you can spit them out on a test has very little to do with learning. I think the most actual ‘learning’ that happens here is maybe in the meta-cognition field if we think of strategies to help us remember what we learn. Schank’s big call is for memorization and fact learning to be replaced by experiences and learning opportunities where students learn through doing. I am a big believer in this thought process – this is the approach I take at the MTC when I work with the missionaries. Very rarely do I stand at the front and lecture – rather I prefer to give them situations and then help them figure out how to learn what they need to accomplish the given task.

Design Theory

The question – do we focus on the process or the function?

When we watched the IDEO video they mentioned that they were experts at the design process rather than experts in a specific area. Today in class we discussed the point that in ISD the focus is the process of designing something; in contrast in Functional Design we focus on each part separately, it’s operational principles, and trying to make as many possible solutions as possible.

I am a bit at a loss here as to what to think. I can see the flaws in either approach. If we focus solely on the process of how things are designed we lose some of our creativity because we are trying to follow the process. But, if we focus solely on functional design I think we lose some of the genius that comes when we master the process. I think the key is to marry the two ideas. We do indeed need to become masters of the design process – we need to know how to do it and we need to be good at it. But, we as we design I don’t think the process should be our focus – rather we should focus on functional design and simply allow our creativity to work within in the design process we have mastered.

Using an example from class – we need to become chefs not cooks. I think this is extremely true – while chefs invent recipes and create new things they also work within their mastery and knowledge of cooking. They have become experts at the process of cooking but as they cook they don’t allow the recipes they have learned and memorized to dictate what ingredients they add – rather this knowledge influences them and they are able to create more effectively.

I like the thought that design differs from science in that as we design we are not looking for the one right answer – rather we are looking for numerous answers that can solve the problem. Inherently contained in looking for the one right answer is the danger of becoming close-minded and losing creativity. There are many facts that have one right answer, but there are also many things that could be done any number of ways.

I still don’t know that I fully understand the difference between design theory and instructional design theory. It seems to me that design theory deals with the actual process of design – how we design, what some steps are, what approach we take, etc. While, instructional design theory deals more with what we do to design the material we teach, the method we choose for conveying the message (as opposed to the actual formulation of that method).

Designerly Thinking

Designerly Thinking

I decided to write my articulation about designerly thinking – we’ve had some hard communication problems so I am choosing to write about this rather than a theorist or their theories.

I really like the thought that we are manipulating the environment to create an experience. As we design (manipulate the environment) we are taking whatever it is that we have to work with and we try to put it in the right way so that we can create that learning experience for the student. I like this because it makes sense to me – it sits well, it seems to ring true because as a teacher of many years I can think of countless experiences where I have done this without thinking. I walk into a classroom and immediately I start assessing the situation – what are the missionaries doing? Are they tried? What is on the board (they learned it previously)? What are they talking about? What clues do I have as to what they are interested in (ties, letters near the desk, pictures on their journals)? What experience do I need to facilitate so they can learn whatever the objective is for the day? How will I do it? What is the weather like outside? Do I have markers, crayons, paper, etc.? How big is the room? How many missionaries are there? Are there any sisters? The list goes on and on – what I realized is that I do this all the time without ever even realizing it. It is a skill that I think everyone has – the more you do it the better you become.

Thinking about the concept of an operational principle was very interesting for me as well. I have been pondering this and don’t feel that I fully grasp it yet – but it’s something I want to be better at. For example, what natural operational principles are there that I could harness (I like the word harness for this concept) and put to work so I can create the right environment?

I like the thought that great designers have a greater understanding (and therefore a greater command and ability to use) of operational principles. The more we can see the operational principles around us the more effective I think we will become at designing things.

I think one example of an operational principle that I use at the MTC is culture. I know if I can tie Filipino culture into whatever we are doing there will be an inevitable increase of attention and excitement. It’s almost like a law of physics (what goes up comes down and when you talk about culture missionaries get excited) that I can use to enhance and change the learning experience.

Designer: Rachel Bartholomew

Rachel is a teacher – she just finished her masters degree and has started teaching reading in a junior high located in Salt, Lake City. I asked her what she designs each day and how she does it. She wanted me to be more specific but I told her just to think about what she designs and tell me about the process. I will speak as if coming from her viewpoint.

The first and foremost thing she designs is her classroom environment. The seating arrangement is very important to me. I don’t like desks and the feeling of being trapped so I was to design an environment that lets them work in groups, lets them work with my teaching style.

I also take great effort to move things in my room to where I want them. For example, I put the stuff I want them looking at and paying attention to right in the front and less important things on the sides. I also have designed my desk location in such a way that I am not totally closed off, but I also can have some privacy and room for myself. I had to design the place for the students to turn things in specifically so that we don’t have problems with them stealing each other’s work and things like that.

The biggest thing I think of when I think of design is my lesson plans. I always start by thinking: “What is my purpose?” and then I work from there. I used to have lots of fun games and activities but I found that neither the students nor myself could relate the purpose when we were done and that’s less effective. I have been give standards and a curriculum from the state that I have to teach, so what I do is prepare a lesson around a purpose and then find which standards fit into the lesson.

Tying in Rachel’s comments with what we talked about in class I see designing instruction as simply modifying the environment of the student so that they naturally have a learning experience. When I use the word environment I think of everything around them from what the teacher says and does to the classroom, the walls, the pictures, etc. If we can create the right environment I think that learning will naturally occur. Putting a picture on the board of something the students never thought possible (i.e. a man on mars) and then placing a stack of newspapers on the floor with the same picture on the cover would be an example of this environment. It would take very little other stimuli to create a natural learning experience among the students.

As Rachel naturally did things in her classroom such as decorating, arranging desks, and planning lessons she was designing without realizing it - she was simply designing an experience that she wanted to create for her students - all those things she did playing a different part in this experience.