Notes from Wednesday's seminar - Dr. Rich

Convergent Cognition

Trends
1949: Our field started as a result of WWII - the education standardization movement (Ralph Tyler)
1983: "A Nation at Risk" - a back-to-basics movement
1995: TIMSS - found that the US was lagging - pushed forward No Child Left Behind
2001: ESEA
2003: PISA - another study on science & mathematics - the US wasn't as bad as we thought, but not great
2006: PISA - US had the same scores, but a lot of other countries moved ahead of us.

We're keeping the status quo, but falling behind other countries

This "back to basics" trend was meant to give everyone a fair and equal education, but the result is that it's causing schools to get rid of recess, social studies & arts, foreign languages. We're focusing on literacy & math.

3-D images: the same image from a slightly different angle. Combined, they add depth to a scene. This is like first and second languages

The Doctrine of Discipline - the idea that studying Greek or Latin increases mental acuity. In 60s and 70s, studies showed this to be true - students showed that students outperformed peers on standardized tests, learned native language faster.

Studies on sister languages showed that they improved vocabulary.

Non-sister languages: even more studies show that it helps the native language, even if it's not related to the native language at all. It's not just "no harm done" - bilingual students outperform their peers.

Perhaps we should supplement an hour of English with an hour of a foreign language.

So does this just apply to languages? What about mathematics and computer programming?

Studies (1982) showed that success in programming was correlated with mathematics experience. (2002) - even when math was placed last in the model, it still had a significant effect on success in CS courses.

2 complementary tasks help each other - just like 3-D glasses

There are conditions, though - not just any two subjects. Core attributes, applied vs. abstract, independent utility, time & maturity, all make a difference.

Steven Kraschen - The Acquisition-Learning hypothesis

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I really appreciated this seminar. I think this concept is very key, especially in a paradigm where we tend to compartmentalize and think that skills and competencies are unrelated.

I don't have any links to the literature on hand, but I know that neurobiology has been shown to back this up. Especially with situations like bilingual education and music and math. Experience in some areas tends to strengthen brain physiology and increase aptitude in others. (Not that it's linear - I imagine it's a very complex, intertwined process.)

I would like to explore interdisciplinary educational approaches even further - I'll put that next in my queue of cool stuff to read up on.

Career Research Report (a cinematic masterpiece)

This is a condensed version (the highlights of) my interview with Dr. Michael Bush, a professor at BYU whose interests include language, instructional design and educational technology.

I chose to interview Dr. Bush because, while I am interested in an academic career, I wanted to highlight the fact that a varied background and a non-traditional approach can also culminate in a professorship. For this video, I chose to portray what it is about Dr. Bush's job that makes it unique - how he has an opportunity to pursue all of his varied interests even in the seemingly straight-forward traditional job as a French professor.

Parts of the interview that I did not include centered on the competencies required for this career. While a Ph.D. is a must-have for a position as a full professor, Dr. Bush pursued his in a unique way. He began in the Air Force, and in subsequent job experiences, he progressed through his schooling at the request of employers. While he began his career in the military, he ended up back at his alma mater BYU, and is actively involved in creating media for language teaching.

I have included in my video some basic salary information, etc., for the average University Professor, but most of my research revealed that, realistically, it depends what discipline you're in, what geographical area you're in, and what your specific position is. The nice thing about academia is that it exists everywhere - you could teach in New York City or in a small town in North Dakota. Salaries and opportunities may depend on geography, but there is a great variety available.

My research sources also talked about career opportunities - the traditional hierarchy and availability of faculty positions, from adjunct to full professor. There are also possibilities to serve on boards of professional organizations. I was more interested in portraying in my video, however, the variety of opportunities you can make for yourself. Dr. Bush is a great example of someone who has used his personal strengths and talents to excel in his field, pursuing what he sees to be important and compelling research subjects.

Moral Obligations in Instructional Design

I really appreciated the Osguthorpe article we read (Osguthorpe, R. T., Osguthorpe, R. D., Jacobs, W. J., & Davies, R. (2003). "The Moral Dimensions of Instructional Design." Educational Technology, 43(2), 19-23.) about the importance of conscience in designing instructional systems and materials.

Osguthorpe identifies 5 consciences, which I think are not really distinct entities, but rather 5 facets of a larger virtue - "conscience," maybe, or "morality." I think I would identify the concept as stewardship.

We're used to hearing it as a religious concept, but I think the idea of stewardship applies very well in the professional world. Think of a small business owner versus the manager of a giant national chain store. The owner of the business has a lot of personal interest, and everything he has hinges on whether his business image succeeds or fails. The manager of a chain store, while his own accountability may vary depending on the company, has a certain amount that is out of his hands, and thus a certain area where he is unconcerned with the professional "consciences." (This, coincidentally, is why cashiers at Target talk to each other while they ring up your purchases and don't really care that you're there, while the lady at the independent toy store asks about how old your little sister is and whether she liked that game you bought for her last month.)

It's tempting, especially when you start getting a little prestige that comes with a master's or doctorate degree, to feel like the world owes you something. It's tempting, when you've landed a nice job, to start feeling like the job is there to pander to your personal whims and comforts. It's so easy, especially in my generation, the Entitlement Generation, to neglect our consciences and the entire industry suffers when we do.

This is why I appreciated the Osguthorpe article, and I think we should work to spread this idea and keep reminding ourselves why we're really here.