by Mike Dixon | Mar 28, 2019 | Teaching and Learning
Although not a terribly new concept, there is quite a bit of literature out there that supports improved learning (and retention of knowledge) by students when they participating in creating questions for a quiz or exam. As this Chronicle.com article details, not just any question types will do. Multiple-choice questions rarely challenge the intellect of students. True/false are worse. As the article details, professor Max Teplitski wanted students to focus on higher-order cognitive processes. So he had them learn about Bloom’s Taxonomy too!
by Mike Dixon | Mar 28, 2019 | Teaching and Learning
Bradley Emerling, a research scientist at Pearson Research and Innovation Network, documents his observations of the K-12 education system in Japan. He notices early on that almost all teaching is done with a chalkboard, a tool that is rarely used in the US anymore after being surpassed by overhead projectors, PowerPoint presentations, and Smart Boards. The chalkboard is an integral aspect of the Japanese classroom, and Emerling’s findings point not only to a difference in tools, but also a difference in what is valued in American and Japanese pedagogy.
by Mike Dixon | Jan 16, 2019 | Teaching and Learning
Cathy Moore, an internationally recognized training designer, has a few things to say to the learning-style believers among us. She argues that learning styles, such as “auditory learner,” should be treated more like preferences than ways to group people into distinct categories. Read more to find out how creative and individual-focused training and teaching styles can be even more effective when we free ourselves from the auditory/visual/kinetic labels.
by Mike Dixon | Jan 10, 2019 | Teaching and Learning
This article recently posted in at Chronicle.com offers four principles to conducting a great first of class, and why it is so important to give that first (and lasting) impression early on.
by Mike Dixon | Oct 4, 2018 | Teaching and Learning
Leo Mirani, a reporter for Quartz in London, reviews and offers his own thoughts on Michael Harris’ “The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection.” Instead of focusing on “millennials” or “kids these days,” Harris’ book is about the people born before 1985 who know what life was like before the Internet, and must now navigate life with it. He makes observations on his own heightened anxieties, fears, and his month-long break from technology, dubbed “analog August.”
“Michael Harris…argues that ‘technology is neither good nor evil. The most we can say about it is this: It has come.'”
by Mike Dixon | Oct 2, 2018 | Teaching and Learning
Sam Carr’s article explores the toxic relationship between the corporate mentality and education. In his opinion, focusing education purely on the pursuit of excellence in its current construction has negatively affected both young people and educators. In his words, “teaching is an art, as is learning, research, and the production of knowledge.” Excellence in its current form does not account for excellent learning or teaching conditions and Carr motivates his readers to revolt against this system.
