Just an Observation Part 2: Differentiating
Tools & Techniques

Just an Observation Part 2: Differentiating

August 7, 2018 / By:

In part one we discussed the difference between an observation and a judgement. Ideally you would have the opportunity to have all the relevant and varied discipline specific professionals present on how to improve the proficiency of your observations for better targeted referrals.  Until this comes to fruition what can you do? I like to call this process the “Whole Task Analysis”.  It is very common for instructors to think about the sequence of steps necessary to accomplish a task.  This makes it easy to recognize where in the process the learner is getting stuck.  The next step is to …

Just an Observation Part 1
Knowledge

Just an Observation Part 1

July 27, 2018 / By:

We have previously discussed the importance of identifying struggling students and referring appropriately but just how do we do this? Just what is the difference between a judgement and an observation?  An observation is merely a statement of facts seen, heard or touched without any emotional connotations or personal opinions attached.  If this topic sounds familiar it is because we touched on this in Of Fidget Spinners and Fake Education and When Learning Goes Awry.  You may observe that someone has goosebumps but could mistakenly judge them to be cold when in fact they could be frightened.  You may also …

The Academic Distractor: Calling Out The Pink Elephant in the Room
Mental Meanderings

The Academic Distractor: Calling Out The Pink Elephant in the Room

June 15, 2018 / By:

Tests, by design, are created to look at what you want them to look at.  If you want to look at temperature you create a thermometer.  If you want to look at bones inside the body you create the x-ray machine.  The flaw in this is the assumption that what you are looking at is in fact what you need to know.  When it comes to testing of children and young adults the focus of most functional tests is academic.  We think IQ is a marker of ability (despite the large body of research indicating that, at the very least, …

Way 21: Patience
Attitude

Way 21: Patience

April 10, 2018 / By:

The translation of the original text is “slow to anger”. This one is easier to understand in light of our frustration with a president who seems to impulsively tweet instead of taking the advice so many are giving him to stop and take time to listen more carefully and respond more thoughtfully and maturely. We previously discussed that there are character traits that are non-academic that are imperative to learning, here we are discussing one of the most important ones. Anger does not only manifest in the extreme of anger and rage. It comes under many guises such as frustration, …

Way 15-20: Balancing Act
Attitude

Way 15-20: Balancing Act

March 25, 2018 / By:

So many people suffer from anxiety.  This is due in part to not understanding the importance of limits, boundaries and knowing how to prioritize.  You feel pulled to put in 120% at work to impress your boss.  You feel pulled to spend more time with your family because they keep complaining that you are not present enough.  You want to socialize more with your friends, enjoying their light-hearted banter.  You feel pulled to spend more time exercising because you know it is healthy, but can’t seem to find the time with the pull of work and family.  You want more …

Way 14: Study the Texts
Knowledge

Way 14: Study the Texts

March 13, 2018 / By:

There are two points I would like to focus on here.  The first is ascertaining the truthfulness of your text.  If you compared a Russian, Iranian and American history textbook you would have a very different picture of the last hundred years. Which version is true?  You have to seek truth and do your research. The second point is reading.  Since you cannot study a text if you cannot read it, it is important to understand how to foster reading and how to differentially diagnose “dyslexia”.  I put dyslexia in quotes because in my professional opinion it is a term …

Way 13: Reflect and Deliberate
Knowledge

Way 13: Reflect and Deliberate

January 28, 2018 / By:

As we have mentioned many times, balance is so important in life.  When make a decision we need balance as well.  On one extreme you have the impulsive person who does not think things through and then is left to suffer the consequences.  On the other end of the spectrum you have the person who is too hesitant, always second guessing himself.  He often finds the opportunity passes him by. In the classroom what Mr. Impulsive will look like is the person who quickly answers the test, not because he is well prepared, but rather because he is anxious facing …

Way 12: Teach
Tools & Techniques

Way 12: Teach

January 20, 2018 / By:

Peer tutoring was popular in the 1990’s.  What you are learning here is that this technique is in fact ancient, not a new discovery.  The point of these posts is to avoid reinventing the wheel and practice educational techniques that we already know work, if we use them. Why is teaching others such a powerful technique?  Because you have to really understand the content well to be able to give it over.  If you cannot give it over then you do not understand it clearly yourself.  You may even think you understand the material clearly, and then the person you …

Way 11 Acquire a Friend
Tools & Techniques

Way 11 Acquire a Friend

January 12, 2018 / By:

As the title tells you, it takes work to get and keep a friend.  The idea of needing to work on social skills existed well before the invention of Social Workers. So why is a friend so important and what does it take to acquire and keep a friend? Life is about balance in all things.  I think that perhaps it is for this reason there are many contradictions to life.  One of these dichotomies is the human need for the comfort of predictability, while at the same time a need for novelty.  Predictability is so important that research shows …

Way 10 Service, A Wise Idea
Knowledge

Way 10 Service, A Wise Idea

January 5, 2018 / By:

While serving the public and your community are certainly nice, this step refers to apprenticeship.  Before formal book education was so common most professions were learned via apprenticeship.  (Today many professions incorporate an internship or supervised work period as part of the process to obtaining licensure, because there is no substitute for hands on learning with an expert role model.)  Apprenticeship in earlier times started when the student was a lot younger than today’s college student.  Along with the tools of the trade the impressionable young apprentice learned values and morals from their employer.  For this reason, the exemplary parent …