He doesn’t receive much of an answer.
Monthly Archives: February 2015
FDK update: Language and the Arts
Today is a holiday in Ontario and in several Canadian provinces: Family Day. A day to spend much needed time with family. Family Day comes at a good time since temperatures are beyond unbearable to many (me! ~ Yiola!) and the winter blahs bring a natural insistence to just take an extended break.
In honour of Family Day I would like to share a story about my family and how my Sylvia Clare (my four year old) is getting along in FDK. About one week ago, while at home Sylvia Clare decided to paint. This was not unusual as she often paints at home. What was new was her language and ideas about art and herself. She ushered me to the playroom, took the lead and began to explain that we were going to explore lines. Lines I thought? So Sylvia Clare understands an element of art? I sat in silence with what I imagine was a curious look on my face as she continued with confidence: “I’m an artist”. Those words screamed at me with sheer joy and power. I had never called Sylvia Clare an artist… it was not something I thought of doing, although of course in my heart and mind I believed my child was an artist and a scholar and an athlete and a….. ”
“Now mommy, you need to wear a smock so your clothes stay clean and roll up your sleeves. Please get the paints”.I followed her instructions. Next thing I saw was Sylvia Clare carefully dividing the canvas. She began at the bottom and drew careful lines across the canvas using primary colours. Then on the upper part of the canvas she created thick textured, almost bubble like “scribble” where she mixed the colours. The entire time she was talking about her art: “Here mommy I am painting straight lines with primary colours, you see? And up here (top of the canvas) I am trying to see what scribble is like and I added some sparkle”. She spent a lot of time working on her art and I sat and watched in amazement. Here are some pictures of Sylvia Clare from that day:
Days passed and I wondered how Sylvia Clare was able to develop such clear language about the arts and conceptually understand the elements and most importantly to see herself as an artist. And then, the FDK newsletter came home. The teachers shared the following in the newsletter:
The students have also been learning about a modern artist names Piet Mondrian from the Netherlands, who used primary coloured shapes and black lines to create famous pieces. They have used his method to create their own line designs. We have also experimented with bubble wrap. Some of the children are referring to themselves as “artists” now…
How one perceives oneself is often how one becomes. Sylvia Clare sees herself as an artist. She can talk about the arts and she confidently engages in art work. So, on Family Day today I am certain we will be back in the playroom painting and playing and reading and doing… and I am sure that I will be the one who will learn the most.
Happy Family Day!
Neil Selwyn Raises Thoughtful Questions About Digital Technology in Education
I (Clare) have found Neil Selwyn’s writing about digital technology very helpful. In my 
graduate course we watched a talk by Selwyn (at Monash university). My students and I discussed his perspective on the place of digital technology and the consensus was – his perspective is valuable and educators need to consider the questions he raises. His stance is so sensible and balanced because he asks us to consider issues around digital technology that are often not part of the conversation. The video is about 1 hour and it is so worth the time. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q6bk3RVD9k
Below are some of the notes I made from the video. As you can see he is asking us to think carefully and deeply about technology (and he is a real techie!) I know you will never think of technology in the same way after watching his talk.
- We should not get carried away by digital technology because there are wider societal issues
- Digital technology in higher education is very messy
- Way we talk about digital technology is overly simplistic – the talk has been hijacked by other groups. Those in higher education need to be part of the conversation
- place of digital technology is not inevitable – we have choices, need to activate our choices
- need to be critical and not just welcome digital technology as inevitable
- what are the dominant arguments – need to understand the assumptions –
Assumptions
- Living in an information age
- Death of the institution is inevitable
- Crisis in Higher Education – HE fundamentally broken
- Period of Inevitable change for institutions
– RHETORIC IS CRISIS TONE – easy to get carried away by rhetoric
- Need to be less extreme – neither hyper optimistic or hyper critical
- Lots of change has been superficial – don’t believe the hype
- digital technology talked about in radical ways
- Selwyn wants us to think more carefully – why do we talk about digital technology in such extreme terms?
- Term – disruption – heard again and again
- What is actually being disrupted?
- Blame is put on educators – deserve to be disrupted
- Way digital technology is talked about – whole bunch of values attached to the talk and these things
- Way we actually use digital technology is mundane and prosaic
- So what has actually changed?
- Complaints about universities – “googleized” environment –
- Bleed of your professional life into your personal life – realities of technology – intensification of work – not the smart office
- Survey of professors – tend to use ppt and Moodles mainly
- How does digital technology enhance teaching and learning?
- So why do we buy into the myth that digital technology will change everything?
- Commercialization of education – Silicon Valley mentality – think entrepreneurial – education is broken need Silicon Valley to fix it
- Profound distrust of educators – need outsiders to fix education
- Cannot see technologies as neutral — What values are missing?
- Education is communal – Education is about human contact – something about being in the presence of the teacher and with fellow students
- What is going on when doing virtual learning? What values are there or not there? Do online courses force artificial discussion?
- Does ppt dumb down teaching?
- Working conditions – over 1,000 unread mailboxes – cc: everyone – bringing work home e.g., check emails on Sunday – work seeps into our life
- Digital bill of rights – set up on-line learning differently – issues of privacy, use of data …
- Issue of trust – not talked about in elearning
- Online learning should be about innovation, creativity …. Passion, curiosity – not heard about in elearning
- Could we teach without ppt?– Ppt designed for business – bullet points – students want bullet points – how does that change learning?
- Instead of dumping content into virtual learning get students to create own reading lists
- Have digital technology match our own pedagogy
- Would it be possible to switch off email for the weekend?
- Placard — WE ARE STUDENTS: NOT CUSTOMERS
- Think about digital technology as questions not answers – what are we gaining? What are we losing? What are the second order effects? What is the real problem we are trying to address through use of DT? What are the values underlying DT? Whose values are being promoted?
Learning to Keyboard
Well, it’s Friday the 13th -a day I dread. Although I (Cathy) have never been a particularly superstitious person, I do believe in the law of averages. And I have been in three car accidents on Friday the 13th- never my fault! What has this got to do with keyboarding you might ask? Well, neck pain or whiplash (a common condition resulting from car accidents), is exacerbated by constantly using a laptop placed on the lap. Letting the head drop down towards the chest to view the keyboard, and letting it stay there for extended periods of time, worsens the condition. Sooo, to help myself heal from all the unlucky car accidents (and acquire a 21st century literacy skill ) I recently decided to learn to keyboard. I now have an external keyboard attached to my lap top and a large screen monitor on my desk. To view the screen I have to keep my head up, neck erect and hands somewhere down there on the keyboard. The goal, of course, is to not look down. Yikes! For those of you who are proficient at keyboarding, this might seem trite. But there was a time when you didn’t know how, so try to be empathetic.
About one week ago I finally managed to make the transition. My index fingers now automatically search out the little marker on the ‘j’ and ‘f’ keys so I know I am on the home row. (My own children found this fact hilarious as they had forgotten those keys were even marked. My husband , however is very impressed. He says its too hard to learn). Most importantly, I can now type without looking at the keys! But dear, oh dear, m y t y p i n g i s ss ooo ssss lll oooo wwww. (If you only knew how long it took me to type this blog post!)
Yet, I persist. Daily, I engage in a variety of speed tests and even play typing video games. (Yes, I can save the city from the aliens if I type the correct word fast enough). It’s actually quite fun. I am constantly searching the net for new typing courses. My two favourites so far are:
Learning to Type at http://www.learntyping.org/beginnertypinglesson3.htm
and
Typing for QWERTY at http://www.powertyping.com/qwerty/lessonsq.html
It’s amazing that effective courses like this are available on-line for free.
Now, if I coukd only type bti faster, but stll be acrate, i might be able to find more ocurses… Sigh. I wish I could just stay home today – not because it’s Friday the 13th- I just really want to practice my keyboarding!
Read Any Good Books?
I (Clare) a number of years ago started keeping an annotated list of books I have read. I 
shared the list with my book club and then friends asked for it and on and on. I have continued to update my list. Here are the books I have read the last little while. Click here for the entire list. Books I have read You will notice that I really like murder mysteries but read almost all genres.
Feel free to share the title of a good book with me. Thanks. Happy Reading
February 2015
- The Pearl that Broke Its Shell: A Novel by Nadia Hashimi – a truly terrific read that moves between present day Kabul and the main character’s great grandmother. Treatment of women is so upsetting. Lots of real thugs in Kabul. Feel like there is no hope for Afghanistan.
- 5 murder mysteries by Ann Cleeves – Set in Northumberland England featuring Inspector Ramsay. The main character, Ramsay, is not well developed but the stories are all very good. The Baby Snatcher; Killjoy, A Day in the Death of Dorothea Cassidy, A Lesson in Dying, and Murder in My Backyard. Super easy reads – short and engaging.
- Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. How did this win the Booker prize? The writing was truly terribly – starting paragraphs with He. Cannot figure out who is talking. Shifts between first and third person. So sloppy I was shocked. Do NOT recommend it.
- The King’s Curse by Phillipa Gregory – this is the book that started my interest in the Tudors. Interesting perspective on Henry VIII. Historical fiction. Learned some. Not too deep but interesting.
- Growing Up Amish: A Memoir by Ira Wagler – Interesting read. Definitely am not becoming Amish – learned about different branches of the Amish, some of their practices. Book should have continued for the rest of the author’s life. Felt incomplete.
- Without You There is No Us: My Time with the Sons of North Korea’s Elite – By Suki Kim – I totally loved this book. The author was masquerading as a missionary with a group of missionaries who were masquerading as teachers. It tells about her time teaching in North Korea. Totally fascinating. It really shows how the government totally controls all info and the minds of the population. And people are so poor. Written recently. Author is a journalist originally from South Korea.
- Adult Onset by Ann Marie Macdonald – I think this author only has one good book in her and she has written it. I read ½ the book and said that’s enough. Silly, silly, silly characters.
- books by Thrity Umrigar: The Space Between Us; The Story Hour;
- The Space Between Us – set in contemporary Bombay, story of 2 women – 1 rich and 1 poor (her servant) – really shows how the caste system is still in place – so many twists and turns in the book – really interesting
- The Story Hour – set in New England – story of a poor Indian woman (new immigrant) who tries to commit suicide and her friendship with her psychiatrist – black woman – parts of it were very good – a bit frustrating and implausible. I got very cross with the psychiatrist because she knows better.
- The Unknown Bridesmaid by Margaret Forster – seems like I am only person who does not know about Foster. This is her 26th Good psychological thriller. A psychiatrist is haunted by what she did as a child. Really good read. Lots of twists and turns. Characters well developed.
- Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming – Yes that Alan Cumming – actor from The Good Wife, Cabaret … Book is totally awesome. His childhood was sooo grim. Tells story of his abusive father and how he survived. This is a must read. Well written, a bit of mystery, engaging.
- The Monogram Murders: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery by Sophie Hannah – I love Poirot and I was reluctant to read this book. I felt that no one but Agatha Christie could write a Poirot murder mystery. I was wrong. Book was terrific. Great story. Perfectly captured Poirot. Cannot wait for the next book by Hannah.
- The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League by Jeff Hobbs. This is the most, most, most gripping book. Robert Peace, dirt poor in Newark – totally brilliant, gets a scholarship to Yale, gets high marks and ends up back on the streets of the projects in Newark. And he dies tragically. The author was Peace’s room mate at Yale. As a white woman, I know I do not get it (about race) but this book gave me an insight into poverty. Peace “got out” in one way but psychologically could not. One of the best books ever – but sad!! And you will be perplexed by the bad choices Peace keeps making.
- Hardball: A V.I. Warshawki Novel by Sara Peretsky – To think this series is going strong Not worth the effort to even describe how bad this book is – writing poor, character ridiculous, plot painful – read ½ and thought Huh! Who would read this shlop?
- The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (A.K.A. J. K Rowling) – totally loved it. Just as good as her first as Galbraith – loved the characters, loved the story …. Hope the third one is coming soon.
- Reykjavik Nights by Arnaldur Indridason – so bad not worth the time to describe how bad it is.
- The Marco Effect” A Department Q Novel – Jussi Adler-Olsen – I love, love, love this series. Truly fab murder mysteries. Set in Copenhagen. Totally love the characters and the stories are great. Read them in order of publication.
- The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook – Not my usual read. Set in postwar East Germany. I could only get through ½ of it. Characters were not plausible. Story and history interesting but the characters were just not real.
- David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell – Typical Gladwell. If you like Gladwell you will love this one. I did.
- The Long Way Home: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny. I truly love these murder mysteries. Have to ration them out.
- A Traitor to Memory by Elizabeth George- For those who like Inspector Lynley murder mysteries.
- The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud – not nearly as good as her early writings. Not worth it.
- 3 books by Sarah Addison Allen – The Sugar Queen, Lost Lake, Garden Spells – normally I do not like novels with fantasy elements but these 3 are soooo good. Allen is a great writer and the fantasy elements work. Stories are all good.
- The Goldfinch by Donna Taft – how did this win the Pulitzer Prize? Totally dreadful book. Wordy, plot does not make sense, implausible … Absolutely painful. Read ¾ of it and then my friend told me that the last ¼ is even more ridiculous so I stopped. (He was so frustrated with the book, he threw it across the room. And he is not prone to violence – a total sweetie.)
July 26, 2014
- In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner – Vintage Elizabeth George. Very long but very good if you like Inspector Lynley murder mysteries. Deception on His Mind also by George. Very good.
- Kwei Quartey murder mysteries – Set in Ghana. So interesting because I learned so much about Ghana – oil reserves, religion, corruption … Three books with the same detective, Darko Dawson, (who I love): Wife of the Gods, Murder at Cape Three Points, and Children of the Street. Read them in order of publication. Death at the Voyager Hotel is a one-off without Inspector Darko. Quartey is a doctor in the US who comes Ghana so he knows the country.
- The Fashion in the Shrouds by Margery Allingham – J.K. Rowling said Allingham is her favourite murder mystery writer but I found it dated and tedious. (Detective Campion)
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – this is not my usual thing but I loved it. A blind French girl and a German soldier during WWII. VERY interesting and well written.
- A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks. About corruption and the collapse of the banking system in 2008. Very interesting following about 12 characters. I could not follow all of the stuff on hedge funds but the ending is a true humdinger. Definitely worth the read.
- The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd – contrived and painful murder mystery. Characters were silly and implausible. Not worth it.
- Buried Angles by Hannah Kent another murder mystery set in the Scandinavian countries. Not worth the read. Painful. No where near the caliber of Jussi Adler-Olsen.
- How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny – Usual excellent stuff following the murders in Three Pines. I am reading the Inspector Gamache in order and loving every word of every book.
- Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan. I was looking forward to this because I LOVED Loving Frank (Lloyd Wright) by Horan. This one was so painful and embarrassing I could not get through it.
- The Lemon Grove by Ali Hosseini set in Iraq during US invasion. Really glad I read it because I learned so much. Writing is not top drawer but very informative.
- Honey Dew by Louise Doughty was a total disappointment. I loved her other books which were taunt and well written. This one was garbage.
- Hour of the Red God by Richard Crompton is set in Kenya prior to the 2007 elections. Nowhere near the caliber of Quartey novels but I learned a lot about Kenya
- Buried Rites by Hannah Kent – an absolute MUST read. Tells the story of the last women executed for murder in Iceland in the early 19th HUH you are saying. Trust me it is gripping and you will learn so much about Iceland. I could not put it down
- Jhumpa Lahiri – Three novels which were all excellent. The Namesake; Interpreter of Maladies; and the Lowland. ALL were superb. The last one did not win the Booker (but should have). All dealing with identity Indo/American. Beautifully written even if the style is unconventional at times. Informative – gets you thinking about issues of identity.
- The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress by Ariel Lawhon – Hyped like crazy on Amazon but it was terrible, trite, not interesting
- Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch. Translated from Dutch. I loved his previous novel, The Dinner which was a real psychological thriller. Summer House is not in that league. Almost all of the characters are despicable and so many loose ends it feels sloppy and I felt used as a reader.
- Meet me in Malmo by Torquil MacLeod. Sort of a good/interesting murder mystery. Good story. The ending is such a shocker it is worth the read. Not particularly well written- another set in the Scandinavian countries – but fairly interesting.
Mapping the Word
I watched an interesting Ted talk in which cognitive scientist and MIT researcher Deb Roy explains how he wired his house with video cameras to capture the rich details of his son’s language development. A complex motion analysis was applied to the 90,000 hours of video to map out how his son’s social interactions within different domains of the home informed his language development. Roy describes how the analysis revealed the scaffolding of language learning:
“Every time my son would learn a word, we would trace back and look at all of the language he heard that contained that word…And what we found was this curious phenomena, that caregiver speech would systematically dip to a minimum, making language as simple as possible, and then slowly ascend back up in complexity. And the amazing thing was that bounce, that dip, lined up almost precisely with when each word was born — word after word, systematically. So it appears that all three primary caregivers — myself, my wife and our nanny — were systematically and, I would think, subconsciously restructuring our language to meet him at the birth of a word and bring him gently into more complex language. And the implications of this — there are many, but one I just want to point out, is that there must be amazing feedback loops. Of course, my son is learning from his linguistic environment, but the environment is learning from him. That environment, people, are in these tight feedback loops and creating a kind of scaffolding.”
Link to the Ted Talk:
www.ted.com/talks/deb_roy_the_birth_of_a_word
Using Improvisation Techniques in the Classroom
I’ve been to a few improv shows in my life, and whenever I walk away I am always in total awe of the performers. Their ability to think on their feet AND be funny while doing it is so impressive. That’s why when I came across the idea of using improv techniques in the classroom I was intrigued. Linda Flanagan from the blog Mindshift describes how the four pillars of improv(creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication) are developed by following one simple rule: “Yes, and…” This means that any idea or suggestion is welcomed without judgment. This unconditional support helps improv students overcome fears and act without inhibition. It is no wonder why many educators are using tenets of improv in their classrooms.
Flanagan says:
Improv enthusiasts rave about its educational value. Not only does it hone communication and public speaking skills, it also stimulates fast thinking and engagement with ideas. On a deeper level, improv chips away at mental barriers that block creative thinking — that internal editor who crosses out every word before it appears on a page …
The article suggests both beginner and experienced improv activities for teachers of all levels to try. Read the link below to find out more:
Dewey meets Delpit: Bringing theory to life in teacher education
Last week I (Yiola) tried something in my teacher education course that was less safe. I brought together divergent theorists, multiple contexts and eras and encouraged practicum connections in ways that are not typical. I was unsure of the outcome: would the student teachers understand? connect? appreciate? Just as I encourage our students teachers to take risk, I took a risk in hope new understandings, connections and realizations about teaching and learning would occur. At the end of class students applauded… when does that ever happen? The comments and reactions at the end of class indicate that students appreciated the class content and left class with much to think about.
I have recently re-read Dewey’s Education and Experience (1938) and was inspired to share the ideas with my class, namely what is miseducative practice? And how do traditional and progressive models of education play out in classrooms today? We discussed how both models are quite transparent in today’s classrooms. We also explored Dewey’s recommendation of a theory of education that is based on a philosophy of experience. Student teachers felt that the notion of experience is now more commonly understood and a desired practice in teaching. We discussed how finding a coherent theory of education based on a philosophy of experience would require transcending the notion of “either/or” traditional or progressive models and moving into integrative reasoning. So this is all quite typical… and then I introduced Delpit.
In Delpit’s work Other People’s Children (1988) Delpit described herself as “a product of skills-oriented approach to writing and a teacher of process oriented approaches”. Her amazing chapter, The Silenced Dialogue, illustrates Dewey’s request to have educators think deeply about the either/or debate between models of education and the implications of our practice on student learning. Delpit explains the following about her chapter, “My charge here is not to determine the best instructional methodology… Rather, I suggest that the differing perspectives on the debate over “skills” versus “process” approaches can lead to an understanding of the alienation and miscommunication, and thereby to an understanding of the “silenced dialogue”… this is precisely what Dewey asked of us fifty years prior, that as educators we must go deeper than thinking across methods; we must use a philosophy of experience to deepen our understanding of the best ways to teach children. For Delpit, the experiences are those of Children of colour and children who experience poverty.
Exploring Dewey’s concepts through the lens of power and Delpit’s context of literacy was remarkable. The process of grounding Dewey’s theories in Delpit’s work provided grounding for both scholars in ways that I wasn’t yet unprepared. Students were excited to talk about a philosophy of experience by looking as social context as a foreground for understanding models of education; for understanding why certain methods may work well and not well and how to move our practice forward so all students are not only learning but are successfully learning in ways that are empowering them.
The final layer of discussion in class was to connect the ideas to their own placements. To tell stories of methodological challenge and to explore how to address those challenges thinking about what Dewey suggests and what Delpit illustrates. Again, students were speaking in detail on the gaps and the glories in their classrooms and schools. The result of this class: discussion sophisticated and practices validated.
We finished the discussion by reading aloud the last paragraphs of Delpit’s chapter; as a reminder of the enormous but yet delightful task we have as teachers if we truly wish to create learning for all:
We must keep the perspective that people are experts in their own lives. There are certainly aspects of of the outs tide world of which they may not be aware, but they can be the only authentic chroniclers of their own experience. We must not be too quick to deny their interpretations or accuse them of “false consciousness”…And finally, we must be vulnerable enough to allow our world to turn upside down in order to allow the realities of others to edge themselves into our consciousness…
By doing what Delpit suggests and with keeping Dewey’s foundational perspectives in mind we as teachers can begin to understand how models work in classrooms.
Are you tired of snow?
We in Toronto are having yet another snowstorm.
I (Clare) thought those of you living in our winter wonderland might enjoy this cartoon.
Buried in Acronyms
Hi, I (Cathy) am the new T&LC in CTL, working in FD at SC. Today I will be exploring ULD in the TLA. Yesterday I had a meeting with the BBAs from PSOB. I am now a member of OPSEU and CAAT. I look forward to working with FAST, FAAD, FAHCS, FHASS, and FCAPS.
Lost? Welcome to my world. Last month I started a new position in HE. I love the people, the work and the institution. What I am struggling with are the acronyms. OMG. If you think texting is bad, try starting a new position in a new institution. Everyone talks in code. During my first week as a new hire, I was given a cheat sheet of common internal and external acronyms to learn. I had my husband drill me on these so I could learn them right away and feel comfortable in meetings. Ah, no. I leave every meeting with a list I have composed that were not on my original list. Everyday I experience new discourses, practices and social norms. Enculturation is tiring. I feel as though I am living my research on new literacy practices. Yesterday an employee asked me what faculty I was in and I answered ” TLC” instead of “CTL” and he never even blinked. Was he just being polite or do we have a faculty called TLC? I wonder.
If you would like to know what my new position is and where I work now, just check the cheat sheet below. I’ll let you know in a month how I’m doing with my acronyms.
T&LC – Teaching and Learning Consultant CTL- Centre for Teaching and Learning FD- Faculty Development SC- Sheridan College ULD-Universal Learning Design TLA – Teaching and Learning Academy . BBA-Bachelor of Business Administration PSOB- Pilon School of Business OPSEU- Ontario Public Service Employees Union CAAT-Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology FAST – Faculty of Applied Science and Technology FAAD- Faculty of Animation, Arts and Design FAHCS- Faculty of Health and Community Services FHASS – Faculty of Humanities and Sciences FCAPS- Faculty of Continuing and Part Time Studies
Literacy Teaching and Teacher Education 