The Thrill of the New

There is always a thrill, a sense of energy, when we get to start something new. I try and make myself absolutely open and mark the experience when I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to stumble across a novel learning moment in my path. In any profession (in any life, actually), we run the risk of making ourselves immune to novelty in the experience of practice; the sense of daily reruns is hard to avoid. I am not sure how I found the key words 'Educational Therapy', or what exactly I was searching for when they came up. I wish I did - I feel that I missed a life altering experience passing in a nano-moment on Google. I imagine I was trolling for new literature in the usual reflexive way that we look for news (sadly, I could have been wasting away on BuzzFeed, the new porn), but I came upon the Association of Educational Therapists instead. I spent the next two hours reading through the journals and newsletters, absolutely absorbed. It was like turning a corner in a well-travelled city and finding yourself in a neighborhood that speaks your unique dialect and recognizes your particular holidays. They even look like you. Finally - someone to talk to!

The really crazy bit is that I think of myself as unique in my training, always a bit of an outlier in my professional setting. Either a psychologist among teachers or a teacher among psychologists, student-centered in a content-driven setting (university) or a therapist in an educational setting (schools). Now I know what I am: an Educational Therapist. My work emanates from  a brain-based psychological theoretical foundation in a cognitive framework that is oriented to developing each individual's ability to learn in any context (I call that self-regulation in a cognitive setting, but whatever). I have found a domain at last, which sounds ridiculously abstract except to develop in our practice we must have community. Anyone who deals with the continuous sea change of human performance has to battle to keep the knowledge tank filled, to kill an analogy, or face a stalled engine. I have become expert at making things over to work for me, whether neurological findings or classroom practice techniques based on active research. In the ET Journals, I found practitioners just like myself weaving a dance between research and practice, with evidence-based strategies applied to real outcomes. This is akin to discovering the original land bridge - this is where all the action is, theoretically speaking.

So why does this matter now, after 25 years of practice, in classrooms and labs? I promised myself that I would take time to write, to try and open up and explore some of the experiences that I have filed away to the light of day and apply them to practice so someone else can make use of them before they wither away.  Why change course now? Why, when the public education system is falling away by pieces like a derelict house and the private sector is widening the privilege gap by the second? Why, when retention rates at universities across North America are reporting 20% losses after the first year (First Year Experience, anyone?) and high schools are releasing more students without completing their Dogwood (17% 2010 in BC)? Because the market is growing for people who need help beyond the public and private education sectors - they need an alternative. I have been thinking about what that might look like for some time - now I know.

I am starting a private practice now, taking a leap from the academic to the practical world. I am going to use educational therapy as my bridge. I am going to create a space where a community of educators can come together and create any kind of learning program that they believe might help an individual master their own learning process, with other professionals to support their efforts. We will be outside the system but there to support the system; free to try any research-based and data-driven methods we find useful and interesting. Educational Therapy came into my life at just the right time...

Write to Think Project

The Write to Think Project

What we know about writing can be summed up in two essential points:

• All people are capable of learning to write.

• It is hard to succeed in life without good writing skills.

This project is designed to gain a better understanding of how we can use writing as a tool for thinking. Writing provides a permanent and external record for what we think, and can create a unique forum for the development of higher order concepts. By studying how people use writing as an extension of thinking, we can improve learning outcomes, as well as learning strategies, for both writing and critical thinking. 

The Write-to-Think Project is focused on investigating the relationship between thinking and writing. Two streams of literature come together in this project: research on the Cognitive Writing Process; and the very recent findings from the expanding field of Self-Regulated Learning. One focuses on the vast range of cognitive writing activities; the other on the means to internalize these writing skills.

Project Goals:

• Understand the relationship between writing and thinking

• Improve teaching methods for writing

•  Develop critical thinking skills through teaching writing 

•  Link developmental writing programs to critical thinking projects

• Create communities of practice among practitioners of critical writing programs

• Expand writing-to-think platforms online through MOOCs and other open-access programs 

• Provide free modules for teaching Write-to-Think methodology 

The Research Project

The Write-to-Think Project is designed to be inserted seamlessly into content courses as natural writing assignments. Writing is taught in two segments; one product-oriented (rhetorical) and the other process-based (cognitive). Three short course-related essays are assigned over  the semester, one after traditional writing preparation; one after a Cognitive Writing Process workshop; and the third based on the student’s choice of method.
The writing workshop can function as a review session prior to exams, as well as a summary and critique assignment for content mastery. For most students, the Project is an invisible part of their program. In debrief sessions, participants have reported no difference in workload or content when compared with other courses. In addition to writing instruction, self-regulated learning strategies are included to improve content mastery.

The Project incorporates short essay work from students in all grades; at this time the focus is on collecting samples from students in post-secondary settings. The results are viewed in aggregate, so there are no individual performance assessments. The evaluations of essays are assigned a code as soon as they are collected and remain blind for the duration of the study. No personal information is collected; there is a form for general demographic data that is entered for each cohort to track gender, age, years of study in English-language settings, and nationality.
Students are briefed on the details of the protocol, the benefits of participating, and the option to decline during the first week of class. They may choose to withdraw at any time during the course of the study. Findings from the study are available to all participants upon request. All individual submissions remain confidential.

The Applications

The findings from this study have a variety of valuable applications, both to students, faculty, and the education industry. The primary goal is to develop methods for teaching critical thinking within course content; the second goal is to disseminate these methods through online open-source learning platforms.
Students Benefits
Participants have reported improved writing and study skills; stronger conceptual development and analytic abilities; and an increase in overall academic performance.
Faculty Benefits
Faculty have noted measurable improvements in student writing, content mastery, and analysis and synthesis skills. Post-course student satisfaction surveys have identified the writing workshop as a valuable learning experience.

Theory of Personal Learning Practice

Personal Theory of Practice

Overview

I am convinced that learning occurs, as Kenneth Gergen wrote, “...not automatically driven by the forces of nature, but [as] the result of an active, cooperative enterprise of persons in relationships ‘ (2003, p. 9). There is an empirical aspect of learning that happens when students are given the materials to experience problem-solving for themselves, but that experience will be raw and incomplete unless they can motivate themselves to refine their understanding and deepen their knowledge through a community of practice.

Learning is most frequently a social activity; even the solitary act of reading is an exchange of ideas with an author present in language if not in person. From a Vygotskian perspective, the agent of change can be either a mentor or a peer; both can substantially affect learning. Also, learning, like literacy, is always situated and contextual. Whatever cognitive events take place will be grounded in the moment they occur (Wertsch, 1985). As teachers, we must be aware that our delivery and methods must be flexible and relevant to that moment. Web-based learning substantially accommodates both of the social as well as the motivational, and can contribute a uniquely creative multimodal vitality.

a. Conceptualization of Learning

Learning occurs in the act of communication, both interpersonally and intrapersonally. Learning also occurs in the presence of activity. Some kinds of learning, like insight, can be experienced alone but has generally germinated from a moment of collaboration. My teaching and learning experiences have taught me that we have an instinct to inquire about our environment, to investigate, and to problem solve the dilemmas that confront us.

As a teacher, I am there to provide the material foundations and cognitive scaffolding to support conceptual exploration. With my students, we form a collaborative learning community. Peers can be more instrumental in facilitating the active stages of understanding than an expert who intervenes with solutions. Learning outcomes are always measurable, although not all of the outcomes are quantitative. Intangible results, such as self-efficacy and mastery, may be evaluated through the creative expression of material, imaginative experience.

b. Conceptualization of Teaching

Teachable moments occur as a natural facilitation through a process of shared inquiry, or as a form of scaffolding through a staged process of understanding. I teach because I was badly taught and as a child I believed that there were better ways to develop an understanding of the world and my role in it. Teaching can open roads to the unimagined, encourage exploration and discovery, and promote strength in spirit that can be hard to generate in isolation. Alternatively, teaching can lead to a rigidity of mind and lack of confidence and volition that contributes to a narrow perspective on the world. I believe that teachers have the greatest opportunity to contribute to the development of a creative and innovative society, or alternatively, one of conformity and stagnation.

Teaching offers an opportunity to engage in an ever-changing ‘hand-to-hand’ process of progressive inquiry, actualized through the immediacy of engaging in a shared investigation of a problem or the mutual building of a concept map. Most recently, I have had my assumptions regarding the universality of logical thinking challenged by my students in online learning environments, where the linear nature of traditional text-based learning is subsumed into the unlimited void of cyberspace. I cannot dictate nor anticipate my students’ exploration of content; autonomy and collaboration in virtual learning environments appear to be polar but necessary co-requisites for successful web-based learning. My philosophy about learning is built on a belief in the learner’s ability to use motivation and self-directed cognitive processes to integrate prior and new knowledge within a situated and collaborative environment, guided by relevance and a strong sense of their own developing mastery.

II. Principles of Learning: SRL, Motivation, & Self-Efficacy

Self-Regulated Learning

Self-Regulated Learning evolved from Bandura’s premise of Social Cognition: all human functioning is triadic in nature (1986). Cognitive/affective, environmental/contextual and social factors interweave in a reciprocal and generative pattern. Self-regulated learning is an open-ended, recursive process that requires activation by the learner and practice to develop mastery. The learner engages in forethought, followed by a volitional performance phase, and evaluates the outcome in a reflective phase. This analysis should result in adaptations to improve performance (Zimmerman, 1998). Bandura acknowledged that people are motivated to behave in a way that presupposes a reward; however, he deviated from Behaviorism in crediting the major force of motivation as derived from the individual’s expectations of the outcomes, not the actual rewards themselves (Zimmerman, 2001). Motivation and the learner’s belief in their ability to succeed, or self-efficacy, frame the effort to learn.

Motivation & Self-Efficacy

The emphasis on expectations makes motivation and related aspects like self-efficacy, key contributors to action. The significance for teaching is that we too often focus on the learning outcomes without considering the volition or motivation to learn that must come first. There are numerous findings that have demonstrated improvement in student performance when a student finds the work relevant, engaging, and within their range of mastery (Ning & Downing, 2010; Schwinger et al., 2009).

A central part of volition is the feeling of self-efficacy, or ability, that the student has to complete the task successfully. As teachers, we can serve as powerful “persuaders” to persistence and mastery if the feedback is positive and constructive. Students who feel good about their ability to succeed use more and varied strategies to learn, persist longer, and collaborate more effectively (Pajares, 2008). In effect, they become more autonomous in their learning while also becoming better contributors to community learning. The ability to effectively self-direct one’s learning while in a collaborative setting is an imperative skill set in online learning environments, currently the fastest growing category of instruction (Dabbagh & Kitsantis, 2004)).

III. The Teaching-Learning Context Online

E-learning is growing at an exponential rate. 70% of universities worldwide offer distance education courses. The e-learning market has increased from US$ 6.6 billion in 2002 to US$ 23.7 billion in 2006 (Chiu et al., 2007). Although money is not a traditional metric in educational research, I believe that framing web-based learning in consumer terms brings home the point that consumer satisfaction has become a significant factor driving the growth of online learning environments. A reasonable inference can be made from those numbers that consumers are generally satisfied with online learning as an educational experience. However, individual experiences negotiating hypermedia can be challenging.

a. Web-based Learning Environments

One key characteristic of web-based, or hypermedia, environments is that they require learners not only to integrate and synthesize information, but also to master the environment. Online environments exist in a nonlinear space, and concepts can be connected in ways that demand focused, non-sequential navigation (Moos & Azevedo, 2009). Despite the ‘bulletin board’ format of most course management systems, there is always the opportunity to link (or get lost) elsewhere. Students have the option to enter alternate fields, both in sanctioned resources and personal interest entities. The motivation to stay on task is a major contributor to student success online, and perceptions of self-efficacy, as discussed above, are a major driver of task persistence and mastery.

One of the chief appeals of online learning is the vast resource base of hypermedia. The variety of mediums (e.g., text, PowerPoint, iMovie, iTunes, Podcasts), media (e.g., TEDtalks, CNN, YouTube), games (e.g., Neverwinter, Wolfram), support (DragonSpeak), and knowledge tools (KnowledgeForum) opens endless opportunities for multimodal learning and levels the field for those with processing disorders and learning differences.

However, the learning context online can become a test of cognitive load management and task navigation. The student needs to identify which tools and resources are appropriate and how to utilize and manage them to accomplish their learning goals, often while coordinating with another learner or group of learners (Scott & Schwartz, 2007). Students with higher levels of self-efficacy, demonstrated by the frequency with which they reviewed their goals, will organize their navigation of the online environment in a purposeful, thematic manner based on relevance of content, suggesting that self-efficacy can manifest as a form of monitoring, possibly related to reliable judgments or feelings of knowing (Azevedo et al. 2008). This is an important finding, as self-efficacy is a transferable skill that can be developed through articulated instruction and activity outcomes, and may contribute to increased ongoing academic achievement.

b. Motivation & Self-Efficacy

Satisfaction related to success can be a used as a metric for the relevance of the learning experience, and in a related sense, a reflection of the motivation the learning experience generated for the student. Eccles et al.’s expectancy achievement model suggests that individual’s choice, performance, and persistence is linked to their expectancy of success in the task (1983). In other words, a learner’s perception of their self-efficacy dictates their persistence in both the immediate task and in the choice of future tasks. In traditional face-to-face learning environments, the teacher has a level of control over what material the learner engages in, both in the linear nature of the text and in the sequence of learning activities. The configuration of the actual classroom environment also limits the extent of off-task engagement (however, there is a longer discussion to be had regarding internet access in classrooms).

As a result of this control over the navigation of content and the direction of learning activities, the instructor can have an immediate effect on learner motivation. Web-based learning environments can expand on this and extend learning in modalities beyond the verbal and create communication spaces that produce tangible knowledge products from conversations, generating motivation in the challenge of charting new territory. The key is in building an environment that is engaging, not exhausting.

c. Web-based Pedagogical Tools

Content Creation & Delivery Tools

In terms of designing a web-based learning environment that supports motivation and the development of self-efficacy (and contributes to keeping students on task), course designers have a variety of pedagogical tools that prioritize relevance and organization. For instance, domain-specific task strategies such as tagging text and commenting in the textbox provide an immediate opportunity to critique and extend concepts for elaboration. CMAP type formats can be used to create concept maps for recall activities to cement facts and visually identify relationships between terms. These kinds of concrete learning strategies are directly related to academic achievement and help build self-efficacy (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990). While reminiscent of paper and pencil text annotation, the opportunities for graphic illustration, audio and video modalities, and use of html publishing tools creates opportunities for multiple forms of processing content. Engaging in a variety of creative formats increases time on task, which also contributes to overall academic achievement and self-efficacy (Dabbagh, 2001).

Collaborative & Communicative Tools

The use of computer-mediated communication facilitates active and reflective dialogue with peers, connection with resources, and supports the co-construction of knowledge (Berge, 1999). These tools can: provide the opportunity to create asynchronous conversations where there is time to develop concepts over days rather than the minutes a f2f exchange requires: leave a tangible record of a developing knowledge object to refer to; and foster a supportive community of practice over a large and diverse network (Dabbagh & Kitsantis, 2004). Students can communicate across highly accessible and user-friendly venues such email, list-serves, forums, and chat tools. One of the benefits of common utilities is the ease and immediacy of communicating goals and receiving feedback, key factors in developing and maintaining motivation. Concept maps and graphic organizers can be shared to facilitate group interaction with content and promote task focus and provide a linear trajectory through the material.

All of these tools rest on course design competency in the instructor. Teachers need to be effective communicators, providing individualized and group direction to effectively scaffold learning. This includes the ability to promote learning and interaction strategies, provide specific and positive feedback, providing scripts and templates to guide collaborative activities and work products, and detailed rubrics and evaluation criteria to assist students in developing judgments of learning and self-efficacy (Dabbagh, 2000). Motivation and its expression in self-efficacy are characteristics of successful learners; we can leverage these states through the creatively structured use of multimedia in online learning environments.

References

ACTA. (2010). What Will They Learn? Washington, D.C: American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Azevedo, R., Moos, D. C., Greene, J. A., Winters, F. I., & Cromley, J. C. (2008). Why is externally-regulated learning more effective than self-regulated learning with hypermedia? Educational Technology Research and Development, 56(1), pp. 45–72.

Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A social cognitive theory. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.

Berge, Z.L. (1999, January-February). Interaction in postsecondary web-based learning. Educational Technology, pp. 5-11.

Chiu, C.A., Sun, S.Y., Sun, P.C., Teresa L. Ju, T.L. (2007). An empirical analysis of the antecedents of web-based learning continuance. Computers & Education, 49 , pp. 1224–1245

Dabbagh, N. (2000). Protocols and rubrics for conducting structured online discussion forums. [Online]. http://mason.gmu.edu/~ndabbagh/wblg/online-protocol.html

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Gergen, K. (2003). Knowledge as Socially Constructed. In Mary Gergen and Kenneth Gergen (eds.), Social Construction: A Reader, pp. 15-17. London: Sage Publications.

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study on academic performance. Learning and Individual Differences 20, pp. 682–686

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Thinking About Thinking

Every one should spend some time under an umbrella looking out at the most spectacular sea imaginable. With soft white sand to mush between your toes. And beach huts to sleep in with a little restaurant and a very sweet young man to get you a drink. Everything seems to stop and just hold very still. What a good place to think about what has value and what can pretty much get left behind.

So - what is important? Being able to think. Always being able to think, despite politics, prejudice, deep-seated feelings of inadequacy or arrogance or passion. Teaching others the art of to thinking in and out of the box in ways that marry technology and imagination and make people look forward to thinking, perhaps to consider thinking worthwhile. Having friends in far away places that want to join in and make it a party. That would be worth a lot of missed shopping opportunities and frequent flier miles.

Cambodia is a country that present simultaneous pictures of the absolute best and most unimaginably horrible in people. Individually, there are daily episodes of great kindness and generosity. As a society, there is not one internal charitable foundation and Buddhist Temples are a money laundering front for a Vietnamese oil company. The level of practiced corruption is breathtaking in scale. For the average westerner, concerned with making a mortgage, the possibilities for contributing are staggering. What can one person do in the face of such unmeasurable human agony? Too much and not enough. What can one person do? Truly, it comes down to the most elemental human achievements. Teach literacy and we give each individual the opportunity to think. I can hold onto that.