Dr. Timony, Author at Welcome

Tacit Knowing in Digital realms

Tacit knowledge can be a hard nut to crack. The elusive nature of a definition creates an informational onomatopoeia of sorts. In short, tacit knowledge is the information that is built into everyday life. For the industrial designer, tacit knowledge may be a well designed tool.

For the athlete, tacit knowledge is shaking off a tackle or switching feet on the mound. For the student in the here and now, it may be the difference between successfully and unsuccessfully navigating what are becoming the most important years. For the teacher of today, it may create levels of avoidance because the knowledge is not activated and the interactions necessary for transfer are not in place. This leaves a significant gap between those with a perceived ability and those left wanting.

Without getting into semantics, I will tell you that I will not be referring to modern students as 21st century students, or digital natives, or even digital primitives. It all sounds so silly. Regardless of the era, those who were young and readily exposed to new contraptions have been early adopters. For wont of another label and for some credit to their name, many race to describe them in some novel manner. Oh well. Let us just say “students” and I think we have made ourselves more than clear.

In digital realms, we are drawn to interfaces and technology that fits. We seek out stuff that is well designed and makes sense when it is being used. Familiarity does not breed contempt, it breeds complacency and a loss of development. We are not separated by generations of loss, but by generations of access and novelty. Some of us remember the touch-and-feel lawsuits of the 1980’s in which it was argued that the familiarity of the interface was a unique and, more importantly, a feature worthy of protection. Nowadays, it is expected that all software has a similar touch and feel and customers are sold on other features.

All novelty aside, the narrow set of options that exist in the digital scheme make for ready adjustment from product to product. From the outside, it may seem a reasonable statement that children are getting smarter and more adept but in reality, there are many simple explanations for this phenomena. The steady diet of technology exposure is an obvious attribute. The next may be the ready access to similar sorts of technology and the final is the likely good design. Products are doing much more with much less. Smart buttons on products replace entire strips of knobs and entire keyboard options of previous models. I would argue that folks in my generation (either pushing or pulling 40) look at a lack of buttons, like the iPod, as a potential issue–How can you do anything with that? It only has one button! Now, anyone with a full keyboard on their phone is probably ordering Brontosaurus Burgers on his bag phone. Right?

One of the primary considerations that we must maintain is that these demonstrations of skills do not imply thorough knowledge or deep skills. Observing a student interacting with materials in effective and appropriate ways does not suggest that they possess other skills with those products or interfaces. That is not to say that we ignore these abilities but that we build on them. Use these as points of inquiry on our part to explore the depths of knowledge so that we may best activate, access, and build on skills.

Be aware of your own trepidation regarding some digital technologies that may give you pause when you perceive a competent student. Make use of these situations to co-learn, to explore, and to create deep learning experiences. Facilitate exploration and fill gaps in student knowledge so that they are able to increase their skills while maintaining or building upon their self-efficacy beliefs. Model the kinds of attitudes that you wish to see in your students: take risks, explore, ask questions, take notes, and say thanks. You just learned something, too.

5 Big Teacher Misbehaviors that will Haunt you

When I sat down with high school students to find out what teachers do to demonstrate a lack of Expertise, I was impressed by the astute observations that were provided.

Drumroll…

5. Disorganized: Gone are the days of the disheveled genius; the offbeat, yet brilliant mind wearing yesterday’s suit and tomorrow’s socks. Einstein would not fare well in our current climate. That hair! Does he wear the same thing every day? Our students are not old enough to recognize this archetype. Get over yourself and get your act together. Wake up 20 minutes earlier, have your professional clothes professionally cleaned and pressed, shave, and give yourself the time you need to prepare.

4. Gullible: Students can pull the wool over your eyes and they know it. They fool you, they may even lie, and they get away with it. Maybe you know they are doing it–stop. Maybe you do not know–get some advice, get some assistance, get an informant–something. Better yet, know the material so that students cannot fake the funk. Set firm guidelines and deadlines. If you give students a break, make sure that it is fair and that it serves a purpose.

3. Maintains little control over the classroom: This is not a matter of chaos in the room as much as it is a matter of ownership of control. Students need to understand that they have a horse in this race. Their preparation, participation, and execution in your class is not an individual need. You need their input as a teacher as much as they need the input of one another. If your class is a place to dispense and receive information, they will check out and no one will benefit. The educational climate is about agency–check out Bandura and Bruner–ownership is shared. If you cannot control the scenario, do not take it out on the students with threats and pleading. The problem did not occur the moment that behavior is an issue, it happened a long time ago…sadly, it was probably your lack of preparation.

2. Immature: How far does it have to go? One focus-group member told of jokes regarding flatus. That’s right. Fart jokes. Some agreed that immaturity is difficult to define but that they would know it when they saw it. We have heard that before. Teachers like to blur lines. We’re progressive, right? This is the 21st century right? Adolescent need things to be a bit more black and white. They will laugh and joke with you. They will also categorize you and talk about your lack of boundaries. They will also take advantage of you and when it comes to blows, they will call you out as immature and you will be left without excuse. This one is personal, I know. You have to make the change.

1. Lacks knowledge: Teachers are no longer practitioners, let us be honest. Aside from music and art teachers, most teachers do not participate actively in their content outside of the classroom. Maybe it is time for you to change that. Have you had someone mention the word relevance in a critique of your domain? If you do not have immediate responses to the relevance to your domain other than the fact that it is a pre-requisite for other content, you are on your way to being outdated, redundant, and useless. My advice? consider an area of your content that you are going to master and do everything that masters in those domains do. Math teacher? Why not be a statitstician? Do some research consulting. Language arts? Write stories for submission or volunteer to edit for professional journals. Science? Join a research group. These are not the answers to everything, obviously.

What would you be willing to do in order for your students to have better outcomes? You would be surprised by how many people would not be willing to change these behaviors if they were addressed. We hate change, I get that. We are more likely to justify than to change; to rebel rather than acquiesce. Our careers, our students, and our colleagues are depending on us advancing the craft. Let us take the challenge.

Fires in the Mind–a review

Kathleen Cushman starts a lot of fires. She and I exist on opposite sides of a similar plane and that is a good thing. We had the opportunity to Skype a few months back so that we could share about our research. A common comment overheard during our conversation was “Yeah, I don’t do that” and we quickly discovered that we take similar approaches to answer similar questions about different players in a very large ‘game.’

I have been prodding Kathleen every so often to have an impromptu unconference discussion where we could point/couterpoint about Expertise acquisition and classroom dynamics. Unfortunately, there would be lots of points and very few counterpoints. We tend to agree a lot which, as some of you may know, is a rare occurrance in my life when talking about education.

Recently, I was surprised by a package at my door from NYC. Opening it, I found a shiny new copy (hardback, or cloth, as they say in the industry) of Fires in the Mind with Kathleen’s regards and a request to review. Flattered and eager to tear into it, I began reading. I had to put it down.

Was I too touched by the gesture? I picked it up to read again and made it only halfway into the first chapter. Was I being–perish the though–sentimental?! I put the book down for the second time.

While on vacation this week, I committed to read and review this book. I read it in one sitting and took lots of notes. There was so little with which I could argue. I have included my review below:

What the reader will find between the covers of “Fires in the Mind” is a kinship with students on their road toward success. It is a challenge not to project yourself into the seats with the students, shifting in your imaginary chair with an eagerness to share your own insights and history. Cushman has woven together the narrative of these student reports; it is a refreshing ten chapters as each page allows their commentary to shine.

As I found in my own research, students are astute in their abilities to recognize traits of Expertise and to tease out the necessary components that lead to skill development. What are considered provocative statements among teachers come easily from their discussions. Few of them began with any ‘talent’ or innate ability; they were drawn to their areas of interest. They struggled and then recognized the need to make a decision to persevere or not. Accurate statements about motivation and practice are regular occurrences in the student discussions. Several times, I found myself agreeing-out loud- with their recounted stories of ‘one more time through.’

The ideas that these students bring to the discussion about education are crucial and worthwhile. Curricular integration, homework, support structures, and performances are given real consideration by these young scholars. Their responses are impressive. Get rid of homework? No, make it better. The discussion of motivation could be a book of its own along with a sequel about deliberate practice. These students get it. It should make us question what we are doing to boost this type of activity.

Cushman does not take the role of leader in this process so corrections and redirections are not evident. My primary critique of the book is that I would like to have read more of the student interviews in their entirety. Perhaps supplemental materials either, online or in print, may be added to future additions to allow the reader a more contextualized look into the minds of these developing experts and researchers. As an Expertise theorist with a few of my own irons in the fire, there are a few footnotes I would make but the author maintains the focus on the students and they tell a great story. This book is about the voices of the students and at this task it has succeeded.

Kathleen Cushman has captured the intimacy, clarity, and insight that only students can provide about their education. The frank operational explanations of interest, motivation, practice, and expertise are an open door to the workings of the adolescent mind. This is journalism, not research, and it works; this is a diary of effort that gives hope. It is not a solution. It is a plea to teachers and students to keep it up: you are not alone.

Everyone who has struggled to attain mastery on any level should read this book. It rockets us back to the awkward beginnings of our adolescent interests and budding competencies. This is a snapshot of success about to burst.

For more information about Kathleen Cushman, her work, and this book go to: http://firesinthemind.org/

I hate commercials

Easy targets. Trite complaints. Broken records. They are powerful because they resonate. I now have your attention and your (at least) leaning towards being on my side.

Snake oil — Step right up! You need, I have!

You may have heard salesmen use the Feel, Felt, Found method of developing affinity with current/future clients. They understand how you feel and they have felt that way too. But you know what? They have found the cure for everything that ails you!

As a teacher, I feel the same pressures that you feel. I have felt the sting of pointed words and critiques because my students do not perform the way that non-educators think that they should. “If you are such a great teacher” they say, “why aren’t your test scores higher???” I have found that the answer to this is to do away with standardized testing.

You see what I did there? I created a scenario that resonates. It is a common experience that we have had or one that has been explained to us. The frustration. The insult. The pain. We are professionals, are we not? We do not need this kind of treatment. They do not know what we do every day.

In Waiting for Godot, the character Estragon suffers from terrible pain and is constantly futzing with his shoes. Frustrated, Vladimir comments,

“There’s man all over for you, blaming on his boots the faults of his feet.”

I use the example of standardized testing because it is one to which many of us can relate. Test results are misused. Surprise. Does that mean that assessment of this type should be tossed out completely? Please. Teachers misuse test results every day. Good teachers. Maybe even you.

There are more items on the docket for the snake-oil salesman. They make grandiose statements that seem to have credibility. That credibility is strengthened when they make statements and use terminology that gets your Irish up. Grades. Detention. Rewards. Punishment. Bells. Classes. Uniforms. Tests. Paper. Technology. Who ever said that we need school anyway?! It is just a conspiracy to prepare us to be mindless cattle for corporate America!!

Relax.

Breathe.

This week I joked with a friend on Twitter and told him that he was a crackpot. His response was one of gratitude because “after all it’s usually “crackpots” that change the world.” Seem innocent enough. If you say that enough, you will believe it.

I rail against those who abuse nomenclature and also fight the colloquial research that we pass on over and again. Myths that we propagate. Do not fall for it, folks. Simply ask questions and expect answers. We need to stop taking peoples’ word for it and get back to real experience and real research that suggests best practices.