Are you reading this? How about this? This is a little out of the ordinary, but I bet you’re reading. Maybe you aren’t. How can we tell? Readers scan in very predictable ways and patterns. The basics are pretty simple. We jump to bolded text and don’t expect to see giant, bold statements. We read … Continue reading Page Formatting: Yes You Scan!
Sidewalk cut-ins. Elevators. Buttons that open doors. If you’ve ever been out and about in a wheelchair, used a dolly to move furniture, or pushed a baby stroller, you know to look for and use these things. But the fact is these innovations are relatively recent and were not mandated until the Americans with Disabilities … Continue reading Teaching Diverse Learners: How the Universal Design for Learning framework can help instructors engage a range of learners
For the first time in my working life, I am going to be out of the office for three consecutive weeks. Planning for this time away has not only forced me to be as efficient as possible in the time leading up to my vacation, but also has gotten me thinking about the importance of … Continue reading Group Work: The Importance of a Great Team
In the field of coaching there is more and more research that shows that when an athlete is in an environment where they feel supported and where they are having fun, skill acquisition comes more easily (for an interesting talk on this, listen to this podcast from Olympic coaching educator Wayne Goldsmith). This is not to … Continue reading Importance of Play in Skill Acquisition
If I were to describe my level of being a procrastinator, I would probably say mild to moderate. Over the years, I’ve used procrastination as a way to motivate myself to complete a task. This is particularly the case with tasks that I don’t like doing or tasks that appear difficult at first glance. Sometimes … Continue reading Procrastination: Is It Good, Bad, or Both!
Teaching—when you think about it—is a process of manipulation. Dr. Tom Angelo made this point when he was wrapping up his keynote presentation at the DePaul Faculty Teaching and Learning Conference in May 2017. Since then the idea of “teaching by manipulating” kept popping up in my mind like a little bud seeking its opportunity to … Continue reading Summer Math Class with Khan Academy: A Case of “Manipulated” Learning
In my last post, I detailed a study in the summer of 2016 using the Knewton Adaptive Learning engine built into Pearson’s MyMathLab. This was a limited study with a trial of Knewton in 4 developmental math courses. The results of the trial were compared to sections of the same courses in which the adaptive engine … Continue reading Adaptive Learning using the Knewton Engine in MyMathLab Sprint Results
Recently, on “Pi Day” (3.14, or March 14 for the non-nerds out there) I was reading an article about the benefits of learning programming on the Raspberry Pi, a micro-computer that costs only $35 dollars, and all the ways that it helps tinkerers learn programming and solve obscure issues by creating their own software and hardware … Continue reading Raspberry Pi and the Benefits of Diving into the Deep End
As part of my efforts to become a better and more effective teacher, I have immersed myself in the literature about effective teaching. I had two fundamental questions I wanted to find answers for or at least some insights about: 1) What does it mean to be an effective teacher? 2) What are some of … Continue reading Being an Effective Teacher (Part 2)
Recently, while filling out one of those mundane online forms that asks general demographic info like education level, industry, and various demographics, I was a bit puzzled that within the preconfigured options for occupation, my exact title of “Instructional Technology Consultant” wasn’t an option, though “Instructional Designer” was. I admit now that I shouldn’t really … Continue reading Delving into Design