Archive for the ‘Education Books’ Category
Wednesday, March 15th, 2023
Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships I (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker explains how having strong, multiple, caring relationships is just as important as diet, exercise, and not smoking when it comes to being healthy, happy, and living longer. There are also lots of great tips for people who want to have marriages that last. School counselors can use it to create important staff development sessions. Be sure to get a copy.
Introduction
We start with a simulated hostage negotiation that demonstrates some of the concepts associated with active listening. This book is about what we get wrong with relationships and how we can be a bit more right. Using the best evidence available we will see that the fundamental core of relationships is the stories our brains weave to create identity, agency, and community. Also, our problems with others often start with our inaccurate perception of them.
Part 1: Can You “Judge a Book by Its Cover”?
1. Here is the story of a female detective known as Ms. Sherlock Holmes from 1917, a time before women could go to Harvard Law School or vote. It shows that common sense and persistence are more powerful than deduction. Eric provides evidence that shows how profiling is of little or no use. The Barnum Effect describes humans’ willingness to accept descriptions of themselves based on a diagnostic instrument. In other words, we are prone to seeing meaning where there is none. We make up stories to help us make sense of the world, even if the stories are not true. The primary thing we need to contend with, therefore, is our own cognitive biases.
2. Those who possess accurate person perception are happier, less shy, and better with people. They have better interpretations of body language and nonverbal communication. Unfortunately, most of us are horrible at these skills. We tend to exaggerate the extent to which others think and feel like we do. Women are better at this, but not much. If you want to get better you need to be more curious and do what you can to elicit stronger signals that make others more readable. Pay special attention to changes in voice.
3. First impressions are generally accurate, but once they are set they are very hard to change. You can usually predict how students evaluate a teacher by watching a thirty-second video of a teacher. We are biased in our thinking and use confirmation bias to support other biases. Try to make others more readable and try to resist confirmation bias lock-in.
Here is what to do. 1. Set the bar high for making initial judgments. 2. Keep some distance and avoid snap judgments. 3. Make a serious effort to consider the opposite of your first impression. Look back on your mistakes and hope they reveal your biases. Be sure to give everyone a second chance. Good people can have lousy days. Your negative judgments are less reliable than your positive judgments.
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Monday, October 3rd, 2016
Preparing Students for a Project-Based World by Bonnie Lathram, Bob Lenz, and Tom Vander Ark spells out the rationale for introducing project-based learning as an excellent way to prepare students for college and careers. It is the first of three reports about the new economy and inequities in student preparation. The next two parts will deal with preparing teachers and students for a project-based classroom.
Introduction
- The new economy requires a lot from young people. The bar is higher and the rules have changed in five ways. 1. Anyone who can access the Internet can learn to code, build and app, and start a business. This makes competition much greater. 2. The pace of technological change requires continuous learning. 3. As robots take over routine tasks, non-routine work is organized into projects. 4. Soon 40% of workers will be freelance and people employed by companies will move frequently. 5. Value is produced by initiating and sustaining complex work applying design and problem-solving skills.
- As a result, we need to reimagine how we teach students and how we organize schools. Students need to use their own interests and passions to grow their skills, master core academic content, and learn how to collaborate with others. One way to do this is to give all students access to high-quality project-based learning.
The New Economy
- For most workers, a series of projects will mark their career. There is also an increase in gigs, which are short-term routine tasks requiring low-skills. The classic example here is Uber where anyone with a car and a drivers license can earn a modest income. Better paying jobs are just the opposite since they usually involve long-term projects, require much more skill, and pay much more. Today’s youth also has to beware of jobs subject to automation. The classic example here is tax preparation.
Inequity: Old and New
- Policy changes associated with No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top have not reduced gaps between black and white performance. Nine out of ten children from the bottom of the income ladder who graduate from college move to a higher economic bracket. Being poor, however, is an impediment to getting the education that can lift you out of poverty. Most of the jobs created since the last recession have gone to people with at least some college education. Higher college costs and stagnant wages have lowered the return on college investments so don’t go until you are ready and don’t leave without a degree.
A Project-Based World
- Technological and economic change results in a very different job market for students to face. There are six ways to prepare for a project-based world and it is vital that teachers facilitate all of them. 1. Look for real-world internships. 2. Get real-time feedback, not just grades. In your career you will get feedback so get ready for it. 3. Learn how to collaborate. 4. Project results need to be communicated so work on communication skills including public speaking. 5. Personalize your learning. This will involve applying the skills learned elsewhere. 6. Learn about project management and team leadership.
Deeper and Project-Based Learning
- Project-based learning is one way to support deeper learning outcomes. They should be demanding and require a public audience. Essential project design elements include: a focus on student learning goals and standards, meaningful problems and appropriate levels of challenge, an extended process, a real-world context, student voice and choice, time for reflection, opportunities to critique and revise, and a public presentation. This report includes exemplars using several project results.
- This chapter ends with several fallacies associated with traditional non-project-based education. These include: memorizing content is all that’s necessary, more homework increases rigor but PBL is not rigorous, and PBL only works for white middle class students. The authors claim that PBL allows students to learn and master content knowledge, demonstrate and apply knowledge and skills, and learn how to learn as they transfer knowledge to new and different contexts.
A Call For Action
- It’s clear that we need advocates in the education and business community to move forward on this vital issue. Do what you can to get this information into the hand of policy makers and engage them in conversations. Parents can also play a key role as advocates. The authors list ten elements necessary to make high-quality possible. They are: 1. Pedagogy – Combine PBL with personalized learning. 2. Accountability – Assign individual as well as team projects an make all students in a group accountable. 3. Integration – Projects should span disciplines. This may require some team teaching. 4. Badging – Students should receive badges to certify things like project management skills. 5. Voice – Students should be responsible for defining the scope and deliverables of their projects. 6. Assessment – Teachers should check in periodically to provide formative feedback and use a rubric to assess completed projects. 7. Exhibitions – Students should be able to present their work to a public audience. 8. Portfolios – Students should collect and manage artifacts in a portfolio as evidence of their learning. 9. Training – Teachers need significant training prior to implementing PBL. 10. Tech – Powerful tech tools should be available to students and teachers
The Authors
- The authors bios are included at the end of this document. Bonnie Lathram is a Director at Getting Smart where she leads large-scale education initiatives. Bob Lenz is the Executive Director of the Buck Institute for Education. Tom Vander Ark is CEO of Getting Smart and a partner at Learn Capital, an education venture fund. You can follow them on Twitter at @belathram (Bonnie) @pblbob (Bob) and @tvanderark (Tom).
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Thursday, November 22nd, 2012
Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques by Laura Hennessey DeSena (©2007, National Counsel of Teachers of English: Urbana, Il) offers teachers (and even parents) ways to promote original thinking and head off plagiarism at its sources. Assignments that use free writing and original sources can build student confidence and critical thinking skills so they will be less likely to use online paper mills and cut and paste without attribution. Every college and secondary school teacher should have a copy, so click the icon at the bottom of any page to purchase. Even teachers of younger students can adapt the ideas presented here.
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Monday, April 10th, 2023
Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibilty by Michelle Blanchet & Brian Deters is aimed at social studies (civics) teachers but is also a fine resource for teachers and parents of students in upper elementary school on up. We need to encourage students to take on controversial topics by gaining knowledge of all sides of each argument. They should also be allowed to engage in open-ended problem-solving, creative hands-on activities, collaboration, and community service.
Introduction: Why we need to stop avoiding civics and politics
- Not being able to talk about politics is a communications failure. We all need the same things and we all most likely want what’s best for everyone. The authors hope to help teachers and parents open communication on political problems so that they can be better solved, which won’t happen if they are ignored. Learn how to teach the 4 Cs: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication.
1. Practice Sense-Making
- Try to let students experience the world as much as possible, and let them try to make sense of what they experience. People learn best when they are actively involved, and what may seem like play can often be active learning. Ask more how and why questions and fewer what questions. Ask how something works using the examples the authors give.
- As for politics, beware of supporting a candidate based on their identity rather than their policies. Make sure they understand how the actions of the government impact their lives and encourage them to get involved. Polarization happens in times of rapid change.
2. Keep Asking Questions
- Children are very curious as they try to figure out how the world works. As we age, however, we become less curious as we no longer think we need to understand more. The trick, therefore to becoming a lifelong learner is to stay curious. You do this by questioning everything. It’s the teacher’s job to ask a lot of questions to encourage critical thinking and to encourage students to ask questions themselves. Teachers can use question quotas and other techniques included here.
3. Cultivate Humility
- A wise teacher once told me “Dr. Green, you have to keep your ego out of it.” The other thing you need to do is to help students do the same. For this you need an open mind, be ok with being wrong, and learn from mistakes. Learning how to manage your own emotions is vital if you want to model this behavior. A respectful disagreement involves being hard on the problem and easy on the other person.
- You want kids to be confident, but not overconfident. Be certain not to embarrass anyone for being wrong. Finally, the authors suggest conducting structured debates where students make statements, present data, explain how the data supports their statement, prepare for rebuttal, and present a conclusion.
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Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
Techniques of Propaganda and Persuasion by Magedah E. Shabo provides an historical look at how propaganda has been used to manipulate the masses. The book is packed with interesting examples and illustrations. There is a companion CD with an extensive PowerPoint that offers a detailed explanation of the 11 techniques. The book will allow students and adults avoid being manipulated by advertisers, politicians, and anyone using the techniques. Every social studies teacher should have one in their classroom and no library is complete without it.
Click here for my summary of Propaganda and Persuasion.
Tags: Megedah Shabo, Persuasion, Propaganda
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Thursday, April 19th, 2012
QUIET: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (© 2012, Crown Publishers: New York, NY) tells the story of how being introverted has its advantages and how the extrovert ideal is overrated. Learn how forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and how the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. This book is passionately argued and draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience. Leaders, educators, and parents need to pay attention to Cain’s findings. Also check Susan’s TED talk.Click the icon below to purchase this vital book from Amazon.
Susan Cain
- Before she became a writer for outlets like the New York Times, Susan practiced corporate law for seven years, representing clients like JP Morgan and General Electric, and then worked as a negotiations consultant, training all kinds of people, from hedge fund managers to TV producers to college students negotiating their first salaries. Her clients have included Merrill Lynch, Shearman & Sterling, One Hundred Women in Hedge Funds, and many more. She is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
- She prefers listening to talking, reading to socializing, cozy chats to group settings, and likes to think before she speaks (softly). She has never given a speech without being terrified first and explores this paradox in this book.
Rosa Parks Was an Introvert.
- If Rosa Parks wasn’t an introvert, she may not have made such a big stride for racial equality. Susan starts with this story that shows how the extrovert Martin Luther King was able to use Parks’ example. Studies tell us that 1/3 to 1/2 of Americans are on the introvert side of this spectrum. There is no such thing as a pure introvert or a pure extrovert. Unfortunately, we live in a value system she calls the Extrovert Ideal. This results in parents apologizing for shy children who feel there is something wrong with them. In addition to Parks, Cain lists many other famous introverts.
Basic Descriptions
- Extroverts tend to tackle assignments quickly. They make fast (sometimes rash) decisions and are comfortable multitasking and risk-taking. They enjoy the thrill of the chase for rewards like money and status.
- Introverts often work more slowly and deliberately. They like to focus on one task at a time and can have mighty powers of concentration. They are relatively immune to the lures of wealth and fame. They prefer environments that are not overstimulating and 70% are also sensitive. They may be shy, which is a painful condition, but introversion is not. Cain provides a 20 item true/false test so you can determine where you are on this scale. I answered 16 items on the introvert side, which helps explain why I love doing DrDougGreen.Com.
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Monday, February 21st, 2011
This book by Jeff Utecht is a great place to start for anyone who wants to join the growing community of tech savvy educators, parents, and citizens. Jeff is an international educator and technology consultant. He has taught in the U.S., Saudi Arabia, China, and is a Technology & Learning Coordinator at the International School in Bangkok Thailand. His global experience is key to understanding how the Internet is changing education. He also has a learning disability, so this book and his career are amazing accomplishments. Read it to gain a sound understanding of topics like Web 2.0, Communities and Networks, RSS feeds, Blogs, Wikis, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, and Google Buzz.
Click here for my summary of Reach.
Tags: Jeff Utecht, Social Networking, Web 2.0
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Monday, April 30th, 2018
Reach for Greatness: Personalizable Education for All Children by Yong Zhao argues for a transformation of our schools from a focus on deficits and remediation to a focus on strengths and making every student great in their own way. It makes a short and compelling case for giving students more control and more responsibility for their learning and their futures. Please grab a copy and send one to any policymaker you know.
Introduction
- Yong uses his own story about how he wasn’t good at farming chores and that his father had the good sense to send him to school. At the time he was also able to avoid subjects he wasn’t good at or not interested in. This allowed him to leave China for the US and to become a college teacher. He compares this to our system that rather than focusing on student strengths focuses on their deficiencies. The system assumes that every student should learn the same knowledge and skills (standards) and that they should all demonstrate the same level of proficiency.
- While federal mandates have changed a bit, there is still an unreasonable focus on closing achievement gaps. He maintains that achievement gap mania has changed America for the worse. Changes in society continue to redefine the knowledge and skills that will be useful as some skills become obsolete. Humans are differently talented so we need to stop preparing students to become a homogeneous group of average individuals who are mediocre at everything but great at nothing. We need to begin helping everyone become great.
1. The Ambitious Pursuit of Mediocrity: How Education Curtails Children’s Potential for Greatness
- Our education system is a meritocracy that rewards students who do the best on the tests they take in a limited number of subjects. If you can jump through the required hoops on schedule, you will do fine. If your interests and talents don’t fit the curriculum, it will damage your confidence and self-esteem, and your talents are likely to be wasted. Ironically, meritocracy leads to mediocrity.
- The tests are norm-referenced so if one student goes up another goes down. (Doug: This is known as a zero-sum game. If you see percentiles, that is what is happening.) The tests only assess the ability to take the tests. As a result, Einstein and your top physics student both get the same grades. (Doug: There is no way to spot outliers.) Merit is defined a one’s ability and interest in performing well on tests in a few subjects. Thankfully, a growing number of schools have begun to implement programs such as genius hours and maker spaces, but they are still limited in scale and reach.
2. All Children Are Above the Average: The Potential for Greatness
- While all children cannot be above average on any single scale, there are so many ways to be above average on something that Yong believes that all children can be above average at one or more things. It is up to the adults in their lives to help children find out just what their individual strengths and weaknesses are. Since everyone is unique, there really isn’t any such thing as an average person.
- Yong mentions a number of ways to judge ability. There is Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory, Dan Pink’s left and right brain directed thinking, Goldberg’s personality traits, and Reiss’ passion and intrinsic drives desires. Talent, personality, and passion are foundational sources of strengths and weaknesses and they are enhanced or suppressed by experiences. As you look for potential for greatness, avoid applying a predetermined set of criteria to all students. This includes curriculum standards as a student’s strength may lie outside their narrow definition.
- All human beings possess creativity. This is the ability to come up with new ideas, methods, theories, concepts, and products. Every student has a combination of innate qualities and environmental experiences that helps turn her or him into a unique individual. When you look hard without preconceived views, you will find them in all children.
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Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher explains how most schools teach reading in a way that kills most students love of reading. It also gives advice on how to fix the problem. Educators at the middle school and elementary levels along with parents should read this.
A Proposal to Webster’s
- Read-i-cide: noun, the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools. This is Gallagher’s proposed definition of the title of this book. In his 20+ years as an educator, administrator, and consultant, he has seen many teachers and administrators push practices that kill many students’ last chance to develop into lifelong readers.
Overemphasis on Testing
- When most schools say they value reading, what they mean is that they focus intensely on raising state-mandated reading test scores. They feature the kind of reading that students will rarely if ever, do as adults. As a result, these schools are working against developing independent readers. Students who perform poorly, get more of the same ineffective treatment. Two-thirds of college-bound students still have to take remedial courses. If students are taught to read and write well, they will do fine on mandated tests. If they are only taught to be test-takers, they will never learn to read and write well.
Too Many Standards
- Standards are necessary, but the problem with state and local standards in the US is that there are too many of them. The biggest danger of sprinting though the content is that we graduate students who do not develop an interest in any content area. We have courses that are a mile wide and an inch deep. By sacrificing deep, rich teaching, we chip away at student motivation. We turn students into memorizers instead of thinkers.
Tags: Kelly Gallagher, Readicide
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Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership 4th Edition by Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal, is the best textbook for a leadership course that I have seen. I use it for a course I teach for educators at the State University of New York at Cortland. The focus deals with the structural, human relations, political, and symbolic frames found in all organizations. If you analyze complex situations using all four, your are more likely to have success leading and managing. The summary includes activities I do with my class. It should be in every library and professional development collection.
Click here for my summary and activities from Reframing Organizations.
Tags: Leadership Education, Lee Bolman, Reframing Organizations, Terrance Deal
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