Renninger, Ren, and Kern (2018) observe “it is possible for a person to be motivated and engaged, but not interested, whereas, when something is of interest to a person, it is always motivating and engaging. In general, interest can be defined as the tendency to continue engaging with the materials or with a situation. It would appear that educators who capture the interest of students are Read More
My afternoon walks have been spent listening to some audio books… Richard Dawkins’ The Ancestor’s Tale has been my most recent selection. Listening to Dawkins describe the confusion that can happen when we expect continuous variation to be discontinuous, I heard much that was familiar and much that explains some of our difficulties in education Read More
John Seeley Brown (2000) concluded that in the 21st century, the amount of information that humans access is overwhelming. Information is no longer the essential aspect of knowing. The sense we make of information is the essential aspect of knowing. Brown observed, “The forces that shape the background [of human knowledge] are the social forces, Read More
It is through emotional reaction that humans make decisions about what deserves attention and which does not. The author of How People Learn 2 observed, “Quite literally, it is neurobiologically impossible to think deeply about or remember information about which one has had no emotion because the healthy brain does not waste energy processing information Read More
When well-designed, these assessments allow for the students to actively participate in the assessment of their work; this both helps them refine the meaning they make of what they studied and it provided them with opportunities to accurately self-assess their work. Because the work is intended for authentic audiences, the students are motivated to seek Read More
Learning scientists identify several types of goals. Students whose goals are based on mastering the curriculum, being able to use it independently are intrinsically motivated; they are likely to develop deeper learning. If learners are not motivated by mastery, their goals are based in performance which indicates extrinsic motivation. Motivation is also affected by the Read More
Cognitive engagement means the learners is thinking about the material they are studying, but it involves more than just practicing retrieval of information. Cognitively engaged learners try to make sense of the material by comparing it to what they already know and resolving differences. They ask questions about what the new information means, and seek Read More
Compromise (which finds groups or individuals deciding an action that is between two extreme options) is a human activity with an unusual character. In some instances (for example in political discussions) groups see it as a positive outcome as action can proceed despite neither “side” getting everything they desire. In other instances (for example in Read More
Readers are fans of writers in the same way sports enthusiasts are fans of teams (many of use are both). This reader is a fan of those who explain the world and bring fresh explanations and creative insights to human experience and understanding. Michael Gazzaniga is one such author and my shelf has many of Read More
The question of “what should we teach?” is a perpetual one for educators. Some describe it as a pendulum and believe their job as an educator is to hold the pendulum as the bottom of its arc. Other believe the pendulum belongs on either extreme. Yet others ride the pendulum and just adopt the most Read More