Podcast - Seeding Knowledge

    This week I have produced a podcast on emotions in relation to adult learning.  To listen, please click on the link below:

Seeding Knowledge - Episode 1 - 21 January 2022

Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com

Original Article: 

Direct link: https://go.exlibris.link/5JGhBFtq 

  

Butz, N. T., Stupnisky, R. H., Pekrun, R., Jensen, J. L., & Harsell, D. M. (2016).

The impact of emotions on student achievement in synchronous hybrid business and public administration programs: A longitudinal test of control-value  theory. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 14(4), 441-474. https://doi.org/10.1111/dsji.12110 

 

Additional References: 

Dweck, C (2014). Ted talk: The power of believing that you can improve. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en 

Hall, C. & Knuth M. (2019). An Update of the Literature Supporting the Well-

Being Benefits of Plants: A Review of the Emotional and Mental Health Benefits of Plants. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. 37(1):30–38. 

 

Pekrun, R. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: 

Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315– 341. doi: 10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9 

This episode of Seeding Knowledge is brought to you by Iron Raven Fitness. 

Iron Raven Fitness is a health-focused fitness center in Port Coquitlam that also offers Personal Training and Pilates.

ironraven.ca

Post #3 - Interview with a Fellow Learner

 

Source: locate.international

    Last week I met with one of my fellow students over Zoom.  This was a person that I had never met, and I had only his blog post for background information.  We were meeting to share our differing fields of expertise (and possible teaching) as well as current trends in adult education.  Once again, as with so many other conversations, the insidious Covid crept in and took over.  

    At least in this conversation the pandemic was relevant.  My interview partner's field is insurance, specifically extended benefits, and so his job changed drastically when the pandemic began.  As with my own field of horticulture, the current trend for the insurance industry is their Covid response and mitigation.  Since no one knows when it will subside, there seems to be very little forecasting attempted or possible.  I asked if there was any guidance from industry leaders regarding what covid-related problems would be covered under one's extended benefits, but there certainly doesn't seem to be any consensus.  

    I imagine my partner's training when he started at his job was pretty well laid-out.  Precedents had been set for most of the types of claims one might see.  There is not yet training for insurance claim specialists in regards to covid coverage, at least at his company.       

    When we moved on to trends in adult education, it was obvious that both of us were experiencing the technological trends (on-line learning and interaction) that is only in part due to the pandemic.  With the outpouring of distance education options, students are demanding more flexible learning environments, even with physical colleges and universities.   While my workplace is trying hard to find an effective blend of virtual and in-person learning opportunities, my partner has been working entirely from home for two years now!  

    We briefly discussed the pros and cons of the new working/learning environments, but I don't think either of us have an idea how long it will last or what adult education will look like post-pandemic.

The ANSWER to Improving Student Learning

    Last week I was doing research for my podcast on cognitive science; more specifically, I was looking at how our emotions are connected to our learning.  Predictably, I went down a rabbit hole and bounced around several topics related to this one.  

    One article that stuck in my memory was titled: "How Can We Amplify Student Learning? The ANSWER from Cognitive Psychology."  It was written by doctors Kevin Yee and Diane Boyd and was published on June 18th, 2018.

    It seems like the authors approach learning from the triune brain perspective.  That is, Yee and Boyd write about stimulating the hippocampus (part of the limbic system) and the neocortex to form strong neural pathways.  The result of this is better knowledge transfer from short-term to long-term memory and more effective recall of information.  

    Using this knowledge of cognitive function, the authors provide several tips for educators to use in course design, lesson planning, and assessment.  They provide the acronym ANSWER with brief descriptions to make it easier for educators to use (as opposed to sifting through the mire of published research on cognition and learning).  I have summarized their tool below:

Attention

    Memory needs focus (i.e. no multitasking) and using different senses increases the
strength of neural networks.  

Source: livescience.com

Examples:

• taking notes by hand
• handling samples/equipment.

Novelty 

    New/different events increase retention.  

Source: postertemplate.co.uk

Examples:

• mixing text, images, and videos in a presentation
• using multiple choice, labeling diagrams, short answer, and other types of questions
• using metaphors (i.e. plants can only take up nutrients at a certain pH, that is like you sitting in front of a plate of food but you can't eat it because you have no utensils)
  

Spacing 

    Also known as 'distributed practice', allowing processing time in between batches of information.  

Examples:

• 

  Source: health.harvard.edu

  introduce some information, use activities to integrate it, and wait until the next class to provide more information.  This is rather than giving all the information at once and then utilizing it all at once later.
• providing introductory information before the lab so students can review it over a few days and arrive with questions and/or an understanding of their tasks

Why 

    Knowing why something is done a certain way, or why we need to know information provides learners with context and meaning.  This triggers associative memory.  

Examples:

• start an activity by explaining the reasons for the method or the history that led to it

  

  source: ted.com

• ask the students why this might be important (provide some mystery for them to solve)
• provide a problem at the beginning that the students would be able to solve by the end of the activity
  

Emotions 

    Emotions and short-term memory are processed in the hippocampus, so stimulating the hippocampus with emotions (i.e. enjoyment, intrigue) can help knowledge move to long-term memory more efficiently.  

Examples:

• create a game out of a task
• choose activities that promote playful interaction 
• associate problems with emotions (i.e. use emoticons in a presentation: sick plants = 😢sad face, fertilizer = 😀 happy face, pests = 😡angry face)

Repetition 

    Neural synapses formed by new information degrade unless they are used, so the more times this information is reviewed, the stronger the synapses become and the easier it is to recall.  

Examples:

• 

  Source: retrievalpractice.org

  small quizz
  es over the semester that make students recall the information more than once
• the use of flashcards and other visual representations of the information

    Utilizing some, or ideally all, of the letters above not only triggers the brain to process the learning more effectively, it also increases learner engagement by creating interest.  An increase in memory processing and in learner engagement naturally leads to long-term learning. 

    I can think of lesson plans which could be improved with any of the activities listed above, and I plan to encourage the use of them whenever possible.  I don't know about THE answer but I have found AN answer in regards to learning and cognition (pun intended).

Reference:

Yee, K. & Boyd, D. (2018). How Can We Amplify Student Learning? The 

ANSWER from Cognitive Psychology. Faculty Focus online.  June 18th, 2018.  https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-and-learning/how-can-we-amplify-student-learning-the-answer-from-cognitive-psychology/?utm_campaign=Faculty%20Focus&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=63740850&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8ku8l0ELPJnHOT-T6XS6DI8LTE9avLf2VPnutd438kPHi4rq35iYUErV1JS4cta1H_M_aLSQBoGNGh5V1RqTgSabybpA&_hsmi=63740850

Technology for Adult Education

    For my most recent course assignment I created a screencast.  That is, I recorded audio over a Powerpoint presentation to create a virtual presentation.  I am not old, however, none of those things existed when I was a child.  

Source: https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/articles/068B
A0TQZQnWCvXVS7udPmH-1..v1627579003.jpg

    I remember when we got our first computer and my mother showed us how to use it.  I remember the day I found out about the internet at my uncle's house.  He asked me what I would like to learn about and the only thing I could think of was dog breeds.  My uncle quickly brought up information on his screen about dogs.  Previous to this, I would have had to take out a book out from the library on dogs.    

    I did not understand how it worked, or how much the internet would become a part of my life.  When we first got the internet, each sibling was given a half hour to use it after school....and half an hour didn't go very far after you dialed up to connect and randomly tried various search websites to find what you wanted.  My own kids are not yet the same age that I was, but already they intuitively know what to ask Siri to find the information that they are seeking.

    While technology is more natural to my kids than printing, I have spent years learning new programs and developing a competency with computers.  Now that I work with educators, (and there's that pandemic thing), I am needing to learn much more about creating and editing videos, transferring physical lab activities to virtual content, and making every communication clear, concise, interesting, and accessible to a wide variety of students.

    I have heard many complaints about the moodle platform that many institutions use for course materials, and I have had my own challenges with it.  In creating videos, I have stumbled through several different recording and editing programs.  It is very frustrating to spend hours on a project, only to have it fail to publish/upload.  That was what happened with my screencast.

    When I searched for troubleshooting/solutions on the internet, the videos said to completely disable my firewall and antivirus service and try uploading again!  It seems to be a very bad idea to use a program that requires me to fully expose my computer in order to share something I created.  

Source:https://previews.123rf.com/images/arrow/arrow1505/
arrow150500023/40383204-social-media-background.jpg

  This whole experience reminded me of the time I spent learning to use video editing software at the start of the pandemic.  I spent hours learning basic editing skills with youtube videos and software tutorials, and in turn helped some instructors with the software because what little I knew was still more than their own experience.

    The horticulture programs that I am involved in are very hands-on, providing students with applied knowledge and skills.  The courses are perhaps more similar to a trades apprenticeship (which is also offered) than to a formal academic faculty.  Still, the students coming into the program now have had a technology-heavy education thus far and they will be working in an industry that is only becoming more technological.

    These circumstances behoove educators to utilize the various types of media in the course delivery and expose students to it as a supplement for their professional careers.  Since I am hoping to be more involved on the instructional side, I suppose I will be spending a lot of time gaining competence with all the platforms and software involved in creating a well-rounded course of any subject.

Post #2 Trends in Adult Education - The Flipped Classroom

My current role is the Lab Technician for courses in Horticulture and Environmental Protection Technology.  Part of my job in managing the labs is to provide the materials and equipment necessary for the lab portions of the courses.  When I started, the job tended to be cyclical, with the same labs happening each year in particular semesters.  When the pandemic began, my job was changed drastically.    

After the initial quarantine that required instructors to immediately pivot to virtual classes, we were given permission to host a limited number of essential in-person labs with reduced numbers of participants and individual equipment (Image 1).  For one course, there are up to 35 enrolled students and then only 8 were allowed in the lab at a time.  Labs were shortened from 2.5 hours to 50 minutes with time in between to sanitize all equipment and surfaces.  This required instructors to cut down the exercises to the concepts that most needed to be taught in-person. 

Image 1: Pandemic guidelines required each student to have their own station and equipment.  Each item and surface had to be sanitized in between labs.  The number of lab sections had to be increased to allow for social distancing and based on the limited numbers of expensive equipment.  Image credit: C. Steel 2021

To make the most efficient use of each precious 50-minute lab, I helped the instructor prepare videos and slides of various demonstrations, activities and course content (Image 2).  Students were required to view these materials on-line before coming to the lab so that there was minimal time lost to providing instructions and base information.  During labs, students learned hands-on skills and discussed questions demonstrating the application of their findings.   

Image 2: Each course website includes slideshows, videos, and other content that students are required to view in advance of the in-person lab.  These resources provide them with information about the subject and an introduction to the tasks that they will be required to perform during the lab.  Image credit: C. Steel 2020

While it was obvious that some students did not prepare for the lab, the feedback from other students regarding the on-line content was positive and they liked having the ability to review it multiple times at their own need.  As we took in the feedback and became better versed in the electronic platforms, the content became more robust and better organized.   

When I was reading an article about flipping the classroom written by Cynthia Brame, I discovered that the course format we were using followed the flipped classroom delivery method that has been used by other educators.  I don’t know if it was intentional on the instructor’s part, or if it happened organically as adjustments were made in the moment in response to pandemic guidelines.  The IT department, along with Teaching and Learning support provided a lot of support to create the virtual content.  Because of this, it was one of many courses at the university that frontloaded labs with first-exposure learning so that the information processing activities could occur in-person (as described by Walvoord and Anderson in Effective Grading, 1998).   

Image credit: University of Washington - click image for link

In the article, Braeme highlights a couple variations of this method, such as peer instruction and inverted classroom.  There are also summaries of several published reports that show significant improvements in marks for classes that trialed the flipped classroom method over the traditional method of instruction.   

In describing the flipped classroom, Braeme identified 4 components: 

1. Provide an opportunity for students to gain first exposure prior to class. 

2. Provide an incentive for students to prepare for class. 

3. Provide a mechanism to assess student understanding. 

4. Provide in-class activities that focus on higher level cognitive activities.(Braeme, 2013) 

 

Utilizing these components when our in-person instruction was so limited, allowed us to efficiently use the lab time for students to process and apply their new knowledge.  Also, the virtual learning content that was created for this method has left us in a good position to pivot to entirely virtual if required.  This has built resilience into our program that did not exist previously. 

When I add this experience to the pre-pandemic success of the flipped classroom method, I am inclined to conclude that there is enough evidence to continue utilizing this method.  Even after the pandemic is under control, many students will continue to value the flexibility provided by the flipped classroom.  Creating the content for this method was intensive but it is of enduring quality, so I believe that the instructor (as well as myself), will prefer to continue with some variation of the flipped classroom. 

The programs that I am involved in are skill-oriented and require a lot of in-person instruction for the safe and effective operation of equipment.  Those involved in running the programs are constantly balancing the demand for high-tech, asynchronous, virtual learning with the in-person instruction that provides the efficacy for the related industries.  The flipped classroom seems like one possible way to achieve that balance. 

 

References: 

Brame, C. (2013). Flipping the classroom. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved 04 Jan 2022 from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/flipping-the-classroom/. 

Walvoord BE, and Anderson VJ (1998). Effective grading: A tool for learning and assessment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.