Experiment: Connect the media discourse to current events. About three years ago, I read this article from the Atlantic about how Hollywood movies are actually very right-wing leaning although it is usually assumed that Hollywood is fiercely left-wing. The movie industry is heavily controlled by unions, movies push the envelope in socially liberal ways, and Hollywood…
Experiment: Bring some analysis into a world that is usually unquestioned. This is part 2. Check out part 1 if you are interested in the data theory behind why I think grades suck. There are several incredibly important questions about grades that I feel are rarely discussed. Grading procedures are clearly defined for teachers, grades are…
Experiment: Bring some data theory into a world that is usually unquestioned. I know, I know, complaining about grades probably just means I couldn’t get good grades. Okay, that’s not too far from the truth, but more than anything, I ALWAYS have been annoyed at how useless grades seemed. From the time that I started…
Experiment: Attempting to coin some new words. I have two new favorite adjectives: Stuplex – made intentionally complex so that it becomes stupid – stupidly complex Simpid – simplified to the point of being stupid or insipid Stuplex writing has too many clauses, citations embedded within sentences, or a mash up of too many buzzwords. I’ve always…
Experiment: Write a blog post instead of a message on Facebook that no one will ever read. I follow the World Economic Forum on Facebook. They frequently post about education but only rarely do I agree with their analyses. Sometimes, I post angry responses, but that feels a bit like spitting into the wind. But…
Experiment: Continue to write and try really hard not to cry. I wrote previously about some of the flaws of teacher evaluation. But it just didn’t seem right to leave the topic without mentioning some of the other research out there. Teacher evaluations based on observation are advertised a a system to keep teachers accountable and as…
Experiment: Write and don’t cry I’ll be totally honest; One of the reasons I left teaching was teacher evaluation based on observation. Or, at least, the personal effects of systems like teacher evaluation. Woods and Jeffrey (2002) conducted a significant study of the ways that teachers engaged in “identity work” in response to observation based…
Experiment: Explain a few of the problems with current thought I recently saw this advertisement on Facebook for an event in Bristol. I have a little bit of trouble deciding if they are 100% serious or if it is supposed to be kind of funny. Maybe I just want to find a bit of humor in my…
Experiment: Follow the trail. There’s a really interesting collection of research comparing cultures on a set of dimensions. The idea is that it is not very informative to study a single culture. Instead, the intrigue comes from comparing the differences between cultures. I might be tempted to write about all of these in an education context…
Experiment: Have a little bit of fun and learn something too! This is my new favorite video: I laughed and I cried. It is seriously amusing and has some serious issues with measurement! My biggest complaint is the questions. Here is the list of questions that are asked during the video. Positive questions: Which one seems…
Emily Winchip 