Pedagogy

=Pedagogy= Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher relating to strategies and style.

Theory
Blooms' Taxonomy organizes the progressive process from learning to implementation. A summary assessment and application to professorship is:
 * Learning - Stage 1, 2
 * Teaching - Stage 3, 4
 * Research - Stage 5, 6

The taxonomy has been recently revised.



See references from a seminar presentation by Dr. Karl Smith. It is presumed that the most successful students naturally progress by acquiring skills associated with each level.


 * ~ Levels ||~ Taxonomy ||~ Domain ||~ Activity ||
 * = 1 || Knowledge || Home || Reading, observation ||
 * = 2 || Comprehension || Class || Questions, discussion, comments ||
 * = 3 || Application || Class || HW, quiz, Jeopardy ||
 * = 4 || Analysis || Discussion || Group problems ||
 * = 5 || Synthesis || Lab/Class/Discussion || Make test questions, paper, proposal, presentation, teaching ||
 * = 6 || Evaluation || Lab/Class || Symposium/debate, dynamic presentation ||

Education
Sir Ken Robinson suggests three basic processes in education:
 * 1) Curriculum: what the school expects students to learn
 * 2) Pedagogy: the process by which the system helps students learn
 * 3) Assessment: the process of judging how well they learn

The prime responsibility of a professor is to educate. To //educate// comes from the root word //educe// which means to bring forth what is within, to bring out potential. While deficiencies in a person's aptitude may be due to poor cognitive skills, it is also believed that a socio-learning environment helps develop a student's aptitude. In other words, a student's ability to read, write, study and develop academically is contingent on his learning environment.

code I had two teacher's throughout middle school. Teacher A taught English. I would come to her with questions about my grade. She would get frustrated with me, only give direct answers and never offer supportive suggestions to improve my writing skills. Teacher B taught science. She allowed my to question every topic, every mistake on the board, every difficult concept until I was satisfied with the answer. She patiently allowed me to talk out loud and extrapolate my own reasoning. Perhaps you can see why I am a scientist and not an English major. code

The goal is to meet student needs at their developmental level. Therefore, it is my focus to foster a social learning environment the classroom wherein students:
 * engage in discussion during lecture
 * partake in graded, timed group assignments that challenge individual skills and encourage high academic standards
 * develop a critical respect for quality of work

There are instances where we cannot forget what it was like to be a student. We should not discard the "literate practices [we] employed as students, and assume them to be common sense." We should elucidate the stepping stones that led to our present knowledge and serve the student by leading them to enlightenment. Eventually, through scaffolding assistance, the student will carry the majority of the work and learn to learn on their own.

If I were to address the faculty in my department I might say, "the question as to whether our department can produce a topnotch eduction for our students in already answered. This department is filled with excellent, capable educators. The question is, what kind of education does this faculty want to this department be known for? Those who are tenure-racked have limit time to invest into proper teaching. For those who are tenured may ask 'what benefit do I get out of this?' There may not be an official honor for great education, but I tell you this: no student ever forgets a great teacher. If you're looking for fame, consider the reputation you have with the hundreds to thousands of people you will teach in your lifetime. Your glory may not be written on plaques or checks where dust degrades and paper fades, but rather your name can live forever written on hearts and spoken tongues of men. Professors, seize this opportunity."

Is College Obsolete?
Secondary education is becoming obsolete. Careers are being made in pace with the fast growth of technology; Bill Gates became a billionaire with the introduction of the personal PC, Youtube stars as famous as Hollywood celebrities are being made in people's homes, many of whom have dropped out from school. Livelihood and success is no longer contingent on gaining a college diploma. Then why attend college? Especially today when the value of collegiate academics has been buffeted by academic dishonesty and "derivative" forms of learning. For example, many live business course that are offered online do need require attendance. Alternative forms of teaching such as Tutoring Zone and Study Edge have been designed for cramming material before major exams by way of study packets and blitzkrieg tutoring sessions. Many students perform well. So why attend class if the function of the instructor is obviated by cramming tools? Therefore I submit that the model of teaching the the 21st century must shift from direct lecturing to facilitation of learning by encouraging interaction within the classroom. Students are growing up in a generation where communication and connectivity are a part of their daily lives. In order to foster learning within this interactive age, we must consider using the classroom as live forum of ideas and intellectual exchange among students.

Education and Research
"Research ideas are the synthesis of your understanding of the field, and in education that is the primary role of the teacher - to distill and synthesize for the student." - Larry Hench, 1973

"There's an old Indian proverb that says the only way to learn about a man is to walk in his moccasins. The only way to learn about a field is to do it, and you don't do it by reading books or writing lectures. You do it by researching." - Larry Hench, 1973.

"Children learn best when they learn from each other and when their teachers are learning with them." - Sir Ken. Robinson, The Element This is the perfect mantra for a research environment in which PI and student learn together, not to mention a useful mantra in the classroom between professor and student. I find the professor can learn new perspectives from the student as well.

"Mentoring and coaching is the vital pulse of a living system of eduction." - Sir Ken Robinson, The Element

Diversity
University: a place fostering the unity of diversity.

Academic Integrity
It is believed that ethical courses at the undergraduate level will play an integral role in the practice of good decisions in the business realm. It is estimated that over $400 billion is spent on fraudulent behavior or $9 per working day per person.

Studying
When studying, select an environment in which to study often. This is suggested because it has been shown that it is easier to recall information when a person can visualize the place in which they learned it. Recalling the place stimulates memory cues to help recall the information, so this is beneficial when taking an exam, if the place where you study is constant. In the Gilmore Girls, on Rory's first week's at Yale, she was determined to find the perfect tree under which to study throughout the year. Students should similarly explore the libraries and quiet places in which to maintain a study environment, to seek their own study trees.

Essential Elements

 * 1) **Energy**: 1st Law of Thermodynamics states that energy is neither created nor destroyed. For students who are not naturally excited to learn new topics, the professor must inject energy into the classroom system. He can facilitate secondary systems to reduce the entropic effects of low attendance and low interest by making each lesson engaging and standalone.
 * 2) **Interaction**: Various forms of dialog, humor, demonstrations, questions and student participation
 * 3) **Preparation**: Adequate practice and refinement of lessons prior to delivery
 * 4) **Stimulation**: Insight -> examples -> challenging problems

Teaching Concept
Teaching is ultimately the translation of knowledge from expert to novice. Knowledge is transferred from teacher to student from theory, to practice of learned concepts onto application which demonstrates mastery. Introducing cognitive structuring is peppered throughout the course, i.e note-taking, tips on study skills, annotating, preparing for exams, etc.
 * =  ||= //Teacher// ||=   ||= //Student// ||
 * = //Teacher// ||= **Theory** ||= **Practice** ||= **Application** ||
 * = //Student// ||= Conceptualization ||= Calculation ||= Implementation ||

Course Development

 * 1) Meditation: prevalent throughout, always optimizing
 * 2) Outline: Review text, combine topics, draft broad syllabus
 * 3) Syllabus: set dates, # lectures, set evaluations
 * 4) Problem Sets: determine problems students should know, assign or make new problems
 * 5) Lesson Plans:update topic draft, review history, implement tools for types of topics covered.



Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Technique is a practice of timing focused work for 25 minutes followed by 5 minute breaks.

media type="youtube" key="cH-z5kmVhzU" height="385" width="640"

Learning
There is perhaps a gross misunderstanding of way in which students learn. Teachers may teach and evaluate, judging the success of their work by the progress of such evaluations. The knowledge acquired by the students is judged in the beginning and the end, but knowledge to the roots of understanding is not a //state function// (independent of path). The means of acquiring the knowledge of success is greatly dependent upon the road taken, the path to get there. Therefore, when considering curriculum, instructors should pay attention not only to the delta, but also to the differential of knowledge which considers beyond the mere initial and final states, but also the path by which students attain understanding.

code not Δ_knowledge, but rather d_knowledge code

Instructor
-student board writing -have quizzes ||  ||   ||   ||   ||
 * || In-Class Style || Content Covered || Preparation || Energy Invested || Charismatic Influence ||
 * single || Full lecture || high || low (research translation) || high || low ||
 * || -allow questions
 * network || Group problems || low || high (tests, quizzes, notes, planning) || low || high ||

Instructor-Student

 * || Time demand || Interaction ||
 * experienced || low || low ||
 * inexperienced || high || high ||
 * invite students to lunch
 * invite students to lunch

Student

 * || aptitude level || motivation || focus || impact || time to think ||
 * experienced || Grad level || high || Research || high || high ||
 * || Senior UG ||  || Practice ||   ||   ||
 * inexperienced || Freshmen UG || low || Principle || low || low ||

Leading Academic Performance in Student Development
Below is an example of situational leadership developed by Blanchard. Leading a classroom has similar phaes. Teaching occurs through S1. Engaged students will elicit an S2 response from instructors through active interaction, i.e. questions and office hours. If the instructor can spark a passion or curiosity, the student is more willing to tackle assignments, projects, group activities, etc. in S3. Now mentored students are confident enough to master the material and apply it to other scenarios.



Expectations
Students may tend to cheat or perform dishonesty when the expectations of the teacher are unclear or they feel an emotional distance from the instructor. Here are some words to preface the course by writing on the board describing student potential for success. Ask for suggestions from the students:
 * Integrity
 * Intelligence
 * Passion
 * Discipline
 * Honesty
 * Strength
 * Leadership
 * Curiosity
 * Excellence
 * Success
 * Potential

New Media
Resources on new approaches to learning:
 * "How Learning Works" by Ambrose
 * "Engagement, Context, Reference" by Wong
 * "Teaching and Learning" by Summit

Technology
Python is one of the [|best resources for teaching]. IPython notebooks have made headway in the [|Nature] as a tool for reproducible data.

Big Questions

 * How do teachers reduce the attrition of knowledge, i.e. remembering what they learn?
 * How do teachers inspire students to learn independently and feed their curiosity?
 * How should teachers inspire students to work hard? Incentives?
 * How do teachers build a student's confidence, but humble a student's arrogance?
 * How do teachers inspire students to appreciate good teaching?