Attracting GenZ to Teaching
In this article, EdSurge asks , how to attract GenZ to Teaching. But the article went on and on…so a summary of tactics via Perplexity helped cut through the words. I hope you find it useful….
What Would It Take to Attract Gen Z to Teaching?
- Early Exposure: Increase participation in high school teaching courses to cultivate early interest in education.
- Flexibility: Implement flexible scheduling, such as late starts or days off, to improve work-life balance.
- Support Staff: Hire additional support staff to provide teachers with planning time and opportunities for professional development.
- Innovative Technology: Integrate innovative technology to make the profession more appealing.
- Collaboration: Foster a collaborative work environment to attract Gen Z, who value teamwork.
- Positive Narratives: Promote the positive aspects of teaching to counteract negative perceptions and encourage more students to consider the profession.
er, not convinced
I don’t see much new or different here. That is, nothing that would make a GenZ jump up and say, “Teaching is for me!” The research findings are quite a disappointment. One observation is possible…there’s no one factor that will attract GenZ, and the rest are just old solutions. Consider…
- Early interest in education. Really? Is “catch ‘em when they’re young” the best option?
- Flexible scheduling in the face of traditional school scheduling? Not likely. Schools are daycare for many parents while they work, no matter what amazing things teachers make happen during the day in the face of crazy challenges and expectations.
- Support staff. Well, those poor folks are underpaid, overworked, and soon to be unemployed with ESSER funding drying up and Republican legislators seeking to siphon funding to pay for private charter schools.
- Innovative technology. We appeared to have a lot of innovative technology during COVID-19, but now the funding that paid for that is disappearing. Perhaps, our commitment for edtech is flagging.
- Collaboration. The job of a teacher is solitary, “close the door.” I’m not convinced that the school system can be changed to accommodate collaboration, no matter the PLCs, and peer to peer coaching support. We need more radical change that shakes apart Industrial factory model of education.
- Positive narratives. This is public relations, about as spurious as fostering early interest in education.
We need true reform. Here’s one:
Get rid of politicians interfering in schools Make sure administrators are instructional, not transformational, inspirational, media glory hounds on their way to next superintendency Stop pop reforms that have no research Prohibit technology use that isn’t aligned to evidence-based approaches…by shutting vendors out.
Ah, out of time for a morning screed. Lots to ponder here, in terms of reflecting on my own biases and experiences.
AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 2
In my previous blog entry, I shared a list of AI fears. But, when I ran it through Trecek-King’s FLOATER acronym, the AI megaprompt suggested that while well-reasoned, the fears lacked evidence. Of course, it’s not that the fears lacked evidence, but that MY original post was missing evidence.
Read the series here:
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 1
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 2
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 3
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 4
Confirmation Bias
One of the dangers of AI, and this blog post and subsequent ones may well prove it, is that one starts with the desired conclusion (fear of AI). Then, one uses AI to analyze low quality, incomplete evidence that supports that conclusion in a fit of motivated reasoning (a.k.a. confirmation bias being the main problem). Confirmation bias is simply coming to a conclusion then marshaling evidence and “motivated” reasoning to support that conclusion.
“We think we follow evidence to a conclusion. In reality, we come to our beliefs in irrational ways, then work backwards to find evidence to rationalize the belief.” -Melanie Trecek-King, ThinkingIsPower.com
So, with that in mind, here’s the fear and the AI evidence. Is the conclusion merited or not?
FEAR #1: AI REPLACES STUDENT BRAIN PROCESSING
Students will increasingly rely on AI generated creations to get the desired output for a grade.The desired output, the product that represents students’ knowledge, isn’t the real desired end of education. It’s the process students’ brains go through to get to the end product that is graded. AI usage by students jeopardizes this in a way that is indistinguishable from actual work product.
The AI gathered evidence and conclusion appears below the line. Will the citations offered by AI be sufficient to convince you of the accuracy?
The concern that AI usage by students might replace critical brain processing and learning is supported by several pieces of evidence from the provided sources. Here are the key points:
Loss of Critical Thinking and Creativity
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Over-Reliance on AI: Many educators worry that students who rely heavily on AI tools may develop a lack of critical thinking skills and creativity. This is because AI can provide ready-made answers, which might discourage students from developing their own ideas and solutions. This concern is echoed in multiple sources, highlighting that students might not engage deeply with the material if they can easily obtain answers from AI[2][6][7][14].
-
Decreased Cognitive Development: Relying solely on AI for writing assignments can compromise students' ability to analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information independently. This over-reliance hampers cognitive development and prevents students from grasping the intricacies of the subject matter[6].
Academic Integrity and Learning Process
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Academic Dishonesty: The use of AI tools like ChatGPT to generate essays or complete assignments can lead to academic dishonesty. This not only undermines the integrity of the educational process but also means that students are not genuinely engaging with the learning material[1][2][9][14].
-
Misrepresentation of Work: There is a significant concern that students may misrepresent AI-generated work as their own, which can lead to a false assessment of their understanding and skills. This misrepresentation can be difficult to detect and can undermine the educational process[17][18].
Impact on Student-Teacher Interaction
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Reduced Human Interaction: Increased use of AI in education can lead to reduced human contact between students and teachers. This can result in students feeling isolated and disconnected, which can negatively impact their motivation and engagement[4][5][13][14].
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Bias and Misinformation: AI tools can sometimes provide biased or inaccurate information, which can mislead students and affect their learning outcomes. This can further complicate the educational process and the development of critical thinking skills[2][5][13][14].
Empirical Evidence and Studies
-
Empirical Studies: Limited empirical studies have shown that AI systems can affect learner-instructor interaction in online learning environments. For instance, AI teaching assistants and automated grading systems can change the dynamics of how students interact with their instructors, potentially leading to a more passive learning experience[4][12].
-
Survey Data: Surveys indicate that a significant number of students have used AI tools for assignments or exams, and many believe that this does not constitute cheating. This widespread use of AI tools suggests that students might be bypassing the critical thinking and problem-solving processes that are essential for learning[3].
Conclusion
The evidence suggests that the fear of AI replacing critical brain processing in students is well-founded. The over-reliance on AI tools can lead to a loss of critical thinking and creativity, academic dishonesty, reduced human interaction, and the potential for bias and misinformation. These factors collectively jeopardize the educational process and the development of essential cognitive skills in students.
Citations: [1] www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/ar… [2] reflector.uindy.edu/2023/10/1… [3] www.bestcolleges.com/research/… [4] educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/articles/… [5] www.forbes.com/advisor/e… [6] www.makemyassignments.com/blog/why-… [7] collegereadiness.uworld.com/blog/impa… [8] www.classpoint.io/blog/the-… [9] www.facultyfocus.com/articles/… [10] www.jamf.com/blog/pros… [11] https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4716747 [12] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic… [13] www.waldenu.edu/programs/… [14] www.educationnext.org/a-i-in-ed… [15] www2.ed.gov/documents… [16] static.googleusercontent.com/media/edu… [17] www.sciencefriday.com/articles/… [18] https://www.reddit.com/r/Suss/comments/1b6wqi3/academic_integrity_concerns/ [19] keymakr.com/blog/how-… [20] mb.com.ph/2024/3/12…
Taking the Plunge
Wondering if GNU/Linux is worth investigating? Check out retired educator, Bob Irving’s account:
All of my peripherals just worked, which is a far cry from what I remember about my earlier forays into linux. Wifi – check. Mouse – check. Keyboard – almost check (bluetooth doesn’t work with grub). Printer – check. Webcam – check minus. Don’t know if that’s a Firefox issue or something else, but I’ve only been able to get it reliably working (Google Meet) on the Windows side with Chrome.
Got backing up working to my Google Drive with rclone. Have to do it manually, and that’s not ideal, but it’s ok for now.
Bought a sub-$100 Thinkpad for my on-the-go machine and put LM on it. Works great, but now I have to come up with a solution for syncing with the desktop, and syncthing is next on my scary list of stuff to set up.
Although I’ve been using GNU/Linux off and on for years since a colleague introduced me as a way to rehabilitate old equipment, and run free, open source software like Apache, MySQL, PHP to host websites for work, it’s always a bit of a challenge. That’s because the experience varies from computer to computer. UEFI is a four letter word (or was for awhile), but I’ve enjoyed the experience of GNU/Linux on Ubuntu, Peppermint, and variants of those, as well as Linux Mint.
The last is my favorite OS these days, especially on an old Surface (personal) and Lenovo W540 (work, dual boot with Windows 10). While I had to buy a <$30 USB webcam, I can at least use the Surface book as my primary Linux machine.
SyncThing
I’ve mentioned SyncThing before, and it’s great. I use it to keep my iOS smartphone in sync with Windows 11 and Linux Mint machines. Set up on all of them was fairly straightforward, although I did have to pay for an iOS app to get the job done.
You know, when I started down this road so many years ago, my goal was simply to get that old HP scanner connected to my obsolete bondi iMac. I’m grateful I did.
An AI in K12 Panel
Someone asked if I might consider serving on a panel discussing AI in K12 education. It occurred to me to ask ChatGPT 4o for a panel script. Since the result was a bit overly positive, I had to add an oppositional perspective to original output. I wanted to include topics like fears of AI in education, energy needs, climate impact, and economic considerations.
This is the result below…as I read it, I can’t help but ask, “What’s missing? How could this have been more real?”
Updated 5/18/2024; 9:06 AM (CST)
Moderator:
“Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Alamo STEM Ecosystem monthly meeting. Today, we’re excited to discuss AI education at the K-12 level, along with some critical considerations regarding its implementation. Our panel includes experts from industry, universities, K-12 education, and an opposition perspective. Let’s dive into the discussion. Henry, could you start by telling us about the current state of AI education in K-12 schools?”
Henry:
“Sure, I’d be happy to. Right now, AI education at the K-12 level is still in its early stages. While there are some programs and resources available, it’s not yet widespread. We need more comprehensive efforts to ensure that students are prepared for an AI-driven future. But as we delve deeper, it’s important to consider some of the fears and concerns surrounding AI in education, such as the potential for AI to replace critical brain processing in students.”
Industry Expert:
“I agree, Henry. From an industry perspective, we see a huge demand for AI skills in the workforce. It’s crucial that we start building these skills early on. One way we can do this is by creating partnerships between schools and tech companies to provide real-world applications and experiences for students. However, we must also address concerns like the environmental impact of AI, its energy consumption, and the per-student cost of AI education tools.”
University Expert:
“Absolutely. At the university level, we’ve been working on developing curriculum and resources that can be adapted for K-12 use. For instance, we’ve created modules that introduce basic AI concepts through hands-on projects and interactive learning. However, as Melanie Trecek-King points out, confirmation bias can lead us to draw conclusions without robust evidence. AI in education is no exception. The fears that students might rely on AI to the detriment of their critical thinking skills need to be backed by solid evidence.”
Opposition Expert:
“While I understand the enthusiasm for integrating AI into K-12 education, I have several concerns. First, there’s the issue of equity. Not all schools have the same level of access to technology and resources, which could widen the gap between well-funded schools and those that are under-resourced. Additionally, the energy needs of AI are significant. AI systems require a lot of computational power, which translates to higher energy consumption, increased water usage for cooling, and a substantial carbon footprint. This not only increases costs but also has a climate impact.”
K-12 Educator:
“In the classroom, it’s important to balance the benefits of AI with its costs and environmental impact. We can start by integrating AI in ways that maximize its educational value while being mindful of resource usage. This might mean using AI tools selectively and ensuring that we’re teaching students about the environmental implications of technology. Also, we need to be wary of over-reliance on AI, which can lead to a loss of critical thinking and creativity among students.”
Moderator:
“These are all excellent points. Henry, how do you see the role of initiatives in addressing these challenges?”
Henry:
“Initiatives should focus on providing comprehensive resources and training for teachers, ensuring that both educators and students are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge. Partnerships with industry and universities can bring in expertise and real-world applications that enhance the learning experience. It’s crucial to make AI education accessible and engaging for all while considering the environmental and economic impacts. For instance, we should be aware of the per-student cost for AI education tools and strive to make these tools more affordable.”
Industry Expert:
“My key takeaway would be to seek out partnerships with local tech companies. These partnerships can provide valuable resources and real-world insights that make AI education more relevant and exciting for students. However, we must also work on making AI systems more energy-efficient to mitigate their environmental impact.”
University Expert:
“Mine would be to start small and build on what you have. Integrate AI concepts into existing subjects and gradually expand as you become more comfortable with the material. There are plenty of resources available to help you get started. And always remember to base your conclusions on solid evidence, avoiding the trap of confirmation bias.”
K-12 Educator:
“I’d say don’t be afraid to experiment and learn alongside your students. AI is a rapidly evolving field, and it’s okay not to have all the answers. Embrace the journey of learning together. But also be aware of the ethical and environmental implications of AI use.”
Opposition Expert:
“While exploring AI education, always consider the ethical implications and strive for inclusivity. Ensure that all students have equal access to the technology and protect their data privacy at all costs. Additionally, remain aware of the environmental and economic costs and work towards sustainable solutions. Also, be cautious of confirmation bias; ensure that any fears or enthusiasm for AI are backed by robust evidence.”
Henry:
“Finally, I’d emphasize the importance of ongoing professional development. Stay informed about the latest advancements in AI and continuously seek out opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge. And ensure that any implementation of AI is done responsibly, considering both its benefits and its potential drawbacks.”
Moderator:
“Thank you all for your insights. This has been a very informative discussion. Now, let’s open the floor to questions from our attendees.”
This script includes Henry’s name and provides a comprehensive discussion on the state and future of AI education at the K-12 level, including the fears of AI, confirmation bias, energy needs, climate impact, per-student costs, and a balanced view with both supportive and oppositional perspectives.Here’s a revised script incorporating the discussions on the fears of AI in education, energy needs, climate impact, and economic considerations:
Moderator:
“Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Alamo STEM Ecosystem monthly meeting. Today, we’re excited to discuss AI education at the K-12 level, along with some critical considerations regarding its implementation. Our panel includes experts from industry, universities, K-12 education, and an opposition perspective. Let’s dive into the discussion. Henry, could you start by telling us about the current state of AI education in K-12 schools?”
Henry:
“Sure, I’d be happy to. Right now, AI education at the K-12 level is still in its early stages. While there are some programs and resources available, it’s not yet widespread. We need more comprehensive efforts to ensure that students are prepared for an AI-driven future. But as we delve deeper, it’s important to consider some of the fears and concerns surrounding AI in education, such as the potential for AI to replace critical brain processing in students.”
Industry Expert:
“I agree, Henry. From an industry perspective, we see a huge demand for AI skills in the workforce. It’s crucial that we start building these skills early on. One way we can do this is by creating partnerships between schools and tech companies to provide real-world applications and experiences for students. However, we must also address concerns like the environmental impact of AI, its energy consumption, and the per-student cost of AI education tools.”
University Expert:
“Absolutely. At the university level, we’ve been working on developing curriculum and resources that can be adapted for K-12 use. For instance, we’ve created modules that introduce basic AI concepts through hands-on projects and interactive learning. However, as Melanie Trecek-King points out, confirmation bias can lead us to draw conclusions without robust evidence. AI in education is no exception. The fears that students might rely on AI to the detriment of their critical thinking skills need to be backed by solid evidence.”
Opposition Expert:
“While I understand the enthusiasm for integrating AI into K-12 education, I have several concerns. First, there’s the issue of equity. Not all schools have the same level of access to technology and resources, which could widen the gap between well-funded schools and those that are under-resourced. Additionally, the energy needs of AI are significant. AI systems require a lot of computational power, which translates to higher energy consumption, increased water usage for cooling, and a substantial carbon footprint. This not only increases costs but also has a climate impact.”
K-12 Educator:
“In the classroom, it’s important to balance the benefits of AI with its costs and environmental impact. We can start by integrating AI in ways that maximize its educational value while being mindful of resource usage. This might mean using AI tools selectively and ensuring that we’re teaching students about the environmental implications of technology. Also, we need to be wary of over-reliance on AI, which can lead to a loss of critical thinking and creativity among students.”
Moderator:
“These are all excellent points. Henry, how do you see the role of initiatives in addressing these challenges?”
Henry:
“Initiatives should focus on providing comprehensive resources and training for teachers, ensuring that both educators and students are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge. Partnerships with industry and universities can bring in expertise and real-world applications that enhance the learning experience. It’s crucial to make AI education accessible and engaging for all while considering the environmental and economic impacts. For instance, we should be aware of the per-student cost for AI education tools and strive to make these tools more affordable.”
Industry Expert:
“My key takeaway would be to seek out partnerships with local tech companies. These partnerships can provide valuable resources and real-world insights that make AI education more relevant and exciting for students. However, we must also work on making AI systems more energy-efficient to mitigate their environmental impact.”
University Expert:
“Mine would be to start small and build on what you have. Integrate AI concepts into existing subjects and gradually expand as you become more comfortable with the material. There are plenty of resources available to help you get started. And always remember to base your conclusions on solid evidence, avoiding the trap of confirmation bias.”
K-12 Educator:
“I’d say don’t be afraid to experiment and learn alongside your students. AI is a rapidly evolving field, and it’s okay not to have all the answers. Embrace the journey of learning together. But also be aware of the ethical and environmental implications of AI use.”
Opposition Expert:
“While exploring AI education, always consider the ethical implications and strive for inclusivity. Ensure that all students have equal access to the technology and protect their data privacy at all costs. Additionally, remain aware of the environmental and economic costs and work towards sustainable solutions. Also, be cautious of confirmation bias; ensure that any fears or enthusiasm for AI are backed by robust evidence.”
Henry:
“Finally, I’d emphasize the importance of ongoing professional development. Stay informed about the latest advancements in AI and continuously seek out opportunities to enhance your skills and knowledge. And ensure that any implementation of AI is done responsibly, considering both its benefits and its potential drawbacks.”
Moderator:
“Thank you all for your insights. This has been a very informative discussion. Now, let’s open the floor to questions from our attendees.”
AI: Going Nuclear for Energy
building water- and energy-hungry datacenters to fuel the AI boom comes at the expense of our already overburdened planet. . .the AI industry may require an energy breakthrough in fusion or another technology
Read more via Futurism
AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 1
In an online course I co-developed, an educator wrote via AI the following question:
What are we so afraid of in education that would make us not embrace this new technology in order to educate the future leaders of our world?
A quick aside: Wow, it’s been so long since I posted something that would end up in a forum (a walled garden) on a blog to make sure I didn’t lose it.
Response
My response appears below.
Update: The FLOATER analysis at the end of this blog entry suggested that while well-reasoned, this blog entry lacked evidence. So I asked AI and the evidence will appear in subsequent blog entries. Read the series here:
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 1
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 2
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 3
- AI Fears: Lacking Evidence, Part 4
The real fear isn’t that teachers will use AI for themselves to make their work less burdensome, time-consuming. There are several fears in the use of AI in education. Here are the ones I’ve observed.
FEAR #1: AI REPLACES STUDENT BRAIN PROCESSING
Students will increasingly rely on AI generated creations to get the desired output for a grade.The desired output, the product that represents students’ knowledge, isn’t the real desired end of education. It’s the process students’ brains go through to get to the end product that is graded. AI usage by students jeopardizes this in a way that is indistinguishable from actual work product.
FEAR #2: AI REPLACES THE HUMAN REASONING PROCESS
AI will replace critical thinking and reasoning. Learning how to reason is hard work. Then, learning about logical fallacies, how to overcome our own bias, is hard. Reasonign involves following evidence to a logical conclusion. Melanie Trecek-King (Thinking is Power.com) describes it:
Evidence->Reasoning/Logic->Conclusion
AI makes it very easy to rationalize, or to select evidence to justify a conclusion. Rationalizing might be described as: Desired Conclusion -> Motivated Reasoning (confirmation bias) -> Incomplete, low quality evidence
AI makes it a simple matter to construct motivated reasoning with any evidence to reach the desired conclusion. But the fear with students using AI is that students NEVER develop a way of gathering evidence, figuring out what it says, then coming to a conclusion. The reason why is that writing has been the way that’s been done for a long time.
FEAR #3: AI REPLACES PEOPLE’S FUNCTIONS
One of the tough things to comprehend is that AI can replace the work trained professionals do. It can do it effortlessly under the right tutelage and with the right prompts. This means that people’s work product, what they get paid to produce (as opposed to being paid to reason) is easy to replace. With one person and an AI, I may get away with cutting a few other jobs.
It’s not hard to imagine AI robots eventually taking over physical tasks that are dull, repetitive, and which employ low-skilled workers. Worse, we can easily imagine AI using its own power to leapfrog from advancement to advancement to replace jobs that involve creation of some work product.
Those are three of the fears I see in people who resist AI. Whether they are supported by evidence, that is another question. And, that aligns to the FLOATER analysis below.
FLOATER
What I do now is try to remember and run my own reasoning through the AI application of Melanie Trecek-King’s FLOATER, an acronym for sorting through misinformation. You can learn about it here.
This is what a FLOATER-powered AI (Perplexity) had to say about the fears I raise above using a FLOATER megaprompt (a.k.a. long prompt) I prepared.
To evaluate the claims about the fears of AI in education using the FLOATER model, we will assign a score to each letter of the acronym based on the provided sources and the reasoning behind each score. The scores will range from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest (least satisfactory) and 5 being the highest (most satisfactory).
FLOATER Evaluation Table
| Criteria | Score | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Falsifiability | 4 | The fears about AI replacing student brain processing, human reasoning, and people’s functions are falsifiable through empirical studies and observations. However, some aspects, like long-term societal impacts, are harder to test. |
| Logic | 4 | The fears are logically structured and follow a clear argument. They are based on reasonable assumptions about how AI might impact education and employment. |
| Objectivity | 3 | The fears are subjective and reflect a particular viewpoint. While they are logically presented, they may be influenced by biases and do not fully consider the potential benefits of AI. |
| Alternative Explanations | 3 | The fears do not fully explore alternative explanations or potential benefits of AI in education. They focus primarily on negative outcomes without considering how AI might be integrated to support learning. |
| Tentative Conclusions | 3 | The conclusions are presented as definitive fears rather than tentative possibilities. A more balanced approach would acknowledge the complexity and evolving nature of AI in education. |
| Evidence | 2 | The fears are not supported by specific evidence within the query. While they are plausible, they would be strengthened by citing studies or data that demonstrate the impact of AI on education and employment. |
| Replicability | 4 | The concerns about AI’s impact on education can be studied and tested in various educational settings. Research on the effects of AI on student learning, critical thinking, and job markets can provide replicable evidence. |
Summary
The fears outlined in the query about AI in education are logically presented but lack empirical evidence and objectivity. They do not fully consider alternative explanations or potential benefits of AI. To adhere to the FLOATER model, it would be necessary to support these fears with empirical data, consider alternative perspectives, and present conclusions tentatively, acknowledging the complexity and evolving nature of AI in education.
Citations: [1] https://pplx-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/v1707998958/user_uploads/ymxznnuyh/image.jpg [2] https://pplx-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/v1707465905/user_uploads/texzmzies/image.jpg [3] www.scirp.org/journal/p… [4] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic… [5] www.edutopia.org/article/t… [6] http://www7.mississauga.ca/documents/inside/Floater_FAQs_Final.pdf [7] skepticalscience.com/floater-a… [8] www.nngroup.com/articles/… [9] www.educateoutside.com/resource/… [10] asponline.com/awards/sc… [11] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating-point_arithmetic [12] www.sciencedirect.com/science/a… [13] coachesinsider.com/mens-bask… [14] www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/artic… [15] www.investopedia.com/terms/f/f… [16] retinalphysician.com/issues/20… [17] www.youtube.com/watch [18] docs.ultralytics.com/modes/pre… [19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_moves [20] https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Float-Model-of-reflective-practice_fig1_40046441
ESSER Funding Expiring
“Over the past four years, we’ve relied on $30 million in ESSER, or COVID relief funds to support various aspects of our operations from staff recruitment to instructional support to technology and HVAC upgrades,” Superintendent Schuhler said. “These funds have offset our funding request to the county. However, this resource is set to expire in September of 2024.” Source: ABC11 North Carolina
Ouch.
In this article, Dr. Joe Phillips points out the end is nigh. He isn’t referring to climate apocalypse but rather the end of school funding:
for schools and districts, the implications could significantly mirror those of the Great Recession—widespread budget cuts, potential layoffs, increased class sizes, and a rollback of services that will likely disproportionately affect high-needs communities and students the most. via Coaching K-12
I previously referenced the budget cliff in another blog entry, sharing local RIFs and layoffs. The impact will be felt outside schools, too.
if staffing levels were to fall back to the same levels they were before the pandemic in 2018-19, districts would need to lay off 384,000 full-time staff, according to Chad Aldeman, an education analyst. Via CNN
The Tsunami of School Unemployment
A friend in public schools recently related how his superintendent was planning to cut a whole department (Instructional Technology). I shared my insights with him, pointing out it wasn’t about him but the tsunami wave of cuts headed towards public school education.
And, it’s not like it is all that great to be there for many educators:
Note: The source for the image above is from a survey of U.S. public K-12 teachers conducted between October 17 and November 14, 2023, titled "What's It Like To Be a Teacher in America Today?"
It’s about to get worse.
Yesterday When I was Young
(great song by that title!)
It seems like only yesterday when my mentor gave me a similar appraisal as I saw my team cut in half in a large urban school district. It was unreal then.
I still remember HR encouraging me to fill one more position even after I told them that tech allotment funds were disappearing. I had multiple meetings where I had to explain to their incredulity what was coming. Now, I can’t help but laugh a little at my own naivete. Character-building experiences.
Shockingly, HR didn’t believe me right away 😒. That changed fast.
History Repeats Itself
This chat with a colleague last week took me back in time when I lost half my team (3 professionals) due to the end the state technology allotment.
The cut back then was especially egregious given that I had successfully worked to get a team member recognized as Ed Tech Facilitator of the Year. She was let go as part of a reduction in force. Some others I highly respected also lost their jobs.
Other districts lost everything and everyone in edtech. The negative impacts endure today, over a decade later.
Doom Crier
With looming layoffs, I can only give one suggestion to those who may find themselves in for a world of chaos due to Texas malevolent politics, ESSER funding fumbles, etc.
No doubt, fascist legislators and governors are relishing (ala starve the beast that George Lakoff warned us about in his book Don’t Think of an Elephant ) this logical conclusion to their shenanigans:
Leave education. Get out while you can do it of your own volition and find a job in another industry. Do it NOW, while those jobs are still available.
MyNotes: Writing by Hand
The verdict is in…again?
it takes a lot more brainpower, as well as cross-talk between brain areas, to write than type.
That’s a good thing for our brains. Not so much for the edtech industry which counts on selling devices to schools.
My Notes
Writing by hand…improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.
“Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of,” says Marieke Longcamp, a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.
Gripping a pen nimbly enough to write is a complicated task, as it requires your brain to continuously monitor the pressure that each finger exerts on the pen. Then, your motor system has to delicately modify that pressure to re-create each letter of the words in your head on the page. The relative slowness of the medium forces you to process the information, writing key words or phrases and using drawing or arrows to work through ideas, she says. “You make the information your own…” via National Public Radio
My Anecdote
As I type this on my iPhone, I wish I was instead writing all this out. Chances are, I will forget this all since I did not write it out by hand.
Since I went back to taking notes by hand on everything, I have noticed improvements in memory and recall of ideas I write down. This has been helpful at work but also in conversations.
The problem? It takes so long. Ah, well.
3-2-1: Four Day School Week
I heard or read about this topic in news earlier this week. I was hopeful because 4-day work weeks are great in my own experience.
But, yikes! This research on the topic was not what I was hoping for schools. That feeling aside, it’s good to see more research on this.
It should discourage schools from going with four day work weeks. Why? The negative impact on student learning.
There are no shortcuts for creating quality working conditions for teachers.
Research
This info from 3 Star Learning Experiences cites research from:
Morton, E., Thompson, P. N., & Kuhfeld, M. (2024). A multi-state, student-level analysis of the effects of the four-day school week on student achievement and growth. Economics of Education Review , 100 , 102524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2024.102524
An excerpt
3-STAR LEARNING EXPERIENCES AN EVIDENCE-INFORMED BLOG FOR LEARNING PROFESSIONALS shares:
investigate the effects of four-day school weeks on student performance and their progress within the school year.
They not only found significant negative effects of a four-day school week on academic performance at the end of the school year, but also a negative effect on the ‘normal gains’ in math/math and reading per semester.
Progress in reading and arithmetic/maths per semester also lagged behind the four-day school week compared to the five-day week. This was especially true for students in city schools and girls. via 3 Star Learning Experiences
3-2-1 on Four Day Schooll Week
Here is Perplexity’s take via 3-2-1 format with citations at the end.
Here is the information in the 3-2-1 format with 3 facts, 2 quotes, and 1 scientific conclusion:
3 Facts:
-
As of the 2022-23 school year, around 900 school districts across 26 states have adopted a four-day school week schedule.[9]
-
The four-day school week model is most prevalent in rural areas, where districts face challenges like smaller tax bases and difficulty attracting/retaining teachers.[7][14]
-
Research indicates that while the four-day week can aid in teacher recruitment and retention, it may have a small negative impact on student achievement, particularly for minority, low-income, and special needs students.[2][9]
2 Quotes:
“The four-day school week may offer that additional flexibility in areas where maybe they just can’t offer teachers greater monetary compensation.” - Paul Thompson, Economics Professor at Oregon State University [4]
“Nobody has ever said once that going to four days is better for kids. No one has ever said it is better for learning. They’ll say it hasn’t hurt. But the research is so limited. …. We don’t know.” - Doug Beck, Missouri State Senator [6]
1 Scientific Consensus
While the four-day school week can provide some benefits like improved teacher recruitment/retention and cost savings for districts, the existing research suggests it may have adverse effects on student learning outcomes, especially for already disadvantaged student groups.
The impact varies based on implementation details like how instructional time is adjusted. More comprehensive, long-term studies are needed to fully understand the tradeoffs of this schedule change.[2][3][5][9][10][14]
Sources
[1] Four-day school week questions answered | Fort Worth Star-Telegram www.star-telegram.com/news/loca…
[2] Teacher shortage pushes schools to 4-day schedule publicintegrity.org/education…
[3] The rise of the four-day school week - NPR www.npr.org/2023/10/2…
[4] Districts increasingly turn to 4-day school weeks to recruit, retain staff www.k12dive.com/news/staf…
[5] Can four-day school weeks help tackle teacher shortages? www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/s…
[6] Embracing the Four-Day School Week | AASA www.aasa.org/resources…
[7] As more schools switch to 4-day weeks, will teachers stay? abcnews.go.com/GMA/Famil…
[8] What Teachers Are Saying About the Four-Day School Week www.aaeteachers.org/index.php…
[9] The four-day school week: Research shows benefits and … journalistsresource.org/education…
[10] 4-day school weeks, gaining in popularity, face pushback from … stateline.org/2023/05/0…
[11] The Impact of Four-Day School Weeks on Teacher Recruitment in … scholars.org/contribut…
[12] What the Teacher Shortage Means for the Four-Day Workweek www.businessinsider.com/what-the-…
[13] Schools in rural Texas move to 4-day school weeks www.texastribune.org/2022/07/1…
[14] More school districts adopt 4-day weeks, citing lower costs … - PBS www.pbs.org/newshour/…
[15] The Rise Of The Four-Day School Week—Are You on Board? www.parents.com/four-day-…
[16] Brief Four-Day School Week Overview www.ncsl.org/education…
On AI-Generated Content
I don’t disagree with this…
For my own part, I see no problem with AI-generated content if it’s accurate, well-written, and not intended to deceive. Via Stephen Downes, Stephen’s Web, OLDaily
SAnews: Alamo Colleges Offer Bachelor Degrees
Great announcement:
Exciting news! You will soon be able to earn your Bachelor’s degree at any of the five colleges in the Alamo Colleges District. These programs are tailored to meet the demands of growing industries such as nursing, operations management, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.
We’re dedicated to equipping students for today’s evolving job market by providing affordable tuition and practical skills.
AI Leads to Lower Academic Performance, Procrastination, Memory Loss
Is it time to stop pushing AI in schools? Research study:
> excessive use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT can lead to procrastination, memory loss, and lower academic performance, according to a recent study that asked, “Is it harmful or helpful?”
>
> “Over-reliance on external sources, including generative AI tools, without personal engagement and active learning, can hinder the development of essential skills and the depth of knowledge required for academic success," they wrote.
>
via Decrypt
Climate Disaster Coming
This is a tough read about a harsh future ahead:
“The enormity of the problem is not well understood,” said Ralph Sims, at Massey University in New Zealand. “So there will be environmental refugees by the millions, extreme weather events escalating, food and water shortages, before the majority accept the urgency in reducing emissions – by which time it will be too late.” Read more
AI Thinkers: Identifying Core Competencies
Photo Credit: Undisclosed colleague
“Why should we use coconut-plant liners in metal baskets for hanging plants?” I did a double-take. “Why would you want to do that?” I asked. But then, I realized I really knew nothing about coconut plant liners. Why would anyone use them? This question helped me realize how I could identify core competencies for AI, at least, from my limited perspective at this time. Come along as we explore the path taken.
Preparing Our Students
In a previous blog entry, I shared key points from Our Students' Future in an AI-World is Debatable. This article shifted my perspective a bit, breaking down in a little more detail how we need to prepare our students. That said, the article didn’t go far enough in detailing those skills and strategies students need. I suspect that’s because certain terms the authors relied on were inclusive of the skills and strategies.
The authors, Anand Rao and Stefan Bauschard, point out:
Developing…metacognitive abilities equips learners with the higher-order thinking skills necessary to effectively leverage AI tools, evaluate AI-generated information, and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly automated workforce. (source)
Let’s dig into this a bit more.
Getting Metacognitive
For example, one of the most valuable skills, they said, was meta-cognition. What does it mean to be meta-cognitive, though? If you ask someone off the street, you might get, “Thinking about thinking?” posed right back at you. But since “thinking” isn’t well-defined for most people, I’d bet folks don’t know.
Educators might define metacognition in this way:
Metacognition is the science of paying attention to how we learn so that we can learn better. (Source: Four Ways to Show Your Teacher You’re Paying Attention in Class)
The use of the word “science” suggests a research-based process, a formal way of going about things. What’s evident is that scientific research offers several actions can be taken (elaborated on in the blog entry cited). But for many, “metacognitive awareness” is not well-defined. A lack of a clear definition isn’t the only obstacle for human beings.
The main obstacle human beings face? It’s our own respective brains:
Authors Dr. Judy Willis and Malana Willis highlight the power of the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS). The Reticular Activating System (RAS) works as an information filter. The RAS allows only one percent of the information to filter through. That’s right; your attention intake filters block millions of bits of information, keeping out the irrelevant. This is a challenge for teachers because it prevents students from paying attention to and retaining what is being taught.
How do you get around that?
Three Strategies for Meta-cognition
From an educator’s perspective, the following three strategies are helpful:
- Boost curiosity to make learning memorable and desirable. Some approaches to achieve that include heightening engagement through story, humor, anecdotes, questions with long pause (5+ seconds) to wait for response, topic-related visual aids (e.g. cartoons, photographs, charts), entry/exit tickets (a.k.a. bell ringers).
- Encourage predictions enhance learning while it is happening (ask students to make predictions about how something works, what it does, and how it is relevant)
- Get metacognitive. Encourage students to reflect on learning so increase depth of knowledge, identify deficient or missing areas, contextualize knowledge, make structural connections in knowledge and social networks among learners
The purpose is to train our “attention filter” (the RAS in our brain to prioritize information over distraction.
It’s also important to think of meta-cognition to heighten awareness, self-regulation, and, reflecting on how well we are thinking about something. You know, that self-regulation is so important. Let’s come back to it.
When my colleague sets out to use coconut liners for hanging plants, the path she takes is different than mine. We might arrive at a similar conclusion but how we got there might be biased towards aesthetics (“Oooh, they look nice” or “Oh, they drip water all over the place”) or utility (“Plant that require water and aeration live longer”). The RAS in our brains is going to limit or free us based on past experiences that caught our attention. And, every person has prioritized information differently from childhood.
Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is included in meta-cognition because it is about students predicting progress towards meeting set goals. In other words, as a learner, I have an idea of where I might be at (phase of learning) and my teacher has identified success criteria that describe where I need to be (learning intention). How do I move from here to there?
Note: Source of chart linked below
Depending on what phase of learning I’m in (e.g. Pre-Structural, Uni/Multi-Structural, Relational, or Extended Abstract), better described in The SOLO Taxonomy chart above, I’m going to need help (e.g. scaffolding) identifying where I’m at, and how to get to desired level.
In Pre-Structural phase, I know nothing about the value of coconut liners or that they even exist. Over time, I start to see how they might be a viable alternative to existing hanging plant containers and other types of liners. At some point, I’m able to get abstract about my understanding of coconut liners and apply that concept to a new situation. It might be a situation that allows the affected organism what they need to survive (e.g. food, water, air or peace, hope, and love).
Easy Peasy
This seems really simple as I write it, right? I think of it as a video game, where you get wiped out by the obstacles in the game until you slowly learn to navigate them safely. You “grow” and improve until what stopped you before isn’t an obstacle any longer.
We do this constantly in real life, and self-regulation is a big part of that. We are able to gauge and predict our progress as we work towards our goals in a constant, ever-changing adjustment to that work.
Critical Thinking
Another key aspect of all this is critical thinking. Critical thinking can be a tough area for human beings. It has an effect size of .84, according to the Visible Learning MetaX database.
The reason why it’s tough, albeit important to learn, is that there is so much to be an expert at. You have to know quite a bit about a field of knowledge.
You also have to understand how to apply critical thinking processes, and you have to do this while avoiding logical fallacies (source).
…critical thinking appears among necessary outcomes at educational institutions. Yet, “it is not supported and taught…in daily instructions.” Why? “Teachers are not educated in critical thinking” (Source: Improve with Metacognition)
Core AI Competencies
For human beings, the core competencies are important to highlight. They don’t change for us as human beings, but they get fine-tuned with new technologies, of which the latest is Artificial Intelligence.
To identify those, here’s a single-point rubric that identifies them.
Critical Thinking
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Break complex tasks into manageable parts to reach a working solution | ||
| Raise questions and problems, gather relevant data, interpret information to reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, and test solutions iteratively | ||
| Observe, develop explanations, and create experiments to test explanations (scientific reasoning) |
#2 - Problem-Solving
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Continually identify and solve complex problems Question assumptions and adapt to new situations | ||
| Question assumptions and adapt to new situations |
#3 - Meta-Cognition and Reflection
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Be aware of your own thought processes (e.g. you use George Polya’s 4 step problem-solving steps) | ||
| Engage in self-regulation (i.e. how you go about learning) | ||
| Evaluate the efficacy of your own thought processes | ||
| Reflect on learning to increase depth of knowledge | ||
| Identify deficient or missing areas | ||
| Contextualize knowledge | ||
| Make structural connections in knowledge | ||
| Build and engage in social networks among learners | ||
| Predict progress towards meeting set goals (self-regulation) |
Communication and Collaboration
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Communicate effectively with others | ||
| Collaborate one-on-one and in groups | ||
| Engage in interactions with other people | ||
| Test ideas, perceptions, and interpretations of reality in a scientific community | ||
| Allow your ideas to be tested by others, have errors brought to light, and ideas corrected or discarded in a civil manner |
Leveraging AI
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Gauge and self-select AI tools that align to your stated goal and are most likely to produce desired outcome | ||
| Be ethical, establishing norms for the use and citation of AI-generated content | ||
| Craft prompts and participate in interactions with AI tools to achieve a stated goal | ||
| Converse in an interactive manner that scaffolds AI creations |
Coconut Plant Liners
Let’s go back to coconut plant liners. We need to know quite a bit about coconut plant liners for hanging plants before deciding we can use them, right? In a moment, we’ll apply the single-point rubric to our thinking.
Why Coconut Plant Liners?
There are several reasons why coconut plant liners are useful. They provide the following for plants:
- Excellent moisture retention
- Good drainage of water (to prevent over-watering)
- Possess aeration properties (allowing for air flow)
- Natural coconut fibers are highly absorbent. They hold lots of water but release it slowly, and that helps the root system of a hanging plant (which might dry out too quickly since it’s hanging, not buried)
- Antifungal
In addition to benefits to the hanging plant, coconut plant liners are:
- renewable
- biodegradable
- environmentally friendly
- aesthetically pleasing
- come in various shapes and sizes
How would we use our single-point rubric to assess our research into coconut plant liners for hanging plants? I’m not sure if this works the way I intended. I could be totally wrong.
Result
Here’s the revised response in a 3-column table format, divided by section, similar to the provided rubric. This particular response to my prompt (shown below) was crafted by Claude.ai Opus:
Prompt: Let’s apply the single-point rubric to the question of whether you should use coconut plant liners for hanging plants on your Austin, Texas backyard porch, given the daily heat of 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Of course, I could have spent more time crafting this prompt. See the end of this blog entry for the RETO acronym to prompt engineering.
Critical Thinking
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Break the problem into manageable parts: 1) Understand the properties of coconut plant liners, 2) Consider the effects of high heat on these liners, 3) Evaluate the suitability of coconut liners for your specific situation. | ||
| - Raise questions and gather data: What are the advantages and disadvantages of coconut plant liners? How do they perform in high heat? What are the alternatives? | ||
| - Develop explanations and test them: Hypothesize how coconut liners will perform in your backyard and, if possible, conduct a small experiment to test their durability in high heat. |
Problem-Solving
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Identify the problem: Determine whether coconut plant liners are suitable for hanging plants in high heat conditions. | ||
| - Question assumptions: Do not assume that coconut liners are suitable for all climates. Consider the specific challenges posed by your local weather conditions. |
Meta-Cognition and Reflection
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Be aware of your thought process: Consciously follow a problem-solving approach, such as George Polya’s 4-step process. | ||
| - Engage in self-regulation: Monitor your learning about coconut liners and their suitability for your needs. | ||
| - Evaluate the efficacy of your thought process: Reflect on whether your approach to the problem was effective and if there are areas for improvement. | ||
| - Contextualize knowledge: Consider how the information you gather about coconut liners fits into your broader understanding of plant care and gardening. |
Communication and Collaboration
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Communicate effectively with others: If needed, discuss your findings and thoughts with other gardeners or experts to gain additional insights. | ||
| - Test ideas in a community: Share your experiences with coconut liners in high heat conditions with others, and be open to feedback and alternative perspectives. |
Leveraging AI
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Select AI tools that align with your goal: Use AI tools like Gemini, Perplexity, CoPilot to help you gather information, analyze data, and generate ideas related to your problem. | ||
| - Be ethical: If sharing AI-generated content, ensure that you cite the AI tool appropriately. | ||
| - Craft prompts to achieve your goal: Develop clear and specific prompts to guide the AI in providing the most relevant and helpful information for your needs. |
RETO Prompt Example
The following is one way to use the RETO prompt engineering tips:
- Role: Define the AI’s role or persona in the context of the prompt.
- Expectation: Clarify what is expected in terms of behavior, tone, or style.
- Task: Specify the task or objective to be accomplished.
- Output: Describe the desired format, structure, or features of output.
Output
- Role: As an AI, provide a detailed assessment based on the single-point rubric method, focusing on the effectiveness and practicality of using coconut plant liners in a high-temperature environment.
- Expectation: Maintain an objective and informative tone, ensuring the evaluation is clear and based on relevant data and user experiences.
- Task: Analyze the properties of coconut plant liners, such as water retention, durability, and plant health support, especially in the context of Austin’s hot climate.
- Output: Deliver a structured evaluation using the single-point rubric format, highlighting key advantages and potential drawbacks, and conclude with a recommendation based on the assessment.
Prelude to AI Thinkers
From my perspective, these were the best insights from a brilliant article. The article is Our Students’ Future in an AI-World is Debatable.
The more I read these, the more I see a roadmap for becoming an AI Thinker, a topic I will have to explore in another blog entry. As I read I read the key points in my notes from the article again, it seems like a rationale for doing the same old thing that we have consistently failed to do across education institutions. Is that good or bad? On the positive side, it grounds our use of AI tools in the best we know about humans learn and think. On the bad side, it means that the tools we’ve spent so much time learning to use have changed. Now, we have to ask ourselves, How well do our developed learning, thinking, communication, and collaboration strategies and skills lend themselves to use of AI-powered thinking?
This is What Humans Do
For me, this insight puts fear of AI in its place. That’s because isn’t becoming a tool-using, critical thinking person always going to be what we do? And, the main thing that changes is the tool we use? If it’s not a stick to get ants out of a hole, it’s an AI chatbot to model a problem and engage in rapid prototyping of a variety of solutions.
No matter where you fall on that continuum of tools (e.g. stick to AI), critical thinking, communication, collaboration matter.
Reconfiguring Our Brains
It reminds me of one of my favorite books, The Genesis Machine. A radical new understanding of physics enables powerful new technologies. But the researchers/physicists of the new tool can’t use it UNTIL they reconfigure how their brain works. That’s what we’re facing with AI…reconfiguring our brains to take full advantage of AI.
So HOW exactly do you configure or reconfigure your brain to take full advantage of new tools? Or even more simply, how do you rewire your brain for new environments and tools to survive?
That’s the magic of becoming an AI Thinker. How exciting!
My Notes
Here are the takeaways from Rao and Bauschard’s wonderful article, Our Students’ Future in an AI-World is Debatable, that got me thinking in these pre-dawn hours.
How can we prepare our students for the AI-driven workplace of the future? The answer is not prioritizing teaching them AI tools that may become obsolete by the time they graduate but… helping them develop the metacognitive skills they need to succeed in a world where AI, synthetic biology, and quantum computing will rapidly advance. It’s…apparent that the traditional higher education model, concentrating on memory, repetition, and long-form written expression of what is known, is insufficient as we struggle with this new and constantly changing reality.
In today’s rapidly changing world, the most valuable skills will be
- the ability to think critically,
- continually identify complex problems,
- solve these problems,
- question our assumptions, and
- exercise our meta-cognitive faculties to adapt to new situations.
- communicate effectively and collaborate one-on-one and in groups, both with each other and with interactive AI tools
- meta-cognitive skills including metacognitive awareness, self-regulation, and the ability to think critically about one’s thought processes.
Developing…metacognitive abilities equips learners with the higher-order thinking skills necessary to effectively leverage AI tools, evaluate AI-generated information, and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly automated workforce.
My Reflection
Essentially, the takeaway here is straightforward:
develop students using proven, evidence-based instructional strategies as well as how to be a part of the scientific community via debate within the context of AI-powered work.
As I read this, I am reminded of Jonathann Rauch’s _The Constitution of Knowledge _.
Jonathan shares in his book:
A scientist is a trained professional who is plugged into thousands of others through journals and universities and scientific organizations. They have their own rules and customs, resources, and vocabulary.
That’s powerful right? How are we going to use AI according to our own rules and customs? Jonathan goes on to write:
As humans, we all outsource our interpretation of reality and even our perceptions of reality, to our social groups and personal networks. What will become scientific knowledge is produced collectively through the clashing and meshing of a variety of points of view.
As long as background beliefs can be articulated and subjected to criticism from the scientific community, they can be defended, modified, or abandoned in response to such criticism.
So, in the context of AI, it’s not enough to prepare our students and young folk to
- Think critically in meta-cognitive ways, identify and solve complex problems. It’s ALSO super-important that we:
- Communicate and collaborate with each other, as well as
- Test our ideas, our perceptions and interpretations of reality, in a scientific community. That is, a community where our ideas can be tested by others , errors brought to light, and those ideas corrected or discarded.
Very powerful concepts. I can’t wait to explore this further in a subsequent.
Writing and Thinking Connection
The struggle of turning inchoate thought into readable sentences and paragraphs is a powerful exercise for the brain. It’s how you get better at thinking. It is thinking.
via Slashdot
The John Decker Supernatural Series of #Books
I stumbled onto the John Decker Supernatural series of books one weekend. From werewolves to weird creatures to John the Ripper, the author Anthony M Strong has done a phenomenal job with the Decker books. If you’re looking for great writing about monsters, then Strong’s 15 book series about John Decker is not a bad place to begin. I’m only about halfway through, but I was delighted to see how many books I’ve missed and now get to catch up on.
Definitely check it out.
The Fortune Cookie
“Working out the kinks today will make for a better tomorrow.” - Fortune Cookie
A conversation earlier this week highlighted that there are times when a fast response isn’t the best one. As one gets older, it’s easy to look back and ask, “How might I have handled that better?” Of course, the only real value in doing that is to learn and do better for the future, rather than engage in disappointment in your past actions.
The trouble is that it is so easy to rush through a task, or a piece of writing. As someone who writes to a deadline, and has to produce a lot of content, I realize how much of a rush I’m in all the time. The to do list never gets shorter, and the goal of that may be to keep one busy and unreflective on what’s happening. But the reason for a long to-do list that keeps filling up, no matter how fast you complete a task, could be something else.
No Shortcuts
Add to this the bit of wisdom I stumbled upon later in life…“There are no shortcuts.” If you want to really learn something, put the time in. You have to embrace the suck aspect of every job to get the pearl.
That’s why I like this fortune cookie quote at the end of my meal today. Take the time to work through the kinks, those problems and issues, and do it, not only to complete the job, but also to learn as much as you can from the experience…to, as Henry David Thoreau put it, “suck the marrow out of” every experience.
That is quite a helpful piece of advice. As a young person, I’m not sure I was able to understand it. The reason why is the push to get from one thing to the next, to finish this job to get to the next. You never stop to study the door or the lock in front of you except to smash it or pick it to get through it.
Aside: When you play a video game, do you play to finish or to explore each level, even if it delays finishing the game? Your answer may well reflect your perspective on this topic. ;-)
A Better Understood Past, A More Rewarding Tomorrow
What experiences could I have had that would have taught me this lesson sooner? The list is a list of everything I avoided so as to NOT learn that lesson. Working out the kinks might get me a better tomorrow, but learning everything I could about each kink…that would have ensured a better tomorrow.
More Time Now
All that aside, I enjoyed the meal and the fortune cookie. And, going forward, I’m going to spend a bit more time on the obstacles rather than just finishing them to get to the next level.
Panama 🇵🇦 Faces Water Shortage
Yikes, climate change impacts Panama’s water supply. This in turn impacts the Panama Canal, and transporting food and other trade items.
A solution needs to be found lest global trade, which has become more unstable this year, gets even more so. Trade volumes through the Panama Canal have fallen 49% compared to its peak. The Panama Canal is reliant on rainwater…. Water levels of the Panama Canal are the second lowest they have been in 110 years.
via The BBC
…if canal authorities do not respond to mounting climate extremes, they risk losing business down the line. Source: Foreign Policy
What would happen to Panama without the income from The Panama Canal? Worse yet, what happens without ample water supply?
Iterative Mindset
What an interesting idea…
Iteration is the antidote to the performance mindset’s toxic grip. Instead of fixating on rigid goals, I have discovered the Iterative Mindset, a research-backed antidote to performative goals that encourages us to embrace failure as a natural part of the learning process. > It’s about reframing setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than reasons to throw in the towel.
Our research on thousands of people has shown that adopting an Iterative Mindset is the key driver of sustained habit change. By treating setbacks as valuable data for each iteration, we shift our focus from perfection to progress. (Source: Dr. Kyra Bobinet)