Zhanyu – I like your point about the other distractions that are specific to university settings that are outside the realm of technology and social media. There are a million and one things going on around us while we are often trying to do something tedious. As specified in Alex’s blog post, some of these tasks require many details and complete concentration, like performing a literature review. You almost have to barricade yourself into a dungeon in order to not be distracted when doing these types of things. Especially those of us that have FOMO (or the fear of missing out) often feel the need to do everythingggg so that we are not missing any of the fun. Being someone that frequently suffers from FOMO, I have to say that even when I say “no” to something, I’ll still think about it the whole time while the event is taking place. In your post, your words about how we should “exercise discipline” is what resonated with me most. I’m having to do that more and more especially while working from home sometimes. In relation to a few of the readings about the usage of laptops in the classroom, students must exercise discipline while in class. However, when referring to first year freshman, are they mature enough to make that decision themselves or should we as the instructors make it for them?
Author: nicolelarnold
Comment on Priority tasking by nicolelarnold
Rudi – I too am a to-do list maker. Maybe a chronic one at that. It seemed like the articles specified that multitasking was doing more than one thing at the very same time. I learned that I am more of a “serial taker” as the Myth of Multitasking describes. My question is that since it is recommended to incorporate breaks and transitions in the classroom as this is beneficial for student learning, why can’t serial multitasking work in a similar way?
Just something interesting to share – one of my labmates and I are academic accountability buddies. As she expressed her feelings of being overwhelmed while attending her weekly therapy session, her therapist challenged her to try a new strategy. The therapist recommended making an academic priority list of only three things to complete in a single day; let me repeat JUST THREE THINGS. My labmate shared this with me as she said she thought I could benefit from it as well (lol true). Her and I have been doing this and sharing it with one another each morning. It has been very telling, even in just the first week. Some things I have picked up on are 1) while it is dependent on the tasks at hand, even accomplishing just three things can be a challenge 2) there are certain items that never get checked off because we continue to not neglect them over and over again 3) having to tell someone else that you didn’t get something done (and why) really does help with accountability, even personal accountability.
Comment on Hide my grade, so I can get my A! by nicolelarnold
I like your comments about how you as a student feel about receiving grades. I guess this whole time I’ve more so been reflecting about how this applies with myself as the instructor. I have to agree with you in the fact that I enjoy getting grades. I tend to have a bit of a type A personality and therefore I feel almost lost when I have nothing assessment-based to work off of. It is just the WORST when you’re asked to complete a reoccurring assignment that entails a grade and you don’t receive feedback until you’re five weeks into the class. You could have used that feedback to do something different on the previous four assignments. When grading (in my opinion) should be used as a form of assessment to provide students with feedback throughout the duration of the course, grades oftentimes just hit us at the very end of the course. At that point there isn’t much a student can do about it.
Comment on The curse of exceptional peers and other weekly pessimism by nicolelarnold
Not going to lie, there is a part of me that loves delving into the pessimistic side of things. Imposter syndrome? Ha. I can attest to the fact that this is very real in my life practically on a daily basis. It has helped me to have academic mentors that are far within their careers and still say “I don’t feel qualified to do this.” That has been very real and empowering for me. I too am in a discipline that tends to be interdisciplinary. While I’m working with people/more of the educational side of food safety, other students are discovering new ways to culture and identify foodborne pathogens. Although I love what I do and see the importance of actually brining other people’s work to fruition, there are times when I still feel inferior.
Speaking to some of the comments about grades – if there aren’t grades then there isn’t a hierarchy. And isn’t that kind of the whole concept of college? You have to work at it to make it through? Not everyone can get a degree in higher education, that is what makes it special. Maybe that is a partially cynical way of thinking about things, but I believe that some type of ranking system is necessary. If everyone succeeds 100% of the time, then everyone would do it and it wouldn’t be special anymore!
Comment on I hope I get a good grade on this post by nicolelarnold
Kaisen – I remember my father telling me about a class he took in college where students were able to give themselves a final grade. Haha! Although I personally think that is a horrible idea, I do strongly believe that self evaluation. I’ve observed courses where students have performed in-class quizzes, switched papers, and graded one another’s quizzes. There was no grade for the quizzes; they only served as a means of having the students sort of check-in with themselves. I thought this was a neat concept.
Comment on I hope I get a good grade on this post by nicolelarnold
Sorry Carlos! Not sure if you posted first or I posted first, but obviously great minds think alike. : ) Similar to one of my previous comments, I like your idea of assessment then assessment + grade. I can tell you that the freshman I teach most definitely needs grades! Haha. However, I could see not using a strict grading scheme for an upper-level small course. In the CALS teaching program we are able to speak with our advisor about our grades in a way that is like “Oh I need more time for that.” It is important to her that our assignments/grades are used as a means of actually helping us to prepare to teach the class we’ve been assigned and that may look different for everyone. The class is so small (8 people) that she is able to have a personal relationship with us, and therefore can speak to us if she feels like she isn’t getting enough effort.
Comment on I hope I get a good grade on this post by nicolelarnold
Thank you! Some of my students had this conversation with me today. I was subbing the professor I TA for since he was out of town. I tried to keep the class very casual, hoping that it would open the doors a bit for conversations about how the class was going. Their feedback was “Oh my goodness! I just have so many others classes and assignments.” It is good to know students are feeling that way. I think it is important to provide them with meaningful learning experiences rather than just giving them stuff, especially knowing that they are already feeling overwhelmed.
Comment on I hope I get a good grade on this post by nicolelarnold
Thank you! I’ve always view assessment as something that needs to be a formal evaluation up until this past year through my teaching courses. I feel it is important to know where students are at with the material BEFORE we begin to test them, so that we can help them along. : ) After all, if the majority of students are not understanding things, I think that we as an instructor have to at least take partial responsibility for that.
Comment on Where does learning truly happen? by nicolelarnold
In my opinion learning should happen both inside and outside the classroom. One is not as effective without the other. Students should be given background information about a topic in the classroom and then application takes place outside of the classroom. In some situations I do believe that application can take place first with discussion taking place in the classroom afterward.
Comment on I’ll admit it: I hate blogging (Week 1) by nicolelarnold
Hahaha. I have to admit this blog title made me laugh. I think that is the fun in blogging though. I’m on the same page as you – it is not my favorite thing, however, being able to laugh a bit while still learning is refreshing. I understand having concerns about freedom in regards to blogging being assigned by professors. I would say that most the professors that I’ve had that have assigned blogging have been fairly lenient about what students can and cannot post. That is what keeps it enjoyable. But I do agree that when a professor assigns a prompt and enforces it strictly, it kind of defeats the purpose.
I also have to second your comment about blogging about breakfast. Ha! I try to incorporate both my research and my personal life into my social media interactions as I typically work with consumers. I want them to recognize that I’m a real human being just as much as I am a scientist too.
