Blurts

I came across this post on academic jargon while reading a higher ed blog post. The post reminded me of something I had read describing introductory texts in my own discipline (psychology). The comment was that there were more new words per page (or some unit of content) in the typical introductory psych text than in a foreign language textbook. The comparison was intended to explain why reading such material could be difficult for students. When I taught this class, I saw part of my job as explaining what such terms meant. I did give some thought to the role that jargon serves and decided that there was some value in declaring specific terminology for two reasons – a) a specific terminology (jargon) allows the assignment of meaning to words and b) a specific terminology allows efficient communication among practitioners.

The best I can do to explain what I mean by specific meaning is to offer an example. One challenge you have in teaching a content area such as psychology is that students know something about the subject matter. They interpret what is said in reference to their personal experiences which is often helpful, but they may also popularized interpretations of terms that have a specific meaning within the discipline. For example, abbreviations such as IQ are used more broadly than what the meaning of the abbreviation warrants and some common terms (e.g., reinforcement) are used imprecisely according to the formal definition.

As to my second argument, jargon is not jargon to those who use such terms as an efficient way to communicate.

Given these two issues, communication in introductory higher ed courses presents some interesting challenges. How completely should beginning learners be brought into the ways of communicating of the field? A vocabulary allowing efficient and accurate communication is certainly helpful when extended interaction is the goal, but what approach is most appropriate when some portion of the students will take no additional courses in the discipline and have no interest in vocational preparation in the field. This gets to the question of how to teach a course that is a self-contained overview of a field for some and an introduction to experiences that will follow for others. No easy answer here.

Jargon is not limited to academics in higher ed. It appears within pretty much any group. For example, K-12 educators I follow online frequently refer to their PLN or complain about how their district is pursuing PD. (PLN – personal learning network, PD – professional development). I suppose these abbreviations would be similar to my IQ example, although the issue with IQ is that there is a general use of the term that seems to have different popularized and professional meanings. It is not that the abbreviation has no meaning. I am guessing many who come across PD or PLN would have no clue as to what meaning was intended. The reference to “reflection” is another favorite annoyance. It is a word all would recognize, but the educational use is unique. If you think there is value in taking time to think about something, just say so.

I think this issue is only an issue when communicating between groups with different experiences. This is a more general version of my previous description of the challenges in teaching a course to some who will take only this course and others who will continue on to take others. Personal awareness of jargon should exist. If the intent is to develop an understanding of new terms, then use of jargon is useful if the interpretation of the terms is also included. If the intent is to communicate most efficiently with the most general audience, jargon has less of a useful role.

I have this sense that educators rely too heavily on Twitter to identify useful professional information. While there is some benefit to the discovery that results from the randomness of crowd experiences, I still think there is value in a more systematic approach. The systematic review of useful content sources is made far more efficient through the use of an RSS reader. I think that many gave up on RSS readers or never tried one because the original approach was complicated. The web address for the RSS feed used by the RSS reader to identify new content is not the same as the web address for the content and finding this RSS address gave many users problem. New software makes the process much easier. I created the following video to explain this and provide an example of the reader I recommend.

Here is the second in my recommendations for books educators might read this summer. This set focuses on books about educational practice.

Kahn – The One Room Schoolhouse – this might now be described as an oldie, but goodie. This is Sal Kahn’s explanation of the origins and emerging rationale for the Kahn Academy. I recommend the book because of the focus on mastery learning and individualization. Popularized terms such as personalization or individualization can describe many different things. I think an important issue that is largely neglected is the reality that learners make progress at very different rates and this fact within the fact of group-based instruction creates a variety of problems. Teacher efforts to deal with such differences as these differences grow with grade level cannot be optimal. I believe the use of technology is a way to address individual needs for some content areas in combination with group-based strategies (flexible teaching) offers important opportunities. I see this in some charter schools, but I would rather more traditional public schools incorporate this type of innovation. You get the flavor for some of these ideas from Kahn’s book.

Kuhn and Hemberger – Argue with Me: Argument as a Path to Developing Students’ Thinking and Writing. The word argument may put some off. This is because we tend to see the process as emotion-laden and negative. The term debate might be more palatable. Kuhn has an impressive record as an applied researcher and demonstrates the value of argumentation in critical thinking as applied in a wide variety of areas. Argumentation is at the heart of scientific research and important in evaluating all kinds of claims. What is your position and what is your evidence in support of this position? How to use reasoned disagreement as a way to move all toward positions more consistent with the evidence available or at least make clear the rationale for competing positions. I think Kuhn offers much as a way forward in addressing 21st-century literacy and thinking skills.

Wittrick – Pure genius: Building a culture of innovation. I think the notion of passion projects, 20% time, etc. have been somewhat over-hyped. I think what I describe as “hobby learning” has always existed. I also think that higher education has made such opportunities available at least since I attended college. Such options are still widely available as honors programs, special topics, etc. I agree that these flexible and individual opportunities have been slow to reach K-12. As might be obvious from other recommendations I make, I believe productive innovation in schools will come from combining tactics with different advantages rather than all or none solutions.

Bonus – I must include my most recent book in this list. Layering for learning was written for educators wanting to incorporate online content (web pages and video) in their instruction. The book takes a “teacher as instructional designer” perspectives and considers what might be done to convert information resources into instructional content by layering (adding) components such as questions, prompts, background information on existing online resources.

I have observed that other bloggers with an audience of educators have been suggesting books for summer reading. I have decided to do the same. My first set of recommendations concerns what I would describe as an attempt to broaden the context for educational practice. The notion that educators can keep their heads down and ignore the political and economic context within which they work drives me crazy. The following recommendations concern issues I think are major factors in establishing the context for the future of education. I have made a conscious attempt to ignore books about political processes. Of course, these books concern issues that some have politicized. I believe the issues addressed are important no matter how politicians choose to spin them.

Friedman. Hot, flat and crowded: Why we need a green revolution. I have read all of Friedman’s books and this is perhaps the one that summarizes most of his key ideas – we must accept our interdependence (globalization) to address the most serious problems we face; e.g., climate change, population growth.

Goldsmith and Wu. Who Controls the Internet: Illusions of a borderless world. I have long hoped that Internet access would be a way to give more individuals more power and opportunities. This book argues against this hope and explains what those of us who are advocates might do about the direction we are heading.

Brynjolfsson and McAfee. The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. I would describe this as a description of the future of work (AI, robots, skills influencing employment opportunities) and the disruption why must work through in getting from here to there.

Urging innovation seems a political position that is too easy. I guess the idea is to encourage exploration by promising not to judge. Or, perhaps the suggestion amounts to “I have no ideas, but change sounds good.”

US News and World Report is at least willing to offer a proposal. As I understand the recommendation, it is to cut back high school to three years focused on the essentials. The recommendations for the 4th year is kind of a hodge podge:

Instead of a traditional senior year, that 17- or 18-year-old year could be spent in apprenticeships and various industry training programs, additional preparation for students who want to attend four-year colleges but aren’t academically ready, preparation for military service, gaps years, national service or starting college early for students who are genuinely ready to go.

As a retired university faculty member with considerable experience teaching freshmen, I certainly do not encourage putting students into a university setting earlier. If anything, I would support the US News proposal as a 5th year of high school. I like the gap year idea as a way for students to consider what they should do next and not waste expensive options because of a lack of commitment or maturity. I also wonder about the notion that high school should focus on the essentials. This idea is such an area of disagreement and I think most who work in high school settings would argue that they are expected to take on more and more rather than less (e.g., coding skills, financial literacy).

An issue that is important is that smaller school districts cannot offer many options. Gap year options make individuals less dependent on their local districts, but the challenge then becomes how to make these options available. This is one of those issues that wealthier families have always been more able to address through travel, time and resources for hobbies, etc. I just don’t see politicians taking up the slack. If anything, fewer resources are being invested in preparation for life.