Why We Should Be Investing in "Longitudinal Developmental Studies"

A good question to start off today's post would be:

Assuming a child cannot have both, is it better to have advanced math skills at an early stage, or high executive functioning skills? Can a child that is behind in academics but has better functioning skills catch up to his/her peers?

These are all questions that longitudinal developmental studies aim to answer. In an NYU Institute of Human Development and Social Change post emphasizing the importance of investing in long-term studies for learning, it claimed that like any other studies, such as medications, there must be both a short-term study and a long-term study. In the past, many studies on development were strictly short-term and only examined the benefits such as immediate test scores. The problem with these studies is that it fails to analyze long-term drawbacks. However, if we go back to our original questions, a study found that even if a student scores lower on a math exam, as long as they have high executive functioning skills, they are likely to catch up to their peers in the future.  

This study demonstrates the importance of long-term studies because if only short-term studies are made, then educators may promote activities that are not beneficial to a child's development in the long run. A good analogy that was made in the NYU Human Development post was that medications must also be examined both short-term and long-term. Even if a medication heals a person of the disease quickly, that person must be continually examined to see if there are side-effects long-term. If there are side effects, doctors must take note of the trend and alert future patients before treatment. This is the same with developmental methods. 

Fortunately, many families nowadays are willing to take part in long-term studies that allow researchers to visit their homes and take notes on how the child is developing over a period of a decade. Even though these families receive very little personal benefit, they are willing to partake in these studies because their help could be of benefit to kids in the future.

URL: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/site/ihdscblog/2019/04/11/the-value-of-longitudinal/

Online High School as an Alternative

The previous year, I experienced education in a completely different way than I had before when I completed my senior year of high school through an online school. Prior to this, I had always attended school regularly, like most other children, and had never even considered virtual school as an option. However, after being out of school for almost two years due to familial circumstances and having only 12^th grade left to complete, online high school became the ideal path for me. The idea of attending a new high school at that point was not appealing to me, as it would have meant me integrating into my fourth high school in total as well as having to wait until the following fall semester to start college. I was eager for a fresh start and needed the flexibility a regular high school could not provide, so I decided to enroll in an online school called Laurel Springs School.

Online high school is a form of education in which students can take classes online to earn their high school diploma. These schools can either be private, public, charter, or university-affiliated. The school I attended, similar to most other virtual institutions, gave me the freedom to progress through my schoolwork at the pace that worked best for me, as long as the school year did not exceed 10 months. I had access to help from my teachers, be it through a phone call, email, or video call. There was a wide array of clubs offered, which involved cyber meetings, and a physical education requirement. With just a few steps from my bed to my family study room, I had all the resources I needed to receive a high school education.

The flexible schedule in online schools is its greatest virtue. I was able to cut down the amount of time I spent completing my senior year of high school and begin college a semester earlier than I would have otherwise. Students can also progress at a slower rate if necessary for a better understanding of the subject material. Certainly, it is not all about the speed with which one is able to finish school, but rather the quality of the education. For this reason, it is crucial to enroll in an accredited and reputable school. Another benefit of online schooling is the extra layer of convenience it provides. Whether you are traveling for sporting commitments or your family is relocating to another country, you can take your education along with you rather than putting it on hold or changing schools. It is also a more comfortable form of learning for those who do not function at their best in social environments, and those that get distracted by peers and the school setting.

While there are many positives that can be identified about online schooling, there are areas of added difficulty. This form of education would most likely not be suitable for those who thrive and function through physical interaction. While you can meet people and befriend them through clubs and video calls, it might not be as fulfilling. Additionally, there is no doubt that it is easier to communicate your confusion and questions to teachers in person, and having the degree of separation that comes with online high schools could create some difficulty. Finally, there is a certain level of responsibility necessary for the freedom virtual schooling brings. With no requirement to physically attend classes, it can be easy for one to fall behind in or fail to do their coursework.

Online schooling is definitely not for everyone, but it is certainly a worthwhile alternative for those interested. I feel as though I had a deeper understanding of class material than I had ever had before due to the fact that I was essentially teaching myself the course material through the resources provided by the school. While it is mostly used nowadays for people in special circumstances, such as students with an illness that inhibits them from attending a school or those pursuing professional athletics or the arts, I believe in the years to come it will start to become a form of education people are more aware and informed about. As we steer towards a more technologically-dependent world, online schooling might one day become the more popular form of learning.

You can explore an online school here: https://laurelsprings.com/

Contribution by Chizbel Oham

Experiences as a Learning Assistant

Being a learning assistant for a chemistry class at Penn State has given me multiple interesting perspectives on learning. As a college student, you only experience learning from a first-person perspective, but when you start helping other people learn, that's when you get to observe how everyone's methods of learning are different. At first, you may be tempted to point out to others that their learning methods are less efficient, but it is also important to remember learning methods are habits and are difficult to change.

Just a few things about the learning assistant position I'm currently partaking in. 

1. We are volunteers
2. We earn class credits 
3. We have to go to all the lectures/recitations for the class
4. We are required to take a pedagogy class
5. We do it because we enjoy the satisfaction of being able to help another student

My observations-

One thing that really stuck out to me as a learning assistant is that many students ask, "Is there a formula to this problem?". What this question effectively means is that the student does not understand the problem at hand. Rather than focusing on the key concepts of the problem, they are resorting to using a formula to solve their problems (The easy way out).

The problems with this: 

1. Learning is supposed to be hard! It ain't a worthy accomplishment if it wasn't a challenge in the first place!
2. Problems on an exam may require the use of multiple formulas and the understanding of how to link these relationships together.
3. There is no need to learn the material if anyone can just plug and chug numbers into a formula.
4. Problem-solving skills are not developed (This is necessary for real-world applications).

Students that are often asking these questions usually are the students that score the lowest on exams. The reason for this is because college-level exams seek understanding, not memorization. The formulas are used for maybe 15% of the questions and the rest are conceptual questions which require the student to link relationships together qualitatively.

Causes of this-

I believe that the cause of the learning deficit is because high schools fail to teach students how to study effectively. Quizzes and tests given in high schools often allow students to plug-and-chug numbers into a calculator to get an answer and doesn't help students develop their problem-solving skills. This is what causes college freshmen to usually have lower grades than other years, even when the classes are often the easiest. Sometimes, it's a little too late for students. 

What we can do-

As educators, what we can do is have a better awareness of testing students for understanding. This problem is the root cause of academic failures. For example, when a student asks for a formula, we should ask them a question in response such as, "What are you trying to find in the problem?". This should be proceeded by, "What are you given?". These questions should help initiate the student's critical and analytical thinking, which will, in the long run, help them understand the material better.

Cheers!

Helping You Write That Research Paper- Finding scholarly sources

Almost every student starting in high school has to write essays or papers. However, as a student climbs in terms of education (HS to Undergrad to Post-grad), the level of writing required quickly escalates. For example, high school students are often taught to summarize and repeat information that is given to them. While this is a good start in terms of learning how to write, it isn't productive because it does not further the argument and the rhetorical audience is simply being fed the same thing over and over again. In college, however, students are now taught to undertake research, synthesize the information, then complete an analysis, all in the name of furthering the discussion. 

So what makes writing college-level papers harder?

A common challenge with college-level papers is finding sources, especially scholarly, peer-reviewed sources. Scholarly sources are extremely important to a paper's effectiveness because they demonstrate the highest level of credibility. The rhetorical audience will more likely to find a paper with sources that are written/reviewed by people that specialize in that field to be convincing.

The challenge with finding scholarly sources.

The challenge with finding scholarly sources is that a simple Google search usually do not suffice. Google is more likely to find sources such as news or magazine articles, which may be credible, but not to the degree of a published or peer-reviewed source. In order to find scholarly sources, specific sites aimed towards peer-reviewed sources must be utilized.

My go-to websites for finding scholarly sources:

Examples of scholarly-source search tools that are completely free and can be used anywhere if you do not have access to a college campus.

https://eric.ed.gov/?

https://scholar.google.com/ (Highly Recommended!)

Examples of scholarly-source search tools that you can use on a college campus. Many colleges have their own tool and an easy Google search will find you your college's resource. These are some of the best tools, as they are provided by tuition dollars. Some of these sources do not allow you to view the full article when you are not on their respective campuses. 

https://libraries.psu.edu/

https://www.library.illinois.edu/

http://library.princeton.edu/

Media Literacy

Apple, one of America’s leading tech companies has just announced a new program to promote media literacy programs. In the time of “fake news’, people need to become more educated on which media they chose to retain information about the world around them. Apple recognizes this and has now teamed up with nonprofits in Europe and Asia to launch this new program that educates users about the news for free. The teams that are collaborating with Apple on this new task are the New Literacy Project, Common Sense Stateside and Osservatorio Permanente Giovani from Italy.
Apple believes that through their influence they can educate people on how they digest news through the widespread appeal of their products. Millions of Americans have access to these products such as the iPhone and the company realizes that they have the potential to be very influential learning tools. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said, “News literacy is vital to sustaining a free press and thriving democracy, and we are proud to be collaborating with organizations on the front lines of this effort,” After extensively studying news cycles in college, it is nice to see that highly influential companies such as Apple are learning to correct a widespread problem such as news misinformation. The company’s new endeavor will be looked upon favorably by the media where other tech giants such as Facebook have been repeatedly condemned for having not done enough to correct this issue. Those who are interested in becoming more educated on this topic will have access to this program for free but through Apple products. Doing this allows the public to take partial initiative and not have to pay extraneous costs that could turn people away. This all draws back to Apple’s responsibility to create widespread consumer awareness that is accessible to all. It is not yet reported on how Apple will exactly go about pushing out their new initiative, but they have made their stance clear. Apple believes they have a responsibility to the greater good by better educating those who are ignorant about media literacy. While concerns about how partisan the program could be are valid, it seems like they have teamed up with the appropriate organizations to springboard this new idea. Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and with Apple understanding the lack of ways people can educate themselves on the news, they, in turn, will do their part in enacting this education. Original Article: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/03/apple-teams-with-media-literacy-programs-in-the-us-and-europe/ Contribution by Dale Desantis

Free Textbooks!

College students nowadays spend hundreds of dollars buying textbooks before a course. Students buy these expensive textbooks because either it's required for a course or they need it for reference. Unfortunately, there is no easy solution around this because if a book is required, then simply a student must buy it in order to complete the assignments in a class. On the other hand, if you are perhaps a self-learning student, there is a good list of free textbooks online at your discretion. 

Click here for the link to 200 Free Textbooks: http://www.openculture.com/free_textbooks

Source: http://tutorial.math.lamar.edu/Classes/CalcIII/CalcIII.aspx

Above is an example of a free calculus III textbook. The interface may not be the prettiest, but if it means saving you $120 on a textbook, then it could be worth it. 

The development of the computer age was great for many reasons, including information/knowledge opening up to anyone regardless of economic status, as long as there is access to a computer. Unfortunately, too much information is now open to the world, and the distinction between false and true information has become blurred. I can guarantee that the textbooks on this site are "useful and insightful" knowledge, however, they are not accredited for a student trying to earn a degree. Sites with free texbooks shows how easy it is to find information in the technology world, but these cheap alternate methods usually don't lead to a degree.

Have fun diggin' through free textbooks!

Open Educational Resources Commons

Recently, I came across a very interesting search engine. Usually, when search engines come to the mind of people, they think of Google. However, search engines like Google simply search through a large portion of the web. On the other hand, some companies actually build search engines that delve into more specific fields, where only specific results related to a specific topic are found. The Open Educational Resources Commons is like that search engine that only searches of online educational tools! The best part about this search is that it searches through open-sourced resources where anyone can use for free, as long as it is for educational purposes.

The OER Commons website provides resources for both authors and those seeking for useful resources. For those who are seeking to expand their audience or to simply help other educators, they can upload lessons or modules onto the website free of charge. 

For educators who are seeking resources for their classes, the search engine provides a plethora of lessons from science topics to social studies! 

An example:

Source: https://www.oercommons.org/courses/1-kinetic-molecular-theory-kmt

Let's say you were a high school teacher and you've been swamped with meetings the last three weeks! You don't have enough time to create class material for tomorrow's lesson about Kinetic Molecular Theory because you also have 50 exams to grade at the same time. The OER Commons can be a lifesaver because here you can find class materials that are open for your use!

When you click on the "view resource" button, it links you to a Google Drive with files for worksheets and directions. Everything is pretty much prepared! Click here to check out how it works!

Sometimes, preparations for a class is too time-consuming or you simply need an idea or comparison by looking at an example to create your own resources. The OER Commons should serve as your number 1 stop for looking at resources because it is free to use and covers a wide variety of subjects.

Enjoy!