Sometimes, the simplest of words are the most important. Today, we will consider the word "think". I would like to suggest that, in terms of our work, that two meanings of think are the most important. First, let's consider think as to "direct one's toward something or to use one's mind to actively form connected ideas." (Oxford Dictionary of English: 1833)
Thinking, especially critical thinking, is a process of putting together ideas. For example, critical thinking means that idea are supported by the correct data. Thinking also means taking the time to think over assignments and exams. Students often fail to realize that they should take time to think things over carefully and understand the direction that their thoughts should take.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Happy New Year
First, I want to wish everyone a Happy and successful New Year. I also want to welcome anyone to this blog who hasn't been here for very long. The purpose of the blog is to assist students in the MBA programme at U of Leicester to succeed in their studies. I do this, broadly, by providing students with information of writing skills, study skills and organizational skills. Most of the subjects I discuss relate in some way to these skills.
For example, this year I plan to have short blog on expanding your word vocabulary. Vocabulary skills are really a part of writing skills. At the end of last year, I discussed mindful meditation as part of stress reduction and mind power. Stress reduction and mindfulness is a part of all components of education. When students are relaxed, they do better in all facets of their work.
Sometimes, we discuss topics such as "plagiarism" which may not be an issue for a particular student but which does affect many students throughout the programme. My point-of-view on this difficult topic is that plagiarism is a problem in education because students need to understand how to think critically and how to use good reference sources. They turn to the poor resources on the internet because they are lost. Once they learn how to use good source materials, this will stop.
My goal is to see every student improve in the New Year.
KB
For example, this year I plan to have short blog on expanding your word vocabulary. Vocabulary skills are really a part of writing skills. At the end of last year, I discussed mindful meditation as part of stress reduction and mind power. Stress reduction and mindfulness is a part of all components of education. When students are relaxed, they do better in all facets of their work.
Sometimes, we discuss topics such as "plagiarism" which may not be an issue for a particular student but which does affect many students throughout the programme. My point-of-view on this difficult topic is that plagiarism is a problem in education because students need to understand how to think critically and how to use good reference sources. They turn to the poor resources on the internet because they are lost. Once they learn how to use good source materials, this will stop.
My goal is to see every student improve in the New Year.
KB
Friday, December 30, 2011
Evaluation
At the end of the year, it is a good practice to stop and evaluate our performance before we head into the New Year. Evaluation allows us to be able to know where we want to go in the future and to learn from past mistakes. Evaluation, the highest step in critical thinking, thus allows us to have vision of the future and knowledge of the past. Having these qualities, provides us with inner clarity.
Students often think like this "But I don't want to make any mistakes, I want my performance to be perfect." Thus, they undervalue the function of evaluation. In reality, without errors there can be real understanding of any subject. After all, what does it value a student to retake a subject they already understand? Real learning comes with the difficult realization that knowledge must be acquired.
Then when we look back, we can evaluate our performance before moving forward to the future. This makes real learning possible.
KB
Students often think like this "But I don't want to make any mistakes, I want my performance to be perfect." Thus, they undervalue the function of evaluation. In reality, without errors there can be real understanding of any subject. After all, what does it value a student to retake a subject they already understand? Real learning comes with the difficult realization that knowledge must be acquired.
Then when we look back, we can evaluate our performance before moving forward to the future. This makes real learning possible.
KB
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Stress Reduction - A new approach
This fall, I have spent a good deal of time meditating and trying to stay in the moment. This is not new for me; I was introduced to mindfulness meditation by my psychologist in Winnipeg. I had made a stab at it, and found it very difficult. My mind wandered all over the place and although I'd read the book "Wherever you are, there you are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn; it didn't make it easier for me to meditate.
Below I have a place where you can buy Kabat-Zinn's meditations if you are interested:
http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail.aspx?product=Mindfulness_Meditation&promo=intgooga430&ORG=intgooga430&gclid=COHToKLx1KwCFUKo4AodMVk-rw
These are the meditations I use now and I find them helpful. Okay, what is changed? Why did I try it again? Well, I wanted to restore balance to my life & I heard that through these simple exercises I could do that very thing. I read Jack Kornfield who said: "Training with the breath is a bit like training a small puppy" (Meditation for Beginners, 21). So, I'm finding that I'm staying in the here and now more and feeling less distracted.
That's me for today.
KB
Below I have a place where you can buy Kabat-Zinn's meditations if you are interested:
http://www.nightingale.com/prod_detail.aspx?product=Mindfulness_Meditation&promo=intgooga430&ORG=intgooga430&gclid=COHToKLx1KwCFUKo4AodMVk-rw
These are the meditations I use now and I find them helpful. Okay, what is changed? Why did I try it again? Well, I wanted to restore balance to my life & I heard that through these simple exercises I could do that very thing. I read Jack Kornfield who said: "Training with the breath is a bit like training a small puppy" (Meditation for Beginners, 21). So, I'm finding that I'm staying in the here and now more and feeling less distracted.
That's me for today.
KB
Monday, October 10, 2011
English vs. American vs. Canadian spelling
I was raised and educated in Canada. When it came to spelling and grammar, sometimes we did it the English way and sometimes we did it the American way. In fact, the word "spell" is a perfect example of this conundrum. My Oxford Dictionary assures me that "spelt" is the past tense of "spell" as does my copy of "Advanced Grammar in Use". To further complicate the matter, my Canadian grammar books do not list "spell" as an irregular verb. Thus, I should spell the past tense of spell, spelled.
Readers of this blog should be aware that at the University of Leicester, we use English spelling throughout our work. Thus, you should be aware of these differences:
Can-American/English
tire/tyre
traveled/travelled
colour/color/colour
aluminum/aluminium
cancelled/canceled/cancelled
judgment/judgement
civilization civilisation/civilization
mold/mould
licorice/liquorice
dreamed dreamt
cheque/check cheque
connection/connexion
favorite/favourite
Readers of this blog should be aware that at the University of Leicester, we use English spelling throughout our work. Thus, you should be aware of these differences:
Can-American/English
tire/tyre
traveled/travelled
colour/color/colour
aluminum/aluminium
cancelled/canceled/cancelled
judgment/judgement
civilization civilisation/civilization
mold/mould
licorice/liquorice
dreamed dreamt
cheque/check cheque
connection/connexion
favorite/favourite
Monday, September 12, 2011
Grammar Bytes: Punctuation
Gower, as cited by Davidson, refers to the dash as "seductive" (Davidson, George. How to Punctuate. London: Penguin Bks., 155.) First, you need to understand the difference between the dash and the hyphen. A hyphen is the length of one key stroke. For example, the word half-life.
A dash, on the other hand, is the length of two hyphens or keystrokes like this: "The ceremony this year in New York to mark the anniversary of 9/11 -- a ceremony that was held for the first time in the impressive newly-dedicated memorial -- went on over many hours. Note that the information inside the brackets, parenthetical modifiers, explain or add new information to the already existing sentence. (Some computer programmes turn two dashes into the long dash automatically.)
Frequently, the reason for the use of the dash is because the sentence already contains internal punctuation. See this example from The Ready Reference Handbook: "These days the volume of business communications -- from customers and suppliers, from supervisors, colleagues and staff -- has mushroomed" (Dodds & Jewinski, 277). The dash here allows the reader to sort the details of the sentence out easily. However, the dash should not -- as is frequently the case in student reports, assignments and exams -- be used when the comma is the more obvious choice.
A dash is used first and foremost for emphasis. For example: "To keep my dog Scout quiet, I must use consistency and discipline -- discipline each and every day."
The second use of the dash, as noted above is to set off parenthetical material. Do this when you find the use of more commas is confusing as noted earlier in the blog.
The third use of the dash, noted in this posting, is to display lists. Please note that a colon is the more formal way of introducing a list. This makes a colon the usual choice in an academic paper. Example: "Our basement is packed with numerous items from our last six moves -- books that could not find a home upstairs, chairs and desks that are too large for our home, more kitchen equipment than our present house can't accommodate and bits and bobs that have never been sorted from one move to the next."
A fourth use of the dash is to show faltering speech, incomplete sentences or a narrative insertion. Examples:
"I can't do it --- I really can't do it -- please, don't make me," he stuttered.
(faltering speech)
"Please stop --."
"I say --."
(Incomplete sentences that are cut off by further action in the dialogue.)
"Sir" -- he raised his hands to his watering eyes -- "Surely, you can find it in your heart to be merciful."
(Narrative insertion)
Dashes need to be used with caution in academic work. Don't, as stated earlier, use them to substitute for commas. Happy writing.
KB
References
Davidson, George. How to Punctuate. London: Penguin Books, 2005.
Dodds, Jack and Judi Jewinski. The Ready Reference Book: Canadian Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1998.
A dash, on the other hand, is the length of two hyphens or keystrokes like this: "The ceremony this year in New York to mark the anniversary of 9/11 -- a ceremony that was held for the first time in the impressive newly-dedicated memorial -- went on over many hours. Note that the information inside the brackets, parenthetical modifiers, explain or add new information to the already existing sentence. (Some computer programmes turn two dashes into the long dash automatically.)
Frequently, the reason for the use of the dash is because the sentence already contains internal punctuation. See this example from The Ready Reference Handbook: "These days the volume of business communications -- from customers and suppliers, from supervisors, colleagues and staff -- has mushroomed" (Dodds & Jewinski, 277). The dash here allows the reader to sort the details of the sentence out easily. However, the dash should not -- as is frequently the case in student reports, assignments and exams -- be used when the comma is the more obvious choice.
A dash is used first and foremost for emphasis. For example: "To keep my dog Scout quiet, I must use consistency and discipline -- discipline each and every day."
The second use of the dash, as noted above is to set off parenthetical material. Do this when you find the use of more commas is confusing as noted earlier in the blog.
The third use of the dash, noted in this posting, is to display lists. Please note that a colon is the more formal way of introducing a list. This makes a colon the usual choice in an academic paper. Example: "Our basement is packed with numerous items from our last six moves -- books that could not find a home upstairs, chairs and desks that are too large for our home, more kitchen equipment than our present house can't accommodate and bits and bobs that have never been sorted from one move to the next."
A fourth use of the dash is to show faltering speech, incomplete sentences or a narrative insertion. Examples:
"I can't do it --- I really can't do it -- please, don't make me," he stuttered.
(faltering speech)
"Please stop --."
"I say --."
(Incomplete sentences that are cut off by further action in the dialogue.)
"Sir" -- he raised his hands to his watering eyes -- "Surely, you can find it in your heart to be merciful."
(Narrative insertion)
Dashes need to be used with caution in academic work. Don't, as stated earlier, use them to substitute for commas. Happy writing.
KB
References
Davidson, George. How to Punctuate. London: Penguin Books, 2005.
Dodds, Jack and Judi Jewinski. The Ready Reference Book: Canadian Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1998.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Getting through your MBA/MSc : Keys to Motivation
How do you maintain motivation in order to get you through your MBA/MSc? Let's look at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The page below shows numerous visual representations of this hierarchy.
(http://www.google.ca/search?q=Maslow%27s+hierarchy+of+needs&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=UEU&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnsb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SyduTtDYIKbK0AHS0cHVBA&ved=0CFoQsAQ&biw=1094&bih=550)
A cursory examination of these various visual attempts to illustrate Maslow's principles establishes that self-actualization exists near or at the highest level of this hierarchy needs. (Please note this is not an affirmation of any of the correctness of any of these visual representations, simply that many visual representations of Maslow's hierarchy exist.)
Educators have noted that students need to use their school work, not be able to have a career and money, but strong achievers use their school work to tie into the goals of self esteem and self affirmation. Bob Poston's article, "An Exercise in Personal Exploration: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" describes Maslow's hierarchy of needs from the lowest to the highest needs in this manner:
1. Physiological Needs
2. Safety Needs
3. Belonging and Love Needs
4. Esteem Needs (Google Scholar, http://tabacco.blog-city.co/maslows_hierarchy_of_needs__physiological_level_1_to_selfact.htm, 08/15/2011)
Thus Maslow asserts that students are more motivated if what they are learning helps them establish and strengthen what we call the higher needs, that is esteem. Self esteem reinforces feelings of self worth and happiness.
For adult learners in Distance Education to remain motivated can be difficult. The adult learner often feels alone in the educational process. They seem to have no cohort and certainly have no actual physical classroom. Thus, students without sufficient discipline and inner motivation can find themselves adrift without the familiar world of the classroom they knew elsewhere. What do we do to remedy this?
At the University of Leicester, we try and duplicate the classroom environment by encouraging students to stay connected with their fellow students and module tutors through Blackboard, through encouraging them to attend summer school and by providing ways to remain in contact through the internet with skills and dissertation tutors. Students need to use these tools if they find themselves drifting off course and cannot connect stay on course with their module assignments and examinations. Valuable advise can be helpful to stay on track throughout the programme.
To summarize, the way I see it is that two qualities are essential for success. One is to remain firmly focused on the prize, that is the MBA itself. The second quality is, as I've suggested in this blog already, is to feel a sense of success and accomplishment as you make your way through each and every assignment and exam. Mark your successes in some way. Stay aware of how achievement of these goals will bring the desired result, the MBA. Keep your head in the game. This is how students before have completed this programme and how you will do the same thing.
KB
(http://www.google.ca/search?q=Maslow%27s+hierarchy+of+needs&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=UEU&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivnsb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SyduTtDYIKbK0AHS0cHVBA&ved=0CFoQsAQ&biw=1094&bih=550)
A cursory examination of these various visual attempts to illustrate Maslow's principles establishes that self-actualization exists near or at the highest level of this hierarchy needs. (Please note this is not an affirmation of any of the correctness of any of these visual representations, simply that many visual representations of Maslow's hierarchy exist.)
Educators have noted that students need to use their school work, not be able to have a career and money, but strong achievers use their school work to tie into the goals of self esteem and self affirmation. Bob Poston's article, "An Exercise in Personal Exploration: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" describes Maslow's hierarchy of needs from the lowest to the highest needs in this manner:
1. Physiological Needs
2. Safety Needs
3. Belonging and Love Needs
4. Esteem Needs (Google Scholar, http://tabacco.blog-city.co/maslows_hierarchy_of_needs__physiological_level_1_to_selfact.htm, 08/15/2011)
Thus Maslow asserts that students are more motivated if what they are learning helps them establish and strengthen what we call the higher needs, that is esteem. Self esteem reinforces feelings of self worth and happiness.
For adult learners in Distance Education to remain motivated can be difficult. The adult learner often feels alone in the educational process. They seem to have no cohort and certainly have no actual physical classroom. Thus, students without sufficient discipline and inner motivation can find themselves adrift without the familiar world of the classroom they knew elsewhere. What do we do to remedy this?
At the University of Leicester, we try and duplicate the classroom environment by encouraging students to stay connected with their fellow students and module tutors through Blackboard, through encouraging them to attend summer school and by providing ways to remain in contact through the internet with skills and dissertation tutors. Students need to use these tools if they find themselves drifting off course and cannot connect stay on course with their module assignments and examinations. Valuable advise can be helpful to stay on track throughout the programme.
To summarize, the way I see it is that two qualities are essential for success. One is to remain firmly focused on the prize, that is the MBA itself. The second quality is, as I've suggested in this blog already, is to feel a sense of success and accomplishment as you make your way through each and every assignment and exam. Mark your successes in some way. Stay aware of how achievement of these goals will bring the desired result, the MBA. Keep your head in the game. This is how students before have completed this programme and how you will do the same thing.
KB
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