How we learn – Designer’s viewpoint

Interesting view on how/why children learn and where talents come from:

Why Stevie Wonder doesn’t learn by reading

I have heard it said “All children say they can draw when they begin formal schooling, but by about 4th grade, most of them will tell you they can’t draw.”

And I’ve heard adults say “I can’t sing.” – and yet every child in Solvi’s daycare sings every  day.

Pop, Pop, pfft, pfft – Stress Relief

My dad would occasionally bring home bubble wrap when I was a kid - just for me.  It was always a real treat. The fun of popping bubble wrap – the challenge on hard bubbles, the dissapointment on pfft bubbles…simple good fun. It was always painful when the sheet was all popped – no more fun.

Solvi loves bubble wrap too.  And now that she’s older – she’s taking an ACTIVE interest in how to pop it with her fingers (instead of just stomping on it).  We have to help.  Which is *such* a chore for me…to have to pop bubble wrap.  Zig and Ed have to remind me not to pop it all – that it is, “…for Solvi, mom!” 

Chastened, I went online. I knew where I could go to do ALL the bubble wrap popping I could ever want.  Virtual Bubble Wrap.

I popped for half an hour.  And felt MUCH better.  (Be sure to have the sound on!) Stress relief – at the click of a mouse. I am especially fond of manic mode.   FYI – you may not have seen their insane version – this was way fun too.

I downloaded a free bubble wrap pop game to my Ipod  – but it is a timed race – not as relaxing.

Anyway – this one is going on my blogroll/list of links as well…I want to share the joy of unlimited bubble wrap.

I KNEW I liked VWs…

A stuffy work-related education e-mail list recently had a link to a video on UTube – touted as a reminder to use ”effective educational methods.” I see a lot of these posts and almost passed this one by. But  folks on the list seemed to really enjoy it – so I stopped to check it out.

It had me in tears: Piano Stairs

 The tag line,  ”Fun can obviously change behavior for the better,” is so much in line with my personal philosophies and vision for what the world could be, that I had to track down the source – Thefuntheory.com

Which, it turns out is an initiative of Volkswagon. They are hosting a competition – asking folks to submit their ideas/evidence for the theory that fun is best way to change behaviour for the better.

I can’t wait to see the results of the competition.  Thanks Volkswagon!

“Scenes of chaos and joy in public places”

By now you’ve likely heard of the large scale “flash mob” type improv performances at places like Grand central station (where folks break into song/sound or just freeze).  Turns out, this was likely organized by the group Improv Everywhere.

Today someone introduced me to their web site. And I got sucked in for over 30 minutes.

And now they are going on my blogroll.  Here’s a good overview of who they are and what they do:

http://improveverywhere.com/2009/06/10/today-show-appearance/

I really like their philosophy – “Make people smile and give them a good story to tell.”  They emphasize that while they *are* pranks, they are all in fun – they call each prank a “misson” and the folks participating “agents.”  Maaaan *I* wanna be an agent of fun!

I found their list of missions and had to stop myself from spending all day reading and watching videos.  So far I particularly like Invisible Dogs, and their experiences with public prank improv in Russia. 

I’m forcing myself to wait until tomorrow to check out No Pants! subway rides.

Work-related techno-geek gripe #23

To my work colleagues:

Aaargh!  Why do educated people LOSE their minds when it comes to working with the internet?

And I’m talking about HIGHLY educated people.  I’ve been handed a document to upload into an online course. It contains an annotated list of recommended web sites for folks to visit on this topic.  THREE college graduates – TWO of them with specialties in writing – have reviewed this document. They think it is “done and ready to upload.”

NONE of them noted that they had not included the NAME of the web sites in their list – just the web address and the description.  FOLKS!  This is like writing a bibilography and leaving off the titles of the articles – just listing the author, journal, and publication info. “Why would you need the title – that’s enough to get you to the right place...” NOT! 

Geez!!!  Web links CHANGE people!  Just having the web address is NOT enough!  The title of the web site (or article, or picture, etc.) allows folks to search for your resource if, at some point, it moves.  it also allows folks to determine if they already KNOW about the site – as most folks memorize the name of the web site and not the (often more and more complicated) web address.

It is also just bad form – Impolite even.  If you are going to list a resource – list its NAME.

Sincerely,  http://glasshalffullreport.wordpress.com

Shifting the parental brain

Solvi threw a fit about going to school (daycare) today. Nothing new, she simply prefers things to go her way, and while school is fine and all, she’d rather be playing in the huge cardboard box in her room.

What was new was how I dealt with it. I gave her several warnings, got her socks on with the (apparently) 2-yr old acceptable logic “they keep your feet warm,”  and after a few more moments of box fun, suggested shoes.  This suggestion was rejected. When it was time to go, I announced it, got howls of “NOooooo”, and then instead of trying to argue or logic it, simply picked her up.  With her howling in my ear on one arm, I gathered her shoes, coat, hat; my coat; and my breakfast in the other arm and simply went down the stairs.  No conversation - just done. (And yes, moms seem to develop infinitely extensible arms.)

By the bottom of the stairs, the howls had stopped (fingers in the mouth), and she cooperated (helped even) with coat and hat on, and even started talking during the shoes-on process, stating emphatically, “my shoes.” Then I said “Time to go” in an upbeat voice, and giggling, out the door we went.

All in all, this was less painful than the more usual fights over each little step towards going to school, and a lot less effort on my part. I had no idea that presenting logical arguments took so much effort. I did know, however, that wrestling a two-year old was a lot of effort. Luckily, Solvi generally prefers to be in mom’s arms – so up in my arms is almost a sedative of sorts.

In all, I still feel lucky. So far the terrible twos haven’t yet been terrible. Sure we’ve had more fuss, and increasingly more willfulness since she was 1.5, but solutions haven’t been hard to find or implement.  Sometimes it takes, like today, a parental brain shift, but nothing really drastic yet.

Thanks go out to Martinimade, however, who always provides me insight into what I have to look forward to:  Parenting Imperfect: As they say, ‘If the shoe fits … “

Birthday update – 2 yrs old 2009

We’re all mostly better (I think Solvi has gotten a new low-grade someting, I’m STILL recovering from Bronchitis, but almost back to normal and Ed has allergy related crud he is treating with prednizone – but really this is pretty normal for us.)  Thanks to all who wished us well – it must have worked!

Solvi had a great time turning 2. Someone asked me if she understood what a bithday was…I think she gets that it is a celebration with cake and ice cream, and balloons and presents…and that it was all about her (she LOVED being the center of attention for all those folks), but that’s about it.  She really liked her wooden cutable fruit, her tricycle (and helmet), Dora doll, Fireman boots, Rocking chair, crayola “magic” markers, monster plate and mat, and her new wooden puzzle.  Sock monkey gets hauled out and waved around, Sully Monster keeps her company in bed, and mom likes all the new socks. 

But everyone needs to keep in mind that the simple party ballons blown up by Auntie Christine were also a very big hit (she tried to take 2 to school/daycare this week).

2 years old also meant a trip to the Dr for a check up – she’s always howled when he looked and poked at her, so we tried to prep her this time for the 2 days before.  To no avail.  Happy and cheerful for the 30 minutes in the waiting room, highly intrigued by her first ever mini-tootsie roll from the accounts lady behind the desk, she walked cheerfully back to the examination room, took one look and promptly said “I wanna go home.” 

Then the world caved in after I undressed her and laid her on the table to be measured for height.* Howls, screams, kicks, flailing arms…she didn’t want her head measured either. Released from these tortures by the nurse, she clung to me like a leech and howled to go home, howled for daddy, and just howled.  It took almost 1o minute to get her clamed down, and then the DR came by:

Me - “Look there’s the Doctor – he’s going to look at your…”

Solvi – “No!  NOOOOooooOOOOoOOoo! I wanna go home! Where’s my daddy!  NoOooooOOoOo!”

20 minutes, a call to Ed, and 2 calls to Zig later, as well as a face and hand washing, and some looking out the window and in the mirror, we were calmer and not crying, but still clinging to mom like a leech.

[You'l note that we have been here over an hour without actually having a checkup accomplished.  Dr was running a HOUR behind - this, of course, helped BOTH our nerves and tempers a LOT.]

Dr finally came, and when it finally came to look in ears, nose, throat, eyes, etc., we again got howls and a running litany of “no,” “want my daddy,” “ I wanna go home,” etc. thorughout the exam and the discussion afterwards.  Dr was very impressed with her vocabulary and sentence structure.  I was amazed he could detect it amongst all the squalling.  He pronounced her healthy – come back in a year.

Then he recommended a flu shot – and mom was torn.  More trauma?  Possibly prevent flu?  Ahhhhh! – finally bit the bullet and agreed to the shot.  Told Solvi “OK, we can get dressed and go home,” and it was like magic – calmer, sniffly, cooperative, even allowed herself to be partially undressed for shot, sat down and let nurse poke her even AFTER we told her it would hurt/”be owie.”  Short howl after shot, “Ow!” beat, beat “Wahhhhhhh” – for 15 seconds and then fine OK.

Amazing and fascinating and very very nerve-wracking.  We got home and I found myself totally drained.  Blissfully she went to bed easily and slept all the way through the night (like 9 hours straight).  I slept in my own bed for 7 hours straight. Whoot.

Happy Birthday Solvi Bryce.  It only gets more interesting, exciting, frustrating, and boring from here on out, I promise.

* 30 pounds and 35 inches high, 19.5 inch head circumference.  Generally normal overall, although she has always had a big noggin.  Weight was actually more than expected, so we need not worry any more than we are over her eating behaviors/quantity.

Illness…..Sept 2009

Aargh… flu….regular not swine…hit the household. Solvi was the first to succumb and recover (almost well now). I was next, and need about 4-5 more days to recover, coughing my lungs up every night has made me exhausted and short of sleep (but WAY less stuff in my lungs.)

Ed has been slowly showing signs of symptoms, and today has officially declared himslef “sick.”  Zig stayed out a few days early, and seems better – although he too has a nagging cough.  Either he got off lightly or he’s going to crash something horrible soon.

Yuck, ick, blech.

Will write more in October.  BTW Solvi’s Birthday is soon – here’s her list!

Soapbox: Technology and writing – a modern era

Those of us who write, or have taught writing, know that the most critical step to better writing is, well, to WRITE.  If you don’t write, you can’t improve.  (Same goes for reading as well – and the two are interrelated, but that’s another soapbox for a later post.)

I, like everyone else, have heard LOTS about the decline of modern writing due to the increase in “quick writing” technologies – texting, chatting, twitter, etc.  Here, in a recent Wired, is a different point of view: Clive Thompson on the New Literacy.

Having  just completed design-work on an introduction to teaching writing course for adult literacy teachers (written by Peggy McGuire, of the Center for Literacy Studies), this article felt right on target.  The three BIG THINGS boththe course and this article hit on were:
1) get students/people writing!,
2) determining audience and purpose is a critical element in the writing process, and
3) writing should be for real-life purposes.

So if,  as this article says,
“…young people today write far more than any generation before them,“
and
“Before the Internet came along, most Americans never wrote anything, ever, that wasn’t a school assignment. Unless they got a job that required producing text…“
then perhaps the reason we are seeing (as some report) so much “bad writing” is because we are seeing their writing.  If the only persons who generally wrote outside of school were people who wrote for a living, or people who were comfortable writing in an academic (non-realistic audience) atmosphere, then we were generally seeing the “cream” of the writing crop.  Now we are seeing  a wider cross section of writers – writing for a broader set of writing purposes than just ‘an assignment’, or ‘formal publication.’  So seeing all this ‘bad writing’ may actually mean we are actually seeing more ‘good writing’ practices!

I think, as well,  these writers are reaching a wider cross-section of audiences.  LOTS and LOTS of folks are using technological communications where text is the main communication tool.  Think about the changes the phone made in society. Previously formal letter-writing was the only way to communicate (even the telegraph was essentially writing), and if you couldn’t write, you generally didn’t send letters (or telegraphs). Then the phone came along, and as it got cheaper and easier to access, EVERYone started using it – because almost everyone could talk.  Yep – formal letter-writing did fall by the wayside (e-mail adding nails to the coffin), but in return society became a place where folks communicated more – where news travelled faster, relationships formed more quickly, and business was conducted more efficiently.  I posit that the same is true of these ‘quick-text’ technologies. While not everyone “texts”  on a regular basis (I don’t, for example), MANY folks end up reading what is texted/posted/twittered – and thus the audience for this new writing is wider – and more “real.”

 I agree with Andrea Lunsford that we are seeing a revolution in writing – away from the more formal “stuffy” writing of the classroom, courtroom, or business world, and towards something new.

Yes, yes, folks will bemoan the  ‘death’ of an art-form/era of “proper writing.” But like the pheonix, something new is rising, and we’ll all get attached to that, and before I die (heck, by the time my 2-yr old  is in high school even), I suspect we will all be be-moaning the ‘death” of texting in favor of the subvocal input devices implanted in our jaws.  (Yeah, I read Science Fiction – yea Tanya Huff!)

The only thing constant in life is change.
François de la Rochefoucauld  (a writer BTW  )

Creative Anachronism – Ur Doin It Rite

 See more at Gallery of Armor.