Great essay. As a Peircian semiotician, I'd add this: Think of any, really all, approaches as potential habits. When we first try something new, it takes a great deal of energy to apply, and it is not automatic -- not a habit. Even something as basic as the cited [Ind Clause; Ind Clause] rule (because you have to search for subjects and predicates, twice) is work at first. But after a while it becomes more and more rote and fades into the background of our consciousness and we just do it. Maybe I'm suggesting that a switch-flip is a faster than average routinization.
I also think it is really weird that trumpet v. inscribed sheet music works that way. Is this some kind of anti-trumpet repression of yore?
I like that -- thinking of these approaches as "new habits" -- because it also reinforces (for the teacher) how unlikely it is that the behavior will be adopted unless it's natural and useful.
Re the trumpet, it's because you want most of the notes the musician sees to be in the middle of the staff, and since different instruments have different natural ranges (think alto sax vs tenor sax), what looks like an A in the middle of the staff for a trumpet will be a different frequency than the A for a piccolo or alto player.
I see your point re learning something really well, but I imagine that as a test prep pro, to some degree, I'm engendering skills just masterful enough to meet a score goal, but not necessarily to become a master of a particular topic. In that sense, I perceive that I AM a switch flipper, hoping the light bulb lasts just long enough so students reach their score goal, not to abuse the analogy. If our work engenders greater passion to learn-fantastic, but I don't perceive engendering that passion is the primary goal. In the chem classroom where I spent 25 years teaching...for sure, but not so much my primary goal for students in this world.
I think short term interventions can work well when the skills are already there! But to achieve larger gains, students will have to acquire real mastery across a lot of skills. And the tricks/switches won't be sufficient imo
Hmm...I'll reflect on that a bit and consider the students currently in my stable, because I've not seen myself as a deep skill developer, but perhaps the plurality of the students I serve have those foundational skills already.
Well said. Those seeking tips and tricks don't realize how much of a foundation is required to flip those instant switches.
Great essay. As a Peircian semiotician, I'd add this: Think of any, really all, approaches as potential habits. When we first try something new, it takes a great deal of energy to apply, and it is not automatic -- not a habit. Even something as basic as the cited [Ind Clause; Ind Clause] rule (because you have to search for subjects and predicates, twice) is work at first. But after a while it becomes more and more rote and fades into the background of our consciousness and we just do it. Maybe I'm suggesting that a switch-flip is a faster than average routinization.
I also think it is really weird that trumpet v. inscribed sheet music works that way. Is this some kind of anti-trumpet repression of yore?
I like that -- thinking of these approaches as "new habits" -- because it also reinforces (for the teacher) how unlikely it is that the behavior will be adopted unless it's natural and useful.
Re the trumpet, it's because you want most of the notes the musician sees to be in the middle of the staff, and since different instruments have different natural ranges (think alto sax vs tenor sax), what looks like an A in the middle of the staff for a trumpet will be a different frequency than the A for a piccolo or alto player.
I see your point re learning something really well, but I imagine that as a test prep pro, to some degree, I'm engendering skills just masterful enough to meet a score goal, but not necessarily to become a master of a particular topic. In that sense, I perceive that I AM a switch flipper, hoping the light bulb lasts just long enough so students reach their score goal, not to abuse the analogy. If our work engenders greater passion to learn-fantastic, but I don't perceive engendering that passion is the primary goal. In the chem classroom where I spent 25 years teaching...for sure, but not so much my primary goal for students in this world.
I think short term interventions can work well when the skills are already there! But to achieve larger gains, students will have to acquire real mastery across a lot of skills. And the tricks/switches won't be sufficient imo
Hmm...I'll reflect on that a bit and consider the students currently in my stable, because I've not seen myself as a deep skill developer, but perhaps the plurality of the students I serve have those foundational skills already.