A colleague and I were talking over a video call today… No… that is not true. We were bitching… we were commiserating… we were griping about careers being spent in education and the things educators can do when they leave the field… or more precisely the things it is assumed we cannot do when we Read More
Author: Gary Ackerman
Skeptic or Cynic?
Over my career, I have adopted the role of skeptic. Whenever anything new comes along, I look at it carefully and I must become convinced there is a compelling reason to adopt it. I also, however, turn the same critical eye to my own practices; I seek to convince myself that what I am doing Read More
On Learners
Learners and their brains are the natural phenomena in which the technology of education is grounded. To be educative, an experience must be compatible with the physiology and psychology of their bodies and brains. For the 21st century educator, the classroom is filled with learners who have much different relationships with technology compared to those Read More
Elevator Pitch on Working in School
Everyone has experience in school. If you are reading this blog, it is likely you attended elementary, middle, and high school as a child. You may have some experience in higher education or professional training. In addition, you may have experience as a parent or caregiver who has interacted with schools. One of the most Read More
Elevator Pitch on IT Work in Schools
There are many reasons why IT professionals decide to work in schools. Some want to use their skills for a socially responsible purpose. Compared to other businesses and industries, schools tend to be relatively low stress for IT workers. Network disruptions that would be disastrous in other industries can be managed and the effects more Read More
Thoughts on a Tweet
Seriously teachers. Stop tweeting pictures of students. — Dr. Gary Ackerman (@GaryAckermanPhD) November 11, 2021 I recently had a tweet go “viral” in the non-celebrity sense… something like 80,000 impressions in a day which I attribute to the likes, replies, and retweets. In this post, I dig a little deeper into my rationale for the Read More
Some Thought on Grading
In my 30+ years working in education, few aspects of the work cause more consternation than grading. Students, their parents, and teachers all find grades to be a stress-inducing aspect of school. In most cases, grading is marginal to education. When we are measuring what students know, talking or thinking about how to figure out Read More
Thoughts on Grading
The ungrading community has been busy on Twitter this fall. These folks have taken grades (in the traditional sense) out of their courses, and (according to this posts) have generally been happy with the results. Students are doing work; they are learning. Some suggest students are more engaged and learning more. I have not taken Read More
Schools are Multifaceted Organizations
It may seem unnecessary to state it, but schools are places where children are present. Lots of children. Seriously, they are everywhere. They reflect the social, economic, racial, ethnic, religious, and other characteristics of the local population. They affect every decision made in schools. Whether those decisions are in the best interest of those children Read More
Elevator Pitch: Conditioning
One of the earliest psychological theories to be applied to schooling was behaviorism. According to this idea, humans learn by associating rewards with actions; we tend to continue to do (learn) that which is positively rewarded and avoid that which is negatively rewarded. The type of learning associated with behaviorism is called conditioning. Conditioning is Read More