WHO, WHY, WHAT, HOW?
THE WHO:
THIS BLOG IS PRIMARILY FOR MY STUDENTS...
...SECONDARILY, FOR OTHER TEACHERS OF COMM. RESEARCH METHODS THAT ARE OPEN TO EXPLORING A NEW WAY OF TEACHING/LEARNING
THE WHY:
I WAS INSPIRED BY SETH GODINS'S MANIFESTO, STOP STEALING DREAMS, AND WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO SUPPORT STUDENT DREAMS IN THE CLASSROOM
THE WHAT:
AN EXPERIMENTAL UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGE COURSE IN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH METHODS (35 STUDENTS) THAT MEETS ONCE A WEEK FOR THE DURATION OF A SEMESTER
THE HOW:
I'M CREATING LESSON PLANS FOR THE CLASS WEEK TO WEEK...IT'S MY PURPLE COW DREAM
THE LESSON PLANS ARE *VERY ROUGH*, EVEN CRYPTIC AT TIMES, THEY ARE MY PERSONAL NOTES FOR TEACHING THE CLASS, THEY ARE BEGINNINGS, EVOLVING IDEAS, PLACES FOR OTHERS TO BUILD ON, REWORK, COMMENT ON...
ONTO THE FIRST LESSON...
First day of class (3hr once a wk)
Meditate on “dreaming”
Instructions
on how to meditate…turning off to external environ and turning on to internal environ
Model it
for them, meditate a few mins, lead them back to class
Invite
people to share their exper, and affirm everyone
Building community
Handout
cardstock paper and crayons—name cards to hang on their desk—show Dr. B card
Be
creative with your card—add something to help me remember you name
Share
your name and a recent success story
(examples)
Seating chart…print your first and
last name, underneath what you preferred to be called, and in parenthesis spell
out your name phonetically—put in the box…and remember where you are for next
time
Overview of course in a nutshell
Dream,
comm. methods to support dream, do it, share it and get fdbck
Traditional Academic research culture—what you would get in
a regular res methods class, look
behind the scenes at how the game is played…insider info…this is the culture that you are currently
being indoctrinated in
behind the scenes at how the game is played…insider info…this is the culture that you are currently
being indoctrinated in
Undergrad reading research and writing papers
Grad
master’s thesis
Grad PhD
dissertation (the abd cases)
Assistant Prof tenure track
position and the 5 year time bomb (explodes like fireworks to celebrate, or
devastate by blowing apart one’s world)
Puplish or perish…gold standard of
“journal article”, editors, boards, reviewers, time table from inception to
print…role of convention fdbck…review process…revise and resubmit…rejection
rates…building credibility as a researcher…health issues…craziness of the
system
Associate
professor—national reputation
Full
professor—international reputation
Gold
stand research article…4 quadra ppt on research methods
Question,
method, answer
Research
cycle and research journey
Parts
of a traditional academic research article
Alternative Dream Culture of Research
3 types of dreams: pie in the
sky/pipe----pedestrian/mundane, and betwn is the puple cow (seth Godin…story of
road trip through farming land and seeing all the same kinds of cows till one
sees a purple cow…dramatize)
We’re looking for a purple cow
dream, something truly remarkable…examples
Permaculture, food forest, lawns
into edible landscapes, purslane story, programs for kids in school, info
campaigns, surveys of readiness, classes at ymca or library
Solar oven for 3 dollars…aluminum
foil, plastic bags from grocery store, cardboard box, wooden block, mason jar
painted with black spray paint…can boil water, no electric bill, cook food like
rice and beans, stews, hardboiled eggs etc…purify water, etc…don’t need
electricity on sunny days…store food that cooked for cloudy days…workshops for
kids to build their own solar ovens, recipes for people to try out at home, on
a sunny day, make and test the oven in an afternoon.
Exercise….traditional aerobics vs
HIIT (high intensity interval training)—look at the time savings, read the
research, see how much better it is
My rejecting the trad rm class and
experimenting with this dream rm class…Etc…
Consider your motivation…will your
dream make the world a better place, help others? In giving/enriching lives of
others we cannot help but enrich our own life as well—leads to true happiness
Ok to hitch onto someone else’s
dream—spend an hour or two on ted.com
To inspire you to begin dreaming, view Shawn Achor’s ted.com
video on pos psych and happiness—pick one of the 5 methods for re-wiring your
brain and try it out for 2 mins a day for 21 days…your happiness change will
help you dream…prime class with questions, then show the video:
Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work
After you
watch the inspirational video (see link below), consider/meditate on:
What do unicorns represent in
his opening story and how are they relevant for us?
What is the point of his fake
data chart—do you see the connection to research?
What percent of long-term
happiness is due to external circumstances? Internal?
What is most organization’s
formula for success (including places you have/are working)?
What is Achor’s alternative formula for
success?
What does the research say
about the “happiness advantage”?
Which specific methods can
you use this week to RE_WIRE YOUR BRAIN and increase your positiveness, and
perhaps discover a dream, and/or a research topic for this class?
Course Syllabus:
Bring in the books that go with the different
links and send out teasers for each link to motivate them to ck out the link
for themselves:
Professor Baesler
(Dr. B) Comm. 302 Research Methods, Fall
2013
Office: Bal 3018 Classroom:
Bal 2060
Office Hours: MTW
3:30-4 & by appointment after 7pm Class Hours: Monday 4:20-7
The
“Purple Cow” of Comm. Research Methods
Game Plan:
Discover,
Nurture, & Articulate a Dream
Read about
Education & Dreams: http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/docs/stopstealingdreamsscreen.pdf
Watch a
video on Education & Dreams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc
Discern
which Communication Method(s) support your Dream
Maximum utilization of available resources…wikipedia,
google scholar, free books, experts…
A
radical view of the interconnections of knowledge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5z1O5v4hQM
Create
a written Proposal to move your Dream closer to Reality
Create the proposal in whatever form
you like, but turn in a written typed copy for Dr B along with
a Picture of what you want to
accomplish that fits on the “back of a napkin”
Introducing the “back of a napkin”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri8E8cNf2Bw
Do
the work ! and Slay the Dragon of Resistance !
Relevant quotes:
http://www.thedominoproject.com/books/do-the-work-select-quotes
Share
your Dream Project with others, Get Feedback, Present Dream Project to the
Class
Celebrate
and Dream some more…
Outcomes/Assessments:
40% Dream Proposal
20% What do you plan to do?
10%
Weekly journal of activities and feelings
10%
Presentation & feedback from Dr B and class
60%
Dream Project
30% What did you accomplish?…provide
Evidence
15%
Weekly journal of activities and feelings
15%
Presentation and feedback from Dr B and class
Roles:
Professor:
Guide, coach,
persuader, motivator, connector, co-dreamer, supporter…
Student:
Dreamer, creator,
artist, scientist, solver of interesting problems, writer, speaker, sharer…
Time
Line for the Term
Week
|
Date
|
In
and Out-of-Class Learning Activities
|
1
|
8/26
|
Build Community, Syllabus, Seating, Traditional
Academic Research Culture vs Dream Culture
Dream Homework: Discover, Explore, Articulate
Journal Entry 1
|
2
|
9/2
|
Labor Day—No Class
|
3
|
9/9
|
Present Dream, Obtain Feedback, Discover how Comm.
Research Methods can support Dreams,
Homework: Continue Exploring the Dream, Draw the
Dream on the “Back of a Napkin”
Journal Entry 2
|
4
|
9/16
|
Check in with Revised Dreams
Overview of Literature reviews & Finding
Resources: In-class practice dissecting articles & finding resources
Homework: Continue reviewing literature and resources
relevant to your Dream
Journal Entry 3
|
5
|
9/23
|
Overview of Research Methods:
Ethnography, Interview, Focus Group, Survey,
Experiment, Content Analysis
Homework: Learn everything you can about how a
method(s) can support your Dream
J0urnal Entry 4
|
6
|
9/30
|
Prepare Proposal and Presentation in class and for
homework—Dr. B consult/coach/guide/encourage
Journal Entry 5
|
7
|
10/7
|
Dream Proposal Presentations and Feedback
&Turn in hardcopy of Dream Proposal and Journal Entries 1-5
Journal Entry 6
|
8
|
10/14
|
Fall Holiday—No Class
|
9
|
10/21
|
Return Proposals and Journal Entries 1-5
Begin Dream Project in class and for homework: Dr B
consult/coach/guide/encourage
Journal Entry 7
|
10
|
10/28
|
Week 2 of Dream Project—work in class & homework:
Dr B consult/coach/guide/encourage
Journal Entry 8
|
11
|
11/4
|
Week 3 of Dream Project—work in class & homework:
Dr B consult/coach/guide/encourage
Journal Entry 9
|
12
|
11/11
|
Week 4 of Dream Project—work on wrapping up Dream
Project and preparing presentation
Hand out schedule for presentation of Dream Projects
and Student Conferences
Journal Entry 10
|
13
|
11/18
|
1st round of Dream Project
presentations and in-class feedback—about 10 mins each
Turn in hardcopy of Dream Project and
Journal Entries 6-10
|
14
|
11/25
|
2nd round of Dream Project
presentations and in-class feedback
|
15
|
12/2
|
Individual Conferences with Students—about
7 mins each
Return Dream Projects and Journals 6-10
|
16
|
12/9
|
Final Exam week—No final exam—No Class
Celebrate your accomplishments and Dream
some more…
|
Homework:
Explore the syllabus links—these represent the foundations
of the class and the dream culture
Try one of the Shawn
Achor methods to re-wire your brain for positivity in the present
Find your dream and begin meditating/writing/seeking info
related to it…prepare a 2 mins presentation for next class
Write your first journal entry by next week
Can keep journal in whatever form
you like, but ultimately turn in a hard copy (prefer typed)—I’ll collect
journals at 2 points in the term (coinciding with 2 written
papers/presentations) and have you write the 3 most important things you
learned and why, and what grade you’ve earned for your efforts and why.
Journal should
contain…date/week…what you did and how you felt…import of affective learning as
predictor of life-long learning
Leave them with 2 questions:
Do you want to do this? (pause)
Do you want to WORK…at making your dreams come true? (pause)
Only you can answer those questions…
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