How to stay focused at your work?

This article is devoted to staying focused at workplace. I came across an article on “18 ways to stay focused at work”. There are few things that I liked and there are a couple of things that I didn’t agree with. Let me list down what I liked and think it can prove useful for other people.

1) Write out a daily task list and plan your day- At Kern we have a status call called “Heads up”. It is good way to keep each other informed of what each of us are doing. It also helps us prioritize our tasks for the day.

2) Allocate time to various task on your to do list- Allotting time for task will not only make you productive but you can use the rest of the time in reading up articles or writing blogs.

3) Avoid checking personal mails first thing in the morning- You don’t realize but it takes a good amount of your time in the morning.

4) Change your status in the IM- Set the status in the IM as busy if your do not want to get disturbed. While working this is a major distraction that can hinder your work and can make you less productive.

5) Clean your desk- Keep your desk clean. Do not pile up too many things on your desk. A dirty desk might be irritating.

6) Close multiple windows-Avoid working in multiple windows. Close the one’s which you don’t require.

7) Avoid taking long and extended breaks- Taking break from work and sipping tea or coffee can energize you, but if you indulge in extended breaks it might break the flow of your work.

Gagne's Nine Events of Instructions

Robert Mills Gagne (August 21, 1916– April 28, 2002), an American educational psychologist (best known for his "Conditions of Learning“---1965) came up with these nine events of instructions.

Gagne believed that the results of learning are measurable and it can be achieved through testing, drill, practice, and by providing immediate feedback.

1) Gain Attention:
Use an Interesting Fact
Do you know that an ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Do you know that it's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
We spend 1/3rd of our life sleeping.


Pose a Question
Name the seven lettered word that contains nine words, without re-arranging any of its alphabets.
Answer: "therein": the, there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, and herein.


Use an Interesting Sound, Video or Image
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkeLpvgSHYI
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=kfvvDkaVv2U&feature=related

2) Inform the Objectives:

o Helps the learner know what topics will be covered.
o Forms the basis for assessment
Example:
At the end of this session you will be able to:
§ State Gagne’s nine events of instructions.
§ Explain each event of instruction.

3) Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning:

Ask questions about previous experiences.
Helps determine students’ knowledge level.
Example:
You have to teach a student how to brush his teeth. You can narrate a story about another kid who did not brush his teeth properly. You can then explain the advantages and disadvantages of brushing teeth.

4) Present Stimulus Material:

A variety of media should be used if possible—
o Text
o Graphics
o Audio
o Narration
o Video
You can combine either or all of these media or you can you some of it depending on your learner types.

5) Provide Learner Guidance:

By giving-----
o examples
o non-examples
o case studies
o graphical representations
o mnemonics
o analogies

Example: If you are teaching math or algebra You can ask the students to remember BODMAS.
Take a look at this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fver2UDaR5s

Suppose you have to teach a child how to brush his teeth? You can you videos like the one given below to reinforce the importance of brushing one’s teeth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdhptrhn2tM&NR=1


6) Elicit Performance:

Helps confirm correct understanding of learner.
Summarizing and further repetition enhances retention.
It is like formative assessment, where you do not test the learner but try to reinforce the learning that is being provided.

7) Provide Feedback:

Additional guidance provided at this stage is called formative feedback.
Provide consistent feedback.
Let the learner know whether he is correct/ incorrect and why?

8) Assess Performance:

This is to ensure the effectiveness of the course.
Also many a times certification is provided based on the results of the performance.
It is like summative assessment, where you test the over all understanding of the learner on a particular subject.

9) Enhance Retention and Transfer:

Aids retention
Helps to memorize things
Summarizing helps reinforce new material.

This is where you put the learning into actual practice.

Watch these videos.
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=14TD-TZkauE
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=tneN4A8XzkY

Common Design Errors

This article is devoted to bad designs that we come across in our day-to-day life. I've tried to show images of bad designs rather than writing it down in words.







This handle serves no purpose, as it is not used to open the drawer. Rather it confuses the user.





Now look at these images?
How to use any of these faucets?



Why bus numbers are not displayed on all the sides of a bus? How do I get to know which is the one for me?














Presently I am using MS-Office 2007. Why do I need to save the document in compatibility mode every time? The software should save the file in compatibility mode on its own without waiting for my instruction!


I commute by a bus, but look at the hand grip. It moves and sways constantly when in motion. Why can’t it be made static?

I pour 1/4 th of the oil outside the container. Why should i use a funnel when it can be made more user-friendly?
Why can’t the manufacturers design it like this!











Well I guess most of us are familiar with this red ice-cream box. But the problem with it is that you won’t be able to figure out how to open it at the first attempt.




The seal over here is broken, but when you get a new box you need to open the seal. You notice this only when you experiment a little.



At first glance you might feel that you can open the cap of the spray perfume. But if you are thinking so, you are wrong.

Look at the image given below. You need not open the cap, but the design is not intuitive, at least that’s what I felt!

These are some of the day-to- day design issues that we come across. You must have come across many such instances too. I should acknowledge the fact that I gathered some of the images from various sites that specifically talk about design issues. But I feel even if people are aware of what works and what does not, the design issues are never corrected.

Creativity! What’s That?

“ Imagination is more important than knowledge.” ---- Albert Einstein

“Imagination properly employed is our greatest friend; it goes beyond reason and is the only light that takes us everywhere.”
----Swami Vivekananda

What does creativity mean?

I think creativity means thinking out of the box. Now that sounds cliché. ;) If you want to be creative you have to be original. I feel one can be creative with ideas, thoughts, and with anything around. Being creative does not necessarily mean thinking something new, but it can also mean tweaking an existing idea or a thing to make it better. Creativity means breaking the walls of one’s imagination. Creativity means manifesting ideas into reality. Creativity means envisioning that does not exist and how to bring it to pass. People have tried to be creative with things around them. The German artist Joseph Beuys claimed that "Every human-being is an artist", with the implication that we are all creative beings.

There are numerous instances to cite as apt examples of creativity. The best example of creativity is the famous Rock Garden in Chandigarh. The material used to set up the whole garden is glass bangles and things which people might have considered waste. Another example could be to make use of a day to day object differently.

A sales woman or a sale man who manages to sell a product or any article can be said as a creative person, in terms of the way he persuades the customer. A teacher who teaches in a class of fourty students manages to get her or his point across at least to a handful of students, that’s being creative. Another teacher teaching the same thing may not be able to do so with even 2 students. Being creative does not necessarily mean one should have aesthetic sense but how differently a job is carried out. The images below can be considered as live examples of creativity.

So how to keep the creative lamp burning?

I read somewhere that if one wants to become creative one has to spend a lot of time in learning about the subject one wants to show one’s creativity. I completely agree with this statement because if I don’t know how to say make paratha (Indian bread) on the first place I won’t be able to try and make various kinds of parathas (Indian bread). To wrap up I would say that creativity is a skill that is developed over time and with practice.

Inspiration and the quest for knowledge, to keep learning things that I do not know seems to be my main source of creativity. I believe everyone has the potential to be creative, but certain people seem to be more in tune with that part of themselves than others.

Credits:

Creative Ways to Recycle Ordinary Objects posted by ecoble

Bloom's Taxonomy

Let us look at the taxonomy in detail.
Level 1--Knowledge Explanation: Knowledge level is used to recall or state the information.
Keywords/Question Cues: Arrange, Define, Duplicate, Label, List, Memorize, Name, Order, Recognize, Relate, Recall, Repeat, Reproduce, State
Example of Learning Objective: At the end of this lesson you should be able to:Describe the process of photosynthesis.
Example of Assessment Question: Describe the process of photosynthesis.

Level 2--Comprehension
Explanation: Comprehension entails the ability to give meaning to information.
Keywords/Question Cues: Classify, Describe, Discuss, Explain, Express, Identify, Indicate, Locate, Recognize, Report, Restate, Review, Select, Translate
Example of Learning Objective: At the end of this lesson you should be able to:Explain the term economics.
Example of Assessment Question: Explain in your own words what do you mean by the term economics?

Level 3--Application
Explanation: This level leads to the use of knowledge or principles in new or real-life situations. For example a programmer making use of his prior knowledge to write programs for a new application.
Keywords/Question Cues: Apply, Choose, Demonstrate, Dramatize, Employ, Illustrate, Interpret, Operate, Practice, Schedule, Sketch, Solve, Use, Write
Example of Learning Objective: Apply the concepts of theory of demand and supply.
Example of Assessment Question: Applying the concepts of demand theory state which demand curve indicates higher demand.

Level 4--Analysis
Explanation: It is breaking a complex thing into simpler things. For example during math class the teacher would solve a problem. And she would give some other task as a class work. The testing skill the learner applies here to solve the problem is analysis.
Keywords/Question Cues: Analyze, Appraise, Calculate, Categorize, Compare, Contrast, Criticize, Differentiate, Discriminate, Distinguish, Examine, Experiment, Question
Example of Learning Objective: Differentiate micro economics from macro economics.
Example of Assessment Question: Distinguish between micro and macro economics.

Level 5--Synthesis
Explanation: In this level the main objective is to use the knowledge gathered to create something new. For example when a uses his knowledge to create something totally new then they make use of synthesis skills.
Keywords/Question Cues: Arrange, Assemble, Collect, Compose, Construct, Create, Design, Develop, Formulate, Manage, Organize, Plan, Prepare, Propose, Set Up, Write
Example of Learning Objective: Write an essay in active voice.
Example of Assessment Question: Write an essay in not more than 250 words about India and Technological Advancement. Use active voice as much as possible.

Level 6--Evaluation
Explanation: Evaluation entails the ability to make judgments based on certain guidelines.
Keywords/Question Cues: Appraise, Argue, Assess, Attach, Choose Compare, Defend, Estimate, Judge, Predict, Rate, Core, Select, Support, Value, Evaluate
Example of Learning Objective: Evaluate any written document/article based on the principles of composition.
Example of Assessment Question: Evaluate your own or a peer's essay in terms of the principles of composition discussed during the semester.

To conclude, I would say that Bloom’s taxonomy is important to write learning objectives. It is also useful to create assessment questions. We should also keep in mind it may not be possible to use the same keywords that is used to write learning objectives to create assessment questions, but they should be at the same level.

Bloom's Taxonomy

Writing Learning Objectives

While writing the objectives we should remember the A.B.C.D method ---Heinich et al. 1996. Robert Heinich is one of the proponents of instructional technology.
A --- Audience----- Who? Who are your learners?

B--- Behavior----- What? What do you expect them to be able to do after the completion of the course?

C---Condition---- How? Under what circumstances or context will the learning occur? What will the student be given or already be expected to know to accomplish the learning?

D---Degree---- How much? How much will be accomplished, or how much the students are expected to learn, what level?

Example of A.B.C.D method

Comprehension Level:

A (Audience) ---Student (student of class IV)

B (Behavior) ---Should be able to identify noun and verb in a sentence/ paragraph

C (Condition) ---A paragraph in the newspaper article

D (Degree) ---For all the sentences given in the article More to come....

More to come...

Bloom’s Taxonomy

"Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence"
--- Abigail Adams, 1780

Benjamin S Bloom proposed taxonomy in 1956. He was an educational psychologist at the University of Chicago. Educators used it to define the learning objectives for students. In this article am only going to focus on the cognitive objective and not affective or psychomotor objectives of Bloom’s taxonomy.

Cognition means information processing. And taxonomy means a hierarchical structure.
This taxonomy is used to write learning objectives. There are six levels in the taxonomy, moving through the lower order objectives to the higher order objectives.

Let’s us take a look at the levels of the taxonomy.














Lower order processes or thinking does not mean that they are less important as compared to higher order processes but it means that learners must master lower level objectives first before they can build on them to reach higher level objectives.

Few years later Anderson revised Bloom’s taxonomy who was a former student of Benjamin Bloom.
If you notice the keywords used for the 6 levels of taxonomy are nouns. But in the revised version it is verb.
The reason being, that the taxonomy reflects different forms of thinking and thinking is an active process. Verbs describe actions, and not nouns, hence the taxonomy is revised.
Old v/s Revised
Knowledge----Remembering
Comprehension----Understanding
Application----Applying
Analysis----Analyzing
Synthesis----Creating
Evaluation----Evaluating

Need for Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s taxonomy is used for:
1) Writing learning objectives
2) Preparing the curriculum
3) Creating assessment questions.

We should always try and create assessment questions on the same level according to the level of learning objective used in the course.
Assessment questions should map to learning objectives. It ensures that we have covered every learning objective while assessing the learner.
Defining learning objective help define what the learner is going to learn at the end of the course.
Learning objective is created based on the knowledge level of the learners and what they need to know in the forthcoming course.

More to come....