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Teaching EFL Listening via FUN WITH ENGLISH Books/7B/Lesson 15

INTRODUCTION
Easy lesson for the last week of classes. Idea is to get a conversation going around spring festival and also review a few common simple mistakes many students tend to make.

Be careful with the lao wai bit, its sensitive and some students w/o a high english level may take it the wrong way, esp if in their experience people only say good things about foreigners in those moments when they shout out ‘laowai’ in the streets. For the first few lessons I was too preachy telling them not to say things. Now I prefer to just tell the story of a Chinese person in America and let them figure it out on their own.

MATERIALS

 * Comic Strips

SYMBOLS USED
‘ means is for something to say. == and CAPITAL letters is a section header. = and lower case letters is a sub-section header. <> Indicates a link to a web resource.
 * OR # are for instructions or notes.

LESSON PLAN
0 Before Class Preparation
 * Clean classroom.
 * Write ‘Lesson Plan’ and ‘Announcements’ on the board.

1 Opening Conversation board. Try to have them fill in the second part. Festival & Chinese New Year’s] Valentines day, which in 2010 is also on Chinese New Year’s]
 * Open with ‘Yo.’ and ‘What’s up?’ which we have been practicing.
 * If they do not remember, go over with them by writing this on the
 * hello = yo
 * how are you? = what’s up?
 * I am fine, and you? = not much, you?
 * What Chinese festival is coming in February? (Talk about Spring
 * What other Western festival is also on February 14th? (Talk about
 * Perhaps tell a personal story.
 * Our family Volvo is older than most of the students.
 * When I was a kid and that dude in the locker room he was fat.

2 Common Student Mistakes they should not feel bad becasue many of them make the same mistakes.
 * Start by going over what “Common Student Mistakes” means, stressing

‘ Why is saying no why a mistake? ” Becasue it is not English, it’s Chinese – meiyou wueshenma ‘ What should you say? ” No reason.
 * no why!

‘ Why is saying give me a mistake? ” Because it is rude – bu li mao in Chinese. ‘ What should you say? ” Can you please give me one? ‘ What should you say afterwards? ” Thank you.
 * give me!

‘ If I ask this question and you know the answer, what should you say? ” I know, it’s 4. ‘ If you don’t know the answer, what should you say? ” I don’t know. ‘ Then I will tell you the answer is 4. After I tell you, can you say Oh, I know? ” No, you should say I see or I understand. ‘ If I have to tell you the answer to a question, you cannot say I know. If you know the answer already then you can say I know.
 * I know! I know!
 * Write 2 + 2 = on the board.

’see’.
 * pronunciation of ‘C’ – Many students say it as ’say’ instead of

 * pronunciation of ‘F’ – Many students say it as ‘f-uh’ instead of ‘eff’.

‘ What is a lao wai? ” Foreigner ‘ What is a foreigner? ” A person from a different country. ‘ Right, so in China I am a lao wai. If you went to America you would be lao wai right? ‘ For example, if you go on to a trip to America, you are very happy. There is good food, good shopping, beautiful places and beautiful people. You are very happy! Then, one day you are walking down the street and some Americans stop and yell FOREIGNER! then start laughing and talking quickly. How would you feel? ” [if they don't respond] would you be happy? consider how a foreigner in China might feel, even if they are saying nice things.
 * lao wai!
 * Don’t batter it over the head, but try to naturally get them to

– From here on out, vary by class depending on what they like. –

3 Game they want to play and/or Everybody’s an artist and/or Competition (boys against girls) Game and/or Go Outside   vs. girls. with my classes unless I am actively involved moving around and keeping score on the board it hasn’t worked.
 * Everybody’s an artist
 * Competition (boys against girls) Instructions
 * Additional Instructions:
 * If you don’t have a lot of time, it doesn’t have to be boys
 * It seems like a simple enough game the teacher can just relax, but
 * Can also do phrases instead of just words.

4 Read Comics and Relax what they think. talking and see if they want my help. the comics immediately they tune out and start acting up.
 * If possible go through a comic strip with them step by step – seeing
 * Hand out comic strips.
 * Walk around the room sitting with different groups of students
 * Move quick.
 * Be parient, it is really hard for some them. If they can’t access

9 June 2010 AM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 1

 * 1) Spent a minute or two getting everyone into their seats as I did not arrive until perhaps a minute and a half before the bell.
 * 2) Tried going over the common mistakes to start, but no one was really listening.
 * 3) Fashion Slideshow
 * 4) * Few students listening, but the response was not very strong.
 * 5) Telephone
 * 6) * One team had 3 people with a really high level and they dominated, which made it tough for the others to have fun.
 * 7) Fire! Game
 * 8) * Blindfolded a student and had them look for a fire - worked alright.
 * 9) Watched The Birds
 * 10) * Watched it through again stopping and chatting about which went alright.
 * 11) Watched 1 Man Band for the last minute or two.

9 June 2010 AM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 3

 * Promised one of the students we could watch the vampire show he was interested in watching, so we did.
 * Stopped it at one point to explain about prom in the USA.

9 June 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 8 Class 2

 * Switched the boys and the girls with Mr. Brown, so today I was back teaching the girls.
 * 1) Do you have any questions? Anything you want to talk about?
 * 2) * No.
 * 3) * Played music quietly in the background throughout.
 * 4) Taught them about prom in the USA, got a few laughs, but no real questions.
 * 5) Fashion Slideshow
 * 6) * Also asked their opinions on make up / dresses vs. pants for girls / tattoos
 * 7) * Didn't think they were into it, but a couple expressed disappointment when it finished.
 * 8) Missing Words Listening: You Gotta Be
 * 9) * Played the song all the way through the first time.
 * 10) * Second time a whole bunch of them were listening trying to figure out what was happening.

9 June 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 7 Class 11

 * 1) Greeting: Yo! What's up?
 * 2) Do you have any questions for me?
 * 3) * Got a couple.
 * 4) Fashion Slideshow
 * 5) * Not too much interest.
 * 6) Oh my God vs. Oh my Lady Ga Ga & Oh my Gosh
 * 7) * Not sure how much was understood.
 * 8) Columns Telephone
 * 9) * Played it twice through and that was enough, the kids just go wild.
 * 10) Simon Says
 * 11) * Students were not too excited and those who got out early kept on hitting one another.
 * 12) Pixar Shorts and discussion.

9 June 2010 PM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 10

 * 1) Greeting: Yo! What's up?
 * 2) Do you have any questions for me?
 * 3) * Not many.
 * 4) Fashion Slideshow
 * 5) * I'm getting better at delivering the slides.
 * 6) * Questions on them do not really work, it'd be better just to add more pictures.
 * 7) Pixar Shorts
 * 8) * Grandpa & Sheep one were boring and did not get much of a discussion.
 * 9) * Birds went better but finished as we were ending class.

9 June 2010
What did I do well? What could I have done better? What did I learn? What did the students learn? How can I make the lesson better?
 * Having a lot of different things we could do, and letting the classes go this way or that depending on student interest.
 * Asked better questions around the fashion show.
 * Tried more to talk about common mistakes with the students. I did not try very hard at all to get these discussions going.
 * Having multiple options instead of a set lesson allows me to better follow student interest without the pressure of "We need to get this done!" playing in my own mind.
 * About fashion and different ways to think about fashion.
 * Add more pics to the fashion slideshow.
 * Try to talk about the common mistakes more in the lessons.

10 June 2010 AM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 5

 * 1) Do you have any questions for me?
 * 2) * None.
 * 3) Huang Mei Xi Lyrics
 * 4) * One or two sang seriously, most did not.
 * 5) Fashion Slideshow
 * 6) Missing Words Listening: Let it Be
 * 7) * Played one time through for them to listen and another time without they lyrics which worked better than I expected.
 * 8) * At one point when they were all listening I decided to yell at a couple of boys who were acting up, doing that cost me about 95% of the listening student's attention [they laughed at the boys I chastised] and the boys did not really change their behavior much.
 * 9) One Man Band Video
 * 10) * Got a decent chat going about the video afterwards.

10 June 2010 AM Period 3 Grade 8 Class 4

 * 1) Do you have any questions for me?
 * 2) * One or two.
 * 3) Taught them about "Oh my God!" and "Bless you."
 * 4) Asked "What have you learned this year?"
 * 5) * Got one or two responses, but not much.
 * 6) Fashion Slideshow
 * 7) * Tried chatting with everyone, but I was not able to.
 * 8) Listened to Des'Ree "Let it Be" One Time
 * 9) Simon Says
 * 10) * One girl won when I asked them to "touch your elbow".
 * 11) Huang Mei Xi Lyrics
 * 12) * Put them up there and then asked some people to sing for me, which a few did.
 * 13) Bye Bye with contact info
 * 14) * Told the class honestly how I felt about them and the wonderful work they have done this year.

10 June 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 6

 * 1) Did the movie and grades with them I didn't do the week before.
 * 2) * Giving some kids who were just quiet C's felt wrong as did one boy who was annoying at times, but whom was also always talking in English in every lesson in one way or another and who could've easily made my lessons impossible, but who did not.

10 June 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 7 Class 8

 * 1) Do you have any questions for me?
 * 2) * Got a couple.
 * 3) Taught them about "Oh my God!" and "Bless you."
 * 4) * Attracted their attention, and one boy in the back was writing down notes.
 * 5) Fashion Slideshow
 * 6) * Managed to chat with every student in the class at least once, I believe.
 * 7) * Working through the pictures is a good way to talk to everyone, because it keeps it interesting and the questions fresh.
 * 8) Telephone
 * 9) * A boy who is usually EXTREMELY quiet delivered the correct message, which was shocking and wonderful.
 * 10) Bye Bye with contact info
 * 11) * Told them honestly what I thought about them as a class, and that I was leaving. Some of the students did not realize I was not returning.

10 June 2010
What did I do well? What could I have done better? What did I learn? What did the students learn? How can I make the lesson better?
 * Chatting with a bunch of students during the fashion slideshow.
 * Done a better job of delivering my exit speech/message to them. Some of them I did not do it at all.
 * It will be difficult to say goodbye to them.
 * That I am leaving and one more chance talking and speaking with me and hearing how I deliver class.
 * Make sure I talk to every student at least once during the fashion slideshow.
 * Keep doing the manners bit.
 * Ask them what they've learned.
 * Learn how to sing Huang Mei Xi.

12 June 2010 AM Periods 1, 3 & 4 Grade 7 Classes 1, 5 & 6

 * Taught the full 50 students alone today.
 * Did about the same lesson plan above, but I also mentioned their upcoming test again, and experimented with giving out candy to the students.
 * One of the students said he knew one of the stories the test was from.
 * Trying to give the students candy has been very difficult.
 * Some students rise to the challenge and get really, really excited. Those who would usually be quiet, raise their hands.
 * Especially the more aggressive students.
 * Others, who normally might talk from time to time, completely shut down.
 * Once I begin throwing chocolates around the room inevitably some boys get a big kick out of knocking down the chocolates and preventing their classmates from getting them.
 * This has started with one boy who thinks he's clever in each class and then spiraled out of control.
 * Some students also tend to lost interest after they realize I will only be giving them one chocolate each.
 * They end up giving the chocolates to their classmates, but it gets REALLY annoying.
 * If one of their classmates speaks for a second time, they are sure to remind me "Two times!"
 * Kids can get very rude with them around, asking/demanding their classmates give them the chocolates they earned.
 * One girl whose incredibly bubbly and fun was absolutely dour by the end of the period for some reason I believe related to the chocolates.
 * Usually keeps them interested for a short while, then I lose the majority of the class.
 * Tried just calling on individual shy students near the end, which went OK.
 * Finished class by asking a question like "If someone tells you something is true, what can you do to see if its true?"
 * Said I would give a chocolate for the best answer.
 * In the 3rd class I said the best 3 answers. I also tried writing what they said on the computer with their names.
 * I struggled writing the Chinese names. Students got a big kick out of this and some tried to help, others took advantadge telling me the wrong words to type which got many other classmates laughing and me angry.

How can I improve?
 * Tell them they are not allowed to stand up and block the chocolates?
 * Abandon the chocolates idea?
 * Give them a chocolate if they ask me a question only?

12 June 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 9

 * Tried having the students just ask me questions for chocolates.
 * Then, instead of throwing them around the room, I had the students walk up to me to receive them, and say "thank you".
 * Surprised to discover that some of them simply did not like chocolates, and that some were uninterested or too shy to ask.
 * Most students who did not ask, I called on them in any event.
 * Definitely worked better than the morning, but by the end most of the students were not interested.
 * Did the fashion slideshow to little interest.
 * Tried playing them the Des'Ree song to finish, which was not too well received, in that, no one was listening. Part of it was that they could not hear.

12 June 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 7 Class 4

 * Started off going over the test and then right into the fashion slides.
 * Got more of their attention than in the earlier class when I did the slides after the chocolates.
 * Then did the chocolates and having them ask questions, which also worked better with them coming to the front.
 * Still though some of them were too shy, or did not really care.
 * Tried singing Huang Mei Xi, which even though I just did one or two lines was met with a huge applause.

12 June 2010
What did I do well? What could I have done better? What did I learn? What did the students learn? How can I make the lesson better?
 * Tried something new with the students, and even though it did not work especially well, I stuck with it and tweaked it, looking for a way to make it work.
 * Let them know I am leaving in a more direct way.
 * Giving out candy to students can get them talking, and be dangerous.
 * About fashion and got one more experience asking me questions.
 * Incorporate Huang Mei Xi, more.
 * Consider dropping the candy.

Materials Used Whose Copyright is Owned by Others
people who made the materials. of these materials. Please contact the creators to see how it is OK to use their materials. the way I use it or the attribution, please let me know.
 * I used these because it was allowed within the rights given by the
 * The copyright of this lesson plan does not reflect the copyright
 * If I used something created by you and you would like me to change

 * Copyright Holder – Dave’s ESL Cafe
 * Website
 * Materials Used
 * Everybody’s an artist, by Scott Van Wagenen
 * Competition (boys against girls), by Chad Davis

 * Copryright Holder – Chicago Tribune & Sun-Times
 * Materials Used
 * Many editions of the Sunday comics, kindly sent to me by my father.

Materials Used I Created

 * Comic Book Activity

Acknowledgments
Foreign Language School who had this lesson for their participation and feedback. I would also like to thank the Anqing Foreign Language School for allowing me to teach.
 * I would like to thank all the 7th and 8th grade classes at Anqing

Changelog
Ver 0.1 Jan 17, 2010
 * Sketched out ideas and rough plan on paper at an Anqing coffee shop.

Ver 0.2 Jan 18, 2010 week.
 * Transcribed into aquamacs clarifying and finalizing my prep for the

Ver 0.3 Jan 20, 2010 only put kids in a bad mood. topics that can be discussed for a long time. it up in far too many classes.
 * Revised following 11 classes worth of experiences.
 * Expanded the instructions for “yo, what’s up?”
 * Removed questions about studying and exams because those questions
 * Added questions about spring festival and valentine’s day, which are
 * Removed the poetry contest announcement, because I forgot to bring
 * Modified the instructions for every part of the lesson plan.


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User talk:Kendroche

 Hello Kendroche, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

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User:බිඟුවා

I'm Sri Lankan

title: User:බිඟුවා


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User talk:බිඟුවා

 Hello බිඟුවා, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! If you're a twitter user, please follow http://twitter.com/Wikiversity. --Ottava Rima (talk) 16:39, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

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User talk:Thuvack/Quote Thuvack

South African Wikimedia Chapter
Greetings! Discussion is underway to set up a local South African Wikimedia Chapter. There are currently over 25 chapters established around the world, but so far, none in Africa. Currently a group of local Wikipedians are in the process of setting up the South African chapter. If you're interested in being involved in the creation of a South African Wikimedia Chapter, please add your name to the Meta page and also join the mailing list here. Also, [mailto:kerryn@africancommons.org email me] directly if you would like to be involved in the kickoff Chapter workshop scheduled to be held at Wits University on 7th and 8th August. Thanks, Kaydee 68 16:42, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

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User talk:Kaydee 68

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 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
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User:JPLeRouzic/Icelandic stream/Lesson 1

Please don't use this page as it's a work in progress!!

In Icelandic, all nouns have a grammatical gender; that is, they are either karlmaður (m) or kvenmaður (f).

Most nouns that express people or animals have both a karlmaðure and a kvenmaðure form. For example, the two words for the actor in Icelandic are '' leikari (m) and  leikkona'' (f). The two words for the cat are '' spjall (m) and  Kisa'' (f).

However, there are some nouns that talk about people or animals whose gender are fixed, regardless of the actual gender of the person or animal. For example, '' manneskja (f) (the person) is always karlmaður (m) or kvenmaður ???, even when it's talking about your uncle/Aunt ???;  Prófessor (m) (the professor'') is always karlmaðure ???, even when it's talking about your female professor/teacher.

The nouns that express things without an obvious gender (e.g., objects and abstract concepts) have only one form. This form can be karlmaðure or kvenmaðure. For example, can only be kvenmaðure;  can only be karlmaðure.

Here is a chart which depicts some tendencies of Icelandic nouns:

Unfortunately, there are many exceptions to gender rules in Icelandic which can only be learned. Some examples here. . To help overcome this hurdle which many beginners find very difficult, be sure to learn the genders along with the words. When you think of a noun in Icelandic, think of ???.

In English, the definite article is always the.

Unlike English, the definite article is used to talk about something in a general sense, a general statement or feeling about an idea or thing.

In Icelandic, the definite article is changed depending on the noun's: some text to explain Icelandic lack of article here
 * 1) gender
 * 2) plurality

In English, the indefinite articles are a and an. Some is used as a plural article in English.

Again, indefinite articles in Icelandic take different forms depending on gender and plurality...

Some
Some text here

Plurality, pronunciation, and exceptions
Some text here

{| sonur sonur
 * sonur
 * sonur

}

Hvað er þetta?
To say What is it? or What is that? in Icelandic, is used.

Literally, Hvað er þetta? translates to What is it that it is? is used often to say What…? at the beginning  of sentences.

To respond to this question, you say Er [nom]., meaning It is a [noun''].
 * Er bók. - It's a book.

Remember that the indefinite article (un or une) must agree with the noun it modifies.
 * Ere skyrta. - It's a shirt.

Það
is used to say there is or there are. Það expresses the existence of the noun it introduces.

 * Það epli. - There is an apple.

The phrase is used for both singular and plural nouns. Unlike in English (is => are), Það does not change form.

 * Það epli. - There are (some) apples.

hér er and hér
Like in English, Það… is not often used to point out an object. To point out an object to the listener, use, meaning over here is/are or right here is/are, and , meaning over there is/are.

 * Hér er tveir piltar! - Here are the two boys!


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User:Jtneill/Teaching/Online Quizzes and Exams with Moodle

This document overviews how I've been using Moodle quizzes for academic assessment and feedback, with consideration of quiz design, settings, advantages, student feedback and ideas for improvement.

 Explore the unit's quiz info:
 * Moodle: Quizzes.
 * Description: Quizzes

Overview
During Semester 1, 2010, I sought to improve student engagement and satisfaction with Survey research and design in psychology, a third-year undergraduate research methods and applied statistics unit, by providing more regular assessment and feedback in form of weekly online quizzes (instead of a paper-based mid-semester exam) and an online final exam (instead of a paper-based final exam).

Online quizzes offer considerably more flexibility than more traditional paper-based mid-semester and final exams. For example:
 * 1) Modularisation: Any number and arrangement of quizzes can be created. Use of multiple short quizzes in place of, say, a mid-semester or final exam facilitates chunking of content, learning activities and assessment.
 * 2) Temporality: Students can participate in quizzes 24/7. It's easier to arrange early or late online quizzes than is the case with paper-based quizzes or exams.

Main quiz settings
The UC implementation of Moodle, LearnOnline was used. The main design features and settings for the quizzes were:
 * 1) Nine 10-item quizzes, covering each of the main topics in the unit, were available for a week at a time (students could sit in their own time and use unit materials)
 * 2) Quiz time limit was (usually) 10 minutes
 * 3) Quizzes were worth 2% each
 * 4) Students could do the quizzes in their own time
 * 5) Quiz items were drawn randomly from categories within custom-developed test-banks which were adapted from past mid-semester and final exams.
 * 6) The order of quiz item answers was randomised.
 * 7) The main question types used were those which could be automatically marked:
 * 8) Multiple-choice (one correct answer) and True/False
 * 9) Multiple-choice (more than one answer allowed) - make sure to include penalties for incorrect answers, otherwise all answers can be ticked to get full marks
 * 10) Matching
 * 11) Numerical (make sure multiple variations of the correct response are specified as acceptable)
 * 12) Cloze questions (fill in the blank using pull-down menus)
 * 13) Students were permitted to see responses and answers immediately after submission, but only general feedback and overall mark was viewable after this window is closed (see Figure below).
 * 14) A final exam was drawn from quiz test-banks, with item selection based significantly on the item discrimination indices derived from the quizzes (available within Moodle).
 * 15) Quiz extensions were only offered to students under exceptional circumstances.
 * 16) Students were offered bonus marks if they could correctly report any quiz errors to the unit convener.

Quiz security is a common concern for teaching staff. Of particular consideration were the following:
 * Security
 * 1) There is a need to balance the pedagogical importance of providing students with detailed quiz feedback so that they can review/improve whilst minimising the potential for students to cheat by sharing answers with other students who haven't yet sat the assessment.
 * 2) Quizzes were worth relatively little (2%) in order to provide relatively little incentive for cheating and relatively greater incentive for learning (because similar items would be used in the final invigilated exam, therefore it was worth learning by doing the quizzes by one's self).
 * 3) The final exam, covering the whole semester, was worth twice as much as all the quizzes combined, and was conducted through the formal university exam system and invigilated in computer labs. The online exam was open for a limited period of time and was password protected. Thus, the final exam was worth more marks and was more tightly restricted and invigilated than the quizzes (which could be done any time during each week).

Student performance

 * 1) Students' overall mean marks for the quizzes and exam were ~65%
 * 2) Distribution of marks (overall discriminability was good, i.e., allowing for appropriate proportions of Pass, Credit, Distinction and High Distinction marks without moderation) - see histograms

Staff tasks
Considerable time is required to initially set up good quality, large, customised testbanks for each of the main topics in a unit. In particular, time is needed to: However, once this up-front investment has been made, quizzes offer a relatively efficient, scalable method of providing ongoing assessment and feedback.
 * 1) Create a practice quiz
 * 2) Develop quiz instructions
 * 3) Develop or converting the quiz items e.g., into GIFT format and importing or creating the items directly in Moodle. However, this was a good opportunity to review and revise questions.
 * 4) Create/convert/upload/insert images
 * 5) Develop quiz feedback
 * 6) Test quizzes
 * 7) Manage each quiz (e.g., student questions and technical problems such as resetting a quiz for students when it doesn't record responses/mark properly)
 * 8) Deal with student questions and feedback
 * 9) Apply extensions (using groups and groupings and adjusting dates or a password)

Staff benefits
Advantages to teaching staff of using online quizzes included:
 * 1) Marking time is significantly reduced, although this is offset initially by the set-up time and the ongoing maintanence.
 * 2) By providing smaller, regular assessment components, students offered the unit convenor more feedback and dialog about individual quiz items, leading to richer student-driven improvement in many items and aspects of the quizzes than was previously the case with paper-based exam formats.
 * 3) It is easier to track individual student progress by using multiple, small-weight quizzes.
 * 4) Automatically-marked online quiz marking is scalable - an increase in students doesn't necessarily add significantly to marking time

Student evaluation and feedback
Unit Satisfaction Survey (USS) results were higher than for the previous year (approx. 85% compared to 75%). The quizzes, I think played an important part in this improvement, particularly in relation to large improvements in feedback-related scores. However, there was mixed open-ended feedback from students about the quizzes, suggesting value but with room for further improvement and refinement.

Positive student feedback responses about online quizzes and exams included:
 * 1) Quizzes encouraged students to keep pace with the unit
 * 2) Students appreciated receiving regular feedback.

Negative responses about online quizzes and exams included:
 * 1) Difficulty and ambiguity of the quizzes
 * 2) Being assessed on all nine quizzes (without being able to drop any marks)
 * 3) Limited opportunity to review quiz items
 * 4) Being assessed on all semester content in the final exam.

Reflection on this student feedback has led to these proposed changes in the use of online quizzes for this unit in 2011:
 * 1) Open quizzes for two weeks at a time (rather than one week)
 * 2) Review and revise quiz questions, considering:
 * 3) Particularly items with the lowest % correct - e.g,. is it too difficult or lacking in clarity?
 * 4) Check how well lecture and tutorial content matches quiz assessment items?
 * 5) Improve automatic feedback provided in response to incorrect answers.
 * 6) Expand the number of items (e.g., create variations) in the quiz test banks to minimise potential for cheating (sharing answers)
 * 7) Provide students with more opportunity to learn and improve - some options are:
 * 8) Provide practice quizzes
 * 9) Allow two attempts at each quiz
 * 10) Allow adaptive mode (where students can improve answers to receive partial marks)
 * 11) During the exam preparation period, allow students to review their quiz responses and correct answers

Conclusion
The initial jump into using online quizzes requires considerable preparation and management time, but yields pedagogical and efficiency benefits.


text:
Wikiversity:Candidates for Custodianship/Geoff Plourde (full custodian)

I've been an on and off user of Wikiversity for the last few years (since August 2006), and have become more active over the last few months. One of my first projects was a course on AP US History, and my current focus is on developing courses for my church's bible school. At this point in time, I have about 40% of the first phase in a Christian Leadership program done. The courses I am currently working on could also be used to supplement more general survey courses of the New Testament and as a launching point for future study.

I think that learning is a two way street, as the teacher also learns from the students. Whenever I have instructed or presented to others, I have always learned something new about teaching. Many times it is something not to do, but each piece of knowledge is valuable. Conversely, whenever I am exposed to new material or study a subject, I learn a bit more about the complex world we live in. On Wikiversity, I really think the vast majority of people here are interested in learning. We've got projects in many different subjects, which when taken as a whole, bring us all closer to answering our inner desires for knowledge.

I am requesting custodianship to help keep Wikiversity a place of learning, not of chaos. At any given time, only a few custodians are around. Yet, the burden of maintenance and the preservation of order falls upon their shoulders. Over the last few months, controversy has resulted in chaos, leading to the resignations and removals of some custodians. Personally, I have felt that the drama some people are interested in causing only serves to divert attention from academic endeavors, as myself and others are forced to divert our attentions to deal with it. I know that custodianship is a thankless job and no big deal, but I would like to put my name forward as a way of stepping up my involvement in Wikiversity and working to both enable the learning projects of others and prevent rogue elements from distracting us from the ultimate focus of this project.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you wish and I will do my level best to respond to them in a reasonable timeframe :) Geoff Plourde 02:30, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

Questions for the Candidate

 * Do you think you have been editing Wikiversity long enough to deserve the chance to be mentored on how things are done around here? :P Ottava Rima (talk) 03:37, 29 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I believe I have been editing WV long enough to understand how the system works :p Geoff Plourde 03:41, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

 * I see that you requested custodianship in 2006, it was simply ignored. Do you think that you have been a participant here for too long? Seriously, I'm very pleased to see this candidacy. Good luck. --Abd 04:13, 29 July 2010 (UTC)
 * When I requested candidacy in 2006, I did not have the experience necessary to serve. Over the last few years I have developed an understanding of how Wikiversity works and what it does through interaction with various individuals and working on different projects. Geoff Plourde 04:36, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

 * What strengths and areas for improvement do you see yourself as bringing to the role of custodian? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:37, 29 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I am a hard worker and able to multitask effectively. I've held administrative privileges on other wikis, so I understand how the interface works. I worked as a IT manager in a educational environment for several years, so I understand the needs and requirements of educational users, both faculty and students.

 * I also don't hold grudges and try to treat everyone with the respect and honor they deserve as people. When handling non-technical matters, I would attempt to always act carefully and rationally, considering all necessary pieces of information and potential consequences. Geoff Plourde 18:28, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

 * What are the main areas of custodian activity you expect to be involved in? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:37, 29 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I plan on working in any area where there is a need. Specifically, I would like to assist course developers with the administrative tasks they need to make their courses more effective and functional. Geoff Plourde 18:28, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

 * What are the main changes you'd like to see at Wikiversity? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:37, 29 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I would like to see a turn from chaos and drama back to academic discussion and project creation, the ultimate focus of Wikiversity. Geoff Plourde 18:28, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

 * What would you like from a mentor? -- Jtneill - Talk - c 12:37, 29 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I would like someone who can guide me through the peculiarities of administration and remind me that I am not infallible :P I believe that a mentor should be a guide, a teacher, and a sounding board. I am open to any custodian as a mentor. Geoff Plourde 19:18, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Do you think your religious beliefs will get in the way of you being a custodian? Will you be interested in helping people who have radically different views than yo do?Peter Kindfield 14:51, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Custodians willing to mentor

 * I am willing to accept any custodian as a mentor. Alternatively, I would like to submit this matter for a community vote at the end of the seven day period. Geoff Plourde 20:26, 31 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, I can offer a help.--Juan de Vojníkov 22:29, 1 August 2010 (UTC)
 * I accept Juan as a mentor. Geoff Plourde 22:43, 1 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Question: What is the status of this request for probationary custodianship? --JWSchmidt 17:53, 3 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Probationary custodianship started yesterday, with the promotion made by Jtneill. Geoff Plourde 17:55, 3 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Question: Who is the mentor? --JWSchmidt 18:19, 3 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Juan de Vojníkov. - Ottava Rima (talk) 18:31, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

 * 07:26, 2 August 2010 Jtneill (Talk | contribs | block) changed group membership for User:Geoff Plourde from (none) to Custodians  (Probationary Custodianship as per http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiversity:Candidates_for_Custodianship/Geoff_Plourde) - Probationary period starts at 7:26 (UTC) 2 August 2010. Ottava Rima (talk) 18:09, 3 August 2010 (UTC)

Recommendation for full custodianship
A pseudo-mentor's nomination of Geoff Plourde.

I was not the official mentor of Geoff, but I worked with him for over a year, guided him in various lessons and the rest in adminship. There was no mentor nomination and there should have been. Geoff is an amazing person with a strong head on his shoulders. He messed up some things in the past, but I think he has matured over the years. I think Wikiversity will need an admin like him, as we will no longer have admin who care about the project. Here is to hoping we can have at least one. And so, I will be doing what Juan should have done and I am recommending him. I do not want to step on Juan's toes, but I do want to make amends to Geoff by giving him an opportunity that was denied to him for our lack of keeping up on these things. Ottava Rima (talk) 23:53, 22 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Juan de Vojníkov (the mentor) has indicated that "Well I dont know. I spoke with him to ask him to find another custodian, but he seems not to have time. And he was not acitive enough I can recomend/not recomend him.".
 * So options seem to be:
 * Follow this nomination and vote or
 * Establish a new mentor/probationary custodianship period.

-- Jtneill - Talk - c 02:36, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm not seeing sufficient cause to set aside the protocol here. Normally, mentorship recommendation is required, and there is a reason for a mentorship period, and for better or worse, the first period didn't involve sufficient activity. Ottava's substitution of his own experience is a bit odd, given how adamant Ottava was in insisting on the strictest interpretation of the mentorship/permanent custodian process in my case. The simplest thing, given that Geoff plans to be active immediately, is to allow the mentorship period to continue, and to postpone this vote until there has been a period of activity as a custodian to review. All this requires is another custodian to mentor. Below, La comadreja expresses support. Would she be willing to assume the mentor responsibilities for another month, and then make a recommendation as a mentor, having reviewed actual function as a custodian? --Abd 05:57, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I want to point out that this is only a procedural objection, and I would not make this objection if I thought that following the procedure would be harmful. Geoff has the tools, and I see no reason why they should be withdrawn, other than the apparent withdrawal of the mentorship. If there is any custodian willing to continue as mentor, which involves only some responsibility for maintaining a level of consciousness about a custodian's actions, or, at least, being responsive to complaints, then Geoff will have an opportunity to continue to serve, this time hopefully with more effect, and benefitting the project. If there is nobody willing to serve, then there might be more of a problem than any of us suspect, and I'd want to look at this more carefully. Otherwise I was ready to support, my objections are definitely not to Geoff, personally. --Abd 22:15, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm happy to mentor. --Draicone (talk) 01:06, 27 November 2010 (UTC)

Accept/decline the nomination
I would like to start off by apologizing for my absence from the project. My academic obligations have taken a significant chunk of my time, more so than I originally expected in August when I agreed to be a custodian. After careful consideration, I was intending to resign from the probationary period due to the claims on my time.

However, I have been following the events of the last few days with much concern. Instead of focusing on building up the project, we are embroiled in conflict. I have been around this project for awhile, long enough to know that whenever conflict occurs, we lose valuable contributors and maintenance staff. I strongly suspect that this will be the case now, which will leave us worse off as a community and as a academically motivated project. We are already horrendously short on custodial staff, and fewer custodians performing necessary maintenance functions will lead to backlogs and a less efficient and functional project. For this reason, I rescind my early intention to resign custodianship and pledge to make the time necessary to serve in this function.

As a custodian, I will focus on necessary maintenance actions, not pointless drama. I will work to build up the project, not bring it down. I will always strive to be an example of what custodianship is all about, rather than why it is a nightmare. Thank you. Geoff Plourde 00:12, 23 November 2010 (UTC)

Voting for full custodianship
Please enter vote and a brief comment here.

 * Support Assuming he accepts the nomination. Ottava Rima (talk) 23:53, 22 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Support Even in cases where we have disagreed it strikes me that he is always working towards the best interests of this project. He has used tools responsibly and I would support his continued use of them. Thenub314 03:13, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Support Despite a period of inactivity, Plourde is likely to dedicate what time he has to the project. Plus, I trust him with the tools.  --La comadreja formerly AFriedman RESEARCH (talk) 03:49, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I have very limited experience with Geoff's work, but with a review of his contributions and his recent behaviour under conflict in the CR, I support and look forward to his contributions to the project as a full custodian. --Draicone (talk) 10:09, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
 * I have every confidence that Geoff will demonstrate good judgment and discharge the responsibilities of a Custodian in a mature, professional, and commendable manner. —Moulton (talk) 20:19, 24 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Looks like a trustworthy guy to me, so I'm in support too. --SB_Johnny talk 22:22, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Support Geoff has done some great work to improve wv and I trust that he'll do the same with the mop.--mikeu talk 22:24, 26 November 2010 (UTC)
 * Support I am confident Geoff will prove to be an important addition to the team. Leutha 10:24, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Closure: Discussion results are clearly in favour of User:Geoff Plourde as a full custodian. I have considered the clear community support to outweigh the procedural concern raised about the candidate not being nominated by the mentor. Congratulations, Geoff. -- Jtneill - Talk - c 08:53, 29 November 2010 (UTC)


text:
User talk:DoubleAW

 Hello DoubleAW, and welcome to Wikiversity! If you need help, feel free to visit my talk page, or contact us and ask questions. After you leave a comment on a talk page, remember to sign and date; it helps everyone follow the threads of the discussion. The signature icon in the edit window makes it simple. To get started, you may

 * Take a guided tour and learn to edit.
 * Visit a (kind of) random project.
 * Browse Wikiversity, or visit a portal corresponding to your educational level: pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, non-formal education.
 * Find out about research activities on Wikiversity.

 * Read an introduction for teachers and find out how to write an educational resource for Wikiversity.
 * Give feedback about your initial observations
 * Discuss Wikiversity issues or ask questions at the colloquium.
 * Chat with other Wikiversitans on #wikiversity-en.

And don't forget to explore Wikiversity with the links to your left. Be bold to contribute and to experiment with the sandbox or your userpage, and see you around Wikiversity! If you're a twitter user, please follow http://twitter.com/Wikiversity. --JWSchmidt 02:49, 29 July 2010 (UTC)

title: User talk:DoubleAW


text:
Teaching EFL Listening via FUN WITH ENGLISH Books/7B/Lesson 14

牛津初中英语·同步听力(七年级上) FUN WITH ENGLISH 7B Lessons Anqing Foreign Language School Lesson 14 Version 0.1

This will be the final lesson for my students. I have decided rather than having a traditional class, I want to have an exit interview with each individual student. One more class would be helpful, but the chance to have a quick conversation with one individual student will yield insights I may miss about some quiet students when teaching everyone and give them a chance to say anything they might want to say to me.

Lesson Objectives

 * Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
 * I will chat with every student for one minute, recording all of their information, and imparting whatever feedback I can in that time.
 * We will spend a few minutes going over the famous local opera, giving the students a chance to teach me about their culture.

Lesson Plan

 * Before Class
 * Arrive at least 4 minutes before class begins.
 * Get the computer working and ready to go.
 * 3 Minutes before class begins, Mr. Brown's students are out of the room and my students get in their seats.
 * 1) Greeting: Yo! What's up?
 * 2) Knock Knock Joke
 * 3) * Knock Knock / Who's there? / Hugh! / Hugh who? / Hugh made me love you!
 * 4) ** Source: Aha! Jokes, http://www.AhaJokes.com/
 * 5) Introduce the Coming Test
 * 6) * Let them know about the upcoming test.
 * 7) ** Grade 7 the test will be on chapters 8 to 12.
 * 8) ** Grade 8 the test will be on chapters 2 to 6.
 * 9) ** 3 sections with 10 questions
 * 10) ** read twice
 * 11) ** talk = instant fail
 * 12) ** held downstairs in the auditorium
 * 13) ** answer every question
 * 14) Put on a movie (Mr. Brown)  and give them American comics.
 * 15) * Write some questions on the board for them to think about.
 * 16) * Hand out American comics for them to read while the movie is playing.
 * 17) Student Chats (Mr. Brown)
 * 18) * Have them write down their Chinese name in hanzi and pinyin.
 * 19) * Chat briefly about what I think of them.
 * 20) * Depending on how well they do on the final exam things might change.
 * 21) * Keep it under a minute.
 * 22) Chat about the movie.
 * 23) * Go over the questions.
 * 24) * Play it through again, freeze framing and asking questions depending on what's happening on screen. (Mr. Brown)
 * 25) Go over Huang Mei Shi
 * 26) * Put the image on the screen, tell them I like the song and I want them to teach me.

Extra Time

 * Telephone in rows of 4 people.
 * Missing Words Listening

31 May 2010 AM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 1

 * First time I'd arrived class 5 to 6 minutes before the bell and gotten everything set up and ready before class begins. As I did, and it went OK to start I thought, jeeze maybe these kids aren't so tough, maybe I was just ill prepared all year. Soon enough they were all talking to eachother in Chinese, and some swearing in English.
 * 1) Knock Knock
 * 2) * Smiles
 * 3) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 4) Test
 * 5) * Said it twice with a little bit of Chinese.
 * 6) Watch Wallace & Grommit and chat with the students
 * 7) * I'd already told them their grades, so I just gave them some words of encouragement heading forward and gave some the opportunity to write for me in the future.
 * Class went about a minute over the bell.

31 May 2010 AM Period 1 Grade 7 Class 6

 * 1) Knock Knock
 * 2) * Nothing
 * 3) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 4) Test
 * 5) * Made a joke, calling it Danoff-Kao after Gao kao and Zhong Kao
 * 6) Watch Wallace & Grommit and chat with the students
 * 7) * Told them their speaking grades and had short chats.

31 May 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 7 Class 5

 * In all the morning classes I forgot to let them see the American comics, which may be fine. Might be enough with just the movie to watch and learn from.
 * 1) Knock Knock
 * 2) * Those who listened smiled, but there weren't many.
 * 3) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 4) Test
 * 5) Watch Wallace & Grommit and chat with the students
 * 6) * One boy who was good the whole term, but then really annoyed me last week. I almost didn't give him the chance to write for me, then I did, came up to me after class to clarify the topic which was a nice sign.
 * 7) * Laughing at the chase scene on the train.
 * 8) * One boy told me I should not use a red pen for having the students write down their names, because it is associated with them being in trouble.

31 May 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 9

 * 1) Knock Knock
 * 2) * Do not recall getting more than 1 or 2 smiles.
 * 3) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 4) Test
 * 5) Watch Wallace & Grommit + comics + chat with the students
 * 6) * Gave the kids their grades last week, so this was just making sure I had their names right. Tried chatting to some, but it never really happened, most just came up and then went right back to sit down.
 * 7) * Comics did not garner much response.
 * 8) The Birds
 * 9) Huang Mei Shi
 * 10) * Put up the lyrics written out a minute or two before the bell and it caught the interest of some.
 * 11) * Afterward a boy taught me how to sing some parts.

31 May 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 7 Class 4

 * Usually with the second afternoon class there is a five minute period where they do eye exercises, in their class Monday that didn't happen.
 * Additionally there was a woman working on the computer so I could not use it at first.
 * These two factors threw me off at the beginning of the lesson.
 * 1) Name riddle
 * 2) * Did it as a stall for the students and it went alright.
 * 3) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 4) Test Explanation
 * 5) Watch Wallace & Grommit and chat with the students + hand out comics
 * 6) * One girl informed me she does not pay attention in my class, because it is "boring".
 * 7) * Gave out the comics, and as soon as one or two kids said they could not understand, they stopped.
 * 8) Huang Mei Shi
 * 9) * Students got interested, but they were all too shy to actually sing which was a little bit of a pity.

31 May 2010 Notes
What Could I Have Done Better? What Did I Do Well? What Did I Learn? What Did My Students Get From The Lesson? '''Were the Lesson Objectives Achieved? Why?''' How can I Improve the Lesson?
 * As I was sitting and chatting with the students, I invited "select" students based on intuition to write articles for me next week.
 * I then felt guilty if they chatted with other students about it, although it was also nice to see some who felt pride.
 * Think what I am doing is silly and unfair. I am just going to invite everyone to write for me. Odds are the vast majority of them will not, and if I'm lucky I may get a surprise out there.
 * Find myself repeating the same things over and over and over to the students about their grades going forward, mostly encouraging them to speak English more.
 * In one class I did not really talk to them much at all, because I was a little distracted by the cartoon and they were moving quickly. I do not know if that was better/worse.
 * Had more helpful conversations with the students.
 * Presented the opera in a different way that was comfortable.
 * Restrained my bubbling anger after one student's critical comment.
 * Do not necessarily need to chat in depth with all the students.
 * Information about their grades and a final chat with me.
 * Exposure to British animation.
 * Knowledge that a foreinger's interested in their local culture.
 * Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
 * Done in 4 out of 5 classes, the 5th one I did not respond well to changing circumstances.
 * I will chat with every student for one minute, recording all of their information, and imparting whatever feedback I can in that time.
 * Not done, did not chat with every student.
 * We will spend a few minutes going over the famous local opera, giving the students a chance to teach me about their culture.
 * Done in 2 out of 5 classes, not successfully.

1 June 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 7 Class 3

 * 1) Knock Knock joke
 * 2) * Was not very enthusiastic about explaining the joke, and no one laughed.
 * 3) Announcements: QQ English Corner & Writing Opporunity
 * 4) * Decided just to give all the students who wanted to the chance to write for me. Felt it was wrong to only select certain students as worthy of the chance.
 * 5) Movie + American Comics + Chat
 * 6) * Again from what I could tell the American comics were viewed then quickly discarded.
 * 7) * The short film did get a lot of attention; however.
 * 8) * My chats were alright, moved with my back to the screen, which helped me to focus on the student I was chatting with. Again though, I took too long with the students at the beginning, forcing me to rush through the end. I feel myself preaching at these kids when they sit down. Perhaps instead, I should be asking them questions, though we do not really have too much time.

1 June 2010 Notes
What Could I Have Done Better? What Did I Do Well? What Did I Learn? What Did My Students Get From The Lesson? '''Were the Lesson Objectives Achieved? Why?''' How can I Improve the Lesson?
 * Given the kids something useful in our conversation or nothing at all instead of a few cliched words about speaking more English in the future and having confidence.
 * Tried a differnt joke or a riddle or something else instead of sticking with a Knock Knock joke I did not think it was funny just because it was in the lesson plan.
 * Giving all the students an opportunity and especially encouraging select students, instead of exclusively giving them the chance.
 * With some pupils it may be better just to give them their grade and move on.
 * A short opportunity to chat with me and a chance to relax over an English film in the midst of their busy lives.
 * Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
 * As far as factors within my control, yes.
 * I will chat with every student for one minute, recording all of their information, and imparting whatever feedback I can in that time.
 * Not done, because I took too long with the beginning students.
 * We will spend a few minutes going over the famous local opera, giving the students a chance to teach me about their culture.
 * Not done, no time.
 * Perhaps try telling the students their grades then asking questions and for those on the border, take Mr. Brown's idea and ask them what they think their grade should be?

2 June 2010 AM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 1

 * My USB was not being accepted by the computer at the beginning of the lesson. I was a little fatigued already and then that threw me off.
 * They were sitting around in different seats and for whatever reason I decided to let them get away with it becasue in general they have worked for me this term. Was a mistake.
 * 1) Riddle
 * 2) * Tried two to stall for time as I figured out the computer. Most of the students were not listening.
 * 3) Funny answers from last week
 * 4) * No one was listening at all.
 * 5) * Computer started to work during this time.
 * 6) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 7) Write for me Announcement
 * 8) Movie + Grades + Comics
 * 9) * Comics got no reaction.
 * 10) * Film got none either, I believe it was especially hampered because the room was quite bright making it difficult to see.

2 June 2010 AM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 3

 * Before class everyone was sitting in their seats and I played poker face for them which they seemed to enjoy.
 * 1) Go over select answers from last week's charity activity.
 * 2) * Got a few laughs which was nice.
 * 3) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 4) Write an Article For Me Announcement
 * 5) * I wasn't too enthused because they were not listening and I do not think anyone heard me.
 * 6) * Mentioned it again to certain students when they came over to write their names down in pinyin.
 * 7) Movie + Grades + Comics
 * 8) * Tried a little more with the comics than the other classes did.
 * 9) * Room was dark so they could see the movie and laughed.
 * 10) Music Billie Jean
 * 11) * Boys who danced last week did not again today.

2 June 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 8 Class 3

 * Computer trouble again
 * 1) QQ English Corner Announcement
 * 2) Announcement of the article writing opportunity
 * 3) Test
 * 4) * One of the boys said he wanted to play with my girlfriend. Thankfully I do not have one, though I still did not appreciate the comment.
 * 5) Movie + Grades Chat
 * 6) Music + Basketball Chat
 * 7) * Really short, chatted very quickly about the Finals.

2 June 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 7 Class 11

 * tired and not ready to begin class
 * totally off until the computer was ready
 * Did their grades last week.
 * About halfway through, sitting with the kids started asking them if they had any ?'s.
 * went bettter
 * asked 1 girl why she didn't talk? -> Led to a nice conversation.

2 June 2010 PM Period 3 Grade 7 Class 10

 * More rested.
 * Started class by going over what they wrote the week before, for the "Lost" activity.
 * Got some chuckles.
 * Told them that I would talk to them in back while the movie was playing and that I wanted them to give me their names. Explaining beforehand made it a lot easier.
 * Asked every student if they had any questions for me. Went way better than me talking at them. And the majority of them had questions for me. As a result of this I only told one or two students that they should write for me. Of course the conversations were naturally better because I took care of the grades last week, but I do still feel asking them questions was better.

2 June 2010 Critique
What Could I Have Done Better? What Did I Do Well? What Did I Learn? What Did My Students Get From The Lesson? '''Were the Lesson Objectives Achieved? Why?''' How can I Improve the Lesson?
 * Was nice having the classes where I had already given the kids the grades. Made the 1 on 1 time a lot more relaxed and allowed some kids to open up in ways they had not done in other classes.
 * Definitely explaining to the kids what I will be doing in the back of the room before I begin is a better way to start the process.
 * I am decidedly completely reliant on the computer this week. It has made me lazy in a way when I begin class. Have it all on there ready to go, and it just, I don't know, its made me less dynamic than I was at the end of last term when I was never able to use the computer the whole time.
 * Its a nice tool, because I have become dependant on it is not the computer's fault.
 * Not been so boring to start all of my lessons, especially those where I did not have the computer working.
 * Adjusting to asking the students if they had any questions for me in our 1 on 1 chats.
 * Some kids want to chat, others do not.
 * A short opportunity to chat with me and a chance to relax over an English film in the midst of their busy lives [same as yesterday].
 * Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
 * Yes.
 * I will chat with every student for one minute, recording all of their information, and imparting whatever feedback I can in that time.
 * Did not chat with all of them for a minute, some who wanted to went longer.
 * We will spend a few minutes going over the famous local opera, giving the students a chance to teach me about their culture.
 * Only had time to try this in one lesson and in that lesson I forgot about it.
 * Maybe try opening with the Huang Mei opera?

3 June 2010 AM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 5

 * Before class one boy wanted to teach me his country's national anthem. He did and then they all ended up singing it for me to begin class.
 * In turn, I sang the Star Spangled Banner.

3 June 2010 AM Period 3 Grade 8 Class 4

 * Tried the national anthem again, went alright.
 * Did not get too much of a response from what they wrote down for the charity activity.

3 June 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 8 Class 6

 * Forgot my USB which made the movie/grades thing impossible.
 * 1) National Anthems Chat
 * 2) * Got lost in our national anthem.
 * 3) Japan Chat
 * 4) * Told them about my years in Japan, then taught them some Japanese words. One girl up front knew quite a few she'd learned from cartoons.
 * 5) Weddings Chat
 * 6) * Asked them some questions about Chinese weddings and weddings in general, held their interest for a little bit.
 * 7) 4 Person Telephon
 * 8) * Students had to give absolutely exact answers, only got a few.

Next Week

 * Grades+Movie

3 June 2010 PM Period 2 Grade 7 Class 8

 * One girl took her grade really hard, might be nice to chat with her again.
 * Brought the wrong class sheet, so I had them write down on a piece of paper. Was easier for them to understand in some ways.
 * Sang the American national anthem for them without making a mistake.

3 June 2010 Critique

 * I was pretty tired this day and if it was that or something else, the students were having a lot of trouble grasping my explanations of their in class vs. speaking grades.

4 June 2010 AM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 10

 * Got there about 2 minutes before which was enough time to get everyone in their proper seats, letting certain students slide, but not enough to get my USB into the computer and ready to begin.
 * 1) National Anthems Chat
 * 2) * A few students were listening, but not that attentively.
 * 3) Announcements
 * 4) * Some seemed to be interested in hearing about the QQ English corner and writing opportunity.
 * 5) Test
 * 6) * Was surprised at how this quieted most of the class and they more than I expected were listening.
 * 7) Wallace and Grommit + Grades
 * 8) * The students were interested in the show and most of the grade chats were understood and went quickly.

4 June 2010 AM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 10

 * Decided to skip talking about the anthems or anything and go straight into the meat of the lesson. Gave me more time to chat with the students and then ask them questions at the end.
 * 1) Announcements
 * 2) * Maybe should I be doing this before class begins?
 * 3) Test Information
 * 4) Show + Grades
 * One girl was back/forth between an 80% or 75%. Decided on the lower grade and once I did, felt I had to give all students with similar charecterists: quiet/shy the same grade. Do not know if that was right.
 * 1) Chat about the show
 * 2) * Played the show again and asked questions about different things which the majority of them were listening to and answering.

4 June 2010 AM Period 4 Grade 7 Class 9

 * A female student asked me if I had listened to the song "Wonderful Tonight" when I replied that I had not, she was disappointed.
 * The kids all compare grades, feels more appropriate to give certain groups the same grade.
 * I have been doing number percentages. I think it might be better to move to letter grads as Mr. Brown does. This comparing is silly.
 * 1) Announcements
 * 2) Test Info
 * 3) Show + Grades
 * Went all the way to the end of the period, they have a lot of students.

4 June 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 8

 * Switched from percentages to letter grades and it made the whole process a lot easier, kids understood more and there was not as much fussing around.
 * Had a chance to chat with them about the show afterwards, which was really nice.

Next Week

 * The Vampire's Assistant + Spice Girls
 * Monitor the students who might be able to move up/down in grades.

4 June 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 7

 * Chats with the students in this class were the best I have had in all the classes. I asked kids I was not sure about "What grade do you think you have?" [Mr. Brown] then "Why?" and others I shared my thoughts on them as a student and going forward in a way that felt far more genuine than I had been doing in other classes.

4 June 2010 PM Period 1 Grade 8 Class 8

 * A lot of kids were in between grades this class. I gave them the opportunity to improve their grade the next week if they paid attention.
 * Not sure if that was right, but the grades were really hit or miss, so 1 positive lesson is probably worth a good grade, right?

4 June 2010 Notes
What Could I Have Done Better? What Did I Do Well? What Did I Learn? What Did My Students Get From The Lesson? '''Were the Lesson Objectives Achieved? Why?''' How can I Improve the Lesson?
 * There were multiple times were part of me felt a student deserved a certain grade, but while they were sitting down, I could just not bring myself to give them that grade.
 * Part of it was because I was going off of intuition for their grade, if I had kept better notes throughout the term I could point to, perhaps I would not of backed off.
 * Given students the grades they deserved instead of being "nice".
 * Switched my approach from number to letter grades, even if it took me until Friday afternoon.
 * In certain situations keeping it simple makes it easier for both parties.
 * It is difficult for me to give some students low marks.
 * Information about their grades and a final chat with me.
 * Exposure to British animation.
 * Class will begin on time with everyone in their seats.
 * In the morning alright, in the afternoon, done. Something I still need to improve upon, though there is precious little time remaining.
 * I will chat with every student for one minute, recording all of their information, and imparting whatever feedback I can in that time.
 * Done, but most for less than a minute.
 * We will spend a few minutes going over the famous local opera, giving the students a chance to teach me about their culture.
 * Barely done, decided it was better to focus more on chatting with them this week.
 * Best lesson:
 * 1) Announcements
 * 2) * Quickly
 * 3) Test Information
 * 4) * Say the last part about how they will fail if they chat in Chinese.
 * 5) Movie + Grades
 * 6) * Before starting the movie write 2 questions on the board.
 * 7) ** Who is the chicken? / Are the trousers naughty?
 * 8) * Give them letter grades not numbers, and keep the obvious students short to give you time to chat with ambiguous students.
 * 9) * If the movie finishes while you are still chatting choose a student you trust to put on a new movie.
 * 10) * Pay attention to how many students you have. If you have a whole lot, may be better to go quicker.
 * 11) Extra Time
 * 12) * Play the show again, and then stop it asking very simple questions about what they see or the characters are feeling.

Acknowledgments

 * I would like to thank all the 7th and 8th grade classes at Anqing Foreign Language School who had this lesson for their participation and feedback. I would also like to thank the Anqing Foreign Language School for allowing me to teach there.

Resources
Even more important than a final lesson is that students and teachers need that final moment to officially end the bond they have formed in class. Even if there is some contact afterwards (by email), there still needs to be some formal ending to the relationship. ... if you have any doubts about proper behavior, let culture be your guide. ... And you'll find these are the students who will hang around waiting for that extra moment of attention. When the other students leave, this gives you the chance for that little extra hug or words of encouragement.
 * How to Say Goodbye to EFL Students by, Ilene Springer has some helpful ideas for saying goodbye.

Changelog
29 May 2010 Unused Ideas:
 * Finalized version 0.1
 * Zoo activity highlights
 * pics of my American home & family
 * pics of American food?
 * teach High 5's?
 * Play the songs all the way through one time b4 we analyze them?
 * music: We are not alone / Spice Girls / Lady Gaga Poker Face / Wonderful Tonight /

25 May 2010 Outline
 * Version 0.1 Outline written at Shaliwen Coffee Shop in Mr. Brown and my weekly meeting.
 * Talk about the test.
 * Test: Grade 7 Zoo - Chapter 11 /Alien - 10
 * next week: grade 7 - class monitior chapter 15
 * pictures of 4 people + list of personality traits
 * 1a + 2a
 * grade 8: hiking chapter
 * 1A + 2A&B


text:
Wikiversity:Colloquium/Note from KYPark

 * Moved from: Colloquium

To User:Moulton

 * Ain't you unforgivably childish to keep calling Ottava by his or her real name who indeed hates being so called? Keep being so, making me waste my life, and you'll keep being globally and indefinitely blocked. Understood? -- KYPark [T] 00:00, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * He doesn't hate it. It's just a convenient excuse for him to exhibit his penchant for wagging his B&D banhammer at me.  —Moulton 02:59, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Again, understood, granted that he indeed hates it? -- KYPark [T] 04:36, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Why would anyone hate their own name? It doesn't make sense. —Albatross 05:12, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Make it simple; take it easy; and be convinced it's gonna be alright. For there's no reason whatsoever for blocking you globally and indefinitely, I'm quite sure, except that you just keep calling him or her by his or her real name. Won't you just stop it right away, Moulton? Understood? -- KYPark [T] 10:43, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Interesting how a guy who spent two years telling people that they can't possibly know what another thinks or feels is suddenly assuming what I think or feel. Ottava Rima (talk) 03:08, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * [Later inserted by KYPark]

 * Ottava have you read "A Pack of Cards, a Moiety of Trolls, and Thou"? —Montana Mouse 05:12, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Moulton is demonstrating an apparent attachment to his narrow interpretation of the situation, such that anyone reading him and trusting his account and judgment would end up severely misled. Ottava is certainly not "wagging his banhammer," not the ban end, anyway. He's holding out the claw end that can unblock. Ottava made an offer to unblock with a condition. Whenever we offer to act to assist another, we may set conditions, and only if one is the only one who could act to assist would these conditions possibly stray into coercive abuse. In this case, Ottava has not blocked Moulton, and has not threatened to block him. KYPark is a newcomer here, if I'm correct. He sees the situation. He may or may not realize that many others have said roughly the same thing to Moulton. Whether Ottava "hates" the use of his real name or not is beside the point. Moulton, perhaps he's engaging in some "action research"! What if he is testing to see what you will do when faced with a 'real-name situation,' i.e., a user who expresses discomfort with the use of any name other than the user name.
 * My point, generally, is that there existed conditions when Moulton was originally blocked that make it complex to judge whether the blocks were deeply proper or not, and we could argue for centuries over it (or maybe with good process we could find some kind of consensus, but we don't have good process until we establish it). The important issue is how we proceed from now on. Moulton has an opportunity to join that, or he -- and JWS -- can continue beating dead horses, which is messy and rather distracting, eh? We have the right to stop that, and I'm not shy to act, respecting such shreds of due process which can be mustered. --Abd 15:39, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * [You may jump to to keep on track or in context.]

--JWSchmidt 19:28, 21 July 2010 (UTC)
 * "narrow interpretation of the situation" <-- Shall we widen our perspectives just a bit more, lest anyone "end up severely misled"? Abd said, "Ottava has not blocked Moulton, and has not threatened to block him". In fact, yesterday Ottava said, "There is no policy keeping me from blocking people who post names. So, until Wikiversity has a policy, I will continue to enforce the blocks." Today, Ottava blocked Moulton.
 * Thank heaven for little timestamps. At the time that Moulton complained about Ottava "wagging his banhammer," Ottava had not yet blocked Moulton. The block came later, and is possibly part of a procedural action, undoing the unblock of Darklama, which Darklama may not have anticipated would create a real unblock situation. I didn't notice the block until later, I guess I can't check the block status every minute.... What I wrote was true as of the time of the edit I was responding to. Which was the point: charges being made that weren't true. In this case, it's somewhat possible that the charges were a self-fulfilling prophecy.... And I see signs that, not just this time, Moulton has successfully trolled administrators and custodians into taking excessive or "unjustified" action, which he can then complain about, in an ever-escalating spiral. I've concluded -- much to my surprise, in fact, having been myself an oft-rejected critic of wiki governance -- that Moulton was justly, if not properly, banned. But it is not crucial to me that Moulton accept this, and Moulton's humiliation is not part of my agenda, indeed it is contrary to it. I'd just like to see the larger community, which includes Moulton, start finding ways to cooperate, and I think it's possible, with time and patience. The present disruption postpones that day, so it must stop. I'll be able to show better examples in the future, I believe.
 * In any case, we now have a clear blocking custodian who is local and responsible to us as a community. That's progress, in my view. --Abd 00:17, 22 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm confused. How do I create a real unblock situation? I didn't anticipate anything, other than my own recusal from any further decision or action with regard to Moulton's status on this project for the unforeseeable future. -- dark lama  00:48, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Perhaps so are all of us, Darklama. And, Abd, you are suggesting we are trapped by a vicious circle. I agree; both sides are more or less responsible. So they desperately need an unconditional cease-fire for the peace of the community, which is above all. Unblocking Moulton is the easiest way to that end in a way, I strongly believe as many others may do. -- KYPark [T] 02:06, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

 * I welcome you here indeed, Abd, because I'd like to remind you (and of course other admins) of Zhuge Liang in ancient China who captured the southern rebel leader,  Meng Huo, seven different times, but released him each time in order to achieve Meng's genuine surrender. That's all. -- KYPark [T] 16:15, 21 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Yes. Got it. Thanks. However, we have no means to capture anyone here. The power of custodians is illusory. As to Moulton, I'm working on it. Almost met him last weekend, but it turned out to be impossible. I'm in this for the long haul. --Abd 00:17, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Metaphorically, blocking is capture, as both are depriving of freedom. I appreciate your effort for his unblocking. BTW, could you kindly email me why it is impossible? -- KYPark [T] 02:06, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Again, understood, granted that he indeed hates it? -- KYPark [T] 04:36, 21 July 2010 (UTC)
 * Make it simple; take it easy; and be convinced it's gonna be alright. For there's no reason whatsoever for blocking you globally and indefinitely, I'm quite sure, except that you just keep calling him or her by his or her real name. Won't you just stop it right away, Moulton? Understood? -- KYPark [T] 10:43, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Interesting how a guy who spent two years telling people that they can't possibly know what another thinks or feels is suddenly assuming what I think or feel. Ottava Rima (talk) 03:08, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

This above in gray font is moved upward to the decent level. -- KYPark [T] 02:48, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

A Guide for the Perplexed
Don't be perplexed among the word, the thought (idea or reference), and the thing (reality or referent), as painfully crudely associated to each other in the triangle of reference (1923). My word "indeed hates" is a mere word at worst, perhaps representing more or less of my thought or belief as such at best, but perhaps not the reality at worst. From the word, indeed, you could not surely judge the thought, not to mention the reality. Moulton had been right to argue in this perspective in the past. Nevertheless, he was born, or cursed, a human to say such words, whether referring to the true or false reality. -- KYPark [T] 04:36, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

 * KYPark, I'm not sure if you saw Moulton's reply to your question. --JWSchmidt 15:01, 21 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I did see and understand it enough. But unfortunately it hardly helps me make it simple in my way, I fear. I'd just go my way. -- KYPark [T] 15:20, 21 July 2010 (UTC)
 * There seems to be no moral principle such that you should or should not call her by her real or nick name. But there must be one such that you should not do to her what she dislikes indeed. I hope this could be a fair explanation. -- KYPark [T] 15:44, 21 July 2010 (UTC)
 * One would think this easy to understand, but the clouds get in the way. --Abd 00:17, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Keep imagineering or social-engineering
Who on earth looks like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, whence such fussy messy disruptions used to rise, hence the evilest personality you should better drive out of the community before "the bad money drives out the good"? -- KYPark [T] 01:33, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

Keep watching science war within
Science is war in a way, politics in another, hence Machiavellianism. More specifically, such is the case with scientific revolutions, paradigms and scholarships. Not only methodologically but also phenomenally, this view is well according to Thomas Kuhn's (1962) revolutionary, and Paul Feyerabend's (1975) anarchic sociology of science. As such, scientists and scholars have to do with any means of power, say, even the WMF custodianship, by all means! -- KYPark [T] 07:46, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * I disagree that science is war. Take Darwin, Newton and Einstein for instance. They are icons of science and did they fight wars? No, most of the time, Darwin and Newton were fascinated about the world, trying to understand it in detail. They came to numerous theories and experiments and explained for us the world. Einstein did the same, but he also liked to enjoy his fame and have a lot of girlfriends.
 * Scientists do have a lot of fights over the truth of their assertions, but the postmodernists aren't right that science is only about that. Agreements are made on the best possible knowledge available, and like Newton said, there is always the possibility of mistakes. So, he asks people to check his results, in order to make sure that he is right. You can't check science by fighting wars. You check science with experiments and doing the math. Thomas Kuhn is too simplistic to focus primarily on the subjectivity and the and the need for consensus within the scientific community. Truth is what science is about in the first place, and the fascination with nature and the world around us.
 * Science was able to come to the fore thanks to a concern among many moderate Europeans with the way catholics and protestants were slaughtering each other and making life miserable for everyone. Science became one of the pillars, next to culture, enlightened politics, to make a better world. There was a desire in this temporary life, to make life more beautiful. Wikiversity could be a place where the enlightenment ideals can be relived. Not because the proponents of enlightenment are always right, but because it is a means of enjoying a good time as a person in your temporary life. I can refer to Voltaire, George Washinton, Thomas Jefferson, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, emperor Rudolph II and many others to support my views.Daanschr 14:23, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * No doubt, science is science and war is war. It is in a way or metaphorically, however, that science is war as well as love is war. Until 1974, scientists and philosophers spoke ill of metaphors that sounds unreasonable. But the mainstream cognitive theory has changed so as to take them seriously.
 * "Take Darwin" -- Darwinism has been at war with creationism for one and half centuries. Modern science has grown up from the ashes of scientific martyrs burnt at the stake. During the Inquisition, Galileo Galilei told a lie that the earth stood still. Set free, he murmured to himself that the earth revolves.
 * "Scientists do have a lot of fights over the truth of their assertions, but the postmodernists aren't right that science is only about that." That's it! You got it!
 * Fight to prove "Thomas Kuhn is too simplistic to focus primarily on the subjectivity," etc. Then you'll win against one of the greatest sociologists of science. Go ahead!
 * "Voltaire" -- Please read: Will Durant (1926) The Story of Philosophy, Chapter V. "Voltaire and the French Enlightenment," esp., viii. "Écrasez l'Infame" ("Destroy shamelessness!" (my trans.) appended to every letter to his colleagues.), and find how he fought through his life all the way down to the very tomb. -- KYPark [T] 15:55, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * I forgot to mention the spectacular war between Newton and Leibniz you must know. Personally I believe it is Leibniz who invented the infinitesimal calculus, while most others may believe it is Newton. So I have to struggle very hard to upset them, perhaps endangering even my life! Such is science. -- KYPark [T] 17:22, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Scientists try to determine the facts. There is no reason to fight wars over the facts. 1+1=2 and nothing else. The wars you refer to are wars on opinions.
 * Voltaire did more with his life than fighting. He came with a positive ideal of how we can live our lives without religious conflict, and than later became pessimistic and wrote his book Candide where the horros of life became more apperent. My take on his work is that he tries to say that we should enjoy the beauty of life, try to make the world better, and sadly also have to endure hardships.Daanschr 17:09, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Out of courtesy, would it be possible if you reply after the reply of someone else? Otherwise the discussion appears most untidy and it will be hard for outsiders to follow the discussion as it evolves.
 * For those following this discussion, KYPark added a reply after my reply, which is signed with the apropriate time mark. I will repeat this reply for a second time, to make sure that others know what i am responding to.

I forgot to mention the spectacular war between Newton and Leibniz you must know. Personally I believe it is Leibniz who invented the infinitesimal calculus, while most others may believe it is Newton. So I have to struggle very hard to upset them, perhaps endangering even my life! Such is science. -- KYPark [T] 17:22, 23 July 2010 (UTC)
 * For science it doesn't matter much who came with certain knowledge, the most important thing is the knowledge in itself. I don't agree that the word war should apply in the argument Newton and Leibniz had with each other, because there weren't any soldiers and bloodshed involved.Daanschr 17:36, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Yes, they try to describe the facts of the world on the one hand, and prescribe the values on the other. The task is not always so simple as a simple arithmetic '1+2=3'. More often it looks so difficult that they set up such and such theories to explain (away, at worst) phenomena or appearances rather than facts (exactly). Thus, the critical in science are theories rather than facts. The atomic structure is not a matter of fact but theory.
 * I never said that science is wholly war, not to mention holy war, but a warring aspect in a way, in a sense, or in part, nor that Voltaire fought all the time but "all the way to the very tomb" in abstract and rather exaggerating rhetoric. When he died, the church denied him to be buried around Paris. So his friends made the death sit in the coach to pretend to be alive, and drove far away to beg for a grave of a remote grave yard. Doesn't the dead man look like struggling to the deadly last?
 * Let's disregard the unfortunate coincidental edit collision. I've no idea how the computer behaves.
 * You are supposed to be very literal. Bloodshed is not an absolute condition of any war, say, cold war. You need to know how cruel Newton was and how Leibniz was upset. It was far more than word war. It may have been worse than a bloody war. -- KYPark [T] 18:30, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * The world is complex and we haven't got a fundamental theory of everything, and even if we do there are still a lot of complicated phenomena that cannot be explained from first principles. So there are partial products in the form of competing theories, which can be thought of as different means of organising the data that people think would work best; and different schools would fight for the scarce resources, in particular, publicity, funding, and graduate freshmen; and, yes, in the case of Newton and Leibniz, the attribution of new ideas. Hillgentleman | //\\ |Talk 18:53, 23 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Exactly, Hillgentleman. You almost finish it up. Thanks. -- KYPark [T] 01:34, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * By focusing too much on the strife between scientists and between scientists and christianity, the scientific knowledge itself dissapears from attention. I don't like the idea of having to fight wars all my life. I like to live in a civilization where people respect each other. The last thing is what the enlightenment is about.Daanschr 08:40, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Keep watching science war within focally though implicitly aims for you and anyone else "to live in a civilization where people respect each other," Daanschr. Be convinced this is exactly what I mean, whatever words I used. Society is the end while science is a mere means, as I suggest in the last passage of the next section, reading "Let's destroy it for a better society rather than a better science, which is for the former." Nevertheless, you by no means should underestimate and neglect the mere means, which by nature may be more dangerous than the atomic bomb!
 * -- KYPark [T] 09:49, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * It isn't dangerous at all.Daanschr 10:59, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * The atomic bomb, for example, is a product hence part of science. Isn't it dangerous at all indeed? Oh, my, Daanschr. -- KYPark [T] 12:11, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * That is true. Though science can't be entirely blamed for it. The 20th century saw a number of bloody ideological wars, fought partly by the enemies of science, like the Nazis and the American conservatives. There is an even larger danger than atomic bombs at the moment, for which science can't be missed. Some climate scientists warn that the destruction of our natural habitat due to overpopulation and industry will lead to the eventual extinction of us humans, because water and air might become toxic for us. Only scientific insight can lead the way to preserving human kind.Daanschr 12:39, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * For me, you are not objectively describing but subjectively prescribing science into what is flawless hence all goodness, namely, scientism in the pejorative sense. Neutrally and unfortunately, however, science is both good and evil, either good or evil, hence Janus-faced anyway. Evil science made the atomic bomb.
 * Scientific masters of honor may be able to synthesize scientific monsters of horror by manipulating stem cells in the future. All scientists are not good guys. They may plagiarize, deceive, and dare to wage even immoral science wars. Have a look at the Sokal hoax. For so many reasons, science should be kept under stringent social control.
 * All I'm saying at last is make science for society. And it should start right here I'm not happy about right now! Therefore I have to keep saying until I get happy again. Please pay attention to the wider context, that is,  as a coherent whole. -- KYPark [T] 13:51, 24 July 2010 (UTC)
 * One more comment: The Nazis were not the enemies but masters of science. And environmental deterioration is mostly the side effect of science at best. -- KYPark [T] 14:04, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Hitler had many superstitious believes, including the believe in god, which is very pronounced in Mein Kampf. Also, he attacked the evolution theory, by stating that animals were created by god and not gradually evolved. So, that makes him an enemy of science. He also wanted to return to a more agrarian kind of society.Daanschr 14:46, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Hitler waged various science wars in addition to the bloody war. This fact proves that he never underestimated science. Nazi Germany was a leader in most military fields of science and technology, say, atomic bombs, rockets, aircrafts, submarines, cars, etc., though they lost the atomic game by a hair-breath. German rocket scientists were later thankfully shared by the USSR and the US. The Nazi German Volkswagen Beetle had been produced since 1938 until 2003. All these was possible since Nazi Germany was a leader in science at large. Meanwhile, Nazi Germany was less religious than the US, and Hitler was almost atheist in reality. -- KYPark [T] 15:51, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * If Hitler was an atheist, why would he claim that the Aryans came from the Garden of Eden? The Nazis used these technology temporarily to conquer the world, in which they failed. Afterwards they wanted to control science as worldmasters.Daanschr 17:15, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

 * Revisit  including the passage reading "From the word, indeed, you could not surely judge the thought, not to mention the reality." Hitler was so infamous for brainwashing and propaganda. It would be too daring and implausible, I fear, for you to try to infer from his words of likely infamy ("shamefulness and shamelessness" in my words) that he was theist. We should also "destroy infamy" (Voltaire) of his fascist kind out there, in addition to within.
 * In 1938, when Hitler was abusing science for another world war, while brainwashing his people, H. G. Wells proposed World Brain aka World Encyclopedia to use science for the universal enlightenment, anti-brainwashing, and world peace after all. The Wikipedia plus its sisters is such a World Brain in action that you and I can collaborate to aim science for society. What a utilitarian idea! Then the world population should safeguard it, I believe. -- KYPark [T] 14:22, 25 July 2010 (UTC)
 * It is not only Nazi Germany but also all the world powers that would use science and technology to be more powerful and privileged. In this perspective, eugenics used to be one of the prevailing scientific agendas back then, coordinating with a number of problematic and implausible doctrines such as imperialism, colonialism, Eurocentrism, white supremacy, Nazi Aryanism, racism, anti-Semitism, innatism, etc. It is such an evil science, if not pseudo-science, I fear. -- KYPark [T] 15:39, 25 July 2010 (UTC)

Destroy shamefulness and shamelessness within first
This is my version of what Voltaire, the gate keeper of French encyclopedism, used to shout at the end of his letters. Newton was unforgivably cruel, shameful and shameless, granted that Leibniz indeed invented the infinitesimal calculus earlier than Newton and Newton knew the fact. This is not to get into that historical muddle, but to suggest the possibility that even the greatest scientists and scholars of celebrity could be too shameful and shameless, and the impossibility of insisting that there are no such ones here. Let's destroy it for a better society rather than a better science, which is for the former. -- KYPark [T] 01:34, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

Keep reading ideas beyond ideas beyond words
[This is a sequel to .]

Or, keep reading forms between ideas between words, as originally suggested by the triangle of reference (1923). This dictum would help read between the lines, look squarely at what is said, "face facts as they are," or "face up to the reality."

As such, this is not an original research but just my rewording of the triangle in the millennia old Platonic terms. The word "thing" is too ambiguous and confusing from the beginning. The "dragon" may stand for no reality out there in the natural world, but a form out there in the cultural community of practice. The Social Construction of Reality (1966) thus makes sense of it.

Thus, everybody is supposed to have in mind (in here in my case) a more or less subjective and specifically situated idea or "copy" of the objective and permanent Platonic idea or form of consensus out there, in the community of practice. The prescribed norm is a form, too. Thus, you cannot help but keep asking what is the idea, form or norm of consensus in this very community of practice, whether WM or WV, beyond the custodian ideas and words! Understood?

-- KYPark [T] 01:13, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

Be more convinced of yin and yang
Everything is not in isolation but in context, hence the Janus-faced holon as per Arthur Koestler (1978):
 * Yin and yang
 * Dark and light
 * Chaos and cosmos
 * Mystery and mastery
 * Whole (roughly) and part
 * Implication and explication
 * Context and something in focus
 * Submerged and surfaced of an iceberg
 * Rest and crest of a cock, mountain, etc.
 * Inaction (then reaction) and action
 * Condition and reflex, and so on, respectively.

Anything known or explicit emerges from the unknown or implicit context which is yin, the rest, or the whole minus a part as yang. To know is to make the implicit explicit.

All the phenomena of this wiki virtual reality inherently begin and end with no more than 0 and 1 in action and reaction, hence worth the first principle. In corollary, such would be the reali-life case with yin and yang in action (or revolution) and reaction.

At, Hillgentleman says that we miss a fundamental theory of everything. Now I would withdraw my response "Exactly!" and suggest that science hold yin and yang in action and reaction as its first principle.

Let a fart (as yang) like a rocket! And the universe (as yin) would surely react, mechanically, chemically, physiologically, socially, and so on. Ask New Zealanders how seriously they take farts that sheep let.

Take custodianship for example. The WV custodian acts, and the rest (or context) of the world surely reacts, latently and patently, invisibly and visibly, I bet! The foolish are foolish to see only what is seen, the tip of the iceberg. The wise are wise to see also what is unseen, the submerged as well as surfaced iceberg. The effect of blocking and deleting, for example, may be not so much seen as unseen.

-- KYPark [T] 03:26, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

Be more convinced of a World Brain
The empiricism-critical rationalist Karl Popper scathed the poverty of historicism (1936) of predictability in particular.

You infer from your natural experiences or conditioned reflexes in large numbers and certainly predict that the sun rises in the east tomorrow morning. You are born such a historicist! However, such may barely or rarely be the case with the future social events perhaps because of such reflexes in small numbers that you remain a historicist of more or less accuracy or poverty of social prediction.

Outstandingly, however, the English science fiction father and historian of global influence, H. G. Wells, so well predicted the atomic bomb (1914-1945=31) and the World Brain (1938-2000=62) in addition to the World War II.

In this regard, as the chief science officer of the U.S. during the WW II (1939-45) and author of the two relative articles "Mechanization and the Record" (1939) unpublished and eventually "As We May Think" (1945), Vannevar Bush is strikingly associated with those two Wellsian agendas of human destiny.

It is fair to say that the Wiki links partly owe to Bush. But the Wiki identity as a World Brain as a whole well owes to Wells almost exclusively, regardless of its explicit acknowledgment. Such is historicity and historicism! Historicity, otherwise than positivist recorded history, always exists in the widest context or horizon, at the highest level of bird's-eye view, latently and patently, regardless of records!

Logical positivists and historians proud of analytic philosophical stance would require hard recorded evidence to prove the Wiki identity as such. But it is a pity that without enough historical records, they may not truthfully explain the reason why Balhae perished such that:
 * "Recent study suggests that the downfall of Balhae is largely due to the catastrophic eruption in the 10th century of Baekdu Mountain..."

From this historical perspective, the Wiki whole is the very historical World Brain in action and evolution, regardless of its explicit acknowledgment as such, the whole world has latently and patently collaborated to help come true. Therefore it should never degenerate into mere vested interests.

-- KYPark [T] 06:59, 28 July 2010 (UTC)

Learn a lesson from Yuri Geller

 * [under construction]

title: Wikiversity:Colloquium/Note from KYPark