tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72713713748830355482023-11-16T09:01:11.156-06:00Fail2LearnThoughts on learning and teaching...and the role of risk and failure...and life.Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-78182296366978711232016-02-06T11:53:00.002-06:002016-02-06T11:53:57.652-06:00Sunshine and shadowsMost of us are in favor of sunshine. And it's easy to forget about the shadows.What interests me is the necessary co-existence of light and dark, day and night, sunshine and shadow--the reminder that gains always bring losses and endings always accompany beginnings.
It's the simple things in life that are the hardest to understand.
Just another day looking out the window...Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-54936910375802143172016-01-17T18:08:00.000-06:002016-01-17T18:08:22.895-06:00Be a better followerFollow your heart. Follow your dream. Follow your intuition. At the start of a new semester, I am making a conscious effort to be more of a follower. I'm going to encourage my students to do the same.
Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-46170836013453741062015-10-05T14:07:00.002-05:002015-10-05T14:23:55.567-05:00The blue oceanIn the midst of providing feedback on written work, I found this gem from a student:
"They consistently looked around Blue Ocean, a new market which has a lot of possibility to succeed."
The poetry is unintentional, I think, as this student is bi-lingual and less comfortable in English than in the first language learned. But I love the image of the blue ocean (associated with blue ocean Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-12517113694623833262015-09-23T09:26:00.003-05:002015-09-23T11:02:48.818-05:00Ill-defined problemsThis semester, I have another capstone class designed to prepare seniors to use what they've learned in their degree program to tackle the reality of doing versus studying. We've completed job searches (to assess knowledge, skills, and abilities needed), completed self-assessments, and looked at the learning they've acquired from life and academic failures, all as foundation for the realities of Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-19745407493326294362015-03-06T10:03:00.000-06:002015-03-06T10:03:31.465-06:00Picturing failure
Our educational system rewards success and penalizes failure. To most people, that seems right. We want to create successful citizens able to make well-informed choices, vote, hold jobs, raise families, and make the world a better place. Yes, we do. We want all of that. That's part of why we provide access to education.
But while we have the best of intentions, we forget that the Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-83965590792619744892015-02-23T10:37:00.001-06:002015-02-23T10:37:54.213-06:00A marshmallow world
Though not what Carl Sigman, Peter DeRose, Bing Crosby, or Dean Martin meant by the phrase, we created our own marshmallow world in class this morning. Graduate students in a multi-disciplinary course in Innovation and Creativity took The Marshmallow Challenge. It was engaging, fun, and a good way to start a snowy, cold Monday.
The best educational experiences provide both the Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-67495746105126591952015-02-16T09:19:00.001-06:002015-02-16T09:19:21.502-06:00Snow day
Today is a snow day on our campus. No one is sad about this, with the possible exception of the maintenance crews clearing the sidewalks and streets. Unlike other winters, this is likely to be the only weather-related closing for the semester.
What does it tell us when students and faculty embrace an unplanned day away from lectures, labs, and office hours? Perhaps nothing more Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-38359270787852446802015-02-12T13:55:00.000-06:002015-02-12T13:55:02.903-06:00Teacher or student? Yes.
Some teaching opportunities benefit the instructor as well
as the students. The three years (seven
semesters) teaching this one one course have challenged me to be a better
teacher, as well as a better person. I'm looking forward to new classes I'll be
teaching in the fall, but the students who've been a part of this very hands-on
course have a special place in my heart.
AskedRebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-44043638147764605082015-02-06T11:59:00.000-06:002015-02-06T11:59:17.171-06:00Building(s)
It may be an old friend you haven't called. It might be a long-overdue apology or some other wrong you've long intended to set right. But the longer you let whatever it is go, the harder it seems--or, perhaps, the harder it actually becomes--to take the much-needed action.
What is that tipping point in favor of (finally) doing versus leaving something to decay in the murky well of Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-47520860302855944042014-10-13T20:19:00.002-05:002014-10-13T20:19:33.676-05:00Feedback and fruitcakeThe first round of peer evaluations are in. Eleven undergraduate students and one graduate student have provided quantitative and qualitative feedback to classmates who are partners in maintaining (and, ideally, improving) a retail business for class credit. The challenges? Giving useful feedback, learning to receive feedback, and preparing for the day when both giving and receiving Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-41058059790519682852014-10-04T09:42:00.000-05:002014-10-04T09:42:11.372-05:00Creativity in a boxConventional wisdom is that the more we learn, the less we know. It's not that learning makes us stupid (at least not by design), but that a broader understanding of the world in which we live or a deeper understanding of a given subject shines a harsh and unforgiving light on simple solutions and easy answers. Thus, the longer I teach, the more questions I have:
How can creativity be Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-88965243869841162672014-09-13T08:53:00.000-05:002014-09-13T08:56:25.484-05:00Freedom vs. responsibilityThere is a raging debate among the faculty on my campus. Coalitions are forming, email debate is at an all-time high, and tempers are flaring. The committee that provided a recommendation is being challenged in sidewalk conversations, meeting sidebars, and faculty lounges. The topic? Faculty responsibilities when students have excused absences from class.
Yes, you are Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-32762971819148820932014-07-09T22:12:00.001-05:002014-07-09T22:12:07.445-05:00SemanticsA recent article expounding the virtues of a life-sized maze--complete with photo and description of the maze--was captioned by a reference to a labyrinth. That represents both sloppy journalism and sloppy thinking, a confusion of two things with some common characteristics but very different functions
The recent public press about grade inflation (which essentially means an increasing Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-17940429358418216242014-07-03T09:03:00.000-05:002014-07-03T09:03:04.690-05:00Thinking about AfricaLast week, I spent time with 25 participants in the Young African Leaders Initiative. Trust me when I say I was truly humbled to be conversing with the group, as every one of them is equally or more skilled in facilitation. They are well educated, well read, and well spoken.
While waiting for the entire group to return from lunch, I reviewed the schedule for their experience here and saw aRebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-55737558389476149552014-07-02T13:06:00.001-05:002014-07-02T13:06:40.653-05:00It's all connected
Grand Central Terminal. It embodies history, architecture, advocacy, politics, fiction, romance, astronomy, art, travel, industry. It's more than metaphor for how everything is connected.
Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend the Best Teachers Summer Institute, made all the more enjoyable by the proximity to New York City. And I found myself standing quietly inside GrandRebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-70108321044575789852014-06-07T20:57:00.000-05:002014-06-07T20:57:21.410-05:00Gone to the next adventure
The morning was cool for June and a bit cloudy. Before I finished my rounds at the local farmers' market, the clouds turned darker bringing the first of several small showers. Undeterred, I made the planned trip to the national cemetery and to spend some quiet time walking and remembering.
The most poignant part of the cemetery for me is seeing the headstones marked only with Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-79157709183250234722014-05-09T14:32:00.000-05:002014-05-09T14:32:27.731-05:00A still and quiet moment
The longer you teach, the more students touch your life. They make an imprint, graduate, and move into the next chapter of their own lives. Each beginning is fresh and new to the graduate, a time of pride for the family, and a moment of reflection for the faculty who are privileged to teach.
It's so easy to get lost in the number of papers or projects to grade, the grades to be submitted, theRebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-56182284197154744502014-04-28T20:19:00.003-05:002014-04-28T20:19:48.398-05:00Whether or not you see it...
On a chilly and foggy morning, the invisible suddenly becomes noticeable. It isn't really invisible, you see, but easily overlooked until circumstances make it impossible to miss. In this particular case, what suddenly becomes visible is the almost-magical carpet of webs spun nightly along the ground, between plants, across grasses, and at the top of the most unimaginable spindles.
WhatRebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-23939991788448642862014-04-12T21:03:00.001-05:002014-04-12T21:05:26.821-05:00Milestones
This year, the Panama Canal has been in operation for 100 years, including the Miraflores locks. One of three sets of locks along the canal, the Miraflores locks are the most proximate to Panama City, making them both the most visited and the most recognized.
I've spent the last four days teaching classes as part of an Executive MBA program in Panama. As is so often the case, I could Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-23004571011834039952014-03-23T11:21:00.002-05:002014-03-23T13:27:19.749-05:00Relationship "failures"
Conventional wisdom has it that relationships (or lack thereof) consume more thought and reflection as we age and/or as we are reminded of our mortality through illness or death. Our television and social media habits seem consumed with relationships--situation comedies, "reality" T.V., and dramas where the interactions among the detectives, sales representatives, doctors, attorneys, or Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-55228917101447958372014-03-16T13:57:00.000-05:002014-03-16T13:57:06.313-05:00Lives and loves of others
My reading of late has been by or about Alice Steinbach, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Harry Gordon Selfridge, and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. And as I read, time collapses, bends, folds in on itself. I am reminded of the predictable cycles (crises, some might say) through which all must navigate, as well as the transitory nature of life that seems long only for the first three decades or so. Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-72672302888671132572014-02-28T15:27:00.002-06:002014-02-28T15:40:16.525-06:00Tweet potato chipsIf you'll pardon the unintended double entendre, there's a point to be made here. Seriously. There is a plethora of research (trust me...or Google it) suggesting that the brain's response to foods high in fat and carbohydrates is to keep eating those foods even when we are full, not hungry, or know we shouldn't. Thus, we are likely to have difficulty eating just one potato chip, Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-73766419493912691252014-02-17T21:15:00.001-06:002014-02-17T21:15:46.711-06:00A million pounds of scrap metalThe conversation went something like this:
"We found close to 80 tires on 140 acres. And the scrap metal? At the most recent price of eleven cents per pound....let's just say that's a whole lot of Coke cans."
"Four old truck trailers--and another two in a separate location made of aluminum (which were used to store feed for cattle)--plus a silo full of corn (even mildewed) Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-7875305745270566802014-01-31T17:35:00.000-06:002015-03-13T18:37:32.586-05:00Details are the devil Details matter, whether in education, research, parenting, or sports. And because details matter, they trouble the diligent in pursuit of excellence or in pursuit of completion, on less lofty days.
Today was devoted almost entirely to completing the blended course required for my certification of mastery in blended course design. The deadline (Tuesday) for submission to the Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7271371374883035548.post-86157590568014343882014-01-05T12:41:00.000-06:002014-01-05T12:41:05.584-06:00What I've learned about course designRecently, as part of a continuing education certification, I was required to (re)design a face-to-face course for delivery as a blended course. Same content, same student classification (MBA candidates)...one would think this would be easy, right? Just substituting some online delivery for some of the classes; it's a piece of cake.
Here's what I learned in the process:
I'm a Rebecca Mileshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10509914295532874557noreply@blogger.com0