Politically radioactive: a popular plan to protect domestic violence survivors gets the governor’s veto. The reason? Nuclear waste. We’ll have the backstory. Also summer’s here, does that mean your kids will lose a lot of what they’ve learned? Probably not, says a Texas researcher who’s bucking the conventional wisdom… we’ll hear why. And from San Benito all the way to the Big Apple and the Billboard top 10: our conversation with Charlie Crockett. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
learning
Higher Ed: A Mindset Shift Can Elicit Satisfaction And Even Joy From Intellectual Struggle
Learning is not always easy. Some subjects, concepts and teachers are just plain tough. Mastering that material can be frustrating and even discouraging. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton talks with Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger about how a shift in mindset can help learners at any age harness lessons, power and even joy from those struggles.
Challenges and frustrations that we encounter in and out of the classroom can elicit a variety of emotions including anger and frustration. Not wanting to wallow in negativity, we attempt to move on from that sensation as quickly as we can.
“We look upon those things, and those emotions, as negative,” Ed notes. “People are saying that they want to avoid and we want to get past it.”
But what if those negative feelings were framed differently – perhaps as fuel instead of foil?
“Imagine a mindset where the idea of struggle generates a positive emotion. The feeling of frustration generates something that helps you move you forward, ” says Ed. “Imagine a world inside one’s mind where those feelings … enhance our learning and drive us to go further and inspire us to reach new levels rather than squelch our interest or enthusiasm.”
Ed encourages students struggling with a difficult subject or concept to harness the power of that conflict to assist their learning.
“What if we looked upon those emotions and tried to use them as empowering tools to continue the struggle and to move beyond the frustration” Ed wonders “by using the frustration as a catapult to push us and throw us into a new place?”
Ed believes applying mindfulness to this endeavor can actually propel learners beyond simply converting their frustration into fuel.
“If we intentionally acknowledge and then try to make those moments of frustration or struggle joyful, we can,” Ed asserts.
Joyful? Listen to the full episode for more on extracting joy from the struggles of learning. And prepare for a new puzzler – anagram-style – that might test that idea of power and joy born from struggle!
This episode was recorded on April 2, 2019.
Texas Standard: February 28, 2019
A key provision of the Texas open meetings act struck down by the state’s highest criminal court. We’ll look at what it means for government transparency. Also, the state’s school librarians read the fine print of a bill to hike teacher salaries, and they’re pushing back. We’ll hear from the state’s top librarian. Plus the timeless voice of tejano superstar Selena. Was it one voice, or two? All those stores and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: “Teacher’s Pet.” “Know-It-All.” “Brown-Noser.” How Labels Impact Learning
“Teacher’s pet.” “Know-it-all.” “Brown-noser.” These are just some of the terms students lob at each other in (and out) of school – especially at students who demonstrate strong mastery of a subject or are enthusiastic in class. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton explore how and why those labels are used and why they might not pack the punch they used to.
One of the assumptions underlying the use of labels such as those is that it is not cool to be smart or active in class discussion. Ed remembers that was certainly the case when he was in school.
“It was definitely…. ‘you’re teacher’s pet, you’re a brown-noser,'” says Ed. “And therefore you’re now ostracized because you’re not cool.”
Ed says labels – either positive or negative – cannot help but impact students’ learning and experiences in the classroom.
“If someone is looked at as ‘wow – that person is so cool, that person knows everything’ then I think it actually amplifies that and encourages them to go on,” says Ed. “And when you have a student who is called ‘oh, that person is dumb and doesn’t know any of the answers’ or that person is just trying to impress the teacher – and is a ‘teacher’s pet’ – then it actually I think stifles that creativity and that potential intellectual growth, which is really, really sad.”
Those labels may be losing some of their impact, though, as Ed sees a trend toward more appreciation of participation and engagement in the classroom.
“At all grade levels now, knowing the answer; raising your hand; engaging with the teacher or professor or instructor; is actually kind of a cool thing,” says Ed. “I think this is one of the few directions where I think we have actually evolved and made forward progress in how we view…. being engaged and trying and being open to learning.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about the evolution of labels and attitudes about learning and classroom engagement. There is also a new puzzler that will require your active participation to solve.
This episode was recorded on Jan. 25, 2019.
Higher Ed: Curiosity Did Not Kill The Cat
What does “curiosity” mean, exactly? Most definitions center around the desire to know something. So is curiosity just the act of asking lots of questions, or is it something deeper? In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss curiosity, wonderment, and if any question is ever a silly one.
What do we know already (or think we know) about curiosity? It “killed the cat,” right – implying that too much inquisitiveness about something is dangerous. Curious George stories are a more playful take on learning and exploration.
Ed defines curiosity as the “mindful act of thinking beyond whatever it is that is in front of a person…. What comes next? What led to this? Where do I go from here? It really comes down to the art of creating questions.”
But Ed puts a slight twist on that definition. He does not actually believe those questions ever have to be asked out loud.
“Curiosity is an internal thing,” Ed believes. “I talk about the art of creating questions. You don’t have to ask them to be curious. But just to be thinking about ‘why is the person doing it that way? Why does that look the way it looks? Why did the person say that and not something else? What did the person not say?’ Just having those thoughts and those questions in your own head generate the internal curiosity.”
Ed’s definition may make it sound as if we are either born with that internal instinct to create questions or we are not. Are we stuck with the level of curiosity we have at day one or can curiosity be taught?
Ed says curiosity can absolutely be taught and amplified by encouraging that internal development of questions. Listen to the full episode to hear how Ed believes curiosity can be taught and nurtured (he has specific examples from his classroom). It is also time to get into gear for a new puzzler!
This episode was recorded on Dec. 4, 2018.
Higher Ed: The Biases We Bring To Information And Learning (They’re Complicated)
Many external factors can impact the quality and effectiveness of a learning experience: the teacher; the other students in a class; the school’s resources; even the student’s surroundings and home. But what about the internal factors? In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the biases learners themselves bring to the information and process.
This episode was inspired by an experience Ed had in the classroom not too long ago. He had given the students a quote with some pretty declarative and forceful language and asked the students to discuss it and try to figure out who said it. As the students puzzled through who the speaker might be, Ed noticed something interesting.
He had given them a quote from Helen Keller, and Ed describes it as a “very strong quote, it was a very forceful quote; it was a quote that was about positivity, but it was strong…..While the conversation was going on, they [the students] themselves gave a gender to the individual,” says Ed. “My students kept saying ‘well, he meant this and he meant that.'”
Ed says gender was not the only metric students used to process and evaluate the quote.
“People thought this must be coming from an individual who is not a force of good in their mind’s eye,” says Ed, referring to the strong language of the quote, “and so therefore said ‘I don’t like the quote that much.’ The moment that some of them discovered that Helen Keller said this, then all of a sudden they looked at it again and said ‘ Oh, well, now I actually get it and I like it.'”
Bias based on perceptions of gender or authorship are just some of what learners bring to the table in and outside of the classroom. Listen to the full episode to hear more about bias and context and Ed’s provocative question “Is it possible that we can find interesting or good elements in people that maybe we don’t completely agree with, and how does that complicate the discussion or the conversation?”
It is also time for the solution to last week’s puzzler about slicing and dicing. Don’t worry – it’s a piece of cake!
This episode was recorded on Dec. 4, 2018.
Higher Ed: Want A Great, Excellent, Challenging Way To Think And Learn More Deeply? Add An Adjective
Wait – you mean adding a couple of descriptive words to a particular situation, puzzle, or problem can help lead to clarity and a solution? In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss this thought-provoking practice.
Well, ok, it is not quite as simple as sticking in an extra word or two when you are puzzling through a tough situation or question. Ed says it’s what you do after the word is added.
“It’s not enough to just add the adjective and move on, ” says Ed. “The goal is to add a descriptor, and then hold onto it and keep looking at it until you have an ‘ooooh’ insight. And then once you have that, then you can move onto another descriptor or eventually, actually resolve the issue because you will have so much information.”
How exactly does this work in practice?
Ed illustrates with an example from history. He points out that what was known as the “Great War” or the “War to End All Wars” was only later named “World War One.” Ed wonders what if it had been called the First World War from the very beginning? He says it would likely for most people raised the possibility of subsequent conflicts.
“That’s the point of adding the adjective,” says Ed. ” That it provokes some thought. And it turns out that often, for us to see things that are in front of us, we have to identify them and spell them out and give them a name. And so by adding the adjective of what we see around us, it allows us to see the things that are there that we otherwise would have missed.”
Sounds easy, right? Ed warns developing this practice actually requires an investment of time but is well worth it.
“It is hard to stop and think and stop and describe and stop and engage,” says Ed. “But by practicing that, it becomes part of who we are and then we become better.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about “adding the adjective” and to sample the first new puzzler of 2019. It is delicious!
This episode was recorded on Dec. 4, 2018.
Best Of “Higher Ed:” Who’s Really In Control Of Learning
This episode was originally posted on Feb 4, 2018.
A lot of people have input when it comes to formal education: teachers, students, administrators, staff and parents for starters. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss who out of all those groups, though, is actually in control of the quality of the education provided.
Ed and Jennifer examine who does – and who actually should – take responsibility for education when there are so many cooks in the kitchen. They also discuss the critical role students play in owning their own educational experiences and the value of giving them autonomy (at least at a certain point in their formal education) to make choices for better or for worse.
It’s also time for the solution to the “random walk” puzzler. It turns out that it’s anything but random.
This episode was recorded Nov. 7, 2017.
Higher Ed: How Assumptions Impact Learning
Remember that old adage about what happens when we assume something? (Hint: break the word down into smaller parts and you’ll get it!). Seriously, making assumptions can impact how we approach and learn information. Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and I spend this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed” exploring why we make assumptions; how they affect learning and problem-solving; and how we can approach education with a more open mind. A “Higher Ed” podcast listener wrote in expressing frustration with the fact that she often gets the puzzler wrong because she makes assumptions – that turn out to be incorrect – about the parameters of the puzzler. She asked Ed and me to discuss why people are so quick to make assumptions, and what mental cues or habits we could employ to stop making them.
Listen on to find out how to lean less on assumptions and to hear the newest puzzler. It is actually a “classic” that definitely requires fresh thinking.
This episode was recorded on April 20, 2018.
Higher Ed: Competing Demands In Education Lead To Stress
The end of the school year is a busy time for students, faculty, staff, and families. Finals exams are looming; seniors may be on the hunt for a job; and many students have to say goodbye to friends and teachers. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the origins of stress; the role it can play in education and learning; and how to successfully manage it (both in and out of school).
Actually, the entire school year can feel stressful with tests, grades, activities and high expectations to perform well. Ed says that a primary cause of overall stress in education stems from multiple, competing demands inherent in the system: students are trying to get the training and background they need to take the next step and launch their careers while also making deep meaning of the material they are learning. He says those two interests don’t always happily co-exist. In this episode, Ed and Jennifer talk about the definition and origins of stress. They also discuss ways to manage it, which does not necessarily mean completely eliminating stress.
One good way to get rid of some stress? Go to a party. Listen to the full episode to get the latest puzzler which is all about party guests’ favorite school subjects.
This episode was recorded on April 20, 2018.
Higher Ed: Who’s Really In Control of Learning
A lot of people have input when it comes to formal education: teachers, students, administrators, staff, and parents, just to name some. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss who out of all those groups, though, is actually in control of the quality of the education provided. Ed and Jennifer examine who does – and who actually should – take responsibility for education when there are so many cooks in the kitchen. They also discuss the critical role students play in owning their own educational experiences and the value of giving them autonomy (at least at a certain point in their formal education) to make choices for better or for worse. It’s also time for the solution to the “random walk” puzzler. It turns out that it’s anything but random.
This episode was recorded Nov. 7, 2017.
Texas Standard: December 12, 2017
As the Weinstein effect hits Washington, a Texas congressman still standing despite growing allegations, we’ll explore. Also, filing deadline comes for what could be a watershed midterm election season. Bob Gee of the Austin American Statesman boils things down to 5 races to watch in 2018. And the Texas wind power revolution: causing a stir for property owners. Are you sure who owns the wind above your land? And in the dust bowl days it was hailed as a savior for ranchers. Now, they’re branding it a scourge. The zombie grass taking over south Texas and beyond. Those stories and lots more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: How Empathy Can Impact Learning
Empathy. Sympathy. We probably think we know what those words really mean, but in truth they are often confused or misunderstood. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger take a closer look at both and how they relate to learning. What do “sympathy” and “empathy” really mean? What is the difference between the two? And can they enhance (or hinder) learning? Ed and Jennifer try to answer those questions and lend a sympathetic (or is it empathetic?!) ear. Listen on for their discussion, and get ready for a road trip with the new puzzler.
This episode was recorded Aug. 10, 2017.
Best of “Higher Ed:” Healthy Learning
This episode was originally published on April 9, 2017.
College students who work hard might tend to play hard, too. Caffeine … junk food … late nights … partying. College can be filled with temptations that keep students from leading healthy lives. We know those habits aren’t good for us, but why does school present so many temptations? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss balancing work and learning with health during school (and beyond). You’ve probably been there: staying up all night, fueled by coffee and junk food, to finish a paper or cram for an exam. That’s what college is about, right? Ed says it actually doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, he and Jennifer discuss some of the reasons behind the less-than-healthy habits we pick up in college and some strategies to avoid them in the first place. Listen on for their discussion and to indulge in a healthy habit: trying to solve the latest puzzler.
This episode was recorded on March 24, 2017.
Best of “Higher Ed:” ‘Social’ Media
This is might be a familiar scene to you: You’re walking down the street and see someone heading toward you, not looking up, face firmly transfixed on the small screen of a smartphone or tablet. What does all that time spent attending to devices do to our personal interactions, conversations and learning? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger look at the personal and educational implications. Social media and digital technology are great in many ways. They connect us quickly and easily, and allow us to access information in seconds. But what does time spent communicating and learning that way do to our personal interactions? Ed and Jennifer discuss the possible impacts, as well as the role of education in helping us navigate and balance the availability of so much communication and information. Listen on for their conversation and for the answer to a puzzler about a row of radio hosts.
This episode was recorded on Jan. 19, 2017.
Best of “Higher Ed:” Breaking Down Tough Questions
We all face questions in life that seem just about impossible to answer. Maybe it’s a really tough question on a test. Or maybe it’s a challenging assignment at work. What can we do when the answer just won’t come to us? How about not answering the question? In this “Best of” episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore ways to break down seemingly impossible questions into manageable parts. So just to be clear, the advice here is not to ignore the question. But Ed advocates starting by breaking down a hard question into a simpler one in a parallel vein, or translating it into a known, easier question. Ed and Jennifer discuss how this technique can be used in or outside of academic settings. Wondering if you should listen on to hear more? That’s a definite yes! You will also get the solution to a puzzler that poses some interesting questions; it assumes three = 1/2 of five!
This episode was recorded on November 22, 2016.
Best of “Higher Ed:” Gratitude, Appreciation, and Learning
It’s good manners to say “thank you” and show gratitude. But there are also ways that slowing down to notice and appreciate what’s happening around us can give our brains some much needed rest. In this “Best of” episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the impact of showing gratitude and appreciation on learning. Is it also possible to include the expression of gratitude and appreciation in a formal education setting? Listen on for Ed and Jen’s discussion on how expressing thanks can help learners relax and grow, and what teaching that might look like.
This episode was recorded on October 4, 2016.
Best of “Higher Ed:” What’s Really Happening When We Learn
Most dictionary definitions of “learn” make reference to acquiring knowledge or skills, becoming informed, or finding out something. Sure, that makes sense, but what does it really mean to learn something? How do we know if we’ve actually learned it? In this “Best of” episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss what learning does and doesn’t mean. If we memorize something, does that mean we’ve learned it? How deeply do we have to understand something before we’ve really mastered it? Listen on to hear Ed and Jennifer debunk some myths about learning and talk about one of the best ways to make sure something is thoroughly learned.
This episode was recorded on October 4, 2016.
Higher Ed: Healthy Learning
College students who work hard might tend to play hard, too. Caffeine… junk food…. late nights… partying. College can be filled with temptations that keep students from leading healthy lives. We know those habits aren’t good for us, but why does school present so many temptations? In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss balancing work and learning with health during school (and beyond). You’ve probably been there: staying up all night, fueled by coffee and junk food, to finish a paper or cram for an exam. That’s what college is about, right? Ed says it actually doesn’t have to be that way. In this episode, he and Jennifer discuss some of the reasons behind the less-than-healthy habits we pick up in college and some strategies from avoiding them in the first place. Listen on for their discussion and to indulge in a healthy habit: trying to solve the latest puzzler.
This episode was recorded on March 24, 2017.
Best of “Higher Ed:” How Outside Circumstances Can Impact Learning
Note: This “Higher Ed” episode was originally posted on February 28, 2016.
In an ideal world, every student comes to class, or to any educational situation, well-prepared and ready to learn. But in reality, all kinds of life circumstances outside the classroom – such as poverty – can influence what happens inside the classroom. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger talk about how those factors impact students’ experiences. Ed and Jennifer respond to a listener’s personal story and inquiry about the effects of poverty on learning. Listen on to hear the question and to find out more about the impact life circumstances can have on learning. And see if you can figure out the solution to this “best of puzzler” about a family tree and a breakfast favorite.
This episode was recorded on January 22, 2016.