We’re learning more about contact between the Permian Basin shooter and law enforcement before the shooting spree started. We’ll have the latest on the investigation into the second mass shooting in west Texas in a month, and a conversation with the mayor of Odessa. Also, some say we should batten down the hatches for an eventual economic downturn. How do you do that, exactly? Plus: America the gerontocracy? A provocative look at the body politic and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
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Texas Standard: August 27, 2019
Release the tape: that demand from Texas House Republicans as a scandal involving House Speaker Dennis Bonnen appears to enter a new phase, we’ll have details. Also, they’ve been described as prison camps for kids: just how bad are the facilities holding unaccompanied minors crossing the border without documentation? A reporter gets a rare inside look. Plus, how some residents of the hill country are trying to keep developers at bay… by buying the hill. And business bankruptcies in Texas fall, but experts warn its the calm before the storm. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Best of “Higher Ed:” The Biases We Bring To Information And Learning (They’re Complicated)
This episode was originally posted on Jan. 13, 2019.
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 a puzzler about slicing and dicing. Don’t worry – it’s a piece of cake!
This episode was recorded on Dec. 4, 2018.
Texas Standard: August 22, 2019
Students just now returning to school, and report cards already? A-F grades go out statewide rating public schools, but are they fair? We’ll explore. As schools reopen, so do sign ups for sports, and something new in Texas: an effort to track related concussions across the Lone Star State. Also, is Texas an ATM for Democratic politicians? An AP reporter following the money spots another sign of a profound shift in Texas politics in the run up to 2020. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Back To School Supplies
It’s that time of the year — students are heading back to class and so is their stuff. That’s the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Best of “Higher Ed:” The Well-Read Grown-Up
This episode was originally posted on Nov. 18, 2018.
In school, our reading choices are mostly dictated by what is assigned for classes or from reading lists. But once we are out of school, the decisions are up to us. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss the joys and impacts of lifelong reading.
Ed believes that there are a couple of keys to staying well read beyond our school years.
One: expand the canon of what is considered “must reads” in school and beyond.
“Those canons traditionally are Western, usually written by white dead men,” says Ed. “What about the voices of individuals who are out there, in history and beyond, who were creative beings, or even not, but just having their story told….And so now, the question is, how do we find a balance where we can get a diversity of voices and perspectives?”
Two: read books that will push us in reading and in other arenas.
“Reading can transport you to a world where you might not be comfortable but you can actually find your way,” Ed believes. “That’s really the exciting world of ideas which can be reflected through reading.” Ed says exploring new ideas in our reading can lead us to exploring new ideas in other aspects of our lives.
What are on Ed’s and Jennifer’s bookshelves? Ed says he prefers non-fiction and likes reading about the art of comedy. But he also was completely mesmerized by the “Harry Potter”series. Jennifer also favors non-fiction but cites “The Thorn Birds” and “The World According to Garp” as favorite reads from the past.
What is the one classic series that Jennifer has never touched? And what is the one book that Ed suggests everyone read?
Listen to the full episode to find out, and to get the answers to the riddles about veggies and witches!
This episode was recorded on Oct. 30, 2018.
Remembering The Summers Of My Youth
Now that we’re in the dog days of summer, I’ve been thinking about the long summers of my youth. We had longer summers then. It’s not just an idealized memory. Schools would dismiss us in late May and we wouldn’t return until September 2nd or so, generally the day following Labor Day.
What I remember distinctly about those summers of more than 50 years ago, is that I was a free range kid. My mom opened the gate in the morning for me and my brothers and we’d wander out into the great pastures of our neighborhood and entire town – yes, it was a small town – unsupervised. We’d roam all over with all the other kids, also free range, and play games and sometimes watch TV at other kids’ houses until we were chased out by a stern mom who’d tell us to “get- on-outside and play.”
I say we were unsupervised, but not really. The whole town had its arms around us and made sure we behaved, and were safe.
About noon we’d meander back home and have dinner. That is what we called lunch then. The noon meal was dinner. Then we’d have a nap, with cicadas humming loudly, and go back out until supper time, about seven. We’d eat supper quickly so we could get back out to our friends where we’d play until well after dark, enjoying games like “kick-the-can” and “red light.”
The grown-ups were out there with us, sitting in lawn chairs, making homemade ice cream, listening to baseball games on small transistor radios and gazing up into the stars, marveling at the tech-savvy age they lived in, where they could see NASA satellites passing over.
Yes, as kids, we were quite free. I remember one day me and my brothers were on our bikes with backpacks on, ready to head out and my father said, “Where are you boys going?”
We said, “To the lake.”
He said, “To that one five miles east of town?”
“Yes, sir,” we said.
“That one out there on the FM road with all the 18 wheeler traffic?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That one you have to cross the rattlesnake field to get to?”
“Yes, sir,” we admitted.
“All right. Just be back by dark or your momma will worry,” he said.
I like that my Dad would never admit to worrying himself. He just worried about my mom worrying.
He was also big on the idea that boyhood shaped and toughened the man that the boy would become.
Once I asked him for a ride over to my friend Gonzalo’s house.
He said, “It’s only a mile over there. Walk. It’ll do you good.”
I said, “But it’s about 100 degrees right now.”
He said, “Wear a hat.”
Summers sure are different for kids now. The world is no doubt more dangerous now than it was then.
But no matter the reasons I’m grateful for the boyhood I had, rather than these modern ones, with kids so often cooped up inside with high tech games. To be honest, though, I do have a tiny bit of cross-generational tech envy in me. I know that when I was 15 I would have loved to have had an Xbox. Still, I know for sure that I wouldn’t trade my free-range summers for all the terabytes of RAM in the world.
Best of “Higher Ed:” Why The College Major May Matter Less Than We’ve Always Thought
This episode was originally published on Oct. 12, 2018.
Choosing a major is a rite of passage for higher education students, and it can feel like a – dare we say it –major decision with lifelong implications. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss what could – and sometimes should –go into choosing a major plan of study.
Sometime in a student’s higher education career, a decision has to be made about a major, that set of courses a student chooses to study a subject more deeply. The decision can feel like a significant, irrevocable one that can impact the rest of their lives. But Ed suggests dialing back the stress to make that one, perfect decision.
“The major itself is not as important as the experience and the growth opportunities that come from that major,” he says. “That’s why you hear so many people, especially in the liberal arts and science, talk about how it doesn’t even matter what your major is. As long as you’re involved and interested and engaged, you will have that growth experience that will allow you to become better and to figure out the next thing you do, and that leads you to the next thing … because you’re constantly going toward your passion.”
Ed also believes timelines that require students to declare a major at a specific point in time during their college career can discourage academic exploration and excitement about discovering new fields of interest.
“I’d like to see people declaring majors when they really are intellectually fired up about the thing, rather than it’s time to do it.”
Listen to the full episode for more about the process of academic discovery that can lead to declaring a major. It is also time for the solution to the puzzler about escaping a room while avoiding scorching heat and a fire-breathing dragon. Think it can’t be done? Wait til you hear the oh so simple solution!
This episode was recorded on Sept. 28, 2018.
Best of “Higher Ed:” Effective Correction
This episode was originally posted on Sept. 30, 2018.
Most people do not necessarily enjoy being told when they are wrong. The formal education experience can at times seem like it is full of those moments – between corrections, grades, comments and evaluations. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton discuss ways to correct without rejecting.
Those big, red X’s splashed all over a Math test or those comments scribbled in the margins of papers can lead students to focus on the fact that they got an answer wrong, instead of the fact that they have a learning opportunity to master some material. And nasty comments from a student on a teacher or course evaluation may not motivate teachers to do better.
“If someone just says too much work, or, you know, Burger was so mean I can’t stand him, that’s not particularly helpful” says Ed referring to student evaluations of teachers. ” And even if that’s followed by an actual interesting idea, I might dismiss it a little bit because I see the context.”
So how can students and teachers – and anybody, really – effectively convey ideas for improvements?
Ed has some ideas:
- Keep it about the question, paper, assignment, or class at hand. Don’t elevate the criticism into something of broader scope.
- Keep the situation focused on thoughtful – rather than purely emotion – inputs and responses.
- Focus on what can be learned from the situation.
Listen to the full episode for more thoughts about both giving and receiving constructive corrections and to hear the solution to the puzzler about the digits of our left hand. Still trying to multiply the number of left hand digits of everyone on the planet? Turns out there is a quick and easy way to figure it out.
This episode was recorded on Aug. 9, 2018.
Best of “Higher Ed:” How Much Is Too Much On A College Application?
This episode was originally published on Sept. 23, 2018.
High school seniors have something extra added to their workload in the fall semester. Those who are going on to college have to navigate the college application process. In this episode of KUT’s podcast “Higher Ed,” Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger and KUT’s Jennifer Stayton dissect that annual dash to compile transcripts, test scores, essays and teacher recommendations.
In an effort to set themselves apart from other applicants, students may be tempted to show breadth and depth in everything they have tackled in high school.
“I think if you’re just vomiting out a long list of activities and successes and awards and things, I think that then gets blurred over,” says Ed. ” I think the thing that an individual should be doing here is telling a story. They should be telling a story about their recent history – the highs and the lows and how they see themselves as having changed through their education up to that point.”
Ed says he believes that story should also include students’ assertions about why they think they are a good fit for the schools where they apply. He encourages specificity about what has attracted a student to a particular institution ( think “the soft serve ice cream in the dining hall”!) rather than generic platitudes about a school.
Listen to the full episode for more suggestions about navigating the college application process (are interviews still recommended or not?) as well as the new puzzler. Lefties unite! This puzzler is all about the digits on our left hand.
This episode was recorded on Aug. 9, 2018.
Higher Ed: Yes, Extra Credit Can Enhance Learning – But Don’t Overestimate Its Value
Academia is divided over the wisdom of offering students extra credit on tests or projects. In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss the utility and merit of offering extra points for extra effort.
Ed says for the most part he supports extra credit and has used it in his own teaching as long as it provides a meaningful learning experience.
“I have been guilty of offering extra credit for all sorts of things, ” admits Ed, “including bribing students to go to lectures or to events that I think would enhance their own education or would amplify the work they are doing in the class, all the way down to just giving questions.”
Ed believes extra credit allows for the exploration and assessment of deeper levels of learning.
“There’s always more. You never understand everything. You never understand it at 100 percent,” says Ed. “So the truth is, there is always a deeper level. So why not offer a window into that deeper level?”
Some critics say offering extra credit places more emphasis on the grade rather than on that learning experience. Ed believes that emphasis already exists with or without extra credit.
“We do that as a culture and a nation and a society and this is just a reality,” says Ed. “Extra credit is not doing that.”
Listen to the full episode (sorry, no extra credit for making it to the end) to hear how extra credit in school relates to extra credit in life outside the classroom. But you will be rewarded with the solution to last episode’s puzzler about the man who switched off a light and caused a catastrophe.
This episode was recorded on April 23, 2019.
Texas Standard: July 10, 2019
The Trump Administration’s so-called Remain in Mexico program expands to include Laredo. We’ll take a closer look at the impact. Also at the border, Texas National Guard troops are being deployed to help. But what are they doing exactly? We’ll explore. And remembering Ross Perot: the legacy of the self-made Texas billionaire. Plus, a Hemp rush. Texas farmers are scrambling to plant the crop, but there are hurdles to clear first. And helping students with dyslexia. The new path forward for kids in Texas schools. All of that and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 21, 2019
A mass migration from California to Texas. Is it all about the Benjamins? Or could it say something about the future of the U.S.? Two visions for the future of America, and according to the Economist Magazine, one is better suited for the future, we’ll hear why. Also, is Texas big enough for a second vet school? The Governor says yes, approving 17 million to green light a challenger to Texas A&M. We’ll hear from the new dean. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 4, 2019
Policing the police? A Texas Democrat running for president wants to make police accountability a theme in 2020, we’ll have details. Also, they went abroad to spread the gospel. Now an investigation finds a legacy of abuse by Southern Baptist missionaries, we’ll take a look. And new rankings for public schools across the Lone Star State, one part of Texas continues to shine. But a surprising downturn for some larger districts…we’ll have a closer look. Also, what didn’t happen in the just concluded 86th legislature? All of those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 31, 2019
A 5% tariff on all Mexican imports. What could President Trump’s latest effort to curb immigration do to the Texas economy? We’ll have the latest. Also, it’s a disturbing fact fairly well-known in East Texas, the area has a higher-than-average suicide rate. But what do we know about why? We’ll take a look. Plus, Texas school children got a boost from the latest legislative session. But did that focus take away from efforts to help kids in foster care? We’ll explore. And a Texas farmer is trying something new that’s actually very old. We’ll look at why. And Friday means the Typewriter Rodeo and wrap of the week in Texas Politics. That and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 24, 2019
Chers at the capitol as lawmakers pass changes to school finance and property taxes. Will Texans more broadly be cheering as well? We’ll explore. Also, both Money for schools and property tax cuts passed by the Texas legislature. How’s that gonna work, exactly? We’ll take a closer look. And 50 years after Apollo 11, another trip to the moon in the works: this time it could be permanent. Plus the week in politics and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 20, 2019
Where there’s smoke there’s, a lack of oversight? Calls for greater accountability in the aftermath of fires in the nation’s petrochemical capitol. Plus, a year and a half after the deadly mass shooting at Sutherland Springs a new chapter opens for the church and the community, we’ll take a look. Also, the difficulty of getting closure after the death of a loved one. Why it may be taking longer here in Texas. And at what price Whataburger? 6 billion dollars? The iconic Texas brand explores a possible sale. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Higher Ed: Need For Global Connections Prompts Campuses To Examine Role In Local Community Too
A “Higher Ed” listener who teaches English in Osaka, Japan wrote in requesting a discussion of what the listener characterizes as “the tension between servicing the local community near an institution and appealing to international elements (students, partnerships, etc.).” In this episode of the KUT podcast “Higher Ed,” KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger discuss how campuses view their role in the local community and how that is balanced with farther flung connections.
You might have heard about “town-gown” relations, meaning the way a college or university interacts with the community where it is housed. Maybe this listener is curious about “globe-gown” relations?
Ed says he believes the focus of any higher education institution should, of course, be on the students, and any other relationships evolve from there.
“I believe that institutions of higher learning are designed for one purpose,” says Ed, “which is to inspire individuals to become better versions of themselves. And while the focus is on the students, obviously, I think that should spill out into the community at large.”
Ed believes international relationships do give both parties – both the institution and the country where connections are being made – an opportunity to grow.
“The idea of going out of one’s comfort zone and exploring a world and exploring people,” Ed says,” I think is a powerful way of learning for everybody, including those who are being visited.”
Listen to the full episode to hear more about how institutions balance “town-gown” and “globe-gown” relationships. It is also time for a new puzzler. Listen closely; this one contains a subtle arithmetic twist.
This episode was recorded on April 23, 2019.
Texas Standard: May 7, 2019
Is a cut in property tax worth the hike in sales tax? A would be swap gets more scrutiny as an important vote looms on the horizon, we’ll do the numbers. Also, what would be a major expansion of the Texas medical marijuana program gets a big boost in the Texas House. And over on the Senate side, lawmakers take action on school finance fixes, we’ll have details. Also, the emergence of a video sparks calls to reopen the investigation into the arrest and death of Sandra Bland. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 6, 2019
And the results are in from cities across Texas. Is there a message voters are sending on the eve of a major national election season? We’ll explore. Also, the White House and Democrats in congress agree on infrastructure needs, at a price tag of 2 trillion dollars. Crazy money you say? If the sky’s the limit, what does Texas need most? And the effort to arm more marshals at Texas public schools, but some minority students say it makes them feel less safe, not more. Plus the Texan making maps for hoops and transforming the game of basketball. All of those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard: