The death of a loved one is always hard. With time grief abates, it shrinks and becomes manageable – but it is still there. As time passes, I find that I have more memories of my father when he was in full health – a tune on the radio brings back memories of dad sitting in his favourite chair, singing and conducting to his beloved Mozart.
And then there are anniversaries. Today would have been dad’s 86th birthday, the first since his death. I listen to a Mozart Horn Concerto (the 3rd, always our favourite), remembering vividly the birthday when he bought me the record, and we sat together joyfully listening to it, nearly 50 years ago. I have tears in my eyes, but they are happy tears.
“A creative prompt” flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license (Made with Night Cafe)
Today’s Daily Create asks us to write a to do list. I asked ChatGPT for inspiration
Can you write me a bullet pointed to do list for a person who needs to be motivated for a creative task
Sure, here’s a bullet-pointed to-do list for motivating yourself for a creative task:
Start with a clear goal: Define the end result you want to achieve with your creative task. Having a specific and achievable goal in mind can motivate you to get started.
Break the task into smaller, manageable parts: A large, overwhelming task can make you feel unmotivated. Break it down into smaller, more manageable parts, and focus on one part at a time.
Find inspiration: Look for inspiration in other creative works or find ways to connect your creative task to your personal interests and passions.
Create a supportive environment: Make sure you have a comfortable and inspiring work environment, with the necessary tools and resources to complete the task.
Set deadlines: Set realistic deadlines for completing each part of the task. This can help you stay motivated and focused.
Celebrate small victories: Celebrate each small accomplishment along the way. This can give you the motivation to keep going and help you stay positive.
Take breaks: Taking breaks can help you recharge and come back to the task with fresh energy and creativity.
Stay accountable: Share your goals and progress with someone else, such as a friend, family member, or mentor. This can help you stay accountable and motivated to complete the task.
Reward yourself: After completing the task, reward yourself with something you enjoy. This can help you associate the task with positive feelings and motivate you for future creative tasks.
“a group of engaged students” flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license (made by AI)
During a twitter conversation, I turned to AI and asked what is ‘student engagement’? Here’s the reply.
Student engagement refers to the level of interest, enthusiasm, and involvement that students have in their learning experiences. Engaged students are actively involved in their own learning, motivated to learn, and willing to take on challenges. They are more likely to participate in class discussions, ask questions, and seek out opportunities to learn more.
Student engagement is often seen as a key factor in academic success, as engaged students are more likely to achieve higher grades, attend school more regularly, and ultimately, be better prepared for their future careers. Engaged students are also more likely to develop a love of learning that can carry them through their lives.
I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t leave me any more enlightened. I think, probably (today anyway) that there has to be some alignment between the engagement and the activity that they are engaging in. What’s missing, I wonder?
What about a learner who is trying to engage, but for some reason he can’t? Is trying to engage a type of engagement? What if he engages in something that the educator did not mean him to? Can we say that he is not engaging correctly? What if a student keeps trying to engage but the educator is just a bit rubbish, and there is nothing to engage with. Do we tell him to keep on trying in the hope that the teacher will change?
What about an educator who tries to engage her students, but whatever she does, they will not engage. Is she an engaging educator with the wrong audience, or is it her fault that her students are not switching on?
Do we need to use ‘engagement’ at all, or is it one of those words that seems like a meaningful concept until you look closely at it? Should was just ask what a learner should be engaging in/with and then use that instead?
“Gold star” flickr photo by NomadWarMachine shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) license
Recently I’ve heard two different people say the following about assessment:
Assessment is the driver for all learning (in HE)
Active learning and assessment are the same thing
I think that both of these statements are obviously wrong, or they ought to be.
I can, sadly, understand how assessment becomes the motivating factor for many students because the stresses of being a student and the pressure to always get the best grade override any joy that there might be in learning for the sake of learning, so I can appreciate (1) being said, at least as an observation about the current state of affairs in HE.
The last semester that I taught undergraduate philosophy was particularly fraught, with many tutorials being cancelled due to union strikes and others snowed off, but one event stands out, even now. A particularly bright student went off at a tangent, and I suggested some reading that might interest him, probably some Wittgenstein. After the tutorial, a group complained to the course convenor that I was wasting their time by talking about materials that would not be needed for the final exam. This wasn’t the only reason that I handed in my notice and walked away from that post, but it was a contributing factor.
However, (2) just strikes me as bizarre. Putting to one side my issues with the term ‘active learning’ (I don’t believe that learning can be passive – for learning to be happening, there must be something active ‘in the learner’s head’), then I think that we could reasonably assert that a student who is working on an assessment is actively learning, but that does not entail that all (active) learning is or involves assessment. When I reflect on the times that I have learnt the most, they have usually had nothing to do with assessment. The serious fun that happens during experiences such as #CLMooc, #DS106 and the rhizos have led to some of the most meaningful learning that I’ve ever experienced – and assessment most definitely had no part in those experiences.
The bright student in my story above might have ended up using the ‘extra’ learning he had done as part of a future assessment, or he might not – learning is not contingent on past or future assessment. All of this shows that active learning and assessment are not the same thing, and that there can be learning without assessment. And I think I am going to go further and assert that there can also be a type of learning that happens despite assessment. If students are over assessed, as they sometimes can be, then any extra curricula activity – and the meaningful learning that happens as a result of serendipity – will have to be fitted in somehow. And if there is pressure, from whichever direction, to teach to the test, then the keen student who strays beyond the required materials will be learning despite assessment.
Assessment has its place, and accreditation is important. But assessment is not the whole picture, and we should firmly resist anyone who suggests that it is.
