Anthropology of Nature: Week 14 - 20131130

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

Class Reflections:

From GoodReads

This week we did presentations based on the book Conservation is our Government Now by Paige West. The book itself is very interesting, especially after taking Environment and Society with Professor S. She was a geologist by training, petrologist by trade, and it was very interesting to see Environmentalism through her eyes, and I think I see that same representation of it through Dr. West's eyes. These educated people are looking at environmentalism from the perspective of one other than the environmentalist. Now, Professor S was an environmentalist, but she showed us much about greenwashing and I had to (and constantly try to) re-evaluate my own views on environmental acts. I did not agree with her all the time, just as I do not always agree with Dr. West, but both tend to have one major view in common: that politicising and governmentalising environmentalism tends to do more harm than good, in one way or the other. This is, of course, a very broad and sweeping generalizations on both of their opinions, and could be struck down when investigated critically, but serves its purpose here.

I will also note that I was grateful that I was not the only person to point out the societal damage caused by the reformation of the Maimafu peoply by the Seventh Day Adventists. I really truly try to leave religion out of conservations and lessons, especially when the conversation is scientifically based, but as soon as you mention politics it's almost impossible NOT to mention religion. Especially when the politickers are the religionists! I did get an odd high-five from a fellow student over "telling it out", whatever that means. I'm not sure if he was more impressed by the religion part or the rest of it, but I would guess the latter.
Some of the other presentations were quite interesting, and some, of course, were less interesting. I had already planned on finishing the book, since it is actually really intersting. Funny how my motivation waned when I realized it was assigned and no longer intrinsic! Weird.

Observations of Environmental Anthropology in the Specimen "Me":
I've been thinking hard about how to articulate what I want to do with Environmental Science: what I want to get out of it and what I want to "do with it" when I get done with the masters. I met with a professor about being my graduate advisor in the program, and the answers I gave did not seem to satisfy him. It also turned out that though he's worked with birds via population genetics, it's not really his focus, and he thinks I should try someone else. Le sigh. It also seems that even though I'm taking the GRE right after finals, he (and it seems most) won't want to risk getting involved with me until after they see the scores. It makes sense, but does put a hitch in my plans. I'm not sure if I'll be able to secure a letter from an advisor over Winter Break, and my paperwork needs to be completed by Febrauary, when they make the funding decisions. They have some assistanceships available, and I honestly cannot afford to go to graduate school without one. At least, not anywhere near full time. I will find a way, one class at a time, but that resulted in a very long bachelors experience I am hoping to not repeat. So. I need to hone my desires, not so sharp as to already have an idea for my thesis, but sharp enough to be able to articulate (better) what I want out of a masters in Env Sci. Apparently, "doing research and applying that research to conservation projects", was not specific enough. Granted. Now to fix it. Soon.

Ethnography of the South Floridian:
I do not have much to go in this slot this week. At least, nothing positive.

I volunteered with MGSA at the football game. We set up recycle bins and Clearstream recycle bins, and then cleaned up after the tailgate parties. Oh, my. I could not believe the waste and garbage. It was... painful. Seriously. The amount of recycleable materials (glass, plastic, and aluminum) just strewn about, near recycle bins, overflowing from black waste bins, was, unbelievable. I found near a dozen 8 oz water bottles, full, unopened, mired in a 1.5ft diameter puddle of uneaten potato wedges and fry grease. It was so stomach-turning that I could not bring myself to recover the bottles to donate somewhere. Just, unbelievable disgusting. The pile itself was less than a foot from the garbage can, which was full, mostly of recyclables. Cigarette butts, glossy postcard-style ads, plastic bits from decorative whatnots, just, everywhere. Broken thong sandals, hats, reusable cups, just everything. It looked like the opening scene from a post-apocalyptic movie, only instead of dead cars on a dusty road it was party waste on a very green lawn. Ugly. It was so ugly. And all those drinking laughing dancing playing people, seem so ugly.

A man threw his cigarette butt on the ground in front of my house, after buckling his small daughter into the backseat of their Honda CRV style vehicle. I used to think that if I was the facist-dictator-of-America, I would have executed people who littered, because it evinced a certain lack of participation in the continued upkeep of civilization and therefore denoted a uselessness in the human. I've grown up a little, now, were I the facist-dictator-of-America, I might just demand a pinky joint. Especially for cigarette butts. Those things take forever to decompose, and a lot get eaten by animals. I could link a bunch of resources and inundate you with my empassioned disdain for the habit and the waste it causes, but I think I've already painted myself in a negative light this time around.
Cest la vie.


But if you get curious, http://www.cigarettelitter.org/index.asp?PageName=Facts

Anthropology of Nature: Week 13 - 20131123

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

Class Reflections:
On Wednesday I got to listen to some fellow students read and show their journal entries. It was really nice to hear my fellow biologist's journal sound as it did, though now I seem to have a problem qualifying it. Mine feels this way to me, when I reflect upon it. Not, technical, per say, but certainly different from those I heard in class. More, analytic maybe. Does that mean I remove myself from the subject? Certainly not. I read once that people might think a scientist loses the ability to see the magic in nature, and therefore cannot love it. On the contrary, the scientist sees the wonder of nature through an entirely different lens, and is still astounded by it. I grok that wonder in the other students in class. I heard their prose and saw them play and listened to their words, and smiled. I love feeling like they are actually interested in being part of their environment, an active and aware part instead of this sad view I seem to have of others (with the littering and the laissez-faire attitude over water and air quality). Someone started up the conversation about litter again, and I was almost overjoyed! Mission Green was tabling that day and bringing volunteers on short litter walks around Heritage Park! I of course announced it to any that might be interested. I did have one girl come and give her contact information! YAY!

Anthropology of Nature: Week 12 - 20131117

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

Ah, the adventures of a senior in college. I went out and bought a jar of caffeine pills. Yep. How sad.
I have been making great strides though, in life and in my connectedness to the environment.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 11 - 20131111

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

Week 11, technically one day late, on a three day weekend. Eek.
However, I have much opportunity to view the interaction of humans and nature/environment this week. It's been a busy week.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 10 - 20131102

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

My Tree is an Endangered Species...Now What?

            When we moved, I lost my mango tree. Granted, I almost loathed it near the end of mango season, when the yard smelled of rotting mangoes (which smells a little like vomit, actually). We have a tree in our new backyard. She has no less than 3 parasites on her. A strange rosemary-like one (with needle-like leaves), a vine with a red-aggregate flower, and one I can only describe as arboreal seaweed. I had seen odd things in the tree and assumed them to be seed pods. Some have fallen and they are indeed seed pods! Interesting ones too. Five lobed pods that split between the lobes. I did not pry the dry, splitting one open to see what was in it, yet. I also found a green one, not yet dry or cracking, and four out of five of a completely broken one. I did not find the seeds that it would have contained.

            It took a little while to find it, but I identified the tree as West Indies Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni). The Wikipedia page has interesting information about it, including everything from Christopher Columbus to pirates! OK, maybe not pirates, but I think of them when I think of West Indies and the West Indies Trading Company. I also must admit that knowing it is mahogany has had the quote “my apartment smells of rich mahogany” playing in my head all day.

            It also tells me that the tree is Endangered (on the IUCN Red List). This is all at once neat and gives me cause for concern. If it really is a West Indies Mahogany, and it really it endangered, I suddenly feel like I have an obligation to find out how to cure it of its three parasites. Is this the duty of my landlady (as we are but renting)? I am quite sure my landlady wouldn't do anything about the tree, and so I feel like it's almost by duty simply because I'm the only one connected to it that will care!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swietenia_mahagoni

 Swietenia mahagoni, commonly known as the West Indies Mahogany, is a species of Swietenia native to southern Florida, US, The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, and Hispaniola. It is the species from which the original mahogany wood was produced.

 Swietenia mahagoni is listed as "Threatened" in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 9 - 20131026

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

http://www.greendrinksmalta.org/2011/04/
environmental-philosophy-april-green.html

This week we read about environmental spiritualism, and I watched a presentation on biomimicry, or, mimicking the traits selected for by natural selection in solving mankind's technological problems. In my mind, they were related, linked, and I want to try to explain why.

I see myself as a scientist, and I tend to see things in a way that some feel is gritty or reductionist or even unpretty. Yet, having an understanding of Life at this other level (say, the molecular level) means only that I see the interaction of molecules as you see the tumbling of two birds in the sky. It's as beautiful to me as the latter is to you. So when Professor Benyus talks about the biochemistry of the creation of Mother of Pearl in a mollusk, the semi-technical language sounds to me as a creation poem might sound to another.

Anthropology of Nature: Natural Design

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

2013 October 25
Biomimicry
  How might such solutions, products, or knowledge change your life?

Janine Benyus'   dream is that by integrating biomimicry into chemical and physical engineering we can increase the efficiency of our living, the quality of our living, and reduce the negative impact (or simply impact) of these advances on our one and only planet.   Professor Benyus that there are   organisms out there that have already solved the problems that   we, as a technologically advanced species, have spent untold years trying to solve. She says we need to look towards the Earth's biosphere, to the more than 30 million well-adapted solutions to, quite possibly literally, all of life's problems. These solutions come with 3.8 billion years of field-testing, with the failed proposed solutions naturally removed from the table by a failure to thrive. She presents twelve idealistic and, in my opinion, quite realistic, solutions to modern technological problems via biomimicry, or drawing on the natural world for inspiration and adaption of Mother Nature's "trade secrets".

What is innovative about the product or idea presented?

Professor Benyus argues that the problems of modern engineering and modern technological advancement is not a lack of innovation but a lack of integration. Many of the proposed biomimicry solutions reduce, and possibly remove, the need for hazardous and non-biodegradable chemicals. This is not a cry against "unnatural dangerous chemicals" like so many sadly misinformed would-do-wells railing against "unnatural preservatives" in canned goods, but using mankind's technology to imitate and fabricate the chemicals found in nature that do what we need them to do. An example of this is aspirin. We have taken salicylic acid, a phenolic acid from the bark of a tree, and found it to have pain relieving properties. However, this acid wreaks minor havoc on the human stomach lining. By imitating nature and creating acetylsalicylic acid we have reproduced the pain relieving properties while removing much of its volatile nature.


Why does the solution, products, or knowledge benefit the planet?

Consider the basic model of acetylsalicylic acid as we idealize this same process as superimposed upon novel solutions of nature. A surface with a particular texture that bends and reflects light in such a way as to remove the need for pigments and paint (chemicals and the chemical residual waste). Consider the energy harvesting device inside bacterium being used to model a fuel cell that takes up hydrogen and produces energy without rare metals...a solution to the fuel crises (yes, plural). Or a water collecting device that draws nearly pure water out of the atmosphere, to quench the thirst of desert children. This biomimicry has the potential to reduce our negative impact on the planet while increasing our quality of life and success of humanity as a whole!

How does the solution, products, or knowledge transform human-nature relationships?

"And thirdly, how does life make things disappear into   systems? Because life doesn't really deal in things; there are   no things in the natural world divorced from their systems."
All of Professor Benyus's proposed solutions bring technology more in line with the human race being a Part of Nature, a Part of the Environment that uses the materials and strategies of our fellow beings, and less a species that uses our limited environment as an ends to a tenuous and fleeting means.


Identify possible pitfalls in the solutions, products, and knowledge presented.

The problems, as I see them, are a remaining reliance on fouling technology (that is, technology that fouls the environment in a devastating manner) in developing these green technologies. Do we simply ignore that as the End justifies the Means? Is that not exactly what modern technology does anyway? We now sacrifice resources and biospheric longevity in favor of human "advancement", will we simply polish a broken window in cause more environmental havoc in a quest to be "green" (the way we feel better about ourselves and our compact fluorescent lightbulbs that we source cheaply from China though their environmental protection standards could be considered nightmarish compared to our own)?

The ideas presented sound miraculous, and something akin to turning the human species into a race of beings desiring peace and time in the garden and living by the ethos of "harm none" while exploring a digital Britannica on a yeast-powered bamboo-shelled laptop with mother-of-pearl processors and recycled copper wiring, and a biofilm screen based on the iridescent dragonfly wing that self-repairs scratches and uses reflective light to brighten the screen in the way a cat's eye reflects so very little light into visible pictures on its optic nerve. I love this idea, I do, but I do not believe this fits the human nature to conquer and usurp and, well, capitalize. The idea is very Ferngully, very Avatar, very, beautiful and, I think, unrealistic. Tell the companies they can make a mint through less resources and less cost of waste disposal and more consumption and maybe, just maybe, you could get this "streamline, waste less, poison less" idea into someone's boardroom and under their grant signing pen.

Resources:

TedTalk (2005). Janine Benyus: Biomimicry's surprising lessons from nature's engineers. Retrieved form http://www.ted.com/talks/janine_benyus_shares_nature_s_designs.html

Biomimicry 3.8 (2012). Janine Benyus. Retrieved from http://biomimicry.net/about/our-people/founders/janine-benyus/

Anthropology of Nature: Week 8 - 20131019

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

PHEW. Hello Journal!

We finished moving! WEEE! Now just... unpacking... ugh. It took me three boxes just to find my New Directions Anthropology textbook. :(

I found a weird plant I wanted to share with you. I use "found" loosely. It was in the local Publix, but I've never seen it before. At first glance I thought it might be some relation to the Poinsettia plant, because the older leaves went from the Chlorophyll-A photosynthetic leaves to a rich magenta-pink, just this side of red. (Go go anthocyanins!) I must have looked weird as I dug at the base of the plant to extract the title card. It didn't have a genus-species on it, but only "Euphoria Hybrid". There was a small piece broken off (not by me) so I took it with me.
I think I have found it online, though I misremembered the name. It's "Euphorbia". It is, in fact, hybridized with a Poinsettia. "Costafarms" calls it a "Pick Me Pink". It's delicate, can't be dried out or in direct sunlight, grows in our zone (10b) but requires monthly fertilizer (unless flowering). In other words, I'd kill it dead. Ah well.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 07 - 20131012

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature.

I never thought I could be so busy. Thou shalt not move while in student practicum, while taking 16 credits, while trying to make it through an honor society's New Member period (seriously, three mandatory meetings to fit in my already busy schedule? I'm a leader, not a miracle worker...), and definitely not while not sleeping. Counter-intuitive, that one should steal time to sleep to ensure that one has productive time. I had another migraine yesterday. Second one in a month, but the first two in almost 4 years. Just, sigh.
I do actually have something neat to talk about. I subscribe to National Science Teacher Association magazine and they had a piece on Seed Banks! It was back in the March issue, but I stack them up and go through them a page at a time, when I can steal that sort of time, so I only just found it. This interests me, dear reader, because I had chosen a TED talk on Norway's seed bank for an Anthropology assignment. Keen!

Banking on the Future: Seed bank investigations teach biodiversity and biocomplexity by Renee Clary and James Wandersee, published in the 2013 March issue of NSTA's The Science Teacher (the secondary science publication) talks about the need for seed banks, the existing seed banks already operating, and dispels some of the media myths about seed banks.

The five most common misconceptions about seed banks mentioned are:

Seeds kept in a so-called “doomsday vault” can “source” the replanting of a devastated and barren Earth.
Personally, I think this comes from people not being exposed to, or falling asleep during, the primary and secondary succession lectures of high school biology. Since I don't recall having that lecture in my high school, I'm not terribly surprised that more people my age and older (without higher education) wouldn't have heard about it.

All plant seeds can be “banked.”
This is false, because not all seeds can be banked. They specifically mention banana seeds!

Only in a global catastrophe will the banked seeds be used.
I think I believed this one. It turns out that the seeds will likely be dispersed once a year, as global catatrophes (like typhoons) destroy local seed crops and stashes.

Seed banks mainly store important plant seeds—those most valuable to the greatest number of people.
I think I addressed this one in my writing about seed banks. Though some banks only store agricultural crops, other store wild plants. Beyond that, seed it not turned down out of some perception of "value". The banks exist to achieve a scope beyond what we currently value, to protect what we have and conserve what we may need!

Seed banking is a one-time process.
This goes hand in hand with the previous notion, though I figured it would be a continuous process via never being able to complete the seed banks. The banks will need to be replenished as seed is dispersed after those afore-mentioned disasters. Also, apparently even freezing is not perfect, and the seeds will still die. Before that happens, they will be withdrawn and planted so they are not wasted, and their seeds harvested.
As a teaching magazine, it ends with a great idea for a classroom seed bank. I'd thought about doing one after reading about Svalbard's seed bank, but wasn't sure how to implement it. They already have some ideas for me! WEE!

As far as what I normally write about, I'll get back to it in a couple days, but I need need needed to get some of the things on my quest list (read, assignment list) knocked out by due dates.

Later Alligator!

• http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/4/tst13_080_03_66

Anthropology of Nature: TedTalk Seed Saving

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

2013 October 03
Seeds

1. How might such solutions, products, or knowledge change your life?
The 'product' in question is the Svalbard Global Seed Bank (1). The 'solution' offered by this product is the preservation of food-crop seeds through coordinated seed saving. The problem this solution address is the loss of agricultural biodiversity through climate change and mono-cropping. Mono-cropping is the agricultural process of growing just one type of plant. Usually this refers to growing only corn, season after season, instead of engaging in crop-rotation, but it also refers to growing just one type of that corn, usually one species.

This single-species monocropping is dangerous, even when not considering climate change. Diversity is the resource natural selection uses to make sure life continues. Consider the best known case of monocropping failure: Ireland's Great (Potato) Famine. Most have heard of it. One third of the farmers of Ireland grew one species of potato, but a fungus came and decimated this species of potato crop. Over a million people died of starvation, and a million more emigrated from Ireland (2). An example you might not have heard of, is the banana. Did you ever notice that banana-flavoring does not really taste like bananas? Well, it does. It tastes like the banana species that used to be common in US stores, the Gros Michel. A fungus wilt wiped out vast tracts of banana trees. After this catastrophe, growers switched to the Dwarf Cavendish, the species you eat today. All of the common bananas you have ever purchased from a United States grocery store are genetically identical. They are clones. They do not even have seeds; those tiny black spots in the banana are the remnants of what would develop into seeds in a wild plant.

The saving of seeds would prevent the extinction of crop species. Not only is there an intrinsic value in protecting the biodiversity of our environment, but this seed saving gives the human species options if climate change or blight makes us unable to grow the crops we currently subsist on.

2. What is innovative about the product or idea presented?
The Svalbard Global Seed Bank utilized an existing structure, an old mine, to create the bank itself. The facility takes advantage of the freezing landscape as natural refrigeration for the seed bank, as the best way to save seeds is to dry them and freeze them (1). Its purpose is not unique, as there other seedbanks, but their common goal is innovative: conserve something that is not actually being used, because the world might need it.

3. Why does the solution, products, or knowledge benefit the planet?
As stated, biodiversity gives us options. If every welsh sheepdog on the planet spontaneously perished, ranchers could turn to bearded collies to herd their stock. If your favorite pen dies, but you still need to write your paper, you turn to another pen even if the blue is not quite the same color, because you NEED to finish the paper. The stock NEEDS to be herded. Humans NEED agriculture. It is arguable that human civilization, as it stands now, only exists because of the development of agriculture. It makes sense to protect our future agriculture through the preservation of threatened species and conservation of redundant species.

4. How does the solution, products, or knowledge transform human-nature relationships?
The idea that agriculture is variable, that the foods we eat are not always available year round or in our hometowns, tends to only register in our minds when we see the cost of fruits and vegetables in the grocery store. Apples because less expensive in the fall, for example. The loss of biodiverstity profoundly affects humans by changing their environment; it changes what is available to them from their environment. Seed saving projects aim to prevent that by encouraging the view that we are part of this changing environment and can and will be affected by it, period. By promoting the knowledge of the need to save biodiversity, it promotes the notions of human-environment connectedness.

5. Identify possible pitfalls in the solutions, products, and knowledge presented.
The Svalbard Global Seed Bank actually only save agricultural crop species. Essentially, even in trying to save food plant biodiversity we are looking at food plants through a distinctly ethnocentric lens. Have Westerners stored seeds of the Balsam Apple vine? The plant is poisonous when ripe, but unripe cukes are edible, though bitter. It is arguable that no one facility or organization can save everything, so it is necessary to continue the idea with other seed banks that focus on saving other types. For example, the Millenium Seed Bank Project in Sussex, London, England, saves 'wild plant' seeds. They currently have the largest number of seed species, reaching one billion in April 2007. In October 2009, it reached its 10% goal of banking all the world's wild plant species by adding Musa itinerans, a wild banana, to its seed vault. As estimates for the number of seed bearing plant species have increased, the current 33,187 species that have been banked represent 11.06% of the global total (4). It could be argued that the Svalbard facility is actually the small focus facility for the Millennium project. Either way, redundancy is key, and that makes multiple seed banks, in multiple locations, necessary.

Resources
1. http://www.ted.com/talks/cary_fowler_one_seed_at_a_time_protecting_the_future_of_food.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Michel_banana
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Seed_Bank_Project

If you are really interested in the idea of seed saving, I can offer you two interesting works of Fiction that revolves around it. Treasure Planet, an animated movie based in a future that seems a lot like Treasure Island, and revolves around the discovery of a seed ark that could save the dwindling human species, and City of Pearl by Karen Traviss. The latter includes an interesting look at what could happen if agriculture becomes dominated by corporations and their trademarked crop species, but includes the discovery of a seek ark that could save Earth from these corporations.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 6 - 20131002 MY Nature...

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

Last week I wrote about the vine in my backyard. A couple days ago a group member of mine, who was raised on some islands rife with the vine, searched her memory for its name. It was only a short moment, but I offered "Balsam Apple", as quick as a blink she assured me "No, it's Cersei" (phonetic). "We use it," she continued" to treat [something, my apologies, I forget]. The image on her slide was the yellow egg-shaped ridged fruit on my vines, with tiny red pomegranate-seed-like-seeds poking out through a curled back end.

iLead Student Leadership Conference - Florida Atlantic University

Sep 28 - iLead Student Leadership Conference - Florida Atlantic University.

The iLead conference was a great experience for me. I hoped to collect leadership strategies that I could adapt or use in teaching. Some of the sessions were student-led, and some felt like they were thrown together at the last minute. Some where well developed, funny, and attention grabbing, but held little leadership content, other than "don't ignore anyone in the organization".

For me, the sessions that made it really worth it were the ones led by Ryan Penneau.

Penneau is a "college speaker" and founder of "Take Back College". His small session entailed Commitment, and cleverly caused the listener to draw upon an emotional response connected to a wronged loved one and led you to connect that emotion with commitments. It was very well done, and at that point felt like the only thing at the whole conference worth listening to.

Penneau turned out to be the end-Keynote speaker as well. He spoke again about commitment, but used his inexhaustive energies to model several methods for not only keeping everyone awake, but interested. He instructed us to embrace fear, to step out of the circle of safety, because "growth only occurs in moments of vulnerability". It was really an exciting and motivating experience.

I had the opportunity to speak with him after the conference. He is very approachable and friendly, and it was really a joy to meet him. I look forward to being one of the people that acts on their ideas and desires, instead of tucking them away to be forgotten. I will get something out of everything, and really, be the change I want to see in the world.

I do have one criticism about the conference, though. I had the option to select a vegetarian lunch when I registered for the conference, some time ago. The non-vegetarian lunch consisted of a ciabatta bread sandwich with turkey or roast beef, cheese, and lettuce. The bag contained a bag of chips, and Oreo cookies. I had to hunt for the "vegetarian bags" and found only a table with a few stacked side salads (containing ONLY spring mix greens) and a tub containing approximately 3 tablespoons of dressing. That's it. No cookies or chips, or even sliced vegetables to go on the salad. Honestly, if you are going to offer a vegetarian option well in advance, you should actually offer something. 50 calories worth of dressing on 20 calories of spring mix does NOT a lunch make. Very bad form.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 4 - 20130922

This blog entry is part of a project for the class Anthropology of Nature. 

Oh, what a week, what a week. I argue the validity of any claiming of humans at the top of the food chain; especially when I've spent so many days at the mercy of microorganisms. As it happens, I am still rather 'half-dead', and am going to 'wing it'.

I had two 'nature' encounters this week; one a strangely ironic farce (so fun though) and the other a combination supplication and stewardship...

Anthropology of Nature: Week 3 - 20130911

This blog entry is part of a project for a college course, Anthropology of Nature.

Some Class Reflections:

This week the class did Townsend presentations.

The ethnoecology group was very interesting. I had no idea that there were so many known language. I had heard about languages of indigenous people disappearing, and I think realizing that there are so many of them makes it so much more heartbreaking. I already think it's a crime that Latin isn't taught in more schools (pfft, 'dead language', Science isn't dead and knowing Latin would make deciphering science and so many romance languages so much easier!). How many ancient texts will we find in the future, and be unable to translate, because we force a peoples to speak English (historically, so we can then hand them a Bible and count them tithers)? I heard once that in childhood we destroy, burn, laugh, and in adulthood we repair, save, and mourn. Apparently that's true of ourselves as a species too.

I was amused with the Universal Dichotomy group. I'd seen many parallels to their information through my Women in Religion course, and even Abnormal Sexuality, but what really amused me was a big splat of irony. One female spoke about gender norms and how women tend to engage in self-restricting habits. While she was talking about women's equality and having us listen to No Doubt's "I'm Just a Girl" I couldn't stop staring at one of her images. A man, in business attire, playing at tug-of-war with a women in women's business attire, complete with open-toe-high-heels, the kind so high that you need an ankle strap. Talk about not being on equal footing. I took this image's place in her talk to be a sign of women successfully competing in today's world, and yet she mentioned self-restricting habits and uses THAT image. I desperately wanted to ask if she was aware of the irony.

The rest of the groups were pretty well done. I liked the Role of Religion in Agriculture group. The Water Temples of Dewi Danu and the rice system was fascinating. I enjoyed hearing about how the introduction of the Green Revolution damaged a working system. Not in a sadistic way, but in the "even when we try to save the world, we tamper with long-standing working models and force them to collapse" kind of way.
For our own presentation, I'm always terribly critical. It wasn't as interesting as some of the others, but then again we DID have to outline the steps of mining. I think I'll try for the more boring part of our topic next time and see if I can Teach it Up to the students: see if I can make it a little more engaging. I talked too much and too fast.

Observations of Environmental Anthropology in the Specimen "Me":

I realized that when I talk about environmentalism and what I think it is, I'm really talking about what I wish it was. I sat the MGSA club fest table today, for about an hour and a half, and heralded people in to us. I'm pretty good at that. I realized that when I was explaining what the group does I mentioned things that I had recommended we do (to the other group members at the first meeting). We have no plans for a Movie Night showing "Tapped" and then engaging in a talk/debate about water bottles and the low-regulation of their contents, and yet I mentioned it to at least two people. I hope I didn't misrepresent us too much. I don't want people to be let down if I can't swing that event. Does that make me an idealist, or simply an exaggerator? Boooo. :(

Ethnography of the South Floridian:


Sitting the table gave me a good opportunity to see what people thought of environmentalism, while I people watched. How much more Anthropology of Nature can one get? Answer? People don't want to put a lot of work in, but want results. Attend an environmental leadership conference for four days, paid by FAU? No thanks. Beach clean up? Maybe. Save the world by just changing a 2-second habit? Yea, that had the most people biting. Ah well. It's that sort of laziness that got us all into this situation anyway. Convenience here, free stuff we don't need there (says the girl who came home with a recycled paper notebook and a MGSA polo shirt, but hey, those are for 'work', right?). Le sigh.

Anthropology of Nature: Week 2 - 20130907

This blog entry is part of a project for a college course, Anthropology of Nature.

Some Class Reflections:

It was weird to have read the Milton chapters and felt like I completely grokked what was going on and what author was talking about and had absorbed the definitions and concepts, and then to have questions asked in class and realize I couldn't connect them to what I had read. It seems like it should be a simple question: "What is 'traditional'?" I offered an answer that it must somehow be connected with the author's concept of Ecosystem People vs Biosphere people (simple, local systems versus complex, global systems). It felt clumsy, for an answer, and was shot down. I shouldn't feel too bad, most of the rest of the class fumbled with it too. I think we came to the conclusion that 'Traditional' is a word that doesn't really mean anything. We tend to use it when referring to ethnic identity and habits, and apply some sort feel of indigeneity to it, but it's constructed. At least, that's the conclusion I came to.

Oh! I did find the Chapter 7 Townsend very interesting. (It's about the plight of a small Papua New Guinea tribe and issues resulting from large-scale mining near them.) Seriously last week I had an email from some indigenous-people's rights group talking about some IP tribes refusing to let a mining company use their area. I searched high and low in my email boxes, my browser histories, and just couldn't find it! UGH, it would have made SUCH a cool attachment to our presentation. "Look students! These fights are STILL going on!"

Observations of Environmental Anthropology in the Specimen "Me":

This week the Mission Green Student Association met for the first time of the semester. It was pretty cool! A couple new faces. So many people graduated though. Definitely need some new people. We talked about upcoming Green meetings and planned out personal goals (for ourselves within the club) and group goals (what we can help the group achieve). My latter goal is to try to bring in new environmentally-concious (or even curious) people, so I'm going to take the first step and announce the club in class. We're trying to get more interest in the FAU garden too, but from the way the Tortuga Trail seems to be ignored I'm not sure so many people will want to put actual work into a garden plot.

I find myself a little detached from things today, but probably because I've been nose-in-book all day. It rained, so I didn't get to spend as much time outside. I've just been so busy this week. I'm glad I made time for the meeting though. I wish I made time for some of my purposeful-reading; "The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw" is next on the list! Ah well.

Ethnography of the South Floridian:

Thursday's class occured the day after the MGSA meeting and I announced the MGSA table and club to the class as they were all packing up. I'm not sure most heard, and I'm sure most that heard didn't care (and are just there for their grade) but I did have two people interested. Funny, they are both people in my group. I did have one girl ask me about the beach cleanups, which was cool. I know that their attendance to a class with 'nature' in the name doesn't make them naturalists... well, ok, as anthropologists, they are, really, but, not non-human naturalist, heh. I didn't really have much chance to observe people this week. The second week of school overlapped with the beginning of my teaching practicum. The encounters in class and at club made me happier about the state of human-nature interaction though.

This entry feels thin. I'll have to try to make shorter entries more often, because I felt all revved up to write a few days ago, but I seem to have lost the content.


Instead I present some (smirk) naturalist observation about animal calls. Kinda.

*In case the embedding doesn't work, you can find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jofNR_WkoCE

Anthropology of Nature: Getting a feel for the Nature Journal...

This blog entry is part of a project for a college course, Anthropology of Nature.

Some Class Reflections:

When I was younger I wanted to be a forensic anthropologist. I thought it was amusing when the author, Townsend, of 'Pigs to Policies' all but rolled her eyes at the notion that people hearing the word 'anthropologist' first think "bones and bodies" or forensic anthropology. Though I was honestly more interested in the bodies than any kind of linguistics or archaeology (though I love reading about archaeology) and therefore steered myself more towards Biology.

I think I still would have been happy in anthropology. I like to gripe about disliking "humans" but when I first started going to college I took as much psychology and religion courses as I could. People told me they were separate fields, even the teachers said they weren't connected. I always felt that you couldn't describe history or culture or gender views or anything else without seeing the interplay of religion (really a summary word for "all of our superstitions and cultural habits woven into a single cord"). Combine that with how these people interact with the world around them and bam! Basically, anthropology. Still, probably not as much formaldehyde as I'd prefer. Cest la vie. Maybe, as a second bachelors somewhere along the way.

Observations of Environmental Anthropology in the Specimen "Me":

I'm very excited about the upcoming beach cleanup in September. I was super excited to get to announce it to the class. I don't think the email I tried to send through Blackboard worked, since it sent it to me, but I'll try again. I'd love to get more of these kids to go help out, even if it's basically two-point bribery. Maybe they'll see how fun it is.

I want to use this subheading to analyze how my views change about nature and my role in it. I've been everything from a dirt-worshipping tree-hugger to as lazy as the modern man can be (being guilty of throwing away food is probably the epitome of wealth and laziness). I'm currently somewhere in the middle. The courses I've taken for my environmental science degree have left me a little cynical about some staples of "environmental friendliness", like recycling. I still want to save the world though.

Ethnography of the South Floridian:

I want to use this subheading to record information, cultural-anthropologist-style, about South Floridians. Specifically, I want to pay closer attention to how they interact with their natural environment. This might take some "sit time" in various places, and maybe I can apply it to "how many students trashed recyclable paper" etc. I want to try to focus each week's information gathering along the class themes for that week. This week we mentioned Economic systems altering the human-nature intersection previously in place. We also mentioned food taboos and "witches", but since this isn't any sort of religion or gender course I'll try to leave those alone.

Water bottles. Easy target. As I wrote this a student used the pop machine next to me to buy a bottle of water. Besides the fact that they're less regulated than the tap water (do so much poorer than tap water in microbacterial tests and contaminant tests) and so much more expensive than the literally* free water here at the school, she shoved her paper money into the machine to purchase water that media (the shaper of culture for good or ill) told her was cleaner and more convenient than the drinking fountain. The plastic bottle will be drained (probably) and then discarded. Hopefully it gets deposited into a recycle bin, but so little of it gets recycled anyway (le sigh). The technology (basically a windowed refrigerator) combined with the media imperative to buy SAFE and CONVENIENT water, has drawn people away from the safe and convenient water fountains.

*Literally* I use this in the honest dictionary term, not the new dictionary term "for emphasis". To the student the water in the fountain is free. Bring a reusable cup or sturdy non-BPA bottle and you could have all the free water you want, and all of it backed by EPA's water quality tests (conducted every few minutes due to the rate at which is flows through the pipelines, dontchaknow)!


Hmm. I think I'll end the journal there. Otherwise it'll become a rant.

July Summary! (And Mars).

I got A's in both Geology and 'Environment and Society', which, in addition to my 3 A's from the beginning of summer, give me a 4.0 semester for five classes! I was exempted from my Environment Final (because I got 102% on the first midterm, 110% on the second, and 100% on both my papers). I didn't know they could do that, but I'm certainly happy about it!

EDIT UPDATE : I got a letter from the university telling me I earned President's Honor List for my 4.0! WOOHOO!

I'm registered for Fall, and that will be the end of my curriculum. I'll graduate when I finish the 6-Month independent teaching in Spring!

I'm currently studying for my last teaching certification, the Biology 6-12. I took the pretest and got a 70% on it (pre-studying) and 70% is the lowest passing percentage. I take the exam in a couple weeks and plan to knock it out of the park.

20130228 Gulf Specimen Marine Lab - Panacea Florida

The Gulf Specimen Marine Lab is tucked in among really nice seaside residences. A small front building contains the gift shop and a small office, while the aquariums are pretty much all outdoor or in open air tents.  They have several touch tanks with various  shell-life and horseshoe crabs (mating, I  might add), but some tanks were strictly  "no touch".  The marine lab is a working lab  and human interference in the experiments  means trying to account for the errors you introduce or injury you cause (via the  chemicals on your hands) or starting the entire experiment over from scratch. It was a really cool place.

They had a nurse shark pair and their calf. I think I had to take ten photos just to get one with one adult and the calf in the same shot. The parents swam in circles in the small-diameter of the tank (maybe ten feet). One stayed near the calf  nearly all the time, and following it when it swam off.

Allie is a Loggerhead Sea Turtle. They're endangered and are commonly rescued after being damaged by motorboats or swallowing fish hooks. Allie endured the latter. GSML removed her hook and rehabilitated the 250 pound, 50 year old, turtle so she could be released (which they did June 22, 2013).  It takes a lot of fish to feed a turtle that big, so the lab offers "adoptions" to fund her. I felt I had to, and earned a little "Certificate of Adoption" in thanks! Wee!

I got myself a Patch (my favorite kind of  souvenir) and just enjoyed all the very  neat wildlife! I loved this place!

Palm Beach Zoo - Safari Nights

Shane and I went to this special evening admission at the local zoo to see the animals when they're most active! We've been to the zoo before, and it's a GREAT zoo, but it's really hot in Florida. If I could sleep through the hottest part of the day and ignore all the screaming children, I probably would too.

We had a schedule to keep, so first went to see the Wings Over Water show. It was the same show they do during the day, but I always love it. ONE exception: Hunter the Eurasian Eagle Owl is back! He's been out for a while because of a foot fungus, but was back and ready for pictures. Is it weird that I know these things? I did get to see a Harris's Hawk, Austin, which was made extra cool because I'd just seen a little educational video on them the night before! During the WoW show the birds fly very close to you while the hosts tell you about the birds, their habitat, and how you can help preserve that habitat through little things. I always enjoy it.

We went to the Tiger Talks next. We've seen the three male tigers before, but I got to hear the very interesting talk about their habits and habitat, and watch the trainer show off some husbandry actions. This means that they have trained the tigers to display in certain ways, in exchange for treats, so they can check the health of their paws and belly etc. It was SO COOL hearing the tigers bark. I learned that the three males could never be reunited with their mother after being separated. Interesting.

We saw the Wild Things show, which I've never seen before. I saw two wild guinea fowl rampage around the stage, an ocelot walk on a leash, a young alligator, a BARN OWL land on the perch 6 inches above Shane's head (so close!) and a Hyacinth Macaw! Squee!

We went to the Jaguar Talk next/last. They've always been my favorite of the big cats but I still learned new things. I learned that mothers decide their kittens are ready to be on their own when they chase them up a tree and won't let them come down. Also, they have the strongest bite of any of the big cats though they are only the third largest. She talked about their stalking style of hunting, and threw fish in for her to pounce on. People asked why she didn't give it to Maya (the jaguar) through the fence, and Maya showed them why... Maya reached through the chain link fence farther than she ever had before (according to the trainer) and grabbed the trainer's ankle, pulling her the ground, and stealing her rubber boot. The trainer was unharmed, though embarrassed. They had to clear the area and feed the cat just to get the boot back! The whole trip was exciting! I love the Palm Beach Zoo!

FL reviewing the NGSS and YOU can help!

Hey Floridians!

The DoE has fairly quietly initiated a statewide public review of the Next Generation Science Standards. The period will last until the end of this month. The first thing we are asking each and every one of you to do is take some time to go to the review site and participate.

I've followed the development of the standards and they are good standards. These standards support all the things you expect science to support while provide excellent cross-cutting concepts to undercut the "I'll never use this" mentality.

If you're a Floridian, parent or not, teacher or not, this effects you. How and what students learn now effects YOUR future. So please, take a minute to either A: Peruse the standards and voice your opinion, or B: Yes, I'm ok with you taking my very responsible word in vouching for them, and selecting any grade level (I choose HS, of course) and clicking "Accept" under each of the subheadings, and "Approve" at the bottom.

If YOU don't take an interest in children's education, someone else will. 
Thank you.

The site to do so is: http://www.cpalms.org/standards/NGSS_Public_Opinion_Survey.aspx

If you'd like to become more familiar with the NGSS, you can check out their website: http://www.nextgenscience.org/.

You can also get a great overview of their purpose from this 6 minute video from BozemanBiology, a science teacher that posts student-friendly lectures on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9SrSBGDNfU

Test Anxiety: A quick note.

Test anxiety interferes with students performance in a variety of ways. For one, if a student has a panic attack at the beginning of the exam they seriously shorten the amount of time they have to complete said exam. Test anxiety is is characterized by four factors: tension, worry, test-irrelevant thinking, and bodily reactions (Nitko, 2011). Any of these are enough to interfere with performance on an exam. Bodily reactions like headaches, stomach-aches, or palpitations can make it very difficult to pay attention and recall information. If a student is preoccupied with external factors, such as how their parents will react if they bring home a bad grade, they are not focusing on the exam and that effects performance as well.

To address test anxiety a teacher's best defense is a good offense. Inform the students what the assessment covers, how long they will have, what format it's in, etc. Avoid telling students that an assessment is going to be “hard, difficult, etc”. Provide sincere and comprehensive feedback throughout the year so a student can work on their weaknesses. Dr. Nitko suggests frequent testing to improve performance in anxious students (Nitko, 2011) and arranging assessment tasks from easiest to hardest. Avoid placation like “you'll do fine” and “don't worry”. Instead address the students concerns by answering questions about content and reinforcing the areas they're worried about. During the assessment, try not to walk around and look over students' shoulders. Talking and interrupting the student is obviously a bad idea. Convey a sense of confidence about the students' performance on the exam (Nitko, 2011). If YOU think that the students will not do well, YOU did not do your job in preparing them.

Nitko, A. J. (2011). Educational Assessment of Students. (6^th Ed). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. 

Assessments Assessments Assessments!

In order to best prepare students for an upcoming assessment an educator must provide certain minimum information in order for those students to be able to perform at their best. By using multiple instructional techniques that result in enhanced test performance, that also reflects an increased mastery of the content domain, the validity of the score interpretation is not compromised (Coleman-Ferrell, 2013). Effective methods that fit these requirements include

• The date and time when the assessment will be given.
• The conditions under which it will be given. For instance, how long they have to take it; whether the exam will be in-class or take-home; whether it will be a “speed test” exam, and so forth.
• The content areas the assessment covers.
• The emphasis or weighting (point value) of content areas to be included on the assessment.
• The types of performance the student will have to demonstrate (the kinds of items on the test, the degree to which memory will be required.)
• The way the assessment will be scored and graded (e.g., will partial credit be given?).
• The importance of the particular assessment result in relation to decision about the students (e.g., it will count for 20% of the marking period grade) (Nitko, 2011).

According to Dr. Nitko's “Educational Assessment of Students” there exists necessary test-taking skills and how they should be taught to students. He outlines nine necessary skills:

• 1. Paying attention to oral and written directions and finding out the consequences of failing to follow them.
• 2. Asking how the assessment will be scores, how the individual tasks will be weighted into the total, and how many points will be deducted for wrong answers, misspellings, or poor grammar.
• 3. Writing their responses or marking answers neatly to avoid lowered scored because of poor penmanship or mismarked answers.
• 4. Studying throughout the course and in paced reviewing to reduce cramming and fatigue.
• 5. Using assessment time wisely so that all tasks are completed within the given time.
• 6. Using their partial knowledge and guessing appropriately
• 7. Reflecting, outlining, and organizing answers to essays before writing; using an appropriate amount of time for each essay.
• 8. Checking the marks they make on the separate answer sheets to avoid mismatching or losing one's place when an item is omitted.
• 9. Reviewing their answers to the tasks and changing answers if they can make a better response. (Nitko, 2011).

Schools that use standardized educational survey tests that have been developed using empirical research benefit from a high level of standardization and usually reliability and validity. Multilevel survey batteries will assess the assessment for content and learning targets covered, reliability data, and bias screenings. These assessments will have two equivalent forms and permit both in-level and out-of-level testing. That is, the assessment is given to students who are both in and out of the grade level appropriate for the assessment. A student Is measured best when a test is tailored to the student's functioning level (Nitko, 2011).

There is a certain benefit to using the tests that come with curriculum materials. Namely, the topics in the tests closely match the material that is being taught. They are convenient and little alteration needs to be done to have them ready for student use. Unfortunately the quality of assessments that come with curriculum material is usually poor (Nitko, 2011). Dr. Nitko states that text-series authors are seldom proficient in assessment development and that the editorial staff probably do not edit the questions for technical correctness or appropriate rigor (Nitko, 2011). Accompanying assessments must be looked over carefully and checked for completeness, to be sure the questions make sense, and to adjust tasks that may be too hard or too easy. Do not forget to make sure the sure the questions match the objectives you are teaching!

Teachers can write their own assessments, of course, but this also has pros and cons. The obvious benefits of writing one's own questions is knowing that the tasks match the objectives and what is being taught in class. Tests teachers write for themselves risk poor reliability however. Unless the teacher has had time to try the assessment previously and assess the item difficulties and consistency of scores the teacher risks giving an assessment they may have to adjust for later depending on the students' overall performance.

Personally, I support standardized testing to a large degree and yet wish it was not such a large part of student assessment. I feel it is hard enough on students to struggle in a national economy and global job market when the schools cannot agree on even content standards. Standardized tests represent the baseline that students must meet or exceed in order to, supposedly, do well after they have graduated a certain grade level. However, there are so many failings in standardized tests. They cannot possibly assess all the cognitive levels and reach students of all different learning styles. They test largely fact retention; training hordes of academic Trivial Pursuit players who are terrified when confronted with public speaking, mathematicians who do not understand the question unless a formula has been provided, and historians who know which battles were certainly NOT fought at a particular time but not quite which ones were.

I dream of those project based curricula that guide students in the ways of the real world. Students completing projects and applying knowledge drawn from more than one class to solve problems and never again complain “I will never ever use what I learned in this class again!” Alas, it cannot be. Even those schools who use performance based assessment still must adhere to standardization in order to prove the objectives have been met. I am rather okay with that. Until all schools are created equal, standardization is the tool that ensures they at least pretend to be.

References:

Coleman-Ferrell, T. (2013). Standardized Achievement Tests in the Era of High-Stakes Assessment (Slides). Retrieved from www.Blackboard.com.

Ellis, K. (2002). Comprehensive Assessment: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/comprehensive-assessment-overview-video

Nitko, A. J. (2011). Educational Assessment of Students. (6th Ed). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Microsoft Free Clipart. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=exam&ex=1#ai:MP900402266|

Cradle to Prison Pipeline (Opinion Piece)

Preface: I was asked to write a piece on teaching and the Culture of Discrimination using the "Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign" and another video (referenced). This work is what resulted. Though it is riddled with statistics it is an opinion piece and has not been constructed as an educational tool as most of my other blogs have. The content of this piece contains a history of racism and may offend some readers. Please take that into consideration. (However, there are no racial epithets. This piece is "safe for work".)

First I would like to offer my emotional response to the video "Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign", from the Louisiana Summit by the Children's Defense Fund in 2012. I realize that I never learned about the period of history talked about in the video. I was not educated on "Jim Crow" laws, though I had heard the term before. The notion that these laws were written and created for the purpose of driving black men into prisons to be rented out to the same jobs they did as slaves, strikes me as so outrageous and ridiculous... by my twentieth century mindset. My first response is outrage on behalf of the black population at the time. Mr. Ronald Mason, President of the Southern University system, teaches that after the Jim Crow laws were abolished the War on Drugs served the purpose of jailing impoverished black men even more effectively (Children's Defense Fund, 2012 Nov 7). According to Mr. Mason 70% of the jailed population of Louisiana is black and 90% of those persons are men. The Children's Defense Fund (2009) states that in America a black boy born in 2001 has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime; a White boy a 1 in 17 chance. A black girl born in 2001 has a 1 in 17 chance of going to prison in her lifetime; and a White girl a 1 in 111 chance. There is no scientific evidence that black people are genetically predisposed to make bad decisions, so the answer must lie in the American justice system and culture (Children's Defense Fund, 2012 Nov 7).

As a female and a feminist I feel the exclusion of the black female statistic, though I understand that that 90% of jailed blacks are men is significant. In the September/October 2012 issue of "Humanist" it is noted that "despite being less than 9 percent of the U.S. population, black women are the largest segment of the skyrocketing female prison population." "And colorism plays a role in black female sentencing and incarceration rates as well. According to a recent study done in North Carolina prisons, dark-skinned black women were more likely to receive and serve longer sentences than lighter-skinned black women (Hutchison, 2012)." Though feminism and female black imprisonment may seem a separate topic to the Southern University System it is a symptom of the same sickness: the War on Drugs, "suspension and expulsion policies that fuel the school-to-prison pipeline" (Hutchinson, 2012), and a religious culture of negotiated subservience to "morality" in an attempt to offset an overwhelming cultural representation of the hypersexualized black female "role model" (Hutchinson, 2012). I feel that the black female cannot be excluded in this conversation as it seems she has been. All of my following work will be in the view of the "black race", not the "black male", including but not limited to my postulates for solutions.

I asked myself what I, as a future science teacher, can do to protect my students from this culture of discrimination; how can I equip them to defend against a system that seems to be stacked against them? I imagine myself saying "Do cops pull over people of color? Join the police force, be the cop and change why traffic stops happen. Do judges sentence black people more harshly? Be the judge, and sentence people fairly according to the scope of their crime. Be the change you want to see in the world! I felt that people didn't get an appropriate emphasis on science and math in school, so I became a science teacher." Mr. Mason mirrors my sentiment. "What can the Southern University System do for the United States? 1. Increase the number of black [omitted]* bachelor degree graduates. 2. Increase the number of black teachers. 3. Bring truth about the relationships with black [people]** in America. 4. Establish historically black universities as bases for long term systematic change. (Children's Defense Fund, 2012 Oct 7). Immediately curious about why the bases had to be "historically black" if we, as advocates, are trying to bring about racial equality, Mr. Mason says that black universities historically are specifically designed to promote black interest against the system of oppression (Children's Defense Fund, 2012 Oct 7).

School is supposed to be a place to learn how to think critically, to respond instead of react, to prepare to enter academia and the real world with a desire to improve it while enjoying our lives. So many things in the current cultures are stacked against people that are non-white, impoverished, female, disabled, or outside of the local religion... Teachers are the guides of education and end up being the ones that weave global culture through what they permit, omit, and emphasize. If teachers cannot change the parents and their bias, or save the world today, we can equip students with the desire, drive, and tools to change it for themselves and their own children.

End note: I watched Public School Prepares you for Prison Life, by TheAlexJonesChannel and agree that a school throwing children in prison, even for an hour, for minor infractions is a violation of human rights, a striking example of mental torture and abuse, and the indoctrination of the "why bother" mentality associated with the culture of discrimination. However, I could not finish the rest of the video (I stopped at 11:26, and wish I had stopped sooner). I was not dressed appropriately to attend such profound discourse: I forgot my tinfoil hat.


*Omission: The word "male" was omitted in deference to gender equality in education and advocacy.
**The word "men" has been changed to "people" in deference to gender equality.


References:

Children's Defense Fund (2009). Cradle to Prison Pipeline Campaign. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/cradle-prison-pipeline-summary-report.pdf

Children's Defense Fund (2012). CRADLE TO PRISON PIPELINE® CAMPAIGN. Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/programs-campaigns/cradle-to-prison-pipeline/

Children's Defense Fund (2012 Nov 7). Cradle to Prison Pipeline Lousisiana Summit. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eZD0BozS-s

Hutchinson, R. (2012). The “Return” of the Welfare Queens: Feminism, Secularism, and Anti-Racism. /Humanist/ (September/October 2012). 19-20.

TheAlexJonesChannel (2012, Oct 30). Public School Prepares You for Prison Life. [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZv0WgV2oMc

Teaching Moment: Maria Sibylla Merian's 366th Birthday

Teaching Moment!

Today's Google Doodle is a very pretty figure with leaves and animals. The hovertext proclaims April 2 as "Maria Sibylla Merian's 366th Birthday".

Wasserskorpion, Frösche, Kaulquappen
und Wasserhyazinthe
Amsterdam 1705

Wikipedia says Maria Sibylla Merian was a naturalist and scientific illustrator who studied plants and insects and made detailed paintings about them. She was born in 1647 in Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire (now in Germany) and received her artistic training from her stepfather Jacob Marrel, who was a still life painter.


When she was 52 she traveled to the Surinam jungle in South America to understand metamorphosis in as many species as possible. There she discovered a new species, but was known to have huge trees cut down just to collect the insects. (Not a very eco-friendly tactic, from a modern point of view).

She published her major work "Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium", containing her careful observations and documentation of the metamorphosis of the butterfly, and is considered the most significant contributors to the field of entomology (the study of insects).

 Though it was difficult for women to work in science during Medieval times, during the 16th and 17th centuries of the Scientific Revolution women could work in science Germany. There, the tradition of female participation in craft production enabled some women to become involved in observational science, especially astronomy. Between 1650 and 1710, women made up 14% of all German astronomers.

Still, according to Michon Scott "Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium was often judged harshly during the 19th century. Merian was occasionally criticized for depicting insects on plants they didn't inhabit, but she explained that she didn't want to show the same plant again and again. One picture that drew particular scorn showed the murder of a hummingbird by a wretched tarantula. Reverend Lansdown Guilding, who, in the words of one historian, "never set foot in Surinam," called the plate "entomological caricature." What upset him, besides the bird-killing spider, was the depiction of ants building bridges with their bodies — a process that surprises no one today" (Scott 2011).

For more information check out a biography on her, like Kim Todd's Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis. I know I will!

Classroom Management

Rules and procedures are stated expectations about behavior in the classroom (Santrock). Rules in the classroom are designed to promote student efficiency, minimize distractions, and keep everyone safe. Rules are a social contract between teacher and students (and the school and society) so that each party understands what is expected of them. When students understand what sorts of things will not be tolerated by the teacher the number of corrective interjections is reduced and the classroom's overall environment is more positive one.

An authoritarian classroom management style is restrictive and focuses on order in the classroom rather than learning (Willems 2013). It limits verbal exchange since the teacher is seeking compliance over comprehension. This style ends up being a detriment to students. The students become passive learners and fail to initiate activites or ask many questions. According to Dr. MacKenzie, some students may respond to authoritarian management with rebellion and actively clash with the teacher (MacKenzie 2003).

The permissive classroom management style is characterized by the instructor giving the students considerable leeway in how they conduct themselves and setting few limits. The students end up with little support and inadequate academic skills. The style reinforces immediate gratification and promotes low self control (Willems 2013).

Even worse is a style best described as flip-flopping. If a permissive teacher gets "fed up" with the behavior of the students they may attempt to "crack down" on the class as a whole or by choosing a student to set an example upon. This style also incites student rebellion as their normal mode of operation is with every freedom until the teacher suddenly switches gears. The students may attempt to bait the teacher to find the limit of patience. This style is associated with teachers who set rules but frequently "make exceptions" or give too many warnings without concrete repercussions. The students learn what they can get away with, instead of learning the curriculum (MacKenzie 2003).

An authoritative classroom management style is the most effective and desirable of management styles. The teacher sets firm rules that are clearly presented and reminded. They display a caring attitude towards the students and promote academic success without being "easy" (MacKenzie 2003). These teachers advocate teacher-student interaction. The students learn to be self-reliant and well-adjusted. They understand that the teacher has high expectations but will help them to achieve those goals. They culture high self-esteem and learn to delay gratification (Willems 2013).

Teacher "with-it-ness" is described as a teacher's ability to keep students cognitively engaged in learning tasks and aware of all the important happenings in the classroom (Willems 2013). To be an effective teacher one needs to be able to notice misbehavior from across the room and have a system in place to desist those behaviors with as little class disruption as possible. Effective teacher "with-it-ness" is characterized by a smoothness and momentum of instruction: being able to address several topics or level of comprehension at one time in order to maximize scaffolding for all students. These teachers can keep students focused and their students enjoy minimal distractions, task variety, and personal accountability (Willems 2013).

A classroom's physical space should be organized to maximize efficiency and promote a positive mindset. If the students usually engage in group activities in the middle of the classroom, setting the desks up in rows that needed to be moved before and after each class session would use up precious class time and invite diversion. The area where teachers are mostly likely to interact with students is the "action zone". In a row-style  setup this area is typically the students seated "front and center", literally, the students in the front and center rows (Santrock 2011).

In personalizing a classroom's arrangement the teacher can involve the students decide on the most effective arrangement style. An auditorium style fan of desks gives each student an equal view of the board, inhibits face-to-face student contact, and is ideal for lectures (Santrock). Seminar, offset, and clustered desks promote student interaction and cooperation, though sacrificing some teacher accessibility and view. Most "face-to-face" style arrangements have the same benefits and limitations as the previous three but can be arranged around a center space for the teacher. This substyle mimics the regular "rows" setup while grouping the students into smaller sections to promote cooperation, but still sacrifice a comfortable view of the blackboard.

Behavioristic strategies of classroom management  rely on behavior modification and the use of reinforcement or punishment (Willems 2013). A contingency contract is a mutually agreed upon contract that outlines the consequences of student behavior (Willems 2013) and can easily be distributed with the syllabus. The students are made aware of what is expected of them and can be reminded of their contract throughout the school year to reinforce the sense of duty. Positive reinforcement such as an economy system of tokens or cumulative free time offers something every student can work towards. It is probably best not to use extra credit as the reward token to keep average-performing students from complaining that "the ones who do not need the points are the ones that get it". If the tokens benefit the whole class, however, there may be less incentive for every student to participate and result in "coat-tailing".

To desist misbehavior the most effective system for high school is probably the "Punishment I", aversion stimuli (aka negative consequence) behavior modification. Serious downsides are inherent in this method. Punishment can satisfy a need for attention and model aggression (Willems 2013). Punishment does not teach correct behavior and it only a temporary solution with the possibility of long-lasting negative emotions.

Minor interventions of negative behaviors can be as simple as the teacher shaking their head or pressing a finger to their lips (Santrock 2011). Moderate interventions include punishments such as withholding a privilege or isolating the student (Santrock 2011). It is important to "make the punishment fit the crime", at least in scope. Punishing a student with lunch detention for talking out of turn in class could be seen as "lashing out" and overall promotes hurt feelings without actually correcting any behavior.

To guard against over-reacting in the classroom a teacher should work on developing a sense of high self efficacy, or the belief that one can master a situation and produce positive outcomes (Santrock 2011). Teachers with high self-efficacy tend to see themselves as good teachers and promote high self-efficacy in their students. However, teachers with high self efficacy are at risk for believing that other teachers are generally less effective than themselves, perceiving them with low general efficacy (Willems 2013). Teachers with low self efficacy may see every minor problem as a major problem, miring themselves in classroom management corrections and detracting from the curriculum (Santrock 2011). Therefore, how a teacher perceives their efficacy can have serious consequences on classroom management and student achievement.

Parents are a valuable resource when it comes to finding ways to motivate students and keep them on track. Teachers can use parent-teacher-conferences to correct major misbehavior or serious academic problems, but students may feel as if they do not have any control over what happens to them if the teacher goes straight to the parents without trying to work out issues with the student first. Parent involvement is not without its drawbacks. If a parent is authoritarian in the home they may persist in trying to control the student while at school, through frequently emailing the teacher or or even disagreeing with methods used by the teacher to correct behaviors in class. Making parents feel welcome in the classroom and feel a part of their student's education (because they are) can help alleviate stress for both the student and their family. By involving the parents from the beginning through an open-house day or even asking for a parent signature on the syllabus the parents become part of the learning and classroom management process. Attempting to keep an open communication with the parents through email or newsletters helps keep abreast of student assignments without having to hound their child. Communication can also help parents set aside anxieties about their teacher and the curriculum by seeing the teacher be actively involved and caring for the child.


References:

Epstein, J. L. (2000). Epsteinís Six Types of Parent Involvement. Retrieved from http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprevention/download/pdf/Abreviated%20Epstein.pdf

MacKenzie R. J. (2003). Setting Limits in the Classroom: How to Move Beyond the Dance of Discipline in Today's Classrooms. Three Rivers Press.

Microsoft Free Clipart. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=angry&ex=1#ai:MC900441568|

Willems P. (2013). Classroom Management (Slides). Retrieved from www.Blackboard.com

Psychology and Motivation

Motivation is that which propels a person to put effort into a task. Motivation can come from internal interest and desire or from external rewards or requirements. Students who have high interest and a reasonable challenge may find themselves highly motivated towards learning and have high achievement. Students with low interest or too great a challenge will not be supported sufficient internal motivation to highly achieve in the academic task. Students can be motivated externally by rewards or requirements but there is a risk that the achievement will become solely tied to the reward and interest and intrinsic (internal) motivation will be low. This sort of motivation can result in low quality work or "just enough" achievement. It is important to try to reinforce intrinsic motivation and use extrinsic (external) motivation sparingly. A student with only extrinsic motivation will not achieve highly, and if they attempt to due to requirement, may be met with anxiety or burnout. A student intrinsically motivated will be more likely to keep themselves on task and complete higher quality work because they want to put more effort into the task in order to receive enjoyment and emotional reward!

Weiner's attribution theory states that individuals are motivated to discover the attributions (perceived causes of outcomes) of their own performance and behavior (Santrock 2011). In other words, when something happens to them as a result of something they did, they ask why. If a student gets a bad grade on a test they are not content with knowing their grade, they want feedback. They want to know what they did poorly on, they want to know "what they did or did not do" to get a bad grade (hopefully in order to correct it). The student will come to a causal conclusion based on their perceptions of a situation and their combination of causal attributions. According to Weiner there are three dimensions to attributions: locus (they are the cause, or something else of the cause), stability (the extent to which the cause remains the same or changes), and controllability (the extent to which the individual can control the cause). A student with a set of causal attributions described as "internal-stable-uncontrollable" may conclude that they are simply not smart enough to take the exam properly. A student with "internal-stable-controllable" causal attributions may blame themselves for "never studying". Students with "external-stable-controllable" attributions may blame the teacher for being biased, and "external-unstable-controllable" attributions may cause the student to blame their friends for not helping them enough!

A student that thinks the reason they do poorly is because the teacher does not like them has an external locus of control. This attribution is stable: they blame something that can consistently be the cause (as opposed to an unstable cause like bad luck). They student does have control of the situation and the cause, either in their method of test preparation (or lack thereof). A teacher can attempt to change these attributions by identifying them and then working with the student to move their locus of control into their own hands. Giving a student the tools and scaffolding to succeed gives them control; whether or not they use that material comes down to motivation.

According to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs a human being's needs must be satisfied in a particular sequence. A human being must first have adequate food, sleep, and water. Without these the human does not function. Next the human being requires safety. This can come in the form of a home or shelter, or protection from physical harm within those structures. Without these the human cannot have love and belongingness, which is the next set of needs. A human being needs affection and community. Once these are achieved the human can progress to have self-esteem. From this point in the hierarchy it is easy to see how failings in any of the previous tiers preclude people from having self esteem. A hungry child cannot feel safe. An abused child cannot readily feel love. A lonely child cannot achieve positive self-esteem. Without all this a human cannot realize one's potential and reach the top tier, "self actualization".

A teacher can work to give students the motivation to self-actualize and realize their potential in the classroom via extrinsic motivation, but must first understand what kind of motivation orientation the student has. According to Developmental psychologists children can display "helpless orientation" and seem trapped by their perceived lack of ability. They may frequently say things like "I'm not very good at this" even though they may have demonstrated success in the task previously (Santrock 2011). Students may have "performance orientation" and be focused on the outcome of their actions or abilities. These students believe that success results from winning. "Mastery oriented" students may be self-motivation students that attack tasks analytically and are happily challenged by difficult tasks instead of feeling overwhelmed by them. Students may exhibit combinations of these orientations. For example, I recognize that I have both mastery and helpless orientation. I organize difficult challenges for myself, analyzing how and when I could complete them, and am excited as much by the planning process and execution as the result. However, less than significant setbacks result in my shying away. This chapter particularly struck me as it almost seems my key phrase is "I'm just not very good at this". It became a crutch when I was younger and I still work on it today. Examples of this orientation mix litter my house in minor ways, in the form of unfinished sewing projects, half filled puzzle books, abandoned roller blades, etc. I started the project, excited by something new and difficult (freehand embroidery, let's say) and when I made a mistake that would require me to undo almost an hour of stitching, I put it away and declared myself a poor embroiderer. I have not gotten completely away from the helpless orientation but I am actively working on it.



References:
Microsoft Free Clipart. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?qu=motivation&ex=2
Santrock, John W. (2011) Educational Psychology. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Willems, Patricia. (2006) Educational Psychology Casebook. Pearson Education, Inc.
Willems, Patricia. (2013) Motivation (Slides). Retrieved from www.Blackboard.com.