This month's columns include:

• Teaching Error Analysis and Troubleshooting
• A New Team Role: Research and AI Tech
• AI Transformation Method Black Belt Training Program ($2,100 discount!)
• What's My Motivation?
• Monthly Self-Growth Tip: How Growth Goals Work
• Contextualizing Learning Skills

Not only do we make mistakes when we learn, but our mistakes can be the source of our greatest learning. The trick is figuring out WHY and HOW we made a specific mistake.

In the Student Success Toolbox, we offer the OOPS! form: Addressing and Avoiding Errors (an excerpt of this form is shown below).

The steps in this form guide a user through a relatively complex metacognitive bit of reasoning from identifying the error to determining where the error tends to occur, through to not only correction of the specific error, but thinking ahead and planning for how to avoid making the same kind of error in future.

One of the real strengths of this process is that it is student-driven and therefore still guided discovery learning with the learner in charge. While we initially created this form for use specifically for students lower division courses, there really is no limit to where and how it can be used both within and outside of any classroom!

We invite you to preview the Student Success Toolbox.

It can be ordered as a

digital download for $8.00

or in print for $15.75 per copy (available to bookstores for less)

Adoption of the print version includes semester-long access to a companion website for instructor and students that includes everything shown here (not quite "and the kitchen sink" but close!).

Stepping beyond error analysis, at a higher level of learning and much more puzzle-like, is our innovation to include a Troubleshooting section for each activity in Quantitative Reasoning and Problem Solving.

This feature offers students an observer’s view of a problem solved by a fictional student (see the example below). This is a small instance of problem-based learning and asks the student to bring all they’ve learned to the table in an effort to first identify the error and then to go on to solve it. We did all we could to make the scenarios realistic (real world problems!) and to script errors that are typical of the errors students make, given the focus of each activity. This gives student a real challenge and wonderful opportunity to build their problem solving skills.

We heartily recommend incorporating troubleshooting as an approach to problem solving and would be remiss if we didn’t point out that adoption of the Student Success Toolbox includes access to the following:

• Rubric for Problem Solving
• Problem Solving Methodology (and example)
• Applying the Problem Solving Methodology (form)
• Addressing & Avoiding Errors (form)
• Profile of a Strong Problem Solver
• Learning Skills for Problem Solving (list)
• Concept Map (blank form with prompts)

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly finding its place in college and university classrooms (not to mention the workplace!), we have added a cooperative learning team role: Research & AI Tech. Here is that role card, including its performance criteria.

Speaking of AI, we have been authorized to share a very special offer: $2,100 off the AI Mastery Course “AI Transformation Method™ Black Belt” training Program

from Leading with AI.

Course Start: October 2, 2024 at 6:00-7:30 p.m. ET.

Course Delivery: Nine, 1.5-hour weekly live Zoom calls and Q&A.

Enroll now and pay only $400 (instead of $2,500!).

Discount code: AIBLACKBELTPCREST

Schedule:

Week 1: Grey Belt - Introduction to the AI Transformation Method™ Black Belt

Week 2: White Belt - Getting Comfortable With The Base Model Tools

Week 3: Yellow Belt - Using AI In Your Role

Week 4: Orange Belt - Using AI As A Cognitive Super Assistant

Week 5: Green Belt - Building AI Assistants

Week 6: Blue Belt - Building 100X Tools

Week 7: Purple Belt - Exploring The Future of Your Role

Week 8: Brown Belt - Working With AI Agents

Week 9: Black Belt - Automation and API

Course Highlights

• Modular and Gamified Learning: Progress through levels from White Belt to Black Belt.
• Expert-Led Sessions: Nine 1.5-hour weekly live Zoom classes and interactive Q&A.
• Flexible Learning: Can't make the scheduled class? Access recorded sessions anytime, anywhere.
• Personalized Approach: Tailor the course to your specific role and industry.

Course Benefits (Real World Benefits)

• ​Immediate Impact: Implement AI strategies that can boost your ROI by 10X, 100X, or even 1,000X.
• Certification: Earn an AI Transformation Method™ Black Belt to validate your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• Increased Efficiency: Discover how to save time and effort with AI-enhanced workflows.
• Leadership: Learn to design and lead AI strategies within your organization.
• Networking: Connect with industry professionals and experts. 

From Leading with AI

(Dr. Grady Batchelor, AI strategist, AI business coach and consultant, educator, and keynote speaker)

https://www.leadingwithai.com/ai-black-belt-training

What's

My Motivation?

This is the stereotypical phrase that the would-be actor asks the director in order to breathe life into the character. What motivates this character? What makes them tick? What matters to them? If an actor knows what motivates a character, they can deduce that character’s values and act accordingly.

“What’s MY motivation?” is a question we ask ourselves all too infrequently. Our values and passions are among our strongest and most lasting motivators, but few people, if asked, can easily articulate what their most important values and passions are.

There are three general types of motives a person can have: biological, social, and personal.

Biological motives have to do with keeping the body in homeostasis (balance); we fix thirst by drinking, hunger with eating, and so on. Our bodies breathe because they require oxygen. Biological motives generally don’t require our attention unless we are unable to achieve homeostasis, such as if we’re starving or overeating, both of which indicate a lack of balance.

Social motives are those centered in or held by a group. The easiest way to find out the motives of a society or social group are to look at its rules or laws. The DOs and DON’Ts of a social group tell us what matters to the group—its values. In order to ensure that members of the group observe these values, the group applies pressure on its members, most often in the form of punishment, which discourages actions, and reward or incentives, which encourage actions.

If the law says the speed limit in front of a school is 20 mph, we can deduce that keeping children safe is the value protected by that law, and that the goal is for the society to practice that value by upholding that law. If you’re caught going 50 mph in the school zone, you’ll be stopped and given a ticket (at the very least). This is a punishment for breaking the law. As a member of society, you already know that driving over the speed limit is an action that the society will punish; knowing this potential punishment is likely what makes most drivers obey the posted 20 mph speed limit. We are motivated to obey the law in order to avoid the punishment. In addition to the potential punishment, there are also rewards or incentives for driving safely. Many insurance companies offer reduced rates for drivers who have clean driving records (no speeding tickets). The reward of saving money may be what motivates some drivers to obey the law.

In both cases, where drivers follow the speed limit either to avoid punishment or to earn a reward, the motivation is extrinsic: an individual’s behavior is based on an outside influence.

But what if you’re a parent? Perhaps, then, you drive no faster than 20 mph because you want to do what you can to keep your children (and children in general) safe from being hit by your car. Maybe you even know that the survival rate of a child struck by a car going 20 mph is a great deal higher than if the car is going even 30 mph, and drive with that fact in mind. The value at work here is the same: keeping children safe. But the motives here are not based on reward or punishment by the social group; they are personal motives. As a result, the motivation for these individuals is intrinsic: behavior is based on personal values (or goals, aspirations, attitudes, and interests).

Because we are all members of many different social groups, all of which have values (and therefore rules or laws which members of the group should follow), we are all accustomed to being motivated by the threat of punishment and the idea of reward. This is often called the carrot and stick model. While carrots might not seem like much of a reward, the model is based on how to motivate a horse (and horses love carrots!):

Literally thousands of books and articles have been written on how to manage and motivate people, arguing for the carrot, the stick, and various combinations of the two. We even have models of how to manage and motivate ourselves that are based on the carrot and stick (reward and punishment) model. Consider the following:

• If I finish grading this stack of student assignments tonight, I’ll reward myself with ice cream for dessert.
• If I don’t finish grading this stack of student assignments tonight, I’ll stay home this weekend instead of going to the farmer’s market with friends.

While rewards and punishment are usually extrinsic and used for social motives, we are perfectly capable of using the carrot and stick on ourselves, offering ourselves rewards and threatening ourselves with punishments to motivate us to do things we don’t otherwise want to do!

Similarly, while intrinsic motivation is usually based on personal motives, individuals, like the parent who is motivated by the safety of children, can hold values that we might call social. The valuing of family, friendships, and even social groups can still be intrinsically motivating. The key is why we act.

When we can identify that, it becomes possible to make useful changes in ourselves and to more thoughtfully deal with, or even just understand, the reasoning behind the actions of others.

How Growth

Goals Work

Picture a Slinky doing its thing down a flight of stairs. If you start it right and conditions are good, the Slinky will go from the top step to the bottom before stopping. All it required was a strong send-off, the constant pull of gravity (motivation), and an unobstructed path.

And so it is with many of the typical achievement-type goals we set for ourselves. If we make a strong start, have constant motivation, and nothing gets in our way, we can achieve those goals. Easy-peasy.

Growth goals are different. They’re more like a Slinky on an escalator. There isn’t an end to the growing we can do. The more we grow, the more we CAN grow, because our capacity for growth increases. And the more we grow, the more motivated we are to grow. Growth is self-sustaining!

The trick is, instead of a goal to achieve X, we can set a growth goal that increases our capacity to perform in area Y (which X is a part of). We’ll achieve X even while we’re focusing on growing in area Y.

For example, if achievement X is running in a 5km race, growth goal Y might be running competitively.

While we’re focused on growing as a competitive runner, we can run in a 5km race. Unlocking specific achievements are experiences worthy of note (and possibly celebration) during our growth as a competitive runner but they aren’t the end of that growth. Nor do we want them to be!

Our growth is what motivates us to continue growing!

Measuring: producing accurate and precise readings from an instrument

Note that HOME is written with little kids in mind, ARTS for Liberal Arts courses,

STEM for those courses, and IDEA for groups of all ages (family or friends).

Use timers, thermometers, scales, rulers, and so on to let little ones start exploring measurement of different things. Note their results for them and share them in fun ways: The tallest stuffed animal, the heaviest shoes, the warmest drink, etc. An important idea regarding measuring is WHAT we measure...

Should we measure what is EASY to measure or what is IMPORTANT to measure? Lead little ones in that direction with fun questions: “What’s the most important thing to measure with Superman?” or “If you could fly, what things would be most important for you to measure?”

Remember that counting is measuring too! So poetry and its rules of syllables and lines is perfectly amenable to measurement. The different writing styles of authors can be approached from a measurement angle as well: what is the average length of a sentence in Hemingway or Cormac McCarthy versus DH Lawrence or Charles Dickens?

What about a count of adjectives or adverbs per paragraph? What does that mean in terms of style? More broadly, how do we go about measuring quality in a literary essay or piece of journalism? What about measuring historical impact or the quality of a historical recording? All of these are important questions that humanities students should grapple with. A good discussion can be had in any philosophy classroom about measuring IQ or the impact of art on culture. Measuring isn’t only about performing a measurement, but also about determining the tool to use. Some fields in the humanities (sociology, psychology, and anthropology, for example) have all become much more dependent on measurement and objective metrics, such that the tips for STEM students may be more useful. Again, measuring what’s easy vs. what’s important is an idea for students to grapple with.

Here students will have likely had much experience measuring but can always improve their performance as well as learn to use new tools. Focus should always take into account tools available and that more advanced instruments does not automatically equate to better understanding.

Consider Eratosthenes who, in about 250 BCE, measured the Earth’s circumference by using human paces and a tall stick. A stick and piece of string were the only tools many ancient mathematicians had and they achieved feats of engineering and calculation that modern university students find difficult (or impossible). Ease of measurement may mean that we often measure things just because we can. Challenging students to determine ease vs. importance of measuring is always a good idea.

Have fun with measuring! Watch a film together and everyone keeps track of either things that were measured or measurements that were mentioned. On a road trip or while waiting somewhere, pick an object and everyone has to come up with 5 ways to measure it...

The person with the most unique answers (not appearing on anyone else’s list) wins. Find a new instrument and everyone learns to use it. (There are online apps for learning to use a slide rule!) Challenging everyone in the family to make an object that keeps track of the day’s high (or low or average) temperature for a year can result in lots of fun and interaction with a thermometer or even weather station (temperature blanket, anyone?). Ask for ideas of what the family should start measuring—what measurements matter to the family?

Interesting link: Historical scientific instruments