Curtain Call
Spinning Raincatcher | Issue 2, April 2023
Dear fellow Raincatchers,
The semester finally wraps up; what’s coming will be a four-month window to read, research and write, before the new school year comes again with 1-2 new courses to lead and teach (I’m skipping the summer semester usually). I’m sharing a few thoughts over the last two weeks, and as usual, readings I find insightful, tools I find useful, and other rains to catch.
1. Fortnight Thoughts
17 - 21 April | Final dashes towards the end
I enjoy busy-ness — an excuse for being a deadline fighter, like many of my students when the semester comes to an end. Sometimes I don’t really know what I’m busy doing, but when it comes to finishing tasks, I feel I struggle catching up. I know I have projects, but don’t always know where to start. Now my RAs and helpers are here, I’m still learning to work with them — they are fantastic people and willing to walk the extra mile for me.
24 - 28 April | Sharing Findings is Caring
At the end of the semester, I'm hosting three seminars as convenor of a research interest group on teaching professional development and coordinator of scholarly activities. In one of them, I and my colleague are going to share, as a researcher and a participant, how language teachers use technology in the online and in-person classroom (by the time you're reading this newsletter, we've already done the talk).
The talk may disappoint some who are interested in knowing more about how teachers choose and use various educational technology to enliven language teaching and learning, motivate students and create wonderful learning experiences. That is because, as we found out in our interviews, technology use is not their main consideration in lesson planning and development, at least not during our visits to their classes. Being effective and outstanding teachers does not automatically equate with filling the class with technology.
And a recent visit reminds me what “technology” really means. During the online teaching period, my common illustration strategy was done by annotating directly on the screen on Zoom or Teams. It worked as a makeshift at that time since students could only see one screen at a time. And studies show that when teachers draw on the screen, students are likely to be more engaged. Consider Khan Academy, where you can see a text “grows” on the screen as the instructor explains math concepts and so on.
When I return to the physical classroom again, I find it easy to slip into some kind of laziness: I stop using the whiteboard, and cram everything into the screen without clear logical signalling between my handwriting and the screen content, unless I give writing feedback. The screen can be this busy:
And I visited Lecturer J in Week 12. What I learned from him was very straightforward — transferring some of the on-screen annotations to the whiteboard:
A quick takeaway: when it comes to technology, we don’t just think about it as digital tools that work like magic. Any tools or methods that can make learning easier and more fun can be considered “technology” (Watford, 2011). The most important thing is to be sensitive to what students need and are interested in, as well as knowing how the subject content can be broken down to help students “digest” contents in bite-size.
I hope that, through our talk we can provide some tips for teachers visiting peer classes can find a few characteristics of the hosting teachers to explore. For example, what are their attributes that contribute to the vibe of the learning environment? To what extent are they leveraging different kinds of technologies in order to engage and encourage students to speak up?
2. What I’m reading these two weeks
How reading fiction can make you a better person
https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/reading-fiction-empathy-better-person/
Reading fiction can help cultivate empathy in readers, as it allows them to experience the experiences of others and understand their feelings and emotions. Studies have shown that being "transported" by a fictional story can lead to increased empathy and helpful behaviors. Reading fiction can make people more observant, compassionate, and emotionally responsive, especially when reading about people whose experiences are different from their own. To build empathy in life and relationships, try reading more fiction.
想提升語文能力？閱讀小說，而不是非小說 (Translated: Want to improve language skills? Read fiction, not non-fiction)
https://www.cup.com.hk/2022/08/17/reading-fiction-improve-language-skills/?utm_source=pocket_saves
Reading narrative fiction is more beneficial in improving language skills than explanatory non-fiction according to a study conducted by Marina Rain and Raymond A. Mar from York University on nearly 1000 participants from preschoolers to college students. A follow-up study led by Raymond A. Mar and Sandra Martin-Chang from Concordia University found that those who read for personal pleasure and enjoy reading fiction have better language abilities. Emotional response and engagement with the stories are factors that may contribute to this improvement. The study recommends prioritizing reading fiction in education policies, as it can lead to better education levels and work success, and fostering an interest in reading fiction to improve language abilities.
3. Interesting technology I tried
CognosysAI | Stacking GPT Prompts Automatically
https://www.cognosys.ai/
And resembling thinking processes. Simply put, Cognosys “thinks” about your prompt and provides prompts to further elaborate on your request. For example, I want to get basic information about a text theory model called “Rhetorical Structure Theory” (Mann & Thompson, 1988), I create a prompt asking for the AI to generate descriptions of the theory. As you can see, it then thinks on its own and generate three more prompts:
Research and gather information on the history and development of Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST), including its origins, key contributors, and major publications.
Analyze and summarize the basic theoretical concepts of RST, including the idea of hierarchically organized text, the distinction between nucleus and satellite units, and the use of rhetorical relations to connect these units.
Provide examples of how RST can be applied to the analysis of various types of texts, such as narratives, arguments, and scientific articles, and discuss the potential benefits and limitations of using RST in these contexts.
Very legitimate prompts I reckon, although the answers won’t give you comprehensive references and answers. It apparently knows this theory, with some examples that show off what it knows about RST and pretty accurate at this level (technical terms bolded):
In an argumentative text, the main claim or thesis might be the nucleus unit, while supporting evidence and counterarguments could be satellite units. The rhetorical relations used to connect these units might include justification relations (e.g. "because" and "since") or contrast relations (e.g. "however" and "on the other hand").
Such an explanation gives me a good starting point to build my literature review, as I can search journal databases with the keywords I find relevant.
I know some smart users use this babyAGI-inspired tool in very impressive ways like solving complex problems or developing marketing plans. As I’m learning more about advanced prompting, baby GPT-inspired tools like this can teach me how to craft and stack my prompts.
4. Other rain buckets
Curtain Call | Whence He Came
To end this newsletter, I share with you “Curtain Call” by a Hong Kong indie group Whence He Came, led by the late Joshua Wong (vocals, guitar). You’re sorely missed, Josh.
This is a stage, a world in which you're practicing your part
And the faces you adhere to are for show
This is a page, on which you're plotting your parade
And you're marked with milestones for us to swallow
Thank you for sharing