The Yogiconomist

Half-Baked: Committee Work

2012-01-30T08:00:00.003-07:00

****This post is another in my continuing series of half-baked thoughts.****

I currently happen to serve on some dysfunctional committees at work.

Given that I have to attend meetings, is there something useful that I can get out of them?
- watching people interact?
- see how people think?
- demonstrate appropriate communication style?

(from 10/19/11)

Half-Baked: Preparation

2012-01-27T08:00:00.004-07:00

****This post is another in my continuing series of half-baked thoughts.****

I recently watched The Mechanic. It was too violent for my tastes but it did star Jason Statham.

His character said

The victory is in the preparation.

This is true.

It is another version of Havi's "morning begins at night".

Half-Baked: Alignment

2012-01-25T08:00:00.005-07:00

****This post is another in my continuing series of half-baked thoughts.****

In yoga, alignment:

is sustainable for the body
let's energy flow freely
supports you / contains you while you explore

In course activities, alignment:

brings you back to what is important
reminds you of where you are
reminds you of where you are going

(from 10/15/11)

Pause while Teaching

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

From social cues, we know when a question is rhetorical.

Instructors often ask questions in a rhetorical tone, pause for 1 second, answer the question themselves, and then complain to colleagues that students aren't engaged in class and aren't even answering simple questions.

We often think we are pausing an appropriate length of time. But we're not.

In my classes, I find if you really pause, they will answer. At first, I had to force myself. It was painful. Since they were used to me answering the question for them, they didn't answer and I had to pause a long time. Once the game of chicken had been won by me (I'm more stubborn than they are), they routinely started offering answers during my question pauses.

I've learned that pausing throughout the lecture, not just after a question, can actually be a way to punctuate an important concept. Sometimes I even say, "I'm going to pause so you can let that sink in". In those pauses, you should see all of the extra notes, stars, or exclamation points that get added to the concept.

After a pause, I seem to get more student questions. And after one question, I get more.

If you pause, they will ask.

Half-Baked: Learning is Messy

2012-01-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

****This post is another in my continuing series of half-baked thoughts.****

Learning is messy.
(from 10/15/11)

Half-Baked: Assumptions

2012-01-20T08:00:00.003-07:00

****This post is another in my continuing series of half-baked thoughts.****

Maybe all of my underlying assumptions are wrong.
(From 10/9/11)

Teaching Content on the First Day of Class

2012-01-19T08:00:00.002-07:00

There are a variety of approaches to the first day of class. I firmly believe that each instructor needs to figure out what works best for them and what is most representative of what their course will be like.

I teach actual economics on the first day.
My primary reason for doing this is to give the student a feel for my style as an instructor. Secondarily, instead of having a content-free first day, I can reserve that day to address a time crunch later in the semester (e.g. snow storm).

This semester I'm teaching A Citizen's Guide to Economics (our snazzy title for intro to econ), Principles of Macro, and Quantitative Methods for Economics.

Here is what I teach in each on the first day. **Sometime I'll write about the other first day stuff that I do ... like setting the tone, etc..

A Citizen's Guide to Economics
This class has no prerequisites. If you can get into my open-access institution, you can take my class. I teach it at 9:30am so conceivably, it could be someone's first ever college class. Here is a link to the my syllabus.

I teach an interactive, introductory lecture. It starts with a humorous, motivational-style poster slide that I made of Adam Smith that says "Economics - Confusing people since 1776". Here is a link to my slides and the handout that they fill in as we go along (not your typical PowerPoint slides handout - it has discussion question prompts, etc.).

Principles of Macroeconomics
This course has writing and algebra prerequisites. The vast majority of students are business majors taking it as a required course. They've been in college for a while and know the drill. Here is my syllabus. I use Greg Mankiw's Brief Principles of Macroeconomics and Aplia for this course.

I start with chapter 2 material (Understanding How Economists Think) on the first day. Here are my slides and the notes handout that students fill in as we discuss the material (again, this is not death by PowerPoint - I pause quite a bit, I ask lots of questions, I say tons of things that aren't on the slides). Students do a 2-minute paper about a concept they learned and noting a concept that is "fuzzy". Then they get into pairs or trios and complete this worksheet as I walk around. The worksheets I use have some questions from old Mankiw instructor resources (not the current 6th edition) and some questions that I've made up. Some students finish faster than others. Once they've turned their worksheet in to me (each student must turn one in, although they can discuss with their partners), they are free to leave. This allows me to spend additional one-on-one time with students who have more questions. We start the following class period by discussing the worksheet.

My classes are currently about 45 students. However, I used this same format when I taught classes of 200 students. In the large sections, TAs helped me walk around and answer questions.

Quantitative Methods for Economics
This course is our version of calculus and statistics. Primarily, our majors take it. Here is my syllabus. I use two texts for this course, both by Teresa Bradley, one for math and one for statistics.

We start with the math portion of the course. On the first day, this means applications of straight lines. Here is the handout that we work through together - mostly me at the board, but sometimes them. It takes a few class periods. I also hand out this reading guide for the chapter.

___________
Friendly note: Please remember that people vary. My current approaches to teaching may or may not work for you. That's okay. Your current approaches to teaching may or may not work for me. That's okay, too.

Half-Baked: Work Creep

2012-01-18T08:00:00.002-07:00

****This post is another in my continuing series of half-baked thoughts.****

(From 8/14/11)
Far too often, work creeps into my weekends. Weekends should be for unwinding, recharging, and more fun. Boundaries and safeguards against the craziness of the week.

But what about when thoughts about needing to get stuff done for work are clouding up my fun?

What if I put a limit on the work creep? Like say giving myself 30 minutes or 1 hour to focus on it. Maybe making a to-do list for when I get to the office?

Transition to Spring Semester 2012

2012-01-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

The new semester starts this week. I'm thinking about transitioning between my break un-schedule and my work schedule.

Transitions are awkward. The space between 2 "unrelated" things needs to be bridged somehow.

If you spend the time to build the bridge, then the transition can be smoother. It depends, of course, on the materials used to build the bridge and the plans for the bridge.

Sometimes you see a new, modern bridge built next to an old bridge. The older one served its purpose at the time.

Unless you are an engineer, your bridge is probably not amazing right off the bat. (even then, Tacoma Narrows anyone?)

Any bridge is better than no bridge.

My bridge is the week before classes. I'm playing with some structured work time, extra non-work time, and lots of time to process.

Half-Baked Thoughts

2012-01-15T12:25:00.005-07:00

Over the semester break I've been working on my personal systems. One that I've been struggling with is how to process my notes.

You see, I currently have a stack of notebooks with lots of partial ideas and half-baked thoughts.

I've been reading through them and seem to have the same idea several times and then completely forget that I had it. This. Cannot. Continue.

I figure that some sort of searchable, electronic system would be good to try for curating my thoughts.

So, I'm going to try curating here.

Half-baked thoughts will get blogged. As long as I label them, I'll be able to search on them in the future. My plan is to schedule a twice-monthly review time so I stop having the same ideas and thoughts over an over and I ultimately do something with them.

This idea itself is half-baked. I've written several times in my notebooks about how I need to keep track of my ideas.

Aches and Pains Body Oil Recipe

2012-01-03T08:00:00.001-07:00

It has come up a lot lately - people asking for my sore muscle / aches and pains body oil recipe.

What's it good for?
My mom likes it for her shoulder (she had surgery a few months ago).

My friend likes it for carpal tunnel.

Our neighbor (RN) likes it for fibromyalgia.

My dad likes it for his elbow bursitis.

My uncle likes it for his hip.

I like it for sore muscles.

And the list goes on ...

What makes it so great?
It contains arnica oil (for bruises and inflammation), grapeseed oil (non-greasy and anti-inflammitory), lavender (for pain from arthritis, sprains, strains), peppermint (for muscle spasms and aches), eucalyptus (for muscle stiffness, bruises, sprains), and rosemary (for muscle soreness/cramps, bruises).

Here is the Recipe
You will need:

a 2 oz bottle with cap
1 oz arnica *infused* oil (not straight arnica oil - I buy mine from this place)
lavender essential oil
peppermint essential oil
eucalyptus essential oil
rosemary essential oil

Instructions:

Add 1 oz arnica infused oil to bottle
Add just under 1 oz of grapeseed oil to bottle (leaving enough room for about 1 teaspoon of liquid)
12 drops EACH of lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils
Tightly cap the bottle and gently shake
Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight
Rub directly on affected areas as needed.

Notes:

This is for external use only.
Do not use on broken skin.
Do not use if you are on blood thinners.
This is safe for healthy adults in most situations. Consult your doctor/pharmacist for any contraindications.

Enjoy!

New Year's UnResolutions

2011-12-29T10:20:00.005-07:00

It's that time of year. People start asking what my New Year's Resolution is.

Some years I make one, some years not. For the past two years it has been to be able to do a handstand.
I really haven't made much progress on it.

This week in yoga classes instructors are talking about resolutions.
In addition to all the twists to detox us from the holidays.

The sentiment that my teacher offered last night was useful to me. She explained how resolutions are often "negative" in quality. We phrase them in a way that implies there is something wrong with us.
I'm pretty sure this is the Yoga Journal article she read as her inspiration for class.

Yoga tells us that at this moment, we are perfect. We are perfect in our imperfections.
This is hard for me personally to believe. But I want to.

She encouraged us to come at our resolutions from a kinder place. A more joyful place.

The word for a yogic resolution is Sankalpa. It includes looking at what is behind the thought or feeling or action we want to change. Also, effort counts. The focus isn't on what you are "doing wrong", the focus is on the fact that you are choosing to evolve yourself.

I interpreted this as an UnResolution. It still has the quality of a resolution but has a totally different feel to it.

My New Year's UnResolution
I don't really have anything in mind at the moment.

I guess am un-resolved in all senses of the word.

I think I'll mull over this concept for a few days and see if it sparks anything.

Happy New Year to you, whatever your resolution or un-resolution might be.

Calming Down During the Holidays - My Favorite Trick

2011-12-22T08:00:00.001-07:00

Here is my go-to trick when I need a moment during the holidays:

1. Find yourself a place to be alone for a couple of minutes. The bathroom works well.

2. Decide if you'd like to sit or stand. I like to sit because it is more relaxing for me.

3. Use each thumb to press closed your ears. Don't stick your thumbs *in* your ears, but on the little flap at the front. Not the lobe, the little flap in the middle. If you are doing it right, you'll stop hearing the world around you and will hear "inside your head".

4. Rest your fingertips on your head or use your hands to gently cover your eyes. Either should feel natural if your thumbs are in the correct spot.

5. Breathe 10 slow, deep breaths (ujjayi breathing from yoga is great if you know how). When I do this, my breath starts to sound like the ocean. I picture the ocean, too.

6. When you are finished, release your thumbs. Your ears will feel tingly and I always feel revived.

I think this breathing technique has a name, but for the life of me I don't know what it is. I learned it once, many years ago.

Cheers.

Yoga Makes Me a Better at My Job

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

I firmly believe that practicing yoga makes me a better economics professor.

One of the unexpected benefits of working on myself is how it allows me to be there for others.

This popped up in an unexpected way this past week: with a student.

One came to see me for advice on how to move forward on a paper, which was due 3 days prior.

Normally I would have said something about partial credit for lateness and then directed them to the campus writing center.

Instead we chatted for a bit and the student had a sound thesis and lots of information to work with. It was the intense fear of judgement that was holding them back. The student described the problem they were having as "paralysis because I'm worried about what you will think of me as you read my paper".

I was sort of surprised to hear this from this particular student. The student is older than traditional college age (actually, we are the same age) and has served in the military. Typically those students sail through my class.

I asked some more questions.

It turns out, this is not the first time this has happened. The student recounted several times that they had felt this way before (not just this paper in my class). Sometimes they were able to push through and turn in the work; sometimes they were not able to complete the project.

The student asked if I had any advice for them.

I thought for a moment.

I said the following,

"Adult to adult, we all have issues to figure out. When you have some time and aren't under end-of-semester stress, take a journey down the path and explore what the paralysis is all about."

The Katie Of The Past would have never said something like that. But, it turned out to be helpful to the student.

A few days later they sent me an email thanking me for listening and asking questions that got them back into the present. They expressed that they planned to take a little time over semester break to "work on the paralysis" thing.

This incident serves as a nice reminder for me that even though I go to yoga for me, I really go to yoga for others.

Grading Dread

2011-12-11T13:57:00.002-07:00

Like in many courses, I am required to give writing assignments in my intro / principles courses. I really, really, really dislike grading these papers.

Looking back at my notes from the past few weeks, the first mention of grading dread appeared on 11/30. None of the big written work assignments were due until 12/6, yet a week in advance I was bumming about it.

I feel physically anxious when grading deficient work. My pulse quickens; I feel jittery.

I've tried all of the standard tricks to make grading easier:
- well-written rubrics
- grade 5-10 papers at a time and then pause to do something fun
- stagger due dates
- build in ample turnaround time
- cherry pick a few papers that I know will be good to read and save them for after I read a terrible one
- remind myself that it will all be over soon

I find myself wondering what I can do to change my relationship to grading. Where exactly does the dread come from? What is the source of the resistance?

Near as I can tell, there are several contributing factors.
- time consuming (I'd like to spend my time on other things)
- frustrating (Why don't students follow the carefully written directions and rubric?)
- defensive mindset (Student X will be upset that they didn't receive a higher grade and they'll want me to change it.)
- subjective summative nature (while I do have a rubric, I believe there is subjectivity inherent in paper assessment)

That last point gets me thinking...
In general, I'm a fan of assessment. However, grading lies on the summative end of the assessment continuum.

I dislike the summative. Rendering a Final Judgement in just one number - yuck. In most situations (academic or in real life) I much prefer receiving and giving formative feedback.

I like the formative so much that in just about every class meeting, I give a non-graded assessment. Students see where they are in terms of understanding the material and I see where students are in their learning.

Now that I think about it, I don't mind the summative nature of final exams. All through the semester I give formative feedback. It feels like a natural progression that after approximately 30 formative assessments, students would receive a summative one.

Where the disconnect arises for me is written work.

Hmm.

My Week in Rear View

2011-12-04T21:43:00.002-07:00

Lately I've been taking some time on Sunday nights to reflect on the past week and to get ready for the coming week.

Looking back has a different perspective than when I am in the moment.

Things resemble themselves but they are more like my hazy perception of them.

I decided to start posting some of that here. Feel free to ignore.

Monday

Things I did:
wrote a lecture on the effect of taxes on labor supply and savings, yoga

Things I thought:
feeling stronger in yoga, renewed spirit in general

Tuesday

Things I did:
gave a lecture on the Eurozone debt crisis, gave a lecture on the effect of taxes, facilitated 2 review sessions, mostly cleaned out my work email inbox

Wednesday

Things I did:
wrote a lecture on corporate taxes, reviewed some student draft work, ironing, yoga

Things I thought:
examined my approach/relationship to grading student work that is crappy, ways to give feedback to upset students, I don't always have to think through old tension, work on finding my center

Thursday

Things I did:
commuted in the snow, held extra office hours, gave a lecture on corporate taxes, gave 2 lectures on labor market theory, polished a lecture on consumer choice theory, had extended chats with colleagues, talked to my parents, had champagne with my husband for our anniversary

Things I thought:
beginners have questions about things, my role in many of my relationships is that of a mentor

Friday

Things I did:
several 2-minute tasks that ended up taking 25 minutes each, attended a meeting without a leader, went out for appetizers and the Muppet Movie

Things I thought:
pondering what to do in hijacked meetings, laugh more, my relationship to Project X.

Saturday

Things I did:
slept in (snowy morning), ironing, napped, caught up on the Tivo, looked through a folder of ideas, yoga, dinner out to celebrate our anniversary

Things I thought:
perceptions matter, perceptions guide actions, some guilt for not doing things from my to do list

Sunday

Things I did:
slept in, made brunch, went Christmas shopping, revised a lecture on globalization

Things I thought:
still working on my systems

Looking back on my week as a whole

It feels pretty balanced. I feel pretty good about it.

Looking ahead to this coming week

The last week of classes has a different energy. I want to try to stay centered and not get caught up in the franticness of it all.

Using Podcasts in Class

2011-12-02T05:00:00.003-07:00

At this point in the semester, my intro students know enough economics for us to have some great discussions about current issues.

I like to use NPR's Planet Money podcasts to focus our discussions. These podcasts are free, have a light / humorous quality to them, and are non-technical yet deep enough. (I remind my students that, of course, all news sources have bias.)

I assign the podcasts as homework. They are usually about 20 -30 minutes long. Students can either listen directly from the site or download the podcast for listening on a mobile device. For each podcast that I assign, I create a worksheet of basic questions for students to complete. We start the class by discussing the answers. Discussion is typically quite lively. Even though I do not grade the worksheets, there is little non-compliance with preparation. Students seem genuinely interested in preparing. I do put current issue questions on the exam.

Here are links to a few of the resources:

Keynes vs Hayek: here is the Planet Money podcast and here is my worksheet
Will Economic Growth Destroy the Planet?: here is the Planet Money podcast and here is my worksheet
How Fear Turned Surplus into Scarcity: here is the Planet Money podcast and here is my worksheet

Educators, feel free to use. Eventually, I'll post my archives on my professional website.

Managing Expectations

2011-11-28T20:26:00.005-07:00

In the glory of the internets, I randomly stumbled upon some reviews for the yoga studio that I regularly take class.

True to internet reviews, some were glowing and some were quite negative.

The negative ones all had something in common:
People were expecting something different than they had experienced.

One person was looking for a very spiritual practice with a lot of yoga philosophy ... but ended up taking a strenuous vinyasa class.
One person judged an instructor for wearing make up.
One person was upset that the advertised instructor was out of town for the class they attended.

Etcetera. Etcetera.

In my opinion, managing expectations is The Key to a good experience for learners.

This is true for a yoga studio and equally true for my economics courses.

It is also true for the global rice market. (Side Note: Here is a link to the assignment I give to my students to accompany the podcast.)

I would reckon it is also true for whatever situation you find yourself in when you are interacting with other humans. (meetings at the office, your kid's birthday party, whatever).

You can't possibly be the perfect person to everyone. However, you can clue people in to what they can expect from you.

I think this is especially important in higher education. (maybe I think that because I work in higher ed)

How I try to manage expectations in my courses:

set the tone by emailing my syllabus in advance of the first class give a lecture and in class activity on the first day so students know exactly what a typical class meeting looks like
I model good student behavior by showing up early to every class and am 100% prepared
there is consistency / alignment between my learning activities and the exam ... the material is challenging enough on its own, there is no need for surprises
I have students analyze their exam mistakes ... this really helps align their expectations of how much they need to prepare in order to get their desired outcome
I don't sugar coat feedback on deficiencies (I do enthusiastically encourage and give many low stakes opportunities for learning the material)
I tell students about the experience of my past students

Expectations and Yoga
The theme of managing expectations popped up directly in a yoga class this week.

My teacher was telling us that we don't need to seek something external, that all we seek is inside us.

Many people tell themselves if they could only achieve X, things would be better. If they could only meet person X, things would be different.

If only I could do a handstand I'd be enlightened :)

These are expectations we are likely not even aware that we are making. Maybe they are our expectations. Maybe they are someone's expectations for us.

It is advanced practice to give someone back their expectations of you.

While it is true that each individual is ultimately responsible for his/her own experience and students are ultimately responsible for their own learning, I find it is a little easier going if I actively try to manage their expectations of me.

Convincing Myself of Something I Already Know

2011-11-18T16:31:00.004-07:00

I love yoga. Everytime I go to a class, I am so glad to be there. I never, ever regret it. Ever.

So, why is it that a few hours ahead of time I try to back out and convince myself not to go?

This happens at least once a week. Often, I am successful at convincing myself not to go.

What gives?

I usually tell myself that I have more important things to do. Usually stuff for work.
I classify yoga time as "unproductive" since I'm not getting anything done from my To Do list.

It is blatantly false that time spent at yoga is unproductive for me.

False. False. False.

Exhibit A:
Every time I go to yoga, I work through something that has been on my mind or I get some useful information about myself. Often times I leave with a new idea or thought. Also, I am calmer and more focused and more productive in my work afterward ... even a day after.

I know it to be true that it is always good for me to go to yoga.

So what's the deal with my resistance to going? I guess there is some part of me that doesn't believe? I am really clueless as to what the problem could be. Here goes a completely off-the-top-of-my-head brainstorm of possibilities.

I (maybe) resist going because:
- I'm afraid I'll find out something bad, or something I don't like about myself
- yoga brings change and I am afraid of what the change will be
- others will judge my yoga time use as "wasteful"
- there is discomfort when I compare myself / poses to what others in the room can do
- it is awkward to make small talk in the lobby
- outsider syndrome

I don't have any sort of answer at the moment. I'm just putting it all out there.

Maybe during yoga tonight I'll come up with something :)

7th Annual Economics Teaching Conference

2011-10-29T19:40:00.003-06:00

I recently attended the 7th Annual Economics Teaching Conference. It was sponsored by Cengage and was really well done.

New Orleans has such great food and music. I've visited the city several times prior so I didn't feel a need to explore much. Our hotel was the Crown Plaza on Bourbon Street so it was easy to pop out for some live music in the evening.

I presented my work on The Graphic Syllabus (which I've written about here before). Discussion was good, which is what I aim for, and several people told me they planned on incorporating the techniques into their syllabi. I am very pleased with that response.

Below are my slides, paper to eventually follow.

Sauer 2011 ETC Graphic Syllabus

My First Anusara Class

2011-10-10T11:39:00.003-06:00

This morning I took an Anusara yoga class. It was... different.

There was singing. There was celebrating light through our bones. There was connecting our kidneys to the universal energy.

I just went with it. I admit, I can't quite wrap my brain around these concepts. It seems impossible that my bones can celebrate.

One reason I love taking classes in general (and especially yoga) is that it reminds me what it is like to learn. As an educator, I want to stay close to the feeling of being confused when learning a new concept.

In economics, we teach that trade is not a zero-sum game. That is, just because one party gains from an exchange/transaction, it doesn't mean another loses. Both can benefit.

Economists basically take this as an absolute truth. It makes perfect sense to us. To the average person though, gains from trade is often a really tough sell.

So, I am processing what it is like to want to believe something (that my bones celebrate and are made of light ... how cool would that be!?) yet find myself with a complete and total inability to believe it.

Converting a Word Document to BlackBoard format

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ever need to convert a problem set or exam from a Word document into a file that BlackBoard can read in an upload?

I recently stumbled upon a resource at BYU-Idaho. With a minor amount of formatting of your Word file you can copy and paste it in to a free application and out will come a text file that BlackBoard can read in an upload. Multiple choice questions, true/false, multiple answer ... it does it all.

Voila!

http://www.byui.edu/ats/testgen.htm

Teaching Economics with Analogies

2011-09-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Research project update:

This is research that I am working on with a colleague from Oklahoma.

Abstract: According to the generative theory of learning, people understand new concepts by idiosyncratically relating them to prior experiences and prior stored information. In the case of economics, students’ prior experiences can interfere with their correct understanding of the material. Although instructors may anticipate common student errors, unless the underlying incorrect mindset is directly addressed misperceptions may persist. This paper describes a practical strategy for using generative learning teaching techniques to help instructors assess whether students are correctly integrating new learning within the context of their prior experience. Insights from a piloting of the technique are discussed.

Here is the link to the paper on SSRN. And here are some presentation slides:

We are working to collect some hard data this fall in a treatment and control situation.

Adjustment for Cobra Pose

2011-09-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

I have always hated Cobra Pose.

Hated.
*Also, Upward Facing Dog and Camel Pose. Those three poses constitute my own personal trifecta of yoga hell.

I feel awkward. Tight and pukey and claustrophobic. I hate every second of being in it.

As it turns out, Cobra is a prominent star in just about every yoga class I take. So, I get many chances to try to love it and explore it and make peace with it.

Then the other day an instructor gave me a simple adjustment in Cobra Pose. She had me let my shoulders rise up by my ears and then had me roll them back down my back.

A. Whole. New. World.

Something about rolling my shoulders up and then back changed everything in the pose for me.

Lightness. Space. Support. Ease. Peace.

I asked her about it after class and she said it was something that she recently discovered in her practice and was now transforming just about every pose involving shoulders for her.

I'm thinking: me, too.

Test Assessment Questionnaire

2011-09-14T05:00:00.003-06:00

Here is an update on one of my research projects:

The Test Assessment Questionnaire

Problem: Students get upset after the midterm because they “studied hard” and still did poorly. They often blame the instructor for a hard test, instead of reflecting critically on their study habits and performance.

Proposal: The Test Assessment Questionnaire* is an instrument that guides students through a self-assessment of the mistakes they made on the midterm exam. The purpose of analyzing midterm exam mistakes is to lead the student to look at their performance in a critical way. Routinely students approach instructors after a poorer-than-expected performance on an exam, expressing that they do not know what they did wrong. In my experience, such students had rarely (if ever) critically reviewed their mistakes.

*Click here to download a copy from my website, then scroll down to the Working Papers section.

Instead of being fixated on the number of mistakes, the TAQ directs students to focus on the type of mistake they are making. Anecdotally, I’ve observed that this change in focus can be a powerful tool for motivating students to improve their learning. It charts a much clearer path for the student’s future study activities. Some students observe that they mostly miss the graphing problems; they immediately see that they need to spend more time with that part of the material. Other students realize they miss questions from lectures on the days when they did not attend class (yes, really).

Very Brief Experiment Description: The treatment group receives the TAQ after the midterm and the control group does not. Standard control variables will be collected (e.g. GPA). Additionally, an instrument to assess a student’s locus of control will be administered. To take place Fall 2011 at a large Research – I institution in all Principles of Microeconomics courses. (N should be about 800 – 1000 overall, with half in treatment and half in control)

This tool has three potential benefits: 1) it guides students toward more self-awareness in their studies 2) it can be used as a part of assessment and assurance of learning efforts 3) may improve students’ final exam scores over the midterm. We can test 1) and 3) in this experiment.

Here is a link to the working draft on SSRN.

Chilling Out - Lavender Style

2011-09-12T05:00:00.002-06:00

Lately, I am over the moon about Henri Bendel's Lavender Leaves vaporizing home perfume.

I got some as a gift years ago and I've rediscovered the bottle. Just a few drops in my simmer pot and the condo smells amazing. Also, it almost instantly makes me relax.

The lavender is more modern smelling than old lady smelling - if that makes any sense.

I don't think that the vaporizing home perfume is currently being sold. However, you can buy the reed diffuser version. I'm sure it is just as great.

PS - Lavender is good for your 6th chakra. (intuition, patterns, your "mind's eye")

Mise En Place

2011-09-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

On the Sunday of the last weekend prior to the new semester I freaked out. Crazy anxiety. Unsettled. Confused.

It was strange. This is my 11th year teaching in higher ed. I know the drill.

I was feeling so out of sorts that I bailed on my dinner plans and sent my husband solo.

This is very unlike me.

Not knowing what to do, I did a quick bit of Shiva Nata and then just started straightening up our place. As I did, I began to feel calmer. It’s not like the place was actually a mess or anything. There were just some loose ends to tie up here and there.

I felt immensely better. I had created new space in my space.

Closure. No psychic nagging. When things fit, they feel solid, harmonious, the right vibration.

The good kind of settled. At peace. All is right in the world.

The essence of savasana. So settled that I am open to the new, to receive. Not thinking or processing the old. Not hindered by it.

The phrase “mise en place” comes to mind to describe this. It is a term used by chefs that means to organize or arrange the ingredients. Literally translated it means “to put in place” from the French word “mettre” which means “to put” and “en place” means “in place” or “in position”. (Thank you 9 years of French classes, including a minor in college)

I learned the term from my favorite ex. He was attending cooking school while we dated. He owns a great little pizza place in Freeport, ME now.

Anyway, mise en place makes the rest of the cooking easier. The chef is free to concentrate because everything is at the ready.

For some reason, I needed some mise en place in my environs to make my start of semester easier.

Back to School Shopping

2011-08-22T05:00:00.001-06:00

I did a little back-to-school shopping over the weekend. There were 3 must-get items on my list: bras, a pair of everyday shoes for work, and a backpack for my commute.

Success!

Victoria's Secret just introduced a new bra called the Showstopper. It is designed not to show any of your bits through the bra or through your top and also is designed to lie nice and flat under your top so you can't see your bra outline. As far as I'm concerned, it is a homerun. Perfect. Expensive, but perfect. (about $50 each) I say expensive, but then it occurs to me that I've been buying VS bras forever and they last for years (as long as you hand wash them). So really, they are quite a value for the money.

I found these really cute shoes at Clarks. Cute with a skirt, cute with jeans, cute with dress pants. Also, very very comfortable which is a requirement for days that I teach. I love Clarks and even though they are about $100 a pair, it is worth it to not have pain in my feet.

My commute bag was found at REI. I can't find a picture online to show you :( It is REI brand and is a light cranberry color with a subtle embroidery. It has 2 water bottle pockets on the outside - one for my water bottle and one for my mini umbrella. There is a small zipped pocket on the front with holders for my cell phone, pens, and a ring to clip my keys to. The big pocket fits a few file folders and has a small laptop sleeve. Perfect.

Pain as Communication

2011-08-19T05:00:00.002-06:00

The other day my yoga teacher told us that pain is our body's way of telling us to do something different.

If you ignore pain when it is minor or dull, the body will find louder and louder ways of getting your attention.

He said a headache doesn't mean your body has an aspirin deficiency. Knee pain doesn't mean your body has an Advil deficiency.

It means something else.

Our job is to listen.

I'm just kind of mulling this over for now.

Handstand Preps

2011-08-17T05:00:00.001-06:00

The other day in yoga, my teacher told us we'd be focusing on handstand. It surprised me because she usually does not include handstands in her classes.

More so, it freaked me out. When a teacher utters the word handstand in class, I cringe on the inside.

She told us that in a safe environment, a little dose of fear is healthy. On our mats, we can explore fear and our relationship to it and it can help us off of our mats.

Here are the variety of handstand preps that we worked on:

from down dog: walk your feet a little closer to your hands, feet together, bend knees, kick your feet up to your butt and try to get your hips over your hands, land back in original position with knees bent
from down dog: same as above, but bend your knees out to the side with your feet together (kind of like a frog squat)
from standing splits: ground your hands, arms straight, little hops with the leg that is on the ground
from standing splits: same as above, but switch legs mid air (flutter kicks)
from a wide-legged forward fold: stand on blocks in wide-legged forward fold, hands planted on ground, lean forward and let the weight come out of your feet and into your hands, use your core

I'd actually like to work on #5 at home, but near a wall. My yoga teacher says that coming into handstand from prasarita padottanasana is actually easier than coming up with legs together.

I guess we'll see.

What a Difference a Decade Makes

2011-08-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ten years ago I was living in St. Cloud, MN.

A Few Things I did that summer:

I was in the middle of a divorce (yes, at 23).
SCSU Summer Dance Institute ... which led to an offer for a position in a Russian character ballet company in Minneapolis ... which I turned down
reconnected with some college friends and had a lot of fun with mini road trips
worked at an auto body shop overhauling their accounts receivable ... and collected over $60,000 of owed money for them in 2 months
packed up all my belongings and moved to Colorado for grad school

Things I did this summer:

celebrated my 3rd wedding anniversary
spent a month in Prague
signed a tenure-track contract
taught an online class in basic economics

Sometimes it is just mind-boggling to think about the me-from-then and the me-from-now. We are the same person, yet very very different.

If I could tell the me-from-then anything, I guess it would be that things will end up being even better than you think they will be.

Graphic Syllabus II

2011-08-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

This fall, I'm incorporating Graphic Syllabi into my courses. Anytime I play around with a new technique for my classes, I like to write a paper about it.

Here is the abstract. I'll be peddling it around at the teaching conferences this year.

A common complaint among instructors is that students do not read the syllabus nor reference it during the semester. While it is easiest to put the blame on students, instructors may be inadvertently contributing to the problem. For many people, a multi-page tome heavily laden with imperative text is not an inviting or easy-to-reference document. In addition, the current generation of students has grown up in the digital age and has experienced a visually-dominated mode of information transmission. Given that the syllabus is a fundamental element of a course, but one that is not being sufficiently utilized by students, this paper proposes that instructors consider transforming their traditional syllabi into “graphic syllabi”.

A graphic syllabus is a document that incorporates visual elements (e.g. negative space, flow charts, and images) into the communication of material found in a traditional syllabus. Special attention is placed on illustrating how the course content fits together, which is typically not apparent to a discipline novice who reads a traditional jargon-filled list of course topics. Additionally, emphasis is placed on how the course learning activities (e.g. a particular homework assignment) directly link to the course learning objectives.

While a graphic syllabus is not likely to improve student learning outcomes, there are other likely benefits. A novel, visually appealing document is more likely to be read by students and its content remembered, which would surely be appreciated by instructors. Students’ attitudes toward the course material may be impacted as students see the “big picture” of how the material fits together instead of viewing individual concepts as unrelated and separate parts. Finally, linking individual course activities to the overall course learning objectives helps students to see not just what is ultimately expected of them, but also the steps they’ll be taking to get there.

Session participants will learn techniques for incorporating visual elements into their existing syllabi. The author’s graphic syllabi for an intro course, principles, and an upper-division elective are presented as examples. Toward the end of the session, participants will have an opportunity to begin work on their own graphic syllabi.

Economics and Art

2011-08-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

I've been having fun lately making artwork out of economics. Yest I am a total nerd. Someday I'd like to get them professionally digitized. I think ultimately I'd like to use them in my classes.

The Long Run Average Cost Curve

From Economics Art

A Perfectly Competitive Firm in Equilibirum

From Economics Art

Adam Smith

From Economics Art

David Ricardo

From Economics Art

Graphic Syllabus

2011-08-08T05:00:00.003-06:00

I've completed drafts of my fall syllabi. Typically this means just a few edits and tweaks and adding policies to address last semesters behavioral issues.

This semester, however, I'm playing around with the concept of a Graphic Syllabus.

The basic premise is this: people often remember better when things include visual stimulation. If you are interested, read this book by Linda Nilson.

Typically, a syllabus is a dense document of text.

Policies + procedures + jargon = a document that students don't read and don't bother to reference during the semester.

So, I've re-designed my syllabi to keep this in mind. There is still a lot of text, but it is (hopefully) broken up and presents as a more student-friendly read.

Here is my Intro to Economics syllabus:
Graphic Syllabus - Intro to Economics

Here is my Principles of Microeconomics syllabus:
Principles of Microeconomics - Syllabus

Here is my Public Finance syllabus:
Graphic Syllabus - Public Economics

The Daily Grind

2011-08-05T05:00:00.001-06:00

Now that it is August, the start of a new school year is right around the corner.

The beginning of the academic year always feels extra busy when contrasted with the flexibility of the summer’s pace. By October, I usually catch a cold and only then does it occur to me that I have been pushing too hard.

I’ve been doing the usual tinkering with my courses and getting ready for the new semester. It occurs to me to do some thinking about and tinkering with my personal routines as well.

Things to Ponder

Wardrobe/Morning Routine:

It worked well last semester to pick out and iron several week’s worth of outfits in advance.
Do I need some new work shoes?
Packing a lunch is annoying.
Checking my email before I leave is sometimes helpful and sometimes time-sucking.

Commute:

Now that we have a Kindle, load it up with pdfs of journal articles I’ve been meaning to read.
I need a new commute bag. My one from last year seems to be getting worn. Backpack?
Data plan for my phone? Keep up with social networking and email while on the bus?
Look up the new light rail routes and timetables.

Teaching Days:

Now that our offices aren’t near any food sources I need to plan extra well for snacks and lunch. Also, since I teach until 6:15pm I’ll need to factor that in.
I’m thinking that on teaching days I should plan on eating dinner downtown *before* commuting home. I will probably be much much happier (less “hangry” my husband would say) when I get home, even though it will be even later in the evening.
Some sort of short, restorative yoga practice would be good on these days.

Non Teaching Days:

Devoting one day a week to professional development activities worked well.
I need more time carved out for creative projects. Keep my art supplies out so it isn’t such a hassle to set up?
More time outside. There is no good reason that I don’t go hiking more often.
Don’t skip yoga.

Transitioning off Vacation

2011-08-03T05:00:00.002-06:00

Transitions are awkward. Especially at first.

I think that they can become smoother with practice. It is hard, though, when the two things that you are transitioning between don’t happen very often.

Like from vacation back to work.

To me, a transition is just the thing that fills the space between two ‘unrelated’ things. I say unrelated in quotes because they actually *are* related in that *you* are doing both of them. Maybe you don’t see how they fit together yet, but they probably do.

Anyway, a transition is just a way of getting from Situation A to Situation B. People vary in how they want to travel that distance.
- as fast as possible
- as enjoyably as possible
- in an adventuresome way
- other

I am typically of the “as fast as possible” variety of people. Transition, schmansition. Just get me where I want to be.

In the past few months I’ve been entertaining the possibility that there is some value in the process itself, not just the end product.*

*Duh, of course there is value in the process itself. It is just that finally I am ready to really explore that idea and almost believe that it is true for me personally.

At first I was playing with a bridge metaphor for the transition between two situations. But bridge metaphors kind of make me want to gag.

The transition vehicle can be whatever works for you. I don’t know yet what that is for me.

What *do* I know?

Well, more specifically, for me, what are the elements of a smooth exit from vacation? (And this of course will vary for the type and length of vacation in question – today it is about my current exit from a lengthy vacation)

- Pack the day before I leave so there is plenty of time for last minute whatevers. Also, don’t make packing the last thing I do at night before the day I leave.
- Relax on the last day of vacation. It is not the day to cram a thousand things into.
- Get enough sleep on the last night. (this is harder if you have an early departure)
- Buy some plane-friendly snacks in the days before departure. Granola bars work well for me.

At the airport / on the plane / ground transportation
Yuck. I am finding myself resistant to the fact that I could even hope to entertain the possibility of making this part any better. Wallowing in self-pity! Poor me who complains about the luxury of flying! I will attempt to think of 2 things I can do and then I will move on.

- Drink lots of water, even if it means I have to get up and use the icky plane bathroom more frequently.
- Stretch out a little in the morning. Or, if I can shove my ego aside at the time, do a little yoga at the airport. (What!?!? Yoga at the airport? You’ll look like a freak!)

Okay, what about home? My husband touts the benefits of a “buffer” day. The day between vacation and going back to regular life.

What would my buffer day look like?

- Keep the email turned off.
- Do something nice/special so I don’t fall directly into my old routines. (go out to dinner?)
- Take a nap.
- Get some exercise, yoga if possible.
- Notice the little things that I have missed at home. (fluffy bathrobe, full-size closet, several rooms to choose to be in)

More food for thought.

Transitioning from Vacation back to Regular Life

2011-08-01T05:00:00.001-06:00

As my month-long vacation in Prague comes to an end, I am thinking about the transition from vacation to regular life.

It is something that historically I am not good at.

Actually, I am not good at transitions in general.

Transitions are: awkward - irregular - annoying

I am impatient with them. Just hurry up and be done with this already so I can get on to the next thing!

My yoga teachers are always reminding us to be mindful of the transitions between poses and that how we are on our yoga mats is how we are in life.

I used to think that was just hippie crap, but I must admit I am seeing the wisdom in it.

So here goes. An Inquiry Into the Transition Between Vacation and Home (I have the feeling this will be a multi-part, ongoing inquiry.

What would it be like to pretend I am on vacation while at home? That is, what are the aspects that make vacation so great?

- freedom to go have fun whenever I feel like it (free from responsibilities and deadlines)
- treat my time and experiences as special
- take care of myself better … naps, “luxuries”
- less TV (that one surprised me)
- “errands” are leisurely and somewhat of an adventure or experience in and of themselves
- the mundane is anything but mundane
- more marital relations

What aspects of home do I miss on vacation?

- regular yoga and working out
- drinking enough water and having regular meals
- time with other people
- easy access to whatever I need at the moment (e.g. the stuff I have at home but don’t take on vacation)

Food for thought.

Learning Objectives in the Principles Courses

2011-07-22T00:00:00.001-06:00

I'm working on aligning individual course objectives with the Economics Program objectives. Here are my current thoughts.

Learning Objectives for Principles of Microeconomics
(1) Explain the fundamental concepts of economics (including scarcity, choice, opportunity costs, the gains from trade, use of models and positive/normative analysis).

(2) Apply microeconomic analysis (including supply and demand analysis and marginal analysis) to evaluate economic events and/or problems.

(3) Analyze the effects of government interventions (including price controls, taxes and tariffs) on market outcomes.

(4) Describe types of market failures and potential solutions to market failures.

(5) Analyze the features and implications of noncompetitive and competitive market structures.

(6) Analyze and interpret economic data, tables and charts.

Learning Objectives for Principles of Macroeconomics
(1) Explain the fundamental concepts of economics including scarcity, choice, opportunity costs, the gains from trade, use of models and positive/normative analysis

(2) Apply supply and demand analysis in a variety of macroeconomic contexts (e.g. market for loanable funds, money market, foreign exchange market).

(3) Describe the construction of fundamental macroeconomic variables (including GDP, inflation, unemployment, productivity, savings, investment, net exports and exchange rates) and interpret their meanings.

(4) Apply macroeconomic analysis (using models like AD/AS) to evaluate economic events and/or problems.

(5) Describe the US monetary system including: functions of money, fractional reserve banking, and the Federal Reserve System.

(6) Assess and evaluate macroeconomic policy (including fiscal and monetary policy).

(7) Analyze and interpret economic data, tables and charts.

Thoughts on Handstand

2011-07-20T00:00:00.001-06:00

I've been working toward being able to do a handstand for a long time. I think it was actually my new year's resolution for 2010.

I have a love-hate relationship with handstand. It is alluring as a pose and I really want to be able to do one in the middle of the room. You know, just pop up into one during a jump forward.

For a lot of the time, I've just been thinking about it because it is really scary to me. Even just kicking up a little bit is incredibly forced.

It's not because I don't have the strength or balance to do a handstand. I'm absolutely positive that my body can do a handstand with ease.

My mind doesn't really want to do a handstand.
My mind doesn't trust my body to do a handstand.

After just doing little hops every day for a couple of weeks, I finally kicked up into a handstand against the wall. I hated every second.

Now, I can force myself to kick up into a handstand against the wall any time I want.

I think that raises some interesting points.

My mind knows that I've skipped some steps in building up to handstand.

The other day in my yoga practice I was practicing little kicks in preparation for handstand. It occurred to me that my legs are afraid to leave the ground.

Okay Legs, what do you have to say about this?
My legs ground me. It is their job and they take it seriously. They don't trust that my arms can do it - the arms have other jobs. Grounding is not one of them.

They are okay with headstand, because my head is on the ground and they trust my head. They trust my core, too. It is just the arms that are the issue.

Interestingly though, my legs say they will be find with letting my arms support me, once they see some evidence.

Bing! I should work on arm balances!

This makes my legs happy. I'm close to the ground already, my arms and core will be doing the work in small steps. My legs are secondary.

So, arm balances it is! My mind is totally okay with arm balances. For my body, they are the intermediate steps to handstand.

Judgey McGee - Part II

2011-07-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

I recently wrote about my experiment in trying to notice when I am judging people.

Noticing is the easy part.

The real question is why do I judge in the first place?

This is where I know things are going to get uncomfortable.
We all have a shadowy side that needs to be acknowledged and processed (or it manifests itself in increasingly inconvenient ways). But it is no fun to look at the parts of yourself that you would rather not admit to having. Once you start pulling that thread, well, you are never quite sure where it is going to lead, but you know it isn't to a place of glitter and butterflies.

Where To Start Pulling
If you look to the Chakra System, the answer lies in the 3rd Chakra. This chakra is about sense of self.

Its strengths include things like: self-esteem, self-respect, self-discipline, ambition, willpower, the ability to handle crisis, strength of character.

Its shadow includes things like: fear of rejection, fear of criticism, fear of looking foolish, fear of failing to meet one's responsibilities, and fears relating to physical appearance (e.g. going bald) ... namely all the things that bring us shame or make us feel inadequate.

In the 3rd Chakra we are judging ourselves and comparing ourselves to others. When we don't measure up, we feel shame. Shame often manifests itself inward as self-criticism and outward as criticism of others.

Does This Compute?
Well, I do have a huge fear of failing to meet responsibilities and I judge this in others when they fail at it.

I have never quite been comfortable in my physical appearance and I judge others for theirs.

I am an approval-seeker which suggests a fear of inadequacy.

Bah. I'm done thinking about this for now. Quick, remind myself of some of my good qualities.

It's Not Like I'm Totally Broken...
Actually, all of the "strengths" of the 3rd Chakra are pretty accurate descriptors for me most of the time.

I could spin this as I have the ambition, self-esteem and strength of character to take a good look at my shadowy side.

Judgey McGee - Part I

2011-07-15T00:00:00.002-06:00

I'm fairly judgmental. I've been aware of it for quite some time. For whatever reason, I've been lately compelled to do something about it.

But why? I'm on a lovely vacation in Prague!

Living a 5-minute walk from the Charles Bridge in means that I am surrounded by thousands of people everyday. Tourists from all over are everywhere I look.

They wear ugly things. They say stupid things. They walk along obliviously to the other people in their proximity (e.g. stop, start, change directions, smack you with large bags).

I judge them.

There are so many that I can't help but judge a lot. A Lot!

I wasn't liking that feeling.

Experiment time!
Kind of like in meditation, I decided to give a label to my judging thoughts when they popped up.

At first I tried the word "judge" but it felt very icky very quickly. Now I'm judging them and me. Judging myself doesn't help in this situation. I've already decided this is a Thing I Am Working On so beating myself up over it isn't necessary.

Then I tried the word "notice".

Bingo. This works. It has a totally different feel. I am not judging myself for judging and yet I am making myself aware that I am judging.

I judge this to be a good thing. Progress at least.

Activities that Promote Learning

2011-07-13T00:00:00.001-06:00

I stumbled upon a report from 1998 that discusses some of the issues I’ve been contemplating for my courses.

Learning is about making and maintaining connections.

From a biological perspective, it is about making new neural networks.

Mentally it is about connecting and creating concepts, ideas and meanings.

Experientially it is about interactions between the
Mind & Environment
Self & Other
Generality & Context
Deliberation & Action

Types of learning activities I can provide include
-comparisons and associations
-alternative perspective and solutions
-drawing conclusions from evidence
-relating personal experience to content
-critical analysis of conflicting views
-constructing defensible judgments and demonstrating linkages
-integrating ideas within and across fields of knowledge
-providing coherence among learning experiences within and beyond the classroom
-classroom experiences that are integrated with purposeful activities outside class

I’ll brainstorm on the specifics of these activities to my classroom later.

Asking

2011-07-11T00:00:00.001-06:00

Some notes from my Shiva Nata practice:

Disclaimer! What follows may or may not make sense to anyone, me included.

The essence is in the ask.
The ask is the essence.

Question. Everything.

Ask questions to myself about myself.

Just. Ask.
The answer is in the ask.

Maybe there isn't an answer.
There is only my current relationship to the thing in question.

I need to acknowledge what needs acknowledging.
Then I can change it. If I like.

Also, it is easier to notice patterns and habits about my regular life now that I am living abroad and not at home.

Learning to Learn

2011-07-08T00:00:00.000-06:00

From the Learner-Centered Teaching workbook I’ve been playing with this summer:

The instructor will help students meet course objectives while developing various and appropriate skills for future learning.

Skills like
-time management
-self-monitoring
-goal setting
-independent reading skills
-conducting independent research

The point is to help students learn to learn skills for the present and the future.

When thinking about this concept in relation to the microeconomics class I am revising, my first thought is to create some out of class (online?) sessions where students can work independently to learn these skills. (Learning Labs?)

But I think it misses the point a little.

How can I integrate learning skills into my course content and activities?

Time Management:
-frame personal time management in terms of cost-benefit analysis (fundamental principle of my course)
-frame as a critical thinking analysis about tradeoffs (another fundamental principle of economics)
-data project (collect data on time use, plot in a chart, analyze the data, produce a report)

Self-Monitoring:
-non-graded quizzes online (I already post optional problem sets with answers … but I could re-format it into an interactive quiz with feedback for the correct/incorrect answers)
-analysis of assumptions students are making with respect to their progress, then analyze the outcomes

Goal Setting & Developing Independent Reading Skills:
-talk to the developmental skills folks at my institution about this one

Conducting Independent Research:
-Full-scale independent research isn't appropriate for this course, however, students can be guided to take some preliminary steps. For example, students can be asked to evaluate positive and normative statements. Or be asked to come to a normative conclusion when given positive claims.

Pain in the Neck

2011-07-06T01:00:00.000-06:00

The other day I woke up with a very stiff neck. You know the kind – it hurts to turn your head in one direction and the pain radiates down your back on that side.

This happens to me every once in a while. I’ve always been curious how most nights my neck is fine and then sometimes I wake up having “slept wrong”.

Lately I’ve been re-exploring the chakra system. I took a chakra yoga class from yogi Seane Corn last weekend and now I’ve been thinking more systematically about injuries I sustain.

In some schools of thought, when you sustain an injury or sickness it can be attributed to an imbalance in the chakra associated with that body part. Like when your immune system is down, it is easier to catch a cold - well if a chakra is out of whack, then parts of your body are more susceptible to injury or illness.

The neck is associated with the 5th chakra. This chakra is about communication and creativity. It is about self-expression and translating what is going on inside you to the outside world.

So, lately have I had any issues with communication?
Upon reflection, I’d say yes. At work I’ve been involved in a somewhat stressful negotiation. I had to be very careful of what I expressed during negotiations. It was difficult to get my point across and I felt like when I did express my point of view it fell on deaf ears. In the end, it wrapped up with me receiving none of the things I had asked for. Zero compromise from the other parties.

Once it was over, I basically ranted about it for the next day (not at work of course). There were apparently some pent up feelings to release. On the next morning I woke up with a seriously stiff neck. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe it is a reminder to be mindful when I feel myself suppressing things I want to say. I can’t always say what I want in the situation, but there are probably other ways to release along the way instead of waiting until the situation has passed.

Body parts associated with the 5th chakra:
neck, throat, mouth, shoulders, arms, hands, thyroid, parathyroid

Learning in Context

2011-06-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

In order for people to learn something new, they need to connect the new material with what they already know. Instructors can facilitate this process, but they can’t actually learn for the students.

Duh.

Although intellectually we understand that we can’t do the learning for the students, we often act as though we can.

In a learner-centered environment, instructors will provide activities that guide the student to transform and reflect upon the content in order for the students to make their own meaning out of it.

This is not to say that students invent new meanings for the concepts and content that we are trying to teach. Rather, it recognizes that when people are truly learning, they are idiosyncratically relating the new concepts into their existing schema.

For my microeconomics course, I’ve been working through Phyllis Blumberg’s workbook. Question for today:

What kind of activities can I design to facilitate reflection and appropriate transformation of the content?

I’ve thought about this question in 2 ways, generally and specifically.

1. What general types of assignments/questions can help students reflect on the content?

the Generative Learning technique of paraphrasing
keep a journal of how the concepts from class have popped up in their everyday lives
come up with an analogy or real life example of a class concept
What about the concept isn’t fitting with what they already know? Who would disagree with the economic perspective? What concepts need more “evidence” to convince them?
create an original artifact to reflect their understanding of a concept (photo, cartoon, “motivational” poster)

2. How can I help create the context to make the content relevant to their lives?

Describe a recent decision that you made. Explain the incentives you felt, the tradeoffs you faced and the opportunity cost you incurred.
Think of a good or service that you choose to purchase even though you could easily produce the good or service yourself. Explain why you choose to purchase it. Think of a good or service that you cannot easily produce yourself. Explain what you need to be able to do in order to purchase it. Why are you choosing to attend college to specialize in a particular major and ultimately career instead of being a hermit in the forest?
Think of a good or service you regularly purchase. What kind of competition does this particular item face? What kind of demand is there for this item? What is the production process for the item like? What does that say about the item’s price?
Think of a recent purchase you made. What was the price you paid? What is the highest price you would be willing to pay for the same item? Explain how the purchase of the item impacted your consumer surplus.
Digitally document an externality from your everyday life.
In your chosen career, what are the factors that influence the number of workers in that career? What are the factors that influence the number of jobs available in that career?

The Function of Content

2011-06-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

As I've mentioned before, I’m thinking about the function of content in my course. Here are my initial thoughts in response to 4 aspects of content in a course.

Why do students need to learn this content?
A majority of the students are business majors. This course provides a foundation for understanding the context in which businesses operate. Specifically, the different types of markets, government interventions, firm behavior and decision-making, the labor market and pricing.

Another significant portion of students are behavioral studies majors. This course discusses how individuals make decisions by responding to incentives and facing tradeoffs, how market failures impact outcomes as well as the organization of the market itself affects outcomes.

Students in general can apply the principles from this course in their every-day decision making. Also, it helps them understand why they pay the prices that they do for different goods and services.

What are the discipline-specific learning methodologies in economics?
Graphs, algebra, data, tables, correlation/causation, quantifying results, using models to simplify aspects of the real world, use a methodical approach to base decisions on, predict the consequences that will likely result from various actions.

What are the ways of thinking in the discipline of economics?
I’m not too sure what this is asking. Viewpoints, incentives, experiments, develop theory and test with data and revise theory, fallacies and incorrect intuition? Schools of thought?

How does this course help students solve real-world problems?
Marginal analysis in individual decision making and firm’s decision making. Develops the ability to interpret data and make recommendations. Whether to raise or lower prices at a business in order to increase revenue. Types of policies are sound when it comes to solving environmental problems.

These questions are pretty useful for anything that you are planning on teaching, even if it is a short, one-hour seminar.

Learner-Centered Teaching

2011-06-25T21:00:00.000-06:00

After hearing her speak at a workshop this spring, I read Maryellen Weimer’s Learner-Centered Teaching. Now I’ve started working my way through Developing Learner-Centered Teaching: A Practical Guide for Faculty which is a workbook by Phyllis Blumberg.

The premise is this:
There is a ton of research out there on how people learn. As college instructors, we seem to default to lecture-based, instructor-centered educational strategies. However, this is often not effective for student learning. We should be exploring learner-centered approaches, ones that don’t focus on what the instructor is doing but how well the students are learning.

The course I’ve chosen to work on is Principles of Microeconomics, which I’ve been teaching for 10 years now either as a TA or instructor. I’ve played around with it quite a bit over the years. It is a pretty good course by many standards. I think, though, that I can take it to the next level and make it a great course.

I’ve played around with moving toward an inverted classroom for several years now. But my approach has been haphazard. As an economist, you think I would know better and would have started with a systematic approach.

Meditation for Beginners

2011-06-17T17:32:00.005-06:00

Today I attended a meditation lecture by Waylon Lewis at Boulder’s Hanuman Festival. Here is what I learned.

You could start by doing just one thing at a time. If you are driving, then just drive – no music, no talking on your cell phone. If you are waiting in line at the grocery store, just wait in line – no texting, no flipping through magazines. If you are watching a movie, really pay attention to the movie. If you are having a conversation with someone, really focus on just that conversation.

And now for the type of meditation where you sit still…

How to Meditate*
-Sit on the floor in a comfortable position (e.g. cross legged). If it’s not comfortable to sit on the floor, sit on a cushion or even sit on a chair.

-Sit up tall. Reach the crown of your head up and ground your sitting-bones down.

-Very slightly tuck your chin.

-Put your hands on your thighs. Don’t cover your knees with them – you might be pulling too hard on your knees to keep yourself up.

-Now relax a bit. (Your posture is still good, just not as forced/rigid as when you were setting yourself up.)

-Fix your gaze at a spot about 6 to 9 feet in front of you. Keep your eyes open, but relax them. Try to look through the spot instead of focusing your eyes on it.

-Breathe normally, but focus your attention on the exhale. The breath is a proxy for the present moment.

-As you notice yourself thinking random thoughts like “Am I doing this right?” “My toe itches.” “I need to do some laundry.” simply acknowledge them by labeling them as “thinking” and then let them go and come back to the breath.

*This is the method we learned. There are tons of other methods out there.

That’s it. Not so intimidating. No Woo catch-phrases to repeat. I plan on giving it a try.

Need a little more info? Here ya go.

Q&A*
What is meditation? It is about being fully present in the moment. We are often not really paying attention to things because we are multitasking or our mind is racing with thoughts. Meditation is about waking up to the present moment.

How do I know if I’m doing it right? Meditation is a practice. Whatever your mood or the swirl of thoughts you are having, as long as you are focusing on your breath and consciously letting your thoughts exit your mind, then you are doing it right.

How long should I meditate? At first, try 2 minutes. Or maybe 5. As you gain practice, there will come a point when you have gotten what you need and then you stop and go about your business. Sometimes this point will come fast and sometimes it will take longer. Every time is different.

Can I lie down instead of sit? Half of your state of mind comes from your posture. If you lay down, then you are very very grounded. Sometimes you might need this. However, energetically speaking it is better to be seated.

When should I meditate? First thing in the morning and last thing at night. After you wake up, you can brush your teeth and do a few stretches to wake up your body a bit and then sit down and meditate for a few minutes. Meditating before bed can help calm the mind and give you a more restful sleep.

What if I’m getting frustrated while I’m trying to meditate? Sometimes you should do more (just labeling the frustration as “thinking”) and sometimes you might want to step away for some space.

What about moving meditations? Moving meditations are easier. Yoga, running, shooting free throws – they can all put you in the flow. If you are the type of person to never sit still, then you should really consider a seated meditation.

I get sleepy when I try to meditate. Any advice? This is pretty typical of our busy, speedy lives. Once we take a minute to slow down, we shut down and want to sleep. Try elevating your gaze a bit, keeping your chin up can help you feel more alert.

How can I find the discipline to meditate twice a day? Discipline and Joy are the same. In discipline you find joy. In joy you find discipline.

*My fuzzy recollection of some of the Q&A from the lecture.

________
Got a thought? Leave a Comment. Just be nice.

(Not) Finding My Edge

2011-05-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

In yoga there is the concept of your edge.

In yoga, I'm pretty good at knowing where my edge is. Pushing myself just hard enough when I need to, backing off when I need to. The balance between effort and ease while still challenging myself.

In life, I keep falling off my edge because I don't know where it is.

I over-commit and get burnt out often.

What are the qualities of this side of the edge?
- safe yet exciting
- sense of thrill
- firmly planted and not going to accidentally tumble off
- sense of boldness / daring when you get up to the edge
- people don't admire you when you go over it, they think you are crazy

Hmm. Maybe I can practice tiptoeing up to my edge. (That sounds really far-fetched for me to actually try.)

More likely is I can build in some safety ledges. That way when I do fall off my edge I don't fall so far.
- schedule massages and reiki before I need it
- remember to run any new commitments by my husband before I saying "yes" ... he's good about reminding me that I don't have to do everything NOW

Also, it would be useful to ponder how I found my edge in yoga.
_________
Got a thought? Please comment. Just be nice.

Stillness Isn't Really Still

2011-05-15T09:33:00.005-06:00

Lately I've been thinking about my relationship with stillness.
- uncomfortable
- throws me off balance
- projects that are "still" nag at my mind
- not getting things done
- weakness
- not as good as action
- not enviable
- awkward
- disorienting
- not earned

Yuk. Clearly I've got some strong feelings about it.

Can I somehow transform the way I think about stillness?

Stillness could mean ...
- thoughtfulness
- balance
- peace
- ease
- reward
- incubation
- tiny movement*
- perspective

*Ooo. Maybe it looks still from the outside but is really moving on the inside? Yes. That helps.

Even Rocks are Moving
I read that somewhere once.

Some objects / people that are still are perceived as more powerful than objects / people that are moving.

Stillness Isn't Always Still
Some things in stillness are really in limbo and need to be moved to make way for peaceful stillness.

Still can also mean continuing.

stillness = continuing to move
Interesting. I can work with this definition.

_______
Got a thought? Please comment. Just be nice.

Yoga for People Who Don't Do Yoga #2: Nurses Edition

2011-02-28T17:05:00.004-07:00

This installment of yoga for non-yogis goes out to my good friend, Nurse C.

Nurses are on their feet all day and really work their shoulders.

Did you know we all store our current tensions in our shoulders?

Think about the last time you were really stressed out. Were your shoulders relaxed down away from your ears, leaving you a nice wide open chest/heart area? No way! Your shoulders were probably creeping up and you were curving forward to unconsciously protect your chest/heart.

Here is a shoulder opening sequence (with a little low back, hips, and legs tossed in) designed especially for health care professionals and/or anyone else who is on their feet and using their arms all day.

This sequence is done standing, so you can feel free to do it on your break at work.

Once again, I've coerced my husband, the software developer with zero interest in yoga, into modeling the poses.

Important Note: When doing yoga poses, PAIN IS NEVER OKAY. Listen to your body and move into the poses slowly. A mild discomfort that comes from stretching a stiff muscle is okay - but any shooting, stabbing, throbbing, tweaking, twinging pains are not okay and are signs to back off.

1. Mountain Pose with breath

stand with feet hip-width apart
stand up tall, slightly tuck your tailbone, pull your lower ribs in if your ribcage is jutting out
as you slowly inhale, raise both arms out to the side and straight up
as you slowly exhale, bring your palms to touch over head and keeping palms together, bend your elbows and lower your arms to your chest ("prayer position")
repeat 2 more times

What's the point of this breathing? Conscious deep breathing taps into your parasympathetic nervous system - the "rest and digest" system. It calms down your sympathetic nervous system - the "fight or flight" system. Breathe slowly, deeply, and consciously in all of the poses.

2. Neck/Shoulder stretch

clasp your hand behind your back and bring them over to your right hip
tilt your right ear toward your right shoulder
you should feel a nice stretch down the left side of your neck and shoulder
you can play around with changing the position of your head - gently looking toward your right shoulder or up to the sky
bring your head to center and switch your arms to repeat on the other side

3. Modified Warrior I with Chest Expansion

with your hands clasped behind your back, reach your hands down, feeling your chest broaden and shoulders melt down your back
step your right leg back several feet, keeping it straight and coming up on the ball of your foot, your left leg bending as is comfortable, knee over ankle (not knee over toes)
you should feel a nice stretch in the front of your right hip flexor (place where thigh meets hip)
keep your tailbone tucked to avoid any lower back "crunching"
if you like, take this into a slight backbend, lowering your hands down the back of your right leg and lifting your heart to the sky
when finished, step your left foot back up to meet your right foot in mountain pose
repeat on other side

4. Modified Standing Forward Bend

with your hands at your sides and feet hip-width apart, drop your chin to your chest and slowly "roll" down until you are in a forward bend
cross your arms and hang heavy
be comfortable here - keep your knees bent, sway from side to side if you like (nice release of lower back), you may also feel your hamstrings releasing
release your arms and slowly roll back up, one vertebrae at a time, head the last thing to come up into mountain pose
roll your shoulders up by your ears and then melt them down your back

5. Mountain Pose with Side Bend

inhale your arms out to the side and up
exhale your right arm down and jut your hips to the left
inhale your right arm back up
exhale your left arm down and jut your hips to the right
inhale your left arm back up
repeat 2 more times on each side

6. Cow Face Pose arms

with your arms above your head, bend your right arm so that your right palm faces your back and your right triceps is opening
take your left arm out to the side, thumb pointing down, then behind your back reaching up
you may be able to grab hands in this pose, if not, use a towel to bridge the gap
breathe! this one can be intense for some people
repeat on other side

7. Figure 4 stretch

you may like to be near a wall for support
bend your knees, cross your left ankle over your right thigh just above the knee
flex your left toes toward your left knee (this action protects your ligaments and tendons)
squat down a little further, you should feel a nice opening in your left outer hip
you can either have your hands on the wall for support, hands in "prayer" position with arms pressing into your left leg, or hands reaching to the floor
uncross your leg and repeat on the other side

8. Modified Downward Dog Pose

stand facing a wall, with your arms straight out, palms pressing into the wall
walk your feet back until your torso and arms come into a straight line, you want to be hinging from the waist, not rounding your lower back
slightly externally rotate your biceps (the action you would use if you were putting your arms under something to lift it)
feel a nice opening in your shoulders (and maybe armpits) and chest as you gently press your heart toward the floor
you can play around with having your arms higher up the wall as well
walk toward the wall to release

9. Standing Knot Pose

standing facing the wall, cross your arms as high up on each other as possible
come toward the wall until your arms are pressing against it
you'll feel a release in your upper back as well as outsides of your shoulders
switch arms

10. Knot Pose Variation

stand with your torso against a wall, left arm extended in a "T" position, fully pressed against the wall
turn your feet and body toward the right, keeping left arm pressed against the wall
you should feel a nice stretch in the front of your left shoulder
repeat on other side

11. Standing Corpse Pose

stand facing away from a wall, feet hip-width apart and about one foot away from the wall
lean your upper body into the wall, most likely your tailbone and upper back will touch the wall and your lower back will have its natural curve and not touch
melt your shoulders down your back and let the back of your head touch the wall
arms can be at your heart with palms together or can be lightly pressed to the wall at 45 degree angles
deeply breathe 5 to 10 breaths

Enjoy!

The Rahn Curve? I Just Don't See it

2010-07-04T10:40:00.007-06:00

Last night my husband was telling me about the Rahn Curve - the idea that as government spending rises, at first economic growth rises but then eventually falls.

The intuition behind this theory is that some government spending is needed in order to provide infrastructure, rule of law, etc but then over time the government can get too big and unwieldy and can cause a drag on the economy. Here is a graph depicting the Rahn Curve (source: FreedomandProsperity.org). Click on it to see the full graph.

I'll avoid a rant on the unsustainability of our current government spending. Instead I thought I'd see what the data say about the Rahn Curve.

So, I headed on over to the Bureau of Economic Analysis's website and grabbed data on government expenditures, Gross Domestic Product, and economic growth rates.

Here is the Rahn Curve that I get when plotting US data from 1930 to 2009 and then from 1980 to 2009. I've included a copy of my raw data and the exact BEA tables I took it from (be careful when looking at graphs that don't tell you exactly where the numbers are coming from).

Am I blind? I just don't see it.

The Rahn Curve - Or Not (Click Here to view larger)

Why Dealing with Your Finances Makes You Say Ick

2010-07-01T09:53:00.010-06:00

One of my projects this summer is to revise some personal finance curriculum.

How did you just react to the term Personal Finance? Notice that for a second. Lots of us have issues that pop up when we even start thinking about it.

Now normally I would not agree to revise curriculum on boring (but necessary) things like how to make a budget, how to diversify your portfolio, how to... blah blah blah. This information is available in many different places and there isn't really much I could add.

The amazingly cool thing about This Curriculum is that

it is absolutely free online (from the Colorado Department of Higher Education - so they're not trying to sell you anything)
for each of the aspects of personal finance (e.g. spending, taxes, investing, etc), there is a look into the psychology behind your relationship with money and finances and decisions.

The sections are divided into "Head Matters" and "Heart Matters". In other words, the nuts-and-bolts facts and then the emotional and psychological side. I haven't seen anything like it out there. Very Cool.

My role is to take what the clinical psychologist has written and add in examples and insights from behavioral economics.

For example: Which would you rather have?
1) A free $10 gift card for the grocery store

2) To purchase a $20 gift card for the grocery store, but only pay $7 for it

Many of us would instinctively choose the $10 gift card for free. But consider this – we could pay only $7 for a gift card worth $20. Option 2 is clearly a better deal overall!

The concept of "Free" messes with our thinking. Interesting, huh?

Economist and author of Predictably Irrational Dr. Dan Arierly suggests that our love of “free” goes deeper and is tied to our aversion to loss. We don’t perceive there to be any downside to a free transaction. If we spend money on something, we may regret our decision – but if it is free, then there is nothing to lose.

My revision of the curriculum will not be posted until the end of summer or early fall, but the current curriculum is up and available for FREE at EducationCents.org.*
*EducationCents is a project of CollegeInvest, a non-profit division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

I'll let you know when my revised curriculum is posted. In the meantime, feel free to brush up on the Head Matters portion of the website.

Oh, and here is another SPECTACULAR *free* resource for helping you manage your money: mint.com. This website was started by the brother of a former student of mine. It is online software that pulls your financial information from all of your accounts and easily helps you track things. It has won tons of awards and accolades. And did I mention - it is also FREE?

Yoga for People Who Don't Do Yoga - #1

2010-06-22T21:13:00.002-06:00

My friend Kristie and I were chatting over Yumberry smoothies at Jamba Juice the other day and the following came up: spending hours working at a desk / over a computer makes our bodies feel out of whack.

I offered to share with her some simple yoga poses that can help to undo the desk work tension and fatigue. Figuring she is not the only non-yogi desk worker who would like to un-scrunch their shoulders at the end of the day, I'll post the poses here. Consider this post one in an ongoing series.

To illustrate how these poses are great for ANY desk worker and how you don't have to be a human pretzel to do them, I've coerced my husband, the software developer with zero interest in yoga, into modeling the poses.

Important Note: When doing yoga poses, PAIN IS NEVER OKAY. Listen to your body and move into the poses slowly. A mild discomfort that comes from stretching a stiff muscle is okay - but any shooting, stabbing, throbbing, tweaking, twinging pains are not okay and are signs to back off.

1. Variation on Corpse Pose*
This pose is great for un-hunching your upper body at the end of the day. You will need a blanket or large towel for this pose. We used a beach towel.

roll up the blanket or towel until it is about 4 inches in diameter and 2-3 feet wide (you can play around with the diameter later to suit you)
lie down on the floor, placing the towel under the base of your shoulder blades
let your legs be comfortable and your arms up over the towel/blanket (kind of in a T position)
breathe deeply and feel that your chest is opening (you may need to play around with where to move the blanket/towel)
if you have been spending quite a bit of time hunched over your desk/computer, this pose might be quite intense at first - with regular practice you'll begin to undo your "hunch"
I like to hold this pose for 2-3 minutes and then remove the blanket and lie flat on the floor for another 2-3 minutes. Your spine will feel great!

* I learned this pose from Chris Crews at Evansville Yoga Center. She always started her Thursday night Stress Relieving Yoga class with it.

2. Variation on Lion Pose
This pose is great for stretching your wrists, hands, and forearms. Be gentle in this pose! There are a bazillion tiny bones and whatnots located in your wrists.

start in either a comfortable cross-legged seat or kneeling
lean forward and reach your hands out in front of you and turn your hands so your fingers are pointing toward you, press your palms to the ground
you should feel a good stretch in your forearms and wrists and maybe hands, if you would like to intensify the stretch, lean back away from your hands
you can also turn your hands over to stretch the other side:

and while your here, slowly touch your thumbs to each finger, one at a time - there will probably be one finger that feels extra tight - hold it a little longer
when you are finished, it may feel good to shake out or roll out your wrists

If you had a stressful day and want to let it out do the following while in Lion Pose:

Cross your eyes and look up at the spot between your eyebrows.*
Stick out your tongue and let out a throaty, growley, roar!**

*Also known as your Third Eye or Mind's Eye. If I told you to "picture a triangle" right now, you could "see" an image of a triangle in your mind while still reading this ... that is your Third Eye.
**There is not a photo of my husband modeling this part. I thought it would be pushing it to ask. Fun fact: I am known to make my college student classes do this pose all together (including the roar) to relieve stress before they give presentations.

3. Easy Pose with Neck Stretch
This pose releases the tension in your neck and shoulders.

start in a comfortable seated position (either on the floor or in a chair)
extend your left arm out about 45degrees and gently tip your head to the right
you will feel a nice release down the left side of your neck and possibly into the top of your left arm
breathe
now turn your head so you are looking at your right shoulder - you'll feel the stretch move to a different part of your neck
repeat on the other side

Just spending 10 minutes or so on these 3 poses should make it easier to shake off your desk worker posture and release some tension in your body.

Any requests for body parts you need stretched after a long day?

An Analogy for the Financial Crisis

2010-05-07T17:29:00.001-06:00

Today I came across a fantastic analogy for the recent financial crisis. It comes via Economic Principals' comment on the book Slapped by the Invisible Hand.

Think of the financial crisis as a widespread electrical blackout.

Once the lights go out, the inner workings of a system that people ordinarily take for granted suddenly matter. It turns out that those inner workings are very complicated, he says. People are angry that there is no light and that it is very complicated.

Bingo. Immediately after it happens a regular, every-day, competent electrician wouldn't be an expert in what caused the blackout, or how to fix it.

Likewise, immediately after it happens a regular, every-day, competent Ph.D. economist wouldn't be an expert in what caused the financial crisis or how to fix it.

I wish I would have had this analogy when the crisis was happening. It would have helped me look like less of an idiot to my friends and family.

RMU 2010 Teaching Economics Conference - Presentation

2010-02-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

Today I will be presenting at the 21st Annual Robert Morris University-McGraw Hill/Irwin Teaching Economics Conference.

I attended and presented last year and found it to be attended by a great group of people.

This year my presentation is entitled "Lack of Learning or Lack of Studying: An Inquiry into Low Exam Scores". Click here and here for the handouts I'll be distributing at my talk.

With the push for assessment and assurance of learning, I often find myself asking "is it me or is it them?" when it comes to students who are not meeting expectations.

Surprise! Surprise! They candidly admit to not studying or to not knowing how to really study.

From My Students

2010-02-02T16:50:00.001-07:00

Excerpts from recent student emails:

I couldn't attend your class today because I ripped my pants in my first class and had to go home and change.

I won't be in class today, my dog consumed an entire bottle of prescription pain pills last night and needs to go to the doctor this morning.

I know that our classroom will be in Building X but I don't know where Building X is. Can you give me directions? Also, where is the best place to park?

I truly admire the honesty.

A clinical psychologist, a financial literacy program director, and an economist walk into a bar

2010-01-13T21:15:00.001-07:00

There is no joke here. (And it was a Starbucks, not a bar.)

I had an excellent meeting this morning about revising some personal finance curriculum.

We’ll be weaving behavioral economics and psychology into the lessons on basic personal finance (e.g. spending, investing, insurance). Very cool well-rounded approach.

Also, three very cool, young professional ladies.

I love my job.

Submission to 2010 Teaching Economics Conference

2009-12-22T11:53:00.001-07:00

The Robert Morris University, McGraw Hill/Irwin 21st Annual Teaching Economics Conference is coming up in February.

I attended this conference last year as a presenter and had a wonderful time. Small conference, engaged attendees, open bar.

I’ve submitted the following paper for the 2010 conference:

“Lack of Learning or Lack of Studying? An Inquiry into Low Exam Scores”

Here is the abstract:
When we assess student learning through exams, we are implicitly assuming that the students have submitted work that reflects their genuine understanding of the material after their genuine attempt to learn it. However, all too often students do not put in the time and effort to learn the material. Given the current emphasis on assessment of learning in higher education, how can we determine whether low exam scores reflect a lack of learning versus a lack of preparation? This session will provide an overview of one instructor’s attempt to answer this question. The strategy includes having students answer a questionnaire which guides them through an analysis of their midterm exam and study habits, and a meeting with the instructor during office hours. In addition to providing the instructor with insight into exam scores, this technique was met with overwhelmingly positive responses from the students. Discussion time will be allotted so session participants can share their experiences and perspectives on exam scores as assessment as well.

the new Aplia

2009-07-15T14:08:00.001-06:00

Today I spoke with an Aplia rep for an hour.

Back up: The last time I used Aplia for a course was in 2003 (?) and it was a complete disaster. I was teaching economics in the SASC program at CU. Aplia had just come out and was only about $10 per student. Many of my students were ESL and the terminology used in Aplia exercises was not the same as the terminology used in their book.*

*You'd think that economics terms would be standard across books. Not so! Alas, maybe that is just one more reason why so many people are confused by economics.

I realized that my students' terminology troubles might be coming more from the non-native speaker realm and that a "regular" student body might still benefit. But then the price was getting higher and coupled with the purchase of a text book, it just didn't seem worth it. Plus, you can easily upload multiple choice questions to BlackBoard or similar classroom management sites.

Flash forward to today: Many of my colleagues at Metro State use Aplia so I figured I'd see what it looked like 6 years later. I have to say I am impressed.

First, the price is fantastic. For $80 students get Aplia plus a copy of the entire text online. A hard copy of the text alone is near $140! If they do want a hard copy of the text, they can purchase it for an extra $35. Still a fabulous deal!

There are many more grading options and there are versions of Aplia questions built specifically for various text books.

I've decided to go for it for this fall semester. I am cautiously optimistic.

The Benefit of Getting Over Yourself

2009-04-14T18:27:00.000-06:00

For several years, I've had a twinge in my elbows when I do push ups.

I used to just power through to get the strength work out.

Last October I stopped doing that. I decided to get over myself and drop to my knees, which relieves the twinge when I'm doing a push up or Chaturanga.

I pretty much hated dropping to my knees. I hated it every time I did it.

So I guess maybe I wasn't really over myself.

Just the other day I realized I didn't hate it any more. And as I was realizing it, I was also realizing that it seemed enough time had passed and I had strengthened my arms without harming them... and maybe I could give full Chaturanga another try.

So I tried it.

No pain. No twinge.

Sometimes it pays to get over yourself.

Two Recent Presentations

2009-04-01T13:22:00.001-06:00

At the end of February, I presented at the 20th Annual Teaching Economics Conference presented by Robert Morris University and McGraw-Hill/Irwin. My talk was about a course I teach called "Global Economic Issues". It is essential a sophomore level survey course about the global economy. Here is a pdf of the slides:

The second presentation I recently gave was about medical tourism. I presented an overview of this phenomenon at the 2009 Academy of Business Economics meetings. Here is a pdf of the slides:

Partner Yoga

2009-03-02T19:06:00.002-07:00

My husband has been attending partner yoga with me on Sunday nights.

He's actually quite good. He takes classes in Krav Maga, the martial art used by the Israeli Army - so that definitely helps with strength and flexibility.

Our most recent class was pretty strenuous. We did quite a few balancing poses and also the infamous double down dog (which is WAY fun to do).

Toward the end when we were winding down the instructor told us to do which ever counter pose we felt we needed.

My husband leans over to me and in all seriousness asks "Can a martini be a counter pose?".

I think that it can.

College Students' Knowledge of Personal Finance

2009-02-18T10:23:00.002-07:00

My colleague, Greg Valentine, and I have been exploring what college students know about personal finance. Surprise, surprise - not much.

Click here to learn more:
CollegePF 01-01-09 Draft

Presentation on my Global Economic Issues Course

2009-02-18T10:08:00.002-07:00

2009 RMU GEIcourse Handout

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