Schools

It has come to my attention that I may lose my job next year. I currently teach high schoolers and their teachers how to do research that gets results. I think that's a pretty good, relevant, and important job to do, to get our young people and their mentors ready to better understand the world around them and to be able to share information ethically and efficiently.

Why do you think it is that schools everywhere are jettisoning these people on their staffs who help everyone figure things out? Well, here's a thought: school districts aren't forced to do the right thing. Simple as that. Instead of focusing on what's right for kids, what's good for kids, and what works for kids, they do what makes them comfortable. It made me realize the power of people banding together to say, "no. What you are doing is not right, and we won't participate until you DO do it right." We all know that there is so much information people have to wade through that they need guides to do it efficiently. We know this. Yet, for only financial reasons, school districts have decided that they "can't afford" the luxury of having their students understand how to search, use, and share information. This business model might work in industry. The last time I checked, kids weren't widgets. For whatever the reasons they tell themselves, school districts can get away with cutting their media specialists because "the state doesn't require it." Maybe the state didn't require it because they never thought this would be in question! It's like saying that we don't need laws on the books, because people will always do the right thing. Right. We see every day how well that works. What is interesting in all of this is that, in a right-to-work state like Texas, schools are hiring librarians. It makes me wonder if this position, which should be the most apolitical of all, is being used to "bust" the unions. Schools need librarians. Simple.Media specialist positions are vital to the health of the schools. Michigan and other states need to step up and force schools to do the right thing and support their students' learning.

ID and canned veggies

There's a can of peas in my cupboard, with the requisite photo of a luscious pea plant on the front of the can. Near the photo is a caveat: "product shown before processing." Umm, yeah. Unless you are a kid who has never seen a pea plant and expects to see those tendrils of pea plant, as well as the pod, in that can! Or a person who has never eaten peas. Or a new cook who is following a recipe and has no idea what to expect. Or a newcomer to the US and have never seen peas before... You get the idea.
Instructional design takes these types of interesting situations into account. As instructional designers, we look at not only the gap in performance, but the knowledge gap as well. The idea is that we can help people do better, understand more, and help subject matter experts "break it down" so that novices can follow them and benefit from the SME's expertise.
Motivation to learn, cognitive load, the creation of schemata, and linking of new information to what the person already knows are all (or should be!) part of instructional design. I keep thinking of what Abraham Maslow has said: "when you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail" or something to that effect. I feel strongly though, that instructional design and the habits that one acquires when thinking about learning problems and instructional challenges from an instructional design perspective make communication of all types more effective. Even the message on a can of peas.