William Perry has a wonderful article, “Different Worlds in the Same Classroom: Students’ Evolution in Their Vision of Knowledge and Their Expectations of Teachers.” On Teaching and Learning, Volume 1 (1985). His observations are based on his theory of student epistemological development in making sense of knowing, of how they make meaning. He puts these students side by side in the same classroom.

I have found Perry’s observations quite helpful in my making sense of students’ questions — allowing me to hear their different takes on the same presentations/discussions.

John Thompson, Saskatoon

I’ve devoted much of my career to developing and perfecting a tool that places people of all ages at the controls of their own attention. The idea is that people can deliberately shape or reshape their experience by choosing where to focus their attention. Without help, however, they will not keep their attention focused long enough to achieve results.

The tool is called a MotivAider (http://HelpKidsChange.com). It’s a remarkably simple electronic device that automatically and privately keeps its user’s attention focused on any chosen personal objective. Although it’s being used primarily to change troublesome habits, I believe the MotivAider’s
greatest potential lies in its ability to shape experience.
That ability can be used not only to solve problems, but to enhance learning in potentially exciting ways.

Imagine, for example, a child who is learning about art being silently, gently and repeatedly reminded as she goes about her day to notice how shadows are naturally cast. Or imagine a teacher using the tool to tune in for a day to subtle ways that children help each other.

I encourage teachers who are interested in exploring the MotivAider’s potential as an experience-shaping tool to contact me (slevinson@habitchange.com). I’m eager to support this type of exploration with complimentary MotivAiders.