You are not alone – the benefits of student self-identification as a classroom activity

 

[university classroom*]

The first lesson of any course sets the tone for the whole class. The students size up the teacher and make assumptions about his/her approachability, flexibility and personality. After 45 minutes of technical details on the course, the students have identified the technical specifications of the teacher, often correctly.

Unfortunately, the process is a bit one-way. The teacher is focused on presenting an organized and comprehensive description of the course and providing the relevant information. In the first hour, at minimum, the students sit quietly and politely, with maybe a few questions from the more confident ones among them. In practice, the teacher knows absolutely nothing about the students except their names. They are literally a sea of faces.

I teach English to first-year engineering students from all departments at the Braude School of Engineering in Karmiel, Israel. I have more than 30 years of experience and have learned that, regardless of the students’ age, which in my case ranges from 18-30, learners that feel some connection with the teacher try harder and have a greater chance to succeed.

Our task schedule is rather tight, especially with the war-shortened semesters this year, in terms of the amount of material to be covered as we aim to teach four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Notwithstanding this pressure, I choose to dedicate the second 45-minute period of the first lesson to student self-introduction, which can take 30-40 minutes with a class of 30 students. I ask each student to state their name, what type of engineering they are studying, where they are from and something that makes them special, such as a hobby, skill or achievement. I always pose a short question after each introduction regarding some matter about which I am curious. I am aware that this activity is at the expense of a formal learning experience, e.g., articles and sentence structure, but I do not regret this choice as both the teacher and students receive far more benefit.

My benefits include:

1.   It slightly increases the chance I will remember their names although I tell them on the first lesson that I tend not to retain names (unless the students has a “special” personality or the name and face seem to match perfectly).

2.  More importantly, I catch of a sense of who they are in those few sentences, including their level of confidence and skill, emotional state and general personality.

3.  I quickly learn to appreciate and respect them as adults as I discover their amazing achievement as such an early age. I have had students that won awards in numerous sports, founded businesses and, in general, achieved more than I would have thought possible in such a short time as an adult. I may know more English than they do but they are far more talented than me in other areas. It teaches healthy humility.

The students also benefit:

1.     They discover the other students, especially the ones outside their department.

2.    They begin the process of believing that that they can orally express themselves coherently in English. Granted, it is a small step towards the final large presentation before the class. However, for many, especially the more timid among them, this success leads to more confidence.

3.    It allows them to express themselves as adult individuals and see how unique and talented they are. Chronical age and emotional age are far from identical. By being treating as an adult, they tend to take responsible for their actions, one of the key elements in effective learning.

For these reasons, I invest 45 minutes of class time to get to know my students, however slightly, as individuals. Learning is an activity that involves two parties, a teacher and a student, not merely a distant figure talking to the air. We are not alone, neither students or teachers, in this process. It is for teachers, who have the power to set the tone, to create the connection.

* Picture captions help the blind access the Internet.

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These are a few of my favorite things - The Braude College of Engineering 16th Research Conference

 

[candies*]

Multi-disciplinary research conferences create certain feelings - among them ignorance and wonder. Researchers in many different fields present their ongoing projects to colleagues in non-related fields. The curious result is most of the audience doesn’t fully understand some or all aspects of the presentation. At the same time, the listeners, or at least I, gain an appreciation of new topics and, no less important, the brilliant minds of their colleagues.

As a mere English lecturer without a science background, all of the topics were new to me with quite a few being quite incomprehensible except for the main idea, partly because my knowledge of math is rather limited. Still, these presentations opened previously unknown worlds and perspectives and gave me hope for practical solutions for important current problems in the foreseeable future. Among those presentations that I was able to follow, I wish to highlight several that especially piqued my interest, notably those discussing developments in health care and environmental solutions as well as a few that related to more obscure but still potentially relevant issues.

In the area of health, Dr. Iris Weitz discussed the use of copper oxide nanoparticles as a tool in healing and preventive health. Similar to gold and silver, she and her colleagues discovered that copper has certain properties even in a nanoparticle form that can help the body fight illnesses. At the same particle level, Prof. Sarit Sivan presented research on how nanoparticles containing pain killers can be used to ease eye pain and allow proper rest for patients in the first 72 hours after laser surgery. In the both of these lectures in TedTalk form, both the science and implications were quite clear and thought-provoking

In regards to environment issues, Associate Prof. Essam Sabah, in conjunction with several European colleagues, presented research that shows how it may be possible to use jelly fish mucus, which the animal uses to clean the water around it, to capture and bind nanoparticles of plastic and improve water treatment systems. In another lecture, Dr. Lilach Lasur Kruh explained how the search for the original DNA in wild humus plants may help fight mushroom infections in cultured plants and the challenges involved in implementing the solution. These lectures reinforced the notion that science does not always have to reinvent the wheel, only find where it is buried.

On a more esoteric but no less useful note, Dr. Anat Dahan presenting findings on research demonstrating how cooperation synchronizes brains. The testing involved monitoring brain activities when two individuals worked on the same task together. The implications of such development could be far reaching. Dr. Elad Denenberg discussed creating algorithms that would allow satellites to automatically avoid the rapidly-increasing quantity of space garbage floating around the earth. The major challenge is to make the calculation simple enough that the satellite can make the calculations autonomously and minimize waste of fuel in maneuvering. The need for research in these fields seem obvious now.

The pleasure of college research conferences is the magnificent combination of incredible knowledge with the ability and experience in expressing this knowledge. All the presenters expanded and enlightened the minds of the listeners. I merely presented a few of my favorite things. I wish to thank the College and the conference organizers for the event. I am looking forward to next year’s session.

* Picture captions help the blind fully access the Internet.

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Hitting the light switch – the 12th Annual Braude College Academia-Industry Conference

 

[two birds using satellite to find food*]

In 1880, Thomas Edison took out his patent for his lightbulb, which engineers (probably) found exciting. In 1882, he brought electricity to New York city, which impacted everybody (at least in New York). The first event would only have been a curiosity without the second but the second event was only relevant because of the first. When working together, science and industry change people’s lives then and now. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Academy-Industry Conference at the Braude School of Engineering in Karmiel in northern Israel. This conference brought out the advantages of close cooperation between the two sectors and showed its benefits not only in industry but in processes directly impacting the general public. The relation between ivory tower and company headquarters is clearly symbiotic.

The number of parties interested in cooperation between the two worlds was striking. On the one hand, the Braude College of Engineering, through its student placement, sponsorship of the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and student projects, places great importance on linking student activity to actual situations in the field. The Israel government Innovation Authority and Chief Scientist Office provide financial support for relevant activities, including implementation of new technology. On the other hand, a significant percentage of the attendees were from industry, indicating practical interest in collaboration. The Zoom presentations from the United States and Singapore show that this model is widespread and successful. Objectively, the number of projects involving implementation of Industry 4.0 technology in established factories and the presentations documenting their success demonstrated that is the academy-industry connection is alive and well.

Many of the developments were specific to the industrial setting. For example, Prof. Dr. ir. Joost R. Deflou from KU Leuven, Belgium, provided a detailed description of the current process of waste metal recycling and ideas to improve it so as to significantly reduce both processing and energy costs as well as increase actual reuse. Eric Wespi from Boston Science noted the progress and challenges involved in using automated visual means to conduct the final quality check. Several beneficiaries of the implementation of smart production technology emphasized the importance of unified start-to-finish data access to management to minimize resource waste and rejected products. All of the improvements help factories of all sizes not only to survive but thrive in an increasingly competitive and dynamic market.

The conference also highlighted developments that will directly change people’s life. Prof. Paulo Bartolo discussed 3D bioprinting and mentioned the amazing possibility of directly “printing” skin on a person during surgery. Ms. Hagit Snir-Salinger discussed ongoing efforts to collect, sort, recycle and reuse the plastic agricultural waste, including sheets and pipes, collecting on the edge of fields in Israel and elsewhere. Mr. Motty Arnon discussed progress in creating AI based diagnoses systems, including for cancer, that would service populations located far from advanced medical facilities. These applications may soon directly improve the lives of millions.

Technology changes lives as the cartoon above demonstrate. By integrating the intellectual resources of academic institutions and the practical needs of industry, “miracles” no less amazing than electricity can occur. The conference was eye-opening and raised hope for a better future.

* Picture captions allow the blind to fully access the Internet.

Picture credit: Cartoon shared in Facebook

West and [Middle] East – Academic meeting

Although it was quite a few years ago, I still remember my feelings as an 18-year-old freshman at UC Santa Cruz on the first day of college, physically registering for classes (pre-Internet days). I felt fear and great uncertainty as I circulated among my fellow new students, all mostly entirely white and 18 years old and having just completed high school.  Our accumulated non-academic life experience and self-confidence was rather close to absolute zero even if we tried to hide this lack. In terms of religion, most were Christian with a small sprinkling of Jews and Muslims.  The largest minorities were Afro-Americans (to use the current term) and Asians, whose cultural norms were not that different from the other students. In other words, our lecturers looked on a rather homogenous group of students in terms of age and cultural background.

I have been teaching English at the Braude College of Engineering in Karmiel in the Galilee in Israel, for over 25 years now. The college, currently with some 5,500 students enrolled in its various programs, is a second-tier engineering college, behind the Technion, which is the MIT or Cal Tech of Israel, and offers first and second degrees in various disciplines, including mechanical and electronic engineering as well as biotechnology, programming and industrial management. The contrast with my undergraduate experience as I observe and communicate with my students is quite striking in all aspects.

First of all, the ages of my students range from 18 to 28. The youngest are Arabs from the surrounding villages, who are not required to serve in the army or do national service and, in many cases, are encouraged to get a degree before starting to work. The oldest are those that served in the army, often both the mandatory period and sometimes an additional period as “regular army, often followed by a trip to a distant land to clean their heads and preparatory studies of a year or more to improve their grades to be accepted at the college. Moreover, most have had significant life experiences, including combat service, officer training, setting up businesses and enriching trips abroad. They are far from innocent and, in many ways, much more knowledgeable than me.

In terms of religion, since the college is in the Galilee, students may be Jewish, Muslim, Druze, Catholic, Greek orthodox, Russian Orthodox or none of the above, as in the case of many Russians and their children. This means that the holiday calendar, as reflected by dates on which quizzes may not be given, is rather complicated.  Of course, during Ramadan, which lasts a month, many of my students have a hard time concentrating, especially if the holiday falls during hot weather, since many of the Muslim students neither eat nor drink during the day.

Beyond that, the behavior norms of Arabs, both Muslim and Christian, are quite different from the Jews. While latter tend to be direct and clear in expressing their understanding, agreement or lack thereof, Arab mentality, especially among the female students, is much more understated. They tend to avoid expressing their true state of comprehension or unhappiness. The true situation is often only discovered during testing as reflected by the actual results.

Given the age of most of the students and their understandable desire to gain economic independence, they are very directed in their studies.  Engineering studies are quite demanding and difficult, often involving more than 20-30 hours a week just of class time, not to mention homework. Since their goal is clear, most of my students accept the heavy burden of study in good cheer.

This heterogeneity has a strong effect on the whole style of teaching. Israeli college lecturers can be subject experts and even mentors but not parental figures. To be effective, it is necessary to be sensitive and flexible in approaching students. Some need direct challenges and questions while others have to be handled more indirectly in a more non-threatening manner. In terms of authority, given the self-confidence and experience of the students, teachers must show respect but clearly exercise authority to maintain “possession” of the class. Otherwise, they simply lose the students, who do not hesitate to complain about any improper aspect to the course coordinator or department head. By the nature of group dynamics, this fine line between authority and respect differs for each group of students, often depending on the ethnic mix of students. Thus, Israeli college lecturers, to an even larger degree than for most teachers in the country, not only have to be experts in their subject matter but also strong personalities to successfully lead a class.

Kipling wrote that East and West will never meet. It is clear that college teaching in this nook of the Middle East and in the United States, I imagine even today, are extremely different despite the similarities in the subject matter taught. I can say that, after many years of teaching, the aspect I most enjoy of this profession is my interaction with my students, who not only give me hope for the future but also personally enrich me with their insights and understanding.

Starting up the freelance business leanly

This week, I attended a short lecture and workshop given by Prof. Rami Gazit from the Braude College of Engineering.  The subject was the lean startup model, which was new to me.  In a few hours, he provided the background and main points of this business model.  As a freelancer translator for 15 years with a formal business background (MBA), I could not help but consider whether this knowledge would have helped me when I started and how much it is relevant now.  My conclusion is that while freelancing and startups are not identical situations, some of the basic concepts to which I was exposed would definitely apply to a startup and established freelance translator.

To begin with, I clearly see three important differences between technical startups and freelancing.  The first involves the environment in which the business begins. One of the definitions of a startup business provided us was an attempt to create a viable business model in an essentially uncertain world, i.e., to introduce a new product or service into the market.  By contrast, freelancing involves providing a known product or service in a relatively stable existing market, i.e. specific and complete business models already exist.  

Another important difference is the end goal of the activity.  Ultimately, the startup entrepreneur wants to succeed in creating a business that is sufficiently large and viable to sell for millions. By contrast, the more modest end goal of all freelancers is to make a living in the long term on their terms.  The money involved is in thousands, not millions. Granted, in the translation business, more and more successful freelance businesses are being bought in the recent of conglomeration.  Still, the vast majority of freelancers are in for the long term to make a living. Finally, new freelance translators, unlike a budding startup company, has nothing new to offer. Their service is superficially identical to that of countless others. The only changes in the service will be the product of outside technological change, such as machine translation, not any innovation they can bring.

That said, freelancers can learn from the lean startup model. First, in both, it is essential to focus on the customer, not on the product or service. This emphasis is vital both in the starting and later stages of the business. In the beginning, it is necessary to talk with companies and translation project managers to ascertain what they look for, i.e. the characteristics of a successful service provider. For example, in translation, on-time delivery and effective communication create the basis for a long-term customer.  As the business grows, these same customers can provide information regarding QA issues and other required services, i.e. areas to which the service provide can expand, such as transcreation or post-MT editing in the translation field today. Only after entrepreneurs understand their customers can they tailor their skills and knowledge to the market.

Proper scaling also applies to freelance businesses. Scaling applies to the speed of expansion of business activities.  The relevant key lesson from lean startup is that trial and error on a small scale is vital for long term success.  In other words, in the beginning, freelancers should focus on a single specialization within their repertoire of skills and knowledge. For example, translators should market one language pair in one direction in one specialization.  When translating or marketing errors occur, the lessons learned from this experience will significantly increase the efficiency in later stages. Not only that, a small controlled start will avoid burning customers for the later stages. Once the basic technical issues are clarified and resolved, it will be possible to expand to further niches (and higher income). Thus, while there is a tendency to throw out a wide net, a narrow focus in the beginning can better serve a new freelancer.

The third aspect is the need to be able to pivot, i.e. flexibility. Whether due to market changes or incorrect assumptions, some marketing ideas or potential niches do not produce results. After a certain point, it is pointless to invest more time and energy in them, at least for the meantime. A successful entrepreneur seeks another area in which the same set of skills and knowledge or an additional one will apply. For example, the knowledge of legal and financial accounting terminology is also a key in translating documents for international development marketing as I learned in a recent ATA webinar by Corinne Mckay. Since the business world is only relatively stable, the ability to pivot is relevant for the entire lifetime of a freelancing business. Change can be a curse or an opportunity. Flexibility is an important relative advantage of a successful freelancer.

I make no claim of being an expert of lean startup after a two-hour lecture/workshop.  Yet, I found many of its lessons relevant to both new and established freelancers, including but not limited to translators. The need to be customer focused by asking questions, walk before running and identify and react to changes applies to all businesses, freelancers, startups and even corporations. All entrepreneurs that start up a business can lean on these principles.

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