[Interview] Interview with a raptor: Get to know trinker

[victorxstc]

To some extent yes, but I'm a researcher because I care about kids and if we're on the cutting edge that really means we haven't established as much as we should in the field. That means that we don't necessarily know how to best kelp kids. That makes me sad. So cutting edge is exciting and good for researchers but bad for education. Take the medical field, while it's still developing there's a great deal that has been definitely established because of the careful experimentation and standards the field has. To some extent that makes me jealous. It's hard to move a 20 ton ship in a new direction.

I see but please note that the research on human body is the most vigorous one and they pay huge grants to researchers in that field. So I think if they fuel that 20-ton ship with the atomic fuel medicine is currently taking advantage of, not only it can revise its path quickly, it would leap like a speedboat : ) Besides, despite all the careful efforts put on research in medicine, there are much more unknown and vaguely known than clear-cut findings : ) everyday, a study emerges that invalidates whole the literature on that subject! But I got your point : ) just for conversation!

However, your interest in children wellbeing is nice, good for your kids : )

An example of the field's knowledge is around reading strategies (tools that we have for comprehending text that we use automatically but don't necessarily think about).

Then are you into this image? (attached)

We know that in teaching kids about a reading strategy there are three parts declarative (what the strategy is), procedural(how to use it), and conditional (when and why to use it). In the US we're really good at the first two but not the last (this goes for math teaching too). We need to get better at teaching kids when and why they should use something other wise they're unlikely to use it.

It sounds like luxury to me In my country, they just teach children and ask them difficult questions, no matter how will they hate the school There is nothing similar to these interesting components ... I think in Japan, they treat children much worse (much more intense materials and exams)... So, do you have any idea on the results of being good at these elements in the US? For example, what is the outcome? Being happier? Being more knowledgeable? more successful? Is there any explicit goal for being good at declarative, procedural, and conditional elements? You know? I think I am speaking with an alien right now, because the topics you are explaining does not exist at all here I am curious what difference can these make?

I think that we have a lot of literature in reading education and a lot of beliefs and a lot of opinions but we haven't given them careful scrutiny with hard scientific experimental methods. Our evidence is we cite so and so who cites so and so who cites..

agree that citing is too overemphasized today it sucks, and it influences all fields I think

I really want the field to start honestly examining it's beliefs with large experimental studies rather than continuing to debate without the generalizability that other fields like the medical field have.

medical research sucks too IMHO : )

They know that if they give pill X to patient A, with characteristics M, N, O and P, that he is likely to recover. They know this because they've observed and then carefully tested this hypothesis.

But I think there are virtually infinite number of hidden variables involved, so basically all they got is a bunch of controversial reports, with many confused meta analyses, as far as I have come to understand : )

Right now, from my perspective, reading education has a lot of hypothesis but not the focused resources or organization to really test these notions for generalization to a broader audience.

I agree 100% that your field is much more elusive

[I wanted to put another smiley and it errored!! "You have included a total of 14 images and/or videos in your message. The maximum number that you may include is 10. Please correct the problem and then continue again." lol [without smileys] : )

 

[Lazar]

TR you have talked alot about Anglo authors but I was wondering if you have any favorite authors who have written in languages other than English? Goethe, Kafka, Dostoyevsky?

 

[trinker]

TR you have talked alot about Anglo authors but I was wondering if you have any favorite authors who have written in languages other than English? Goethe, Kafka, Dostoyevsky?

No English is my language of comfort and I tend to read English authors or those translated into English (such as Vygotsky). Sometimes when I read educational theorists like Dewey or Bahktin I feel like I'm reading a foreign language

 

[bugman]

1)
2) I speak 1-English. Sorry though if you count R that's 2.

So you don't speak raptor then?

 

[trinker]

Don't be silly bugman raptors speak English

 

[Dason]

What kind of a math background do you have?

 

[trinker]

What kind of a math background do you have?

Good question. I took up to AP calc in high school. I took calc I in under grad and math for elementary teachers. Then I never took a math course in my next courses of study (Curriculumn and Instruction and Educational leadership). I did however teach 6 grade math a year and 7-8 grade math for 3 years. My students turned around from a 20% state test passing rate to 90%. They kept me on, made me math department head and then I wen ton to teach Title I math (remedial help) for a year. I've always loved math but didn't pursue it.

I was nervous in my PhD to have to take Stats I (My advisory insisted). I took it and did all the HW for the course in two weeks. I ate it up and loved it. I've now taken at the PhD level (applied):

• Stats I (baby stats we made it up to simple regression)
• Stats II (went through linear models in detail)
• Regression analysis (interactions and logistic regression but Block wise Multiple regression dominated)
• Psychometrics

I am currently taking:

• Meta Analysis
• Experimental design
• Analysis of Quantitative Research

So as you can see I'm not too strong in math as this was not my area of study. I know that and want to learn as much as time permits though. What I need to know I try to learn on my own (well with help from TSers too ). I may even tackle integrals here again (I can't remember that far back as I once did simple stuff in High School).

 

[Jake]

1. Are you a fan of Woody Allen movies? If so, which ones are your favorites?
2. Paul McCartney or John Lennon?
3. The Who or Led Zeppelin?

 

[trinker]

1. Are you a fan of Woody Allen movies? If so, which ones are your favorites?
2. Paul McCartney or John Lennon?
3. The Who or Led Zeppelin?

1. Not a Woody Allen fan; more of a Woody from Toy Story kind of guy (please stop silently judging me )
2. Lennon in that I love his spirit (IMHO less talented but I like raw talent hence my love of Bob Dylan; Jimi Hendrix and Leonard Cohen)
3. Zeppelin 1000% For a number of reasons:
1) No one in Zep got busted for kiddie porn
2) Page
3) Plant
4) A violin bow on a guitar (genius)
5) Played whammy bar before whammy bars were invented
6) Did I mention plant and page (what page could do with a guitar plant did with his voice)
7) A heavy rock band that used the mandolin in a top hit song
8) Blues influenced

PS have you ever seen "It might get Loud" a music documentary with Jack White, Jimmy Page and The Edge? Best music documentary ever. To me Jack White is brilliant and original.

 

[bryangoodrich]

This entire thread is tl;dr.

I'll just assume it was a long diatribe about raptors attacking innocent human beings.

 

[vinux]

Why was the robot angry?
Because someone kept pushing his buttons!

This indeed a good joke.

Few more.
1) What are the characteristics of a raptor?

2) When I hear buffalo, I remember bob marley's song ( buffalo solider). Do you have any thing to add on any famous stuff to your place. Does the place buffalo has any connection with animal buffalo?
3) Where you like to live? City or town or Village( I am not sure this exists in US).


4) your (or your daugher's) favourite nursery rhymes?

 

[trinker]

Jake was razzing me for my choices so I did some quick discourse analysis on his likes and one theme emerged that concerns me: the liking of kids in inappropriate ways.

Evidence 1: Woody Allen: (LINK) His wife's daughter; not cool woody.
Evidence 2: Paul McCartney Befriended Michael Jackson (LINK) at the very least a know child corrupter (LINK)
Evidence 3: The who's famous guitarist (LINK)

Jake how can you align with these folks?

 

[victorxstc]

How was your childhood and teenhood?

What did you do and what did you like?

What were your concerns and your dreams?

At which age did you marry?

How you came to the decision that you are ready for marriage?

How awesome do you rate your life now?

 

[victorxstc]

What is your idea on replacing punctuations with smileys? Imagine a text with a smiley whenever needed to show the emotional expression, instead of the dull "!" sign (and also the full stop).

 

[trinker]

Few more.
1) What are the characteristics of a raptor?
2) When I hear buffalo, I remember bob marley's song ( buffalo solider). Do you have any thing to add on any famous stuff to your place. Does the place buffalo has any connection with animal buffalo?
3) Where you like to live? City or town or Village( I am not sure this exists in US).
4) your (or your daugher's) favourite nursery rhymes?

1) Raptors have 2 essential characteristics (a) they're awesomely loving reptiles (b) they are protectors of humans from bot wrath
2) Buffalo hmm? Help no Buffalo (Bison) ever lived here other than in the zoo. When the city was first started it was called New Amsterdam. Anyway we're famous for our wings (we invented at the Anchor Bar) but we don't call them Buffalo Wings; just wings. We're known for our food and cold and snow (but it actually snows way more in Syracuse). We're known for the losingest football team ever. We're know for "no goal" (do a little digging to figure that one out. We like hokey here alot and micro brews. Labatte's a Candian beer (pilsner) has it's head quarters in Buffalo so really they're a domestic brew (people ehre drink it a lot). We're known for sponge candy and Loganberry pop (I think it's disgusting).
3) I live in a suburb of Buffalo (the border is 4 streets away so I pay a higher tax rate ) And yes city, town and village exist here (sometimes hamletes too)
4) Moo Bah La La La is an old favorite but sadly she doesn't bring that one too me as much any more (used to be 10 times a day now once every few weeks). We don't do a lot of nursery rhymes but read tons of books. Don't let the pigeon dribe the bus is a fan favorite in my house and the Monster at the end of the book too.

 

[SiBorg]

but I'm a researcher because I care about kids

I really like this statement Trinker, it's nice to know that there are people out there that go into research for the right reasons.

My favorite bio is Einstein's bu Walter Isaacson

I'm going to have to read this book

I would just like to say how much I'm enjoying this interview. It's keeping me very entertained on my train ride home after work. Thanks for sharing all this Trinker.

 

[trinker]

How was your childhood and teenhood?
What did you do and what did you like?
What were your concerns and your dreams?
At which age did you marry?
How you came to the decision that you are ready for marriage?
How awesome do you rate your life now?
What is your idea on replacing punctuations with smileys? Imagine a text with a smiley whenever needed to show the emotional expression, instead of the dull "!" sign (and also the full stop).

• I had a pretty good child hood. I actually have experienced the extreme ends of SES. My father and mother were married very young and my dad started a struggling construction business. We were dirt poor. The first few years of marriage they used an outhouse and had no running water. There were some summers that the well went dry and we resorted to bathing under the run spout in a rain storm. By the time I was a senior in High School my dad had established a very successful business. While were weren't filthy rich were certainly didn't use the outhouse any more. The funny thing about poverty as a kid was I didn't know we were poor. We had a lot of fun and made it work. We had a huge vegetable garden and each of u my siblings and I had our own row where we got to choose what we wanted to plant and had the responsibility to up keep it. I still keep a vegetable garden to this day. Most of my love for math on education came from my father. As we worked out side (splitting and stacking fire wood was an important task we'd converse around) he's pose various math questions and teach me short cuts for doing the math in my head (things the teachers never showed). I was fortunate to grow up in the house I did with he values I learned.
  
  
• I really can't remember concerned growing up. We worked hard (chores a mile long and school work were expected) but there wasn't much to worry about. When I was a kid, my dreams? I wanted to eb about every profession here was from forest ranger to police officer to Marine (military). I had even decided to join the Marines but I met a girl in High School followed her to college and....
  No we didn't marry but it did change the track of where I was heading and I don't regret it.
  
  
• I married at an age many may consider young, I was 22. How did I come to decide I was ready. Well I knew I was ready because I couldn't see my life with out Cheryl. I may have some radical views on marriage and love and maybe everyone won't agree but I don't think love is a feeling. It's a verb, a choice that I do every day. I decide every day to love. To me love is "doing what's best for someone else regardless of the costs to yourself" (Pastor Jon). I'd say it's easier to know you're not ready than you are. To me marriage is a life long commitment. If you're not willing to put aside yourself and do what's best for someone else you're probably not ready. That time may be 5 months of 15 years. I think the worst thing you can do is rush into something you're not committed to (notice I didn't say sure (just committed); I was a nervous wreck the day before I got married). This is my opinion but it's what I've learned that's been useful to me so I figured I'd share since you asked.
  
  
• I'd say pretty great. School takes a toll on me. I don't see Norah or Cheryl enough to suit me but I know it's for a season. I get paid to write my own research. I get to study how people learn. I have a daughter who loves to ride bikes (she rides int he yellow pull behind cart), pick tomatoes (and eat them of course) and read books & 'nuggle (how she says snuggle). My wife listens to me talk about R and stats and reading and pretends to be interested (she also proofs every paper I write). She's sacrificed a lot to allow me to go back to school. We have great extended family and terrific friends. Our church and neighbors are awesome and very generous. Plus I'm a raptor not tin and motors like some (*cough* *cough* Dason)
  
  
• I like emoticons (smiley faces) in some contexts when they're not over done. They can convey information lost in online chats. It's easy to not understand a joke. Ot like Spunky was talking about the other day, that pople may think you're yelling because caps lock got stuck. I know language changes and we can't really stop it. We either embrace it or are left behind. So emoticons don't bother me. That being said they have not place in formal writing

 

[Dason]

*Here's to hoping it's not Hamid's post...*

 

[Dason]

What is your favorite R function?

 

[victorxstc]

• I had a pretty good child hood. I actually have experienced the extreme ends of SES. My father and mother were married very young and my dad started a struggling construction business. We were dirt poor. The first few years of marriage they used an outhouse and had no running water. There were some summers that the well went dry and we resorted to bathing under the run spout in a rain storm. By the time I was a senior in High School my dad had established a very successful business. While were weren't filthy rich were certainly didn't use the outhouse any more. The funny thing about poverty as a kid was I didn't know we were poor. We had a lot of fun and made it work. We had a huge vegetable garden and each of u my siblings and I had our own row where we got to choose what we wanted to plant and had the responsibility to up keep it. I still keep a vegetable garden to this day. Most of my love for math on education came from my father. As we worked out side (splitting and stacking fire wood was an important task we'd converse around) he's pose various math questions and teach me short cuts for doing the math in my head (things the teachers never showed). I was fortunate to grow up in the house I did with he values I learned.
  
  
• I really can't remember concerned growing up. We worked hard (chores a mile long and school work were expected) but there wasn't much to worry about. When I was a kid, my dreams? I wanted to eb about every profession here was from forest ranger to police officer to Marine (military). I had even decided to join the Marines but I met a girl in High School followed her to college and....
  No we didn't marry but it did change the track of where I was heading and I don't regret it.
  
  
• I married at an age many may consider young, I was 22. How did I come to decide I was ready. Well I knew I was ready because I couldn't see my life with out Cheryl. I may have some radical views on marriage and love and maybe everyone won't agree but I don't think love is a feeling. It's a verb, a choice that I do every day. I decide every day to love. To me love is "doing what's best for someone else regardless of the costs to yourself" (Pastor Jon). I'd say it's easier to know you're not ready than you are. To me marriage is a life long commitment. If you're not willing to put aside yourself and do what's best for someone else you're probably not ready. That time may be 5 months of 15 years. I think the worst thing you can do is rush into something you're not committed to (notice I didn't say sure (just committed); I was a nervous wreck the day before I got married). This is my opinion but it's what I've learned that's been useful to me so I figured I'd share since you asked.
  
  
• I'd say pretty great. School takes a toll on me. I don't see Norah or Cheryl enough to suit me but I know it's for a season. I get paid to write my own research. I get to study how people learn. I have a daughter who loves to ride bikes (she rides int he yellow pull behind cart), pick tomatoes (and eat them of course) and read books & 'nuggle (how she says snuggle). My wife listens to me talk about R and stats and reading and pretends to be interested (she also proofs every paper I write). She's sacrificed a lot to allow me to go back to school. We have great extended family and terrific friends. Our church and neighbors are awesome and very generous. Plus I'm a raptor not tin and motors like some (*cough* *cough* Dason)
  
  
• I like emoticons (smiley faces) in some contexts when they're not over done. They can convey information lost in online chats. It's easy to not understand a joke. Ot like Spunky was talking about the other day, that pople may think you're yelling because caps lock got stuck. I know language changes and we can't really stop it. We either embrace it or are left behind. So emoticons don't bother me. That being said they have not place in formal writing

Such a touching story of childhood also thanks for sharing your valuable opinions Wish all the best for you and your family