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

[trinker]

Tell the opposite of these:
1) Where do you see yourself after 5 years? What do you see as an ideal job?
2) What is your favourite topic in statistics? what else you wanted to explore?
3) This question I wanted to ask in general. Trinker is the most eligible person to this question. "What do you feel when you read UK English. Like Colour for color or centre for center or favourite for favorite ... etc. Is it same for you or you feel irritated?"
4) What is your favourite movie?
5) What is your favourite joke?

1) Don't want to work as a sewer worker or academia (as in research 1)
2) Bayesian Statistics scares me so I stay away (for now; though IRT is a bit undercover Bayesian)
3) can't negate this one
4) Worst movie ever Spice Girls followed by Speed 2 (the movie that just won't end) and 3rd place is The Titanic (I grew up in the late 90s and had to hear My Heart Will Go On until I wanted to poke my eyes out
5) Hated Joke: One at my expense

[trinker]

How literacy research works? For example, once you told us that females were better in some aspects (I don't quite remember). What other examples are there for research in this field? Which problems are to be solved? And why? For example, what is the goal of research in literacy? Or what can parsing and analyzing the literature texts tell us?, and what you and your colleagues are looking for by researching the English texts? Do you use the results for understanding anthropological migrations for example? Or try to monitor the trend of changes in the way of speaking through ages and in recent years?

What is your idea about rap? Do you think it is killing the literature?

Literacy research looks at the process and mechanisms of how we learn to read. Right now the field is heavily dependent on Vygotskian notions of Socially situated cognition. Basically the whole notion that we know nothing as individuals apart from others. Cognition is distributed among the whole (related to network theory) We have many unsolved problems and don't ever really think about what the unsolved problems are. Numero Uno (see I do know a second language) is the question of what is Comprehension? The US government spends lots of money measuring a construct we haven't even defined. I'm trying to give the Literacy people tools to begin to measure and better analyze the dialogue that occurs in a classroom. I'd love to be the guy who worked with the team that defines and produces a decent measure of reading comprehension. If we are to learn more about how to measure comprehension we can start to measure the effects of various treatments for reading problems and make determinations about how to best help various populations of students to be become more literate. I'm actually a big fan of the medical model (not 100%) in social sciences (though I respect qualitative studies as well). In fact I just read a piece by Geoffery D. Boorman making the case for systematic change in education that values experimental design. Taking the time and resources to do it right rather than poor design that causes speculation and doesn't allow for causal claims. I'm less concerned with the texts than I am with the dialogue around the texts by students and teachers. The text is dead until it's brought to life in discourse.

For the most part rap is just not my cup of tea. I often joke with my brother (who likes rap) that it's rap "allegedly" music. Though I don't really condemn it. rap is so broad in who sings and what they sing that it's kind of impossible to paint it with a broad stroke. I do respect some of Everlast's work but his folk style raps. Shoot I'd argue that Bob Dylan was the original rapper. Listen to Subterranean Home Sick Blues. I don't think music is responsible for a demise in literature. I think as a culture we're becoming more multi modal and plugged in and in the words of Dylan, The Times They are a Changin.

[trinker]

1) how often to you go camping?
2) where do you go camping and
3) do you fish?

1) I camp a few times a year since the PhD studies. I'd like to get out with the family 10-15 times next year.
2) I camp locally now (in a place called Allegheny State Forest) but in my college years as a rock climber and back packer I traveled all over the north east back packing.
3) I don't fish anymore. Too little time at the moment. I used to fish and hunt as well. I grew up in the back woods of Pennsylvania where hunting and fishing were a way of life. But right now I study and sleep and that's about it.

[trinker]

What is the next thing related to pacman that you hope I'll actually work on?

Getting it reworked into something presentable and out to the masses. I actually don't know how big or small that task is, but judging by your delay it's larger than I had hoped for

[bugman]

... I grew up in the back woods of Pennsylvania where hunting and fishing were a way of life....

that's cool.

[victorxstc]

I'd always been haunted by one question. "Everything has a beginning and an end but if I exist and the world exists at some point there has to be an unmoved mover? What is that.

The Bible for me is the Null hypothesis. I only have evidence for it's truth no proof. I actually came to the belief while in college when I took a philosophy class. I decided the question of why are we here was something that I'd better investigate. I began and have continued to read many apologetics on various religions (Morman, Muslim, Jehova's Wittness to name a few) as well as their counter arguments. I came across CS Lewis's Mere Christianity. I couldn't refute his logic and decided to investigate further. From there I read Lee Stroble's Case for Christ (PS both of these author's were former atheists and were intellectuals so I felt akin to them) and mixed it up with a bit of Descartes. Then I started reading the Christian Bible and made a personal connection. So for me the commitment started as an intellectual endeavor moved to a personal relationship and is continuing from there. So in a sense I fail to reject .

A perfect answer What was your idea about the other religions or their books?

[victorxstc]

Literacy research looks at the process and mechanisms of how we learn to read. Right now the field is heavily dependent on Vygotskian notions of Socially situated cognition. Basically the whole notion that we know nothing as individuals apart from others. Cognition is distributed among the whole (related to network theory) We have many unsolved problems and don't ever really think about what the unsolved problems are. Numero Uno (see I do know a second language) is the question of what is Comprehension? The US government spends lots of money measuring a construct we haven't even defined. I'm trying to give the Literacy people tools to begin to measure and better analyze the dialogue that occurs in a classroom. I'd love to be the guy who worked with the team that defines and produces a decent measure of reading comprehension. If we are to learn more about how to measure comprehension we can start to measure the effects of various treatments for reading problems and make determinations about how to best help various populations of students to be become more literate. I'm actually a big fan of the medical model (not 100%) in social sciences (though I respect qualitative studies as well). In fact I just read a piece by Geoffery D. Boorman making the case for systematic change in education that values experimental design. Taking the time and resources to do it right rather than poor design that causes speculation and doesn't allow for causal claims. I'm less concerned with the texts than I am with the dialogue around the texts by students and teachers. The text is dead until it's brought to life in discourse.

For the most part rap is just not my cup of tea. I often joke with my brother (who likes rap) that it's rap "allegedly" music. Though I don't really condemn it. rap is so broad in who sings and what they sing that it's kind of impossible to paint it with a broad stroke. I do respect some of Everlast's work but his folk style raps. Shoot I'd argue that Bob Dylan was the original rapper. Listen to Subterranean Home Sick Blues. I don't think music is responsible for a demise in literature. I think as a culture we're becoming more multi modal and plugged in and in the words of Dylan, The Times They are a Changin.

I wrote a lot about your work being so exciting, but didn't want to derail the thread to "my" point of view so just want to say, your work is absolutely amazing Being on the cutting edge sounds like heaven

I'm less concerned with the texts than I am with the dialogue around the texts by students and teachers. The text is dead until it's brought to life in discourse.

I think we don't have a similar position to your job and degree here, or in many other parts of the world. But I didn't exactly understand what are the tools you provide to your students to try to comprehend the comprehension? Are these tools, the statistical analysis methods? or what else? Your job seems like a totally new and unknown thing and I'm curious to know more about what do you do, so thanks for your patience

For the most part rap is just not my cup of tea. I often joke with my brother (who likes rap) that it's rap "allegedly" music.

Yes I too think it can't be called a music, as music needs rhythm and tune, both of which are absent in rap, I think but I liked the way you finely and humbly talked about it without degrading it This is why everybody loves you here, despite the tries of bots to disrupt your reputation [I think the bots are the true lovers though ]

About the number of languages, well 3 of my 5 languages (mentioned in my interview) are like your Spanish and French

[trinker]

A perfect answer What was your idea about the other religions or their books?

For me the choice was about evidence I saw in the Bible not necessarily the weaknesses of other books. I'm a kind of person who wants to hold it to believe it. Take the Higgs Boson, I actually am not that certain they've discovered it. While I love stats I need a bit more than a probability (plus that stuff is way beyond my intellect). I want to see this particle.

Unfortunately, I wasn't there in any of the times of any holy books so I have to use logic. If a book predicts multiple things and they come true it's more likely to me that the book is true. The Bible contains over 300 Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the new and corroborated with historic documents of the time. The odds on just a few of these coming true by one individual are staggering. From the evidence I have thus far the Bible is the most plausible.

As far as other books are concerned I'm not going to trample on other people's holy books or beliefs. I think it's an individual's prerogative to examine the facts (or not if they choose), gather the evidence and make a choice based on what they have.

[trinker]

Being on the cutting edge sounds like heaven

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.

But I didn't exactly understand what are the tools you provide to your students to try to comprehend the comprehension? Are these tools, the statistical analysis methods? or what else? Your job seems like a totally new and unknown thing and I'm curious to know more about what do you do, so thanks for your patience.

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). 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.

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...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. 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. 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.

[victorxstc]

For me the choice was about evidence I saw in the Bible not necessarily the weaknesses of other books. I'm a kind of person who wants to hold it to believe it. Take the Higgs Boson, I actually am not that certain they've discovered it. While I love stats I need a bit more than a probability (plus that stuff is way beyond my intellect). I want to see this particle.

Unfortunately, I wasn't there in any of the times of any holy books so I have to use logic. If a book predicts multiple things and they come true it's more likely to me that the book is true. The Bible contains over 300 Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the new and corroborated with historic documents of the time. The odds on just a few of these coming true by one individual are staggering. From the evidence I have thus far the Bible is the most plausible.

As far as other books are concerned I'm not going to trample on other people's holy books or beliefs. I think it's an individual's prerogative to examine the facts (or not if they choose), gather the evidence and make a choice based on what they have.

Thanks trinker Its good to have such a raptor here but I didn't mean criticizing them, as I thought all these books are actually great!

It was interesting that the Bible has numerous correct predictions, and I think other books have such predictions too Even some have scientific predictions which are exciting to contemplate For example in one of them there is a saying that "I (the god) emitted iron from the sky" (if I have translated correctly) which might imply the production of heavy metals in massive stars and their release through the event "supernova" and reaching us through the space, something 100% unknown at that time. I agree it might mean something totally different, but the line is interesting IMHO. There are other verses of this sort too but I again avoid of derailing

[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