Being old fashioned?

My column in Mindanao Daily, Businessweek Mindanao and Cagayan de Oro Times

OPINION

By KLAUS DORING

 November 29, 2019

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MOST students take a laptop or smart phone with them to lectures. My students too. Although, these units are not allowed most of the time during my classes. I think, there are times when they might be better off taking a pad and pen? And honestly, more and more do so.

Writer Claudia Hammond (I don't know her age, but I think age matters if we come to today's topic) says, " These days many people can type faster than they can write by hand, particularly if they’ve grown up using laptops. This is a hugely useful skill of course and allows you to take copious notes, quickly and easily, which must surely be a good thing, right?"

Maybe not. In an experiment, run by Pam Mueller at Princeton University published in 2014,  students were given Ted talks to watch and were told to take notes.

Half were given laptops and half took notes with a pen and paper. You might expect little difference in the notes, since students are so used to using a keyboard these days. In fact, there was. The students using a keyboard were more likely to type the lecturers’ words verbatim, while the students writing more slowly by hand had no choice but to engage with the information in order to allow them to summarize. Afterwards the students were given some tricky intelligence tests to distract them, and were then quizzed on the content of the lecture.

Verbatim note-taking involves a shallower form of cognitive processing. You can even do it without thinking about the content at all should you choose to. But when using a pen and paper you process the information more deeply because you can’t possibly write it all down. The other advantage of using a pen and paper is that you can move around the page very quickly, circling, underlining or adding extra information in the margins.  

When it comes to set and note new appointments or different scheduled work to do, and very import deadlines to be remembered, laptops are convenient, but turn out to be not the best option some of the time. My offices are full of note pads. ... Yes, I might be old fashioned... .

Following Claudia Hammond, who says: surely in the long run if your notes are more complete,  help, when it comes to revision?  Maybe not. When the students were allowed to revise from their notes before being tested a week later, the pen-and-paper group still did better. The reason is that cognitively processing material more deeply while you listen, helps you both to understand it and to remember it later on. Even if you never refer back to your notes again, the process of creating them can be useful. The exception is with learning simple facts. Then taking notes on a laptop can work just fine.

The advantage of not having to take notes is that you can focus your full attention on what’s you’re being told without worrying about writing it down. A more passive way still of keeping track of information from lectures is to record them so you can listen again or re-watch them later. But is there a risk that because you know everything is there for when you need it, you might not concentrate properly? Or does it free you up to concentrate fully on what’s happening because you’re not distracted by trying to take notes?

Within psychology when a task like this is outsourced to technology, it’s known as cognitive off-loading. But does it help?

If you want to remember your notes, research suggests you should be reaching for a pen. That's why, most of my students are asking for a minute to re-write such things, I pinned before at the white board.

On the other hand the advantage of not having to take notes is that you can focus your full attention on what’s you’re being told without worrying about writing it down, because they can always listen again later. But the benefit of taking notes is that it forces you to process the information and think about it in order to work out the best way of summarizing it.  

But there was one surprise here. When the students knew they could see the video later if they wanted to, they actually took more notes and drew more diagrams, which was something of a mystery.

Of course, if you can type fast and you want a transcription, then a laptop is ideal, but if your aim is to understand the material better and not just to create a record of the material, then take notes by hand.

And the other lesson from all of this, of course, is to make your notes concise.

Are you impossibly talented?

OPINION

By KLAUS DORING

 My column in Mindanao Daily, BusinessWeek Mindanao

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SOME people are. I don't belong to them. For sure.

Polymaths excel in multiple fields. But what makes a polymath – and can their cross-discipline expertise help tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges?

I came across an article by David Robson,  author of The Intelligence Trap, which examines the common thinking errors of smart people, and the ways we can avoid them.

"In the late 1930s and early 40s, Hedy Lamarr was already the toast of Hollywood, famed for her portrayals of femme fatales. Few of her contemporaries knew that her other great passion was inventing. (She had previously designed more streamlined aeroplanes for a lover, the aviation tycoon Howard Hughes.)

Lamarr met a kindred spirit in George Antheil, however – an avant-garde pianist, composer and novelist who also had an interest in engineering. And when the pair realized that enemy forces were jamming the Allied radio signals, they set about looking for a solution. The result was a method of signal transmission called ‘frequency-hopping spread spectrum’ (patented under Lamarr’s married name, Markey) that is still used in much of today’s wireless technology.

It may seem a surprising origin for ground-breaking technology, but the story of Lamarr and Antheil fits perfectly with a growing understanding of the polymathic mind.

The research suggests we could all gain from spending a bit more time outside our chosen specialism
Besides helping to outline the specific traits that allow some people to juggle different fields of expertise so successfully, new research shows that there are many benefits of pursuing multiple interests, including increased life satisfaction, work productivity and creativity.

Most of us may never reach the kind of success of people like Lamarr or Antheil, of course – but the research suggests we could all gain from spending a bit more time outside our chosen specialism."

In addition to starring on the silver screen, Hedy Lamarr, a famous polymath, also co-developed a transmission method that has carried into today’s technologies.

Let's try to answer the question: What’s a polymath?

Even the definition of “polymath” is the subject of debate. The term has its roots in Ancient Greek and was first used in the early 17th Century to mean a person with “many learnings”, but there is no easy way to decide how advanced those learnings must be and in how many disciplines. Most researchers argue that to be a true polymath you need some kind of formal acclaim in at least two apparently unrelated domains.

One of the most detailed examinations of the subject comes from Waqas Ahmed in his book The Polymath, published earlier this year.

The inspiration was partly personal: Ahmed has spanned multiple fields in his career to date. With an undergraduate degree in economics and post-graduate degrees in international relations and neuroscience, Ahmed has worked as a diplomatic journalist and personal trainer (which he learnt through the British Armed Forces). Today, he is pursuing his love of visual art as the artistic director of one of the world’s largest private art collections, while also working as a professional artist himself.

Despite these achievements, Ahmed does not identify as a polymath. “It is too esteemed an accolade for me to refer to myself as one,” he says. When examining the lives of historical polymaths, he only considered those who had made significant contributions to at least three fields, such as Leonardo da Vinci (the artist, inventor and anatomist), as German language professor my idol Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (the great writer who also studied botany, physics and mineralogy) and Florence Nightingale (who, besides founding modern nursing, was also an accomplished statistician and theologian).

Maybe, right now, you think you’re a polymath? Not so fast. Waqas Ahmed argues that polymaths can only be those who made major contributions to at least three different fields.

From these biographies, and a review of the psychological literature, Ahmed was then able to identify the qualities that allow polymaths to achieve their greatness.

As you might expect, higher-than-average intelligence certainly helps. “To a large degree that facilitates or catalyses learning,” says Ahmed. But open-mindedness and curiosity were also essential. “So you're interested in a phenomenon but you don't care where your investigation leads you,” Ahmed explains, even if that pushes you to delve into unfamiliar territory. The polymaths were also often self-reliant – happy to teach themselves – and individualist; they were driven by a great desire for personal fullfillment.

Many children are fascinated by many different areas – but our schools, universities and then employment tend to push us towards ever greater specialization. Like any personality traits, these qualities will all have a certain genetic basis, but they will also be shaped by our environment. Ahmed points out that many children are fascinated by many different areas – but our schools, universities and then employment tend to push us towards ever greater specialization. So many more people may have the capacity to be polymaths, if only they are encouraged in the right way.

Allow me to go back to my idol Goethe. While polymaths like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe indeed have higher-than-average intelligence, curiosity is essential for anybody looking to broaden their specialisations.

Nobel Prize-winning scientists are about 25 times more likely to sing, dance or act than the average scientist.
As David Epstein has also reported in his recent book Range, influential scientists are much more likely to have diverse interests outside their primary area of research than the average scientist, for instance. Studies have found that Nobel Prize-winning scientists are about 25 times more likely to sing, dance or act than the average scientist. They are also 17 times more likely to create visual art, 12 times more likely to write poetry and four times more likely to be a musician.

It is telling, for instance, that Antheil had previously worked on scores involving synchronized self-playing pianolas, and together he and Lamarr drew on the mechanism of those instruments to come up with their anti-jamming device.

Allow me and  David Robson to ask you if you feel tempted to live a more polymathic life. Ahmed suggests that you can use your time more efficiently to make space for multiple interests.

There is now a growing recognition that, when concentrating on any complex endeavour, the brain often reaches a kind of saturation point, after which your attention may fade and any extra effort may fail to pay off. But if you turn to another, unrelated activity, you may find that you are better able to apply yourself. Shifting between different kinds of tasks can therefore boost your overall productivity.

Switching between different tasks, such as Albert Einstein using music for scientific inspiration, can boost overall productivity and creativity.

Wannabe polymaths can use this to their advantage by alternating between their interests – ensuring that they are using their brains at maximum efficiency in each domain, while avoiding wasted effort after they have reached that cognitive saturation point.

Albert Einstein, who was an accomplished violinist and pianist as well as a physicist, apparently used this approach. According to his son and daughter, he would play music whenever he faced an intractable problem, and would often finish the performance by saying, “There now, I’ve got it”. It was a much better use of his time than continuing to fruitlessly agonize over the maths or physics.

Yes, think it over, we have many advantages compared to the polymaths of the past. The internet, after all, is now full of free online courses in many different disciplines, and it is easier than ever to hook up with an expert teacher through apps like Skype even if they are based hundreds of miles away - as David Robson correctly said.

It was indeed a memorable and very touching event in Davao City: the Christmas Tree Lightning and official start of a month-long Christmas activities.

Thank you for inviting me, City Government of Davao City. Thank you for this great event. Davao City - life is here!

(Our beloved City Mayor Sara Duterte)

Job Fair

Job Fair- On November 20, 2019 together with the celebration of Reformed Voluntary Surrenderers (RVS) Day, a Special Recruitment Program Jobs Fair was held at the Capitol Grounds of Compostela Valley. It was attended by representatives from TESDA, PNP DOLE, PESO and other governmet agencies concerned. Various recruitment agency both local and abroad joined the said Job-Fair. The Job-Fair was intended for all Reformed Voluntary Surrenderers to start anew.

Burning of Drug and Non-drug Evidences

Highlight of the "Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week " is the Burning of the Drug and Non-drug Evidences. Drug and Non-drug Evidences were gathered from various Provinces of Region XI (Davao City, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental). A total of 2.05 kilograms of Shabu worth Php 24, 624, 697 and 5.33 kilograms of Marijuana worth Php 266, 485.14 were burnt to ashes that day.

HOW MUCH IS YOUR STILL AVAILABLE TIME?

Almost 20 years ago, a good friend of mine gave me a book written by the founder of the Scottish Free Church, Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847). Chalmers treated this topic with plenty of flowering words. Yes, don't be afraid and do live for something... .

Human beings live, move and have to pass away - free from worries, but unknown and unnoticed. They live such an irreproachable life - reputable, but so incomprehensible and inscrutable. Chalmers was very right!

Why do people live like that even knowing they have to leave the  platform of life one day? Why are people sometimes afraid to live and  allow something or someone to block themselves? Still in my mind is one statement of Brother Francis Castro from the Little Brothers of  Jesus. I quoted it several times already: "I feel the burning flame
inside me that makes me jump out of the bed ... and hurry to work!" 

Life's quintessence can be also this: Kindness, by helping the blind man crossing a street; hospitality, by practicing generous reception of strangers and guests (my very first impression, when I step on Philippine soil for the first time in 1976!); helpfulness, by taking care of somebody, who is weak and dependent... .

Believe me: your moment of virtue will never be destroyed by time's storm.

From writer Tiffanie Wen I learned this: “It is a commonplace observation that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” British naval historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson wrote that opening line for an essay in The Economist in 1955, but the concept known as ‘Parkinson’s Law’ still lives on today.

Not only Tiffanie Wen - also I think about it every time I have a deadline. How long it takes me to write a story will by and large depend on when my deadline is and how much time I have until then. In his somewhat satirical essay Parkinson uses the example of an elderly lady writing a postcard to her niece. Since she has nothing else to do with her time, the otherwise simple task takes up her entire day.

Get more subordinates, create more work. When you have a deadline it’s like a storm ahead of you or having a truck around the corner. It’s menacing and it’s approaching, so you focus heavily on the task.

Can ‘menacing’ deadlines cure dallying?

So if the wider points Parkinson was making about bureaucracies still stand up today, what of his enduring first line? Today, while some researchers might chuckle at the mention of the ‘law’ that has come to mean so much more than its original intent, there’s also no doubt they know what it is referring to. Is there some truth to the notion that without strict time constraints, we waste time and our work takes longer to complete?

Humans have a limited capacity for memory, attention and fatigue – or mental bandwidth, according to Eldar Shafir, a professor at Princeton and co-author of Scarcity, a book that looks at the psychology of having less than we need and how it drives our behaviors. “Because our attentional capacity is limited, we divide it sporadically any way we can as we run through everyday life,” he says. But sometimes, of necessity, we need to knuckle down.

And there’s always the chance that rushing to accomplish something in too few hours can have drawbacks as well, particularly if your deadline is set by somebody else. “If your deadline is too short and you’re panicking, you will have sacrificed other things and you might work inefficiently, and things might go badly anyway,” he says.

“People like to say if it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done. But research shows people’s productivity is not linear,” says Elizabeth Tenney, an assistant professor at the University of Utah’s Eccles School of Business who has written about time pressure and productivity. “When people sit down to do a task, they’ll put in a lot of effort initially. At some point there’s going to be diminishing returns on extra effort. To optimize productivity, you need to maximize benefits and minimize costs and find that inflection point, which is where you should start to wrap up.”

That might not mean taking up the full time allotted or working all the way up to your deadline, she says. “Cut yourself off rather than keep tinkering for all time.”

Hurry, jump out of the bed, now!

TIME TO LEAVE

2 villages in Shrine Hills declared unsafe for dwelling

By

 Maya Padillo

 -    EDGE DAVAO

Two villages in Davao City have been declared unsafe for residents after an investigation was made last week by the City Engineers Office (CEO).
Juario Village and Nacilla Village, both located at Shrine Hills, were found to be unsafe for dwelling due to traces of subsidence and threat of falling boulders.

CEO officer-in-charge Joseph Dominic Felizarta said the villages’ residents, numbering more or less 100 families, were advised for immediate relocation to ensure safety from the risk of landslide.    

“Juario Village is not safe anymore because of the boulders. Nahulog na ang uban boulders gikan sa taas. We declared the area for immediate relocation na jud because of the steepness of the area,” Felizarta said in an interview.

Felizarta also said that during their monitoring with the Mines and Geosciences Bureau 11 (MGB 11) and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) they also discovered traces of sinking of soil in Nacilla Village.  

“In Nacilla Village in Shrine Hills beside Juario Village we discovered traces of caving in of soil. Dugay dugay na pero kung ma-trigger na ug earthquake delikado na. Pero giuna lang nato ang Juario Village for immediate relocation kay dili man nato ma-accomodate tanan,” he said.

According to Felizarta, the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) and CDRRMO are now studying for the relocation of the affected residents of the two villages. He said during the preliminary discussion, it is being decided that the residents will be relocated in Tugbok relocation site.

“Dili nato matagna ang panahon pero naa naman nahitabo ngano hulaton pa man nato nga ma-trigger na pud utro, meaning naa nay mga landslide na nahitabo ngano hualotn pa nato nga naa na pud mahitabo. Dili ni panagna per kung kusog ang ulan ug maglinog,” said Felizarta.Meantime, Lyndon Ancajas, administrative training chief of City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC), recommended immediate relocation for those residents living in landslide prone areas particularly in Juario Compound in MA-a.

The CEO and MGB also inspected the city’s old dumpsite in Ma-a, which was also found not safe for houses situated in the area.  

“In the old dumpsite in Ma-a ang yuta nakatabon sa mga basura ug naay mga balay -balay sa ilalom na kung kusog ang ulan delikado pud. The upper part of the dumpsite was struck by landslide already. Sumpay ra na siya ug na divide lang kay nagbuhat ta ug kalsada, kung kato na pud ang mu-landslide peligro na pud ang mga tao that is why they are also advised for immediate relocation,” Felizarta said.  

Mayor Sara Duterte has instructed the CEO and CDRRMO to conduct an inspection and re-assessment of these landslide prone areas including the old smokey mountain in Matina Pangi, and Purok Damayan in Buhangin to safeguard the lives of Davaoeños.

Comval joins World Tsunami Awareness Day 2019

Compostela Valley Province---The provincial government of Compostela Valley under the leadership of Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy through the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) joins the observance of the "World Tsunami Awareness Day 2019" on November 5, 2019.

 The project aims to install a community-based tsunami preparedness program in the province and strengthen readiness of the coastal communities not only on Tsunami hazard but also threat of storm surge during typhoon.

 PDRRMO chief Joseph Randy M. Loy, RN, lead in organizing the event to all coastal Municipalities of the province namely: Maco, Mabini and Pantukan through their Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (MDRRMOs) made the pioneering event a success.

Loy expressed his gratitude to the officials of the Action Against Hunger (AAH) for providing the Information Education Campaign (IEC) materials and for providing Six (6) units of Tsunami Warning signage in addition to the province's 18 tsunami signage installed in all coastal communities of ComVal.

"Thanks a lot to our supportive stakeholders especially from the DepEd Family of Compostela Valley Province and all Barangay Councils who made this event successful," said Loy.(PDRRMO/ID Comval)

Comval opens 22nd CVPAA meet 2019

Compostela Valley Province-

For the second time the local government unit of Montevista is again the host of this year's prominent "22nd Compostela Valley Province Athletic Association (CVPAA) Meet 2019".

The provincial meet 2019 was officially opened on November 11, 2019 at the Montevista Sports Complex, Montevista, Compostela Valley Province.

The CVPAA is anchored with the theme: "Bridging Unity, Teamwork and Excellence through Sports".

The opening program started with a grand parade with the athletes, coaches and technical officials throughout the province.

The conduct of this year's provincial meet is co-hosted by the municipality of Monkayo, Compostela and Nabunturan.

During the program, the entrance and hoisting of CVPAA banner 2019 was led by Comval DepEd and followed by the provincial government banner and the municipal delegation banner.

The declaration of the formal opening of the 2019 palarong panlalawigan was led by Dr. Reynante A. Solitario - OIC- Schools Division Superintendent.

According to Mayor Eutropio S. Jayectin that the people of Montevista is ever proud of this rare opportunity to be the home of CVPAA meet 2019.

He added that, Montevista is totally aware of the boundless responsibility to incur being a modest 3rd class municipality; however, the municipal officials has sturdily accepted the accountability to grasp the event regardless of the shortfall of human resource, possessions and most of all deficiency of funds.

"Our highest regard is to help out our student athletes achieved its individual goals excel in its choice of sports. We want to be part of the aspirations and dreams of the growing athletes; that once in their lifetime Montevista has become a fragment of their success in their field of sports," the mayor added.

Meanwhile, Solitario expressed his gratitude to the leaders of the provincial government headed by Governor Jayvee Tyron L. Uy, Vice Governor Maria Carmen Zamora, District 1 Representative Manuel E. Zamora, District 2 Representative Ruwel Peter S. Gonzaga and to the host Mayor Eutropio S. Jayection and to all municipal mayors.

Solitario added that, sports play an important role both individually and collectively. It inculcates irreplaceable core values of sheer hard work, self awareness and discipline a combination that ultimately sums up into excellence.

“All of these can transcended into having a better nation. Collectively, these individual attributes, when applied consistently, can transmute into social cohesiveness and productivity, which are important part of nation building. This is why the Department of Education, together with the public and private stakeholders, is spearheading this annual event," said Solitario.

On the other hand, Gov. Uy extends his warmest felicitations to all participating athletes, coaches and schools of the provincial athletic meet in Montevista.

He said that, exposure in sports will also build our young people's mental threshold, their social skills and their sense of community.

"The holding of this year's provincial meet is indeed very special. This is the gathering of our province's best athletes. We will choose the student-athletes that will represent our province in the upcoming Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) meet for 2020 which by the way will be held in our province. I am excited by this upcoming opportunity to host as it will not only exhibit our province's capabilities to host but to show our province as a learning destination in Mindanao," the governor said.

The conduct of the CVPAA meet 2019 will end on November 15, 2019.

(Rey Antibo, ID Comval)

COMVAL WINS GREEN BANNER AWARD ...

... and  RECORDS LOWEST CHILD MALNUTRITION INCIDENCE IN DAVAO REGION

Davao City- On the second consecutive year, Compostela Valley Province bagged the highly coveted Green Banner Awards. The distinction is given to local government units that recorded the lowest child malnutrition incidence. Senior Board Member and former Governor Arturo T. Uy along with employees from the Provincial Health Office-Nutrition Council received the award before National Nutrition Council-XI Program Coordinator Maria Teresa L. Ungson last October 28, 2019 at SMX Convention Center, Davao City.

 Due to the 95.18 percent that Compostela Valley garnered during the Annual Monitoring and Evaluation of the Nutrition Programs conducted by the Inter-Agency Regional Technical Working-Group to all provinces and cities in Davao Region. Compostela Valley also recorded the lowest child malnutrition incidence in the region recording 2.9 percent.

Since 2007, Compostela Valley rolled out programs that address hunger and malnutrition especially among children. Among these programs are the Adopt a Child, the Kusina Ng Kalinga, supplemental feeding among children in their early development phase, provision of vitamins and other services to pregnant women.

Reading the message in behalf of Governor Tyron Uy, Senior Board Member Uy said that the award is a product of convergence between local government units, non-government organizations and national government agencies.

“Through the bayanihan of the employees of the provincial government, we were able to rescue many children from the bondage of hunger and poverty”, he said.

 The former governor continued that addressing malnutrition is an urgent matter. He underscored that a truly progressive society is one that is characterized by well-nourished citizens.


“We can never build a peaceful world out of empty stomachs and human misery because the foundation of a truly peaceful and progressive community is always a healthy and well-nourished society”, he quips.