#and also VERY encouraging re: life's innate resilience

[reasonsforhope]

Humans are so cute. They think they can outsmart birds. They place nasty metal spikes on rooftops and ledges to prevent birds from nesting there.

It’s a classic human trick known in urban design as “evil architecture”: designing a place in a way that’s meant to deter others. Think of the city benches you see segmented by bars to stop homeless people sleeping there.

But birds are genius rebels. Not only are they undeterred by evil architecture, they actually use it to their advantage, according to a new Dutch study published in the journal Deinsea.

Crows and magpies, it turns out, are learning to rip strips of anti-bird spikes off of buildings and use them to build their nests. It’s an incredible addition to the growing body of evidence about the intelligence of birds, so wrongly maligned as stupid that “bird-brained” is still commonly used as an insult...

Magpies also use anti-bird spikes for their nests. In 2021, a hospital patient in Antwerp, Belgium, looked out the window and noticed a huge magpie’s nest in a tree in the courtyard. Biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra of Leiden-based Naturalis Biodiversity Center, one of the study’s authors, went to collect the nest and found that it was made out of 50 meters of anti-bird strips, containing no fewer than 1,500 metal spikes.

Hiemstra describes the magpie nest as “an impregnable fortress.”

Pictured: A huge magpie nest made out of 1,500 metal spikes.

Magpies are known to build roofs over their nests to prevent other birds from stealing their eggs and young. Usually, they scrounge around in nature for thorny plants or spiky branches to form the roof. But city birds don’t need to search for the perfect branch — they can just use the anti-bird spikes that humans have so kindly put at their disposal.

“The magpies appear to be using the pins exactly the same way we do: to keep other birds away from their nest,” Hiemstra said.

Another urban magpie nest, this one from Scotland, really shows off the roof-building tactic:

Pictured: A nest from Scotland shows how urban magpies are using anti-bird spikes to construct a roof meant to protect their young and eggs from predators.

Birds had already been spotted using upward-pointing anti-bird spikes as foundations for nests. In 2016, the so-called Parkdale Pigeon became Twitter-famous for refusing to give up when humans removed her first nest and installed spikes on her chosen nesting site, the top of an LCD monitor on a subway platform in Melbourne. The avian architect rebelled and built an even better home there, using the spikes as a foundation to hold her nest more securely in place.

...Hiemstra’s study is the first to show that birds, adapting to city life, are learning to seek out and use our anti-bird spikes as their nesting material. Pretty badass, right?

The genius of birds — and other animals we underestimate

It’s a well-established fact that many bird species are highly intelligent. Members of the corvid family, which includes crows and magpies, are especially renowned for their smarts. Crows can solve complex puzzles, while magpies can pass the “mirror test” — the classic test that scientists use to determine if a species is self-aware.

Studies show that some birds have evolved cognitive skills similar to our own: They have amazing memories, remembering for months the thousands of different hiding places where they’ve stashed seeds, and they use their own experiences to predict the behavior of other birds, suggesting they’ve got some theory of mind.

And, as author Jennifer Ackerman details in The Genius of Birds, birds are brilliant at using tools. Black palm cockatoos use twigs as drumsticks, tapping out a beat on a tree trunk to get a female’s attention. Jays use sticks as spears to attack other birds...

Birds have also been known to use human tools to their advantage. When carrion crows want to crack a walnut, for example, they position the nut on a busy road, wait for a passing car to crush the shell, then swoop down to collect the nut and eat it. This behavior has been recorded several times in Japanese crows.

But what’s unique about Hiemstra’s study is that it shows birds using human tools, specifically designed to thwart birds’ plans, in order to thwart our plans instead. We humans try to keep birds away with spikes, and the birds — ingenious rebels that they are — retort: Thanks, humans!

-via Vox, July 26, 2023

#birds are literally learning how to better live/survive alongside us #this is like. actually kind of remarkable. and the technique is spreading including to other species. #is this hopepunk? it kinda feels like hopepunk to me. #animals are literally learning how to use our attempts to get rid of them against us #that's kind of amazing #and also VERY encouraging re: life's innate resilience #crows #magpie #corvid #crow #bird #bird nest #bird nerd #bird news #adaptation #urban animals #ornithology #climate adaptation #kinda #good news #hope #hope posting #hopepunk #animal intelligence #wildlife #animals are awesome

[thesnhuup]

OFYE Matters: Growth Mindset

New online learners begin their academic journey with a tremendous amount of excitement. For many, they are taking the first-step to achieving goals they have had for many years.  Tackling new challenges isn’t easy, and it doesn’t take long for the initial excitement to fade once obstacles begin presenting themselves.  For new online learners who often struggle with self-efficacy, even small obstacles can quickly become barriers that deter students from continuing on their path.  Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) instructor, Melanie Schopp shares, “As educators, we must first break down the “fear” barrier to student success. Students need to believe in themselves and know that they have academic support and resources behind them to achieve success.”  Helping students embrace obstacles as learning and growth opportunities rather than barriers is one of the challenges OFYE educators regularly face.  While challenging, helping students to achieve this transformation can significantly increase the likelihood that they obtain their goals.

To learn more about the strategies to help learners embrace a growth mindset, we asked OFYE educators the following questions:

How do you help OFYE learners move from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset?

How do you present or develop course content that encourages students to continually stretch themselves to improve?

How do you present assignment feedback in a way that helps students embrace opportunities for further development rather than focus on the grade as the outcome?

Below are some of the strategies that were shared.

  Create a sense of belonging.

Melanie Schopp, SNHU learning community facilitator and instructor:

Students need to believe in themselves and know that they have academic support and resources (amenities) behind them to achieve success. The simple power of positive thinking and for students to have a place to “belong” can impact the movement from a fixed to a growth mindset.  At Southern New Hampshire University we provide students with an online community outside the classroom where students can interact with their peers in a non-academic space.  This community is called a “Learning Community.”  This space offers students support outside the classroom based on academic/course content, and also allows peer interaction.  The key to this community is students “see” that others feel the same emotions and they are not alone.  One of the first things we discuss in this community is my personal motto, “You got this!”  It is a quick, positive affirmation to help students understand they curate their academic journey and the energy they put in, is what they get out of it.

  Foster a culture of growth.

Dr. Newton Miller, Associate Dean of Education, Ashford University:

In order to help promote a culture that fosters a growth mindset for OFYE learners, educators should lead by example. Stanford University professor and author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Carol Dweck, states in Education Week that when educators focus on why someone is not learning, instead of working to find a way to help them learn, they are themselves operating in a fixed mindset. If that is what the educator plants in their students, then that is what will grow.  She labels this phenomenon the “False Growth Mindset.”  Very often finding the way to help OFYE students learn calls for educators to change their belief systems in order to extend the mile they are willing to walk with their student in order to assist them.  Dr. Dweck goes on to say that this can be problematic for many educators because no longer is the responsibility to grow solely on the student… educators’ ethics, values, and passions are also placed in the spotlight.

   Offer personalized encouragement.

Melanie Schopp:

I feel it is necessary to remind ourselves, as faculty, of the student emotions attached to each assignment and the communication we have with our learners. As we move through our course material, it is key to think about ways to incorporate our academic content into the daily lives of our students “outside” the classroom. Students benefit from knowing how they will use concepts, skills, and ideas now in addition to in their future career.  I like to “teach” in a way I would work with my peers or even my loved ones by giving realistic scenarios and providing a way for the learner to “see” themselves using the academic material.  Our OFYE students have typically overcome so much in their personal lives and demonstrated personal “grit,” but when it comes to academics, they are unsure how to “dig deep” for their success when hurdles impact their journey.  As an OFYE faculty member, it is our job to remind them they are worth being there, they are working hard, and we need to help build them up to achieve “academic” grit through personalized encouragement.

  Embrace individual interests and motivations.

Joel D. Hanlon, Director, New Student and Family Programs, Radford University:

Many of the early assignments in my course are reflection journal entries. This allows me to get to know my students and how they are handling the transition to college.  I try to provide an open-ended question that allows the student to dictate the direction that the journal will go.  Some of the topics include highs and lows since coming to college, something they are excited about, something they wish they could change, living situations, campus engagement, connections, favorite courses, etc.  The later assignments have very specific requirements, but I leave the topics up to the students.  This allows students to grow academically while still addressing a topic that interests them.  …

  Deliver highly personalized feedback in multiple formats.

Melanie Schopp:

Feedback can be tough for many people, let alone OFYE students. Often our students crave feedback but are unsure what to do with it or if they can question our comments in addition to being fearful of what we as faculty want to share with them due to a previous difficult interaction at some point in their life.  

I think it is imperative to craft personal responses to each student. This helps students see more of an academic relationship and that you as a faculty member want them to succeed, but changes need to be made to the students work.  Our academic guidance needs to provide specifics such as what the student does well and then offer detailed information and/or examples on how they can improve.  In addition, offering students the opportunity to connect with academic resources (amenities) for their success helps them to see they have support to achieve goals.   

Another thing to consider is the delivery of our feedback and offering it in a variety of ways. I feel to achieve a state where students focus on development opportunities from feedback versus only thinking numerically about their grade OFYE faculty should personalize it for their success.  It would be beneficial to know the best way to approach a student outside the grade center to offer the best academic service.  Ideas for this are to work through a student advisor, contact the student via email, or even by phone to discuss their success. 

Joel D. Hanlon:

The purpose of individual feedback meetings with my students is twofold: First, I find out if the student does not understand something about the material or teaching style. If so, I clarify any information that may be in question.  Second, I go through the syllabus and breakdown of assignments.  I show students that missing an assignment early on is not the end of their college career, and I give them a chance to make up the assignment for partial credit.  By emphasizing their potential for success, students do not focus so much on the one negative grade.  By developing journals and making connections with the students, I can have these conversations with students in an impactful way.  It is critical to meet the student in their transition and support them.  Each student has a very different roadmap to making the successful university life transition. 

  Focus on student goals while working to raise the bar.

Dr. Newton Miller:

[O]ne of the most powerful things educators can do for OFYE learners is to constantly remind them that their final destination in life is not based on innate ability. It is directly proportionate to the amount of hard work, access to learning, training, and positive expectations targeted at developing new skills, resiliency, and motivation to change in which they are willing to participate.  Educators must also be aware that many OFYE learners are also non-traditional learners that have been deemed at-potential (I refuse to say at-risk), thus accommodations should be embedded in the course room to support immediate success in the course and to raise the bar of expectations by teaching to mastery and accepting only what is expected.  For example, here are some things educators can employ to model a growth mindset and raise the bar of expectations:

Employ relaxed deadlines to remove the anxiety attached to turning in assignments on the clock. After all, what does that have to do with mastering the course learning outcomes?

Provide exemplar examples of past student work to show learners what is expected and communicate the message that they can do the same, or even better.

Distribute motivational quotes, and self-made videos that provide tips for the week and humanize the online experience. This shows your OFYE learners that you “have their back” and that encourages them to keep pressing forward.

Deliberately unload a heavy dose of a mixture of 50 percent honest and direct feedback combined with 50 percent positive reinforcement to keep the learners encouraged about what they have done well, and realistic about attacking their areas of opportunity.

Provide pointed feedback on assignments and return them to learners without grading them.

Telling the learner to re-submit a revised edition of the work, and once they do, grade it.

These strategies may cost educators a little time and effort, but they demonstrate to learners that their instructor is willing to put their money where their mouth is, while simultaneously ensuring that the educator is not operating in a false growth mindset. The outcome and reward of this extra effort is a breeding of a fixed mindset in the learners being served. 

Next Blog Topic: Technology to Build Bridges

Technology continues to advance quickly and new technologies become available for use all the time. As we know, it can be easy for new online learners to feel disconnected and isolated in their virtual classroom.  Creative applications of technology by OFYE educators can create bridges to engagement and mastery of concepts for new online learners and can help them find success while reducing feelings of isolation.  Our next blog seeks to discover the many ways technology is being leveraged as a bridge to student engagement and success.  If you work with first-year online students, please share your thoughts on one or both of the questions below:

What technologies are you using to build bridges to student engagement?

How are you leveraging technologies to help students master first-year course concepts?

To submit for publication consideration, please articulate and email one to three-paragraph responses to Jamie Holcomb, Associate Dean of First Year Experience, Southern New Hampshire University at [email protected] by Monday, February 4.

Please note:  All submissions will be reviewed and edited for grammar, format, and readability.

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#Academically Speaking #SNHUblogs

[edgysocial]

New Post has been published on http://edgysocial.com/introverts-how-to-trump-over-our-social-anxiety/

Introverts: How to Trump Over Our Social Anxiety

You’re reading Introverts: How to Trump Over Our Social Anxiety, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” Albert Camus Not too long ago, I was assigned to lead a fairly large project at work. It involved heavy interactions with various departments, endless meetings, lots of brainstorming exercises, and more importantly—a need for a skillful and charismatic leader, who can build a good rapport with all types of groups and individuals. For many—especially extroverts—this opportunity will present an outright prospect to shine in the spotlight—a harbinger of future successes and recognition, and possibly a solid step toward the pinnacle of one’s career. Of course, it doesn’t mean—we all know this—that an introvert is not going to be up for the challenge, nor that we can’t excel or exhibit preeminent managerial skills and talents. We are equally suited for the job, but such a high-visibility position comes with some acute preparation. It will simply require more mental priming and longer time spent in our “restorative niches,” thus— making our quiet times outside of work a precious gem, worth savoring. But when we add another nuance to the situation above—if that introvert is also shy and suffers from social anxiety, things shift in a rather different perspective. Frequently, the ostensibly incompatible combination of introversion, shyness/ anxiety, and exemplar leadership can easily be foreseen as a recipe for a disaster. It’s a well established fact that not all introverts are shy, nor are they socially anxious. Although these states may be closely linked, they are distinct. But research also tells us that introverts are, on average, more likely to be shy than extroverts. The dynamics of the affair between introversion and shyness tend to exhibit a downward spiraling effect. That is, if one is shy and introvert, introversion intensifies our feelings of shyness, which—in turn—may lead to a further walk down the rabbit hole of social aversion and more acute craving of alone-time. Admittedly, in work settings, the combination is inherently unwelcome, as it often reveals a poignant tale of self-dissatisfaction and perceived unworthiness. For all who are introverts and suffer from social anxiety, it appears that we are at a serious disadvantage professionally and socially—one that may be very challenging to remedy.Or, as one may bluntly state the prevalent stance in this situation—“we are doomed.” Well, contrary to such stereotypical thinking we often get tangled in, losing our safety net and venturing in new foreign lands—especially ones that we have been conditioned to believe we’ll never belong to—is indeed frightening, but has the potential to make us more—more fulfilled, more resilient, more daring. Here’s what I have found to work for me—to help distance oneself from social uneasiness, so that we can gain from our introvert powers instead. • Focus on the issue at hand first, not on the people—I know, I know. Being solely task-oriented goes completely against what we’ve been taught to believe over and over— about the value of networking and about the importance of paying close attention to people, this may not always be the right initial approach if we are to ease our social anxiety. Focusing on the task or the result can help divert our thoughts from worrying about the impression we think we are making on others. On the other hand—we will appear more driven, focused and efficient. In the long run, an accomplished leader will need to master both skills and sides—people and tasks. But as many introverts can attest, we often need some extra time to warm up to others. So, in the interim state of becoming comfortable enough with a group, establishing competence may just be the better approach. • Don’t pretend that you are invisible…because you are really not (unless you own Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak, of course). Shyness can often make us want to claim a quiet nook in the room and stay in the shadows, where we can observe rather than engage. Naturally, such a passive-defensive approach is barely a winning career strategy. Rather than playing invisible, if we are socially bashful, the smarter approach is to unfold gradually, at a pace we feel comfortable with, starting with just a few comments at every meeting. A phased strategy will help us slowly improve on our shyness, as we grow more familiar with others, but it will also let us leverage our strengths as introverts—as discussions in small groups are our forte, our chance to shine, to be heard. Letting it all slip away—by fussing about our lack of extroverted-type eloquence and enthusiasm—will simply be a missed opportunity to claim out spot at the table—not only as quiet leaders, but also, as individuals who can raise above the ingrained (but sometimes just perceived) setbacks of their temperaments. • Ask questions—Form the years of experience I’ve had in the corporate world, I have grasped a major observation. Asking questions doesn’t make us appear less knowledgeable, slow at grasping ideas, or not clever enough. On the contrary, research tells us that asking questions is a highly constructive undertaking, it shows inquisitiveness, a desire to understand, to learn more, so one can be more helpful. However, high social sensitivity may often prevent us from fully and effectively engaging with others, and of exploring a matter in depth to find a better solution. Advanced preparation comes quite handy here. If you are the leader, draft a list of discussion points, be ready to address any questions, and exercise some assertiveness when someone tries to hijack the conversion. Having a pre-defined script will make it easier to overcome our anxieties. Admittedly, asking questions will put us in the spotlight—but in the right way, where we, once again, will have an opportunity to draw from our introvert strengths of reasoning, analytical thinking and shrewd decision-making. • Get Excited—We may be reluctant to admit it, but we all have a certain degree of vanity. When we speak, especially in a small group, people usually pay attention. No matter how horrifying the idea may be, it’s possible to enjoy the Broadway-type of moment when our quiet powers become more visible, as it may also present a great opportunity to earn us the respect and recognition many of us deserve in our extrovert-dominant world. The trick is to not let the inner hurricane of negative thinking and anxiety (“What if they are secretly laughing at me? Do I sound reliable enough? Do I project enough confidence? Do I have something between my teeth?” etc.) self-escalate to a point that it tints our credibility. One way to reign in those rebellious butterflies in our stomach is to reframe our anxiety, as Prof. Alison Wood Brooks of Harvard University tells us. Instead of trying to calm down ahead of stressful and high-visibility events, we should feel excited. Adopting an “opportunity mind-set” (vs a threat mind-set), can improve our performance. It’s really simple too—it entails some straightforward self-talk (“I’m excited”) or encouraging messages (“Get excited”). Therefore, it appears that trying to cool down—a strategy we’ve been prescribed for years—may not be the “cool thing” to do after all, when it comes to controlling our anxiety. • Finally, even if things don’t work out the way we anticipate, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up too hard. Rather, embrace the mantra by Scarlett O’Hare from “Gone with the Wind:” “After all, tomorrow is another day.” No matter what, we are still the heroes of our life stories. Some recent discoveries in social psychology reveal that we can choose to edit these stories and to craft more meaningful and purposeful messages. It’s up to us to decide how to build the setbacks, the failures and the unfavorable experiences into our life narratives—as “learning” and “experience-gathering” episodes, or as markers of our inability to win over our anxiety and to have successful careers. Some re-framing, or “story prompting,” has been shown to produce some rather incredible outcomes. Because ultimately, our stories are not just tales we tell ourselves and believe about our personalities. They are our personalities. What we assume about ourselves, will eventually guide our behavior. And who we elect to become depends largely on the scripts we ourselves let to be written in the stories. To again address the question I posited in the beginning—are we really predestined career-wise (and personally too) if we are introverted and are shy too? Of course not. Sometimes, we just need a bit of time to become comfortable with new people, tasks or situations. Other times, we may have simply been missing the proper tools and aids that can enable us to move forward and succeed. But we are not to be bound by the society’s stereotypes for success. Even if we believe in the invariability of our innate personality traits, we can still opt to become more courageous and demand to have our voice heard. It may be scary at first—true, it may feel uncomfortable for a while, but in retrospect—it would have been worth it. The famous poem by Erin Hanson eloquently sums it up: “There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?”

Evelyn Marinoff is a Canadian, currently living in Dublin, Ireland. She is a social introvert, a mother, an MBA, a passionate reader and a writer in the making. She holds a degree in Finance and Marketing, but spends her free time reading, writing and researching new and intriguing ideas in psychology, leadership, well-being and self-improvement. On her blog mind-chatters.com, she writes daily tips and pieces on self-enhancement. You can also find her on Twitter at @Evelyn_Marinoff.

You’ve read Introverts: How to Trump Over Our Social Anxiety, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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