Bio+and+Intro+Letter

=Dear Student,=

Welcome to my class! My name is Matthew Barrett, and I’m excited to spend this semester with you. When I started planning things for this semester, I knew there were some things I’d like you to know that don’t belong on a syllabus. That’s where this comes in. It’s a little summary of who I am, how I got this way, and why I teach differently than you are probably used to.

About Me
Some things about me will not strongly affect this class either way. I have a beautiful wife, Emily, and three amazing children--Sera, Katie, and Johnny. I’m a Leo, a night owl, and an Eagle Scout. I’m a huge fan of Billy Joel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I love swimming and walking, but I’m convinced that driving is a necessary evil. I’m hypoglycemic. I have strong political opinions but am happy to say I manage to offend both sides equally. I have an invisible disability, but that will be covered later in the semester.

Among the more relevant facets of who I am, I developed an interest in psychology very early in life, but I was torn between that and teaching. After learning about cognitive psychology, I realized the kind of teaching I wanted to do wasn’t actually happening in schools. Schools are focused on the content of learning, rather than the container. If brains were jars, there would be a lot of arguing going on about what kind of water to fill them with, and very little attention to whether or not they leaked. I wanted to plug leaks--to actually strengthen people’s minds so that they could contain information better, longer.

With that in mind, I started my own company, focusing on improving brainpower. It was presumptuous for someone with just a Bachelor’s degree, but I felt a deep need, and all the information I needed had been in psychology textbooks for over half a century. Then I got my Masters Degree, and I came here. I still run my growing business on the side, but I cannot resist the opportunity to teach.

While I haven’t picked out where I’ll be going for my doctorate, I’m still learning. At the moment, I’m pursuing my certification in neurofeedback, which means classes in anatomy and physiology. My wife and I are both enrolled in online classes at Coursera.com, which allows us to take classes at major Universities for certificates of completion.

=About This Class= You may notice that I’m arranging this class differently than what you’re used to. Knowing what I know about how humans gather, store and analyze information, I have a lot of issues with the educational system. I have lots of respect for fellow teachers, and the profession in general, but cognitive science has shown for over half a century that the system is not arranged to do what it’s claiming to do, and most of the changes I’ve heard about would make it worse. Welcome to my attempt at a solution.

Because I’m a Business Owner
I will use automation and delegation to make the learning process more efficient. I know some of you are not comfortable with automated processes, and I’ll do everything I can to help. The automation of much of the grading of this class is what allows me to spend much more time with individual students who need help.

Because I’m a Scientist
I’m constantly testing and evaluating my methods. I never stop. That means you are all helping me test new techniques and methods for next semester, just as you are reaping the benefits of last semester’s testing. It also means I apply tested science--including some of the stuff you’ll be learning--to the actual methods of the class. Some of my science-based methods include schedules of reinforcement, anonymous grading, anonymous discussions, small group interactions, and mnemonics.

Because I’m a Student
I’ve set up this class with the expectation that you will learn. I believe your final grade should reflect how much you have learned this semester. Obviously, you may have other goals in mind when you signed up for this class--completion of a requirement for a degree, for example. These goals need not contradict. However, if you’re one of those folks who hopes to get through my class without learning anything, consider yourself warned: we will be at odds.

=What I’m Working On= Of course, the above sources of strength can also be potential sources of weakness. My constant improving and tinkering can give the false impression that I don’t know what I’m doing. The immersive, automated environment can make people feel like lab rats. I’m aware of these weaknesses, and I’m working hard to minimize them while maintaining the benefits. Just remember that I’m growing, too, and if I have to make a change to something, it’s for the better. As a great man once said, “If you expect me to be perfect, I’ll expect you to be perfect. If you will bear with me in my weaknesses, I’ll bear with you in yours.” Is it a deal?

Matthew C. Barrett--matthewbarrett@sjrstate.edu