Idea : breschke.github.io

Verb of the Week - Teach One Another

Created Tue, Sep 3, 2019 § Last Modified Tue, Sep 3, 2019

Summary Earlier, I had the thought of structuring class around ‘verbs of the week’. It’s true that we’re focusing on a general theme each week; the question is what verb to use for each one. Next Steps Try this out next week <#refend>

Sharing Time or Reinforcement Prelude

Created Tue, Sep 3, 2019 § Last Modified Tue, Sep 3, 2019

Origin Story Summary Next Steps What if we started every class by reinforcing a previous principle through a simple application? <#refend>

Lifelong Learning, Service, and Faith, Hope, and Charity

Created Tue, Sep 3, 2019 § Last Modified Tue, Sep 3, 2019

Origin Story Sister Christine Herlevi taught us in Sunday School two days ago. We discussed faith, hope, and charity, and their interrelation. Summary The aims of a BYU education include a commitment to lifelong learning and service. How is learning dependent on ongoing service? Next Steps What if we held a simple innovation skill assignment in November to provide pro-bono consulting to a friend or family member using principles of the course?

Fri, Aug 30, 2019 3:21

Created Fri, Aug 30, 2019 § Last Modified Fri, Aug 30, 2019

Origin Story During dinner last night, I gave the family the following scenario: “A local doughnut shop owner has promised you $25 if you can come up with a successful, new kind of doughnut. What do you propose?” Maddie said a banana split doughnut. Cami said a German pancake doughnut, and a snickerdoodle doughnut. I realized that we could generate many more doughnut ideas if we abstracted each idea to a concept, then generated more ideas out of that concept.

Created Tue, Oct 2, 2018 § Last Modified Tue, Oct 2, 2018

Origin Story The Pole Creek Fire conversation has shifted from containment to mudslide concerns. I wondered: do we have ‘mudslide fighters’? Is this a common concern after fires? If an objective of firefighting is to protect residences, are federal relief efforts as focused on mudslide prevention as they are on burned structure prevention? Whose ‘job’ would it be to help deter mudslides Summary Conceptual prototype: when fighting incline fires that threaten homes, dig firebreaks in a way that simultaneously deter mudslides.

Ponder Preface

Created Mon, Sep 11, 2017 § Last Modified Mon, Sep 11, 2017

Origin Story Attending the self-reliance training on Sunday, I participated in a condensed version of a self-reliance group meeting that was guided by the Foundations curriculum. The lesson we reviewed used a brief ponder activity at the beginning: reading a scripture from John and reflecting on its meaning. Doing something like this at the start of TCMs or class would help set the tone for discussion. Summary Start class, TCMs, presidency meetings, (suggest in) couple counsels with a relevant verse of scripture and a simple application question.

Recent Acceptance? Choose Lunch

Created Fri, Sep 8, 2017 § Last Modified Fri, Sep 8, 2017

Origin Story Going to lunch as a department, we congratulated Chad on his recent acceptance at Org Science. We were having difficulty choosing where to go. Summary What if we awarded the person with the most recent acceptance the standing right to choose where we eat as a group? They do this till the next acceptance. Next Steps Suggest this rule next Friday, Sep 15, 2017.

Howell and Madsen (2017) Extension

Created Fri, Sep 8, 2017 § Last Modified Fri, Sep 8, 2017

Origin Story Met in writer’s circle Fri, Sep 8, 2017 and reviewed introduction to Taeya and Peter’s new project on newcomers and the onset of depression / suicide. Summary What if Taeya and Peter obtained data from the Missionary Department to study variation in missionary mental health and ‘socialization processes’? Next Steps Ask Julia Carlson if she has a connection to the missionary department.

Start Class with a Mini-case on a Current Event

Created Thu, Sep 7, 2017 § Last Modified Thu, Sep 7, 2017

Origin Story Listening to a news podcast on the way home yesterday, I recognized an opportunity to talk about Walmart’s new “free” grocery pickup service and Lego’s recent challenges. Imagine how refreshing it would be to bring in recent news items and throw it out to the class. Summary As I am reading/listening to current events during the week, identify connections to course concepts. Use these to jumpstart a discussion in class.

Mini Sabbaticals

Created Wed, Sep 6, 2017 § Last Modified Wed, Sep 6, 2017

Origin Story I received an email from a colleague currently on sabbatical. I thought about how interesting it must be to go to a different place and try out new lines of research. This prompted the question, “Why are sabbaticals so infrequent?” Summary Using the Strategic Inventive Thinking principle of division, I would split sabbaticals up and make them smaller but more frequent. Imagine the recombinatory power of faculty getting out and trying something new on a regular basis.

What if 'bathtime' was like a carwash?

Created Thu, Sep 8, 2016 § Last Modified Thu, Sep 8, 2016

Last night with the kids, I realized we weren’t going to have enough time to play in the backyard AND have bath time. I thought about the speed of a carwash and how the kids find this enjoyable even though it is short. “What if bathtime was like a carwash?” The result was streamlined baths: they lined up outside the closed shower curtain, soaped up, entered the shower, scrubbed, shampooed, and got out for the ‘towel cycle’.

Recombination Curriculum

Created Tue, Sep 6, 2016 § Last Modified Tue, Sep 6, 2016

Consider a ‘recombination curriculum’ in which classes are periodically held jointly for coordination and cross-fertilization.

Gould (2002) Status Hierarchy Dichotomy Applied to Categories

Created Fri, Sep 2, 2016 § Last Modified Fri, Sep 2, 2016

Origin Story Reading Gould (2002), I realized that his strategy of nuancing a dichotomy between status hierarchies as ‘emerging from objective differences’ and ‘enacted by intentional actors’ could be analogously applied to categories Summary Some describe categorical boundaries as representing objective differences between candidates. Others view categories as contested, enacted. A third perspective is possible, in which reliance on heuristics on a case-by-case basis (re)produces categorical boundaries. Next Directions Examine what Rao and Lounsbury write.

Collaborative Ethereum Project on the Social Nature of Money

Created Thu, Sep 1, 2016 § Last Modified Thu, Sep 1, 2016

Listening to a16z podcast on my way to campus, I learned about Ethereum, the ‘next generation’ of blockchain-based currency. It would be mutually profitable for finance faculty and myself to write a paper on the blockchain currency phenomenon: bring in Zelizer, Zerubavel, Carruthers? <#refend>

Mobile Hugo Addition

Created Tue, Aug 30, 2016 § Last Modified Tue, Aug 30, 2016

Origin Story Origin: In preparing for 470, I revisited how I keep my idea log. A drawback to the static website format is it’s hard to update in the moment when I’m away from my computer. I’d like to be able to tap out the gist of an idea and have it populate to my website. Summary Next Directions <#refend>

Entrepreneurial Analytics

Created Wed, Aug 24, 2016 § Last Modified Wed, Aug 24, 2016

Origin Story During the group meeting, Nile observed that 487 is closer to an analytics class than ‘managerial economics’. I suggested the name change to ‘Entrepreneurial Analytics’. I think we could go further with this and bolster the competency of our students. Summary Create opportunities for our students to consult local startups Hold ‘master classes’ during the course of 470 where I can teach some fundamental analytics tools R Python Literate programming Jupyter notebook Markdown Next Directions <#refend>

Especially for Young Entrepreneurs (EFYE)

Created Mon, Aug 22, 2016 § Last Modified Mon, Aug 22, 2016

Origin Story Driving to campus for the opening session of the University Conference, I was listening to RadioLab’s description of medical facility conditions during Hurricane Katrina. I thought about how I need to spend time too thinking about the welfare of my students and role at the university, and I was reminded of the YEAH program at UC Berkeley. Summary YEAH (Young Entrepreneurs at Haas) enables middle-schoolers from around the country (and world) to have an immersive, experiential experience in entrepreneurship at Haas.

garden task rabbit

Created Mon, Apr 4, 2016 § Last Modified Mon, Apr 4, 2016

Origin Story In a discussion with Ben Beck in office hours Mon, Apr 4, 2016 3:45 PM, we considered the pain of gardening. He is currently focusing on a smart app to inform gardeners when to plant, water, fertilize, etc. Summary An alternate pain hypothesis is that time required to garden is a deep pain. A rather complex solution would be coordinating the labor market for gardening talent. Next Directions TO DO: Draft use of this case in the hypothesis building workshop for Seattle.