Wassup, stitches?

"I got 99 problems but a stitch ain't one"

Humphrey is sporting a very chic "up do" to help his healing along. He had a total of 4 benign cysts removed (2 sebaceous, for those keeping score at home). This all comes after one ruptured and caused a nasty infection. He's recovering, but it has not been an easy week! The location of his incisions made it difficult for him to lie down and rest without a lot of pain. Then, his tummy didn't react well to the pain mediation (or the stress?).

Luckily, he's on the mend and getting used to having his hair clipped loosely up. He hopes to be back to his usual activities in a week or two. In the mean time, he's playing with lots and lots of plush squeakies!

Normcore

Once upon a time people were born into communities and had 

to find their individuality. Today people are born individuals 

and have to find their communities.

-- k-hole 

Humphrey has always had a mild fascination with "trend forecasting": a lucrative industry, perhaps stared by the legendary Faith Popcorn, that has to do with predicting social trends in order that businesses could capitalize on said trends early on. Humphrey always wondered how much of this was a matter of prediction, versus putting ideas out there upon which people latched at a later date.

Humph skeptically demonstrates Faith Popcorn's "cocooning" trend

The methodology of many of these trend forecasters had to do with observing and talking to people (especially youth) and allegedly teasing out the tastes and ideas of "early adapters". Ultimately, Humph believes, it has been an act of ultracrepidarianism [an ultracrepidarian is somebody who gives opinions on subjects they know nothing about] on the part of forecasters, and probably research subjects as well.

Humphrey recently stumbled upon a new trend forecast: normcore. Normcore is the "Seinfeldization" of clothing - where hipsters turn to bland, style-free fashion choices rather than the avant-garde normally associated with the young and the hip. Aesthetically, the look involves acid-washed mom jeans, windbreaker jackets, and baseball caps with the aim of "blending in." Politically, "one does not pretend to be above the indignity of belonging," instead, moves away from a coolness and opts into sameness (according to the originators of this term). Alternately, Humphrey believes it may just be that all-too-familiar extension of hipsters appropriating ugly mass culture in "ironic" ways.

The coiners of this term (and it's received a fair bit of buzz in the press!) are a collective called k-hole, a New York based trend forecasting group founded by Greg Fong, Sean Monahan, Chris Sherron, Emily Segal, and Dena Yago. k-hole has issued several reports (all available free on their website!) that attempt to describe smaller trends that they expect to explode in the mainstream. Apparently, the very mainstream GAP has even tweeted about it already, a nod to its history as a purveyor of un-ironic normcore wares.

While (so far) k-hole has been heralded as a serious and important forecasting house, Humphrey can't help but wonder if k-hole isn't a performance project to test the boundaries of corporate common sense? Or is it serious?

Humphrey will put on some acid washed trousers and a baseball cap while he contemplates an aesthetic about nothing.

The Great Syllabus Caper

"If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law" (Thoreau)

Things were rarely quiet at Humphrey's employer, the Institute for Higher Canine Education (I-HCE), but the recent matter of Harpo's new syllabus only amplified the hullabaloo of academic freedom disagreements!

Sometimes Harpo's spirit reminds Humphrey of Henry David Thoreau

As a tenured member of I-HCE, Harpo knows that academic freedom offers him many opportunities to express his intellect and ideas. The young pups find him entertaining as a teacher, but they also admire his commitment to their well-being. And, since he has a very secure position at I-HCE with tenure and all, he has the courage to take risks on behalf of the pups!

Harpo works so very, very hard to help the pups learn and succeed. He also knows a great deal about statistics thanks to his preoccupation with the likes of Michael Scriven! So, when the directive was (yet again) made that all I-HCE faculty were to adjust grades on a bell curve, Harpo felt he had no choice but to take action. 

Action 1: update his syllabus to include this important clause in specific response to I-HCE's policy on applying bell curves:

The instructor assigns grades based on evidence of your mastery of the skills and ideas on which the course turns. He considers the grading policy promulgated by the Faculty of Canine and Pack Science to be manifestly unjust and to verge on irrationality. He will definitely not lower any pup’s grade in order to conform to that policy. He thinks that if you are well-to-do, you should consult a lawyer wherever you have concrete reason to believe that application of such arbitrary policies has deprived you of grades to which your performance entitles you. If you are not well-to-do, you are well acquainted with injustice and have, of necessity, learned to live with it.

Action 2: have a discussion about this clause with the current group of pups, who applauded his candor.

Now, Harpo is an intelligent poodle, so his position was carefully considered! Before issuing this version of the syllabus, he thought and thought and researched and researched, and was confident he could defend his position - especially since his tiny classes (with only 20 or 30 pups, at most) would not provide a sufficient number of dogs to warrant normal distribution. He knew that the Gaussian curve could only be achieved with a large enough pool of learners - and would have to be based on years worth of sections of the course taught. As well, his criterion-referenced approach to grading (that is, judging grades based on individual dogs' mastery of outcomes, not against one another's performance) further problematized the administration's policy about bell curves. 

It was no surprise to any of the dogs on faculty that Harpo was called into the top dogs' offices to explain himself. And he did so, calmly and with his file folder of evidence in hand. He was sure to remind them about academic freedom, and his role in helping the pups in their mastery of content. Plus, the administration didn't really have a right to dictate what went on that syllabus!

In the end, while the top dogs did not like the syllabus, they agreed it was not incorrect, and that Harpo had the right to keep it as it was originally written.

Humphrey admires Harpo's creativity and clever approach to calling attention to more than one form of injustice! Bravo, Harpo.

The Barker of the House - Legislative Assembly Edition

Humphrey and his guardian spent some quality time getting ready for a special evening, which included a full groom for a very special canine. The result: matching bouffants.

The evening ahead had something to do with one of those books! Guess which one?

Curriculum Reform in Ontario was shortlisted for the 2013 Speaker's Book Award! Humphrey knew this was a huge honor, as many, many fantastic books were nominated, and only 11 made the list.

Humphrey and his guardian made their way south to the Speaker's Book Award reception. Eventually, they arrived at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, a favorite building of theirs located in Queen's Park Circle.

Photo from wikimedia commons

Upon arrival - which involved venturing out into the polar vortex in spite of having just been groomed - they made their way down a grand hall towards the reception area. Though the building is said to be haunted, no spirits appeared present that night. Actually, that statement is misleading - spirits were present in the form of a table of shots (yes, for real!) at the reception that followed in the Speaker's Apartment.

First, the 11 shortlisted authors gathered in a room, where they each received a corsage and were briefed about the ceremony to follow at 6:15. The authors were an impressive lot!

• Charlie Angus, Unlikely Radicals: The Story of the Adams Mine Dump War (BTL Books)
• Harry Barrett, Port Dover's Nursing Sisters of World War I (Who-Did-It-Club)
• Arlene Chan, The Chinese in Toronto from 1878 (Dundurn Press)
• M. Jane Fairburn, Along the Shore: Rediscovering Toronto's Waterfront Heritage (ECW Press)
• Edward Keenan, Some Great Idea: Good Neighbourhoods, Crazy Politics and the Invention of Toronto (Coach House Books)
• Peggy Dymond Leavey, Laura Secord (Dundurn Press)
• Roy McMurtry, Memoirs and Reflections (U of T Press)
• Laura Elizabeth Pinto, Curriculum Reform in Ontario: 'Common Sense' Policy Processes and Democratic Possibilities (U of T Press)
• Paul-François Sylvestre, L'Ontario français, quatre siècles d'histoire (French Ontario, Four Centuries of History) (Éditions David)
• David Tsubouchi, Gambatte: Generations of Perseverance and Politics, a Memoir (ECW Press)
• Gerald Tulchinsky, Joe Salsberg: A Life of Commitment (U of T Press)

Then, a rather formal procession led the authors to the reception, where they were seated for the ceremony. Each shortlisted author was called to the stage, where the witty and charming Speaker of the Legislative Assembly presented them with a medal engraved with the authors name on the back.

After each author was recognized, the winner was announced: federal Member of Parliament Charlie Angus. Humphrey was so happy for his success, and was inspired by his remarks about democracy is his acceptance speech.

The fun then began! Photo opportunities! A reception! Humphrey was behind the camera, and managed to snap a few shots (more to come when the official photos are released). And some mildly amusing anecdotes and history that he'll share...

The witty Speaker mentioned he was not fond of serious photos, so he and Humph's Guardian did some "Channel 2 News Team" poses - though Humph was not fast nor steady enough to get good shots of this.


Photo credit for picture below: Ontario Legislative Assembly

A more serious photo with the Speaker and MPP representing Humph's home town of Windsor!

Humphrey was beyond thrilled to meet Sid Noel, whose work he admires immensely. And a former MPP!

The reception began in a space outside of the Speaker's apartment, with a lovely spread of hors d'oeuvres, ceasar shots (what?!), and wine. Humphrey and some others were invited to tour the Speaker's apartment, which, unbeknownst to him, is actually a fully-functioning residence! In the past, Humph visited the Lieutenant Governor's apartment (which is below the Speaker's in Queen's Park), which is simply an entertaining space. They actually have some remarkable aesthetic similarities and are beautiful.

A photo of the Lieutenant Governor's sitting room, which shows the dramatic high ceilings and windows, period architectural details, and general look and feel.

Unfortunately, Humphrey's photos taken in the dim light did not accurately depict its appearance, so he's relying on the official photo above to convey the general feel.

The Speaker himself was generous with his time, offering a personal tour and telling the small group of us who were there about the artwork and history of the building. We learned that the province once had an entire house for the Lieutenant Governor located at Bloor and Yonge! But this was eliminated during austerity measures in the 1930s.

Chorley Park from the air circa 1930

For those with a careful eye, one of the authors channeled Irma La Douce! But Humphrey will leave it to readers to guess who!

Shoes that were matched with equally green tights, Humphrey's very, very favorite colour.

Humphrey also met several other MPPs and had a chance to meet all the authors present. All in all, it was a lovely evening, and one that he will remember!!

On the purpose of the BARKalaureate and DOGtorate

Yet again, Humphrey finds himself contemplating the purpose of education with respect to “skills” that higher dog education can promote in order to help pups make it in the economic realm. As an educator in both BARKalaureate (undergrad) and DOGtorate (grad) canine education, he can’t avoid these controversies.

He always begins such contemplation with a quick review ofthe aims of education – and readers know he just about always defers to Chris Hodgkinson on such matters. Hodgkinson’s “Education is Special” essay summarizes the multiple and complementary purposes of education: to cultivate democratic, technical/instrumental and aesthetic capacities in learners. NelNodding’s views on happiness as a central educational aim is also a priority for Humphrey.

Humphrey is a working dog who does many things that require multiple skill sets and knowledge.

This week, the Higher Canine Education Quality Office (HCEQO) released another report on this, claiming, “that Canis Familiari face a widespread skills gap has come to dominate headlines and policy debates. Discussions on skilled dog shortages often implicate the canine higher education system. Some employers and top dogs in industry have voiced concern that the system is not graduating pups with the skills needed by the labour market.”

They go on to discuss recent research, with the proviso that: “top dogs may say one thing, but do another—a reality that can, in part, be captured by how they advertise for the positions they seek to fill.” And so they went about examining job advertisements to understand what skills are lacking. Humphrey certainly questions this methodology in light of other forms of research!

In particular, he revisited a favorite bit of research from Emery Hyslop-Margison and Benjamin Welsh, Career Education and Labor Market Conditions: The Skills Gap Myth (2004, J. of Ed. Thought). Sadly, it’s not the most recent, yet it remains relevant. Hyslop-Margison and Welsh found that while there is much public discourse about the absence of sufficient “skilled” working dogs generated from higher canine education, this is contrary to labor market projections that the vast majority of jobs coming up will be low skilled. In other words, a lot of people will be required to make the kibble each morning for the (relatively smaller) proportion of top dogs who are needed for “high skill” jobs. The dominant career talk in classes like those Humphrey leads are “predicated on fallacious assumptions” about employment patterns.

More recent 2013 data out of Wisconsin confirms (at least locally) that huge proportions of jobs are in service sectors requiring no higher canine education whatsoever! But does this mean that since people are going to have low-skilled jobs, they should not even bother with higher canine education (remember this post from Humphrey?)?

Humphrey acknowledges that’s merely a matter of opinion. Sure, if you “buy” that higher canine education exists strictly to get a job, then there doesn't seem to be much point in any education! But Humphrey, like Chris Hodgkinson, has other ideas about the purpose (and value) of education.  When done well, it ought to enrich the learner’s life by inviting the learner to think and know. He’s confident the barkalaureate dogs are exposed to all kinds of ideas and positions that they would probably never hear about! 

What could be more enriching than identifying your own epistemological position, and maybe even changing it upon exposure to new ideas? What could be more empowering than seeing how structures work (from organizational structures, to social structures) and thinking about ways to deal with those structures with the goal of creating (in Mark Kingwell’s work) the world we want? What about learning to read and analyze and maybe even critique “texts” (where text means everything from popular culture, to media, to the arts, to political rhetoric and policy)? And on top of that, comparing one’s own assessments of these things to others from different walks of life?

That, Humphrey believes, is where education has value. These are transferable skills that might not directly contribute to everyone’s employability, but will make them more fulfilled canine citizens, friends, fathers, daughters, sisters and brothers.Astoundingly, a 2012 Time Magazine article stated that, “pressed for more evidence, roughly 10% of employers admit that the problem is really that the candidates they want won’t accept the positions at the wage level being offered. That’s not a skill shortage, it’s simply being unwilling to pay the going price.”

A tutorial session in progress about labor market conditions. The appetite for Humphrey's vast expertise is not limited to learners of the Canis Familiaris persuasion. Humans also value his analytic work!

Author of that article Peter Cappelli goes on to say, “by far the most important shortfall they see in candidates is a lack of experience doing similar jobs” – not a lack of education in specific skills. Positions, the author reports, remain unfilled waiting for an unrealistic “perfect fit.” Cappelli contrasts this with his observations about the good ol’ days “a generation ago, employers routinely hired dogs right out of school and were willing to provide [training for] almost all their skills.”