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I'm sorta sad it's over...

I learned a history of this topic.  For instance, I learned how dry wall came from plaster litterally being "plastered" onto a wall, and then smoothed out.  Drywall is a vast improvement over that method, which often included chickenwire, or some other "form" that would hold it all together.  Tools, materials, techniques and You-tube, are all something I know better now.  I also have a great appreciate for the craftsmen of the day, but just as much respect for the newer methods which are less expensive in time and money.  Either way, it is an art of sorts.

I learned how to ask for help from the guys in the orange aprons.  (They are a real blessing).  And they love to be asked.  In fact, I was amazed how much people like to talk about the thing they are good at.  It's a skill that must be earned, not just learned.  Pride, and honor, as well as a little bit of ego here are good things.  But we should feel good about learning something that others value.  It's sort of that envy factor of having a really nice car, house, spouse, etc.  But this is a skill others are envious of.  The cool thing is that we can share the skill, and only increase our own knowledge in the process.  That feeling of confidence is pretty priceless I must say.

I learned how to pace myself, and time out how long things will take, and to do so in a more civilized manner.  I normally work like an insane little bee trying to get it finished.  Planning the process of learning, slowing down and digesting what I know and what I need to know is a really smart thing to do.  There is no substitute for time and soaking in the experience and allowing for a bit of "play" in the doing.  If I don't feel stressed to the hilt for time, learning doesn't feel like work.  It really is sort of synonomous with fun.  (Detering's video on gaming was pretty influential to me)  Hmmm.  Novel idea, having time to play and enjoy what you've learned.

I learned that even though I may have learned the "right" way to do something, sometimes I need to c

onvince myself with a less effective method.  I see the same tendency in my students.  It's a necessary evil in learning I suspect.  There is something to following a recipe, and then there's something to tweeking it a bit to see if things come out better-or worse.  Good or bad results, I remember and grow in my skill.  I do think this has something to do with schema.  I think we have a desire to mess with it a little.  Make it our own and sort of force it to go somewhere.

I learned that I know more than I thought I did.  I really had a better understanding of pre-existing knowledge and how that effects how I approach a new subject.  If it feels familiar in any way, I'm more confident about taking it on.  I also draw more connections to knew knowledge I believe because I have more old knowledge to connect it too.  Altogether, that means a greater foundation from which to understand, and create new solutions from. Horizontal transfer?  Yes.  Vertical transfer?  Yes.   It makes me think: new vs. knew.  Coincidence?  I think not.

I very much enjoyed reading about different learning theories while learning something new.  I really did consider what my mind was doing (without really trying) while working.  I also discovered that if I was trying to digest a lot all at once, something had to give, and it was usually my tacit learning.  I would really stink if doing (or thinking) too much at once.  That would increase my frustration, which in turn would limit my cognition.  My level of challenge must be slightly under my level of motivation.  Too much of that challenge thing and I lose the love.

I also learned to incorporate all three learning paradigms into my process:  Behaviorism at times I thought was an antiquaited idea, and though there's much more to it in learning, we can use it still to influence outcomes.  I am very motivated to get busy and get to work by the desire to have this room finished, entertain, decorate it, etc.  That is my reward for learning.  And for feeling inadequate and akward in the beginning stages.  (We all need a reward don't we?) I utilized systematic approaches to my learning, breaking it down, watching, doing, watching, doing, etc.  I appreciate the ideas of cognitivism and how we can learn with that prescribed sort of method.  And I recognized my continuum of learning, my reality of knowing, step by step, stage by stage through understanding contructivism.  I have a high degree of respect for these theorists, as thinking about thinking is, well, pretty brainy.  But it's also pretty courageous in that it's uncharted territory, and being "off" a bit in one's calculations are part of that territory.  

This was an excellent activity, and a very appropriate kickoff to the entire graduate program.  I am looking at how I act, how I plan, teach, assess, how students learn, and how my entire school is operated based more on the most important thing: not just how much we teach, but how much our students learn.  It's so easy to get off that ideal with all other distractions of being a teacher, many of which are also super important.  I do believe this class has had large part in making me a better educator overall and that's pretty humbling.  I have graduated  consciously incompetentm but that's where the best learning lies. 

Metacognition in the wall

So this week has been a culmination of a lot of theories and ideas from both my classes,  Foundations of Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences and Learning Theories.  I have noticed that these classes are very similar in many way, but definitely distinctive at the same time.  Regardless though, I have been putting all my new ideas to work in the classroom, my home, and my relationships.  This blog isn't meant to be reflective of the entire project, but just how parts have related to my teaching.

I have been working on the wall, and as I work, I think.  I'm about done now, and ready to paint.  I broke this task down into 8 steps, but in reality, if I had had some experience, I think I could have done it in a weekend, working about 10 hours generously.  But in breaking it down, and slowing down, it has given me a chance to apply my new found education in cognition and theories, while I am learning this.  I have found that I need to look at an idea, and then look at it again, to assess it before, during and after my research and application.  I need to come to some conclusions, and then re-evaluate them again, especially before I use it in considering assignments I design.

The little pieces have helped in my transfer of these concepts to other situations.  I have been able to transfer the idea of how I learn these ideas, first into my working memory, and then into my long term memory, but that in order for it to become tacit, I need lots of practice.  This is the case for my students as well.  I know I am much more specific with what I know they need to work on, now knowing better which activities will help them digest the content and applications, and which ones are just "nice to know's".  I am seriously examining what I have used in the past and what is traditionally considered best practice.

Also, developing a schema in which to begin to undertand at a deep level, is necessary to ever get to that point where one can almost see it in one's head; the beginning, the middle, the end and some of the possible obstacles in mental imagery, which for me is a huge part of schema.  I've learned that for me, understanding any topic requires my recognizing I know little, knowing how much I don't know, then progressing to knowing what I do know, When I get to the point where I see it in my head, my understanding has seriously progressed.  Although I'm no expert, I can "see" my next stage, and project in my mind how to plan things out much better.

I have tried to create this environment by clearing out everything but what I am working on, and the tools necessary.  Aside from the greater flow that comes from avoiding additional interruptions of "stuff", there is something else to this method.  I beleive it is related to trying to duplicate a scenario as close to what I'd see in a book or video on the topic,  There is something to be said for "dressing the part", as it were.  When we buy all the accessories for our new hobby or skill we are learning, it serves not only to prepare us for the work, but it builds our schema, and creates a more situated learning environment, where we "feel" as though we are in a ligitimate peripheral participative reality.  Even if we cannot emmerse ourselves into a true "under construction" house, as would be the situation for me to best learn how to drywall, we can find props or tools, or materials that support that mindset.  In my situation, it makes the translation of You-tube videos to my little wall easier.  If I'm not editing this item, or that type of equipment out of my environment, I learn faster.  The less processing on subjects other than what I am trying to learn the better.  If the items in my enviornment are related to what I see on the videos, or are necessary to what I am doing, then my concentration is greater, and my production greater.  I'm certain that if I were to learn for an extended period in this setting, my growth would be exponentially greater.

I'm counting on this experience teaching me to transfer vertically.  Sure I'd like to know more about DIY home improvement, as that has always been interesting to me.  But the kind of transfer I'm really seeking is understanding how learning occurs in people in situations we've learned about in our readings, and compounding those understandings into something synergystic, that creates it's own learning.  I don't know that I'll be able to predict this well, but that is the goal:  to set a learning objective, and achieve it in a greater depth, in a shorter period of time, and for an unlimited purpose to which I definitely cannot totally predict.  If I am preparing students for careers that haven't yet even discovered their purpose or demand, this has to be my true objective.  Transfer for any possibility.

When the novel turns to normal...

I had a major shift in motivation this week.  Yes, I was exhausted due to end of term grading and such at work.  But it was something more.  I definitely did less on the wall this week than I had weeks prior. I honestly got more work done, but there was less to research, less to prepare, and more to just work on.  In some ways that's a great thing.  And in some ways, not so great.

I am an artsy-fartsy sort of gal who really enjoys the creative process, and the learning of something new.  It's exciting, and the potential of whatever I'm experimenting with is endless, so who knows where it will go?  I could be the next "someone" (read celebrity expert) of the times, doing things never been done before, or doing them in ways that are somehow extraordinary.  But that newness of the wall project is now gone, and I'm left with practice, practice, practice to gain skill.  That can sometimes be BORING.

I find my students are very much like this.  There is the beginning of the activity, where I'm introducing the topic, and of course I plug it and make it sound like a real blast.  And in the beginning it is.  It doesn't matter what it is I'm teaching, the beginning has this effect on students:  They have no idea what it is, so I'll give them some amazing examples of what can be done with the topic.  They are intrigued, and curious.  They buy in, and begin to dig in.  As of late it's been web page coding. They are still in the honeymoon stage where everything feels exciting and fresh, even problems they run into are little fun puzzles to sort through.  They get thrilled quickly when they figure out a solution, and that motivates them to continue, along with the original momentum of the introduction.  But somewhere between new and expert, comes the necessary repetition, and mundaneness of doing something over and over, until it's either right, or finished.  It's a long period of time for many, but for some, excruciatingly long.  And it's here where I lose them.

I've long been interested in motivational factors, as I work primarily with low motivation, high risk kids.  Trying to keep them moving forward is more of a job than actually teaching the content, demonstrating or problem solving their learning.  And it's always here, this desolate wasteland of practice, practice, practice where the bodies of "dead learning" lay strewn.  I've been thinking a lot about why internships, apprenticeships and cognitive apprenticeships are such celibrated methods of teaching and learning, and I think this has something to do with it.  When we hit the skids because our curiousity has been satisfied, and we have a general understanding of the project, an apprenticeship keeps the learning moving.  I believe it does this by a committment to the greater work of the project or business, social interactions, diverse learning situations, the unexpected uncovering of another layer of novelty in the skill, and a variety of other factors, all part of authentic learning.  In the case of true, traditional apprenticeships, it a matter of survival of oneself and one's family.  Authors Lave and Wenger see it as the culture surrounding the craft and business that tether an ownership of the student to the work.  I don't have those factors in my wall.

I have my personal desire to get this "blankety-blank-blank" wall done, because I want it done, (it's me against the wall), because I want to feel proud of my living room, and have company over, and because I want a good grade.  All of these motivators are affixed to an ability to see a consequence in the future to my actions today.  Even the personal battle of just wanting it done is really more about not wanting to feel defeated by it when I look at it later, so it is me projecting how I'll feel into a future scenario.  My students do not have a strong ability to make decisions based on weighing future consequences.  Perhaps this is why so many of our best efforts fall flat with them in school. Perhaps this is why emersing them in a problem based project with others, simulating a real life working situation, teaches so deeply, and keeps them engaged.  Teaching with the traditional model is pretty one-dimensional.  Teaching with multiple methods, adds new dimensions.  But using a student's culture to teach them is very personal.  It engages because they are caught in the many strands of that culture's web.  This is good stuff to remember when trying to motivate.

So I'm still adding layers of compound to indentations of drywall screws, and seams of drywall at the ceiling and wall.  I'm still sanding.  And it's not as much fun anymore.  I'm getting better because I'm practicing the technique of laying it on, and working it so that it's smooth and level.  But I'm finishing it because I have made that committment and I am too stuborn to not honor my committments.  Some may call this responsible.  But whatever the reason, it is a result of me demanding the attention and focus of my mind, something Vygotsky theorized was a major difference between animal and human cognition, and very different from the behaviorists of his time.  I can do this because of maturity, and experience of knowing that I will get better, the more I practice.  My engagement is forced.  And I am also now keenly aware of at least one new way to both keep students engaged, and develop that tenacity through experience that will serve them in the future when they run low on motivation.  I will do my best to incorporate as many elements of cognitive apprenticeship or, "legitimate peripheral partication", and fend of the dulling sensation that comes with repetition.

So really, next week:  Texturing

Making connections, transfer, situationed cognition, culture of learning

This week's progress on the wall has been learning the art of both sanding, and applying tape and mud or compound.  All of these techniques and stages of the process I found fun and satisfying.

The sanding is of the patching I did last week of the dents in the drywall from the drywall screws.  It took a couple of coats, which must dry individually, and now we are at the point where we level out and smooth the surface.  I'm using a sanding block that is manufactured as one piece.  It's of a pretty rough grade, so that I can work quickly.  The finer grade didn't work as well as it clogged up quickly, and I couldn't get a whole lot of sanding done before that happened.

It looks like I do not have to sand too much, as I didn't use too much compound initially.  I was warned by both the DIY videos and my husband, and a friend, to go light on the compound, or I'd be sanding forever.  I'm hoping that I did follow that advice and that is why I don't seem to need to sand so much.  But I'm afraid I will discover that I need to do more, after I begin adding texture to the wall.  The texture is really I think a way to hide a less than perfect surface job of the drywall, but it's become part of the decor, and considered stylish.  Many people, including myself like the look of texture, though I don't like too much of it.  But having an idea of the direction I'm going, the scope of it as it were, allows me to anticipate problems, to mentally image them, and solve problems before the arise.  Experience, even that of others, since I've not yet done this, is a masterful teacher, and school of hard knocks is a merciless one.  I'd rather learn vicariously on the tough and expensive stuff for certain!

I did have some pre-existing experience with this sort of thing, though I didn't realize it when I first chose this subject.  I have done a painting texture called a "faux finish".  http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-add-venetian-plaster-to-a-wall/index.html

It was a style called "Venetian Plaster", and it was a combination of latex paint and plaster.  The plaster has the same consistency as this compound, and I'm using the same tools to apply it.  That may have also accounted for my feeling of comfort in taking this on.  It was already something with which I was familiar, though I didn't grasp it at the time.  Incidently, I wanted to do the Venetial Plaster because it felt very much like sculpting, something I had enjoyed previously.

So, I wonder if past experiences that students have had, but don't necessarily remember, impact the decision to become engaged quickly in a similar lesson?  I think it's sort of opposite the experience where people do not connect similar principles, and are unable to transfer their knowledge about a related skill into a different setting.  The Brazillian children who were street vendors were seemingly mathmatic geniouses, but struggled making that intelligence work for them in a new situation.  I believe I've discovered that I do, even if I don't recognize it at the time.  But the does leave me wondering, why I am able to do this in this situation, while other's are not in their situations.  I will explore that more, now that I know that is what I'm seeking, but I do have this observation: finding similarities of almost any sort, can be valuable to the learner, in pulling up prior knowledge, and making new connections, to assist us in understanding a new idea.

I found this blog timely in that yesterday I attended a conference on internships and apprenticeships.  It was discussed how much more quickly students learn in these environments, as they are authentic, and they are immersed, or surrounded by the culture of the profession they were learning.  Using these similar terms figuratively and literally in our studies helped me greatly to grasp how certain types of math, business, language or music learning methods are so much more effective, and to even understand better some of the DIY videos.  https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=active&q=drywall+tape+corners
The people in the videos were often professional drywall contractors, who wield their tools like extensions of their minds or bodies, and have a grace about their technique and even the way they speak on the topic.  You can tell, to them, they are speaking casually, and without a lot of thought or care for the choice of words they use, they simply speak using that vernacular.  I however, had to really listen with my eyes, and hear the intonations, and style with which they spoke to infer what they were saying, almost as if they were indeed speaking another language.    Prior to this class I wouldn't have really considered it cognitively.

So I'm now laying on the sticky backed mesh tape.  It's quite helpful that I do not have to lay down compound first and then fiddle with the tape atop it.  I can see though that not having a level surface can later cause me big trouble if not dealt with now.  I won't see it's not level until the end.  So I'll go light on the stuff again, laying on thin layers.

Next week:  sanding again, and texture.

Play, and practice makes perfect

This week was a doosey.  Wedding is done.  Everyone has survived.  Kinfolk are gone.  All is quiet.  It's now just me and the wall...

And lots of thoughts.  I am going over the dents made by the screws that I have already driven in and covered with compound.  However, the compound dries, and shrinks in the process, so I'm doing it again.  Hopefully only once more.  I also am doing the tape in the corners that I didn't do.  These will be a little tougher as this time really counts.  If I add too much compound I will have to sand extensively.  If I add too little, I'll have to do this again.  Practice counts.

But I do feel some degree of growth here.  The repetition has improved my technique at the angle I put on the compound.  I get a pretty big glob of about three table spoons on my trowel, and then spread it on at about a 60 degree angle.  The idea is that it leaves nothing but the hole patched.  I'm getting better.  But this part isn't rockery surgery as they say, so I can think as I work.

All of this has me realizing all the processes I've gone through in getting here.  No, not from the beginning of this class, but from when I was a kid, learning from my parents.  I believe I have gained confidence to even take on this task because I experienced success after repeated attempts, at the insistence of my mother and father.  In reading the text this week I saw both my own children's development and my own, from infant to toddler to preteen to adolescent to adult.  Each stage took similar, yet different approaches from my parents to get me to the next.  That is definitely the case for me as a parent.

I, as well as all my children, have been self directed learners but that was orchestrated all along by my parents.  I in turn have taught my children of this.  The readings this week have really driven home the value of play, and talk, and routines in developmental growth for children.  Though I have always admired elementary teachers, my mother a teacher's aid for 25 years as well, I don't think I really grasped the value of all they were doing in making learning look like play.  I've been thinking about that a lot recently. And I have also been thinking about how I do not need to apologize for kids having "too much fun" in my class.

As I dip my trowel in another helping of compound I feel like I'm playing, and I see that though it's novel, and that I'm liking the results, I am not just motivated by this class or the desire to get my living room.  I really want to learn this.  The need to feel like I'm learning is a powerful thing, though often it's in the form of work, or play.  We learn step by step, with increments supported by the scaffolds we create or those created for us by others.

I know I scaffold for my students all the time, but often I'm thinking as I'm doing it, "I'm scaffolding".  It is so natural to young mothers they don't even realize they are doing it.  In my home as a child and a parent the "question" game was played often.  What's that, and where's that, and who's that, were adapted over the years into games like, "20 questions", or "I'm going on a Trip", what's the capital of ___________, or name the presidents.  Of course we didn't start with those questions.  We started out with picture books, as mentioned in the readings, talking about the pictures.  We also had conversations about what we saw on the road, or hear on the radio, or on TV.  We discussed our opinions on food, birthdays, people, pets.  We compared favorite everything.  We also worked on coloring books, counting money, making Valentines from scratch, playing barbies, cars in the sand, and mudpies in the mud.  My parents and my brother were not just awesome playmates, they were great school mates, though at the time I didn't realize it.  I was ready for school way before I had to be because of these games, and experienced a lot of positive self esteem from my successes throughout school years.  And of course just when I got good at something, the ante would be upped, and the scaffold adjusted to intensify the challenge.

After reading about differing cultural norms for how children are raised really caught my attention.  I was fortunate enough to have had or been taught those multi-faceted interactions with children. It was not our culture to not be included into adult conversations.  In fact, as children, we were the center of attention as our responses to their questions were pretty entertaining.  This was the case for my own children.  Kids and their learning is always intriguing, and often hilarious.  The motivation to interact verbally or socially with children is that hilarity and just part of what I and all my relatives do.  I now recognize the need to teach this sort of interaction to my students, not just as a method of communication, but as a way for them to communicate with their younger sibs or future children.

I've also begun looking at babies as little sponges as opposed to just cute little cherubs I want to play with.  My playing with them, is fun for me, but it's vital to them.  As I am now on the road to becoming a foster parent, and (hopefully) a grandparent now that I have one married off, I will continue to look at play for children, as well as for me, as the basis for not only cognitive development, but cognitive maintenance, so that I'm the funnest and sharpest foster mom and grandma around.  And so that those kids who are around me become a little bit smarter everytime they are.
 Next week sanding and mudding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKt1M58bdM4

So this week was pure insanity.  The kin folk are here, the wedding is tomorrow, and I have had not a minute to reflect.  However, in spite of this, I realize that my motivation, though originally extrinsic because I wanted to get a good grade, though intrinsic, as I wanted to feel good about the results, was really truly about my self effacacy.  I believed I could get the wall up, get the job started, and so I did. My husband has been a bit irritated that I took on another thing, I'm sure.  But because I knew that I could put the wall up, I could begin the process to this stage, per my schedule, I would do it. If you build it they will come.

So in completing this weeks work, I thought extinsively about Rodger Bannister, and the breaking of world records.  What he did was break the ceiling of personal public belief regarding how fast a man could run.  I feel this way at times as a woman learning a skill that is traditionally only reserved for men.  I feel there is a disbelief in what I can accomplish, and it's not a personal thing.  It's just based upon what most have seen done, and abandoned.  I also feel motivated to do this thing because it is not traditional for me to do.  Doing things that one has been told is not possible or likely is a challenge in it's own rite.  It is self affirming when one does something that only could have been done with a strong desire to actually do it.  Somehow it is like a mark one makes upon the universe, that would not have been made, without a concerted effort and dedication on the part of the doer.  And like the passage in the text, once one has made the decision to do that thing, like crossing the Rubicon, there is no longer a decision to be made, and the motivation necessary to accomplish the task is no longer a matter of will power.  I know it's just drywall.  But this week has been a bear, and making it happen in the face of that adversity is empowering all on it's own.

I started off, filling each of the little dents made by drywall screws with drywall compound.  It took some work to develop a technique that would lay the compound even across the plane of the wall, and will fill in the dent smoothly.  I had to use these tools

I also used drywall tape for the seams.  It has an adhesive backing to help it lie flat.  For the case where there was a rather large gap in the seam, I had to lay down the compound first, the cover it with the tape.  I then smoothed it out.  I did the same for the corners, at the corners of the wall and the ceiling.  This also took some practice.  I was getting better with each attempt.  There was a marked difference with the beginning of my work and the last of my attempts.  Expertise?  No, but the information on how to do this became tacit knowledge.

Then I had to wait for the compound to dry which takes a day or so.  So I will begin again, and do this again the next day.  But the wall is decent enough looking for company to sit in my living room without having wires hanging out, or insulation falling out. Also, we should be able to get our foster care license now.  Exciting stuff!  The next segment will be mudding.  I look forward to it!

Well this is a fine mess I’ve gotten me into!  Obviously I had some misconceptions.  I tend to be too optimistic, and again, have fallen into that same line of thinking.

In going through my plan of action, (see above) I’ve discovered more work than I originally thought.  Apparently, there was more left undone, than I or my husband originally understood.  I guess you could say my schema has had some tuning, and I now have a new restructuring altogether.  I expect that this is just the beginning.  In my mental image, I saw myself merely moving furniture out of the way, screwing in drywall as I had seen my husband and others do, and then learning how to mud the seams.  Hmph!  I apparently only saw what I wanted to see, because there was a large roll of carpet from the left over we had, rolled up at the base of the wall, as well as an imperfectly level ceiling, and walls, as well as unfinished insulation.  I will need to cut the carpet.  I will also have to install insulation.  And I will need to really think out my cuts of drywall.

Additionally, my assistant/mentor is unavailable most of the time, so I am really on my own.  That was also, not how I had it planned.  I’ve watched people add insulation, and am now having to review this on Youtube DIY sites as well.  That will have to be my new mentor.

The wall is a replacement of an original wall that was removed to create a larger master bedroom and a smaller living room.  So this has no drywall on the living room side, and no insulation.

After watching the video, I see that caulk should be added between the frame wall and the floor.  I don’t know if this was originally planned by my husband, but I’m happy to offer a helpful tip from my research and video viewing. 

Pre-cut bats are the rolled up pink insulation that are manufactured so that it meets typical framing.  So this is the type of insulation I’m adding in.  “Blow-in” insulation is the same fiber but loose and done through the ceiling into the spaces between the studs of the framing.  I’m glad I have the pre-cut bats, as installation is easier to install this way, and should be much quicker than I had thought.  Ah, another tuning in my accretion.  Thankfully this one goes to my benefit this time.

So I will install the insulation and cut the carpet tonight, and perhaps get to actually drill some screws into drywall. 

To install the insulation, I will need long sleeves and gloves, as the fiberglass is incredibly itchy and can cause a rash if it gets into your skin.  I’m following this DIY video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuW033vM-xA

I will have to cut the insulation to fit around an electrical box.  Luckily, I have no exterior walls to deal with, which would require a whole lot more manipulating the material.  I’m glad I watched, as I had already played with the insulation to see how hard it was and assumed, (yes I know how to spell ass-u-me and what it means) that I could just stuff in the extra without stopping to cut it.  I learned that this is a bad idea and actually cuts down on both the temperature protection of insulation and sound protection as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtLy-nhh1do

I then take my staple gun and staple the edging every 18 inches or so going down the stud of the framed wall.  I had to take a little time to learn how to use the staple gun as well.  There are many new skills I’m learning in this process.  I’ve supplemented my thinking, as I’ve used staplers before.

Without that knowledge I’d have lost a lot of time learning this new tool.  Jerome Bruner’s theory, a sort of “supplemented” adjustment of Piaget’s theory, postulated that thinking isn’t developed by replacing old thoughts with new ideas, but by building on existing ones, and growing them into something more sophisticated.  I think this is a good example of that.

Okay, that is now done and looks like this:

Now to cut the carpet:

I have measured the back side of the carpet and marked a line of where I will cut.

According to the videos, linear patterns you can freehand and cut from the carpet side.  I don’t have that luxury and the carpet is very thick, so that wouldn’t work for me.  I’m going to leave 3 extra inches.  Cutting too short would be disastrous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWO3D9NCBOI

I don’t need to cut exactly or a hook knife to tuck it in because I’m adding baseboard later.

The video is promoting the use of a hand trimmer!  That looks so cool to cut it so quickly!  I guess I’ll get better with practice until there’s automaticity, but until then, it’s measure twice cut once in little tiny slices until I get better.

After the carpet is cut and cleared, I then start measuring for the drywall.

I marked on the ceiling where the studs of the wall met so that when it was covered with drywall board I would still know where to drive the screws. 

I had to measure the wall, ceiling to floor, making sure I measured from under the carpet pad, as that is where the drywall is screwed from the bottom.  I measured the drywall, and I added an extra quarter of an inch total, which in retrospect I should probably have kept it at 92 1/2”, but I was afraid it wouldn’t quite reach.  I found out later that I could add little a wood to the bottom if it didn’t quite reach. I guess some things need to be learned at the point my understanding of the entire situation would allow it.  I would not have had, as Piaget theorizes, a disequilibrium, and my mind would have had no reason to try to regain its balance and accommodate the new information.

I measured the drywall from top to bottom, marking an arrow (>) at the exact point of 92 ¾” at about 6 inches from both side edges.  The top was the factory edge, and the sides were beveled and tapered.  The bottom was my rough edge cut.  This is okay because it will be covered by the baseboards.  Then, with a straight edge, I drew a line connecting the apex of the arrows to the edge of the drywall.  It was then that I took a box knife, and “scored” the line, two or three times.  I tapped from the underside of the drywall, and pressed down from the top, and “pop”!  It broke apart perfectly on the score.

We had to tap it into place with a 2x4 or other board and a hammer.  This allows me to place uniform pressure to a larger area.  It fit, but it was really tight.  It had to fit so that the edges of the drywall could be screwed into the 2x4 studs of the framed wall.  If it was not on it precisely, there would nothing to anchor the drywall to.  It also could be a problem it the drywall went over the stud too far, as there was then nothing for the next drywall piece to anchor to. 

I also had to take care to not go down too deep, as it would cause the edge of the drywall to pucker out, and upset the flush edge of the drywall.  That makes it more difficult to line up the next piece.  Going too deep also adds more work later, as I’d have to level the dents out with “mud”.  This thought process is an example of my formal operational stage according to Piaget.  I can make logical predictions and make deductive presumptions that I couldn’t make as a young child. 

The drill with the hammer action was much better than the other drill I had that didn’t.  It kept stripping the screws.  This new drill was a real time saver.  Also the screws are not the black drywall ones, as they will rust, so I got brass screws that had the same size and caliber so I could avoid rust spots that bleed through years later.  This was per the advice of my husband, and supported by others I asked.

Now is where the markings on the ceiling and floor were so useful.  I just lined up the screws every 18 inches or so, with those markings.  This allowed me to hit the stud underneath the drywall without having to pull it up to look.

I’m a pretty logical gal, I thought.  This is project is now an area that is more foreign to me, but it originally looked familiar, so I assumed a lot.  It’s interested to notice my own naïve theories and discover that my concept of this topic was pretty fuzzy, as there was a good deal of tacit knowledge and situated cognition my husband and friends have, but they cannot easily explain to me how to do things.  My slow going is due to my having to learn it without the benefit of that prior knowledge.  I have also discovered this sort of pseudo teaching happening in a class I teach where there are guest speakers who are very knowledgeable in their field, (teaching about healthy relationships) but really have no idea how to communicate that to my students.  I find it frustrating that though these presenters are very well versed in psychology, they have not experienced transfer of that knowledge into a usable skill.  They know and understand the limitations of my students based on their ages, genders, cultures and general profile, but are failing miserably in getting them to pay attention, become engaged, or even converse about the topic effectively.

Well tune in next time for the finishing of the drywall hanging, and the beginning of the taping and mudding.  It’s getting good!