Who Needs A Classroom Podcast

After testing positive for both Covid and the flu, the Professor had some anecdotal evidence to share--mostly relating to his symptoms and the overall experience of being sick with Omicron. 

How do we make sense of all the tragedy in the world? How can we get anything done with all the madness going on? Sometimes we have to put blinders on, narrow our focus, and create a bubble that works for us. 

Part 4 of the Professor's series on Biostatistics. Epidemiologists know that if we can hold on a little longer, we can beat this thing. Remember that even if you're vaccinated, kids everywhere aren't. If we jump the gun and try to get back to normal too soon, we'll end up making this drag out even longer--and endanger millions of people in the process. 

Trying something new puts you in the beginner category. While new beginnings are beautiful, they can also be frustrating, confusing, and disappointing, especially when expectations aren't realistic. Embracing the idea of a child's mind--one of curiosity, wonder, and fresh perspective--in both our personal and professional lives can bring new opportunities and help us break out of rigid thought processes and preconceptions. 

Staying at home with our kids in online learning scenarios allows us a special window into the teaching environments and curriculum that otherwise wouldn't have been available. After listening in on his son's 4th grade class for the past year, Shreve shares some principles that we can all apply. 

The third installment in C.Shreve's series on Biostatistics focusses largely on measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and measures of variation (range, standard deviation, coefficient of variation). Nominal & ordinal scales are discussed as well as qualitative and quantitative variables. The usefulness of figures is highlighted and a sample standard deviation problem work through is included.

Big tasks and projects have to be broken down incrementally. The entire journey cannot be completed in one day--and thus only the part of the process you're in now demands your full attention. Finding a way to focus in and concentrate your energy on the step at hand is vital to unlocking your full potential. 

You gotta put in work if you expect to build anything. Your time has value and if you waste it, a part of you knows that you've lost an opportunity. Working at something improves your competence, which in turn improves your confidence. Work is the simple four letter word that can make all the difference.

Part 2 of the Professor's series on Biostatistics drives home the point that the way the sample is selected is more important than its overall size. A large sample is useful, but not if the numbers reflect a sampling bias. Selecting a sample that is representative of the population being studied is absolutely vital to reaching solid conclusions. 

For more than a decade, Professor Shreve taught Biostatistics to public health students. An understanding of how scientific data & information is collected, analyzed, and presented is vital for critical thinking. This first episode of the series introduces several basic concepts such as significance, blinding, randomization, bias, and more. 

As the world attempts to reopen and get back to normal, performing artists are left to make the difficult choice of when it makes sense to start touring and hosting shows again. Though Shreve makes the point that things aren't grey at all right now, there will certainly be a transition period where each artist will have to make the decisions that feel best regarding live shows. 

Microwaves were introduced to American consumers in the 1960s and were billed as a way to save time for busy workers and their families. Shreve discusses how a mass shift towards quick ready made meals and marketing that directly addresses this go-go-go lifestyle has rippled outward. In life, we learn, some things just take time. 

Preventative maintenance isn't just something for automobiles. You can't wait until game day to get your shot right. You have to upkeep your tools if you expect them to work when they're called upon.

The foundation of human relationships is trust and reciprocity. The networks of individuals we develop connections with can prove to be a rich resource if we learn how to develop mutually beneficial dynamics. Shreve references Social Capital Theory and his experiences in both the rap world and football. 

Doubt can eat you alive. A focus on doing the work required can work wonders for increasing your belief in your own ability. Whether you think you can or can not, you'll probably end up right.

Ahh branding. Always exciting when someone comes by to spend most of their day trying to convince you that Coca-Cola is not the right answer to the question "what kind of cola do you want?" 

See what you want and then execute a plan to make it happen. It's all so simple in theory, yet how often do we end up off-course because things weren't going as expected. Somehow the big picture has to inform all of the tiny decisions that become the momentum we move through the world with. When we can't find our motivation to do what's necessary, the big picture can remind us.