Serendipity35 - Higher Education

How Verbal Thinking Elevates Learning

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 10:10:00 +0000

The notion of talking to oneself, often dismissed as a mere quirky habit or a sign of preoccupation, is, in fact, a powerful, evidence-based cognitive tool essential for learning, problem-solving, and achieving self-regulation. For educators, understanding and deliberately integrating this "verbal thinking"—known in psychological literature as private speech, self-talk, or self-explanation—into pedagogical practice can unlock deeper comprehension and foster truly independent learners.

The psychological roots of verbal thinking's benefit trace back most prominently to the work of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. His socio-cultural theory identifies a critical stage in a child's cognitive development where social communication turns inward to become a robust tool for thinking. Vygotsky outlined a three-stage developmental framework for language: beginning with Social Speech in young children, where language is purely external and used for communicating with others; progressing to Private Speech during the preschool years (ages 3-7), where the child begins to speak aloud to themselves, often in a whisper or mumble, utilizing this overt language as a self-guiding tool for planning, regulating, and controlling their own behavior and problem-solving attempts.

For example, a child engaged in a puzzle might audibly walk themselves through the steps: "First, put the red block here, then the blue block goes on top." This transitional phase ultimately leads to Inner Speech (age 7+), which is the fully internalized, silent verbal thought that most adults use for abstract reasoning, reflection, and sophisticated problem-solving. For educators, the key takeaway from Vygotsky’s work is that overt verbal thinking, or private speech, represents the crucial bridge from externally guided learning—where an adult or peer provides the instruction—to true self-regulation and independent, complex thought. By encouraging students to verbalize their process, teachers are helping them build the necessary internal scaffolding for later, silent, and more sophisticated thinking.

Crucially, verbal thinking doesn't just manage behavior; it fundamentally alters how information is encoded and understood by the brain, supporting both memory and comprehension. Research in memory retrieval highlights a phenomenon known as the Production Effect, which demonstrates that reading or generating information aloud significantly improves its memory retention compared to reading it silently. This memory boost occurs because speaking information aloud engages a greater number of sensory channels simultaneously. The learner uses visual input (seeing the text), verbal/motor input (the physical articulation of the words), and auditory input (hearing the words being spoken). This richer, multi-modal encoding creates a more distinctive and robust memory trace in the brain, making the information much easier to recall later. This distinctiveness is vital: when a learner produces a word aloud, it stands out against the background of other silently read words, making the item unique in memory. Therefore, simply having students read key definitions, summaries, or steps aloud in a low-stakes environment is a simple, yet highly effective, way for educators to leverage this proven physiological mechanism to strengthen long-term memory.

Perhaps the most powerful cognitive benefit, particularly for complex material, is the deep processing that occurs through self-explanation. This process is not mere repetition; it is the active, conscious act of trying to explain new information by relating it to what one already knows, making necessary inferences, and proactively clarifying any ambiguities. The first benefit here is powerful metacognitive monitoring: when a learner verbalizes a concept, the very act of articulation immediately exposes areas of confusion or "knowledge gaps." If a student struggles to explain a step in a math proof or a scientific concept, the flaw in their understanding is instantly revealed, prompting them to go back and refine their knowledge. This is a critical act of metacognition—the vital process of thinking about one's own thinking. Secondly, self-explanation drives coherence building. Verbalizing forces the student to translate disparate, often fragmented, pieces of information into a coherent, logical structure. They are not just recalling isolated facts but actively constructing a unified mental model of how the concepts interact. This principle is famously embodied by the Feynman Technique—explaining a concept simply as if teaching it to a novice—which serves as a form of high-level, deliberate verbal thinking that ruthlessly exposes the limits of a learner's comprehension.

The idea that talking to yourself out loud is not only "okay" but also an excellent learning technique is satisfying, but as I dug into this research, I recognized things from my college and grad school education courses. Other than the idea that it's not abnormal behavior to talk to yourself, this research is not completely new. I used several of these pedagogies in my teaching.

The challenge for educators, then, is to move verbal thinking from an accidental occurrence to a deliberate, scaffolded learning strategy within the classroom environment. One highly effective technique is the Think-Aloud Strategy, which focuses on teacher modeling. This strategy is used to make the invisible thought process of an expert visible and accessible to students, thereby explicitly teaching them how to engage in effective self-talk. To implement this, the teacher must first explicitly state the goal: "I’m going to show you how a skilled reader or problem-solver thinks by saying my thoughts out loud." Then, as the teacher reads a complex passage, works through a mathematical equation, or analyzes a primary source, they must stop frequently to verbalize their internal dialogue. This might involve using strategic planning language like, "I'm thinking I should use the quadratic formula here because the equation is set to zero," or demonstrating monitoring and correction by saying, "That word, 'ephemeral,' sounds like it means brief, so I’m going to pause and look that up to make sure I understand the context," or making connections: "The author just described the main character as restless. That connects to the idea I read earlier about his lack of a stable job. I wonder if this will lead to him leaving town." Once modeled, the teacher must transition students to practicing the strategy, perhaps through paired activities known as Reciprocal Think-Alouds, before expecting independent use.

A second practical technique is the Self-Explanation Prompt. This method strategically inserts verbalization breaks into a learning task to force metacognitive reflection and is particularly useful in technical subjects. Implementation begins by identifying key moments in a text, problem set, or lab procedure where a deeper understanding is absolutely necessary before the student can proceed. At these pause points, the teacher provides students with specific open-ended questions they must answer aloud to themselves or in a brief reflection journal. Prompts should be targeted to specific cognitive functions, such as focusing on rationale ("Why did I choose this variable to isolate?"), demanding synthesis ("What is the main idea of this section in my own words?"), or explicitly asking for a connection ("How does this new concept relate to what we learned last week?"). For maximum impact, teachers should then encourage a "Think-Pair-Share" approach where students must first explain their logic to a partner, which solidifies the idea and provides practice in articulation before the whole class moves on.

Finally, the "Teach It Back" Method is a form of high-stakes verbal thinking rooted in the pedagogical principle that to teach a concept is to truly master it. In this strategy, a student is assigned the role of briefly "teaching" a key concept, a section of the reading, or a part of the homework to a small group, to the class, or even to an imaginary audience. The critical instruction given to the student is to explain the topic as simply as possible, perhaps using an analogy, metaphor, or non-technical language if appropriate. The student must translate complex, academic language into straightforward, accessible terms, which serves as the ultimate test of their own comprehension. The teacher should provide specific feedback not only on the accuracy of the content but also on the clarity and logical structure of the explanation, reinforcing the importance of effective verbal articulation as a measure of understanding. By integrating these verbal thinking strategies—modeling, prompting, and teaching back—educators are not just improving a single study skill; they are building the core components of the resilient and self-regulated learner, equipping students with the tools for lifelong, independent cognitive growth.

SOURCES
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. (This source is foundational for the concepts of Private Speech and its role in Self-Regulation.)

MacLeod, C. M. (2011). The production effect: Better memory as a consequence of saying aloud during study. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(2), 195–204. (This research provides the physiological basis for the Production Effect and memory benefits.)

Chi, M. T. H. (2013). Self-explanation: The effects of talking aloud or writing on learning. Topics in Cognitive Science, 5(1), 1–4. (This source details the mechanism and benefits of Self-Explanation for deep comprehension.)

Berk, L. E. (1992). The role of private speech in the development of mental processes. Psychological Review, 99(4), 779–795. (This provides contemporary developmental research supporting and elaborating on Vygotsky’s observations of private speech.)

Podcasting and iTunes U

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:06:00 +0000

Podcasts at Apple are turning 20 years old, but Apple officially discontinued iTunes U at the end of 2021. The platform, which launched in 2007, was designed to help educators distribute lectures, assignments, and other learning materials through the iTunes ecosystem. It was especially popular with universities and K–12 institutions - for a time.

As Apple shifted its focus to newer tools like Classroom and Schoolwork, which offer more interactive and integrated experiences for iPads and Macs, iTunes U gradually became outdated. Apple announced the phase-out in 2020, giving educators time to transition to an alternative platform. That was partially why there was a temporary bump up in schools participating in MOOCs.

I was at NJIT 20 years ago and spearheaded the university's inclusion in the initial "sweet 16" schools in iTunes U. It was important in its time, and I would update the new schools as they were added. I was disappointed in Apple's lack of support for the academic version of podcasting and was further disappointed when they dropped it after 14 years, but it had been losing its lustre. iTunesU (and iTunes itself) didn't really move forward, and the newer apps for educators allowed us to guide students through lessons in real time, share assignments, and track progress more efficiently.

I searched for some of those old Serendipity35 iTunes U posts. Very nostalgic in 2025.

These are some of the general online learning platforms where some of that content was repurposed.
Khan Academy – Free, nonprofit platform offering lessons in math, science, economics, and more. Great for K–12 and beyond.
Coursera – Offers courses from top universities like Stanford and Yale. Many are free to audit, with paid certificates available2.
Udemy – A massive marketplace for courses on everything from coding to photography. Often discounted and self-paced.
FutureLearn – UK-based platform with university-led courses and microcredentials.
Institutional Tools
Canvas LMS and Blackboard Learn – Widely used by schools and universities for managing coursework, assignments, and communication.
Moodle – Open-source learning management system used by many institutions worldwide.
Open Educational Resources
Wikiversity and Wikibooks – Free educational content created and curated by volunteers. Great for self-learners.
Classroom & Student Engagement
ClassDojo – Focuses on classroom behavior and communication, especially for younger students.
Remind - Helps teachers communicate with students and parents via messaging.
Lumio – Turns lessons into interactive, collaborative experiences.

40 Years of Microsoft Windows

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 10:10:00 +0000

Recently, my laptop crashed, and I had to return to an old one that had been sitting on a shelf for a few years. It had Windows 8 from back in 2012. No updates available, and lots of websites and tools did not work. The laptop that crashed has Windows 10 and that will fade away from support in October 2025.

It got me thinking about the now 50-year history of Microsoft.

The company was at the top early on, then went through some tough years and is again near the top. It has been the first or second most valuable business on Earth for the better part of five years.

Microsoft is betting on AI to carry it into the next generation of computing. However, Microsoft's most enduring legacies may be the marks it left on society long ago via Windows. It's not a point of pride for the company or many of its users that much of our world still relies on aged, sometimes obsolete Windows software and computers. This ghost software is still being used, though it is somewhat crippled.

Here are all the versions of Windows so far:
Windows 1.0: November 20, 1985.
Windows 2.0: December 9, 1987.
Windows 3.0: May 22, 1990.
Windows 95: August 24, 1995.
Windows 98: June 25, 1998.
Windows ME (Millennium Edition): September 14, 2000.
Windows 2000: February 17, 2000.
Windows XP: October 25, 2001.
Windows Vista: January 30, 2007.
Windows 7: July 22, 2009 (released to manufacturing), October 22, 2009 (generally available).
Windows 8: October 26, 2012.
Windows 8.1: February 13, 2013.
What happened to Windows 9? (see below)
Windows 10: July 29, 2015.
Windows 11: October 5, 2021.

According to an article on bbc.com, many people and services still use outdated Windows versions.

"Many ATMs still operate on legacy Windows systems, including Windows XP and even Windows NT," which launched in 1993, says Elvis Montiero, an ATM field technician based in Newark, New Jersey. "The challenge with upgrading these machines lies in the high costs associated with hardware compatibility, regulatory compliance, and the need to rewrite proprietary ATM software."

What happened to Windows 9?

Ghost Students

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 14:02:00 +0000

Ghost students, as their name implies, aren’t real people. They are not spectral visions. Had you asked me earlier to define the term, I would have said it is a way to describe a student who is enrolled in a college or university but does not actively participate in classes or academic activities. However, these new ghosts are aliases or stolen identities used by scammers and the bots they deploy to get accepted to a college, but not for the purpose of attending classes or earning a degree. Why? What's the scam?

These students may not attend lectures, complete assignments, or engage in the regular responsibilities expected of them, yet they are still listed as part of the institution's enrollment. In some cases, ghost students may be enrolled for reasons such as maintaining financial aid, benefiting from certain privileges, or fulfilling scholarship requirements. Alternatively, the term can sometimes refer to students who may be technically registered but are not engaging with the academic community in a meaningful way.

But more recently, I have seen the definition of a ghost student include when a fraudster completes an online application to a college or university and then, once accepted, enrolls in classes. At that point, the fraudster behind the ghost student can use the fake identity to act like a regular student. He or she can access and abuse cloud storage provided by the institution, or use a college-provided VPN or .edu email address to perpetrate other scams. In the most serious cases, a ghost student’s new enrollment status may be used to apply for and receive thousands of dollars in financial aid.

Institutions targeted by these scams can face consequences ranging from minor inconveniences to significant financial burdens. Ghost students may disrupt campus operations by occupying spots meant for qualified applicants or prompting schools to add course sections for high-demand classes, only for those seats to go unused. Once the issue is identified, colleges must invest substantial time and effort into carefully reviewing applications and monitoring student activity, placing a heavy burden on admissions officers, faculty, IT teams, and other staff.

I read about an extreme example from California’s Pierce College, where enrollment dropped by almost 36 percent — from 7,658 students to 4,937 — after ghost students were purged from the rolls.

If ghost students secure financial aid, often through federal Pell grants, it diverts funds from legitimate applicants and taxpayers. Their presence also strains admissions and IT teams. Additionally, if granted email accounts and access to instructional technology platforms, ghost students can overwhelm data centers and pose serious security risks, increasing vulnerabilities for institutions already targeted by cybercriminals.

Making the application process more rigorous is the most direct way to limit the presence of ghost students. But for many institutions, especially two-year colleges, that approach is antithetical to the college’s mission and desire to offer easier access to higher education. In addition, with enrollment still a major concern for all types of institutions, anything that limits the pool of potential students is a nonstarter.

Opening the Classroom Door Into 2025

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 11:14:00 +0000

Whenever I post predictions of what might be coming in edtech for the new year, I find myself writing about things that were present in the past year or even for several years. In other words, it takes more than a year for any trend or new thing to catch hold. And some things are predicted to be big for many years in a row but just don't seem to emerge. (item 5 in my list below is a good example.)

I wrote earlier about the general trends for 2024 edtech, and honestly, it all seemed old already and one-sided..

So, what educational technology might we expect to be significant in 2025? I looked online for trend reports and the topics seem very familiar.

Here is the list I compiled from other writers' lists. How much of this list is familiar to you?

artificial intelligence
AI-driven personalized learning
cloud computing
immersive experiences with virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR)
gamification
hybrid learning models
data analytics
adaptive learning systems that cater to individual student needs

I find nothing new in this list; some have been on trend lists for years.

Is nothing new on the horizon in edtech?

Google AI Essentials Course

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 09:53:00 +0000

I mentioned in an earlier post that everyone in education - students and teachers - says that they use AI in their work, but very few can say they are formally trained or certified in the use of AI.

One option is Google AI Essentials. It is a short and affordable ($49 USD) online course that takes under 10 hours and provides you with an AI training certificate.

The course outline explains that there is a 21x increase in job postings mentioning AI technologies, so this training should give you an edge.

Google AI Essentials can help you discover how you can use AI to assist, empower, and inspire you. Learn how to use generative AI tools to help speed up daily tasks, make more informed decisions, and develop new ideas and content.

A course like this can help you use AI tools to boost your productivity. You can complete the course at your own pace. Zero experience is required

You can get started on Coursera

Closing the Classroom Door on 2024

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 08:08:00 +0000

The biggest EdTech stories of 2024 seemed to all revolve around the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence.

This use of AI in education can range from fears of students using AI to "cheat," to AI-powered personalized learning. Platforms using AI to tailor learning paths to individual student needs, and providing real-time feedback and then adapting content based on progress is an AI path that most educators would welcome.

I also saw some increasing interest in skills-based training and upskilling platforms.

A positive trend is the increased accessibility to education through immersive technologies like VR/AR. I also saw positive potential with platforms addressing mental health and wellbeing within the learning environment.

Students of all ages and levels continue to acquire formal AI skills & training online: Students and workers might say they use AI in their work, but it is less likely that a person is certified in AI use in some way. (More on that in my next post.).

Classroom Cellphone Bans: Pros and Cons

ronkowitz@gmail.com (Kenneth Ronkowitz) — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 09:01:00 +0000

Schools are instituting bans on cell phones in classrooms. These bans aim to create a more focused, interactive, and supportive learning environment for students. But they are certainly controversial. Some large school districts like Los Angeles Unified School District and New York City Public Schools are looking to or have already implemented district-wide cellphone bans. Though this is more common in K-12 classroom, in higher education there are examples of individual faculty, certain courses or departments that have initiated bans.

The reasons generally given for these bans include:

Reducing Distractions: Cell phones can be a significant source of distraction for students, leading to decreased focus and engagement in class

Improving Academic Performance: Studies suggest that limiting cell phone use in classrooms can lead to better academic outcomes, as students are more likely to pay attention and participate in lessons

Enhancing Social Interaction: Banning cell phones encourages face-to-face communication and interaction among students, which is crucial for developing social skills.

Preventing Cyberbullying: Cell phones can be used to facilitate cyberbullying of students, faculty and administration, and removing them from the classroom can help create a safer environment

Promoting Mental Health: Excessive screen time and social media use have been linked to mental health issues in young people. Reducing cell phone use in schools can help mitigate these effects

When cell phones first became more prevalent with students (starting with college students and working down to high school and now younger students) there were individual teachers who instituted bans on using them in class. There were also teachers who promoted the wise use of them in their courses. The cons side of this also has good reason against banning cell phones from classrooms

As Educational Tools: Cell phones can be powerful educational tools, providing access to learning apps, online resources, and educational videos that can enhance the learning experience.

For Emergency Communication: Cell phones allow students to quickly contact parents or emergency services in case of an emergency, providing an added layer of safety.

Developing Digital Literacy: In today's digital age, students need to learn how to use technology responsibly. Allowing controlled use of cell phones in the classroom can help develop these skills.

Access to Information: Cell phones enable students to instantly look up information, conduct research, and verify facts during lessons, promoting active learning.

Inclusivity: For students with special needs, cell phones can provide necessary accommodations, such as text-to-speech applications and other assistive technologies.

Organizational Tools: Many students use their phones to keep track of assignments, deadlines, and schedules through calendar apps and reminders.

Parental Contact: Parents can directly communicate with their children, which is reassuring for both parties, especially in cases of schedule changes or family emergencies.

A web search will turn up lots of articles on the pros and cons of cell phone use and bans on their use in classrooms.
https://congressionaldigest.com/pros-and-cons-of-banning-cellphones-in-schools/
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/03/experts-see-pros-and-cons-to-allowing-cellphones-in-class/