Welcome! And don't judge the  blog by its "cover", please.   

Appearances can be deceiving.

 

 What I Do: Dr. Voroshilov: from A to Z; (Professional past, present, and future of a driven professional, an eloquent expert, a productive author, and a collaborative colleague)

Who I Am: Dr. Voroshilov: A Peek Inside!

·      

          The Full List Of Posts

·                Politics

·                Artificial Intelligence

·                Fundamentals of Quantum Physics 

·                Full List Of Post On Education

·                Philosophy Of Education

·                Strategies For Teaching Science

·                From The Top Of My Head: a collection of random ideas

Two short video presentations:

1. Open Classroom Initiative: invest in thefirst world-wide open library of lessons

2. Invest in EdTech and disrupt K12 education

Specific projects for addressing different areas of education and science of education.

 1. Entry125253: High Frequency Data Streams in Education 
(link to the full text)

2. Entry124656: objective measures of physics knowledge 
(link to the full text)
 
3. Entry125317: National database teacher PD 
(link to the full text)
 
4. Entry124655: role of NSF in funding education
(link to the full text) 

5. Entry125719: The new type of a science course for science teachers.  
(link to the full text) 

6. Entry126205: The development of the uniform standard for measuring content knowledge in physics.
(link to the full presentation)

Executive Summary of Professional Experience
(An excerpt from the full description of my path)

(I) Teaching

(A) Groups

5th-graders; 6-th graders; 7-th graders; 8-th graders; 9-th graders; 10-th graders; 11-th graders; 12-th graders; 2-year college students; 4-year college students; university students; school teachers; school administrators; district administrators.
(B) Subjects

Physics for Engineers (two semesters); Elementary Physics (two semesters); algebra, geometry; trigonometry; formal logic; problem solving; group theory (discreet and continuous); methods for teaching science courses; methods for advancing individual teaching practice; managing innovations in education (initiation, implementation, growth, support, assessment, audit).

(II) Managing/Consulting

Assistant to Director of an Institute; Director of Department of computerization and information technologies; Director of Center for Development of City School system; member or a team, leader of a group of consultants for schools and school districts (initiation, implementation, growth, support, assessment, audit of innovations in education).

(III) Learning

graduated from schools with high GPA; participated in a wide range of extracurricular activities; developed personal approach to teaching (flipped the classroom before the approach was described in publications); published papers on various aspects of advancing education; converted publications into PhD theses and then found an adviser; moved to a country without knowing the language; learned the language; learned how to teach using foreign language; started publishing in foreign language.

P.S. A large portion of my ideas come to me while I am in traffic or in a swimming pool. During the day there is not often much of a time to formalize them in a fashionable way. Most of my post are written in one seating as a raw flaw of thoughts. This blog is the best I can do. Well, so far - let's wait for retirement (and the memoir! ). However, I welcome anyone who would like to coauthor a piece and transform it from my "singing as you go" to a fashionable publishable form - polish statements, new points, references, ... . And also, if someone would find in any of my posts a useful idea and used it, I would appreciate a reference to the original.
(C) Education Advancement Professionals consulting services

We, Humans, are the only anti-entropic force in the whole Universe! Everyone has to do his/her part in fighting chaos! That's why the Universe crated us.
P.S.S.
From On the Definition of AI: 

"This is what teachers can do! From the NASA's "Brief History of Rockets"
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html

“In 1898, a Russian schoolteacher, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935), proposed the idea of space exploration by rocket. In a report he published in 1903, Tsiolkovsky suggested the use of liquid propellants for rockets in order to achieve greater range. Tsiolkovsky stated that the speed and range of a rocket were limited only by the exhaust velocity of escaping gases. For his ideas, careful research, and great vision, Tsiolkovsky has been called the father of modern astronautics.”

What is the difference between an expert and a professional?

A professional does what is needed to be done.

An expert explains - why.  

How do people become professionals?

By accumulating professional experience.

How do people become experts?

By reflecting on accumulated professional experience.                                                        

A Master is an expert professional.

My Mentors taught me a secret of becoming a master teacher:

There are ONLY two rules for becoming a Master

1. Learn from the Masters;  

2. Never stop pushing yourself.

"In order to be able to think you have to risk being offensive" (From Jordan B. Peterson), because ability to take risk is correlated with curiosity (only curious people are capable of taking risk; people who play it safe have no curiosity and hence a vision). 

Disclaimer 
I am an "investigative blogger". I insert myself into a situation I study and then I expose all BS I found there (BTW: BS means "beyond sense-making). I  am not an idiot or a reckless person. I am a person who has strong opinions on matters (I believe U.S. needs more people like that, people who can lay out strong reasons for their statements and take a "blow" of a disagreement). The reason I can allow myself writing what I think, even if that is perpendicular to commonly adopted and conventional views, is that my financial situation is sufficient and stable. Of course, as a normal person, I wouldn't mind making more money, or being involved in more interesting projects (as described in my generic resume). But I do not have to pretend to be someone I'm not to make my living. I am aware of the fact that my chance to find many professionals with views similar to mine is slim. The demand for "professional correctness" is taken to such an extreme that it has become a demand for personal conformity. I believe in telling truth. Truth is facts. Facts are science. I believe in science. Facts can be upsetting or encouraging, but facts cannot be offensive. As a master in my field, I have no reservation to offer my critique of people whose actions overlap with the field of my expertise (human intelligence). I know (and fine with that) that the chance that my writing will have a significant effect is negligible. But the butterfly effect exists, so the chance is not exactly zero.

Welcome! 
Thank you for visiting!
And don't judge the blog by its "cover", please. 
Appearances can be deceiving.

If

than you should not read this blog.

Although, if you can't handle the truth, you cannot solve any problem, because the first step of a problem-solving process is accepting the fact that you have a problem.

The future of education is impossible without a robust online component.

“Prof. Voroshilov, I’m at a loss for words to express my gratitude. In all of my years of school, from elementary, into high school, and through college, I have been blessed with top-notch teachers. But I’m pretty sure you take the cake. I was originally debating between taking physics at Harvard or BU, and all the signs pointed to BU. Honestly, I kind of think it was fate. I am not sure if it was just a good student – teacher match, but I thoroughly enjoined your lectures. You have an uncanny ability to present material, and it’s pretty clear (to me, at least) how much effort you put into your work as a teacher.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! Mr. V, thank you for putting up with all of us this summer!! I feel much more prepared for the MCAT. And I loved the demonstrations! Thanks for putting all the time + effort!”

“Professor V, You designed this class so that those who put in the effort would succeed, so I gave it my all and sure enough."

“I want to say thank you for creating such a conducive learning environment for me to succeed. I hadn't taken a physics class since my freshman year in high school, so I was very nervous going into your class. I did not expect this course to become my favorite science course so far at BU. Physics is a hard subject, but you explained everything well and made sure we, as a class, had the tools necessary to succeed with enough hard work on our end.”

“Professor Voroshilov is great – he explains concepts very well, and makes great use of clicker questions, demos, etc. Prof. Voroshilov also uses powerpoint, transparencies, videos, cameras, tablets, etc. very creatively and effectively to reinforce material from lecture.”

“I didn’t like physics before taking this class and now it’s one of my favorite classes.”

"I hated physics before taking this course, and now after taking both 105 and 106 with Mr. V, I actually really enjoy it. He is one of the best teachers I've ever had. Thank you"

“Best physics professor here, only one who cares if students are learning the material. Proves you don’t need a PhD in physics to teach this class. PhD in education is much more effective.”

_____

Those were some examples from my past student evaluations, when I was teaching an on-site elementary physics course.

And now, here are some of recent evaluations after I taught my first fully remote class (finished it just before the 4th of July).

_____

“I found that Professor V. was a fantastic professor to have! In particular, I appreciate that he put time into ensuring the online nature of the course was not a detriment to our lives, particularly as I work outside school. He hardly ever stumbled in the use of technology to provide us with the best in-class experience.”

“Professor V. has a strong passion and drive for teaching physics.”

“He worked hard to make sure the technology worked in a timely and organized fashion.”

“Professor V. is extremely passionate about physics allowing for this course to be more interesting than normal. His teaching style and presentations are straightforward, and allow for the material to be mastered as long as you work hard for it.”

“I loved Professor V. because he was never trying to trick students, and he truly hopes all students can be successful in PY105.”

“There are clear explanations for every single problem we encountered, alongside theoretical background of all derivations and processes studied. The instructor also appears enthusiastic, which is very helpful for courses like physics (easily monotonous with all the math involved)”

“He uses lot's of models and examples to teach.”

“He is very caring and thorough, tries to be clear with his expectations. We really appreciate how much time and effort he puts into his lectures, demonstrations, and the amount of his own time he puts into answering piazza questions. I have never had a professor who cares enough to answer piazza questions as often as Mr. V so I commend how much effort he puts in”

“Professor V is excellent, I have no complaints. He is enthusiastic and caring, as well as extremely knowledgeable. He was passionate and available regularly for help.”

“He is really funny without trying too hard. He's definitely one of my favorite personalities of the university professors I've had so far. I feel like every ruling he had regarding our class was fair, sometimes even too nice. I felt this class more than any other I have taken at this school benefited me. I spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the exams, and wasn't surprised by a single question on them. He really, really cared about the students, even if he didn't express it explicitly. He came off cold at first, especially in the responses he'd give to students on Piazza who were not doing well in the class. It was in his actions that I really noticed he cared, like spending days regrading exams after there were discrepancies, or changing the format of labs due to technical difficulties on the student's parts. A teacher who didn't care wouldn't have changed those things.”

“He was comfortable with the technology which made everything easier on our end as students. He was able to adapt quickly when things went wrong such as Echo360 shutting down, etc.”

“Dr. V is a very passionate instructor. His presentations are straightforward and cover a lot of problems. The questions are engaging and the experiments are interesting. Lots of great demonstrations”

“Great energy, the lecture is really easy to understand.”

_____

Many more examples are available on this page.

And here is the latest informal sound-feedback from a current student, who says that even though my course is remote, she learned more than from a past on-site course.

The goal of this presentation of quality is not to brag, but to state the fact: I am good at teaching physics, no matter what format I have to use.

When I teach, students always appreciate my style and express their support.

Of course, not everyone is happy with the way I teach.

No one can satisfy all the people all the time.

But obviously, when I teach I do something right.

When I teach - I know what I do, and know why do it, and why I do it in the way I do it.

It is absolutely obvious that online/distant/remote is here for a long time ahead, and is not going to go anywhere.

On the contrary, the institutions that can offer a high-quality online/distant/remote courses will have a significant advantage on the market.

People like I, who can design and deliver an effective remote course are becoming a valuable asset for institutions and companies in the field of education.

Based on my proved experience, I would like to develop the “perfect” elementary physics course for students who have never been taken physics before.

For that, I'm looking for any institution or a company that would be willing to support my project.

Ideally, I would like to gather a team of educators who could together create a collection of highly effective distant courses.

Such a team would give a significant advantage to any institution or company that wants to dominate the market for online remote/distant/education (on the difference between “online” and “remote” read this piece).

Interested?

Call me!

Dr. Valentin Voroshilov

Appendix

Recently I read in the news that Harvard University will not be able to accept new foreign students due to visa restrictions placed on fully online learners.
I think I can give advice to Harvard lawyers how to fight that.
There are two opposite or “extreme” forms of distant education - one is called online and another one is remote.
They both do not require a physical presence.
But – and that is hugely important - remote education requires remote presence at the time of a class.
In the remote format students have to participate live!
That means even students are not physically present in the classrooms, they still have to be physically present in the region with the same time zone!
That means even if there are no on-site classes, with the remote classes students still have to be able to enter the United States in order to participate in those classes.
This link describes difference between remote and online in a greater detail:
https://www.cognisity.how/2020/04/onlinevremote.html
 
I wonder why Harvard lawyers could not figure this out.

P.S.

This page represents the full list of my publications on various matters of education.

Here are some of the titles.

A Full Physics Course 

Essentials of Teaching Science

Modeling Instructions, Design Thinking, and Productive Thinking for a Science Teacher

  Deliberate Thinking v. Digging a Trench

Graphical Approach for Structuring Physics Knowledge

A General “Algorithm” for Creating a Solution to a Physics Problem

What does “Thinking as a Physicist” mean?

Teaching Tools for Fostering Understanding of Physics

What Math Skills do Students Taking Physics Need to Have?

Who and why should learn physics?

A Problem v. a Task; the Distinction Matters!

Factual thinking v. integrative thinking, or how we need to teach science

The logical fallacy of the existing explanations of the electron double-slit experiment.

All existing analyses of the double-slit electron experiment are based on two statements:
1. When only one slit (hole) is open then electrons reach the screen and form a Bell-shaped pattern. 
2. When two slits are open, electrons form an interference pattern that does not represent a simple composition of two Bell-shaped patterns.
But all those existing analyses make the same logical mistake. 
They assume that when electrons travel through a single slit, they behave like classical particles.
However, there is absolutely no reason for that assumption.
An analogy with the light traveling through one or two slits (holes) shows that the pattern formed by electrons should depend on the size of the opening. 
When there is only one opening, but it is large (large enough, in a certain sense), then electrons will be forming a classical-like Bell-shaped pattern. But in this case, even with two openings, we should expect a classical-like pattern, and no interference.
But when the opening is small, electrons should form a single-slit interference pattern. When another opening becomes available, electrons form an interference pattern as well, but this should not be a surprise anymore, because electrons have already formed an interference pattern with only one opening.
And in that case the real question is why do electrons form an interference pattern when they travel through a single small opening?
All existing analyses of the double-slit electron experiment simply combine two incompatible pictures, the classical picture of particles traveling through one hole, and a quantum picture of particles traveling through two holes.
Of course, when you use an inconsistent logic, you get confusing results.
Dr. Valentin Voroshilov

This used to be an appendix to. Large piece on the matter:
“Can an electron travel through two slits at the same time?”, posted on this page.

Trump is right about foreign online students

 Trump is right about foreign online students.

I want to state from the beginning that I am not a Trump supporter – never was, never will. But I support the decision of the administration to ban foreign fully online students from entering the country.

The logic of this decision is really simple: if you're not taking any on-site classes, if your education is 100 % remote, why do you have to be in the country?

Especially considering the risk of bringing in the U.S. covid19 virus from other countries.

The loud outcry of the top universities like Harvard and MIT against the decision demonstrates one simple fact, that American top universities have replaced their original goal, i.e. educating American people, with a new and much simpler, and much more lucrative goal, and that is making money.

For many foreign students having education in America is an excuse for spending time in America.

For many foreign students choosing a University comes down to the number one real estate rule – “location, location, location.”

Those students have money and are willing to pay that money to live in America.

Of course, local economies profit from those students. And that include universities, as well.

But when we talk about education, money should not be the primary criterion for the success of the system.

Over the last thirty years the hunt of American investors for money has led to a significant decrease in the manufacturing power of the country.

In the system of higher education, the hunt for money has led to a significant decrease in producing domestic professionals.

Especially in STEM related fields (why do you think the backlog of foreigners waiting for a Green Card is longer than a million)

The first reason for such a decrease is that many American firms prefer hiring foreign nationals, because they are cheaper (they say they search for the best and the brightens, but then they choose from the them the cheapest). And because foreign professionals have been prepared by the universities of other countries, American firms do not see any reason to make big investments in American higher education, or in education in general.

The second reason for such a decrease is the fact that over the past thirty years American population has become poorer. This fact coupled with the poor state of public education is an important reason why for many Americans a college or a university has become out of reach.

Money brought by foreign students help to satisfy the growing appetite of the college and university administrations for money.

The Trump administration decision to ban fully online foreign students from entering the country is the step in the right direction.

This decision forces college and university administrators to start turning again to American students (especially from low income communities).

In the long run, this decision does more good for Americans and America than it does “bad” for some universities. Universities will survive, they just have to start thinking about educating Americans more than about making money.

Someone in America has to finally start thinking strategically about the intellectual health of the nation, about saving “strategic intellectual reserve” - e.g. DARPA needs educational unit, until it's too late.

It seems strange that this move comes from the Trump administration; maybe the origin of this move has nothing to do with reforming education, in at its core it is the right move.

That is why I hope that the Court will uphold the decision.

Dr. Valentin Voroshilov.

P.S. This is a good example of a case when a good idea is compromised by its poor implementation. When the goverment sets new emission standards to auto makers, it does not tell them -“you must do it in a month!”  It gives them a reasonable time frame. Trump's advisers were so “smart-opposite” that they could not even develop a reasonable procedure for the implementation of his order. Just another gimps at how bad the state of management is - on all levels.

P.P.S. Recently the President of MIT L. Rafael Reif Expressed his view on why “America Needs Foreign Students.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/opinion/coronavirus-trump-immigration-students.html

He repeats again all the same statements on “diverse”, “heterogeneous” society, “attracting best and brightest” form the world”, “creativity and innovations”.

I addressed those vies this and previsions publications.

Now I just want to state again – his view completely undermines the need for advancing American education and American students and educators.

Plus, he simply makes a logical mistake:

To keep society “heterogeneous” does NOT mean the “need for foreign students”.

This is the logical fallacy.

If @LRafaelReif “the President of @MIT” makes logical mistakes, what to expect from the president of the #America?

(as I wrote in my Tweet).

And now, let the meaning of his words sink deep in your mind.  Essentially he says that America cannot produce on her own enough innovative and creative professionals. That America cannot keep her competitive edge without snitching away the smartest and the most creative people from other countries.

Other countries can, but America can't. 

And all other university leaders, business leaders,  and the politicians share exactly same views.

Why?

Because they all personally profit from the current state of matters (in one form or another: fame, influence, money). 

No wonder for decades the only type of educational reform was FAKING.

“We want to be heterogeneous, but we don't want to spend any resources on advancing Black, Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Indian Americans. No, we want to lure from other countries people who already have developed capabilities.”

And also make a ton of money.

This is an excellent proof of a trivial fact that American system of higher education is an element of American system of white supremacy, white privilege, and suppression of American minorities. 

Foreigners can be accepted into this system, but only if first they have been prepared by other countries for their own money, and then became smart enough, educated enough, or (and hopefully) rich enough to support that very system.

NOTE: I sent this piece to several papers. Naturally, it was ignored because neither top liberals/democrats nor top conservative/republicans (who control mass media) will ever willingly kill the goose that lays golden eggs.

 

NB: An illustration of a fact that even at top U.S. universities people do not really know how distant education works. They do not know the difference between two forms of distant education - "remote" and "online" (described in this publication). Because if they know, they would shift their focus form online teaching to remote learning. The latter assumes live participation. In that case, even if students are not physically present in a classroom, they still have to be present in the same time zone - hence, should be allowed in the U.S. At least, good lawyers could push for that.

More publications on the matter:

In Management Thinking Makes All The Difference

China v. The U.S.: The Battle Of Strategic Thinking

The Road To World Domination Lies Through Mass Education: Part I

The Road To World Domination Lies Through Mass Education; Part II

The Biggest Fakes and Breakthroughs of The Next Decade

Confessions of a Creative Brain

How much of the NSF funded fundamental scientific educational research is really fundamental?

“A Convenient Lie” or “What Research University Faculty Tell Themselves About Their Teaching”

Perimeter Institute for Learning and Teaching (PILT): the future of the future of education reform.

Appearances can be deceiving, in education, too.

The role of Education in the Contemporary World

Education Reform Needs a New Paradigm

Critical Reading of "Making Sense of Confusion" by Jason E. Dowd, Ives Araujo, and Eric Mazur

Three Myths of The Higher Education

How much of “cyber” in “cyberlearning” and "cyberthinking"?

Who and why should learn physics?

What does a Teacher need to know about a Brain?

What is the mission of education (as a human practice)?

What Would Businesses Do if No Foreign Students Could Come In the Country Anymore?

"Backpack Full of Cash": pointing at a problem without offering a solution

Why Did Russian Cyber Forces Beat Their U.S. Adversaries in 2016?

Do we really know if active forms of learning better than a simple lecture?

Fundamental Laws of TeachOlogy: a Handbook For a Science Teacher.

To everyone who is not satisfied with the current state of the educational reform.

Five Projects Critical for Education.

Professional Designing for Teachers

What is so special about being a Scientists?

Ignoring sloppiness: a sign of tolerance or mismanagement?

When conforming to conformity leads to a social deterioration. 

Seven Reasons Why Rich Philanthropists Fail at Making Systemic Changes in Education

Regular Education v. Elite Education

Vision v. Imagination: what does a venture capitalist use?

Developing the nation-wide database of the quality of teacher professional development programs, events, and providers.

Developing Strategies and Technology for Generation and Analysis of Longitudinal High Frequency Data Streams from Faculty and Students

How Can the U.S. Army Solve The Shortage of Qualified Recruits.

On the science of teaching science

The Role of the Unions in "Mass Production" of High Quality Education

The importance of early exposure to thinking.

Publicity v. The Mission; a tough decision For The NSF.

One True Education Trend That will Revolutionize The Workplace In Several Years

Why Have Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Been Spent on Development the Common Core Math Standards?

Rules For Becoming A Master 

Evaluating Teaching Quality At a University Level

 No sign for improving math education soon.  

Why Americans are Starting To Lose the World Race for Prosperity?

When money do not matter.

Ed + Tech = ??

Invest in EdTech and disrupt K12 education.

 

Open Classroom Initiative: invest in the first world-wide open library of lessons.

Math education – the consumer's point of view.

Confessions of a Creative Brain