I’m always interested in the idea of becoming educated. What exactly happens when we have truly learned something? This idea is opposed by other things that we conflate with learning. Inert learning is the opposite of what is learning to me, and we are all familiar with this as we forget what was on the Read More
Category: Teaching & Learning
Reading versus Understanding
I recently rediscovered a story from my teaching career decades ago. It was recalled in a paper written in the after 1990s while working on my master’s degree. The course was “Reading and Writing in the Content Areas,” and I was describing a situation in my grade 7 math classroom. “Today in class, we started talking about triangles. I put on the Read More
School and Democracy
In 1989, I was preparing to participate in a science curriculum project; actually, I was invited to chair the committee, but the curriculum coordinator decided it would be very unpopular to have a first-year teacher assume that role. I did reflect on the work the committee was going to undertake, and this post contains a Read More
“The Scientific Method” Is Not Scientific
Recently, I have been looking through some writing I did in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some of it is not noteworthy but some if it is. This post is drawn from a note I made in the spring of 1993. Science fair projects are a staple of science teaching (or at least it Read More
Curriculum Standards
Standards are collections of actions that are undertaken by organizations to ensure they are aligned with the actions that should be taken by similar organizations. Many who work in information technology in the United Stated are familiar with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) which defines the Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to help organizations manage and reduce cybersecurity risks. In education, there Read More
Planning and Design of Lessons
I colleague asked for my take on the difference between the two. I figured it mught be an interest post for my blog too. Design Versus Planning When I was an undergraduate student studying to become an educator, my peers and I took great pride in our lesson planning. When I was a graduate student Read More
Team-Based Learning
a post created by NotebookLM based on my notes from Michaelsen, L. K., Knight, A. B., & Fink, L. D. (Eds.). (2004). Team-based learning: A transformative use of small groups in college teaching. Stylus Publishing. Mention the phrase “group project,” and you’re likely to get a groan. For many of us, the experience brings back Read More
On Becoming Educated
I’ve been rereading Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now. I am familiar with criticism of his work, but I am a fan nonetheless—maybe it comes from the fact that I believe we can read works even if we dispute some of the points and still find them worthy. In his chapter on “Knowledge” Pinker writes: “So much Read More
A Brief Story of Me as a Math Teacher
When I was a student, I was not a strong math student; my lowest grades were always earned in math class. I attributed this to the “D” I earned in math when I was in 4th grade. Despite this, I became a math teacher. My students (and their parents) frequently said I was among the best math teachers they ever had. I attribute this to Read More
Not Your Average User: Why School IT Is Different from Business IT
151: Not Your Average User: Why School IT Is Different from Business IT This is an AI-generated post based on a chapter from a book I published under a Creative Commons license a few years ago When we talk about Information Technology (IT) in schools today, we are almost always referring to complex systems utilizing Read More