Most news about education these days seems to focus on subject-area content or else on violence in the schools, with little said about how people learn and develop optimally. It is as if all that really matters can be determined apart from who we are as human beings and boiled down to a combination of […]
Aug 04 2012
New Discoveries in Oobleck Science
If you have not ever seen anyone jog on a mixture of corn starch and water – “oobleck” – check out the video from the Spanish TV show, "El Hormiguero," included in Wired Magazine’s July 11, 2012 online article, "Defying Gravity: When Strange Liquids Act Like Solids." Water and cornstarch combine to form what in […]
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Jun 17 2012
On Teaching and Motivation
Long ago, I trained employees in data and word processing systems and efficient workflow practices. To better prepare me, management sent me off to a conference at the American Society for Training and Development. I was enthralled to discover a focus completely unlike anything I had encountered as a student in public schools and four […]
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Apr 27 2012
Learning without Perks or Punishments
As humans, we are intrinsically motivated to learn. (Animals are, too, but their interests and priorities tend to be vastly different.) I am not saying that people necessarily want to learn what other people want to teach them but rather what they themselves find interesting or valuable. If you have ever been interested in dance […]
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