I know one usually liveblogs a live event, like a debate, or an election, or an awards show. But I am teaching my most super-favoritest-ever psychology book starting today, and I thought it would be a good chance to share it with you, chapter by chapter. It is rare as a college instructor, or as…
I recently read a little back and forth on the Scientific American blogs, and it reminded me of a few pet peeves I have of science writing and how the public understands science (in particular psychology) in general. Thought I would share. To get up to speed: a recent article by Miriam Law Smith et…
Or, in which I decide to make a descriptive title instead of a good one. I’ll admit that I have little experience with evaluating national science standards, or with constructing curricula meant to be used by thousands of teachers. So I’ll just describe some of my impressions of the new standards, from what I can…
I have a new guest post up at All Things Education, with my reactions to the latest salvo in the ongoing battle between research papers and blogs, and between high stakes testing education reform and its discontents. Please head there and read it, and comment. I would love to hear reactions from my loyal readers.
I recently finished a fantastic little book, and I have to share it with you. It is called Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose, by Lee Alan Dugatkin (and @LeeDugaktin on twitter, a worthwhile follow). At first, it seems like a quirky little historical tale, where the history of science intertwines with the politics of…
The challenges of the modern era are great. How can we restore our global economic might? How can we accept anthropogenic climate change as a problem and being to address it? Belief in one of the foundational theories of science (evolution) is low and trending lower, how do we restore trust in science? Despite the…
Welcome friends and critics from my Scientific American Guest Blog piece: Deselection of the Bottom 8%, Lessons from Eugenics for Modern School Reform. This post addresses a common concern of mine in modern education reform debates, I hope it helps continue the conversation in a productive direction. “Defenders of the Status Quo” Many critics of…
For new readers, one of the enduring themes of this blog, and of my teaching is that I am a big fan of facts and a doubter of the efficacy of teaching skills (21st century or otherwise). At the same time, I am a nerd, early adopter, and big fan of the internet. Sometimes this…
I have been actively using twitter for about two weeks now, and I have to say I am enjoying it far more than when I first joined twitter, 4 years ago. I have also been reading The Big Sort, by Bill Bishop. I had a few thoughts about the two experiences together. I am really…
I spend a fair amount of time thinking about where my academic training would help in the education reform debates–in cognitive psychology, in research design and in statistics. But on those rare times when I get to engage someone whose take is largely different from mine, it seems that the evidence is irrelevant. So many…
