Category Archives: Implications for teaching

Asking Questions redux

On an in-class prompt for a senior English class, one of the choices last week was “What is the most striking stylistic aspect of Calvino’s novel If on a winter’s night a traveler… and what is its effect on you as … Continue reading

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“Ask a teacher”

A confluence of events this week prompts this post.  The first was an email about a workshop on “Advanced Geometry” that I’ll be going to in Santa Fe this sumer.  The tagline for the meeting was The most common misconception … Continue reading

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“learning to learn”

A number of us, and I think the School as a whole, say that one of our major goals is to “have students learn how to learn.”  IF such is the case, then it occurred to me a number of … Continue reading

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NYT plea for “Lecture me. Really.”

A friend sent me the following link about the value of lectures in the humanities. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/opinion/sunday/lecture-me-really.html My response follows. ———————————– I get the point, and I do agree that lectures can be good in certain contexts, but the professor who … Continue reading

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Public ignorance

This week, I learned the value of public ignorance (or, perhaps, relearned it).  One of my math students wanted to complete a proof by saying, half-way through, “Since all these steps are reversible, just reverse them for the second half … Continue reading

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“Looking up” and “learning”

There’s a lot of talk around (mostly by consultants and bloggers, but still…) about the “looking up” vs “learning” approach to teaching.  It seems to me there are three basic approaches to this question (albeit a large number of shadings … Continue reading

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Panthers

Panthers In order to help me keep my resolution to be educationally bold next year, I’m forming what might more professionally be called a professional learning committee (but which might also be considered my personal support group).  It’s a group … Continue reading

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Teaching 2015 (1)

I was inspired yesterday by going to see the actual furniture I’ll have in my “innovative classroom” next fall.  As a result, I decided to put down some thoughts on how I’ll bring to my teaching some of the innovations … Continue reading

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Collaborative learning (aka “group work”)

A very interesting piece from an NAIS blogger on cooperative learning. http://www.nais.org/Independent-Ideas/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=419 My experience was the opposite of that of the author of the blog.  As a science major, I had lab partners from Middle School through graduate school, and … Continue reading

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Letters to a freshman

A friend of mine in his first year of college periodically writes to get my opinion on things he hears and talks about at college.  He sent me a recent email questioning some statements from one of his courses.  His … Continue reading

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