Good piece in the NY Times about recent research on study habits that essentially vindicates the way I have approached my studies for a long time (that is, violating many aspects of “received wisdom” for what intuitively seemed to work better). One thing I’d emphasize is that tends to be better to study in short, [...] Read more »
Why Avoiding “Liberal” Universities, Departments, and Faculty Is Misguided
Susan Wise Bauer over at The Well-Trained Mind Blog has put together an excellent post on how many decent folks are asking the wrong questions when looking for a university or a department (either for their kids or for themselves), trying to avoid being barraged with a “liberal agenda.” I’ve heard similar sentiments myself—”I just [...] Read more »
This Just In: Language Shapes the Way We Think
Language indeed shapes the way we think, says Lera Boroditsky’s article in the Wall Street Journal. For anyone with any common sense (or language training), this shouldn’t be especially surprising, but it is an interesting read nonetheless, exploring how the latest cognitive research demonstrates testable differences in cognition between those who speak different languages—differences that [...] Read more »
Backwards Thinking of the Day: Pinellas Schools Reconsider Black Student Discipline
Here’s a great example of backwards thinking: apparently black students in Pinellas County schools are suspended and arrested at a disproportionately higher rate than students of other races. The proposed solution: an agreement has been drafted in which the schools are supposed to be “thinking about options and utilizing those options.” In other words, the [...] Read more »
Interview about ESPN Report on the FSU Academic Scandal
A while back, I did a brief interview for a blog article examining ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” report on the Florida State athletic department’s academic scandal; since I was both a former player (albeit briefly) and a former tutor in the athletic department, I was able to see both sides of the academic support elements [...] Read more »