When nearly everything in education is dependent on the quality of the teachers, then if you want to improve the quality of education, you have to have, and retain, the best teachers.
The Best Teachers in the World | Hoover Institution:
Unfortunately, due to a confluence of circumstance this is impossible in the US. The first of those circumstances is the hodge-podge approach to local, city, county, state and federal, each operating essentially independently, funding for education we spend far more on administrative tasks than on teacher salary. But teacher salary won't solve the problem. Teachers unions make it increasingly difficult to get rid of the bad teachers and there is no way to get any reliable method of teacher evaluation through the roadblocks thrown up by teachers unions. The system of training and certification of teachers is also deeply flawed. There are other serious problems as well, but those spring to mind as pretty big obstacles.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Friday, November 09, 2012
The secrets of sleep
...by which we mean that sleep is full of secrets that we have no idea about. It's kind of silly when you think about it: it's one of the most central activities of our lives. We spend easily a third of our lives doing it, and yet we know virtually nothing about it, the mechanisms behind it or even why we need it.
Oh, sure, we know some of the chemicals involved, we know the effects, but the deeper questions of why and how precisely our body accomplishes the task are still quite beyond our understanding.
Oh, sure, we know some of the chemicals involved, we know the effects, but the deeper questions of why and how precisely our body accomplishes the task are still quite beyond our understanding.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Voodoo Neuroscience
Now THIS is an interesting article: Voodoo Neuroscience Revisited
How many studies would be debunked if we really knew how much of it was cherry-picked data? I'm guessig a LOT. Mostly because when you've been sinking all your effort and time into something, you want it to pan out, so you'll be more likely to make these kinds of errors, deliberate or not.
How many studies would be debunked if we really knew how much of it was cherry-picked data? I'm guessig a LOT. Mostly because when you've been sinking all your effort and time into something, you want it to pan out, so you'll be more likely to make these kinds of errors, deliberate or not.
Genetic interests
FuturePundit: Intellectual Interests Genetically Predetermined?:
File this under the "Free Will" debate. The weird part is the choice of major linked with the different disorders. Wild.
File this under the "Free Will" debate. The weird part is the choice of major linked with the different disorders. Wild.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Your brain is awesome
Human brain has more switches than all computers on Earth | Health Tech - CNET News:
Throw this on the stack of "Artificial intelligence is still WAY off" - cause it is.
Placebo: everything you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask
Disgruntled PhD: Placebos: All you never wanted to know (Part 4) - Neurobiology:
I recommend looking at the archives of the post and reading all 4 parts of the series - even though it WAY more information than you'll want.
I recommend looking at the archives of the post and reading all 4 parts of the series - even though it WAY more information than you'll want.
Mmmm....Sleep...
Sleep makes your memories stronger:
I've posted plenty about how sleep helps memory, so just add this to the pile.
Illusory perception
The illusion of time: Perceiving the effect before the cause : Neurophilosophy:
Who knew that we experienced optical illusions so frequently?
Who knew that we experienced optical illusions so frequently?
Yahoo! Optical Illusions
Optical illusions and brain teasers | SharpBrains:
Another great catalog of optical illusions. I'm a sucker for this stuff.
Another great catalog of optical illusions. I'm a sucker for this stuff.
Lies, damn lies, and statistics
Look at Data Like a Statistician, Minus the Ph. D:
This is a fundamental skill that I think everyone should have. Learn how to look at statistics. Learn to understand what they mean. You don't have to be able to do the math, but you should be able to at least interpret results.
Quantum Psychology
Quantum Psychology? « Permutations:
This is a new realm of study, but it is growing in popularity. This article is from early 2010, but I've already seen several in late 2011. To me it's incredibly fascinating.
And now for something completely different...
John Cleese on neuroanatomy « Mind Hacks:
John Cleese could read binary code and make it sound funny. This is a brilliant video.
Can you love your job?
Beyond Passion: The Science of Loving What You Do:
This is a fantastic article that provides a lot of very good basic information about motivation and the principles behind motivation that are contrary to a lot of "common sense" principles that are very prevalent today.
Don't get scammed
The 7 Psychological Principles of Scams: Protect Yourself by Learning the Techniques — PsyBlog:
This is helpful information for anyone.
Don't be afraid to fail
Be Open to Failure | Psychology Today:
It's a well known aspect of motivational research. If you are willing to take chances and are not afraid to fail, if you are willing to learn from your failures, then you will be more successful. At anything.
It's a well known aspect of motivational research. If you are willing to take chances and are not afraid to fail, if you are willing to learn from your failures, then you will be more successful. At anything.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Bigger brains through exercise
Grow that big brain you've always dreamed of, with just 3x per week
Exercise keeps your cognitive capabilities intact and in older people can actually reverse the brain-aging process.
More here: Exercise protects memory formation capability
Exercise keeps your cognitive capabilities intact and in older people can actually reverse the brain-aging process.
More here: Exercise protects memory formation capability
Cognitive Atlas
Cognitive Atlas
It's a project that aims "to develop a knowledge base (or ontology) that characterizes the current thought in cognitive science."
It is also exceedingly cool.
It's a project that aims "to develop a knowledge base (or ontology) that characterizes the current thought in cognitive science."
It is also exceedingly cool.
Sleep on it to remember it
Sleep selectively stores useful memories
Sleep doesn't just help us remember, our brains actively select what memories are worth remembering. Sleep helps solidify our expectations.
Sleep doesn't just help us remember, our brains actively select what memories are worth remembering. Sleep helps solidify our expectations.
How good is your short-term memory?
Test your short-term memory: how many letters can you memorize?
The very first practical experiments in psychology looked nearly identical to this test. It's a fun test.
The very first practical experiments in psychology looked nearly identical to this test. It's a fun test.
Brain drugs - the unknown
What we don't know about cognitive enhancement
Quite a bit. Next question?
More seriously - really, we don't know very much. It's very exciting research, but the benefits overpower the ability to consider the vast gaps in what we don't know.
Quite a bit. Next question?
More seriously - really, we don't know very much. It's very exciting research, but the benefits overpower the ability to consider the vast gaps in what we don't know.
Nim Chimpsky
Documentary tells the tale of Nim Chimpsky, the chimp raised as a human
Of the many famous failed experiments in psychology, this one is particularly instructive about the dangers of taking philosophical positions to the extreme.
Of the many famous failed experiments in psychology, this one is particularly instructive about the dangers of taking philosophical positions to the extreme.
Can you recall your memories?
Research finds practicing retrieval is best tool for learning
Re-reading and reviewing the things you've studied and or taken notes on is the best way to learn something. Gee, who knew?[/sarcasm]
Re-reading and reviewing the things you've studied and or taken notes on is the best way to learn something. Gee, who knew?[/sarcasm]
Pay for performance kind of sucks
Financial reward undermines intrinsic incentives
It has been known for quite some time that extrinsic rewards can have negative effect on intrinsic motivation, but this study brings the effects into sharp relief.
It has been known for quite some time that extrinsic rewards can have negative effect on intrinsic motivation, but this study brings the effects into sharp relief.
Jedi mind-trick: DIY
The psychology of persuasion
Great list of articles that refer to current research on what types of things influence others.
Another list of approaches to persuasion: How to plant ideas in someone's mind
Great list of articles that refer to current research on what types of things influence others.
Another list of approaches to persuasion: How to plant ideas in someone's mind
Music as a brain booster?
Does music make you smarter?
Short answer: a qualified, yes.
Long answer: in specific domains, yes you will gain cognitive advantages, in overall intelligence measures like IQ, not so much.
Short answer: a qualified, yes.
Long answer: in specific domains, yes you will gain cognitive advantages, in overall intelligence measures like IQ, not so much.
Sexual self-esteem
Better than sex! US college students value self-esteem boosts more than bodily pleasures
So, is this because "self-esteem" is vital to our well-being or is it a product of the entitlement generation and the constant barrage of self-esteem boosting these students got when they were kids (as is the standard practice in most of education today)?
So, is this because "self-esteem" is vital to our well-being or is it a product of the entitlement generation and the constant barrage of self-esteem boosting these students got when they were kids (as is the standard practice in most of education today)?
Is happiness just an illusion?
Is happiness even the point?
I've posted about this before, but it seems there are people that believe that happiness is NOT a natural state for humans. The basic message from this article is that happiness is at best a fleeting, momentary thing and not really a state that can be achieved for long periods of time.
I'm not sure I buy into that. I think it depends on your mindset and your level of exposure to and availability of what makes you happy. Yes, happiness can be fleeting, but I believe it can also be enduring - I believe that it can be a state that is achievable. Not in every domain of your life, but in a sufficient abundance to be the overriding state of mind.
I've posted about this before, but it seems there are people that believe that happiness is NOT a natural state for humans. The basic message from this article is that happiness is at best a fleeting, momentary thing and not really a state that can be achieved for long periods of time.
I'm not sure I buy into that. I think it depends on your mindset and your level of exposure to and availability of what makes you happy. Yes, happiness can be fleeting, but I believe it can also be enduring - I believe that it can be a state that is achievable. Not in every domain of your life, but in a sufficient abundance to be the overriding state of mind.
Build your memory
How to memorize anything you want: a quick primer on mental mapping
The advice revolves around a particular technique which may or may not work very well with every individual, but overall, this is a very good bit of instruction on a very useful technique.
The advice revolves around a particular technique which may or may not work very well with every individual, but overall, this is a very good bit of instruction on a very useful technique.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)