A clever title: “Talking Right.” It deliberately misleads you into thinking that it means “talking correctly,” perhaps with a subtle dig at those who use an adjective where an adverb is supposedly the right form. But that’s not what the… Read More ›
Month: January 2016
“It’s Time to Change the Way We Teach Math.”
That’s what Dan Meyer says in his new podcast. He’s right, of course. (He usually is.) His solution, as appealing as it is, can’t be the only solution. It can’t be all things for all people. Nevertheless, listen to his… Read More ›
Finding Your Roots
My previous post was about routes; this one is about roots. It’s not clear to me why it has taken me until Season 3 to start watching “Finding Your Roots,” a well-known series on PBS hosted by Skip Gates. This… Read More ›
Boston Globe delivery woes lead to a math activity: “Ruminating on Routes.”
If you’re reading this in the Boston area, you probably know about the Boston Globe’s problem with home deliveries this month. As soon as they switched delivery companies just before the beginning of the year, massive problems ensued — principally a complete… Read More ›
PD
Yesterday was a professional development day in Weston. The entire K–12 faculty met together for a long lecture on special ed law, two workshops (I picked Google Classroom and 3-D Printing among a lot of choices), and a film about… Read More ›
Addicted to distraction?
From a recent New York Times opinion piece by Tony Schwartz: Addiction is the relentless pull to a substance or an activity that becomes so compulsive it ultimately interferes with everyday life. By that definition, nearly everyone I know is… Read More ›
Invisible City
Can you say “metaphor”? The title of Julia Dahl’s novel, Invisible City, may mislead you into thinking it’s science fiction, but it’s not. Not in the least. If you have to assign it to a genre, it’s a mystery — though it’s… Read More ›
Smiles of a Summer’s Night and A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy
Literary and musical connections can be rather complicated. First, we have Mozart’s well-known “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” often translated (literally but inaccurately) as “A Little Night Music.” Nachtmusik actually means “serenade,” but the literal translation has become even more well-known as a result… Read More ›
More Botswana charm from McCall Smith
It’s hard to believe, but apparently this is my seventh post about Alexander McCall Smith’s novels. Most recently (Dec. 15) I reviewed The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection. Since that point I’ve read two more in the Botswana series, one in… Read More ›
Teaching and learning are our priorities…aren’t they?
Surely our top priorities in a school must be teaching and learning…right? We know that a lot of things get in the way of those priorities, but still they’re the essence of what school is all about. At some point,… Read More ›
World Gone By
Almost exactly three years ago — on January 12, 2013 — I reviewed The Given Day and Live by Night, the first two novels in Dennis Lehane’s historical trilogy. At the time it wasn’t clear whether this would really be a… Read More ›
New Years Eve at Ashmont Grill
Last night, Barbara and I had a wonderful New Years Eve dinner at our favorite local restaurant, the Ashmont Grill, assisted by our favorite server, Michaela Collins. The food was especially scrumptious; the service was superbly attentive (without hovering), as always;… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 