Author Archives
In 2018 I semi-retired by retiring from Weston High School after my 21st year teaching mathematics there. This was also my 44th year as a teacher altogether. In 2023 I retired fully, adding in my 18 years at Harvard’s Crimson Summer Academy each summer. For 21 years I had taught at the Saturday Course in Milton, MA, and I used to serve on the board of the Dorchester Historical Society.
I read, cook, and spend a lot of time building my model railroad. For some reason I’m left with less free time than would be ideal, considering that I’m supposed to be retired, but somehow I also manage to devote time to my wife, Barbara, and to our varying number of cats (once up to six, but now sadly down to one).
Larry Davidson
ljd@larrydavidson.com
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More on the Common Core
Right when I’m writing several posts about the Common Core, it’s not entirely coincidental that the Boston Globe had a big article about it this morning. Focusing on teacher training (a.k.a. professional development, or PD), the first few paragraphs of Alexandria… Read More ›
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First math meet of 2014–2015
Congratulations to the Weston High School Math Team for an outstanding performance in the first math meet of the year. We consider 100 points to be a good score — yesterday the team scored a total of 125, including a… Read More ›
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What works in education (revisited)
How do we know what works in education? Educational experiments are always suspect, since it’s impossible to control all the variables. There are also ethical issues involved in experimenting on students. So how can we possibly measure the effectiveness of… Read More ›
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Only in Georgia? The Atlanta teacher scandal
Why isn’t there more outrage about this? Yes, teachers are human, so we make mistakes. Mistakes in math are excusable, as long as they aren’t too frequent or too egregious. But mistakes in ethics and law are inexcusable. Teachers who… Read More ›
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The Triple Package
It doesn’t feel that long, but it turns out that it was three and half years ago that I reviewed Amy Chua’s previous book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Her new book, written in collaboration with her husband, Jed Rubenfeld, is… Read More ›
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Common Core State Standards: Ten colossal errors?
How can I possibly digest the gigantic amount of material that has been written about the controversial Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? Like it or not, these standards are about to have a big impact on my professional life, so… Read More ›
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The Year of Living Biblically
I approached this book with some trepidation. The premise was intriguing: A.J. Jacobs, a moderately well-known writer for Esquire, would attempt to go for a year literally following all the rules in the Bible. I knew that Jacobs wasn’t a… Read More ›
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Mollie and Vincent
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Free haircuts for straight A’s?
I don’t know why this sign on a barber shop in Dorchester Lower Mills rubs me the wrong way, but it does:
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Mimi, Cole, & Abby
In early June, Barbara and I decided to celebrate our upcoming June 23 anniversary by having dinner at Abby Park, since Barbara’s friend Mimi McCaffrey would be performing with her band, The Blue Hotel. The dinner was surprisingly good (after three… Read More ›
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Beauty Queens
Why do so many people have trouble with satire? I guess it’s because you have to approach it on two levels at once: the literal and the figurative. That can be difficult. So don’t read Libba Bray’s novel, Beauty Queens, if you… Read More ›
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iPhone 6
Do I want an iPhone 6 (or 6 Plus)? Do I need an iPhone 6 (or 6 Plus)?
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Why?
Several of my colleagues are wearing buttons that say “Why?” — and you may well wonder why. No, they’re not disaffected teachers who are questioning authority. Au contraire, they are the authority…and they want us to help each kid understand why s/he is doing what… Read More ›
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Can math skills arise from a brain injury?
“A man became a math wiz after suffering brain injuries,” claimed the Washington Post. Hard to believe, isn’t it? We all know that brain injury can have a harmful effect on one’s mathematical abilities, but how could it possibility turn someone with… Read More ›
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Explore mathematics
Sam Shah is always worth reading. (I think I’ve said that before. That’s OK. It’s still true.) Back on February 12 he published a post called “Explore Mathematics” — a good title, since isn’t that what we all want our… Read More ›
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Plato at the Googleplex
Some people like to read bestsellers. In fact, lots of people must like to read bestsellers. Otherwise they wouldn’t be bestsellers — right? And then, at the other extreme, there are many people who don’t like to read at all…. Read More ›
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The South Korean education system
South Korea has one of the best education systems in the world, right? After all, even President Obama thinks so. But not so fast. Read the “rest of the story” in an excerpt from Amanda Ripley’s book, The Smartest Kids… Read More ›
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Worcester
“Worcester????” That was the reaction of almost everybody when they heard that Barbara and I were going to Worcester for a micro-vacation a few weeks ago. Not anyone’s idea of a vacation spot, after all. But we had a great… Read More ›
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Louise Penny
By this point I’ve read Louise Penny’s entire oeuvre to date. Obviously I like what I’m reading, or I wouldn’t continue. You can get a full list of her novels at her website, or you can just pick one up at random… Read More ›
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The importance of letting students stumble
One consequence of being away from blogging for over six months is that I’ve let some interesting posts from other bloggers just lie hanging without commenting on them. So, let’s look at two KQED essays on almost the same topic,… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 