Learning Strategies

Recent Posts - page 2

• Grey elections

  By ljd42 on November 15, 2020

  

  Who cares about the mathematics of elections? We all should, of course — especially now. An informative, even entertaining way to learn about this topic is to watch the videos of CGP Grey. For a scary example, take a look… Read More ›

• A Broken Hallelujah: Rock and Roll, Redemption, and the Life of Leonard Cohen

  By ljd42 on November 14, 2020

  

  What did Alex Trebek and Leonard Cohen have in common? “Both were Canadians,” you reply. “Both were beloved by huge audiences,” you add. Yes, of course. And both get the title of Rabbi, according to Mark Oppenheimer, cohost of the… Read More ›

• What I’ve learned in the past hour

  By ljd42 on November 12, 2020

  

  I just learned (a bit) about the Zettelkasten Method! You probably already know about it, but I had never heard of it. Basically it’s hypertext without needing computers — just notecards and paperclips, though software is certainly allowed. In an… Read More ›

• Not possible! What are emojis doing in 1807?

  By ljd42 on November 11, 2020

  

  How much of this advertisement (from 1807!) can you figure out? Note that it says “hieroglyphical” where we would have said “rebus” when I was a kid or “emojis” today. You’ll probably do much better at reading it than I… Read More ›

• How have I forgotten this number system?

  By ljd42 on November 9, 2020

  

  That’s easy. I couldn’t have forgotten it, as I had never known about it in the first place! We’re talking about the Cistercian number system. Sounds monkish, doesn’t it? Yes, that’s what it is; it was developed by Cistercian monks… Read More ›

• Really? You’re saying Ranked Choice Voting is too hard for adults in Massachusetts?

  By ljd42 on November 8, 2020

  

  My former Quantitative Reasoning (QR) students know that Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is superior to First Past the Post (FPTP), the system we use in Massachusetts for most elections. So why did Massachusetts adults vote it down by a convincing… Read More ›

• Is it easy to teach an interactive map class online?

  By ljd42 on November 6, 2020

  

  Nine months ago I wrote about a mapping workshop at the Boston Public Library. That was before the pandemic, even if it feels like the pandemic has been going on for a couple of years now. Why, you may ask,… Read More ›

• The true name of the bear (in XKCD, not Vernor Vinge)

  By ljd42 on November 5, 2020

  

  True names are important: if somebody knows your true name, they have power over you. I’m not talking about Vernor Vinge’s important novella, True Names, although there is definitely a strong connection with it. Many contributors to social media, as we know,… Read More ›

• Hexagonal squares???

  By ljd42 on November 3, 2020

  

  Taking a much-needed break from watching the nail-biting election returns, we will consider hexagonal squares. “No such thing,” you say, since you are a knowledgeable geometer. I first saw the phrase “hexagonal squares” when I was 13 or 14, reading… Read More ›

• Science fiction? Greek mythology? Philosophy? All in Jo Walton’s The Philosopher Kings

  By ljd42 on November 1, 2020

  

  Three months ago I reviewed Jo Walton’s The Just City. Recently I finished reading the sequel, The Philosopher Kings, which is equally fascinating and equally worth reading. “We don’t know when we are,” as one character remarks. When, not where. The gods live “outside… Read More ›

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