Learning Strategies

Recent Posts - page 26

• Why teach gerrymandering? And why teach it in a math course in particular?

  By ljd42 on March 16, 2022

  Gerrymandering is a hot topic in certain circles. Right now I am in the midst of writing and modifying some gerrymandering activities for my summer course at Crimson Summer Academy (CSA). Although we have taught various voting methods since the… Read More ›

• The Complete Guide to Absolutely Everything* (*abridged)

  By ljd42 on March 14, 2022

  Everyone needs to read this engaging, delightful, and informative book! Read it even if you’re not a math-and-science geek. Or maybe I should say especially if you’re not a math-and-science geek. Geneticist Adam Rutherford and mathematician Hannah Fry are well… Read More ›

• Learning Ukrainian: progress report #2

  By ljd42 on March 11, 2022

  It’s now one week since my first progress report. Apparently I’ve learned 95 new words in the past seven days. Duolingo previously said that I had learned 105 words in the first three days. Eek, am I slowing down? Aside… Read More ›

• Are you smarter than a 7th grader?

  By ljd42 on March 10, 2022

  Tip of the hat to Tanya Khovanova for sharing this problem: Is it possible to place seven points on a plane so that among any three of them, two will be at distance 1 from each other?  This comes from… Read More ›

• In praise of Omniglot

  By ljd42 on March 9, 2022

  What, you may ask, is Omniglot? Well, the name gives it away (or hints at it, at least). Latin omni- ‘all, every’ followed by Greek glot- ‘tongue, language’ tells you that it has something to do with every language. And… Read More ›

• More deliciosity from AG

  By ljd42 on March 7, 2022

  Last night deserved another dinner at the Ashmont Grill—first time without masks in a couple of years! Barbara started with an “appetizer-sized” portion of three delicious barbecued pork belly sliders with mango BBQ glaze, shaved romaine, and pickled onions. Clearly… Read More ›

• This is one movie that is better than the book, right? Wrong.

  By ljd42 on March 6, 2022

  Nope, not this one. The Bone Collector is a good book by Jeffrey Deaver—not his best by a long shot, but pretty good—and it’s a disappointing movie even though it stars Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, and Queen Latifah. I read… Read More ›

• Learning Ukrainian: progress report #1

  By ljd42 on March 4, 2022

  Today is Exelauno Day, so named because “Exelauno” means “march forth” in ancient Greek. My Greek 2 teacher used to celebrate it because he had gone to Roxbury Latin School, where it is (or at least was) an official holiday…. Read More ›

• CatNet

  By ljd42 on March 3, 2022

  Yes, I occasionally read YA novels. Maybe one or two a year. Perhaps it’s because I’m a teacher of young adults; there are certain Young Adult novels that give the reader insight into these fascinating creatures, just as there are… Read More ›

• Cats on ottoman

  By ljd42 on March 1, 2022

  Apparently there’s plenty of room for both boy cats on the ottoman:

• 224

  By ljd42 on February 28, 2022

  Too few menus include lamb (except for Greek restaurants). Even fewer include duck (except for some Chinese restaurants). Fewer still include both lamb and duck, which are my two favorite meats. First-world problem, I know. But fortunately 224 Boston Street… Read More ›

• German is hereby completed!

  By ljd42 on February 26, 2022

  Well, OK, not exactly. I don’t even know what it would mean for German to be completed. It’s just that I have completed everything that Duolingo can offer me in German. And that is far from “everything.” Basically, I have… Read More ›

• What would you do if you could predict the future?

  By ljd42 on February 24, 2022

  First, you would read this book! You can’t predict the future, but you’ve got to read the book. Maybe once every two or three years I read a novel that I can’t put down—except that in those cases I usually… Read More ›

• What is a city?

  By ljd42 on February 22, 2022

  Massachusetts has 50 cities and 301 towns—collectively known as “municipalities.” Does it matter which ones are cities and which ones are towns? And should you care about the definition of “city”? Perhaps; perhaps not. If you’re studying civics anywhere in… Read More ›

• Judging a movie that was made 60 years ago

  By ljd42 on February 20, 2022

  What a cringy movie! Oddly enough, I had never seen Breakfast at Tiffany’s—neither when it was first shown in 1961 nor subsequently on TV or DVD. But now I have. So here’s the problem. In the throes of cancel culture,… Read More ›

• What lies on the other side of the River Styx?

  By ljd42 on February 19, 2022

  Who knows? You’ll have to read the engaging novel Across the River Styx to find out. You might have a rough voyage, but the reading won’t be rough. Looking at the cover image below, you’ll see what this novel is:… Read More ›

• How does gerrymandering harm you?

  By ljd42 on February 17, 2022

  Elbridge Gerry has a lot to answer for. As you probably once knew—but have now forgotten—Gerry was vice president of the United States under James Madison, a role for which nobody remembers him (as is the case for most vice… Read More ›

• Who knew?? Iterating Dorchester takes you to philosophy!

  By ljd42 on February 16, 2022

  TIL what TIL means. No, wait! I learned that last year. Let’s start again: TIL that an extremely simple iterative process always takes you philosophy. Here’s how you do it: Go to any article in Wikipedia. Click on the first… Read More ›

• Taking creative risks in the classroom

  By ljd42 on February 14, 2022

  John Spencer’s essay, “What Happens When Teachers Take Creative Risks,” is well worth reading if you’re a teacher. Actually, it’s also worth reading if you’re teacher-adjacent, such as a parent or a student. I was particularly struck by his initial… Read More ›

• One pączki, two pączki? Fat Thursday, not Fat Tuesday? Are you confused yet?

  By ljd42 on February 12, 2022

  Let me unconfuse you, as I earlier had to unconfuse myself. Unless you are Polish, or live(d) in a predominantly Polish neighborhood (like the northern tip of Dorchester), you surely think that a Polish pastry is called a pączki (pronounced… Read More ›

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