The test of a good teacher (James Shelley) In a teaching paradigm obsessed with quizzes and exams, embracing inquiry as the grounding basis of pedagogy is where the revolution begins. [exif id="32208"]…
Learning
[exif id="26920"] daguerreotype ... the daguerreotype put an end to the portrait making business as it was known to the world. Skilled painters, who previously were the only means of creating a likeness of one’s self, were suddenly squeezed by the faster and cheaper process. Not only was the daguerreotype literally faster and easier to create than a painting, the operator didn’t need to have any particular talent other than being able to follow directions and do some mathematical computations…
Reading List - Hanlan’s razor, Death by Promotion, Learning, Focusing, outo fokas
Posted on 29th April 2017It's not malicious. We all have a tendency to look for information which confirms preexisting beliefs. When cognitive dissonance arises, we aim to realign our worldviews. Overcoming confirmation bias is a huge step towards making better choices motivated by logic, not emotions. Hanlon’s razor assists with this. If we expect malicious intent, we are likely to attribute it wherever possible. For example, if someone sees a certain politician as corrupt, they will look for information which confirms that. They become…
Last year a 15-year-old wrote to Leo Babauta. ‘As a high-school student I’m constantly being reminded to figure out what to do with my life, what career I would like to have and so on. I definitely feel huge amounts of pressure when my teachers and parents tell me to figure out something now. I’m young and I don’t want to make a mistake and ruin my future. I know what I like and what my interests are but when…
Today we’d love to ask you two questions. The first one is for fun. The second one is more serious. First: if you could have any skill or knowledge, what would it be? Anything goes here, as long as it’s humanly possible. No superpowers. If you think x-ray vision might be humanly possible, that’s fine, but please explain why in your answer. There is an inquisitive thing inside me that yearns to understand everything about everything. It wants so see…