I have been searching for the world's clearest explanation of chemistry.
I divide the books into two categories.
Books that Align with a Standard Chemistry Curriculum
Actual chemistry textbooks are supposed to be more or less equal. The one we used in high school was Zumdahl's World of Chemistry; I remember I liked it and could rely on it to explain clearly whatever I needed to know. Prentice Hall's is the other widely used chemistry textbook; I haven't read it.
Chemistry for Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chemistry, which are written to cover the same material but in a less formal voice and without pretty pictures, are equally clear, though I don't think they offer anything a textbook doesn't. The latter is the more comprehensive of the two.
The author of the Idiot's has a website where he has published his own, humorous, free chemistry textbook, Chemistry: The Awesomest Science. It covers a standard high school curriculum and it's clearer than any other textbook I've seen. The trouble with it is that the language is not appropriate, so I can't give it to my students. The author gave me permission to bowdlerize it, but due to the nature of the course I'm teaching I don't have time, so there's a project up for grabs if someone wants it.
CK-12 Chemistry is another free, complete textbook that looks like a good resource, but since you have to read it on a special app and cannot print it out, I didn't look at it too closely.
The best explanation I've seen of basic chemistry ("an atom is...") is still Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook but since it's written for middle school it's only an introduction (e.g., it stops before getting into the difference between ionic and covalent bonds).
Chemistry: Investigate the Matter that Makes up Your World, from Nomad Press, goes further. It doesn't contain everything in the high school curriculum but it comes close to covering the Florida state high school standards. It's the clearest of the books on this list. If I were writing a textbook-based high school chemistry course from scratch I might make this slim volume the textbook (since it covers everything you need to know to be a basically chemistry-educated adult, with no extras) and teach everything else without recourse to a textbook at all.
Another book I have flipped through but haven't looked at too closely is The Joy of Chemistry, by Cobb and Fetterolf. It's not a simple book to look things up in; it's designed to take the reader on a journey. It looks good, though. I imagine there are a lot of homeschoolers who adore it.
Books that Don't Align with a Standard Chemistry Curriculum
There are some wonderful children's introductions to chemistry. My favorites are, as usual, the Victorians (who, fortunately, are free online):
The Wonder Book of Chemistry by Jean Henri Fabre (an excellent children's science writer - he has books on several sciences) and
The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday.
There is a brief chapter on chemistry in Edward Holden's The Sciences, which is a good book to know about; but Fabre goes deeper.
The genius of these old books (besides the mellifluous writing) is that they start off with the world that surrounds us. The Wonder Book of Chemistry, for instance, doesn't start off with the definition of an atom; it starts off with a chunk of sulphur. Faraday introduces chemistry through looking at a candle. It's (pedagogically) a very elegant approach.
Theodore Gray has a trilogy of books on chemistry. I've read only the first, The Elements. It wouldn't stand in place of a textbook but it's a nice resource. I showed it to a chemistry student who had been plodding through a lab-less course and she exclaimed, "Oh! This makes chemistry look interesting!" - It's very good for that.
The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments, by Robert Bruce Thompson, explains in tremendous detail how to set up a safe chemistry lab at home, and gives instructions for a number of intriguing-sounding experiments. Companion materials are sold here.
There are other books that lay out a number of suggestions for one-off science fair projects, but Thompson's is the book that assumes the reader wants to get seriously into the subject.
There are some books out there that present entertaining chemistry anecdotes for a general audience (Napoleon's Buttons, The Disappearing Spoon, The Radioactive Boy Scout, Mauve) but it would be a demanding job to extract much chemistry knowledge from them, so they don't make my list.
I cannot, however, resist linking to Ruskin's essay on The Work of Iron, on p. 453 of this PDF, as a charming presentation on chemistry.
I asked around for "the clearest book on chemistry ever" and my friend's husband wisely responded, "Bereishis 1:1-31," which is the best answer.
There are several board games out there that are designed to teach chemistry. The two that sound high school student-friendly to me (as opposed to having been designed for gamers) are Elementeo, which is based on Magic: the Gathering and assigns each element a personality; and Science Ninjas: Valence Plus. Elementeo is pretty but I suspect that Valence Plus involves more science in the actual game-play. (There's also a chemistry-themed version of Fluxx. Fluxx is a great game; but it offers less educational content than the other games listed here.)
There is a fabulous collection of labs here: Flinn Scientific: Chemical Demonstrations.
Conclusion
If someone would like to write a chemistry textbook that takes all the material of a standard high school textbook and presents it using the sensible approach and superb writing of The Wonder Book of Chemistry, the clarity of Chemistry: the Awesomest Science, and the attention to detail of Chemistry: Explore the Matter that Makes up Your World, I would buy a copy; and if you pull it all out of Bereishis, I will be your best friend.
Lavon
Rabbi Oppenheimer, the "Portlander Rav," put this up today.
"We... are thrilled to be the first Shomer Shabbos family in this beautiful Yishuv..."
Here's the link: Pesach: Confronting the Struggle
"We... are thrilled to be the first Shomer Shabbos family in this beautiful Yishuv..."
Here's the link: Pesach: Confronting the Struggle
All Lessons as Music Lessons
A speaker I once heard, on the subject of growth mindset, illustrated his point by describing how music lessons are taught.
The emphasis is on using feedback. The student plays; the teacher listens and offers direction; and the student tries again.
What would school look like if all lessons were structured like music lessons?
The emphasis is on using feedback. The student plays; the teacher listens and offers direction; and the student tries again.
What would school look like if all lessons were structured like music lessons?
Al Pi Darko Explanation No. 2
חנך לנער על־פי דרכו גם כי־יזקין לא־יסור ממנה
Mishlei (Proverbs) 22:6 -- 'Educate a child according to his path; even when he ages he will not turn away from it.'
The first explanation of this verse that I posted involved baby kangaroos.
Another explanation, I heard from Rav Kook of Rechovot at the 2015 Torah uMesorah convention. He said the Alter of Kelm explains "ממנה" as "מלהתחנך" --
That is:
The "it" that the child will not turn away from when he ages is the practice of educating himself.
Mishlei (Proverbs) 22:6 -- 'Educate a child according to his path; even when he ages he will not turn away from it.'
The first explanation of this verse that I posted involved baby kangaroos.
Another explanation, I heard from Rav Kook of Rechovot at the 2015 Torah uMesorah convention. He said the Alter of Kelm explains "ממנה" as "מלהתחנך" --
That is:
The "it" that the child will not turn away from when he ages is the practice of educating himself.
Trove of Math Articles
There's a wonderful collection of math projects, math art, math explorations, math puzzles, math... all kinds of interesting math, the kind of math that appeals to people who do and who don't like math -- on this website:
It's a great resource.
Forest Kindergartens
...are fabulous, I think, not only for general studies in kindergarten, but as a source of ideas for general studies in the upper grades, too.
The basic idea is that the school day takes place outside as much as possible.
There is some footage of a Forest Kindergarten here:
School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten
The basic idea is that the school day takes place outside as much as possible.
There is some footage of a Forest Kindergarten here:
School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten
Middle school science textbook -- a book review
I once substitute-taught a middle school science class that adhered closely to a textbook.
I was helping students review material before a test, so I brought in a book I happen to have in my house (thanks to the person who gave it to me, if you read this):
The Complete Middle School Study Guide: Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook, by Michael Geisen.
The school had just upgraded the science textbooks to a series rumored to be excellent, but as soon as the kids flipped through my book, they loved it, and we had to set up a rotation because they clamored every day to borrow my book instead of using their big, fancy textbook with the natty page design and glossy illustrations.
We all thought this inexpensive little handbook offered clearer explanations.
I suspect part of the appeal is that unlike most middle school textbooks, it doesn't try hard to be cool; it just lays out the facts.
It's part of a series. I haven't read the other Complete Middle School Study Guides but I do think this one does a great job of explaining all the science in the middle school curriculum.
It includes review questions at the end of each chapter. I believe it could easily stand in place of a conventional textbook.
I was helping students review material before a test, so I brought in a book I happen to have in my house (thanks to the person who gave it to me, if you read this):
The Complete Middle School Study Guide: Everything You Need to Ace Science in One Big Fat Notebook, by Michael Geisen.
The school had just upgraded the science textbooks to a series rumored to be excellent, but as soon as the kids flipped through my book, they loved it, and we had to set up a rotation because they clamored every day to borrow my book instead of using their big, fancy textbook with the natty page design and glossy illustrations.
We all thought this inexpensive little handbook offered clearer explanations.
I suspect part of the appeal is that unlike most middle school textbooks, it doesn't try hard to be cool; it just lays out the facts.
It's part of a series. I haven't read the other Complete Middle School Study Guides but I do think this one does a great job of explaining all the science in the middle school curriculum.
It includes review questions at the end of each chapter. I believe it could easily stand in place of a conventional textbook.
Math Manipulative: Montessori Binomial and Trinomial Cube Puzzles
Montessori is great for beautifully made manipulatives.
I finally found a good excuse to order the binomial and trinomial cube puzzles.
This site which explains how to use them recommends them for the youngest children; but I seem to remember working on these cubes (and finding the trinomial very challenging) in both my Lower Elementary (1st-3rd grade) and Upper Elementary (4th-6th grade) classrooms.
Personally, my excuse for ordering them is a group of high school students who are studying polynomials. I think we never outgrow good visuals.
I handed the boxes to my second grader, told her they were puzzles, and let her figure out on her own how to solve them. She found them an absorbing and pleasant challenge.
(The math-genius grown-up of the family walked in, took one look at the trinomial and, without stopping to think, FOIL'd it and built up all three layers at once, diagonally.)
A significant part of the Montessori philosophy is that children are sensitive to beauty, so their learning materials should be beautiful. The school I attended used, I remember, beautifully crafted, polished Montessori materials.
I ordered the (relatively) cheap version of the puzzles from China. I'm satisfied with the quality. They're still lovely and curiously attractive (like Uncle Andrew's magic rings) and satisfying to handle.
I finally found a good excuse to order the binomial and trinomial cube puzzles.
This site which explains how to use them recommends them for the youngest children; but I seem to remember working on these cubes (and finding the trinomial very challenging) in both my Lower Elementary (1st-3rd grade) and Upper Elementary (4th-6th grade) classrooms.
Personally, my excuse for ordering them is a group of high school students who are studying polynomials. I think we never outgrow good visuals.
I handed the boxes to my second grader, told her they were puzzles, and let her figure out on her own how to solve them. She found them an absorbing and pleasant challenge.
(The math-genius grown-up of the family walked in, took one look at the trinomial and, without stopping to think, FOIL'd it and built up all three layers at once, diagonally.)
A significant part of the Montessori philosophy is that children are sensitive to beauty, so their learning materials should be beautiful. The school I attended used, I remember, beautifully crafted, polished Montessori materials.
I ordered the (relatively) cheap version of the puzzles from China. I'm satisfied with the quality. They're still lovely and curiously attractive (like Uncle Andrew's magic rings) and satisfying to handle.
Animated Alter of Slabodka
I need to thank my friend Mindy's husband, of YJ Studios, for expressing a particular fantasy of mine:
"What would it be like to meet the Alter of Slabodka?"
"What would it be like to meet the Alter of Slabodka?"
Girls at War
There are some interesting insights into teenage girls' education in this article on girls in the Shomron:
Girls at War
Like this one:
"This was every rebel teenager’s paradise—nature and a cause."
Girls at War
Like this one:
"This was every rebel teenager’s paradise—nature and a cause."
A Thoughtful Essay on Teaching
I think this is a good one.
A Veteran Teacher Turned Coach Shadows Two Students for Two Days - A Sobering Lesson Learned
I see she's very kindly written up instructions to help others mine equally useful insights when shadowing students:
How-to
A Veteran Teacher Turned Coach Shadows Two Students for Two Days - A Sobering Lesson Learned
I see she's very kindly written up instructions to help others mine equally useful insights when shadowing students:
How-to
Borei P'ri Ha'adama
I had occasion recently to introduce a couple of groups of kids to oxalis, an edible weed. Oxalis grows all over our yards here in Jacksonville, and in the forests in Portland. When I was growing up we called it sourgrass, but it isn't a grass. My kids like to call it sour hearts, which is a better description.
You can read an article about it here: Eat the Weeds.
Here in Jacksonville I see the little yellow ones growing on the shul property, and the giant pink ones in most people's yards. All are edible (with qualifications - see the Eat the Weeds article linked above) but for heaven's sake, if you don't have training in plant identification, ask me in person before you go pulling things out of the yard and eating them, since every time I turn around I find another Florida plant that is poisonous. According to Seth there's a poisonous ground ivy that could be mistaken for oxalis. Seriously, don't eat things because people tell you you can on the Internet.
Anyway. So I showed the kids the plant, and said, "Now check it for bugs."
They did.
"All right," I said, "now you can eat it. The bracha is ha'adama."
They all registered a double-take, which I thought was very funny.
The thought I saw flashing through everyone's mind ran something like this:
Ha'adama! That's the bracha we make on food that comes from the produce department, not stuff that comes out of the ground! It seems as if there should be a different bracha on weeds.
But, there isn't.
You can read an article about it here: Eat the Weeds.
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| By Dalgial - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4094197 |
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| By Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66371621 |
Here in Jacksonville I see the little yellow ones growing on the shul property, and the giant pink ones in most people's yards. All are edible (with qualifications - see the Eat the Weeds article linked above) but for heaven's sake, if you don't have training in plant identification, ask me in person before you go pulling things out of the yard and eating them, since every time I turn around I find another Florida plant that is poisonous. According to Seth there's a poisonous ground ivy that could be mistaken for oxalis. Seriously, don't eat things because people tell you you can on the Internet.
Anyway. So I showed the kids the plant, and said, "Now check it for bugs."
They did.
"All right," I said, "now you can eat it. The bracha is ha'adama."
They all registered a double-take, which I thought was very funny.
The thought I saw flashing through everyone's mind ran something like this:
Ha'adama! That's the bracha we make on food that comes from the produce department, not stuff that comes out of the ground! It seems as if there should be a different bracha on weeds.
But, there isn't.
Eisemann family film
The list of children playing in this film is a partial but highly significant Who's Who of Torah education in America and abroad.
I want to know what their parents did that was so wonderfully effective!
There are eulogies for Miriam Elias, for instance, here and here. Rav Moshe Eisemann's shiurim are here. Shabbat.com is a next-generation Eisemann-family project.
The caption from the website is:
Personal videos of Hienrich (Chaim) Eisemann, taken in Frankfurt. The Eisemann family is of particular importance in the emergence of Jewish life in North America and Israel.
The six children of Mr Eisemann are filmed. The children include:
Clementine Bodenheimer (Wife of Dr. Ernest Bodenheimer)
Taya Posen (wife of Rav Raphael - in laws of Karelitz from Benei Brak)
Lola Grunfeld of London (Mother of Joey Grunfeld)
Meier Eisemann (Founder of Laniado Hospital, Rav in Minnesota)
Miriam Elias (Wife of Rabbi Joseph Elias)
Moshe Eisemann (Noted Author)
And then in the comments someone filled in more details:
Hello, I had the opportunity to sit down with a cousin of the Eisemanns who knew the family well back in Frankfurt. Below are the comments she made and the people she recognised from close to 90 years ago, at the below mentioned minute/second in the video: 1.12: Alice Eisemann's mother 1.32: In a place called "Taunus". Eisenmann apparently had a house there (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunus) 1.55: Oma Goldschmidt (Alice Eisemann's mother) 2.33: Heinrich Eisemann(Comment: Opa Eisenmann taught everyone how to swim) 3.15: Oma Goldschmidt 3.52: Alice Eisenmann (definitely) 4.20: Nanette Eisemann (Heinrich's mother) 4.28: On the right Heinrich Eisemann's father - Michele Eisenmann 4.30: Michele Eisenmann (Hebrew name: Yechiel) Michele was his wife's first cousin and had eight children in ten years (had a wet nurse) 4.51: Nanette Eisenmann (definitely) (Comment: She was always doing embroidery and wore a sheitel) 5.12: Michele Eisenmann (definitely) 5.50: Alice Eisenmann sitting at the head table 5.55: Liesel Levy on the left 5.58: Probably Aunty Miriam Elias (born 1928). (Comment: Footage must be from 1929/30, probably in Koenigstein in Taunus holiday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Königstein_im_Taunus) 6.40: Schwester Marta with "Bubu" wearing a tiroler outfit (dressed up) and Aunty Miriam Elias 8.45: Oma Lola on the right 8.49: Frankfurter Zoo (Comment: The Eisemann's had a yearly pass. They apparently went every day with schwester Martha) 8.55: Oma Lola jumping rope 9.26: Might be Mario in the buggy 9.43: Aunty Miriam Elias holding buggy 10.16: Aunty Miriam Elias (definitely) 11.38: Definitely Uncle Mario 11.43: Definitely Aunty Miriam Elias May we be zoche to be mekabel Moshiach Tzidkeinu bekorov and meet all our forefathers again!
I want to know what their parents did that was so wonderfully effective!
There are eulogies for Miriam Elias, for instance, here and here. Rav Moshe Eisemann's shiurim are here. Shabbat.com is a next-generation Eisemann-family project.
The caption from the website is:
Uncovered Rare 1920's footage of German Jewish life!!
Personal videos of Hienrich (Chaim) Eisemann, taken in Frankfurt. The Eisemann family is of particular importance in the emergence of Jewish life in North America and Israel.
The six children of Mr Eisemann are filmed. The children include:
Clementine Bodenheimer (Wife of Dr. Ernest Bodenheimer)
Taya Posen (wife of Rav Raphael - in laws of Karelitz from Benei Brak)
Lola Grunfeld of London (Mother of Joey Grunfeld)
Meier Eisemann (Founder of Laniado Hospital, Rav in Minnesota)
Miriam Elias (Wife of Rabbi Joseph Elias)
Moshe Eisemann (Noted Author)And then in the comments someone filled in more details:
Hello, I had the opportunity to sit down with a cousin of the Eisemanns who knew the family well back in Frankfurt. Below are the comments she made and the people she recognised from close to 90 years ago, at the below mentioned minute/second in the video: 1.12: Alice Eisemann's mother 1.32: In a place called "Taunus". Eisenmann apparently had a house there (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taunus) 1.55: Oma Goldschmidt (Alice Eisemann's mother) 2.33: Heinrich Eisemann(Comment: Opa Eisenmann taught everyone how to swim) 3.15: Oma Goldschmidt 3.52: Alice Eisenmann (definitely) 4.20: Nanette Eisemann (Heinrich's mother) 4.28: On the right Heinrich Eisemann's father - Michele Eisenmann 4.30: Michele Eisenmann (Hebrew name: Yechiel) Michele was his wife's first cousin and had eight children in ten years (had a wet nurse) 4.51: Nanette Eisenmann (definitely) (Comment: She was always doing embroidery and wore a sheitel) 5.12: Michele Eisenmann (definitely) 5.50: Alice Eisenmann sitting at the head table 5.55: Liesel Levy on the left 5.58: Probably Aunty Miriam Elias (born 1928). (Comment: Footage must be from 1929/30, probably in Koenigstein in Taunus holiday https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Königstein_im_Taunus) 6.40: Schwester Marta with "Bubu" wearing a tiroler outfit (dressed up) and Aunty Miriam Elias 8.45: Oma Lola on the right 8.49: Frankfurter Zoo (Comment: The Eisemann's had a yearly pass. They apparently went every day with schwester Martha) 8.55: Oma Lola jumping rope 9.26: Might be Mario in the buggy 9.43: Aunty Miriam Elias holding buggy 10.16: Aunty Miriam Elias (definitely) 11.38: Definitely Uncle Mario 11.43: Definitely Aunty Miriam Elias May we be zoche to be mekabel Moshiach Tzidkeinu bekorov and meet all our forefathers again!
Pacific Crest
I had a friend who attended Pacific Crest and I thought it sounded like a cool place.
Pacific Crest Community School
So, in 2012, I went back to observe for a morning as a grown-up.
Yup. Definitely a cool place. They've created a wonderful sense of community.
I find myself holding up Pacific Crest often as an example of a school that students are glad to attend. I think the school's curriculum hits a nice spot between teacher- and student-determined.
I wrote an article outlining the program for another blog; here's an excerpt.
Last week, I visited Pacific Crest, a 6-12th grade school of 70-80 students, each of whom is free to design his or her own curriculum - within limits. Some forty courses are offered each term; students must take a certain number, and of those, a certain number must be math, or language arts, &c. The content is as original as the structure: it is not uncommon for courses to have curious titles like "Geometry of Gothic Windows" or "Physics of Superheroes" or "Take a Walk". (Just think, there is a high school - not a mussar yeshiva - that teaches how to take a walk... I'd like to know what the content of that course is.) A couple of classes are compulsory.
No grades are given; instead, students compile a portfolio, which they whittle down for the purpose of college applications, and submit in place of grades.
Pacific Crest Community School
So, in 2012, I went back to observe for a morning as a grown-up.
Yup. Definitely a cool place. They've created a wonderful sense of community.
I find myself holding up Pacific Crest often as an example of a school that students are glad to attend. I think the school's curriculum hits a nice spot between teacher- and student-determined.
I wrote an article outlining the program for another blog; here's an excerpt.
Last week, I visited Pacific Crest, a 6-12th grade school of 70-80 students, each of whom is free to design his or her own curriculum - within limits. Some forty courses are offered each term; students must take a certain number, and of those, a certain number must be math, or language arts, &c. The content is as original as the structure: it is not uncommon for courses to have curious titles like "Geometry of Gothic Windows" or "Physics of Superheroes" or "Take a Walk". (Just think, there is a high school - not a mussar yeshiva - that teaches how to take a walk... I'd like to know what the content of that course is.) A couple of classes are compulsory.
No grades are given; instead, students compile a portfolio, which they whittle down for the purpose of college applications, and submit in place of grades.
Pacific Crest is a 'democratic' school: students meet once a week, sitting on the auditorium stage, to nominate each other's heroic deeds for applause, to make announcements, to invite visitors to stand up and say "Your name and your favorite movie character," and to raise issues for discussion (how shall we get each other to stop leaving backpacks on the common room tables?) I had the sense that although some of the students were a bit weary of the proceedings, all were glad to belong to the community of which such meetings are an important characteristic. Teachers are not exempt from being treated as equals in this democracy -- which I think is a pity; if nothing else, they have greater life experience. The school has an open campus: students are free to wander the city whenever they do not have class.
Naturally -- this being the city it is -- half the students wore what would be recognized in any other school as costume: Robin Hood was the first I noticed, but not every costume was that of a recognizable era or world. What, don't you come to school in a cape and fuzzy ears on an ordinary Tuesday?
Naturally -- this being the city it is -- half the students wore what would be recognized in any other school as costume: Robin Hood was the first I noticed, but not every costume was that of a recognizable era or world. What, don't you come to school in a cape and fuzzy ears on an ordinary Tuesday?
Sudbury
Here's an article about Sudbury:
...which I've always thought is an interesting model.
I don't believe that children are naturally better able to educate themselves for life than people who have experienced more of it. I think my second-grader's Chumash teacher has a much better idea of what she will need to know in life than she does.
I do think that you get extremely interesting results (the Hebrew word for part of what I have in mind is chus - the special love a person has for something he's sought out for himself) when you offer this kind of autonomy anyway.
"The Batman Effect"
Someone - I've now forgotten who; sorry - directed my attention to this article:
The Batman Effect
The gist of the study is that a child who thinks of himself as Batman, and stops periodically to ask himself "How is Batman doing?" will be able to persevere longer in a dull task than a child who approaches the job as himself.
(The article doesn't mention whether a control study was done in which the children were instructed to think of themselves as Batman, but were not given costumes. I'd be curious to see such a study -- I suspect the costumes are superfluous.)
Anyway, why does it work?
Is it because, as the article proposes, that when a child thinks of himself as Batman, he distances himself from the situation?
My first thought was that when a child sees himself as Batman, he identifies with a clearly defined character to emulate. The question "What would Batman do?" lies before him, and he probably envisions the answer vividly. He knows exactly what to do.
I keep coming back to the idea that children need bedtime stories, so that they will have heroes, for this reason.
The Batman Effect
The gist of the study is that a child who thinks of himself as Batman, and stops periodically to ask himself "How is Batman doing?" will be able to persevere longer in a dull task than a child who approaches the job as himself.
(The article doesn't mention whether a control study was done in which the children were instructed to think of themselves as Batman, but were not given costumes. I'd be curious to see such a study -- I suspect the costumes are superfluous.)
Anyway, why does it work?
Is it because, as the article proposes, that when a child thinks of himself as Batman, he distances himself from the situation?
My first thought was that when a child sees himself as Batman, he identifies with a clearly defined character to emulate. The question "What would Batman do?" lies before him, and he probably envisions the answer vividly. He knows exactly what to do.
I keep coming back to the idea that children need bedtime stories, so that they will have heroes, for this reason.
Learning Everything through LARP
LARP stands for Live-Action Role Play. It's a hobby. To LARP, you dress up in costume and go out with your friends to a big, open space and act out whatever story you have in mind. LARPing may follow a script, or be an improvisation that starts with a couple of givens (e.g., the year, the place, and a quest).
(There are various solutions to the problem of how to LARP combat. Some people learn actual combat skills; some use foam weapons; some halt the drama at its climax for a game of rock-paper-scissors.)
There's also a school in Denmark (I gather that it serves to fill in a sort of European gap year) that teaches all its subjects through LARP.
Here's the school's website:
Østerskov Efterskole
Q. Do you lose something when you teach a subject in a different subject's framework instead of organizing it according to its own internal logic (e.g., teaching whatever math happens to fit with the LARP scenario)?
Q. Or do you gain something?
I'm intrigued by the relationship in this educational model between what the teachers put together and what the students furnish themselves. It's a very teacher-determined course of study. Somehow, it doesn't feel like one.
I've also been trying to figure out where LARP might serve in the Judaics department. It has obvious applications in halacha l'maaseh, since that's all about understanding what to do in situations as they arise. I think it would be great to teach students halacha and then send them into a series of scenarios to test their knowledge.
But in, say, Navi class... I'm still thinking about it.
(There are various solutions to the problem of how to LARP combat. Some people learn actual combat skills; some use foam weapons; some halt the drama at its climax for a game of rock-paper-scissors.)
There's also a school in Denmark (I gather that it serves to fill in a sort of European gap year) that teaches all its subjects through LARP.
Here's the school's website:
Østerskov Efterskole
Q. Do you lose something when you teach a subject in a different subject's framework instead of organizing it according to its own internal logic (e.g., teaching whatever math happens to fit with the LARP scenario)?
Q. Or do you gain something?
I'm intrigued by the relationship in this educational model between what the teachers put together and what the students furnish themselves. It's a very teacher-determined course of study. Somehow, it doesn't feel like one.
I've also been trying to figure out where LARP might serve in the Judaics department. It has obvious applications in halacha l'maaseh, since that's all about understanding what to do in situations as they arise. I think it would be great to teach students halacha and then send them into a series of scenarios to test their knowledge.
But in, say, Navi class... I'm still thinking about it.
One of These Things Is Not like the Others
I substitute-taught a first-grade class some years ago in which I was asked to correct student work that included a "One of these things is not like the others; which one doesn't belong?" question.
The words were
CHAIR TABLE BED BICYCLE
Which one doesn't belong?
"Bicycle," said the first student.
"Why is it bicycle?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. "It just seems different."
"Go back and think about it," I suggested.
"Table," said the second student.
"Why is it table?" I asked.
"Because it's the only one you don't sit on," she said.
"Good," I said.
"Bicycle," said the third student.
"Why is it bicycle?" I asked.
"Because it's the only one you have to hold onto when you use it," he said.
"Good," I said.
"Bicycle," said the fourth student.
"Why is it bicycle?" I asked.
"Because it's the only one with wheels," he said.
"Good," I said.
I went home and told a member of my family about this funny question I had to grade, and he responded without stopping to think that "Chair" would be an equally valid option, because it's the only word of the lot without an E in it.
Not a single student in the class used the word "furniture."
The words were
CHAIR TABLE BED BICYCLE
Which one doesn't belong?
"Bicycle," said the first student.
"Why is it bicycle?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. "It just seems different."
"Go back and think about it," I suggested.
"Table," said the second student.
"Why is it table?" I asked.
"Because it's the only one you don't sit on," she said.
"Good," I said.
"Bicycle," said the third student.
"Why is it bicycle?" I asked.
"Because it's the only one you have to hold onto when you use it," he said.
"Good," I said.
"Bicycle," said the fourth student.
"Why is it bicycle?" I asked.
"Because it's the only one with wheels," he said.
"Good," I said.
I went home and told a member of my family about this funny question I had to grade, and he responded without stopping to think that "Chair" would be an equally valid option, because it's the only word of the lot without an E in it.
Not a single student in the class used the word "furniture."
K-8 Standardized Achievement Tests: what's out there
I belong to an education mailing list in which someone recently asked about standardized achievement tests for K-8.
Here's the list of what respondents are using.
A couple of principals spoke highly of:
NWEA (and its CPAA and MAP)
Principals also mentioned that they use:
Terra Nova
Stanford Achievement Tests, version 10
CTP
Star 360
Reading A-Z (which is a whole curriculum)
A couple of us said we've seen the Iowas and we don't recommend them.
Book Review: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine
When I got asked to teach math, I went to the library and scraped off the shelf all the children's picture-book biographies of Ada, Countess of Lovelace. There are quite a few of them.
The best-written of the lot to which I had access is Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, by Laurie Wallmark, because the author succeeds in taking the reader into Ada's experience of falling in love with numbers.
I asked my second-grader, who tested all the books with me, and she agreed that this version tells the best story.
Now you know.
It's a pity there aren't lots of shiny math manipulatives with brass bickerjiggers on them. Most rotary calculators, for instance, are plastic.
Abacuses and Montessori beads are two welcome exceptions.
The best-written of the lot to which I had access is Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, by Laurie Wallmark, because the author succeeds in taking the reader into Ada's experience of falling in love with numbers.
I asked my second-grader, who tested all the books with me, and she agreed that this version tells the best story.
Now you know.
It's a pity there aren't lots of shiny math manipulatives with brass bickerjiggers on them. Most rotary calculators, for instance, are plastic.
Abacuses and Montessori beads are two welcome exceptions.
Why Animal Training
I like reading about animal training for the same reason that I like reading about very ancient history: it's relevant to the material that more often concerns me, but there are fewer factors to keep track of.
Animal training is focused on how to create new habits and reinforce them and... not much else. No one is concerned with equipping dolphins with such lasting inspiration that in a moment of crisis they will be motivated to make self-sacrificing moral decisions -- as we are in educating humans.
On the other hand, educating people also involves establishing and reinforcing habits (say please). So it's interesting to me to see which techniques do and don't work for other creatures in this one specific area.
Questions.
1a. Maybe because humans are moral creatures, it's not right to draw comparisons after all.
1b. If the answer to 1a is that it isn't, what would the Kuzari say about Jewish education?
2a. Where is the line between training in good habits, and manipulation? -- in other words, if I fling fish at you every time you remember to say please, does that make me a cult leader?
3. If the answer to 2 is yes, is it because I have reduced what should be a moral decision to an animal instinct?
Animal training is focused on how to create new habits and reinforce them and... not much else. No one is concerned with equipping dolphins with such lasting inspiration that in a moment of crisis they will be motivated to make self-sacrificing moral decisions -- as we are in educating humans.
On the other hand, educating people also involves establishing and reinforcing habits (say please). So it's interesting to me to see which techniques do and don't work for other creatures in this one specific area.
Questions.
1a. Maybe because humans are moral creatures, it's not right to draw comparisons after all.
1b. If the answer to 1a is that it isn't, what would the Kuzari say about Jewish education?
2a. Where is the line between training in good habits, and manipulation? -- in other words, if I fling fish at you every time you remember to say please, does that make me a cult leader?
3. If the answer to 2 is yes, is it because I have reduced what should be a moral decision to an animal instinct?
Equestrian Vaulting Horse Training
On that note, here's another curious publication on animal education.
Here's a very thorough explanation of how to train a horse for equestrian vaulting:
Pyramid of Training
Questions:
1.) Which of the methods of training a horse for equestrian vaulting are applicable in human education?
2.) Equestrian vaulting as a sport developed significantly in Germany. I'm curious how much of the philosophy behind the horse-training is recognizably Prussian/German.
There is an article on the German-ness of equestrian vaulting here.
Here's a very thorough explanation of how to train a horse for equestrian vaulting:
Pyramid of Training
Questions:
1.) Which of the methods of training a horse for equestrian vaulting are applicable in human education?
2.) Equestrian vaulting as a sport developed significantly in Germany. I'm curious how much of the philosophy behind the horse-training is recognizably Prussian/German.
There is an article on the German-ness of equestrian vaulting here.
Dolphin Training
Sea World very kindly publishes an entire manual with their methods for training animals.
Animal Training InfoBook
Q. Which methods used for training dolphins are applicable to educating humans?
Animal Training InfoBook
Q. Which methods used for training dolphins are applicable to educating humans?
A Grand Unified Theory of Education
I spoke recently with a couple of people who are super-super-super Jewish educators, people whose names you would recognize if I wrote them here, and I said to them, "I'm a teacher; I have some time; I want an education-related project; what do you think is a great need in Jewish education that I can try to fill?"
And they each said the same thing:
"What do you want to do?"
And that, I guess, is the answer.
And they each said the same thing:
"What do you want to do?"
And that, I guess, is the answer.
De-schooling
I understand from parents who unschool that it's pretty much a universal principle (if that can even be said about unschoolers)
(it can't)
that children who are pulled out of school and set to "unschooling" (given freedom to do more or less whatever they want all day) all go through a period of adjustment in which they don't do much at all. They lie on the couch and play video games, or whatever the activity of lowest resistance is.
Eventually their natural curiosity kicks in and they begin to learn... whatever they're interested in, and that leads them to other subjects, and they grow up, the unschooling theory is, eventually well-rounded and passionate intellectual seekers.
What's interesting to me is that this "de-schooling" period is so universally predictable. There's a formula for it: a child removed from the school system and set to unschooling will go through one month of "de-schooling" per year that s/he has been enrolled in school. Unschooling parents can set their watch by it.
What's behind that?
Pouch Practice
Because why not start off a blog with baby kangaroos...?
חנך לנער על־פי דרכו גם כי־יזקין לא־יסור ממנה
Mishlei (Proverbs) 22:6 -- 'Educate a child according to his path; even when he ages he will not turn away from it.'
There are various ways to translate this. One is that you should educate a person with his future in mind. What is the path this child is going to walk? Educate him accordingly.
For instance, if one thing he is going to really need in life is the ability to jump into pouches, make sure you address that. --
חנך לנער על־פי דרכו גם כי־יזקין לא־יסור ממנה
Mishlei (Proverbs) 22:6 -- 'Educate a child according to his path; even when he ages he will not turn away from it.'
There are various ways to translate this. One is that you should educate a person with his future in mind. What is the path this child is going to walk? Educate him accordingly.
For instance, if one thing he is going to really need in life is the ability to jump into pouches, make sure you address that. --
Wherefore
Thoreau's journal starts off like this:
Oct. 22 [1837]
"What are you doing now?" he asked. "Do you keep a journal?" So I make my first entry today.
That's pretty much the story here. Andrea Hernandez told me I should write a blog on education.
When Andrea Hernandez says something about education, I listen.
That's about it.
Oct. 22 [1837]
"What are you doing now?" he asked. "Do you keep a journal?" So I make my first entry today.
That's pretty much the story here. Andrea Hernandez told me I should write a blog on education.
When Andrea Hernandez says something about education, I listen.
That's about it.
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