What if we strap electrodes to kids’ heads to monitor how focused they are, and share the data for all students in the class with all parents? Is this an Orwellian nightmare, or your deepest Read more…
On the same day I visited the off-the-charts intriguing space of Playground Global (see this post), I also visited a school of a kind I didn’t know existed. Several months ago some friends from graduate Read more…
Earlier this month, I spent a day in Palo Alto at two places, both of which have a heightened ability to provoke thoughts. I’ll save the second place for the next post. The first, Playground Read more…
We all are asked for advice from time to time, and over my years as a high school teacher, I occasionally get a question from one of my charges about relationships. Whether asking me is Read more…
We frequently ask students to try harder. It’s one of those things a teacher is supposed to do. But saying it, and saying it in such a way that it elicits the effort we want Read more…
In the swamp of seemingly endless stories about corruption, lies, shootings, and similar, it can be hard to be optimistic about the future. And yet, there are people like Manu Prakash. Centrifuges are devices used Read more…
“The workplace should be a positive environment where employees feel a sense of camaraderie.” This line is from a post by Ashira Prossack at Forbes.com about making a workplace a good setting for those we’ve Read more…
Last week I attended a program at Stanford titled “Does AI belong in the classroom?” (That’s a pair of letters: a capital “a” and a capital “i,” and it stands for “artificial intelligence.” It is Read more…
The first time I watched this video about a South African woman who knits warm things for babies she’s never met, I was moved by the power of her voice to speak to what matters. Read more…
“Don’t worry; you’ll grow out of it.” The boy looked back at my smile quizzically, with that, “Did he just encourage me or insult me?” look on his face. The truth is that it was Read more…