Share the End Game

Just culled this comment from a teacher on a blog: "Teachers have plenty on their plate without the added responsibility of showing kids why math (or any subject) is important."

Which really begs the question: Why do we let ignorant people teach? Help me out here...Am I the only one? To be so pompous as to think you can make most of the 8th grade boys in a public school class of 28 students embrace math for the shear joy of math is exactly the paradigm that must be changed. OK, who agrees - showing kids why they're learning what they are learning is just an important a process step as the steps used to solve a quadratic equation? Do you engage in learning more effectively when you understand why you're learning?

Paying it Forward

It's interesting to see the sheer volume of PSAs (Public Service Announcements) spreading the word that your VHF TVs will be going off line in February. As if to suggest the world as you know it is coming to an end if you're uplink or cable connection is not in place. Yet, a seemingly more important problem goes virtually unmetntioned: About 50% of the prison system inmate population in this country has a learning disorder.

Given the cause and effect relationship between ADD, soaring drop out rates and prison system inmate rosters that are swelling: How can we evangalize this issue? The social link between driving improvement across how we teach/train the kids with learning disorders.

Fact: A defense contractor once did an analysis that indicated visual learners (dyslexics - many ADD/ADHD learners) were significantly better problem solvers and process experts. Yet, those whom are often best suited to learn math and solve problems are getting left on the curb becasue they don't learn well from lecture and reading.

Is it worth changing our knowledge transfer processes if we could repatriate more of these kids to our knowledge economy?

How do you organize your life?

I was recently described by a Director of Operations at Computer Science Corporation as one of the most wired people he knows. My Palm is synced to my Exchange Server, my conference calls have reminders and e-mails and text messages fly all day. However, I can't cut loose of the 8.5 x 11 sheet of card stock that I list my To Dos on. Are you fully wired or straddling the fence regarding your To Do lists and notes?

IndyCar Learning

Via work work with some close friends at Raytheon we are framing some concepts around accomplishing knowledge transfer without letting kids know it happened. One potential project will teach basic math skills, basic statistics, economics, some physics, work skills and conflict resolution as learners help manage a race team for one season. What other real-life jobs, sports or activities do you see as good fits for this type of content development?