194: Inquiry and Authentic Assessment I have been looking through old papers I wrote as an undergraduate and graduate student years ago… actually decades ago. In 1997, I enrolled in a curriculum development course and a graduate student, and made this observation: An inquiry-based science curriculum that includes authentic assessment is not familiar to most Read More
Category: Learning
How AI Helps Teaching and Learning
I have a stack of books about artificial intelligence waiting to be read. The field is emerging quickly, so my reading focuses on how AI has and can affect work, life, and society. Madhumita Murgia’s 2024 book Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI was the most recent book of this genre I have Read More
Teaching in the AI World: A Time for John Dewey
106: Teaching in the AI World: A Time for John Dewey I’ve been as educator for a long time. In the 1980’s, the folks who taught me how to do the work connected me with John Dewey. I have continued to read his work over my career and wondered what he would have thought of Read More
Is It Time to Reject Intelligence as a Construct?
155: Is It Time to Reject Intelligence as a Construct? Decades ago, I first read Stephen Jay Gould’s The Mismeasure of Man. The book was published first in 1981, then a revised edition in 1996 which included essays critical of the 1994 book The Bell Curve. It was this second edit that led a colleague Read More
Sometimes AI is Post-on: The End of Average Again
My summer reading always includes listening to Stephen Jay Gould’s The Mismeasure of Man. I discovered Gould in 1984 and have been a lifelong fan of his essays and books. Especially this year, I have been thinking more and more about intelligence and the really weak definitions of it that characterizes our understanding of it. Read More
Owning Knowledge and AI
103: Ownership of Knowledge and AI It is July 2025. “The MIT Article” is all anyone is talking about. This is the article on arXiv.org in which researchers compared the essays written by those using ChatGPT, web search, or only their brains. It is a long and interesting preprint article. The article is surely of Read More
The Deceptive Simplicity of Percentages: Why Our Grading Systems Need a Revolution
For decades, percentages have been the cornerstone of academic assessment, a seemingly objective and straightforward way to quantify student performance. We assign a numerical score, average it out, and present it as a clear indicator of learning. Yet, beneath this veneer of simplicity lies a system riddled with flaws, one that actively hinders effective assessment, Read More
The Environment and Brain Function
The brain functions that are associated with learning depend on communication with between neurons, which is mediated by neurotransmitters. Many chemicals are known to function as neurotransmitters, and also many chemicals are known to influence the functioning of neurotransmitters. Further, cognitive scientists have identified several environmental factors that are associated with the production and function Read More
Elevator Pitch: The New Theory of Disuse
The New Theory of Disuse (NTD): This theoretical framework provides a rationale for why difficulties can be desirable. The NTD characterizes an item in memory by two strengths: Storage Strength: Represents how well learned and interconnected an item is in memory. The theory assumes that storage strength, once accumulated, is never lost . Retrieval Strength: Read More
Elevator Pitches on Deeper Learning
Deeper learning refers to an approach to education that aims to equip students with the skills needed to deal with complexity and solve real-world problems. It goes beyond memorizing facts and focuses on competencies like problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, effective communication, learning how to learn, and developing an academic mindset. It’s important because traditional education Read More