The Random Thread

[Lazar]

I think I learned more from independent reading than from high school.

[Nickswitz]

As have I, I taught myself basic psychology in a day from reading a basic psychology book, I don't need much schooling for that, Well, I shouldn't, but I need 8 years of schooling to get a job in that field.

[Mikey]

This is all a very lopsided view of things. There are enough teachers who know that without homework, there will be absolutely no immersion at home; immersion which is necessary for fluency in a topic. As the ancient Greeks said, "Sophrosyne." There is a balance, of course, and excessiveness isn't helpful; but some homework is a valuable tool in education.

As to psychology - come on. Reading DSM-IV doesn't give a person diagnostic skills anymore than reading Gray's Anatomy makes someone a surgeon.

[Tsukiyumi]

I wasn't advocating abolition of homework; I just think the majority of learning should be done at school. I personally always chose to learn independently anyways, just not always on the subjects they were trying to teach me.

I had little interest in biology, for example. I still understood the subject, and aced the tests, I just refused to do repetitive make-work.

Then again, most schools aren't set up to properly engage a kinesthetic learner.

[Mikey]

It's a very good point - and one that my wife is constantly trying to beat into the teacher's under her watch - that differentiated instruction is crucial to classroom success, whether you're talking about teaching differently to kinesthetic learners, or differently affected students, or whatever. Self-motivated learning is also critical - but interestingly enough, one of the best ways to encourage success in self-motivated learning is through the establishment of expectations for out-of-classroom learning... and one of the best ways to do that is to form an habitual concept of homework.

In certain inner-city areas (like my wife's district) homework is also kind of a back-handed way of forcing some sort of home-life interaction. Sad, but true.

[stitch626]

All alone.... just me and the bots... and a guest.

[Tsukiyumi]

Mikey: Fluffernutters are awesome.

[Foxfyre]

I forgot what I was going to post.

[Mikey]

Mikey: Fluffernutters are awesome.

Did a little experimenting? Try one with a little chocolate syrup.

[Tsukiyumi]

Mikey: Fluffernutters are awesome.

Did a little experimenting? Try one with a little chocolate syrup.

I bought some marshmallow cream, yes. And, I thought about chocolate syrup.

My hypoglycemia wouldn't care for that, I'm guessing. It was damn good, though.

[Mikey]

If the marshmallow fluff didn't kill you, I hardly think the syrup would. But, I operate on the flipside of that coin, so what do I know?

[Tsukiyumi]

Hey, maybe I could ship you some of my excess insulin.

[Mikey]

Nah, I get mine in prefilled needle-pens. I mean, I wouldn't mind using yours instead of RNA-derived laboratory stuff, but I think on your end the harvesting process would be a bitch.

[Tsukiyumi]

Yeah, probably.

[IntrepidPrincess]

Hi, I'm sister of bob, stitch, and nick, and friend of royal_foxx