Monthly Archives: August 2011

A Teacher’s Case for Testing

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

August 31, 2011 Today’s Education Week has a worth-reading piece today called “A Teacher Finds Good in Testing.”  In it, Ama Nyamekye recounts how she went from being a protester against testing to being a supporter.  She acknowledges flaws, but … Continue reading →

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Parking! The Ultimate Faculty Issue

Posted on August 31, 2011 by

August 30, 2011 From Inside Higher Ed:  Parking Shortage Leads Dalhousie Prof to Quit Dan Middlemiss, a professor at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, became so frustrated this week by the lack of parking that he quit, CBC News reported. Middlemiss … Continue reading →

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Meanings: “Gridiron”

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

August 30, 2011 It’s hard not to notice that football season is once more upon us.  Soon we will be inundated with games played on a gridiron.  “Gridiron?”  Why do we call it that? It’s a dead metaphor. According to … Continue reading →

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Meanings: “Statistic”

Posted on August 29, 2011 by

August 27, 2011 Dictionaries give you two different meanings of “statistic.”  One has it that a “statistic” is “a numerical fact or datum.”  I think this is the most common meaning — the most common way the word is used.  … Continue reading →

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“Skimpy Equality:” What Gives?

Posted on August 28, 2011 by

August 26, 2011 In this morning’s New York Times Sunday Styles section, Lisa Belkin (who writes a recurring column called Motherlode) has a must-read piece called “After Class, Skimpy Equality.” “What are we to make of the fact that lessons … Continue reading →

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Meanings: “Grit”

Posted on August 25, 2011 by

August 25, 2011 (updated below) Jonah Lehrer, who writes The Frontal Cortex for Wired magazine, gave a Convocation address at Earlham on Monday.  (He also wrote the books How We Decide and Proust was a Neuroscientist.) Here’s a snippet of … Continue reading →

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Hazing: This Time We Really Mean It?

Posted on August 24, 2011 by

August 24, 2011 In today’s New York Times, Cornell University President David Skorton pledges to end fraternity hazing.  I’m more than a little puzzled.  As he acknowledges, “Hazing has been formally prohibited at Cornell since 1980 and a crime under … Continue reading →

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