Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Last Meeting's Notes and Upcoming AzAAPT

TAPT,

I haven't been too successful in selling AzAAPT meetings to the Tucson crowd, but they are always interesting. There are some great physics teachers in Phoenix and surrounding areas, and I always learn a lot. My husband and I are driving up Friday night, and could take a rider. I copied Jim Ward's email below, so take a look, I think it will be a good meeting, and you can see Lowell Observatory as a side trip. I spent many nights there in my youth.

TAPT meets the following Saturday, April 14th. We have a speaker, thanks to J.D. Her name is Dr. Elena Plante, and she will be talking about language and learning. I'll have more information soon. 

Our meeting last Saturday (March 24) was great - Fritz knows so much! We talked about the book Learn Better, and I did distribute Fritz's notes for your perusal. Some of the highlights:
  • How people learn to do math on an abacus is different than on paper, and apparently better. Something about a physical connection association with the processes. One Irish philosopher thinks the hand is part of the mind.
  • Fritz thinks there is something missing in the theory of cognition, something that has to do with energy - energy is part of learning and gestures are part of that.
  • A positive attitude toward math makes people do better at math. Maybe that's what good parents provide.
  • Steve Jobs trained himself not to give feedback - he didn't even blink!
  • Good decisions take energy. Parole board clemency decreases right before lunch.
  • If students get in the habit of working, they use less energy to make themselves do it and have more left over for cognition
  • Poverty is noisy.
At our April meeting, I think we should have a discussion about Pam Tautz's "flashy thing", that piece of equipment that makes a motion map on students' phones. Pam, can you bring some cost estimates?

Thanks as usual to all who attended. 

Hope to see you one of the next two Saturdays!

Best,

Karie

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