I think though that one naturally memorizes stuff. If you keep having to make use of a fact and keep having to look it up, after not especially long you commit it to memory automatically. The trouble with just mindless rote memorization that it's awfully easy to memorize wrong without understanding, awfully easy to have a list of facts but no idea how to use them and it's boring as all hell and guaranteed to put off the majority of students.
Do, rather than memorize and the memorization will come naturally.
The concept of a "supermoon" was invented by an astrologer, and has exactly zero astronomical significance. The moon is slightly larger in the sky. Whooooaah.
But what if finding an answer to a problem depends on connecting seemingly unrelated atomic facts? If they are both in your brain, you may be able to figure it out. But if not, you're out of luck (unless someone has solved that exact problem before and posted it on the internet).
Science students should be getting exactly this kind of problem on a regular basis in the form of exercises, and simultaneously given the resources to dig up those facts (e.g., Google) in order to solve the problem. Then they'll learn the useful interplay among simple facts that forms the basis of relational and functional knowledge. Sitting them down and telling them to memorize the periodic table won't accomplish this.
Yeah, you have to know stuff, but simply knowing lots of facts that you're not in the process of actively using is sterile. Yeah, you don't necessarily know ahead of time which fact will end up being useful, and you might have to go out and learn new stuff to solve your problem. And a good basis of broad knowledge is really helpful for that. But that's not an argument for just making students memorize shit because I Say So.
The problem isn't how hard it is to memorize facts. The human brain is capable of memorizing a lot of facts. The problem is that (US specifically) kids are just too lazy to do it.
What, exactly, is useful about memorizing facts, in a world where any fact you want is at your fingertips on demand? Being usefully conversant in facts is not about memorization, it's about understanding relationships between things. Understanding how stuff works. The facts you need will be memorized along the way.
I doubt professional scientists think their work is "fun".
If that's true, it's only because professional scientists spend the vast majority of their time doing things that aren't science: grant management, administration, job interviews, committee meetings. Every scientist I know is desperately trying to get away from all of that bullshit and get back to having fun: i.e., doing science. Science is so much fun that scientists are willing to put up with all the PHB college adminstrators that fill their days, just for those moments of science, which are pure joy.
Maybe we should stop raising children to think that everything is fun. Impactful science is a heck of a lot of work.
Yes, but it's also more fun than just about anything else if you're doing it right. The great breakthroughs in science, as in art, come from minds that are full of play.
The Constitution hasn't been enforced in a long time.
As originally written? Damn good thing, too. Slaves counting three fifths of a person, no women's suffrage, no birthright citizenship, appointed Senators, poll taxes: the original constitution was a fucking shambles, and took quite a few amendments to get functioning properly as the foundation for a modern government.
A large and increasing portion of Americans realize that their financial health is threatened by immigrants and their very existence is threatened by Muslim terrorists.
Please elaborate on exactly how "Muslim terrorists" constitute an existential threat to America. More people die if bathtub falls and choking than die in terrorist attacks.
Many smaller, less stable countries deal with far larger rates of things like suicide bombings without their societies being destroyed. Is America that fragile?
Great. So the new guy elected Speaker either does the same out of the necessity to keep the government functional at any level, or completely destroys the Republican brand with a new completely unnecessary shutdown which only ends when he capitulates anyway.
That is the Republican brand now: get elected on a platform that consists entirely of refusing to do your fucking job. This applies to Congressmen, and all the way down to county clerks.
Remember the 2012 midterm, when all the pundits declared that the Republican establishment had defanged the Tea Party? Bwaahahaha! They run the circus now.
Sure, the Teatards will destroy the Republican party, but they'll do enormous damage along the way. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
> Does not scan. If there were a shortage of employees,...
Your post is illogical. Because there is a shortage, we all have to work harder to make-up for all of the open positions. Yes, I have negotiated large raises every year for the past decade, but I have been unable to negotiate even a single day off in the nearly five years at my current company. I can't because the company needs me.
Then you're being played. Your management has overcommitted, and is treating you like galley slaves because it's boosting their bottom line to do so. And you're sucker enough to let them do it to you.
If developers are in such short supply, you should be able to easily find another job that doesn't involve abusive working conditions. Good luck.
There's such a huge shortage of employees that things aren't going to improve for at least the next decade. I haven't had a single day off in nearly three years.
Does not scan. If there were a shortage of employees, you wouldn't have to worry about getting fired for behaving like a human being and having a life outside of work.
Slashdot Mirror
God doesn't exist. That's about it.
Now, back to science so I can learn more about the world.
I think though that one naturally memorizes stuff. If you keep having to make use of a fact and keep having to look it up, after not especially long you commit it to memory automatically. The trouble with just mindless rote memorization that it's awfully easy to memorize wrong without understanding, awfully easy to have a list of facts but no idea how to use them and it's boring as all hell and guaranteed to put off the majority of students.
Do, rather than memorize and the memorization will come naturally.
This. Somebody mod parent up.
The concept of a "supermoon" was invented by an astrologer, and has exactly zero astronomical significance. The moon is slightly larger in the sky. Whooooaah.
But what if finding an answer to a problem depends on connecting seemingly unrelated atomic facts? If they are both in your brain, you may be able to figure it out. But if not, you're out of luck (unless someone has solved that exact problem before and posted it on the internet).
Science students should be getting exactly this kind of problem on a regular basis in the form of exercises, and simultaneously given the resources to dig up those facts (e.g., Google) in order to solve the problem. Then they'll learn the useful interplay among simple facts that forms the basis of relational and functional knowledge. Sitting them down and telling them to memorize the periodic table won't accomplish this.
Yeah, you have to know stuff, but simply knowing lots of facts that you're not in the process of actively using is sterile. Yeah, you don't necessarily know ahead of time which fact will end up being useful, and you might have to go out and learn new stuff to solve your problem. And a good basis of broad knowledge is really helpful for that. But that's not an argument for just making students memorize shit because I Say So.
Science isn't supposed to be fun. It's a method and its rigorous.
OB: xkcd.
The problem isn't how hard it is to memorize facts. The human brain is capable of memorizing a lot of facts. The problem is that (US specifically) kids are just too lazy to do it.
What, exactly, is useful about memorizing facts, in a world where any fact you want is at your fingertips on demand? Being usefully conversant in facts is not about memorization, it's about understanding relationships between things. Understanding how stuff works. The facts you need will be memorized along the way.
I doubt professional scientists think their work is "fun".
If that's true, it's only because professional scientists spend the vast majority of their time doing things that aren't science: grant management, administration, job interviews, committee meetings. Every scientist I know is desperately trying to get away from all of that bullshit and get back to having fun: i.e., doing science. Science is so much fun that scientists are willing to put up with all the PHB college adminstrators that fill their days, just for those moments of science, which are pure joy.
Maybe we should stop raising children to think that everything is fun.
Impactful science is a heck of a lot of work.
Yes, but it's also more fun than just about anything else if you're doing it right. The great breakthroughs in science, as in art, come from minds that are full of play.
You had me going there for a second. Well played, Sir.
Awesome fucking timing on that one.
It's a failure of the president to negotiate, but thats not how the media plays it.
OB: Tom Toles.
The Constitution hasn't been enforced in a long time.
As originally written? Damn good thing, too. Slaves counting three fifths of a person, no women's suffrage, no birthright citizenship, appointed Senators, poll taxes: the original constitution was a fucking shambles, and took quite a few amendments to get functioning properly as the foundation for a modern government.
Kim Davis is a Democrat.
Not any more!
Combining "Tea Partier" and "retard" into a single portmanteau "teatard" is incredibly insulting to retards.
Mod parent up.
I wish the people who wave the constitution would occasionally read the damn thing
The same goes for the Bible, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.
Kim Davis is a Democrat.
Show me one Democrat (aside from her) who is defending her choice to not carry out the duties of her office.
A large and increasing portion of Americans realize that their financial health is threatened by immigrants and their very existence is threatened by Muslim terrorists.
Please elaborate on exactly how "Muslim terrorists" constitute an existential threat to America. More people die if bathtub falls and choking than die in terrorist attacks.
Many smaller, less stable countries deal with far larger rates of things like suicide bombings without their societies being destroyed. Is America that fragile?
Great. So the new guy elected Speaker either does the same out of the necessity to keep the government functional at any level, or completely destroys the Republican brand with a new completely unnecessary shutdown which only ends when he capitulates anyway.
That is the Republican brand now: get elected on a platform that consists entirely of refusing to do your fucking job. This applies to Congressmen, and all the way down to county clerks.
2014 midterm. D'oh!
Remember the 2012 midterm, when all the pundits declared that the Republican establishment had defanged the Tea Party? Bwaahahaha! They run the circus now.
Sure, the Teatards will destroy the Republican party, but they'll do enormous damage along the way. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
In your face, Indonesia!
> Your management has overcommitted,
If you work in a regulated environment, like I do, then it isn't management that is setting the requirements or the deadlines.
Then they are taking on projects that they don't have sufficient staffing to handle.
If labor is so scarce, why don't you just jump to another job that doesn't abuse its employees? Scarcity of labor should make that easy.
> Does not scan. If there were a shortage of employees, ...
Your post is illogical. Because there is a shortage, we all have to work harder to make-up for all of the open positions. Yes, I have negotiated large raises every year for the past decade, but I have been unable to negotiate even a single day off in the nearly five years at my current company. I can't because the company needs me.
Then you're being played. Your management has overcommitted, and is treating you like galley slaves because it's boosting their bottom line to do so. And you're sucker enough to let them do it to you.
If developers are in such short supply, you should be able to easily find another job that doesn't involve abusive working conditions. Good luck.
There's such a huge shortage of employees that things aren't going to improve for at least the next decade. I haven't had a single day off in nearly three years.
Does not scan. If there were a shortage of employees, you wouldn't have to worry about getting fired for behaving like a human being and having a life outside of work.
BTW, if you ever want to see a scifi movie Sunshine from 2007 is far more scientific than any of these,
Uhhh ... restarting the sun with a nuclear bomb?