Gary’s Blog

Fink (2003) suggests learning how to learn comprises three types of activities. First, learning how to be a learner by becoming more competent at the activities such as reading, listening, questioning, and writing that are necessary for success in classrooms. Second, learning how to construct knowledge. This work is facilitated in the conceptual and thematic … Read more

The one thing that has not changed during my 35 years in education is that teachers complain about anything they perceive as “not practical.” When I was an undergraduate student, by classmates and I sat in the corridors of the building s in which education classes met (usually drinking coffee– a truly useful skill for … Read more

In a recent social media interaction, a member of Mastodon challenged my observation that: “The fact a large part of society has been convinced to abandon science with devastating effects is going to be what the early 21st century is known for.” In an interesting thread of replies, the responder made many observations that seemed … Read more

I’ve worked in educational institutions since 1988. My jobs have been in public k-12 schools, public community colleges, and various universities as an adjunct faculty member. In addition, I have participated in (and been a leader of) multiple educational organizations. Almost all these organizations have been marked by have some level of workplace conflict. In … Read more

I recently made a seemingly obvious observation in a tweet: “Every technological innovation become obsolete.” (Yup, that is what I tweeted… I’m the worst copy editor of social media posts.) A follower (whom I also follow and with whom I occasionally interact) replied “Is speech a technology?” Realizing the response was to be too long … Read more

I found a slide from a presentation I gave about 10 years ago. It contained three quotes from John Dewey. It seems relevant today, although I am curious what John Dewey would say about the current efforts to ban books. One must wonder it that really represents a “social interest in education” or is it … Read more