Hello hello! How are we doing this week? I got a pretty cool opportunity this week that this audience might get a kick out of: I got to go speak to a whole bunch of high school seniors about statistics, science and critical thinking. It was a lot of fun talking to the kids about how they think through problems, and I was really excited about how well some of them were thinking about things. After years of grousing about people’s lack of critical thinking skills, it was really fun to get to (attempt to) make a difference.
Alright, so I’ve got high school on the brain this week….what are you in the mood for?
If you’re looking for….a good critical thinking quiz:
While prepping for my talk this week, I found this quiz on basic critical thinking. I liked it. It was fun, and a better assessment of thinking than the regular “do you know science” quiz.
If you’re looking for….something to share with the competitive student in your life:
When I was walking through the high school this week, I noticed the banner that proclaimed that the science scores for their students were the best in the state. I was pondering how much pressure kids are under now, and I wondered where that leads. Thus, I found this article on “academic steroids” in high schools pretty interesting.
If you’re looking for….a new idea for homework:
This strategy looks interesting. I do something like this for my own classes.
If you’re looking for….the science behind the guidelines:
Back to the younger kids: the science behind car seat recommendations. I knew what the recommendations were, but I was surprised how much I didn’t know about why they are what they are.
If you’re looking for….amusing + gross:
This daddy/baby photo shoot went viral this week. My inner 8 year old giggled and giggled and giggled. My outer parent sympathized.
If you’re looking for….Men Having Babies:
I had never heard of this organization before, but they are having an expo in Chicago this week: The Surrogacy Seminar and Gay Parenting Expo. Interesting.
