As Easter is approaching fast, here is a little selection of fun and informative things to do.
Continue readingHappy Easter – A Little Easter Mix
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Leadership
In a time, when autocratic leadership seems to be mushrooming throughout the world, even in the country many used to consider a reliable torch bearer of democracy, the topic of leadership has become one of utmost importance.
Continue readingWord(s) of the Year 2024
My posts on this traditional new year’s topic build up on each other. The one from 2022 provides the most background information to the topic; 2023’s post lists four sources I focussed on last year.
Continue readingThe Year 2024 is on its way out….
And a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025!
As much as I would like to say ‘good riddance’, there were some things I enjoyed in 2024. (And those developments I consider less positive are most likely here to stay for a while, I’m afraid.) So let’s take a little look back…
Continue readingSporcle post has moved up to pages
It’s time, I stick something new to the top of my posts. You find everything about ‘sporcles’ up in the page section. I will continue to add new ones I have uses there.
TED Eds
Ted Ed videos are short educational videos explaining a various number of different topics in a few minutes. Here I will share a list of those I have already watched or find interesting for future reference.
Continue readingAnd the Race is – over
Update November 2024
The losers of the election are probably still stunned, shocked and busy analyzing what went wrong.
It was indeed one of the most exiting elections ever. Considering the outcome, the ostrich feeling has recurred a little. However, following how things develop is the better choice.
Halloween
October 31st is approaching fast. Again. Every year actually. Time to revisit my Halloween post.
Continue readingMondegreens and ‘We didn’t start the fire’
This is an evergreen topic: Misunderstood song lyrics, also know as ‘mondegreens’. There are some classic ones everybody knows, and some where you wonder if they are truly mondegreens or not really attempts at humor. Why they are called ‘mondegreens’ and more of them ….
Continue readingUpdate on: How Languages are Learned
I have written about this question in other posts that you find under Reflections and Recommendations on Learning and Teaching
Here I just wanted to share a link to an eight minute video on the subject.
Continue readingEarth Overshoot Day, or: What is your ecological footprint?
This year, 2024, Earth Overshoot Day has been calculated for August 1.
Earth Overshoot Day is the day on which we humans have used up all ‘the sustainable amount of biological resources generated on earth’ (wikipedia):
Continue readingPlastics
(Sequel to the Gapminder post)
Triggered by the gapminder question tile ‘Plastics in Oceans’, I created a lesson around the topic of plastics based on the text below.
History and Future of Plastics | Science History Institute
Continue readingGapminder and SDGs
Some years ago, I watched a TED talk given by the Swedish statistician and physician Hans Rosling and his son. Hans and Ola Rosling: How not to be ignorant about the world | TED Talk.
I also started reading his book ‘Factfulness’.
Continue readingWords and their origins: Often not what you thought
The Case of Soccer and Football
The European Championchip is in its last week, the English team is still playing and it is high time that I write my football/soccer related post before the tournament is over and football talk will rest for two years before it resumes with the World Cup 2026. Taking place in North America and Mexico, there will probably then be more soccer talk than football talk, at least among the hosts.
Why DO Americans call what (almost) everyone else calls football ‘soccer’? And why do they call a game pretty obviously hardly played with any feet ‘football’. American football comes across as a (rougher) version of rugby, so why wasn’t it called American Rugby?
Continue readingWe thought we would never have to talk about ‘You know …..’again
Update 2024: Read all about the DNC in Chicago 2024 Democratic National Convention – Wikipedia Also: Democratic Convention 2024 – Videos ; The DNC in five minutes; 11 hours of DNC (highlights from Day 3)
Is it arrogance of the educated and privileged? Or deep-rooted feelings of decency and of moral and ethical beliefs so badly violated by Mr T. that we cannot understand how any American can support him?
After the election of Joe Biden in 2020, we probably all believed the topic of Trump would be history. We had wasted enough of our time, and emotional and intellectual energy and were happy to move on.
Ooops, no such luck. So here we are again, trying to understand.
Continue readingThe Biggest Obstacle to Learning
Much of what I believe about learning – through experience and studies – I have already written about elsewhere (for instance in my post: ‘The Best Curriculum in the World’). But the topic regularly pops up in classes, often in connection with questions concerning memory – memorizing and forgetting – or when talking about ‘grammar’, where I still hear things like: “I hate grammar, I’m bad at grammar etc.”. Even from course members whose English is on an advanced level.
Continue readingThe best school curriculum for a peaceful world
The topic of schools, schooling, and education is one that frequently comes up. The reason is simple: education is of the utmost importance and many agree that our school systems do not always provide the best environment for learning. The whole structure is unnatural (large same age groups with one adult) and forces kids and adults (the teachers) into a strait jacket that might fit some, but many it doesn’t.
There have been educators who try to fight for better educational concepts, better schools, for approaches to education that consider the psychological and cognitive nature of humans. For concepts that cater better to our minds: our brain’s fascinating capability to figure things out, to recognize patterns, to be curious about our surroundings – and enjoy the whole process.
Continue readingWord(s) of the Year 2023
This topic has become a traditional choice at the beginning of the year. Last year’s post provides a little background to the topic.
Continue readingLetting go of New Year’s resolutions
In the podcast below from National Public Radio, Gregory Warner describes how he went from being obsessed with New Year’s resolutions to letting go of them. ‘Goal disengagement’ is the term; liberating yourself from old and repeatedly newly set goals, especially when, year after year, they remain unfulfilled.
Continue readingNPR: National Public Radio
A great website I first found in 2014. And rediscovered in 2023. It has short podcasts you can listen to repeatedly for great learning effect.
Some I’ve listened to lately (updated May 12, 2024)
Related to Béyonce’s new album ‘Cowboy Carter’, there are several great podcasts. For instance: What her cover of ‘Blackbird’ means to a member of the Little Rock Nine.