Here is a collection of post for students and faculty – all about learning to help with the start of the semester.

• Old Math vs. New Math – what’s the point of learning some older topics?  There is no reason to learn long division just to divide.
• The traditional lecture – telling students stuff – should be gone.  We should move on to better things.
• Calculators sort of suck.  I recommend python instead.
• A review of grades: curve vs. no curve and standards based grading.
• Three tips for physics students in lab: unit conversions, graphing, looking past the instructions.
• Science is all about building models – we need to be sure to include this in all of our science courses.
• Dr. Strange has it right – there is no shortcut to real learning.  It takes years of study to really master something.
• Physics labs are better when there are fewer instructions.
• Why do adults often have the same ideas about physics that younger children have?  One reason is that these (wrong) ideas still makes sense in some way.
• “Why don’t you just tell us the answer?” If you don’t get confused, you aren’t really learning (confusion is the sweat of learning). – This is maybe my best post on learning.
• Follow up – if your science class isn’t confusing, then it’s not great.
• Modeling the motion of a mass on a spring in full detail.  But no one really learned much.
• It’s ok to be bored – but technology makes this more difficult. Embrace boredom.
• Thoughts on textbooks.  Professors pick them, but students use them.  It’s a weird marketing problem.
• 5 reasons you should consider Matter and Interactions for physics.
• Higher education is not a worker-producing factory – no matter what the administrators and politicians say.
• Working, learning, and robots.  Why do we do the things we do?
• Yes, you need to include coding in your introductory physics course.
• Learning physics is difficult – there is no way around this.
• End of the semester comments for students and faculty.
• Please stop saying “I’m just not a math person”.
• Advice for students going into physics.
• What technology will revolutionize education?
• Mid semester advice for students in physics.
• Two misconceptions about learning: confusion is bad and the instructor has all the knowledge.
• What do students need for upper level physics learning?
• Does the introductory physics course cover too much material?  Hint: yes.
• What is Standards Based Grading?
• Yes, all the physics solutions are online – but that’s not a good thing.
• Starting advice for students.
• Starting advice for faculty.
• What is a vector? A reply to Khan Academy.
• The three levels of teaching.