Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with books and learning

Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner.

Kurichina — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:01:22 -0800

Recommend some French-language books (or sites) for a intermediate French-learner, to (hopefully enjoy) reading with the aid of a dictionary and bescherelle. I'm looking for some French-language books to read but am at an odd spot in my comprehension. I don't want to read a textbook or books for kids, but my comprehension isn't high enough to read any truly complicated texts. I recently tested at a Government of Canada B/C Level (i.e. I'm comfortable with multiple tenses/forms but they do not come automatically), and was told by my tester that while my grammar was fairly solid, my weak vocabularly was primarily to blame for being in the B rather than C range. I think reading would be a somewhat entertaining way to get going on improving my vocabularly while I'm waiting for a class/ The sort of literature I'm looking for:

- novels (could include young adult or contemporary as long as it's a. good - do not want to be reading some schlockly teen romance, thanks - and b. not hugely complicated - I'm willing to use my dictionary, but hopefully wouldn't be constantly swithcing back and forth between dictionary and book)

- non-fiction (politics/history/art/entertainment etc, again as long as it's not hugely complicated)

- short stories

- magazines with somewhat 'meaty' and/or interesting content (like a Walrus or Geist sort of publication)

Essentially, I'm looking for the right balance between meaty enough to be interesting, but dumb enough for me to read in my second language. Know of anything that fits the bill? I've seen this question but I'm looking for specifically for something that would suit my language level.

Your favorite interesting, specific question in philosophy

k. — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:54:11 -0800

Philosophy Filter: What are some fresh and interesting questions or topics in philosophy? I don't know if there are many philosophy nerds on MetaFilter (at least relative to other kinds of nerds), but I thought I'd give this a shot. I'm looking for topics that you wouldn't necessarily learn about in the usual undergraduate philosophy courses. I'd prefer these to be pretty specific, like these examples:

1. The "philosophy of information", which covers both the application of methods and ideas from computer science to philosophy and philosophical issues about what information is (especially in the work of Luciano Floridi)

2. Attacks on virtue ethics based on psychologists' claims that human character traits are much less stable than we think (summarized in e.g. the recent popular book Experiments in Ethics by K. Anthony Appiah)

More like these please! Really, any issue in philosophy that you find interesting would help. Bonus points for relevance to any timely issues outside of philosophy (in politics/society, science, etc).

Did Richard Feynman have a brother?

SamuelBowman — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:09:42 -0800

I'd like to learn about biology. Can you recommend some books to get me started? I've only done secondary school (ie, high school) biology and my background is in history, so I'm fairly ignorant of the subject, but I've always been interested in it.

What I'm looking for are recommendations for books that will introduce me to the topic – my specific interests are in zoology and evolution, so advice there would be great, but I'd like a primer on the whole field as well.

I really enjoyed The Selfish Gene, but more because of its discussions of animal behaviour than genetics, so that might show you what I'm looking for. It would also help if the book(s) are enjoyable to read – a textbook might have some great information in it but be horrible to read. What I want is to be able to think like a biologist, understand what it is that's going on in the field today, and learn about the how (and why) living things work.

I want to be smart so I can write clever Askme Headlines

Bageena — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:45:34 -0800

What are some easy, relatively quick ways to learn to write better, think clearer, and express myself better? There are a thousand reasons that I'd like to learn more about everything, not that anyone should need a reason to want that. Basically, when I'm writing on Mefi or on my blog, I keep finding myself grasping for words to express myself and coming up short. I know my grammer stinks as well. I want books, movies, and other means and mediums by which I can raise my intelligence quota a little. I'm interested in not just learning to write better, but learning to think clearer, argue my beliefs and values better, and feel more enlightened all-around. Extra points for pointing the way to free and/or 'fun' (ie: Nintendo DS games) paths to enlightenment.

What should I learn to do this summer?

HotPatatta — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:31:32 -0800

What books can teach me skills that would be enjoyable or interesting to share with friends in group settings or one-on-one? I thought it might be fun to spend the summer reading books that teach me how to do something. I want to be able to share, practice, and explore these things with a group of friends or with them individually. For example, I'd like to learn how to give a Swedish massage, apply special FX makeup, and give a (very basic) palm reading. Obviously it takes a great deal of study and practice to do these things well, but I'll leave that for later.

What other skills can be learned by reading a book? I'm especially looking for skills that won't require much equipment or capital investment on my part.

Simple French-language booklets for Kenyan French teacher of elementary students?

vanoakenfold — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:00:38 -0800

On a recent trip to Kenya, we visited a school who is in need of simple French language instruction booklets for elementary-age children. Most all of the language guides I've found are texts along the dense hardback or college variety, or come on DVD which wouldn't be at all feasible. Any ideas? They already know English. Just some simple, basic French core grammar structuring and lessons. They've recently been loaded up with young refugees fleeing from nearby French-speaking countries and are hoping to teach some to English-speaking kids. The teachers are very intelligent and college-educated but lack the resources I've got.

Books on teaching technology?

SuperSquirrel — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:54:47 -0800

What book(s) can I read to help me be a better teacher of technology? I teach technology-related courses to undergrads, including VB programming, Flash, web design, Office software, basic computing skills, etc. I'm confident in my technology skills. I know how to find information on tech-related topics. I know [pretty much] what's hot and what's not in technology. There are great threads here about teaching programming and the like, which I've read through.

But, in an effort to improve my teaching skills, I want learn more teaching theory. I specifically want to learn more about how adults (college-age and older) learn technology-related subjects, and about the theories of teaching technology to adults.

So my questions are:

Which books are considered definitive works (or at least generally well-regarded) on how adults learn technology?

Which books are considered definitive works (or at least generally well-regarded) on teaching technology to adults?

I totally realize that such books may not exist, so any other resources (blogs, forums, papers, etc.) are welcome too.

I'm not so much interested in "educational technology" in terms of incorporating technology into other subjects. I'm interested in the teaching of technology itself.

I ain't much on that book learnin'

tcv — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 11:07:03 -0800

I am pretty terrible when it comes to picking up technology books with the desire to learn about something. I always lose steam at some point. I am asking for tips/tricks/disciplines to get better, especially if you've noticed a difficulty doing this and turned yourself around. Is it possible that I am simply the type who needs to go to a class or learn through on the job training? Or is there a way to get better?

Looking for books, articles, podcasts and documentaries to prevent brain stagnation

Alison — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 09:15:35 -0800

In the spirit of this post, what have you read or seen lately (or not so lately) that has changed your mind? I'm looking for some mind-expanding reading, viewing and listening for the new year. Thanks!

Fizzix

god particle — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:45:29 -0800

I want to start teaching myself physics, but how? I am a freshman in college and I am considering majoring in physics. Physics has always been something I've been intrigued by but I am admittedly not very good at it. I would like to be good at it, though.

I am not presently enrolled in a physics course but I am planning to enroll in one next semester. As for now, I'm looking for a good "self-teaching" physics book that focuses on introductory and classical physics (vectors, forces, tension, etc). I am aware that physics requires a lot of mathematics, and I don't have much confidence in my mathematical ability (I've only taken up to calculus AB so far). So, preferably, this book would also extensively cover the mathematical concepts in clear terms.

I have looked into some of Feynman's books but the one's I've found seem either too advanced for me (especially in terms of mathematics) or they aren't what I'm looking for. Some of the other books I've looked at introduce a slew of Greek letters and variables by the second or third page, which is far too steep for me.

I'd like to avoid the "Idiots" or "Dummies" guides.

Though I am looking for books, other suggestions are welcome (I'm watching the physics video lectures from MIT OCW).

I have looked through some of the past similar questions, but I am interested in going beyond just physics concepts - I want to master the mathematics behind those concepts. For example, in this post, the poster is more advanced than I am.

Help a non-coder learn tech!

names are hard — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:51:31 -0800

What are some good books to introduce a technologically literate non-programmer to more advanced topics? I don't know if these exist or if I'm better off with code books, but I'd like some intermediate books to learn more about higher level tech concepts, like databases. I don't have any illusions of becoming a great programmer, but I'm graduating college and would like to work in the tech industry on the business side. I understand that being more literate with code concepts would be very useful. I'm looking for explanations about what different languages do, databases, web 2.0 stuff like AJAX, how RSS works, web video principles, etc.

Thanks so much.

Your Secret History

reynir — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 13:14:28 -0800

I would like to learn about an interesting aspect of history which is new to me. This could be broad ('Ancient Greece') or very specific ('Anarchists in the Ukraine in the Russian Revolution'), thematic ('the Victorian underworld and crime') or about a location ('Venice') - but I'd like to also know why your suggestion interests you so much. If you can recommend some good books on your suggested topic, that would be just perfect. This post about the Decembrists is a good example of what I'm after. Ideally, your suggested topic would be able to sustain interest and study over a reasonable period of time. Things that I have studied already, or which don't really grab me: anything too modern (post-1920s), English Tudor and Stuart history, Regency England or indeed English kings and queens in general, WW1, British Empire, Napoleonic naval history.

So tell me: what aspect of history fascinates you - and why?

Libraries + Free Audiobook Downloads? Tell me where.

BigBrownBear — Thu, 16 Feb 2006 07:19:14 -0800

Libraries + Free Audiobook Downloads? Tell me where. Does your library let you download free audiobooks from the web? How does it work? How do you like it? (example ).

Software and books for learning Chinese?

pracowity — Mon, 02 May 2005 15:06:48 -0800

What are the best software (Windows XP) and books for learning Chinese? I know absolutely no Chinese and I have no access to native speakers or Chinese teachers.

How can I become an expert at C++ quickly?

breath — Sat, 05 Feb 2005 09:16:54 -0800

How can I become an expert at C++ quickly? I know that the real answer is "lots of experience and work", but I would appreciate some tips on how to get from here to there as efficiently as possible. [MI] I know how to write small programs in C++, and I consider myself to be very proficient in Java, so I don't need help with the basics.

I do need help with figuring out what I don't know that I don't know about. I know I don't know memory management, C++-specific conventions, compilation/linking or creating libraries.

Any book suggestions, online resources, or good programming projects?

What are some good websites that review children's literature?

dagnyscott — Thu, 20 Jan 2005 20:31:56 -0800

What are some good websites that review children's literature? Bonus if the focus is on preschool or early elementary.

What to study to learn banking in one week?

mdpc98 — Tue, 18 Jan 2005 16:20:43 -0800

StudyBingeFilter: let's suppose I had one week to teach myself banking, specifically: asset/liability management, market risk management, credit risk, funds transfer pricing/profitability, mortgage servicing valuation and accounting. anyone recommend some books/study materials/etc.? ...crickets chirping... :)

Recommend books/resources for amateur to learn mathematics

grumblebee — Sat, 27 Dec 2003 10:37:47 -0800

I'd like to learn Math. I'm particularly interested in learning trig and calculus. I'm don't need to learn these disciplines for any purpose. I'm just interested. I'm a reasonably bright guy, with a logical mind (I've worked as a programmer), and I'm a good self-learner. I'm not in a rush (don't mind working at this for a few years). What books/resources would you recommend? I should probably go all the way back to Algebra, which is pretty much where I left off in High School years ago.