Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with education

A framework for designing a self-study course using free material?

TheManChild2000 — Fri, 16 May 2008 13:34:46 -0800

Is there a high-level general procedure or process that can be used to design a course of self-study in any topic? There is a broad electrical engineering topic that I intend to spend the next X months learning more about, and would like to approach it efficiently, if possible. I'm wondering if there is a generalized self-study framework that I could simply plug the details for pursuing this particular topic into.

I don't want to go out and spend big bucks on the textbooks that are available. There is a large amount of free material available to me. My general plan is to gather everything that I can, sort and prioritize it, spend a chunk of time just reading, and then see if I can pick a more specific direction after that. But hey, maybe there's a smarter way...

Where should a geek go to grad school to study urban planning?

zvs — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:20:10 -0800

Where should a computer science geek go to grad school to study urban planning? I've just graduated with a BS in computer science, but realized not so long ago that it wasn't really where I wanted to be in five years. What I really want to do is study urban planning, a pretty radical departure from my past academic career. That said, computer science is still where most of my skills lie, and I'd like to pursue a path that merges the two interests. I'll probably never escape technical work entirely.

Aside from MIT and Berkeley, I'd love to know if anybody has hints on where I could find a fairly nerd-oriented course of study in planning. I've heard good things about Waterloo, but I'm mostly working blind at the present time. My grades as an undergraduate engineer were OK (not good enough to guarantee MIT/Berkeley or anything), and at a well-regarded institution.

Thanks in advance!

[P.S.: I'm an American who also holds Schengen citizenship, so schools within either the US or the EU are definitely within the realm of possibility -- if they're taught in English, Spanish or Dutch.]

[P.P.S.: This is my first try at Ask, so if I'm breaking protocol please feel free to abuse me appropriately.]

Using My Right Brain

netbros — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:49:35 -0800

How can I improve my art awareness (i.e paintings, sculpture, crafts, etc.)? I missed out on art and art history during my uninspired college years many moons ago. I'd like to do something now to improve that situation. What should I look for online; what books can I read to get a feel for the masters, as well as contemporary artists? Then, once I understand a bit about what I'm looking for, where should I go (museums, galleries) to enjoy the work? I live in the U.S., so I'd probably want to start there, but I plan to travel internationally when I retire. I would like to make art a part of my discoveries. As always, thanks very much in advance for your suggestions and ideas.

Concerns about taking a gap year / studying in Jeruaslem

howgenerica — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:44:59 -0800

I have some concerns about taking a gap year and studying in Jeruaslem, and hope someone might have some experience with either. I'm graduating from high school soon and am planning on deferring my college enrollment for a year to satisfy my wanderlust and need for adventure. I was recently accepted to a program studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem's Rothberg International School (that's the school for overseas/ English speaking students). The program sounds really tremendous, beginning with an intensive Hebrew course in August, and then a semester of legitimate and cool-sounding classes at the university.

I've never been to Israel though, and I'm sort-of nervous. Taking a gap year requires a degree of bravery in itself, and going to such an ostensibly unstable place seems in many ways foolish. My parents are concerned about letting me go as well, and not without reason.

I really do want to do this, I think. I was just hoping someone might have some insight to offer to assuage my fears, or shed light on new dimensions to the issue. Do any of you have any experience with this or similar programs, or even just living in Jerusalem? I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems on CNN, but I just need some sort of a realistic idea!

Have any of you taken gap years and found them to be valuable experiences?

Thanks.

What are the most interesting issues in your field?

btkuhn — Sun, 11 May 2008 11:14:20 -0800

What are the most interesting emerging topics in your field of study? I am about a year out of undergrad, and considering returning to school at some point to pursue a Phd for a career in academia or research. I've always thought that I would go for a Phd in one of the biological sciences or chemistry since it's the area I did research in during my undergrad, but I've been exposed to so much that I'm interested in since then that I'm considering choosing something totally new. In thinking about this, I realize that there are so many subjects I haven't been exposed to despite my fairly broad liberal arts background. For instance, I have always been aware of the broad field of "Finance", but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that I discovered how fascinating the emerging research in behavioral finance is, and it's a subject that I'd consider for a PhD. Or alternatively, take a field like American History - I admit that I have no idea what the "new" research being done in American History would be - I'd imagine that historians aren't just rehashing arguments about why the civil war was fought.

So I ask you, mefites, what are the most interesting areas of inquiry or recent publications in your field of study? What is "the future" of your field, at least for the next 10-20 years? What would you study today (within your field) if you were entering as a new researcher?

I don't think the names of foodstuffs is going to cut it.

synecdoche — Sat, 10 May 2008 09:25:48 -0800

What is the best way for me to learn Spanish in order to pass a reading test? As part of the degree requirements for my particular graduate program, I need to demonstrate reading proficiency in two languages besides English. I have the first of the two covered, but I need to work on Spanish next.

To demonstrate proficiency, we can either take an intro-level university course or take a translation test (we are allowed a Spanish-English dictionary during the test). I am wondering if the latter might be the best bet for me, as I could do the work over the summer when I am less busy with my other work and get it out of the way.

That being the case, what would be the best way to go about learning the language, given that I won't need to demonstrate any speaking ability? Any recommendations for books, or websites? I've heard of Rosetta Stone, but would like to entertain cheaper options. I'm on a Mac, by the way, if there are other computer programs worth checking out.

I've looked through old AskMes on the topic, but most of them seem to be geared toward speaking as much as reading; I just need the reading. (Note that I realize the benefits of being able to speak another language, but I'm trying to be as practical as I can with an eye to finishing my degree on time, and I have very little contact with Spanish-speakers in this part of Canada.)

Help for parents of gifted kid

rikschell — Fri, 09 May 2008 11:08:50 -0800

What are some good resources for raising a gifted child? Google will pull up all kinds of things, but I'd love a recommendation for stuff more weighted toward parents who want their kids to be able to enjoy childhood and away from the more competitive stuff. I don't want to judge anyone else's parenting choices, but we want to feed our son's interests without trying to turn him into the next Einstein. We just got through some assessments, and are trying to figure out what to do next. I'm sure I'll have more specific questions later, but any online communities or background reading you can point me to would be awesome!

How do I justify the purchase of a Mac for web development?

Awkward Turtle — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:36:14 -0800

Is there a definitive source I can point to or glean knowledge from in order to justify the purchase of a Mac for web development and design? I'm trying to put together a request for the purchase of a MacBook Pro. I have already included its ability to enable my working from the road. I've also thrown in the increasing number of Safari/MacOS users accessing our site. I'm in search of arguments in favor of the Mac (for development and design) which don't dwell on stability and security, but rather how the Mac is a better platform for development.

Color me rather uneducated, but at a recent technology conference I was surprised to find most of the developers in attendance claimed to use Macs for all their coding work. As a web developer by trade (and designer by necessity as our organization is small) I have worked with varying flavours of Windows and Linux/Unix over the years. While I previously coded mostly by hand, I switched to DreamWeaver when my org moved to ColdFusion. A kind person recently pointed me to CFEclipse which has me rather excited (I do love code snippets).

I work for a large state university, in case that makes a difference. I've found a few articles that are not quite what I'm looking for (but are close).

Will switching to a mac make developing awesome?

Why Mac? 37signals can tell you
The video on this one doesn't seem to be there anymore.

Almost half of Princeton computer purchases are Macs

Nerd classes or normal?

Wayman Tisdale — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:56:29 -0800

Should I enroll my child in GATE classes? What have been your experiences? My child has been recommended and has qualified for GATE classes. She is quite happy at the school she is at now, but she is the type who loves school and would be happy anywhere. She will be entering the 2nd grade next year and would be switching schools if she entered GATE.

There are of course other factors, but I would like to hear what other people's experiences have been, as parents, students, or even educators. Is there a considerable difference between GATE classes and traditional classes?

How to work with no diploma?

Anonymous — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:15:05 -0800

How do the uneducated make a living? What jobs are available to those who don't have degrees, but can easily fool you into thinking they do? Without getting into the circumstances, I'm at a standstill in my life. I'm 21, have zero (0) formal education, thus no college degree, high school degree, or even GED. I'm not a dropout, and assuming any sort of generalized job, I would be on par with a college graduate.

What would be a good place to start to set myself up for the job market?

While I have no formal education, I'm reasonably confident that I could get a GED with ease. I have amateur skills in design, but that's about it… I'm not unintelligent, I'm reasonably well-informed about most things, even educated pretty well, but not formally, i.e. little that I can put on a resume.

Oh, and what's a good fallback? I know someone who was in a similar situation and got a dream job at the age of 20 without any of the above… but things changed, ten years later he was out of a job, and then he was back at square one. So even if I get a job that works for me without any degree-requirements, what's a good degree to just have?

Basically, I'm starting from a blank slate, but a lot later than I should. Where to start?

Two notes:
I'm not altogether against starting from scratch (getting a GED and working towards a meaningful degree), but as part of my whole not-being-educated thing, I have not clue what a useful degree is, or what I'm interested in doing. I'm not concerned about starting something now, although I'm aware that ideally I'd have started years ago.
I'm in NYC.

Throwaway address: diplomas21@gmail.com

Prob. Res.

Kirklander — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:05:51 -0800

What does "Prob. Res." stand for, in the context of a professor's C.V. that lists an advanced degree from a British university, with "Prob. Res" afterwards? Has anyone heard of this abbreviation?

Biology 'Refresher?

sandmanwv — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:41:25 -0800

Good way to get 'refreshed' on Biology? I took 1st year BIO 8 years ago. I'm taking the second semester this summer and don't want to be completely lost. What are some good ways (whether online, dvd, book, etc) to get this done? I'll probably go to a Bio 1 class and pick up the syllabus, but would like some suggestions. I'll have about 6 weeks to do the 'refresh'

But I was born here!

Umhlangan — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:50:05 -0800

Our daughter, 4 years old now, was born in California while my wife and I (both Canadians) were working legally in Los Angeles. She obviously has a US birth certificate and SIN but lives in Canada. Will this make things easier for her should she want to study in the US when she gets to University age or will it be of no advantage whatsoever?

Can I set my HP printer to grayscale by default?

mooreeasyvibe — Thu, 01 May 2008 08:19:30 -0800

How can I set my HP printer to grayscale by default? I'm in a Windows network environment (a school incidently) - we are using profiles for the children's machines.

At the moment they login and a printer is picked for them in a kix file -

if setdefaultprinter("HP Colour") = 0
?"Default printer set to HP Colour"
end if
Return

Is there a way to set the printer to print in grayscale by default.

But, so that they could through the interface, change it to colour?

Does this even make sense?
Is this even possible?

Thanks
Chris

Reading people by observing subtle mannerisms

sixcolors — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:47:16 -0800

Help me read people better. What are some ways that you can locate certain personality types or backgrounds based on body language and interaction with the environment? Many of my friends and even some of my relatives are ahead of me on this. When we meet new people or observe strangers out in public, they can tell if someone's a virgin vs. promiscuous, straight vs. gay, upper middle class vs. working class, nice vs. asshole, local vs. from X state/city, etc.

The thing is that I don't think my friends go by obvious things such as clothing or hairstyle. I think those things are taken into consideration, but not the only things. I'm usually told it's "the way they move" or how they react to things and people around them.

Number of Ph.D.s in humanities vs. hard sciences?

Prospero — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:19:43 -0800

Do American institutions of higher education collectively grant more doctorates annually in the arts and humanities than in the "hard" sciences (that is, biology, chemistry, physics, and for this discussion, mathematics)? For purposes of this discussion, fields will be defined as they are in this study (which doesn't exactly give me the information I need):

Arts and Humanities: Art History, Classics, Comparative Literature, English Language and Literature, French Language and Literature, German Language and Literature, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Religion, Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature.

Biological Sciences: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Cell and Developmental Biology; Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior; Molecular and General Genetics; Neurosciences; Pharmacology; Physiology.

Physical Sciences and Mathematics: Astrophysics and Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Geosciences, Mathematics, Oceanography, Physics, Statistics and Biostatistics.

Note that I'm excluding engineering and social/behavioral sciences here.

Finally, numbers will be more helpful here than hearsay. This question came out of a conversation this weekend between myself (I have an English Ph.D.) and a biology grad student, and while I believe that far more humanities Ph.D.s than science Ph.D.s are minted each year, she believes the reverse is true. So since at least one of us is operating on hearsay, I need hard numbers to settle this, if possible. But this morning my Google-fu is weak. Help, AskMe.

What kind of financial education are people getting in the States?

Laugh_track — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:18:57 -0800

This question is only for people who went to public school in the United States. Did you receive any financial education there, and if so, what?

Education Blogs.

Memo — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:26:11 -0800

I'm preparing an exposition (a talk) for a class about blogs in general and their use in education. What should I include on it? Resources and research about the topic would be very helpful. I'm going to begin with a small summary of the origins of the term blog, the evolution that it went through and the different kinds of them that exist at the present. All the time emphasizing the fact that anyone can write about anything on the web.

After that, I want to start talking about how blogs can be used and how they are being used for education purposes. Edublogs and the like. And, while I'm concentrating in what the situation is in my country (Chile), I would like to mention what happens everywhere else. Clever applications of this resource, or even common ones, how they have been integrated into a class curriculum, etc.
Really, any info related to the topic will be helpful.

Thanks!

Help me pimp my test prep!

sisflit — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:05:50 -0800

I am taking the Praxix II - Elementary Education (0014) this Saturday. Needless to say, I'm a bit behind in studying. The good news is that I am on vacation this week and have some time to dedicate to the cause. Also, I took my Praxis I in November and scored very well, I am looking for guidance on how to study for the inevitable history, science and theory questions that I have not thought about in the 13 years since I graduated college. I did purchase the REA book, have completed 2 practice tests and am copying the answers I got wrong onto notecards. Does it sound like I am on the right track?

Looking for articles on a particular philosophy of education

tzikeh — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:25:54 -0800

I'm writing a monstrous paper on the "cross-curricular" teaching method for middle school and high school. I have searched ERIC, JSTOR, and psycINFO with all kinds of keyword combos, and I'm still not coming up with decent theoretical or empirical articles. I really need the help of the Collective BrainFilter. I'll explain further inside... This philosophy of this method suggests that relating the subject matter you teach (math, history, etc.) to other subjects that the students are studying (literature, science, etc.) and to the "real world" (current events, local news) is a smarter way of teaching than simply concentrating on your subject and your subject alone I can't find anything that explains *why* this theory is a good one; it feels like common sense, but I need to back that up with articles. It's a theory discussed and practiced in many schools, but as far as I can find, there's no data on why we should teach this way -- why it's positive, why it's better than not, etc. I'm looking for both empirical, peer-reviewed studies, and/or articles on the theory itself ("theory suggests that..."). I'm at a loss. Why did I think grad school was a good idea, again?

How to share a short clip from a DVD with others.

mooreeasyvibe — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:56:40 -0800

How can I get a short clip from a DVD and save it to use in the classroom? Say I was teaching a lesson and a film had a short clip that was perfect at demonstrating something or at getting a point across and I wanted to save it and let other teachers use it in their lessons what would I have to do? Obviously I would look to getting the right clearance in terms of copyright - but how would I do this? Is there a really quick and easy way? Thanking you.

What Could I Do With My 2009?

divabat — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:03:03 -0800

This year's my final year of my degree. My psychologist asked me if I had any plans for next year. My original plan fell apart, so now I don't really have anything. Hmm. What could I look into? So I didn't get shortlisted for the Danish KaosPilots. Ouch. I'm still sad about it, but I've had two weeks to brood about it and it's time to move on.

Since I had been so single-mindedly focused on that one goal for the past six months, I didn't really consider Plans B, C, and so on. (I did consider that it would be a possibility, but I didn't spend too much time on it.) I had been pretty worn out from all that preparation and planning, so I'm taking at least this month off from anything along the lines of "my future" and just do random things for a while. If something strikes me as interesting, I'd apply for it, but I won't devote much time or energy on it.

I do still have to think about next year though. This is my final year; I'm finishing off all my required subjects this sem and have 4 electives free next semester. Deciding what to do after university isn't really a clear-cut process, as there are a few complex factors that need to be considered.

While I don't think I'm quite ready to devote my entire life to one pursuit (like I did before), and I don't want to commit to something just yet, I'd like to explore my options and just take a look at what seems interesting.

I'm interested in young people, non-traditional education, culture, community work, and making a difference. What could I do? What could I explore?

Some ideas:

1. Apply for the KaosPilots in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) - it starts roughly around the same time as the Denmark school, but they seem a lot more excited about potentially having me (though I don't want to get my heart broken again!!)

2. Do a Masters or a Grad Dip in something - some courses that look interesting and are more the kind of stuff I'm interested in are the Non-Profit/Philantrophy stream in QUT's Business programs (though I'm ineligible because they're part-time); International Comparative Education and Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies in Stanford; Arts in Youth and Community Development in Columbia College Chicago; SIT Graduate Programs; Humane Education. Possibly also education in general, social work, or counselling. I'd rather it be more experiential and real-world as I'm sick of academic writing and learn best by doing, but I'm not sure how to search out this information.

3. Get a job in Australia. The main problem here is visas - to be eligible for the 18-month bridging visa, my job has to pay me at least $40,000/year - next to impossible for entry level, especially in the creative industries/community services which are underfunded. The other option is to be sponsored by a company, but they need to have a lot of resources to prove that I'm better than any Australian candidate, and most of the companies that would otherwise be an excellent fit just can't afford to do so.

4. Get a job in Malaysia. No visa issues, but prospects are pretty low as there aren't as many opportunities.

5. Take some of my ideas and make them real (so this would also involve research on funding, project management, how I'll survive while I plan out my project...)

6. Apply for my dream job at UWP, if it's available

7. Take up the partial scholarship from The Scholar Ship and travel for a sem - might need to reapply though. Alternatively, travel on similar programs (though funding would be an issue)

8. Take up BrainStore's traineeship offer - 3 months in Switzerland. It's actually meant for this August but I could defer it.

9. Apply for a fellowship to something - I've applied to a couple that don't require much travel (and pay expenses if I have to). Sauve Scholars would be COOL. I'm not sure where to search for these though - most of the ones I find require you to already have a project in mind, but I want to find a project I can get involved with.

10. Stay at home, mooch off the parents. While desirable by my parents (who sometimes have Empty Nest Syndrome) I would be bored very quickly.

11. Travel, though this would eat up money mainly in visa fees (damn Bangladesh passport).

12. Do a second degree in something, or a random course that's more for fun than anything else

13. Try to be famous for...something.

As I've said before, I'm most interested in exploring possibilities than anything else, so feel free to toss me any suggestions - schools, programs, people, countries (particularly those not picky with visas), companies, visa advice, etc. Most of the best/most interesting ones tend to be US-specific, so anything that allows internationals would be best (e.g. an international City Year or Peace Corps).

If nothing else, just looking at all the ideas would get me a little more excited about life and lift me out from my dumps!

Thank you!

People who live under a rock

sixcolors — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:26:18 -0800

How do people become stupid? Or, shall I say "How do people STAY ignorant?" We all came into the world ignorant about how life works. Some wisen up, others stay in the dark. What is it that separate those two kinds of people?

With the information explosion (internet, wikipedia, tons of tv stations/shows, the news) that we had within the last decade, how can anyone remain uneducated about basic things?

Some examples:
*I know a MAN who is 55 years old and does not know what testosterone is. But, he watches tons of educational TV like the discovery channel, TLC, history channel, KDNL, etc.
*I know people who are in COLLEGE, who think Africa is a country. I know several people who don't know how to ride a bike. Some college kids think a woman will not get pregnant or an STD if he "pulls out".
*I am in grad school and my mom's a teacher, I didn't know what tenure was until it came up in classroom discussion during my first semester. I also had no knowledge of what was a flagship university.

The existence of my own ignorance is the most alarming. Furthermore, is that I don't know HOW I became ignorant and what to do about it. I watch the news, I browse metafilter and wikipedia to learn new stuff, I watch educational TV shows, I went to college, my mother went to college, I'm getting my Master's in May, I like to read non-fiction, I am curious about the world...yet I feel that I am still very naive.

Best French-English/English-French science dictionary?

solotoro — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 08:53:46 -0800

Francofilter (part 2) (part 1): What's my best option for a science/technical French-English/English-French dictionary? It's official. In a few months, I will be teaching science in a secondary school in Burkina Faso. My French is coming along, thanks to your kind suggestions and Rosetta Stone. The problem is, I'm going to need to know more than just how to ask for directions or tell people about my family. I'm going to be teaching middle school or high school level science classes. (My expertise is in chemistry, but there's a good chance I'll be teaching other courses as well). Amazon has several French/English science dictionaries, varying in price from $2 to several hundred. How is my money best spent? There aren't any reviews on the cheaper stuff, and I can't afford the higher end stuff. If it is absolutely worth it, I could spend up to $100 on a really good dictionary. What's worked for you, hive mind?

Getting into grad school...late.

m0nm0n — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 07:34:46 -0800

I recently turned 30 and have been regretting the fact that I never got my Master's. Now that I have been out of college for about 8 years, how do I go about getting back in? I have looked into going to grad school for a Master's in English off and on over the past few years, but never seriously pursued it for various reasons. Hitting 30 is making me realize that these wheels need some traction or they'll never stop spinning.

The main problems I see are: I have been working in IT since getting out of college; I don't have many writing examples left over from school and I haven't been doing literary-analysis-type writing in the interim (all schools obviously want relevant writing samples); and I've not kept in touch with my professors from college, and I don't know who I would ask for relevant letters of recommendation.

What can I do to overcome these obstacles? Has anyone out there been able to get into grad school years after finishing undergrad?