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I want to know how teaching evolved, as much as we (anthropologists/historians) know. What I've found on the internet seems to imply that schools didn't exist before 17th (?) Century and teachers in those had no training, just excellent exam results (like 14 year old Laura in Little House on the Prairie, c 1880s). [more inside]
posted by b33j at 6:19 PM - 8 answers

My city offers an amazing two way bilingual K-8 program. My daughter got a slot. We are delighted but also nervous. She is a super verbal, not very physically adept (comes by that honestly...sorry kid!), English speaker. Most of the other students are native Spanish speakers or bilingual. Neither myself, nor my husband speak any Spanish. I have some ideas for how to help her prepare/feel confident over the summer, but would love other tips. [more inside]
posted by jeszac at 6:57 AM - 25 answers

In 1960 a semester at Harvard cost $11,000 in consistent dollars. Today a semester at Harvard costs $50,000. An increase of 4.5 times. Where is that extra money going? [more inside]
posted by sotonohito at 12:07 PM - 65 answers

Hope me research how to improve the usability of a library discovery service! While we can create tutorials and provide library instruction, we have found that ‘just in time’ help is better than ‘just in case.’ No one wants to read a manual to do find sources for their paper. My ideal is to provide context-aware suggestions and tips analogous to how video games teach new users how to play. But, I also need to make these instructions easy to bypass for those that don’t need it and/or are annoyed by it. [more inside]
posted by BeBoth at 9:36 AM - 7 answers

This is the sort of thing I assume exists in the droves on this Internets of ours, but an initial search has been lacking. I'm looking for an archive of scanned (preferably high-res) images of old hand-writing exercises. You know, the type you had to do in grade school when learning how to write, like this. Either handwriting or cursive is fine.

• I'm specifically looking for older historical versions from the US. The older the better, but lets say 1920-1970 would be ideal.

Any help appreciated!
posted by jeremias at 3:07 PM - 9 answers

How's law school in 2019? I don't know any lawyers so I figured I'd ask here since Askmefi helped me out a lot in the past. [more inside]
posted by chrono_rabbit at 5:51 AM - 10 answers

If there is a piece of music with two flats then I know that a whole note on the C space will be RI if it has a sharp. But what about a natural? [more inside]
posted by lynnie-the-pooh at 9:13 AM - 10 answers

Little eirias (previously, previouslier) has been seeing an occupational therapist pursuant to some behavioral problems in first grade. Her intake assessment suggests a mild postural disorder. What in-school accommodations are both reasonable to ask for and have a decent chance of helping? (Difficulty level: small private school.) [more inside]
posted by eirias at 3:07 PM - 15 answers

My nephew is graduating next weekend with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. What would be a good gift? I'm thinking (but not stuck on) a book, something he'll be able to use in his future or one that will simply be interesting to someone in that line. I have no idea what he's been made to read during his studies, though, which complicates matters more than somewhat. Any ideas?
posted by bryon at 9:41 PM - 22 answers

My daugher is in preschool. She seems to play a lot but there is not a lot of "free play" and the free play is divided into stations. She loves it there and wants to play school every day when she gets home. However, I wonder if a more play-based school would be better. Is there any evidence that a play-based, non-academic preschool will make her a more well-rounded kid in the future? Thank you!
posted by chaiminda at 2:29 AM - 7 answers

Jumping off from the "My 13-year-old Joined The Alt-Right" FPP, looking for research or publications that focuses on how schools or school systems become their own little "kingdoms," with little regard for due process, etc. [more inside]
posted by kuanes at 4:12 AM - 3 answers

I graduated with an MSc in AI in the 2000s. Looking for an online course or book to get me up to speed on current algorithms and tools. [more inside]
posted by snownoid at 2:17 AM - 3 answers

My son is starting his Junior year in high school next year. What do kids do when they visit colleges? When I did it, I was looking for how I felt about living there (UC Santa Cruz, if you're curious.) Now that I am possibly paying for this adventure, shopping for "feel" seems horribly fuzzy and imprecise. [more inside]
posted by dfm500 at 2:35 PM - 31 answers

I'm 29. I tried to study for a bachelors degree in mathematics, and everything went over my head. If we have questions that go a little above the routine, I can't even understand the question. It seems like my mind can't understand mathematics, but my sister understands very well and I can't accept that I should stop. Help. [more inside]
posted by catbird at 4:31 AM - 30 answers

Is there anywhere in the United States I can take an electronics intensive course anytime between mid-June and October? [more inside]
posted by cnidaria at 3:45 PM - 5 answers

I volunteer for a national charity that supports people with severe mental health issues, feelings of despair and suicidal ideation. I have been given the opportunity to design and facilitate a session on mental health for the volunteers. The catch is I only have 30 minutes. What should I cover? [more inside]
posted by Dwardles at 1:29 AM - 17 answers

In my twenties, I taught myself how to computer and managed to make a career out of it. Now I'm in my forties, my life is more complicated, my time is more constrained, and I'm finding it harder to acquire new skills using the scattershot techniques that served me when I was younger. I have no formal education beyond high school, where I was the stereotypical ADHD kid – terrible study habits and pretty good grades. What are some techniques, tricks, or resources for structuring self-guided learning that have worked well for you? [more inside]
posted by murphy slaw at 12:09 PM - 11 answers

I've been in management too long and my tech brain is shrinking. What's the best fully-online data science post-graduate degree out there that covers machine learning and natural language processing techniques? (more criteria within) [more inside]
posted by cross_impact at 7:53 AM - 5 answers

So I used the pretty woman shopping scenes last week to teach tone in my class. Showed it with subtitles and it worked great. So this week I tried My Best Friend's wedding. Not good. Way too complicated for my class which is all middle aged women. So what are some movies that are good but involve direct and simple dialogue and which ladies in their early 40s would like?
posted by rileyray3000 at 7:32 AM - 16 answers

My 18-year-old niece is graduating from High School in June, and is planning to move to China to live with a family and be their kids' English Tutor. Can you give me an idea of what she should expect? [more inside]
posted by Gray Duck at 12:21 PM - 8 answers