ThunderSnow.us

From a comment here

When I have students who suggest that they’ll never use the basic algebra I teach them, I first ask them a question: when will they use the material they learned in biology in their lives? When will they use what they learned in their history class in their careers? What percent of the things they learned in school will they directly use in the workplace?

Then I explain one of my philosophies about math classes. The fact of the matter is that most people don’t retain all of the math that they’ve ever learned. For someone in a developmental math course it might be something like 50%. For a grad student, it might be something like 80% (as a former math grad student, I can tell you that I retained significantly less than that). So if we need someone to be very comfortable with arithmetic to function in society, stopping at the end of arithmetic won’t be enough for them to retain it. They’ll need a bit more in order to retain everything.

Since math does build on itself, we can start teaching these students algebra. In using algebra, students will be challenged to use their arithmetic skills in many different ways, forcing them to actually own arithmetic. It will give them the practice of not only performing arithmetic, but also knowing when it’s appropriate to use different operations.

Finally, the problem solving and even logic skills one employs in an algebra class are really a dimension higher than that in an arithmetic class. Being introduced to a different way of thinking (using variables to represent unknown quantities, as well as using symbolic manipulation) is immensely helpful in any sort of problem solving arena, whether or not it involves math. Everyone needs problem solving skills: if jobs didn’t require them, everything would be run 100% by computers.

After explaining this to the few argumentative students I get, they generally stop complaining. And they’re art students. Sure, they might not ever need to solve an optimization problem involving a system of inequalities, but learning how to do it reinforces many of the more basic skills they will use and improves the problem solving skills they will need.

Ah, Nesmith. This sign is in all the stairwells, several of the hallways, and next to the (two) women’s bathrooms. The hallways and stairwells also sport the counterpart.

Please, please, can we do something about this building?

In honor of my stereopsis final:

A conversation between myself and Dan the other day:
Dan: I’ll be right over, I just have to check my mailbox.
Me: Silly CS and your silly mailboxes.
Dan: You don’t have a department mailbox?
Me: There’s six hundred of us! No.
Dan: How do your professors hand back your homework?
Me: Our what?

School. I need to write a paper for next week that I have Absolutely No Idea what to write about. I don’t know how to write about literature, I’m discovering. I just don’t think about the things I’m reading in the right way for this. It’s very strange, finding this out.

The ankle that I sprained 1.5 months ago is steadily getting better. I need to get back into the habit of playing pickup ultimate a few days a week - I haven’t been playing this fall and it makes me sad.

I’ve been knitting. Finished those socks for Dan (finally). Actually, I ended up making three socks of that yarn, because by the time I finished the second I had no idea where the first was. Dug through all the likely hiding places in the apartment, but no luck. It still hasn’t turned up. I know I made it, though. Honest. And since I finished those, I’ve been working on a pair of Pomatomus socks for me, in gorgeous pinky-purple yarn from Fearless Fibers, on Etsy (and if you have not yet discovered the power of Etsy to consume an hour or more of browsing time, then go be initiated).

And, I’m stage managing and doing lights for a show called Best Enemies, which is up right now at the Players Ring in Portsmouth, and that will run through two more weekends. Come see us!

New Knitty up! Including a new twist on the days-of-the-week accessories: a set of seven washcloths that can be made in “STUDY” or “PARTY” form, for the appropriate days of the week. Now, the pattern says to make six STUDY and one PARTY washcloth. Ha. At this nationally ranked party school, four and three would be a far more appropriate split. (Yes, Thursday is a weekend here. You get used to it.)

That’s right. Anne Weaver Hart herself believes that I am graduating. Someone needs to update their graduating-senior algorithm beyond “Senior, check. Spring semester, check,” such as considering, say, Intent-to-Graduate forms. Isn’t that kind of the point of those?

UPDATE: One of my profs tells me it’s because turnout at the Honors Convocation tends to be a bit weak, so they try to get as many students to show up as possible.

Things I need to do before May 8th (the last day of classes):

1. Take two exams (linear algebra and visual perception). This seems grievously unfair. Finals start in about three weeks and yet I still have midterms in the near future?
2. Write a paper on “Should marijuana be legalized?” I am deeply afraid that whatever I write will end up sounding like “Yes, because I am a stoner,” and this is for a prof whose opinion I highly value. Murf.
3. Write a paper on “Is depression a disease of the brain?” Same class. Should be more interesting. (Yes, I may be the only person on this campus who would have this opinion.)
4. Write a long (6000 words) paper on binding in vision. (That link is to the worst Wikipedia article I’ve encountered in a while. I’m almost tempted to go fix it, except, well, you see this list.) The real problem with this paper is that I haven’t really done any of the reading for it, let alone started writing it, because many of the resources I want aren’t at UNH, and the ILL online interface makes me want to cry.
5. Rewrite and re-hand-in a paper on the kinetic depth effect. I swear, at this point, I can babble about this stuff in my sleep. I’ll tell y’all about that later.
6. Put together a second video assignment for my ASL class.
7. Do two final-draft quality homework sets for math.

And that’s just the schoolwork.

Things I am taking fall semester:

Psyc791 Culture and Human Development (group 2 700-level, no real pre-reqs) - TR 2:10-3:30

Psyc797 Senior Honors Tutorial (this is the senior thesis project course. I don’t know what it actually includes.) - R 1:10-2:00

Math761 Abstract Algebra - MW 8:10-9:30 F 8:40-9:30

Math767 One-Dimensional Real Analysis - MW 9:40-11 F 9:40-10:30

Yes, that’s three hours straight, twice a week, at 8am. Yes, I’m crazy. I know.

Things I may take as well (no more than one of these):

Huma514B 20th Century 1900-1945 (with Michael Ferber. Final gen-ed requirement) - TR 8:40-11:00
Psyc917 Advanced Seminar/Sensory and Perceptual Processes (yes, this is a grad-school course. The prof isn’t sure he’s actually going to run it as an S&P topic, but if he does, I’ll most likely go play) T 2:10-5:00

Psyc 5something. I still need a group 2 500-level course, and so checking that off would be good too.

I received an email today from “UMN CogSci” and was very excited at the possibility that it was telling me I was or was not accepted to their summer program. I should have known better.

Due to the large number of highly qualified applications that we have received this year, we will be unable to notify you as to your acceptance into the program by April 1st as originally stated.
However, in the next four weeks, you will receive an email and a letter if you have been selected to participate in the program.

Grr.

But, I was today pointed towards another reu at Colorado State, that also has some folks I’d like to work with. Unfortunately, I will need to do all the work for that application (and perhaps even submit it) before I hear from Minnesota.