Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Arguments that seem right but have little evidence are the most dangerous.

Forget teaching how to do taxes, if we teach the paradox of knowledge (“If you think you understand it, you are wrong”), we might be able to make better collective decisions.

“Can someone help me find the research supporting this widely used teaching practice? I can’t find it.”

That’s because it doesn’t exist.

“With a bit of imagination, nothing can be truly anomalous.” -Stephen Jay Gould

One reason science is skeptical of “old home remedies” is it is designed to provide causal explanations. It isn’t enough to conclude “this happens,” they seek to know “why it happens.”

Newton’s First Rule of Reasoning: We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.

Good scientists can differentiate their hypothesis from a preconceived notion.

I've been around long enough to know that technologies that will "change everything" usually don't.

Cognition is emotional. If we don't care about it, we won't learn it.

The skepticism of science and the skepticism of denialism are different.

When we do science, we question everything. This is why so many people are resistant.

Curiosity. It is a far better motivator than outcomes.

Red herrings. So much work is wasted on red herrings.

"Let's do a survey" is a sure way to not find out what you want to know.

I have a few assignments in which I trust students when they tell me they did it. If they don’t, then they will struggle with later projects. I explain the rationale, but they are still confused that they don’t have to hand anything in. Yeah, and when they struggle later, and admit they did not do the earlier project, I have no sympathy.

STEM fields are related, but are fundamentally very different. Science explores nature as it exists. Technology and engineering control and apply natural phenomena. Math applies and explores patterns.

So many lofty sounding titles obscure the intent of the advocates.

I’ve worked in #edtech long enough to realize I should not recommend Google tools as they are likely to be abandoned.

Here is your regular reminder the saying should be “always state the opinions upon which you base your facts.”

The more objective you claim to be, the less objective you are.