Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

Objectively measuring the value of anything seems dubious… except maybe money and votes.

“Network analysis”—the integration of more variables into decision-making—creates better decisions than “industry analysis”—decision-making based on recognized variables.

Those subject matters that are so important in school do not exist outside of it.

“Precise measurements” are not necessarily “scientific.”

“It’s obvious that…” is a sure sign someone is about to say something no one agrees… and nature objects too.

“That OER book is OK, but they need to fix….”

Let me explain how this works.

Punishment isn’t pedagogy.

The fact that as many people need to learn this as I near the end of my career as needed to hear it at the beginning shows how little educators care about research-based methods.

When I no longer cared about grades, I became a straight A student. Unfortunately, it was my in the last half of my undergraduate studies.

Folks have asked me if I’d consider returning to teaching… I tell them my conditions… all grounded in my work experience outside of school… they tell me I’m unreasonable.

“Averages can be misleading.” Truer sentences are rarely written.

When science demonstrates you are wrong, the obvious thing to do is deny it… well not to me, but it seems that is the preferred action at least here in the USA.

Ok…if shoddy research is disallowed… much of the data in education will be… well let’s just keep that research because it really matches the stories we have decided to tell.

If you hang out with jerks, then I assume you are… wait for it… a jerk.

“Data” generally assumes you have a large dataset and seek to describe patterns and correlations… “data” was never meant to characterize an individual.

Don’t say, “I didn’t do it” to the person. Who knows how to get into the logs.

One thing I learned during 35 years in education: there are plenty of educators, and a vast majority of curriculum leaders, standards writers, etc. who vastly underestimate students’ interest in and capacity to learn about and potentially solve complex problems.