Gary Ackerman @garyackerman@qoto.org

What were “political issues” when I was a young man and now properly understood as public health issues.

Yeah... lecturing online is a terrible model for remote teaching. We have know that for a long long time... if you insist on it... I must question your... Hmmm... how to finish this with tact?

Scientific methods are not mechanical—they are philosophical. Science rests on skepticism, dialogue, and trust in empirical observation shaped by human judgment. #ScientificReasoning

Progressive educators reject the passive absorption of facts. We honor the learner’s capacity for inquiry, experimentation, and democratic engagement. #education #teaching #schools

Security and usability are inversely related.

Yeah... if it is a public park, please don’t cut flowers... some people go there to see them.

Quality and quantity are often confused.

“Assessment is about meeting standards. Feedback is how well you are understood.” Can’t argue with that.

Let’s be clear... large tables printed in landscape layout on PDF cannot be read effectively on a mobile screen... if someone can prove me wrong, I’d be appreciative.

The “I don’t get paid over the summer” teachers who are unprepared for the new school year also complain the most about the “summer slide.” #education #teaching #highschool

Todd Rose's "The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World that Values Sameness" is on my summer "read this again" pile. It challenges the idea that focusing on averages leads to success, suggesting it often misses individual variation.

Todd Rose argues that our intense focus on averages stems from Fredrick Taylor's manufacturing efficiency approach and psychology that assumed essential human traits. These assumptions are not valid.

Organizations, schools, and businesses that continue to make decisions based on averages are in a lose-lose situation: talent goes unrecognized, and individuals miss chances to develop their unique strengths.

We must stop holding "sameness" as a core value. Instead, we should actively communicate to individuals: "you are unique" and find ways we can all benefits from that uniqueness.

A blog post suggesting generative AI is a valuable resource for researchers :
https://hackscience.education/2025/07/26/sometimes-ai-is-post-on-the-end-of-average-again/
#LLM #generativeAI #AI #education #teaching

A blog post on how intelligence seems a idea that does not do what we think:
https://hackscience.education/2025/07/26/is-it-time-to-reject-intelligence-as-a-construct/

I’m at the age where I usually connect with my best friend from high school (who lives half a continent away) only to let him know who has died.

I don’t understand “I love your music, but not your politics.” You must not be paying attention to the music, because the politics are there... at least it is obvious in the artist I listen to.

My rule of thumb when teaching is “end just before everyone is sick of it.”

The problem is wicked. We do not understand it and cannot even agree on it.

When you see thus as a leader, avoid imposing a single solution... no... “avoid” is the wrong word. *Do not* impose a single solution. #leadership