Babies get abstract with maths

Brain-based math learning research seems to be getting some media coverage. Here's the link to the Abstract in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Regifting my Blog to NeuroMathEd

In my second regift in as many months. These blogs are just giving themselves away!

Check out my Conference Web Page.

Jottings: Program Evaluation

Do schools die? LBO of Schools by Teachers based on Merit vs. Worth

Design / Evaluation => All of it leads to Research?

Book Notes: Harnessing Complexity

Axelrod, Robert & Cohen, Michael D. (1999). Harnessing complexity: Organizational implications of a scientific frontier. New York: The Free Press.

The Design of Organizations and Strategies
"1. What is the right balance between variety and uniformity?
2. What should interact with what and when?
3. Which agents or strategies should be copied and which should be destroyed?" (p.22-3)

"Agents, of a variety of types, use their strategies, in patterned interaction, with each other and with artifacts. Performance measures on the resulting events drive the selection of agents and/or strategies through processes of error-prone copying and recombination, the changing the frequencies of the types within the system." (p.154)

How Interaction Works
Proximity, factors determine how agents come to be likely to interact with each other.
Activation, factors determine the sequencing of their activity.
Spaces: Physical and Conceptual

External Methods of Changing Interaction Patterns
Barriers to Movement in Time and Physical Space
Barriers to Movement in conceptual space
Semi-permeable Barriers
Activation in Sequence or in Parallel

Internal Methods of Changing Interaction Patterns
Following another agent
Following a signal, people tend to move toward desirable signals
Forming Boundaries
Separating Time Scales
Redistributing Stress
Organizing routines
Restructuring of Physical and Conceptual Spaces

Go with the Flow

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

"experiencing flow, a state of deep focus that occurs when people engage in challenging tasks that demand intense concentration and commitment. Flow occurs when a person's skill elvel is perfectly balanced to the challenfe level of a task that has a clear goal and provides immediate feedback."

"Flow's guiding principles - a positive attitude toward facing challenges, not allowing oneself to be controlled by time, social conventions and material desires."

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jul98/joy.html