I don't know for sure about Pasteur (not my specialty) but from reading some primary sources from around the end of the spontaneous generation debate (Tyndall I think, can't quite remember!) I was struck by how much effort it took. I think it was just a lot harder to get from "first idea" to "compelling empirical results" than might immediately be clear!
You said there might be more in the series, is that still happening? Is there an update planned? Thanks for all your good work!
This is a great attempt. But I think that the social service model, which is one of the best things about public schools, is also one of the worst things. It creates a fake environment that students find stifling, especially as they get older. See especially Paul Graham on this (link, link, link), excerpt:
... (read more)If I could go back and give my thirteen year old self some advice, the main thing I'd tell him would be to stick his head up and look around. I didn't really grasp it at the time, but the whole world we lived in was as fake as a Twinkie. Not just school, but the entire town. Why
Yes, I will take a look! :)
Yes, I often thought of this as a potential explanation before, but in this experience the students definitely wanted to learn. It was basically an elective and they're all seniors already on track to graduate, so they were under no pressure. They just wanted to learn! So in this case it wasn't soul crushing because the students weren't properly motivated, they were absolutely motivated, and so was I. In fact, I think it wasn't soul-crushing for the students. But it was still a little soul-crushing for me!
You absolutely should try tutoring! I'm sure you could find some students who are a good match and who would really appreciate it! :)
Absolutely, and all good points! But what kind of reforms would help fix these problems? You suggest that we could change the job descriptions of new and more senior teachers to give a better distribution of duties. But what could we do to fix the management problems you mention?
I just finished a program where I taught two classes of high school seniors, two classes a day for four weeks, as part of my grad program.
This experience was a lot of fun and it was rewarding, but it was really surprising, and even if only in small ways prompted me to update my beliefs about the experience of being a professor. Here are the three biggest surprises I encountered.
I used to be confused and even a little bit offended when at my meetings with my advisor every week, he wouldn't be able to remember anything about my projects, our recent steps, or what we talked... (read 750 more words →)
This kind of study is really great because so much of what we know about short-term vs. long-term memory is based on just a few (admittedly, very convincing) lesion studies. I was always a little skeptical about the supposed clear distinction between short-term memory, long-term memory, and cognitive function, but this story really made me update in favor of this model! The fact that you could still perform pretty well on the spelling bee even without seeing the letters in front of you is impressive! I hope we see more LessWrong self-experiments along these lines (hopefully safely and under clinical supervision). :)
Kahneman and his books were a big reason I got into science, this is such a loss. I remember reading that story for the first time in college. And it's not just a loss for psychology and neuroscience; he was also a pioneer of adversarial collaboration.
I definitely agree! Historically, lots of scientists have made their best contributions in letters or in commentary. I'm trying to comment and reach out more too. :)
This is a practice I learned a few years ago and it no joke has made a huge difference in my life, especially in relationships. If you're reading this and you're skeptical... just try it.