Monthly Archives: July 2012

Learning without teachers: “The Doubting Game” versus “The Believing Game”

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Back in the early 1970s, the college writing classroom was a touchy-feely environment, occasionally subject to instruction through experiential events called “happenings,” which were basically instances of hippie-era performance art. In a “happening,” students engaged in random, unorganized activities like flicking the classroom … Continue reading →

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Who writes the songs that make the whole world sing? (Barry Manilow, for one)

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Walking on the treadmill earlier today, I kept skimming through my iPod to pick out whatever suited my workout fancy of the moment.  At one point I idly wondered whether the song I was listening to had been written by the … Continue reading →

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The making of a “reader”

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Are “readers” born, or are they made? If they are “born” then no amount of instruction is going to make a difference.  But assuming a reader is “made,” how can schools best accomplish that objective?  In 1955 readability expert Rudolf Flesch published … Continue reading →

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“Westworld” (Boy, have we got a vacation for you!)

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Over the weekend my older daughter and I watched Westworld.  Again 🙂 Although we always enjoy this film for the story itself, we also get a kick out of deconstructing its “high tech” symbolism and noting anachronisms and things so commonplace … Continue reading →

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Success through failure

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

The “Review” section of yesterday’s Wall Street Journal contained an interesting short article by Ken Bain, titled “Flummoxed by Failure – or Focused,” which was primarily about the un-fixed nature of intelligence.  Most people are just about as smart as … Continue reading →

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Creativity, “Mr. Patent,” Keith Richards, and me

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Following up on yesterday’s post on “Creativity and the importance of routine,” here is a link to a Fast Company article I recall reading ten years ago.  Titled “Mr. Patent,” it profiles Marvin Johnson, a research fellow at Phillips Petroleum … Continue reading →

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Creativity and the importance of routine

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

One of my favorite writers is Flannery O’Connor, a Southerner who lived and wrote for most of her life on a farm in rural Georgia.  Possibly you’ve never read her, or maybe you read one of her stories once and wound … Continue reading →

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Fun with the Periodic Table (and math)

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

What is it about the Periodic Table that inspires so many take-offs? Look at all these fun makeovers: The Periodic Table of Typefaces The Periodic Table song, “The Elements,” by my favorite mid-20th-century musical humorist (!) Tom Lehrer.  See it sung … Continue reading →

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Barefoot summers

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

Driving home yesterday, we saw a woman crossing the street, barefoot and limping.  Was she hurt?  More likely, we suspected, she was reacting to the asphalt under her feet.  With the outdoor temperature hitting 100°, the street probably felt like a hot … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on “Blade Runner” thirty years later

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Katherine Wikoff

I recently joined a LinkedIn group called “World Cinema Critics” to be part of a community engaged in serious film discussions.  Lately we’ve had a comment thread going on the subject of Blade Runner, a movie I hadn’t seen since its theatrical release … Continue reading →

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