A wandering mind heads toward insight WSJ article reports on findings that suggest: …our brain may be most actively engaged when our mind is wandering and we’ve actually lost track of our thoughts, a new brain-scanning study suggests. “Solving a problem with insight is fundamentally different from solving a problem analytically,” … “There really are … Read more
How many words are there in the English language? Estimates vary but most agree there are quite a few. And how many do you know, or own and have a personal relationship with? Meet Wordia – a visual dictionary where people famous and otherwise upload their personal definitions. Brigham tried it out in the high … Read more
What’s the difference between a metaphor and lying? With a president who reads Derek Walcott and quotes June Jordan it’s good to have comedians at home with T.S.Eliot. This week inaugural poet Elizabeth Alexander explained metaphor to Stephen on The Colbert Report. Get More: Comedy Central,Funny Videos,Funny TV Shows Meanwhile at PDS English teachers had … Read more
An article by Alfie Kohn in The Nation is a timely reminder of how language is so easily co-opted to mean quite the reverse of the usual understanding. The polluters bring us “Clear Skies” and the armaments industry brings us the B36 bomber – “The Peacemaker”. And now those touted as school “reformers” are heralded … Read more
What’s your favorite word and is it in this dictionary yet? If not, then consider making a personal contribution. Meanwhile – take a look, see and listen to the contributions so far in Wordia And don’t worry – there are lots more words to go. The Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary contains full … Read more
El externado de Poughkeepsie desarrolla a ciudadanos educados con una pasión para aprender y vivir. Nuestra comunidad exige integridad, responsabilidad y respecto mutuo. Poughkeepsieの昼間学校は学び、生存のための情熱の教育がある市民を開発する。 私達のコミュニティは完全性、責任および相互点を要求する。 Пугхкеепсие Day School разрабатывает образованных граждан, имеющих страсть к обучению и жизни. Наше сообщество требует честности, ответственности и взаимного уважения. A former colleague – a wonderful Spanish teacher – has … Read more
The Welsh have one word for it: dysgeidliaeth. It means teaching and it means learning. And of course that is what good teaching is: learning. But how to pronounce it? Any speakers of Welsh out there who can help out?
Blog -a modern portmanteau* word breakfast plus lunch= brunch smoke plus fog = smog web plus log = blog Humpty Dumpty explains it all to Alice: “Well, “slithy” means “lithe and slimy.” “Lithe” is the same as “active.” You see it’s like a portmanteau – there are two meanings packed up into one word… …Well … Read more