Sunday, February 27, 2011

A Miscellany of Topics That Will Not Appear in My Next Blog Post

I've recently gotten in the habit of using the "save and quit" option on my browser when I shut down my laptop. The driver of this odd behavior is the ever-growing pile of posts I'm meaning to write.

I've decided to stop telling myself that I'll eventually get around to them (if you're going to tell yourself lies, you should really save them for the big stuff). Instead, I'm going to use this post as a data dump with links and brief descriptions of the articles. I'll probably get around to some of them eventually, but if something sounds interesting, don't wait for me. If any of these seem to merit more attention, let me know and I'll put it on the top of the pile:

Education researchers need to worry more about the Hawthorne effect;

And the Halo effect;

Why are financial advice columnists so clueless about living on a budget?;

On a related note, how to get concert tickets for just $350 isn't really the kind of financial advice we really need at the moment;

The Collegiate Learning Assessment sounds promising but I'm not sure sure it supports the coverage it's gotten, let alone a book;

Not to be cynical, but has any educational study not shown promising results? (see Hawthorne effect);

On a related topic, when we hear about a new study discrediting an old technique, how can we be sure they didn't just use the technique badly? (not sayin', just wonderin');

Whenever an economist talks about how regular people just aren't as clear-headed and rational as economists are, it makes baby Jesus cry;

Michael Hiltzik is really sharp;

Felix Salmon thinks so too;

Paul Krugman also has something to say on the topic;

"[H]e suddenly declared that we needed to cut taxes to prevent too rapid a reduction in US debt." (comment is superfluous);

I really need to write something about this;

And this;

I wonder what Daniel Little would say about social norming in the classroom?

1 comment:

  1. The Greenspan comment is worth remembering when we contemplate why we decided to cut taxes on the middle and upper classes (often called the "Bush Tax Cuts") in the early years of the 2000's. I really wish that these comments were not parody.

    I am actually a fiscal conservative but I have been one since I was a teenager. Is it too much to ask for a fiscally conservative party to show up???

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