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POPSPsychology, Sociology most politically correct fields The first thing that Simmons does in the study with the database — which covers a range of disciplines and institution types — is to identify a politically correct cohort, reflecting largely common views on a set of issues that are seen as defining political correctness. He finds a set of issues that produce this cohort. The views are the belief that gender gaps in math and science fields are largely due to discrimination; support for affirmative action; and belief that discrimination is a key cause of racial inequities in American society. Generally, members of this cohort see race and gender as fundamental — and share that belief much more than beliefs about the curriculum or scholarship, such that the study says that “multiculturalism trumps postmodernism.” Via Tyler Cowen
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POPSMad about the man Comic by Kate Beaton . History is Rad and she's going to come up with more.. List: 1- Soren Kierkegaard 2- Benedict Arnold 3- Agnes McPhail 4- Mary Shelley 5- Queen Elizabeth I 6- Emperor Norton 7- Benjamin Disraeli 8- Nikola Tesla 9- Genghis Khan 10- David Hume
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POPS"Dumber in English" Biophysicist and author Stefan Klein wants to ensure the future of German as a language of science. Our academic language is on the verge of atrophy, he says. ... Anyone who only encounters scientific research in a foreign language pays a heavy price, even if he is a master of the idiom. "We are dumber in English" – this was the conclusion that researchers came to in Sweden and the Netherlands, where children were introduced to English on their first day of school. Lectures in English are part of every subject, but nevertheless, the test results are about ten percent lower on average than in courses taught in the mother tongue. In English seminars, students ask and answer fewer questions; they give the overall impression of being somewhat more helpless. Neither students nor teachers are generally aware of the problem, because they all overestimate their expertise in English. The entire article is interesting.
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POPSResearcher Links Storytelling, Math Ability This study suggests that building strong storytelling skills early in the preschool years may be helpful in preparing children for learning mathematics when they enter school. ''It is also a nice finding, I think, because storytelling is something every parent can easily do and foster with their children, without the need to buy any fancy toys or materials,'' said O'Neill. Given these findings, O'Neill is continuing in further studies, also funded by Science and Engineering Research Canada, to explore more precisely what aspects of storytelling are linked to aspects of mathematical ability.
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POPSThe Myth of Prodigy and Why it Matters Science writer, Malcolm Gladwell, debates the worth of placing so much attention on childhood prodigies and whether the notion of childhood prodigy hasn't been romanticized beyond it's importance. Our romanticized view of precociousness matters. When certain kids are singled out as gifted or talented, Gladwell suggested, it creates an environment that may be subtly discouraging to those who are just average. “In singling out people like me at age 13 for special treatment, we discouraged other kids from ever taking up running at all. And we will never know how many kids who might have been great milers had they been encouraged and not discouraged from joining running, might have ended up as being very successful 10 years down the road.”
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POPSLevi's memoir beats Darwin to win science book title Took a class on the Shoah in college. I learned so much from Primo Levi. The shortlist Primo Levi The Periodic Table Konrad Lorenz King Solomon's Ring Tom Stoppard Arcadia Richard Dawkins The Selfish Gene Other nominations James Watson The Double Helix Bertolt Brecht The Life of Galileo Peter Medawar Pluto's Republic Charles Darwin Voyage of the Beagle Stephen Pinker The Blank Slate Oliver Sacks A Leg to Stand On
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POPSWacky Science Winners Hilarious! And those scientists are adorably geeky. Why doesn't a woodpecker get headaches? Watch the video :)
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