"Math Education: An Inconvenient Truth"

Great video at YouTube helps explain why many of the freshman I've taught can't do basic math in intro science classes.



You can't reason your way to math proficency--this provides good examples of how misguided math ed has been over the past decade or so. But I've seen some of her examples in my friends' kids'' homework!!!

It's 15 minutes long but worth watching if you have ever despaired over the state of math knowledge among college students or the general public.

Of course, if you don't know math, you will certainly have trouble reasoning logically. Hmmmmm.... the fact that NCLB came from Texas makes one leap for conspiracy theories. But since I am decent at math, I will simply leave it to the commentators to hash out and stick to my logical approach to reality. :-)

Back from Arizona...

Spent a week and a half visiting the folks in Arizona (blessed sun!), then back to the PNW in time to catch the last (probably) snows of the winter down here in PA.

Here's a spot near Sedona, off in USFS land and away from (most of) the touristas.

Here's a pic one of the rock walls near that same spot, catching some reflected rays from the midday sun:

And here's a close up of one of the alcoves within that rock wall. Eat your heart out Sistene Chapel!

And what vacaction blog would be complete with a great pic of me and my daughter playing in a creek? (Much love to all the fam out there!)

Clouds like a glacier, Dungeness watershed

view from the top

Been busier than the proverbial one-legged ass-kicker with snow work recently. Chris, Shea, and I have installed all but one remote weather station, and the last one was the best one... as far as the view goes.

Not as far as the 60# pack goes. Yep, I hauled in the instruments and the tripod tower. Them young whippersnappers had wussy light packs, in spite of Shea's claim to the contrary, and yours truly took the heavy load. GO OL' TIMERS!

So here's how I was at the bottom of the ridge (note the smile):


Here's how I was when I reached the top:

But of course it is all worth it, if for nothing more than for the pure joy of science:

Now ain't science great???