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The Value of Mistakes

"The problem with praising kids for their innate intelligence -- the 'smart' compliment -- is that it misrepresents the neural reality of education. It encourages kids to avoid the most useful kind of learning activities, which is learning from mistakes. Unless you experience the unpleasant symptoms of being wrong, your brain will never revise its models. Before your neurons can succeed, they must repeatedly fail. There are no shortcuts for this painstaking process."

How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer, Houghton Mifflin, 2009. pp. 53-54.

Welcome to the 2020-21 School year. I am beginning my twentith year of teaching at Evanston Township High School. I am the Head coach of the ETHS Math Team. My class room is on the third floor of the North wing, room N339. I am a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the University of London and Northwestern University. I am a life-long Evanston resident, a graduate of ETHS, and a White Sox fan. My wife and I have three children, ages seventeen, thirteen and ten.

Links to class pages - Aug 07, 2013 4:51:59 PM