Cheery Friday e-mails
Every Friday I send a “Cheery Friday” email chock full of insights about learning and changing to a million registered learners from the massive open online course (“MOOC”) Learning How to Learn. To receive these emails, just register for the course here (it’s free, and registration takes only a few seconds). “See” you on Friday!
Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography
Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners! This week I have a hodgepodge of observations and recommendations. Here we go! Book of the Week Ibn Khaldun: An Intellectual Biography, by Robert Irwin. This fascinating book provides a comprehensive look at the life and ideas of Ibn Khaldun, a 14th-century Arab scholar considered one of the …
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Lake Superior Academy
Cheery Friday Greetings from Barb Oakley! (Special K-12 focus this week) Throughout my career as an engineering professor, I’ve witnessed countless initiatives aimed at high schools and universities to boost diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. These efforts are commendable, but they often overlook a crucial truth: if we truly want to make a las …
More >Greetings to Critical Thinkers Everywhere! 🌟🎉
🎉🌟 EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! 🌟🎉 Barb Oakley & Terry Sejnowski, the instructors of Learning How to Learn, are thrilled to unveil our groundbreaking new Coursera specialization: ” Critical Thinking: A Brain-Based Guide for the ChatGPT Era” In today’s rapidly evolving world, where information flows freely and artificial intelligence is becoming incre …
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The Certainty Trap
Cheery Friday Greetings from Barb Oakley! I have thrilling news to share! Terry’s and my book Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying has been selected for a special BookBub eBook promotion for September 6-11. The eBook version of Learning How to Learn is on sale everywhere for just $2.99 from Septe …
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AI Superpowers
Cheery Friday Greetings! Book of the Month! AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, by Kai-Fu Lee. This fascinating book provides an insider’s perspective on the AI race between China and the United States. Lee, a prominent figure in both Silicon Valley and the Chinese tech world, offers unique insights into the strengths a …
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Math Mind & Unschooler’s Educational Dictionary
Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners! Book of the Month Math Mind: The Simple Path to Loving Math, by Shalinee Sharma. This is a brilliant book—hands down the most engaging and best-researched book on learning math we’ve ever encountered. These paragraphs give a sense of Sharma’s ability to step back and help us see the big pictu …
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Brains and AI – Supercommunicators
Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners! Thrilling News! Our very own Terry Sejnowski has started a (free) Substack: “ Brains and AI.” In his first three posts, Terry explores the convergence of artificial intelligence and neuroscience, offering rare insight into how advances in each field are accelerating progress in the other. Wi …
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The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values
Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners! The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values, by Brian Christian, is a surprising contender for the most important book on learning of the decade. Christian tackles the complex challenge of ensuring that artificial intelligence remains aligned with human values as it grows more po …
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All Things Being Equal
Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners! Book of the Month All Things Being Equal: Why Math Is the Key to a Better World, by John Mighton, presents a compelling case for the transformative power of mathematics education. Drawing on his extensive experience as the founder of JUMP Math, Mighton argues that by fostering intellectual po …
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Unveiling the Surprising Benefits of Forgetting
Cheery Friday Greetings to our Learning How to Learners! The Forgotten Advantage: Unveiling the Surprising Benefits of Forgetting Do you easily forget? New research shows that forgetting is actually good for us and required for our minds to work best. How exactly does forgetting help our cognitive, creative, and decision making abilities? And how d …
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