Jo

Money can’t buy happiness? Please. We all know that’s just something rich people say to stop us from robbing them. Money might not buy lasting, profound joy, but it can undoubtedly rent some pretty good times.

We all fantasize about the kind of happiness that comes with six zeroes, a gated community and a butler to iron your money for you. Even if vast wealth doesn’t buy happiness, it’s better to have a Birkin bag to keep your sadness in.

But seriously — can money really buy happiness? The latest research shows, yeah, more money = more happy… usually. The effect varies but there are some people who are rich and unhappy and more money doesn’t fix it for them.

Plenty of things could contribute to the inconsistency but we’ll focus on one here that’s well established by the research, and something we can use: how you spend your money. Some things we buy make us very happy, other less so. We may not have limitless piles of green rectangles but we can all spend what we have in better ways to increase our joy.

We’ll get scientific insight on the type of spending that increases smiles from the books “The Myths of Happiness” and “Happy Money”, along with the study, “If Money Doesn’t Make You Happy Then You Probably Aren’t Spending It Right” by Harvard happiness expert Daniel Gilbert.

Let’s get to it…

 

Buy Many Small Pleasures Versus Fewer Large Ones

You save up for the big TV or the big vacation thinking, “Yes, I’ll take the Costco-sized bundle of joy, please.” But turns out the pleasure we get from these things has the shelf life of an open carton of milk.

The research here is consistent: when it comes to happiness, frequency beats intensity. It’s like someone finally looked at life’s instruction manual and said, “Wait a minute, we’ve been assembling this happiness thing all wrong!”

Small pleasures? They’re the unsung, miniature heroes of joy. Why? We’re less likely to adapt and take for granted all these little things than we are the one, big rare event. Splurging on a string of small delights is like giving your mood a constant, gentle nudge upwards.

Okay, you’re turning life into a series of mini-Christmas mornings. But what kind of stuff should you purchase?

 

Buy Experiences Instead Of Stuff

It’s long been said that experiences are the spice of life, with material goods trailing behind like a bored sibling on a family road trip. This is true. When studied, 57% of people derived greater happiness from experiential purchases while only 34% got more joy from buying things.

Why? We quickly take material goods for granted. Research shows this happens more slowly with experiences. Also, we anticipate and remember experiences more, savoring them for longer and squeezing more enjoyment from them. You share photos and stories from vacations. Do that with a 4K TV and you’ll seem insane.

Now nobody’s saying you need to shun the material world like a monk with a trust fund. And there’s an exception worth noting here. Material purchases can make you very happy – if you turn them into experiences. Use that TV as the centerpiece for an awesome Super Bowl party, and you get better returns. If buying that new car means more roadtrips with friends, it might be an excellent happiness investment.

This next one may sound uncomfortable, but you know it works…

 

Delay Consumption, Increase Anticipation

Planning a vacation is like scripting your own fairy tale. You’re the star of your own travel show, where everything goes perfectly, you always look fantastic in photos, and the locals find your inability to pronounce street names endearing.

The reality often involves sunburns, flight delays, and lost luggage. The vacation is still good, but it’s no match for the blockbuster you directed in your head.

In the dark comedy that is our pursuit of happiness, there’s a twisted little truth: the joy of anticipation often eclipses the actual enjoyment of whatever we’ve spent our hard-earned money on. It’s like our brains are the ultimate bait-and-switch artists, hyping up future pleasures only to shrug nonchalantly when they finally arrive.

Study after study demonstrates this effect and we can extract two clear lessons: extend the anticipation period, and take more mini-vacations vs fewer big vacations. Simply put, structure your life so you’re always looking forward to something.

This next one is often ignored…

 

Consider The *Full* Effects of Your Purchases

Maybe you want to buy a new TV. Oh, and it’s not just a TV; it’s a gateway to other worlds, a window into the lives of more attractive people with more interesting problems. You imagine a sleek, shiny behemoth of technology gracing your living room.

But here’s the kicker: that TV, as magnificent as it is, might just turn you into a hermit. Your social life dwindles to the point where your most meaningful conversation is with the pizza delivery guy, and even he’s starting to look worried for you.

The farther things are in the future, the more abstractly we view them. But we often do better when we consider how our purchases will affect our future use of time and day-to-day lives.

The idea of going camping can inspire adventurous fantasies in the gorgeous wilderness. But a little self-awareness might tell you that the great outdoors, uh, is only great in theory. Because nothing beats spending a week pretending you’re homeless, fighting off insects, and discovering new, exciting ways to burn food over an open fire. Sleep on the ground outside? I can do that for free if I forget my keys after a night out. It’s less “Walden” and more “Why am I doing this to myself?”

Know thyself and think concretely about the future results of your purchase. (I prefer my wildlife in HD and my bathrooms not to be synonymous with “behind that large bush.”)

Time for a tip that you don’t hear encouraged very often…

 

Following The Crowd Can Be A Great Idea

Sorry, you’re not always the unique snowflake you think you are. Popular things are often popular for a reason and we do ourselves a disservice by ignoring what brings others pleasure.

Study after study shows the best way to predict how much one person will like something is to see how much other people enjoyed it. Hardly shocking, but all too often we think we’re special, and that’s not the safe bet when it comes to happiness.

Usually, the secret to happiness isn’t in some esoteric, hard-to-find experience, but in the shared joy of humanity’s greatest hits.

But what about when we have a few choices in front of us? What’s a good litmus test to find the joy-optimizing option?

 

Spend Money On Fundamental Feelings

We spend a lot of money “keeping up with the Joneses.” Buying things to impress others. The research shows the happiness this brings isn’t very lasting. It’s a never-ending cycle of “Look at me, I have things!” And let’s be real, the only person who’s actually paying attention to your new things is you, while you lie awake at night, wondering why your credit card bill looks like a phone number.

The spending that really pays emotional dividends fulfills deep emotional needs like competence, relatedness, or autonomy.

Pay money to develop a skill you’re passionate about. Or use that cash to buy a bunch of tacos and share them with your friends in the park. Or spend that money to get your life in order and feel like you’ve got control over your world.

Speaking of autonomy, that leads us to our next insight…

 

Buy Time

Maybe money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can outsource some misery. Working fewer hours or paying someone to handle errands can free up time for things that really make you happy.

The key issue is how you spend that new free time. If you just watch mindless TV or scroll social media, the happiness benefits will be miniscule. But use that time for wiser activities and life can be grand.

You can start picking up interesting hobbies like you’re an 18th-century aristocrat. Learn to play jazz, read classic literature, go Salsa dancing, take cooking classes. You attend operas and only fall asleep twice. You’re turning into the most interesting person at any party, and you don’t even have to exaggerate your hobbies anymore.

Paying someone to clean your home can be a wiser purchase than a new computer. It’s about embracing the fact that life is short, weekends are shorter, and you don’t want to spend either wrestling with a vacuum cleaner.

And our final tip is one that you don’t want to do but makes life so much more enjoyable…

 

Make It A Treat

Remember when a trip to the ice cream shop was a monumental event? Now, as an adult, you can stroll into any store and buy a tub of ice cream. You can eat it for breakfast if you want. But does it feel special? No. It feels like you’re an adult who’s given up.

It’s the oldest lesson in the book: we want what we can’t have. And when we’re denied something for a while, we appreciate it so much more when we finally have it.

This strategy turns every little joy into a mini celebration. You’re not just living; you’re an event planner for the exclusive party that is your life. Eating your favorite food is no longer just “Tuesday night dinner”; it’s “I Haven’t Had This In Ages And Oh My God I Missed It So Much”.

Bingeing TV is fun but, as we discussed earlier, there’s a perverse fun in anticipating the next episode. Yeah, this might sound like an exercise in self-inflicted psychological torture or an adult version of the marshmallow test, but you know it works.

It’s about finding that sweet spot where you appreciate the things you love by not overindulging in them.

Okay, time to round it all up – and we’ll learn one more way that spending can boost smiles. And it may be the most important of them all…

 

Sum Up

Here’s how to spend your money to maximize happiness…

• Buy Many Small Pleasures Vs Fewer Large Ones: Don’t save up all year to buy one colossal, wallet-destroying item. Spread the cash around for lots of little boosts.
• Buy Experiences Instead Of More Stuff: More amusement parks and vacations. Fewer gadgets and TV’s.
• Delay Consumption, Increase Anticipation: Looking forward to something is often more satisfying than actually getting it. The anticipation, it turns out, was the main event. The actual product is just the merch you buy on the way out of the concert.
• Consider The *Full* Effects of Your Purchases: Going on a hot air balloon ride looks great on Instagram, but they don’t show the part where you’re praying to every deity you can think of because you’re essentially in a wicker basket 10,000 feet in the air with a giant flame above your head. Next time you’re about to make a big purchase, consider the full picture.
• Following The Crowd Can Be A Great Idea: In our quest for happiness, we often forget a simple truth: looking at what makes others happy can be a cheat sheet for our own bliss.
• Spend Money On Fundamental Feelings: Forget the suburban gladiator arena known as “keeping up with the Joneses.” Instead of status, buy competence, relatedness, and autonomy.
• Buy Time: The sweet paradox of modern living: we hustle for those almighty dollars, yet find ourselves too strapped for time to enjoy them. (And if you do want to inspire envy in others, lots of free time can have a far greater effect than money.)
• Make It A Treat: We’re living in a world of instant gratification, where pleasures are as easy to come by as bad decisions at a high school reunion. So create artificial scarcity. It’s like playing hard to get with yourself. Suddenly, those simple pleasures become as tantalizing as a forbidden romance in a Victorian novel.

You’re about to splurge on the latest, shiniest thing you definitely don’t need when suddenly, a wild idea appears: “What if I buy something for someone else?”

It’s a thought so alien, your brain almost files a restraining order against it. We’re supposed to spend our hard-earned cash on other people? What is this, opposite day?

Yes, research confirms the old saw: it’s better to give than to receive. A 2008 study found, “Although personal spending was unrelated to happiness, people who devoted more money to prosocial spending were happier, even after controlling for their income.”

Why? Giving improves relationships and our relationships are the bedrock of happiness.

And then there’s the joy of watching them open that gift. It’s like a real-life unboxing video, minus the monetization. They’re excited and you get to watch with the smug satisfaction of a cat who’s just knocked a vase off a shelf.

So go buy something for someone who is not you. Altruism is the express lane on the happiness highway.

It’s like playing Santa Claus, but without the breaking and entering.

The post This Is How To Spend Your Money To Maximize Happiness appeared first on Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

Standing apart from the crowd is usually seen as a good thing. It makes you cooler than the majority. But what if going against the majority was dangerous? Even life threatening? Enter the dystopian world of Majority, the first novel in author Abby Goldsmith’s newest series.

ABBY GOLDSMITH:

What if everyone had an audience inside their head, listening to their every thought? 

I grew up in a rural area and didn’t make friends easily. Maybe that was why I imagined an audience of aliens inside my head, tuning in from distant planets. Maybe I was an alien, too. Maybe I’d been left on Earth accidentally. That distant audience would watch my life from the comfort of their technologically advanced homes, reacting as I explored the stream near my house, whispering about the kids who bullied me in school. The aliens were on my side. 

As I learned about Nazism–my Jewish ancestors were fortunate to move to the U.S. prior to the immigration restrictions during the WWII era–I had to grapple with a big question. When I learned about colonial American slavery, there was the big question again. And the Salem witch trials. Okay, here’s the big question. How can a successful society, a society ruled by adults, collectively agree to do something horrible? 

Now I was questioning that distant audience of aliens. What if they were actually laughing at my misfortunes from the comfort of their alien homes? It’s not hard to imagine. The people we hear about on the news are utter strangers to us. There’s a layer of distance between an audience and the newsworthy subject they might be watching or casually discussing. And there’s camaraderie, too. The audience bonds with each other. They share an experience, and the subject is not part of that. 

In fact, sympathy for the subject is dangerous in many situations. It can be dangerous to go against popular opinion. Ask any kid who goes to school. Ask anyone who ever dared to defy social norms, or anyone who dared to say something controversial on social media. 

The dystopia of Majority arose from my own lived experience as a weirdo who didn’t fit into the society around me. New GoodLife WaterGarden City is a glamorous alien metropolis that sparkles with utopian luxuries–all supported by brutal slavery. It’s just one of billions of metropolises ruled by the galaxy spanning Torth Majority, who are like the Borg of Star Trek combined with the dogpile mobs of Twitter and Reddit. The Majority can change its collective mind on a whim. Their elected leaders are sociopaths, because only crowd-pleasing egomaniacs gain enough orbiters (followers) to win the respect of fame and popularity. The Majority is composed of individuals, but individuals cannot lie to their inner audiences, and they dare not leave. Anyone who displeases the Majority is likely to get enslaved or murdered. If an individual secretly disagrees with popular opinion, they must pretend otherwise. 

Therefore, within the Majority, individuals get very good at lying to themselves. They rely on self-deception in order to survive. 

The hero of Majority, Thomas, chafes at being denigrated. In his hometown in the United States, everyone, even the people he loves, consider him to be too disadvantaged and too young to matter. When the Majority claims him, Thomas goes from being dismissed as a disabled child to being elevated to godlike status as a supergenius thought leader. 

The challenge, for me, was to show how Thomas is seduced by the Majority…and to keep him likable. The Majority collectively make terrible decisions. They enslave his loved ones. They’ve outlawed love and friendship. Yet they respect Thomas in a way that his own foster family and friends never did. His celebrity mentor, the Upward Governess, sees his potential as an inventor and insists that he is special. She even risks her own godhood to protect him from vicious enemies. She judges Thomas as her equal–and she is a galactic ruler with trillions of worshippers. She convinces her own inner audience that Thomas is someone worthy of respect. 

It becomes more and more difficult for Thomas to reject his inner audience, plus all the luxury gifts they shower him with, plus the powerful mentor who genuinely wants his friendship. When the Majority collectively vote to force Thomas to do something awful to his foster sister from Earth, he has no choice but to go along with it or die. But deep down, he snaps. He continues to please the Majority and repress his own morality in order to survive on the alien planet ruled by his mentor, but his subconscious begins to solve the problem of how to escape the Majority. He collects opportunities. He deceives himself. It’s a mind trap for sure. 

Very, very, very challenging to write. 

I loved the challenge. I do switch to other POVs, including Thomas’s loved ones as they fight for survival and respect in an alien slave ghetto. The contrast between their physical battles and Thomas’s mental/social battles is stark and enormous, and I think it helps keep the story compelling. How will they escape? If they reunite, will Thomas’s loved ones hate him as a betrayer, or will they understand what he was dealing with and give him the respect he deserves? Will Thomas ever be able to meaningfully challenge the galactic empire known as the Torth Majority–or transform the Majority into something better? 

Majority is a series starter. The entire Torth series is pre-written, originally serialized online, and I guarantee a satisfying ending. Justice matters. The Torth Majority is ultra powerful and galaxy-spanning, but their system is rotten, and it has to change. There are answers to all the big questions. 

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Majority: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Audible

Author socials: Website|Twitter|Facebook|Instagram|Goodreads

With fewer than 15 seconds to go in a November game, Ja Morant received an inbounds pass, dribbled the length of the court with his left hand, slipped past a would-be double team, skied over two defenders, pulled the ball back as far as his right shoulder would allow and threw down a ferocious tomahawk dunk. Moments later, the Murray State guard corralled an errant 3-pointer by a teammate in midair and jammed in his 37th and 38th points of the night.

The Racers ultimately lost on the road to Alabama, but Morant earned a standing ovation at Coleman Coliseum.

Afterward, Alabama coach Avery Johnson compared the skill set of the 6-foot-3 sophomore, who scored more points against Alabama than all but two players had since 2010, to that of Isaiah Thomas, John Stockton and Russell Westbrook.

“I saw flashbacks of a lot of guys I played against,” Johnson said.

Morant is months away from possibly making mid-major history in the NBA draft. While plenty of players have been drafted out of mid-major programs, few have been lottery picks — and fewer still came from conferences that have made fewer than 100 tournament appearances.¹⁹ Morant will likely become the first player this century from such a school to be selected in the top 5 of the NBA draft. Some mocks have him going as high as second. As the chart below demonstrates, there haven’t been many NBA lottery picks from mid-major conferences lately. But some of these picks have gone on to dominate: Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Paul George.

Players who got their start at small schools

Expected career win shares based on draft position and actual win shares to date for NBA draft lottery picks from mid-major and low-major schools, 2000-2018

					Total Win Shares
Year	Pick	Player	School	Conf.	Exp	Actual	Diff
2015	14	C. Payne	Murray St.	OVC	27.3	2.3	-25.0
2014	10	E. Payton	La. Lafayette	Sun Belt	33.6	12.2	-21.4
2013	10	C.J. McCollum	Lehigh	Patriot	33.6	26.3	-7.3
2012	6	D. Lillard	Weber St.	Big Sky	43.2	66.3	+23.1
2010	10	P. George	Fresno St.	WAC	33.6	63.1	+29.5
2009	7	S. Curry	Davidson	Southern	40.3	100.5	+60.2
2008	12	J. Thompson	Rider	MAAC	30.2	23.8	-6.4
2006	9	P. O’Bryant	Bradley	MVC	35.6	0.5	-35.1
2003	6	C. Kaman	C. Michigan	MAC	43.2	24.6	-18.6
2002	12	M. Ely	Fresno St.	WAC	30.2	4.0	-26.2
2000	13	C. Alexander	Fresno St.	WAC	28.7	4.1	-24.6
Total					379.5	327.7	-51.8

Includes only schools from conferences with fewer than 100 NCAA men’s tournament appearances; based on conference alignment at the time.

Win shares through Feb. 13, 2019.

Source: Sports-Reference.com

When he’s inevitably drafted, Morant will be the third Murray State guard taken since 2013. Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne have struggled to secure a foothold in the league. But Neal Bradley, a Hall of Fame broadcaster who has spent nearly three decades covering the Racers, told me that he doesn’t think the upgraded competition will flatline Morant, pointing to his strong outings against Auburn and Alabama, two teams projected to appear in the NCAA Tournament. Morant earned a co-sign from Kevin Durant on The Bill Simmons Podcast. Missouri State coach Dana Ford, who coached against Morant and his Racer predecessors, didn’t mince words: “He is by far the best prospect of the three. … He’s a little bit of John Wall mixed with Chris Paul. He’s special.”

Morant’s ascension is the stuff screenwriters dream up. He was a mostly overlooked kid from rural South Carolina who landed at an out-of-state university after a coach almost literally stumbled upon him. A year ago, he wasn’t even named the top freshman in the Ohio Valley Conference. Now, he’s a bona fide star and budding internet sensation.

But those YouTube clips are the extent of Morant’s exposure. While Zion Williamson, who almost certainly will be the first name called by Adam Silver, effectively plays only on major networks, the Racers have yet to appear on ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1 or CBS. Murray State’s tilt Thursday against Austin Peay is slated to be televised on ESPN2, but that’s the only remaining game scheduled for the aforementioned networks.²⁰ During an interview on the ESPN show “Get Up!,” one of Morant’s questions was even about Williamson.

Morant’s second triple-double in less than a year — and the school’s third ever — came in front of a crowd of 2,701. When he became the first Division 1 player in 20 years to put up 40 points, 11 assists and five steals in a game,²¹ fewer than 2,200 people were there. A viral leapfrog dunk over 6-foot-8 Quintin Dove was seen in person by 3,114.

However, within the OVC, the interest bump created by Morant’s presence is evident. Each of the six conference teams that have hosted Murray State drew their largest home crowds of the conference season when Morant came to town.

Morant is a hot ticket

Attendance this season in the Ohio Valley Conference for teams hosting Murray State vs. their other home conference games

Home Team	Non-Murray State Avg.	Vs. Murray	% Change
Tennessee Tech	2,007	5,250	+161.6
UT Martin	1,253	3,114	+148.5
SE Missouri St.	1,391	3,143	+126.0
Eastern Illinois	1,211	2,410	+99.0
SIU Edwardsville	1,127	2,178	+93.3
Jacksonville State	2,232	3,718	+66.6

Sources: Sports-Reference.com, ESPN

Compared with its other conference home games, Eastern Illinois brought in nearly twice as many fans when it played Murray State. Jacksonville State sold out Pete Mathews Coliseum for the first time since the program turned Division 1. Bradley said he’s seen a noticeable attendance bump wherever Morant goes. About 50 Tennessee Tech fans lined up after their game in the hopes of taking a photo with the soon-to-be pro, according to Bradley. Morant obliged.

It seems that a stat line can only stay quiet for so long.

Morant is putting up unprecedented numbers: 23.9 points, 10.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game, with a true shooting percentage of 61.1. Nobody at the college level has come close to hitting those benchmarks,²² and only James Harden has done it in the pros. Morant is vying to become the first player since assist leaders were recognized to average 20 points and 10 assists over a season. Only 10 players in the past 25 years have even averaged 16 and 8.

Morant’s high-flying heroics give off the impression of a trapeze artist. But he’s more of a tactician, capable of diagnosing a defense in a split second and shredding it.

There has perhaps never been a better facilitating season than the one Morant is producing, which includes, but isn’t limited to, half-court lobs, off-handed flicks and peek-a-boo bullets to the baseline. “I’ve never seen anyone, ever, able to pass like him,” Bradley said. “He’s stunning and seems to be a couple steps ahead of everybody.”

Morant’s 53.3 percent assist rate is projected to be the top mark ever measured²³ and is 6.1 percentage points higher than this year’s second-place mark.²⁴ In total, Morant is projected to finish the regular season with 296 dimes, which would be the sixth most over the past 25 years in a single season.

As his talent suggests, Morant is heavily relied upon. Only five players have logged a higher percentage of minutes played than Morant’s 93.1, and coach Matt McMahon is using his star on 35.8 percent of possessions, the fifth-highest rate in the country. Turnovers have come easily for Morant, but it would tough to blame the kid for coughing it up when he’s tasked with operating the offense each time down the court.

Morant’s scoring acumen often manifests in transition, where he spends more time (6.8 possessions per game) and pours in more points (8.4) than any player in the country. With the dexterity to finish with either hand, around or over defenders, he doesn’t lack efficiency, scoring 1.24 points per possession on the break with an adjusted field-goal percentage of 74.7, according to data provided by Synergy Sports.

Morant lives at the rim, where he attempts more than half of his shots, according to Hoop-Math.com. Every player this season²⁵ with a better field-goal percentage at the rim than Morant’s 61.6 percent is at least 4 inches taller than he is.

Defensively, Morant has work to do. But his long arms make him a nuisance for opposing ball handlers, and he’s tied for second in the OVC in steals per contest (2.0). Despite his thin frame, Morant has been particularly efficient in isolation and against screens, where he’s allowed a combined 19 points on 29 possessions, according to data provided by Synergy Sports.

It isn’t all that uncommon for NBA teams to take a flier on a mid-major player in the draft. But Morant hardly has the typical backstory of an under-the-radar prospect, nor the skill set. With abnormal athleticism and uncanny court vision, Morant will be playing on national television sooner rather than later.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Bradley said of Morant’s rise. “It’s the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen.”

For Venona….

Spicy Salt Tofu

Ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu

2-3 medium sized fresh Jalapenos (sliced thin) (you can use green chiles, serrano or habanero or pepitas…to your spice level)

4-6 T (or more) Deep fried or roasted garlic (you can use fresh cloves but they need to be sliced thin)

Salt / Pepper / granulated garlic optional. Some people also use Chinese five spice but I’m not a fan. Curry might be good.

Cornstarch

A lasagna or cake foil pan you can cover with a lid or foil. Disposable works great. You’ll need to be able to lift it up and lightly toss it so glass probably not a good idea.

A non stick pan with enough oil to pan fry the tofu. Deep frying is better but your call.

Instructions

Drain tofu and squeeze as much water out of it as possible. I usually cut it across the middle so I have 2 shorter blocks. Press these blocks with paper towels to get as much of the water out as possible. You want them to be very dry.

Mix salt and pepper and the granulated garlic into the cornstarch to make a dredge. Put the jalapenos and garlic into the lasagna pan and have it nearby so you can put the tofu into it.

Cut the tofu into long rectangles… about one finger long and two fingers wide. Some people like squares. I just prefer rectangles. After the oil is hot, dredge the tofu into the cornstarch mixture then gently slip them into the oil. Leave enough room so you can turn them. When the tofu is all brown and crispy, take them out, shake a bit to get some of the oil off then slide into the lasagna pan.

COVER IT IMMEDIATELY. Shake it around lightly to spread the tofu around the jalapenos and garlic and leave it alone while you do the next tofu batch.

DO NOT OPEN THE PAN until it is time to put the next finished batch of tofu in. Once in, cover immediately and shake about to mingle the contents.

Repeat until you are done with all the tofu and then let sit for a few minutes. Then open up and be careful because the contents will be hot.

You can salt and pepper it again if you like. Serve with sweet/sour sauce or shoyu/Chinese pepper oil.

The steam from the tofu will cook the jalapenos and release the oils in the garlic so it is imperative to not fuss with the foil or pan lid. The steam releasing also sucked those flavours into the tofu so just let all of that happen. You can also use this method with shell-on shrimp. I’ve not tried it with unshelled shrimp but it probably would work too.

Reviewed by Dan   TITLE: The Rest of Forever SERIES: The Firsts and Forever Series AUTHOR: Alexa Land PUBLISHER: Self-Published LENGTH: 308 Pages RELEASE DATE:  May 25, 2018 BLURB: Does love stand a chance between two very different long-time friends? Mike Dombruso’s life is anything but glamorous. He’s a shy, nerdy accountant and a widower […]

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I have a multiple-choice question for you.

Suppose you’re standing at your classroom door, greeting students as they arrive. One of them—let’s call him Gabe—comes through and sees that on the daily agenda, you’ve written “Choose topics for speeches.” Right away, his shoulders slump.

“Oh man,” he says to no one in particular, “I hate speeches!”

What do you say?

A. What? Speeches are awesome.

B. You talk all the time! You’re gonna love it.

C. Shocker! Gabe has another complaint.

D. Gabe, we enter the room silently, please.

E. What do you hate about speeches, Gabe?

With options A through D, you’re arguing with Gabe, dismissing his feelings, attacking him personally, or ignoring what he said altogether.

But with option E, you’re reacting with curiosity. You’re trying to learn more. With option E, you’re already on your way to validating Gabe’s point of view.

Validation is the act of recognizing and affirming the feelings or perspective of another person. It’s acknowledging that these thoughts and feelings are true for that person. It’s a very simple, astoundingly fast way to make progress in a conversation: It eases tension, builds trust, and gets you and the other person to a solution more quickly.

The only problem with validation is that at first, it’s really hard to do. We’re so used to defending our own position, to staying sort of clenched in our own stance, that shifting to a place where we try to see things from another point of view can feel unnatural, almost painful at first. But once you’ve given it a real try, you’re going to see some of your most difficult conversations get a whole lot better.

 

Why Validation Works

People want to be understood. They want to feel heard.

When a person doesn’t feel heard, she just clings more tightly to her own position. It  really is that simple, and it’s one of the reasons so many conflicts last so long and often escalate to ridiculous proportions. People on both sides of any conflict try and try to explain and defend themselves, to make the other person see something the way they see it.

And unfortunately, our typical responses usually make the situation worse:

Arguing with the other person’s viewpoint, like saying that speeches are awesome in response to Gabe’s statement, is a natural reaction, but it probably won’t impact his opinion. He’ll most likely want to come back with an argument about why speeches do suck, and you’ll just go back and forth. Until he feels heard, Gabe will have a hard time considering your point of view.

Dismissing the other person’s feelings, like pointing out to Gabe that he talks all the time and therefore couldn’t possibly dislike speeches, will not only not change his mind, it will also make him feel misunderstood. His original negative emotion tied to speeches has now been joined by a feeling of frustration that you just don’t get him. And depending on how serious the underlying problem is, your flippant dismissal could really hurt.

Ignoring the person’s concern by focusing on something else, like we did when we merely addressed a rule about being quiet, can make a person feel like they just don’t matter. Reminding Gabe to enter the room quietly doesn’t actually change his mind about the speeches. It hasn’t taken any of the negative feelings away. And by completely ignoring his concern, we are telling him that his feelings just aren’t important.

Ad hominem attacks, like the snide comment about Gabe complaining all the time, are another way of dismissing and delegitimizing the other person’s viewpoint. When our students voice a concern and we accuse them of being insubordinate, asking “silly questions,” or trying to stall or waste time, we are attacking them personally while avoiding the content of what they’re saying. This response can be the most destructive: Not only does the person still feel the way they felt before, but now they have added a layer of resentment toward you.

In all of these cases, the other person has not learned anything new, you have not come to any new understandings or solved any problems, and you have very likely created new negative feelings. Keep repeating this cycle and you have the makings of a problem relationship.

In schools, where our business requires constant interaction with other people, conflicts and misunderstandings are always available to us. And they cause all kinds of problems: They disrupt instructional time, interfere with student understanding, escalate into major power struggles that lead to serious disciplinary action, and that’s just the students. Among the adults in the building, unresolved disagreements create all kinds of inter-staff drama, lead to poor job satisfaction, and can ultimately end in teachers leaving their jobs.

Things go differently with validation. When people practice validating each other’s feelings and opinions at the first sign of trouble, conflicts rarely escalate. Instead, they become conversations. They become opportunities to learn from each other.

How to Validate in Three Steps

Step 1: Reflect the Content

The most important thing to do is simply paraphrase the main thing the person is saying to you to make sure you understand. Doing this lets them know you’re listening, and if you remove all sarcasm and “attitude” from your voice, you’ll sound interested and curious, not judgmental.

In some cases, like with Gabe, you might have to start with a question like “What do you hate about speeches?”

Assuming he gives you some kind of an answer, like “I don’t like being in front of all those people,” then you’d just restate that. You might say, “So it’s all the people watching that you don’t like.”

If the person’s explanation is longer or more complicated, you might use phrases like these:

• What I hear you saying is ________. Is that right?
• Let me see if I’m understanding you right…
• In other words, _____

Step 2: Acknowledge the Emotion

The other person will really feel heard if you can label the emotion they are describing, or ask a question to clarify the emotion. Here are some examples:

• That sounds frustrating.
• It sounds like you’re feeling worried.
• So you felt confused?
• How did you feel about that?

With Gabe, you could simply say, “Speaking in front of people makes you uncomfortable.” This reflects both the content and the emotion in one fell swoop.

Step 3: Communicate Acceptance

An important part of validation is letting the person know that you accept their feelings as they are. You may not feel the same way, and their feelings might create problems for you, but they are what they are. Try some of these phrases:

• I can see why you’d feel that way.
• A lot of people feel that way.
• That’s understandable.
• It can be (upsetting, frustrating, nerve-racking, scary) when that happens.

Now if you strongly disagree with something a person is saying and you just can’t bring yourself to accept it, try looking for the part you DO agree with, the part you can relate to. When arguing about a proposed new academic policy in school, for example, you might really dislike the idea itself, but you can start by saying that you also care very much about student success and you agree that the current system needs fixing.

In some cases, you might even need to think back to a time when you felt or believed the same thing as the person you’re talking to. Even if you feel differently now, you can affirm that this feeling or belief is understandable from a certain perspective.

And Then?

Once you’ve done these three things—reflected the content, acknowledged the emotion, and communicated acceptance—what comes next? Sometimes, nothing at all. You might just end the conversation there, with the other person returning to their thoughts, finally released from defending their point of view and ready to move on to a place of deeper contemplation.

Or the person might keep talking about this thing that’s bothering them—probably in a much calmer, more productive way—and all you have to do is listen quietly. They may arrive at their own solution without much need for your help.

At other times, you might need to continue to ask open-ended questions like, “Can you tell me more about that?” so the person can keep talking, and you might get to a new place of understanding on the issue.

Another thing that’s likely to happen is that the person will start to acknowledge your position without you even having to ask for it. This isn’t something you should expect, and you might have to introduce it on your own by saying something like, “Can I tell you how I see it?” But in a lot of cases, you’re going to be surprised by how quickly the validated person wants to return the favor.

The Pushback: Why We Resist Validating

Despite the incredible effectiveness of reflective listening and validation, you might still not want to do it. Here are some likely objections:

I don’t agree with the person, so I can’t validate their opinion.

This is tough, because you’re probably still trying to get your own point across. How on earth can you shift over to acknowledging their feelings? Validating another person’s point of view is not the same as agreeing with them. You’re just letting the person know you hear them.

Of course, it’s important to make sure your words reflect that: If a student says, “I suck at math,” you don’t say, “Yeah you do.” Instead, you could just restate their words as a question: “You don’t think you’re good at math?” This will prompt them to tell you more.

But their position ISN’T VALID. Why would I want to encourage it?

Remember that you’re not agreeing, just restating and clarifying their position. And keep in mind that by acknowledging the part of it that is true and by letting the person know you clearly understand their position, you will actually help them cling less tightly to it. In other words, they may be more likely to see your point of view because they feel like they’re dealing with a rational person who has taken the time to understand theirs.

This is all touchy-feely B.S. It’s not me.

Okay, validation doesn’t have to look and sound like you’re in a therapist’s office. You can develop your own style. It can sound tough, it can be quick, and it doesn’t have to come with hugs and cupcakes if that’s not who you are.

One of my CrossFit coaches, Donna, validates us all the time, and believe me, no one wants to mess with her. One time I was doing this really difficult stretch called a facing wall stretch, and she came over to basically tell me I was doing it wrong, that I needed to go lower, and so naturally I was whining about it. And she let me whine for a few seconds, then nodded at me and shouted, “CrossFit’s hard, Jennifer!”

That was basically validation. It cracked me up and it renewed my resolve to try harder.

I have more important things to do. Why do I have to waste time with this stuff?

Here’s the thing: If you make reflective listening and validation a regular part of your way of dealing with people, you will ultimately save yourself a TON of time.

Picture each conversation as a fork in a road. One path is the one where you argue, dismiss, or mock the other person’s position. It’s a loooonng road, full of continued back-and-forths, anger, and problems that build up over time, turning into much bigger and thornier issues. The other path is surprisingly short: It starts with a few minutes of reflective listening and validation, the other person feels heard, emotions stay at a reasonable pitch, and life goes on.

The problem is, people think the first path is shorter: You can quickly shut a person down with a withering comeback or silence them completely by just being loud and aggressive. But that person’s opinion hasn’t changed one bit. You haven’t had nearly the influence you think you’ve had; they just feel what they’re feeling even more strongly, and on top of it, now they think you’re a jerk, too. You’ve just made the problem worse.

The thing to remember is that validation is not necessary in all interactions, but if you find yourself in frequent conflict with other people, it’s definitely worth a try.

 

Sample Scenarios

A Student Behavior Problem

It’s Thursday morning and my students are supposed to be reading silently for 10 minutes. I notice that Kendra has her book face down and is doodling on the cover of her notebook instead.

Now what I could do is give her some kind of behavior mark, or scold her, or just tell her to get back to reading. Or I could go over, squat down by her desk, and just say, in a completely neutral voice, “You’re not reading. What’s going on?”

Kendra might say, “It’s confusing.”

From there, I can reflect the content back to her, acknowledge her feelings, and communicate acceptance. I might say, “You’re confused, and that makes it hard to read. I’ve definitely had that experience.”

Then I can start helping Kendra solve the problem by saying, “Can you show me a place that confuses you?” From there, we can figure out how to get her unstuck, or maybe choose a different book.

If Kendra’s problem was not actually the book at all, but a more significant problem like something going on at home, me taking a few minutes to talk to her could be incredibly valuable in helping her deal with that. Either way, we have avoided a negative interaction that could have spiraled into a much larger behavior issue if Kendra or I were in the wrong kind of mood.

A Colleague Issue

Tracy, who teaches in the classroom next door to mine, makes this comment to a group at lunch one day: “Well I just couldn’t get my students to settle down this morning with all the noise coming from other rooms.”

I’m pretty sure the “other room” she’s referring to is mine, because my students were doing a really active group project that morning.

Now this is one of those situations that could easily turn into a bigger issue: I could pretend not to hear Tracy, since she wasn’t directly addressing me, and just resent her for being passive aggressive. Quite possibly, I would shut myself into another teacher’s room later and talk about Tracy behind her back.

Or I could get defensive and confront Tracy right there at the table, saying I didn’t think my class was that noisy and maybe if she quit forcing her kids to sit still for 45 minutes, she’d have an easier time settling them down.

Okay I definitely wouldn’t say that. I’m too much of a wimp. But I would think it.

A healthier, more productive approach would be to validate Tracy’s concern.

Like I said, this isn’t easy, but man, it could really make some significant changes in my relationship with Tracy. And the thing is, the main reason it isn’t easy is because I’m preoccupied with defending myself, with being right. But if I can step back for just a moment and put myself in Tracy’s shoes, to acknowledge that she really was frustrated, that I would probably have been frustrated, too, and that even though I didn’t do it intentionally, I was partly to blame for this frustration, I can accept that and do something to repair it.

I could start by clarifying the situation, “Was the noise coming from my room?”

Assuming she says yes, I could say, “I’m so sorry. It’s frustrating to try to get your kids focused when there are distractions.”

That’s all I’d really need to do. Tracy might not respond, or she might back off a little and add more information, maybe letting me know that the work she had students doing that day was admittedly kind of boring, or something along those lines. Regardless of what happens next, I’ve taken a step toward a better relationship with her, and a better understanding of how my actions impact others.

The Strength in Softening

Conflict with the people in our lives is inevitable. We want different things, we’ve had different life experiences. We just aren’t going to see things the same way. Unfortunately, our natural instinct is to respond to these differences with rigidity, by pushing harder, protecting our own egos, digging in our heels. Some part of our brain tells us that this is the strong response.

But there can be a real strength in softening, in loosening our grip for a few minutes to take in some new information, to look at someone else’s truth squarely in the eye and just let it into the room. It takes a lot more courage and self-control and self-confidence to do that. And almost every time, it softens the other person, too, opening them up to understanding you better.

That’s when the real progress can begin. 

 

 

Taco salad made from seared steak, avocado, tomato, shredded lettuce, and creamy chipotle dressing is delicious without any embellishment. But if you happen to have cheddar cheese in the refrigerator and a few extra minutes to grate it and bake it, then why not make an edible cheddar bowl?

Cheddar bowls are crispy and salty and fun to eat. They can be big or small, for main course salads or appetizers. Best of all, these bowls are made from just one ingredient: cheese. If you tolerate dairy, then cheese bowls (or chips) are a tasty occasional snack.

Although cheddar is most often used (especially since it goes so well with taco salad), it’s definitely not the only cheese you can grate and bake. Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano (a raw sheep cheese high in CLA) are terrific substitutions.

Time in the Kitchen: 1 hour

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 10 ounces grated cheddar cheese (or other types of cheese) (284 g)
• 1 pound skirt or flank steak (454 g)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin (2.5 ml)
• ½ teaspoon chili powder (2.5 ml)
• ½ teaspoon salt (2.5 ml)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (15 ml)
• 1 head Romaine lettuce, end trimmed off, leaves thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 avocados, sliced or chopped
• A large handful cilantro leaves
• 1 cup Primal Kitchen Chipotle Mayo (240 g)
• Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400º F/205º C.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or Silpat.

To make large cheese bowls, sprinkle thin layers of grated cheese on the lined baking sheet in circles that are 6 inches/152 mm in diameter. Leave space between each circle.

To make smaller, appetizer-sized bowls sprinkle thin layers of grated cheese on the lined baking sheet in circles that are 4 inches in diameter. Leave space between each circle.

Bake about 8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Out of the oven, let the cheese set for a minute or two until it starts to solidify, then lift the cheddar rounds off the baking sheet with a wide spatula.

For large bowls, drape the circle of warm melted cheese over an upside down cereal bowl. Let the cheese cool into the shape of a bowl.

For small bowls, set warm cheese circles in a muffin tin, pressing the cheese down gently into the muffin tin to form a small bowl. Let cool. The cheese bowls can be made a few hours ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.

Season both sides of the steak with cumin, chile powder and salt. Heat avocado oil in a wide cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the skirt steak.

Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until the steak is nicely browned on one side, then flip the steak over. Cook an additional 3 minutes. Skirt steak is usually thinner and should be done cooking at this point. Flank steak can be thicker and may need an additional few minutes in the skillet. Or, finish the flank in the oven (already preheated to 400º F/204º C from the cheese crisps) until done.

Either way, let the steak rest 10 minutes before slicing against the grain (perpendicular to the striated lines you see in the meat) into strips no thicker than ½ inch/12 mm thick. So the steak fits into the Cheddar bowls, slice the strips into small, bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, toss Romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado, cilantro and steak.
In a small bowl, whisk together Primal Kitchen Chipotle Mayo and lime juice.

Pour dressing over salad, tossing lightly.

Portion the salad out into the cheddar bowls right before eating.

The post Taco Salad with Edible Cheddar Bowls appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

By Sara Fulmer

Dr. Sara M. Fulmer is the Teaching and Learning Assessment Specialist at Wellesley College. She supports faculty with implementing evidence-based teaching strategies, and assessing the impact of various teaching approaches on student learning and engagement. Her areas of research include student motivation in challenging contexts and teacher professional development. She received her B.A., B.Ed., and M.A. from Brock University in Ontario, Canada, and Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. You can find her on Twitter @sara_fulmer or at http://www.wellesley.edu/pltc/for-faculty/mellon-grant/sarafulmer.

You’re a teacher of an elementary school mathematics class planning a lesson on addition. You’d like to incorporate concrete objects (“manipulatives”) into the lesson. You have a choice: 

There is no question that manipulatives engage students and capture their attention. If students are more engaged, this must mean that the manipulatives support learning, right?

Not always.

Sometimes, our intuitions about teaching and learning are inaccurate or insufficient (see also learning styles, right brain vs. left brain, multitasking). In the case of manipulatives, the research evidence does, in some cases, contradict our beliefs.

Our intuition: Manipulatives are beneficial for learning

Manipulatives are incredibly popular as an educational tool. Some of the reasons why we intuitively judge manipulatives as beneficial for learning are because manipulatives: (1), (2)

• Capture students’ attention and interest (attention is essential for learning);
• Ground learning in a “real-world”, practical context, especially when the manipulative resembles a familiar object (e.g., pizza slices to learn about fractions);
• Engage students in perceptual and motor/physical (“hands-on”) processing of information (dual coding promotes effective learning); and
• Offer opportunities for self-directed exploration or discovery of concepts.

Image by Maine Department of Education on Flickr

The research evidence: Manipulatives can hinder learning

Manipulatives are just a tool. Like any educational tool, manipulatives can support or hinder learning. As educators, an understanding of the research can help us to make more informed decisions about the use of manipulatives in our teaching.

Although manipulatives can increase students’ attention, this attention may not benefit their learning. In fact, the very aspect of manipulatives that capture students’ attention—bright colors, visual appeal, realistic features—may be their downfall. Manipulatives that are more visually interesting or realistic can increase off-task behavior, such as building or sorting (1). This is especially true if students interact with that object in other contexts, such as during play time or outside of the classroom.

Manipulatives that contain additional and irrelevant features can also interfere with learning by distracting the learner from relevant features of the objects and the target concept (1), (2), (3). For example, 4th and 6th grade students who solved word problems about money using bills and coins that resembled real money (left image) solved fewer problems correctly, compared to those who used bland money (right image) or no manipulatives (4).

To use a manipulative effectively, children must be able to think about the manipulative in two ways: as an object (e.g., “this is a plastic teddy bear”) and as a symbol (e.g., “this teddy bear represents one unit”). This ability, called dual representation, develops during early childhood. If an object is visually interesting or realistic, or if learners are already familiar with the object, they have more difficulty viewing that object in terms of a new symbolic meaning (2), (5).

Research suggests that manipulatives can improve immediate learning outcomes (e.g., retention, recognition) but may impede transfer of learning (6), (7). Students who learn with manipulatives can become too reliant on the object and context, and as a result, have difficulty transferring their knowledge to new contexts, different testing formats, or to abstract representations (e.g., algebraic expressions) of the problem (1), (3), (6).

Based on what you have learned, which manipulative would you choose for the addition lesson? Hint: Think about how task-irrelevant features of the manipulatives, such as size, shape, color, and prior experience or familiarity, might impact children’s use of the manipulatives to understand addition and equivalent units, or lead to off-task behavior.

Resolving the debate: How can I use manipulatives effectively in my teaching?

As educators, we need to carefully consider the manipulative, our learners, and the pedagogy to ensure that students’ work with manipulatives supports their learning (3), (6), (7). Three recommendations are offered below:

1. Select the right manipulative for the task and your students
2. Structure the environment for effective learning
3. Support transfer from concrete to abstract

1. Select the right manipulative for the task and your students

With such a wide variety of manipulatives available—from plain, solid-colored discs to colorful and realistic-looking objects—educators are faced with a challenging decision (5). The manipulatives that we select should meet our learning goals for students and contain features that are relevant to the task (7), keeping in mind that more visually interesting manipulatives can be distracting (2), (3). Additionally, characteristics of the learner, such as age and prior knowledge, influence the effectiveness of manipulatives (7). Younger children have more difficulty understanding that a manipulative has a symbolic meaning, particularly if the same manipulative is used to represent different concepts.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do you want students to know or be able to do by the end of the lesson?
• What is the role or purpose of the manipulative within the lesson?
• What features must the manipulative have to support learning of the target concept?
• What features of the manipulative might distract learners or lead them astray?
• What prior knowledge or experience might students have with this manipulative, and how could that impact their learning?

2. Structure the environment for effective learning

In any learning environment, a balance is needed between autonomy and structure. Although we might be tempted to use discovery-based approaches with manipulatives—allowing students to explore their own learning with little instructional guidance—research suggests that these approaches lead to poor learning outcomes (7), (8). Without guidance, learners might not understand the symbolic meaning of the manipulative, or may engage with the manipulative in ways that do not support their learning (3, 7). Manipulatives are not a magic tool. They cannot substitute for effective teaching (2). Conversely, too much structure can cause learners to become dependent on the manipulative and context, leading to difficulty with transfer (3).

Thus, a moderate level of instructional guidance is needed for effective learning with manipulatives (7), (8). Learners need opportunities to explore and test their ideas and understanding with the objects, but do so in task-relevant ways that support their learning (3). 

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How will I communicate the purpose of the manipulative to students?
• How will I help students focus their attention on the relevant features of the manipulative?
• What prior knowledge do students need to use the manipulative effectively to understand the concept?
• How will I manage off-task behavior? (Tip: don’t allow students to use manipulatives in non-symbolic ways before or during the lesson (3))
• How will I model and scaffold use of the manipulative for students?

3. Support transfer from concrete to abstract

We want students to be able to apply their knowledge and skills to new problems and contexts. This is called transfer. The practice of concreteness fading is effective in helping learners move from an understanding based on concrete objects to a more abstract understanding where they can solve problems without using the concrete objects (1). This teaching approach creates a middle step between the concrete and abstract, helping learners with the transfer process by making the process gradual and explicit (1). Here is an example of the concreteness fading progression for learning about equivalence:                         

Image reprinted from Fyfe, E. R., McNeil, N. M., Son, J. Y., & Goldstone, R. L. (2014). Concreteness fading in mathematics and science instruction: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 26, 9-25, with permission of Springer and author N. McNeil.

What features, ideas, or questions will you consider when planning your next lesson with manipulatives? Comment below! 

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References               

(1) Fyfe, E. R., McNeil, N. M., Son, J. Y., & Goldstone, R. L. (2014). Concreteness fading in mathematics and science instruction: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 26, 9-25.

(2) Uttal, D. H. (2003). On the relation between play and symbolic thought: The case of mathematics manipulatives. Contemporary Perspectives in Early Childhood Education, 97-114.

(3) Brown, M. C., McNeil, N. M., & Glenberg, A. M. (2009). Using concreteness in education: Real problems, potential solutions. Child Development Perspectives, 3, 160-164.

(4) McNeil, N. M., Uttal, D. H., Jarvin, L., & Sternberg, R. J. (2009). Should you show me the money? Concrete objects both hurt and help performance on mathematics problems. Learning and Instruction, 19, 171-184.

(5) Petersen, L. A., & McNeil, N. M. (2013). Using perceptually rich objects to help children represent number: Established knowledge counts. Child Development, 84, 1020-1033.

(6) Carbonneau, K., Marley, S. C., Selig, J. P. (2013). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of teaching mathematics with concrete manipulatives. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 380-400.

(7) Marley, S. C., & Carbonneau, K. (2014). Future directions for theory and research with instructional manipulatives: Commentary on the special issue papers. Educational Psychology Review, 26, 91-100.

(8) Alfieri, L., Brooks, P. J., Aldrich, N. J., & Tenenbaum, H. R. (2011). Does discovery-based instruction enhance learning? Journal of Educational Psychology, 103, 3–16. 

Today’s guest post is written by Tim DiFrancesco, PT, DPT, ATC, CSCS, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Los Angeles Lakers and owner of TD Athlete’s Edge. Tim is a longtime friend of the Primal community, and I’m thrilled to have him contribute today. He’s offered to lead us through a portion of the screening he uses to evaluate players as well as exercises to improve weaknesses. I think you’ll find a great deal to apply to your Primal fitness in the tips and demonstrations.

Just the fact that you’re reading this tells me that you’re ahead of the pack. You already have what many don’t: the motivation to get out there, grind workouts, and train your body to be its best day after day. That’s clutch, but unfortunately it’s not enough to keep you ahead of the pack! One of the secrets to helping NBA athletes get ahead and making sure they stay there is a sound movement assessment. A movement assessment is an appraisal of how a player moves before they hit the court. Movement assessments don’t have to be restricted to a defined and organized battery of tests. Although I use something of the sort, I’m also constantly assessing players’ movements as they train, warm up, and play.

Without ongoing movement assessments, you run the risk of sending a player out to compete and perform with underlying limitations and weaknesses. Often these limitations and weaknesses are hidden by the highlight reel athleticism that we all see during game time action. This scenario is a huge problem because as we’re all cheering at their big plays, damage is being done to tissues, structures, or joints that can ultimately lead to debilitating injury.

This doesn’t just apply to high level, high paid athletes. It applies to anyone putting work in at the gym, pounding the pavement, hitting the trails, playing sports, or generally testing the physical limits of the body. I know what you’re saying: “That’s great, TD, but where do I get a movement assessment to know if I’m ready to train and play?” Not to worry—I’ve got you covered!

I’ve put together a series of movements that I want you to test yourself on. I want you to use these to see just how ready you are to train, play, and compete for the long haul.

1. Single Leg Squat

This appears simple but like many “simple exercises” it can be tricky to do right. This is testing your ability to be on balance and strong during single leg stance. No matter what you do for sport, play, or training, you will end up in a single leg stance. You better be able to stay strong and balanced in a controlled setting if you want to perform safely in a dynamic and random setting. Your performance on this test will give insight into your lateral (outside) hip muscle strength and function. Keep in mind that your hip’s ability to perform can make or break what happens at your knee and on down the line. In other words, there’s a lot at stake here.

Coaching Keys:

• Stand on one leg while you bend the other knee, bringing the heel to your butt.
• Sit your butt back and down into a single leg squat and return back to standing single leg position.
• Imagine having a laser pointing out of the front of the knee. Your goal is to keep the laser pointing straight forward.
• Keep your chest up and back flat.
• You should be able to get your hips below parallel without knee collapse or allowing your chest tip to the floor.

2. Half-Kneel Stand-Up

This movement looks at your ability to control your body from a split or lunge stance. Even if you rarely perform an activity that requires lunge positions or actions, this test is very important. It generally shows how capable you are of producing power through one hip at a time while controlling your pelvis and surrounding core musculature. This is fundamentally critical during any physical activity. Your hips need to be both appropriately mobile and strong to allow you to perform physically over time. Performance on this test will tell a lot about general hip strength and mobility.

Coaching Keys:

• Start kneeling with one knee on a pad and the other foot/knee in front of you. The front knee needs to be in line with the rest of the body.
• Stand up from the lead knee/leg into a single leg stance position.
• Return back to the start position in a slow and controlled way.
• Imagine having a laser pointing out of the front of the lead knee.
• Your goal is to keep the laser pointing straight forward for the entire motion.

3. Airplane

Your core is responsible for holding everything together while your arms and legs do work. That’s the essence of any physical activity. The Airplane test allows us to see how competent your core is while you work to be stable on one leg. It requires one leg to be stable and balanced while you move the body around the hip. The only way this is possible is if your core is operating at a high level. It doesn’t indicate a strong core necessarily, but it does indicate your core’s ability to communicate effectively and in a timely fashion with your hips. If the core is unable to communicate smoothly with your extremities, you’re going to have trouble functioning in any physical activity over a lifetime.

Coaching Keys:

• Begin by standing on one leg and taking a bow.
• Place your hands in an “X” across your chest.
• With your chest parallel to the floor, open and close your hip on the non-stance side.
• When opening and closing the hip, you should see the same open/close motion at the shoulder. In other words, your hip and shoulder should be completely connected and opening/closing together.
• Your goal is to open and close the hip/shoulder together at a slow and controlled pace 3 times without losing balance on the stance leg.

Now that you’ve put yourself through your own personal lower body movement assessment, you may have found a few areas that need work. Here are 5 exercises that will help you to bolster your single leg performance and your physical performance overall.

1. Sidelying Single Leg Hip-Drive

Benefits:

This exercise is a great way to strengthen your core and lateral hip/glute muscles. The action of this exercise will challenge these muscles during movement patterns that occur during running. This will help you to refine your running mechanics and performance.

Coaching Keys:

• Stay tall through the shoulder on the floor side (avoid the sagging on the shoulder).
• Keep the rib cage away from the floor.
• Avoid allowing the low back to arch when you touch the hips to the floor.
• Avoid low back arch at the top of the action.
• Keep the chin tucked.

How To Use:

Use this as a warm-up to a lift, sport, or any activity. It’s also great as a standalone exercise to strengthen the hips. Shoot for 2-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

2. Elevated Single Leg Squat with Counterweight

Benefits:

This exercise will target your glutes in a single leg position. If you notice that your knee caves in uncontrollably when you do a basic single leg squat, then you need to develop your glutes. The glutes control what happens at your knees and below. There’s a good chance that you’re spending ample time in single leg stance during any physical activity. This exercise will not only help you to develop better control while on a single leg but also better strength, power, and performance from a single leg.

Coaching Keys:

• Be sure that the counterweight doesn’t exceed ~10lbs.
• Add resistance or weight by applying a weight vest if the form is perfect with just a 10lb counterweight.
• Sit your butt back like there’s a chair.
• Keep the knee from caving in or losing control.
• Picture a laser pointing out of the front of the chest. Keep the chest facing forward so the laser doesn’t point to the ground.
• Keep the core tight or the belly button close to the rib cage. This will ensure that you avoid a hyper-arch position of the low back as you drop into the squat.
• Finish the move in a tall knee position. You want to be statue tall—no less, no more. The knee should be locked out, but be careful of letting this cause a rock-back position through the low back.

How To Use:

Use this as a warm-up to a lift, sport, or any activity. Use a weight vest to add resistance and use this exercise as part of a super set during a lower or total body lift. Shoot for 2-4 sets of 8-15 repetitions.

3. Medicine Ball Single Leg Deadlift with Rotation

Benefits:

This is a great exercise to train single leg balance the right way. This exercise will challenge your single leg balance in a functional position while your upper body is active. This is what happens in sport and performance.

Coaching Keys:

• Move the ball across your chest instead of rotating your chest or upper body.
• Keep your foot still in your shoe or on the ground.
• Keep your stance leg knee from caving in or moving side to side significantly.

How To Use:

This is a great warm-up for any workout or activity. It can also serve as part of a balance and core specific workout. Shoot for 2-4 sets of 8-20 medicine ball rotations on each leg.

4. Cable Bowler Squat

Benefits:

The Cable Bowler Squat will strengthen your single leg balance and stability during rotational single leg action. Sport or activity of any kind happens in all planes, so you need to train in all planes.

Coaching Keys:

• Don’t let the shoulder sag or dip at the bottom of the movement. Keep the shoulder packed with the rest of the body.
• Be active with the outside leg. Reach the heel up and back behind you at the bottom of the movement.
• Slowly lower yourself into it. Avoid falling into the bottom position.
• Finish the move in a tall knee position. You want to be statue tall – no less, no more. The knee should be locked out, but be careful of letting this cause a rock-back position through the low back.

How To Use:

This is a great warm-up for any workout or activity. It can also serve as part of a balance and core specific workout. Shoot for 2-4 sets of 8-12 repetitions on each leg.

5. Kettlebell Rear Foot Elevated Split Squat

Benefits:

This exercise will help you to strengthen the muscles around the hip and the knee while in a single leg position. The glutes, quadriceps, and even the hamstrings are targeted. Developing strength in these areas will help you to protect your lower body and enhance your lower body performance. If you want to avoid lower body injury and train to have better balance, run faster, jump higher, or land better, then you need to be doing the Kettlebell Rear Foot elevated Split Squat.

Coaching Keys:

• Don’t let the knee drift too far over the toes, but don’t keep it too far behind the toes either. The lead knee should ever so slightly cover up the toes when you look down.
• Avoid letting the knee cave in during the motion.
• Keep the core tight or the belly button close to the rib cage. This will ensure that you avoid a hyper-arch position of the low back as you drop into the squat.
• Finish the move in a tall knee position. You want to be statue tall – no less, no more. The knee should be locked out, but be careful of letting this cause a rock-back position through the low back.
• Be sure to keep the shoulders from rolling forward while you hold the weights.
• Select a height of the surface to place the rear foot up on that feels comfortable throughout the entire range of motion of the exercise.

How To Use:

This exercise fits perfect in a lower body or total body lift. Ideally, you should super set or pair this with an exercise that is grip neutral (doesn’t require grip action). Shoot for 3-5 sets of 4-12 repetitions.

Do the assessment, train up the deficiencies, and visit us across all of our platforms (Twitter/Instagram: @tdathletesedge) for more insight on how to perform like a pro for the long haul.

The post The Secret to Athletic Longevity appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Okay. This killed me.

 

* What follows is a long, rambling rant about literature, politics, and why we have an ignorant cheetoh winning in the polls. None of my readers are under any obligation to feel this way, and none of my friends are under any obligation to agree. All I ask is that nobody yells at anybody else. That any discussion remains civilized. That nobody goes after me with a torch and a pitchfork and calls me dirty names for trying to figure out how things went so horribly wrong.


So, a long time ago I taught The Crucible, and part of teaching The Crucible was studying Arthur Miller's theory of diabolism.

Given the state of the world, of social media, of the candidate we must not name, I thought diabolism was an interesting thing we might want to study today.

In the story The Crucible, a group of young women are found dancing in the forest, playing at casting love potions. One of the young women, Abigail Williams, had an affair with her employer, and when her employer's wife turned her out--and her lover sided with his wife and said, "This was wrong, it must stop," Abigail turned vengeful. She didn't just want a love potion--she wanted the wife to die.

The girls are discovered--and instead of writing the dance and the witchcraft off as "simple stupid teenaged bullshit", the people who found the girls freaked the fuck out, and one of the girls was so frightened of what her Puritanical community would do to her, that she felt into sort of an hysterical trance. The other girls, frightened because, remember, this community had no forgiveness for anything that deviated from a very strict norm, followed Abigail's lead. They were frightened, they were a little bit guilty, and they wanted to avoid terribly harsh punishment--so they confessed, but they used the age old excuse, "The devil made me do it--and this person is the devil!"

The town was sort of a hotbed of discontent. The pastor wanted a bigger slice of pie, Abigail's uncle wanted his neighbor's land-- one neurotic woman with one child was jealous of the saintly old woman who'd had practically a dozen. Into this sort of rats nest and jealousy come these hysterical girls, calling out witches, saying, "This scary old woman made me snort a toad!" and the more manipulative grownups start to think.

"Hey--I want these things on the material plane. I want revenge. I want stuff I'm not supposed to want--if I can steer this swarm of cannibalistic starlings in one direction or the other, I can get some of that stuff."

And the judges listening to these complaints are like, "Well, of course everybody's telling the truth. Lying puts their mortal soul in danger--why would they lie? We should kill the people they accuse immediately, because we will tolerate and forgive no deviation from a very strict norm! The only way we will know if they are cured of their sickness is if they accuse somebody else, and then we can threaten THEM with death!"

And the judges--the people who should have known better, missed the hole in the plan.

The hole in the plan is that everybody--the girls, the townspeople, the people accused who then turned into the accusers--all of those people believed that there was no forgiveness for deviating from a very strict norm.

Why yes, I've said that a couple of times now.

It's important.

I'm on a diet-- Weight Watchers. And the thing about diets is that everybody knows how to lose weight. Eliminate X, Y, and Z from the diet, and only eat A, B, and C. The problem? X, Y, and Z are YUMMY AS FUCK, and A, B, and C are tasty, but they don't have the sugar and fat that turns us all into junkies sucking soda and chocolate chip cookies. The thing that Weight Watchers--and most successful food programs--has discovered, is the thing that the judges of the Salem Witch trials never figured out.

If our line in the sand -- the line demarcating good and evil, the line that claims there is NO FORGIVENESS FOR DEVIATING FROM A VERY STRICT NORM is too harsh and too insurmountable, everybody falls in some way. If we can't have a chocolate chip cookie once in a while, we end up eyeballs deep in Oreos and Hagen Daas, daring our nearest and dearest to come one step closer and nibble a corner of our stash.

It's a byproduct of being human.

The minute you declare that all action on B SIDE OF THE FENCE is not only wrong, it's unforgivable and there is no learning curve and there is no margin for human error, you have effectively determined that everybody--every man, woman, and child of the human race is FUCKING GUILTY AS FUCKING SIN. 

Because we're all fallible.

You're not allowed to be petty? That damns us to hell?

Well fuck--I envied my girlfriend because she's way more talented than I am, and I'm fucking doomed.

You're not allowed to be lustful? That damns us to hell?

I enjoyed relations with my husband. I'm fucking doomed.

You're not allowed to be slothful? That damns us to hell?

I will cut a bitch who tries to wake me from my nap. I"m fucking doomed.

You name a sin, thundered about on a pulpit--or on a Twitter thread--and people have, consciously or unconsciously, committed it.

There are two things you can do if you've committed that many sins.

The first--always my option--forgive yourself, forgive others, and try to do better.

The second--and the option found in The Crucible and on social media-- is to believe you're damned for all eternity and fucked up the ass with a rusty sword of justice.

With the first, there is gentleness, education, apology and forgiveness, humanity and a better way.

With the second, there is "Fuck it, I'm screwed anyway, I might as well dick with all the people who pissed me off anyway."

Which is what happened in The Crucible. By the end of The Crucible--and the Salem Witch trials actually-- they had a problem with cows. All of the cows were wandering around the town, because so many of the townspeople were locked up for perceived evils that there was nobody to take care of them. Children were wandering the streets because their parents had been accused and were awaiting trial, because by the rules of the Puritans, it was better to let the children starve than it was to let free a couple of puzzled churchgoers who didn't understand that skipping church a couple of times a year didn't really damn them to hell, and they had no guilt to speak of.

If there is no rule of forgiveness, no guidelines of tolerance, everybody is guilty.

Everybody.

Which is why people are right now saying, "Well, one candidate is as good as another."

I saw an interesting graphic. A credited non-partisan news assessment source (Politifact) assessed both candidates in the American presidential election.  One of the candidate--the GOP candidate--was found to be anywhere from lying a little to lying a lot over 75% of the time. The other candidate, the Democratic candidate, was found to be lying less than 15% of the time.

And yet the Democratic candidate had been branded the dishonest one.

Why?

Why would an entire country allow themselves to be so mislead?  (Or at least half the country.)

Because the big fat orange faced liar is speaking for everybody in the country going, "Fuck it, I've sinned anyway, I might as well pick the guy with my sin!"

Greed? Narcissism? Intolerance? Xenophobia? These are the things that this candidate has come to represent. Well, most of mankind feels these things at some point in time. And then, a lot of us remember our education in the world, we remember our duties as citizens, we remember our ability to master complex functions, and we overcome these horrible parts of ourselves and we move on to do productive things with our time and our beautiful human potential.

But the people following this candidate haven't done that. They've sinned. They're fucked. Let's go with this guy who makes a game out of being an asshole, since obviously all mankind is an asshole. Just like with the witch trials, any deviation from a very strict norm means you're going to hell. Half our population is following the candidate who is proud and excited to be going to hell.

The other half is running around outraged because this guy is leading.

But let's think of this outrage for a moment.

What if we hadn't allowed our outrage to rule us, even from the very beginning.

What if the candidate had opened his mouth, said something obscene, and instead of going, "Oh my God you just said this horrible thing you fucker!" we'd said, "I'm not sure if you realize this, but here are the ways this offended 80% of the population, and here is why this philosophy is bad for the country."

Think about it. Gentle teaching. Consistently. How long would we have needed to do that before he would have just looked like the spoiled child he is, and he would have been yesterday's news?

Instead, we were outraged, consistently. And like any shrieking brat, he went, "I'm fucked, everything I do is wrong, let's see how much attention I can get like that!"

And here we are. On the cusp of electing a shrieking brat into a very dangerous position, because the rest of the world is pretty sure THEY'RE fucked because everything THEY do seems to be wrong.

Social media works as a binary code--Twitter has 140 characters to determine if a person is guilty or not guilty.

The judges who convicted people to hang in Salem had the same code--guilty or not guilty.

The United States Senator who ruined tens of thousands of lives by blacklisting them had the same code--guilty or not guilty.

When are we going to start figuring out that screaming "GUILTY MOTHER FUCKER!" in someone's face doesn't work.

It's never worked.

It's left cows to wander the roadways and orphaned children, but it has never done anything besides turn the accused into the accuser, simply to escape wrath.

Now I'm not saying we all turn to the scary xenophobic bigoted narcissist who may soon hold nuclear codes in his hand and say, "Oh, Mr. Trump, I LOVE you, try not to be a scary xenophobic bigoted narcissist and kill us all, okay?"

But I am saying spazzing the fuck out every time he says something that appalls us is not working.

Even worse, it's making us numb and bitter, like someone who drank aloe lidocaine tea.

And it's making our country sick.

Maybe instead of screeching every time someone crosses the inevitable line of being human, we have a discussion instead of a witch hunt?

Maybe we set out with education in our hearts instead of judgment, and we try to make the world a better, more positive place instead of a place where shrieking crows feast on one another's guts with glee?

The end of The Crucible was that 19 people died and the crowd fell apart.

The end of McCarthyism was that tens of thousands of lives were ruined and the baby boomers rebelled against all those terrible rules with self-indulgence that is killing us even now.

Diabolism benefits nobody, and it harms a great many.

There has got to be a better way.

What is Black Lives Matter?

Black Lives Matter is a social justice and activism movement founded by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. It derives from the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter, created in 2013 in response to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin.

It uses non-violent means — hashtag activism, protests, marches, die-ins, and intentional social disruptions — to both mobilize people interested in spreading their message and, most notably, to force people who are either apathetic about or antagonistic to it to pay attention.

And while the media has appointed several prominent people — the founding women, Deray McKesson, Johnetta Elzie, and Shaun King, to name a few — as “leaders,” there’s no concretized hierarchy or organizational structure.

Also, while the Black Lives Matter movement is relatively new, it has actually existed for decades. Centuries, even.

How so?

Even before Black Lives Matter became a thing, the latent message behind it — that Black people’s lives are not valued by America — has been around as long as there’s been Black people in America. Naturally, the message has undergone some nuanced and situationally-dependent changes. 60 years ago, segregation was the antagonist. Today it’s police brutality. And its become a bit more sophisticated and progressive — making sure to include all Black people, not just (straight) Black males. But it has existed for quite some time. It just has a name attached to it now. Martin Luther King, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman — all theoretical members of BLM.

Interesting. Well, if you could summarize today’s message in 25 words, how would you?

25? Ha! I can do it in 24.

“Hey everyone. It hurts when police officers shoot us. Because we’re human. And sometimes we die. Which really sucks. So stop doing that, please.”

That’s it?

Yup.

Nothing about killing police officers?

Nope.

Or even just being anti-police?

Nah.

How about being anti-White?

Nada. In fact, many White people are down with BlackLivesMatter, including Patricia Leary, a professor at Whittier Law School, and quite possibly the wokest White person who ever lived. Actually, forget the “White” qualifier. I’m pretty damn woke — not five cups of espresso woke, but definitely at least a quart of RC Cola for breakfast woke — but I’m a fucking Ambien compared to Professor Leary.

So if it’s not anti-police or anti-White, why is BlackLivesMatter considered so revolutionary, terroristic even, to so many people? 

I’m tempted to just say “because people are fucking stupid” and leave it at that. But since this is an explainer, I’ll explain.

Among the people who do consider BLM to be a negative thing, there seems to be two separate and frequently overlapping segments.

A) Those who believe that anything even remotely critical of the police is anti-police and pro-anarchy

B) Those who believe that anything with the word “Black” in it is exclusionary and anti-White

If you’re a Black person in America, the people comprising segment B) shouldn’t be new to you, because these are the exact same people who say things like “Why is there a Black Entertainment Television and not a White Entertainment Television?” and “Why are Black people allowed to have EBONY Magazine? Because if I started IVORY Magazine, I’d be called a racist.”

And, when encountering these types of people, you’re left with two choices:

1. Educate them. (“Actually, BET exists because networks such as MTV rarely featured work from Black artists. And HBCUs exist because for a very, very, very, very long time, Black people weren’t allowed to attend White schools. And “White schools” were “literally every other school.“)

2. Ignore them, remind them that you want cheese on your Whopper and no ice in your raspberry iced tea, and leave Burger King.

Regarding Black Lives Matter, they seem to think that it’s really saying Only Black Lives Matter. Or, Black Lives Matter, Bitch, And All The Rest Of Your Lives Can Go Eat A Pigeon’s Dick. Which completely — and, some would argue, intentionally — misconstrues the message, which is Black Lives Matter…Too. 

I get it. I guess this is where the All Lives Matter reaction comes from, huh?

Yes. Ultimately you have people either so emotionally and intellectually fragile that they believe BLM is a collective thumbing of the nose to White people or people just too dense and/or myopic to grasp the historically-wrought social and cultural context behind asserting that Black Lives Matter.

But even more dangerous than the All Lives Matter dunderheads are the people who consider BLM to be an inherent threat to the safety of police officers. Which ultimately does nothing but exacerbate an already existing “us vs them” dynamic that seems to persist in police culture; especially in regards to policing urban and Black communities.

So by referring to police culture are you insinuating that police officers are mostly bad/racist?

Of course not. This is not a blanket indictment on all police officers. I would imagine that the quality of cop is distributed just like any other occupation. Some are great at their jobs, some are terrible, and most are just average joes trying to get through the day, collect some overtime, and get home and watch Fear The Walking Dead like the rest of us. But the problem is that policing is an occupation where the people who happen to be terrible at their jobs can seriously fuck shit up. A terrible secretary will forget dates and mislabel appointments. A terrible cop will straight up murder people. And then, adding insult to injury, these terrible cops are often protected. Which makes the act of distinguishing between “good cop” and “bad cop” extremely difficult.

To wit, Saturday night, members of the Minnesota Lynx — a WNBA team — wore shirts to recognize the police-involved violence that occurred last week. On the back of the shirts were the names of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, the emblem for the Dallas Police Department, and Black Lives Matter. Before the game, the players spoke out and said they wished to end all violence and expressed their support for the protestors, the men killed last week, and the fallen police officers. But four off-duty cops working security for the game were so offended by this aggressively inoffensive act that they walked off.

You’d hope that they were admonished by their superiors or appointed leaders, but the President of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, Lieutenant Bob Kroll, supported the officers and even added a dig at the WNBA.

When he was asked if more than four officers had walked off the job, Kroll told the Tribune, “They only have four officers working the event because the Lynx have such a pathetic draw.”

So while bad cops might comprise a minority of the police officer population, it’s an extremely dangerous and protected minority.

Understood. Are there any Black people who consider BLM to be a negative thing?

Of course. You have Black people who also believe its racist and anti-police. In honor of Stacey Dash, the patron saint of these people, I’ll refer to them as Dash’s Dummies. But then you have those who disagree with some of BLM’s disruption-related tactics, and some who believe that disruption is BLM’s only goal. These are (somewhat) understandable but ultimately misguided critiques. The disruption might look and sound ugly and might seem fruitless, but you can’t deny that it’s helped police brutality become a national conversation. Also, social activism has to be disruptive. Without it, things won’t change, because there will be no clear and immediate incentive to at least acknowledge that things need changing.

Any others?

Yeah. There exists some Black people who refuse to be a part of a movement that was founded by Black women and prominently features and fights for members of the LGBTQ community.

How do you combat that type of criticism? 

Well, first you attempt to educate them; teaching them that Black equality means equality for all Black people. But if that doesn’t work, just call their grandmothers and tell them they’re using the house wifi and all bandwidth to browse PornHub.

Last week the new version of Google Forms became the default version in many Google Accounts. But, as many people have pointed out to me, not all Google Accounts have made the transition. This is particularly true in Google Apps for Education accounts. Therefore, I put together a new playlist of Google Forms tutorials that includes videos demonstrating features of the new version of the Google Forms and the older version of Google Forms. By the way, for the time being, you can revert to the older version at any time.

In my new Google Forms tutorials playlist you will find videos demonstrating how to customize both the old and new versions of Google Forms, how to install Add-ons in both versions, and you will find tutorials on some of my favorite Google Forms Add-ons. The new playlist is embedded below.

Why Do Rivers Curve? is a short video produced by Minute Earth. The video explains and demonstrates the role of erosion in forming the bends in a river until an oxbow lake is formed. The video concludes with a challenge to use Google Earth to locate an oxbox lake. The video is embedded below.

Shape It Up is a good companion activity to Why Do Rivers Curve? Shape It Up is one of many good educational games and activities on Kinetic City. The activity presents students with "before" and "after" images of a piece of Earth. Students then have to select the force nature and the span of time it took to create the "after" picture. If students choose incorrectly, Shape It Up will tell them that they were wrong and give them a chance to choose again.

Socratic Smackdown offers a fun approach to having students practice discussion strategies. Socratic Smackdown is a printable game designed to be played with up to forty students at a time. In the game students are awarded points for using each of six questioning and discussion methods. Students can lose points for interrupting or distracting others.

The play of Socratic Smackdown can be organized around a text-based question or organized around debate a question delivered verbally. During the game students can play the role of participant or "coach." A coach's role is focused on listening to the group and completing "coach cards" on which they write observations on what the participants did well and what they can do to improve.

Check out the video below for a short overview of Socratic Smackdown.


Applications for Education
Socratic Smackdown provides a great framework through which your students can develop discussion and debate skills. The game packet (a 23 page PDF available here) includes alignment to Common Core standards for middle school and high school classrooms.