Items to Share: 28 June 2015

Education Focus

• Can inclusive education do more harm than good? [theconversation.com] 'Recently, a teacher expressed his misgivings about the “inclusion at all costs” ideology of modern education. Despite being well supported by his school and hugely in favour of inclusive practice, he outlined his difficulties in managing a young fellow with Down Syndrome whose behaviour in the classroom was extremely difficult, and increasingly dangerous. This resulted in children and staff leaving the school, citing concerns about their safety and psychological health. [ ] The article attracted derision from many, but also a sigh of relief from other teachers and a surprising number of parents of children with a disability.

• More Physics Clangers | e=mc2andallthat By the examiners. '[T]hose who call for rigour should display rigour.'

• The crisis in non-fiction publishing | Books | The Guardian  'When it comes to high-calibre non-fiction, risk-averse trade publishing houses are producing too many copycat ‘smart thinking’ books that promise more than they deliver. But praise should be given to the university presses.'

• Which Reasoning Style Best Describes The Way You Think? [io9.com] Duck! Bullsh*t incoming!

• BPS Research Digest: Is dyslexia associated with exceptional visual-spatial abilities?

• It's not PowerPoint's fault, you're just using it wrong [theconversation.com] Up to a point...

• Sir Ken Robinson versus Nick Gibb: The Battle of the Subjects | @katie_s_ashfor

• Why universities should get rid of PowerPoint and why they won't [theconversation.com] 'An article [...] recently argued universities should ban PowerPoint because it makes students stupid and professors boring. I agree entirely. However, most universities will ignore this good advice because rather than measuring success by how much their students learn, universities measure success with student satisfaction surveys, among other things. [...] Overreliance on slides has contributed to the absurd belief that expecting and requiring students to read books, attend classes, take notes and do homework is unreasonable. [ ] Courses designed around slides therefore propagate the myth that students can become skilled and knowledgeable without working through dozens of books, hundreds of articles and thousands of problems.' 

Other Business

• The impossible world of MC Escher | Art and design | The Guardian 

• The Internet Accused Alice Goffman of Faking Details In Her Study of a Black Neighborhood. I Went to Philadelphia to Check. [3quarksdaily.com]  

• Negotiation Tactics: 31 Techniques and Strategies [nickkolenda.com] Substantial (7k words) and practical article.