Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 5hThe best learners don’t let school get in there way. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 7hI'm old enough to remember when teachers sought to facilitate learning not generate data. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 8h“Skepticism is the agent of reason against organized irrationalism--and is therefore one of the keys to human social and civic decency.” ― Stephen Jay Gould 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 9hMaybe it's time we go back to just one reality... you know the one grounded in things we actually observe rather than some other version that we really want to be true. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 9hIf takes a special kind of hubris to think all must act as you do. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 11hTrickle down economics… learning styles… so many myths accepted as true. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 12hWrong? Me? If you ask this question, the answer is “yes.” 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 13h“Half-assing it never works.” Wisdom from my 31-year old son. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 14hDon’t confuse schooling for learning… or teaching. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 15hWord suggesting "similar to" be replaced with "like" in every instance could not be more annoying... unless it was given by an animated paperclip. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026If you are not in complete control over it, don’t make it a goal. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Lots of great innovations are just improvements (or repackaging) of previous discoveries. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026You do know that many of your favorite PowerPoint themes are not ADA compliant, don’t you! 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026So many accomplishments are correctly attributed to luck. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I taught science and math for years, but never used “packets,” except for the weeks I was on jury duty (and the judge’s wife was my sub—seriously!). 010
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Yeah, one of the great myths (and rationales for wacky and even damaging ideas) is that it’s “for the students. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The fact that we all see only one version of education for everyone is the problem. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Politicians’ reasons can be capricious. Scientists’ reasons cannot. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026You have an idea. One you believe strongly, but it has no basis in empirical fact. I am not obligated to stake it seriously. I am not obligated to give it any attention in my classroom. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Those who speak with the most confidence should be ignored first. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026"Political ideology can corrupt the mind, and science." -E. O. Wilson 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026At some point "not tech savvy" must disqualify one from teaching online. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Just because I can’t explain it isn’t proof you are correct. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026One thing i learned during alost 40 years in education: WHen you hear, “We need teachers to be flexible” it is time to leave. 010
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026“What do I want my students to be able to do?” is a much different question than “What are the learning objectives?” 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026“Accountability” is grounded in the assumption that one knows clearly what should be true when done. In #education, no one agrees what should be true, thus all such efforts are doomed. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I reported several situations to school leaders over my career. Hostile work environments. Teachers repeatedly using derogatory terms towards students. Bullying. Misuse of technology. All were “investigated,” no evidence was ever found for any. Interesting how that happens. 010
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Gifting buying for my children used to be Lego sets. Now it’s tools. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Some leaders are so good at using data, they can deny reality. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026A blog post entitled Prequestions: A Little Used Teaching Strategy. It has been enhanced with audio and a video (at the bottom of the post): www.hackscience.net/prequestions... #teaching #edchat #education #learninghackscience.netPrequestions: A Little-Used Teaching Strategy243: Prequestions: A Little Used Teaching Strategy | RSS.com Welcome to a discussion on a simple yet incredibly powerful technique to boost your learning and retention: prequestions. Often overlook… 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026“I’m doing a smaller garden next year” is the mantra… until seed catalogs arrive. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026That long email explaining why you can’t do what needs to be done. No one reads it. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Textbooks are not a good proxy for "what students need to know." 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026So much “disruption” is really just “please start using this acronym.” 010
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I’ve heard lots of folks say what teachers should do, but to be fair, I’ve heard lots of teachers say what other professionals should do. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Responding to questions with correct answers is a much less useful skill than responding in a manner that makes one doubt the “correct” answer. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I was told today, "we can't look it up, we don't have our computers" when suggesting students look at the notes they took a few minutes earlier. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026We all realize that folks “look it up” in the real world, don’t we? 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Don’t confuse “having data to support it” with “reasonable decision.” 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Digital trails are real artifacts of exactly what was communicated to and by whom at precise times. I’m not sure which is less believable. Folks trying to deny the records or folks taking those denials seriously. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Those circumstances threatening your project… they were foreseen… but you could not accept advice from the people who predicted in without loosing your (delusional) sense of expertise. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I've always ben intrigued by the formal attire of bluegrass musicians when performing. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Great data. Too bad it’s not supported by empirical observation. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026So much of my time as an educational technology leader was spent developing systems and plans to meet the needs of “important new initiatives” that are abandoned, but no one told me. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Have you ever avoided starting a new project because you know a leader’s “help” will doom it? I have. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I’m old enough to remember when libraries were quiet spaces. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026“We should teach a course in….” “We should hire someone to….” These are clear signals you are not really serious. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026“How do I turn it off?” “You can’t.” This conversation is why many IT users push back. 000
Dr. Gary Ackerman @garyackermanphd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Group work didn’t succeed in your classroom? It may be the assignment, not the groups. 000
