Feeling Groovy

 
Photo: Wikimedia Commons via user Nancy http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Nancy
FAR OUT: We're still tripping in the '60s in our history of rock class. Today's lectures focused on major players in the psychedelic scene in San Fransisco and London.

First up was the city by the Bay. The Grateful Dead were seemingly everywhere and anywhere that had to do with a psychedelic happenings. It was interesting to ponder that their albums don't necessarily encapsulate their music very well, as they're known for their improvisational, experimental live performances. 

Jefferson Airplane was big on the scene, too. LOVE this video of them from the Smothers Brothers' variety show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0

We also watched watched Country Joe and the Fish recorded live at Woodstock . There were some bad words, but hey, it's rock n' roll. CJ really liked their anti-war anthem, "I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag." 

Before I hit the showers this morning, I put on a Janis Joplin/Big Brother & Holding Co. playlist for the kids. By the time I came downstairs 20 minutes later, Annabelle was singing "Mercedes Benz" repeatedly. :)

Another lecture we watched covered London's psychedelic scene, which was emerging parallel to San Fran's. We compared and contrasted Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive with the song that inspired it, "My Little Red Book," by Love, a SF band. Interesting. 

SUPER PSYCHEDELIC: In keeping with this week's theme, I couldn't help but smile when I saw a photo NASA has just released. It's a colorized image of the combination of three wavelengths of light from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. They show multiple gets that led to a series of slow coronal puffs from the sun on January 17 of last year. 

It's gorgeous, really. . 

Image Credit: 

Alzate/SDO

MATH MINDED: Last week, CJ and Annabelle started a great math class through Stanford online. Called "How to Learn Math: For Students," it's led by professor Jo Boaler, an advocate for (good, meaningful!) math education reform. (I took a similar class with her several months ago, "How to Learn Math).

Here's the trailer for the kids' class...
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/qD5QR5R6b8E?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 I really love what the kids are learning. It's not times tables or factoring or geometry, it's learning ABOUT math - how to view success, recognizing that everyone can do math, stressing how math is creative and cool (as opposed to the stereotype of rigid and boring) - all good stuff!

The class is a series of videos with Boaler, other math educators, and students. Between videos, there are chances for students to reflect. Here are a couple of the kids' observations.

CJ:  "n lesson 3 of this course, I learned that speed is not something that you need in math. Often times, the better idea is to go slow or process the idea in your mind, so you can think about it. Then again, if you can think quickly and can do well doing that, then don't be afraid to do so. Just remember that speed isn't everything in math."

Annabelle: "Being fast doesn't mean being smart. You should always take your time and think about why your method works or how it's related to other methods. Never let anyone  say that "You're not fit for this." You can do it, just keep working hard. Mistakes help you learn!"

LOVE IT!