MIT OpenCourseWare is honored to have two (!!) classes in HuffPost Tech’s new list, “9 College Courses That Will Have You Geeking Out And Rethinking Your Major,” plus another course in the lead paragraph:
Colleges across the country are getting creative with their curriculum. Each year, universities are inspiring new generations of students to debate the meaning of symbolism in literature by reading the Harry Potter series and to learn about engineering and robotics by playing with Legos [OCW’s Lego Robotics course]. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) departments in particular are turning over a new leaf and embracing unconventional methods to increase student interest.…
1. Street-Fighting Mathematics
While the students don’t actually get the chance to spar, they do learn “the art of guessing results and solving problems without doing a proof or an exact calculation.” It provides student with real-world mathematical applications to take on the world and their futures. Think of the streets as the many practical mathematical problems you face outside the classroom, and your weapons are the skills acquired in this class to overcome them.…6. Advanced Kitchen Chemistry
Any successful chef would agree that becoming master of the kitchen is about understanding chemistry. To perfectly torch a creme brulee demands an understanding of ingredients’ properties and how they react. In MIT’s Advanced Kitchen Chemistry, students perform weekly “scientific edible experiments” and discuss important subjects such as “cheese making”, the “joys of tofu” and “the science of spice.” Sounds delicious.…
Reblogged this on edtechsheryl and commented:
My Director’s course “Street-Fighting Mathematics” is listed #1 – well done, Sanjoy!