Stuart Firestein says that the real work of science is not explaining the universe but asking good questions, seeking the answers, and asking even better questions as a result. He argues that our current education system often destroys student interest in science. We need to excite them instead-- and encourage them to look for answers to what is still unknown, rather than just studying what’s already been discovered.

Ramsey Musallam is a high school chemistry teacher with a similar concern. He believes that student curiosity and questions are a teacher’s most important tools. Questions are “the seeds of learning.” He gives examples from his classroom, as well as from what he learned from a surgeon who saved his life. (The surgeon’s skill and confidence came from asking questions about the surgery, improving it through trial and error, and reflection—thinking about what he had learned and how to do it better.)

Neurologist Peter Doolittle talks about the limits of our working memory. To hold something in our minds for more than seconds, we need to “do something with it”—think about it or talk about it, and make connections with what we already know. He says “We are meaning-making machines… We try to make meaning out of everything that happens to us.”

Take a look at the vocabulary below, to see if the explanations might help you with these talks. The links to the talks themselves are immediately below the vocabulary discussion. There are also links to a page practicing words (including ‘extract,’ and ‘reflection’) that come from Latin verbs.

After President Obama’s State of the Union address a couple of weeks ago I began thinking that such speeches might be a good source for both reading and academic vocabulary practice. John F. Kennedy’s first State of the Union address in 1961 proved very useful.

I found his views on the world situation thought-provoking. They help explain several of his more controversial decisions: how he handled the Cuban missile crisis, why he sent military advisers to Vietnam, and why he started the Peace Corps.

Use the link below to read extensive selections from that speech, as well as practice AWL vocabulary by filling in a few gaps in the speech. It’s a good way to focus on his language—and thinking!

I hope you enjoy thinking about questions and practicing any words that are new to you!