Welcome to 2024! We start the year off with recommendations that come from an educational consultant and language researcher, a political podcast, and two stories from the Library of Congress’s Bibliomania blog.
Brenda Robles
Mathematics Fellow
Brenda says, “I follow Dr. José Medina on TikTok. Listening to his Monday message is such an inspirational way to start every week. His messaging uplifts the use of Spanglish and gives me hope that we are moving towards a society where we honor each other’s linguistic repertoires. The following is one of my favorite videos of his.”
Medina Monday Message
Dr. José Medina
“On my goodness, look at you moving the parts of language that you needed.”
– Dr. José Medina, language researcher and author
Not on TikTok? You can still play the one that is linked above. You can read more about Dr. Medina’s work on CNN.
Aaron Anthony
Director of Operations
Aaron says, “I’m recommending a new-to-me political podcast from The Ringer called “Somebody’s Gotta Win.” I like it because it’s a great balance of smart, funny, unbiased, and informative thanks to its host, Tara Palmeri. I know lots of folks are just sick of political news, but not me. I like following politics closely because I think it’s really important and directly tethered to our mission at the IFL of improving education. The podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts—give it a listen and see what you think.”
Somebody’s Gotta Win
Tara Palmeri, host
“I’m trying to inform. I’m trying to let people hear different perspectives and make their own decisions. I’m trying to be honest and have like the conversations that maybe aren’t necessarily polite and kind of let people talk their book but also push back on it because everybody has an agenda in this town.”
– Tara Palmeri, senior political correspondent for subscription news platform Puck
Tracy Tomei
Manager of Instructional Design and Product Development
Tracy says, “The Library of Congress’s Bibliomania Blog features stories and facts about their rare collections usually accompanied by some beautiful imagery. These two recent posts stuck out to me to share with the IFL. The first is about medieval techniques to retain and learn information with memory and images. And the second discusses the use of gamification and student engagement with a look at some flashcards from the early 1500s.”
In Your Mind’s Eye: Strange Mental Architecture to Help You Remember
Marianna Stell
“Classical mnemonic theories emphasized that students were more likely to remember strange and surprising images. Like marketers today, theorists of the past understood that memory is more easily stimulated when information is contained within an image that provokes an emotional response such as surprise, delight, or amusement.”
– Marianna Stell, reference librarian
Gamification: Thomas Murner Makes Learning Fun
Marianna Stell
“What is an effective means of engaging students in the classroom? Turn learning into a game.”
– Marianna Stell, reference librarian