Alex Rothuis

Bluesky: @arothuis.nl

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

Find me on Bluesky: @arothuis.nl

[☀️👀 @zei_squirrel]

last year, as Israel's ongoing Gaza genocide was ramping up, Palestinian-Dutch poet Ramsey Nasr was allowed to go on television there to say something about it. Here was his message, which has only become more devastating today:

"I saw a man walking around with a plastic bag. He held it out before him above the crowd as if it contained a precious bread. It wasn't bread. The transparent bag contained the remains of his children's flesh and bones.

I sat down and howled like an animal.

There's something wrong with humanity, our own and that of everyone that watches and does not intervene.

I'm left with one wish, because dreams do not exist in this hell: That someone will record the names of the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, dead and wounded, and then interview their relatives on national television, night after night.

This amounts to countless TV broadcasts. It would be absurd.

But fair."

[sarah @sahouraxo]

BREAKING:

Israel just committed a massacre in Baalbek, bombing the Civil Defense Center filled with medical personnel.

Over 15 paramedics have been killed, with many still trapped under the rubble.

Israel is hunting down paramedics across Lebanon.

This is an act of genocide.

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

Common Vercel L

[Guillermo Rauch @rauchg]

Congrats President Trump 🇺🇸

Excited about the impact ���, prediction markets, citizen journalism, podcasts, and the open web played in fostering democracy and a free media. It's a new world.

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

💯

[Raquel McGee @RaquelMTeaches]

Whenever I hear discussions about teacher workload, I immediately think about the need for well-designed, rigorous CENTRALIZED CURRICULUM. There are a million other tasks that demand our mental resources, so why not reduce the cognitive load of this one?

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

@vanamerongen Wow.

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

Don't use hallucinogenic AI for safety-critical stuff.

[Ethan Mollick @emollick]

"Hey Claude with computer use, watch this construction site video & write up things you see that dangerous or good, create a spreadsheet of critical issues to address" (sped up)

How firms use AI as manager, coach or panopticon is going to have a big impact on what work becomes.

[Arian van Putten @ProgrammerDude]

https://t.co/ypNstl0TY8 is supposed to show the state of our open source ecosystem. But it's a shockingly bad report in my opinion. A thread:

[Paul Calcraft @paul_cal]

LLMs play pictionary!

[Carl Hendrick @C_Hendrick]

How learning happens in seven general principles ⬇️

1. Working Memory Capacity is Limited: Our working memory, responsible for holding and processing information in real-time, has a limited capacity. This limitation means that when learners are exposed to large amounts of new information simultaneously, they may struggle to process it effectively. Focusing attention is essential because distractions or overload can lead to cognitive strain, reducing the ability to learn. Teachers can support this by breaking information into manageable chunks, allowing students to engage deeply with smaller parts before moving on to the next concept.
2. We Learn Through Meaning and What We Already Know: Learning is enhanced when new information connects to existing knowledge. When learners relate new content to things they already understand, they create a stronger foundation for retention and comprehension. This process, known as schema-building, helps students make sense of complex ideas by fitting them into an established framework. Teachers can facilitate this by introducing new concepts through familiar examples or linking them to relevant prior knowledge, making learning more meaningful and long-lasting.
3. Novices Think Differently Than Experts: Novices often approach tasks with means-end analysis or trial-and-error methods or simple strategies because they lack the knowledge to recognize patterns or apply sophisticated approaches. In contrast, experts draw on rich mental models, using prior experiences and refined techniques to solve problems more efficiently. This difference means that novices need structured guidance to develop these mental models over time. Teachers can help by gradually introducing students to expert strategies, enabling them to progress from basic skills to more advanced understanding.
4. To Remember, We Need to Forget: Storage strength is the measure of how well information is embedded in long-term memory, indicating its durability over time.
Retrieval strength is the ease with which information can be accessed from memory at a given moment, which fluctuates based on recent use and context. Unlike storage strength, retrieval strength is influenced by context and interference from other information. To remember something long-term, it’s essential to boost its retrieval strength, which can be achieved by actively retrieving the information. Unlike passive studying, retrieval requires you to recall the item on your own, strengthening memory more effectively, especially when the retrieval is challenging. This principle explains why strategies like interleaving (alternating topics) and spacing (spreading out sessions) are so effective. By allowing time for slight forgetting, these methods make retrieval harder, ultimately enhancing memory retention. This “adaptive forgetting��� is crucial for retaining core concepts.
5. Learning ≠ Performance: A high test score or good performance in the classroom doesn’t necessarily mean that true learning has occurred. Learners might perform well temporarily by memorizing facts or rehearsing specific methods without understanding the underlying concepts. This principle highlights the difference between short-term performance and deep, long-term learning. Effective assessment should look beyond scores to evaluate true comprehension. The rate of assessment matters which is why regular checking for understanding is so important. Teachers can use open-ended questions, application tasks, and reflective discussions to gauge whether students genuinely understand the material.
6. Achievement Leads to Motivation: Success in learning (however small) can foster a positive cycle of confidence, self-efficacy, and motivation. When students achieve their goals, even in small steps, they are more likely to believe in their ability to succeed in future learning tasks. This sense of accomplishment encourages them to take on new challenges and persist through difficulties. Teachers can support this cycle by setting attainable goals, providing regular feedback, and celebrating incremental progress to reinforce students’ confidence and motivation.
7. Learners Are Bad at Knowing How to Learn: Many students are unaware of effective learning strategies, often relying on passive techniques like re-reading, highlighting, or cramming. These methods feel productive in the short term but are less effective for long-term retention. Evidence-based strategies like retrieval practice, spaced learning, and interleaving have been shown to improve memory and understanding, but students may need guidance to adopt these methods. Teachers can enhance learning outcomes by teaching students about these techniques and encouraging their use, helping students develop more efficient and powerful study habits.

(Thanks to @MrAlexKoks for the design)

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

@zornsllama Educational reformers are pushing it quite as literally finding stuff out by yourself with a "coach" there to answer questions.

That being said, even teacher guided discovery is often less efficient then actively explaining what people need to know and not be confused about.

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

Discovery is an inefficient way of learning expert knowledge.

Humans actually made it this far because we can learn through others' stories, explanations and warnings.

[Andrew Percival @primarypercival]

Surely not?!
Best of luck to anyone trying to learn to read and write by discovering it on their own 🤦

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

@vanamerongen That being said, I did feel guilt as a teacher when colleagues and students depended on me and I had to take PTO outside of holiday seasons.

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

@vanamerongen Time is the real currency, don't feel guilty about getting more to do things with people you care about.

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

@vanamerongen Am I allowed to say jit?

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

@tommiionfire @eventbritehelp @eventbrite Same here.

[Bill Madden @maddenifico]

This gentleman has one of the most accurate descriptions of Elon Musk I've heard yet. 🎯🎯🎯👇

[Alex Rothuis @ARothuis]

If you market a boilerplate package for quickly shipping including payment, it is not an unreasonable expectation that this boilerplate is secure.

And even if it was not inherent to the product being sold, one would assume basic security and a reasonable response to disclosure.

[Victor 🧢 @victor_bigfield]

People complain that @marclou is good at marketing but neglects security.

If @elonmusk had thought about the security of his business when he created Tesla, Space X

he'd still be thinking instead of building and acting

Team Ship First , Improve After