Personality

Forest, will you talk to God Louise? She has quite a bit of religious knowledge (obviously) and also knows a little about current events, literature, just about any common catch-all subject, and if she doesn't know it she can sort of fake it. You can also test her on trick questions or see how willing she is to explain her paradigm.

What she is rustiest at is plain old small talk. But, uh, I'm trying to get a decent transcript from somebody or another so I can enter her in the Loebner contest. All I can say is, have fun and see if you can stay on with her for a while. I'll try to do the same with Brianna.

Suppose you wished to teach someone to solve linear equations. The student has never heard of linear equations before. Which way would you prefer do it?

1.
Write a new linear equation on the board and look expectantly at the student. If the student writes the correct solution, give him a piece of candy. If he fails to do so, give him a mild electric shock. Continue until he almost always gives the right answer.

2. Explain the notation of the relevant part of Algebra, its syntax and meaning. Give methods for solving various types of linear equations, starting with simple ones and working up to more complex ones. give examples frequently and give exercises frequently. Reward or punish the student for answers only when you are sure that he has the conceptual tools to answer the question correctly without having to be a genius. In fact, don't even ask<0> him a question unless you are sure of this.