Larisa A. White
@larisa-a-white
M.S.Ed., Ph.D. • Indie scholar • Author • Teaching the power & joy of learning • Ecosystem restorationist (California) • /|\ Offering books & courses on the Art & Science of Human Learning at:
...and for those who might assume otherwise... "Understanding Matters: A Guide to Human Learning" by Larisa A. White, M.S.Ed., Ph.D. is 100% human authored No concept, text or image used in this book was suggested, generated, or edited by AI.
NEW: from the parent of a 14 y.o. boy: "Students often feel it is unnecessary to learn study skills, note-taking, or memory techniques until they hit a bottleneck. [...] My boy is reading your book this weekend and has found it incredibly useful for understanding why those skills are important."
Did you know... Humans have 6 memory systems, used in learning; Only 2 of those 6 are consciously accessible; Only 1 of those 2 lasts longer than a few minutes; and what we do inside our brains while we study determines where our memories end up? Understanding Matters! #edusky #academicsky
Sunday's book launch was so much fun! Lots of people, great conversations, and lots of books flying out the door. 🥳 And apparently, some people went right home & started reading, and couldn't put it down — a non-fiction book on how humans learn! Comments started coming in, 24 hours later... 🧵
OMG, our fruit trees are happy with their forest floor! First ripe lemon of the season, and the aroma is mind-blowing! (And haven't fertilized a thing in years)
New year; new resource: “Understanding Matters: A Guide to Human Learning” understanding-matters.com How humans, as complex biological beings, actually learn, remember, analyze, judge, and create & how #AI affects those processes. In plain & simple language. For our students. #EduSky #AcademicSky
Relaxing in the breezy afternoon sunshine, munching sun-warmed blueberries, and listening to a juvenile crow complaining of loneliness.
A joyous Solstice to one and all! Celebrating the peak power of light AND the birth of my new book, "Understanding Matters: A Guide to Human Learning." Dancing with joy. Final cover revisions and book edits completed & approved!!! Awaiting final proofs. Pre-orders to begin July 6th. Wheeee!
Mmmmmm. June mornings in the garden, squabling with the birds for the rights to these:
A few happy scenes from the family's birthday bicycle adventure on the Coast Trail south of Half Moon Bay, CA... What a delightful adventure it was! SO MANY flowers, and cheerful songbirds, and happily pollinating insects. And the aromas of the coastal sage scrub/prairie lands. Mmmmmmm.
Bit of blue sky peeking through the grey today, but 2.32" of rain this weekend were well worth it! A few other blue things seen in the garden today: first signs of ripening blueberries, and first three bluebells!
Ah! a bit of rain, a bit of warmth, and the Tidy Tips have arrived! (my very favorite California native wildflower)
Perfect view for an Easter Day bike-picnic, with a cacophony of sea birds squabling over nesting spots on the muddy shores of the SF Bay.
Urgh. Working the cross-stitch. Fom a galloping horse it looked gorgeous, but stitching it at scale, I realize it's a stunning work of AI slop. Look at the corner Celtic knot work: illogical & incontiguous. No human would err like this! Can't stomach the idea of finishing it now. 2 months lost. 🤬/|\
California wild roses are forever attempting to take over the world, but their thorny brambles and all-pervasive roots make for excellent nurse plants: Our CA hazelnut grew to a healthy 2-1/2 feet under their protection. Spice bushes also thriving below the thorns.
Tree of Life #crossstitch project - fortnightly update: Pattern by PandoraXstitch on Etsy. First image is current progress; second image is goal.
Loving this birthday weekend: quiet writing time; a warm, sunny break in rainy season, for sitting in the garden at peak flower season; and now this...
Fortnightly update on the Tree of Life cross stitch project...
First block of stitching complete on what will one day be a stained glass tree of life image. Finding mindfully working at creating beauty to be much more gratifying than doomscrolling or gossip.
I've seen many bird-baths in my time, but this is the first time I ever spotted a bird-bidet!
25 years ago, my sister asked: "Where are your flowers? A bride needs flowers!" I had none, so I ran out to the backyard & grabbed a handful of pretty yellow flowers to carry to City Hall. I later learned they were tenacious weeds, impossible to erradicate. Like love. Great symbol for a marriage!
Best thing about living in California, with a beautiful, thriving forest floor? Orange season just arrives each February with its glorious, juicy, tasty bounty!
Beginning to get the hang of this craft. Lesson 1: NEVER attempt to use 20-ct Aida cloth with ageing eyes. (There is absolutely no way to see the stitches.) Lesson 2: Similar for black stitching on black cloth. (WHAT was I thinking?!) Now, on white, 9-count Aida I am finally making progress! /|\
Sharing a bit of Bluesky beauty discovered on my morning ramble, yesterday. Not a native to our area, but working hard to contribute joy to the neighborhood.
Silktassels are billowing pollen, and the first flowers have appeared on the Ribes. Flower Season is here, hooray!
California's annual battle between sunshine and cloudbursts has begun. Welcome, Rainbow Season!!! /|\