Teachers must ditch 'neuromyth' of learning styles, say scientists | Education. Teaching children according to their individual “learning style” does not achieve better results and should be ditched by schools in favour of evidence-based practice, according to leading scientists. Thirty eminent academics from the worlds of neuroscience, education and psychology have signed a letter to the Guardian voicing their concern about the popularity of the learning style approach among some teachers. They say it is ineffective, a waste of resources and potentially even damaging as it can lead to a fixed approach that could impair pupils’ potential to apply or adapt themselves to different ways of learning. The group opposes the theory that learning is more effective if pupils are taught using an individual approach identified as their personal “learning style”. Some pupils, for example, are identified as having a “listening” style and could therefore be taught with storytelling and discussion rather than written exercises.
Today: Teaching Coding Through Storytelling. Learning to program can be a daunting task, and the complexity and jargon behind it can be a put off for many people. However, Finnish author, illustrator, programmer and educator Linda Liukas wants to bring a new twist to encourage young people, particularly girls, to get interested in programming by telling stories. Linda Liukas’ Hello Ruby Liukas is the author of Hello Ruby: Adventures in Coding, a children’s book published in 2015 after a blazingly successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Launched with a goal of raising $10,000, the campaign drew over $380,000 from more than 9,000 supporters.
“In the story, Ruby’s father tells her to clean up the toys in her room, but she leaves the pens and papers on the floor because she’s being very literal, just like a computer,” Liukas told Rakuten Today after participating in an education panel discussion at the New Economy Summit (NEST) 2016. The links between storytelling and programming may not be immediately obvious to some.
The Kindergarten Smorgasboard: A Kindergarten Smorgasboard Balanced Math Routine! Happy Tuesday!! Another successful day in kindergarten! Today we had our first day of doing our word study independently! And....SUCCESS!!! I love when things work out so well! Recently I did a series of posts about my literacy routines and sight words routines and I had a lot of questions about my math block.
Today, I am going to give you a peek into our math block! We follow the balanced math model which has four components: mental math, math review, concept lesson and closure. Our math block kicks off with our calendar time. For more details on calendar time, click the picture to see a detailed post! Next is mental math. Ten frames and subitizing-show students a ten frame card and they identify the number count on-start at a number and count to a number greater than/less than-I give students a number and they give me a number that is greater than and less than the number counting-count to 5, 10, 20 add-add two numbers to 5 or 10 subtract-hold up 4 fingers. take away 2.
Questions? Why Singapore has the smartest kids in the world. The country's academic success has helped it become a thriving economy, and the way it has built its education system could hold lessons for the rest of the world. "Singapore is a fascinating case," said Marc Tucker, the president of the U.S. National Center on Education and the Economy. "[It] was a major British port before the Second World War. When Britain got out and closed its base Singapore was in terrible shape. "Now today they are one of the best performing economies in the entire world. They did it largely with education and training. " If Singapore's rags-to-riches transition was built on education, the secret of its education system is the quality of its teachers. 'Creative use of knowledge' In the post-war years, Singapore had a low-cost, low-skill labor market, and it was enough for its education system to aim for universal literacy.
"One thing that's been clear to them is that the world economy no longer rewards people just for what they know. Quadrivium. Liberal arts of astronomy, arithmetic, music and geometry The quadrivium consisted of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. These followed the preparatory work of the trivium, consisting of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. In turn, the quadrivium was considered the foundation for the study of philosophy (sometimes called the "liberal art par excellence")[5] and theology. The quadrivium was the upper division of the medieval education in the liberal arts, which comprised arithmetic (number), geometry (number in space), music (number in time), and astronomy (number in space and time).
Educationally, the trivium and the quadrivium imparted to the student the seven liberal arts (essential thinking skills) of classical antiquity.[6] Origins[edit] The Pythagoreans considered all mathematical science to be divided into four parts: one half they marked off as concerned with quantity, the other half with magnitude; and each of these they posited as twofold.
Medieval usage[edit] See also[edit] Young readers prefer printed books. A new book called Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World cites surveys that say that young readers increasingly prefer to read books from paper, not screens. More than that, though, they find ebooks and printed books complementary. Printed books are good for protracted reading and comprehension. Ebooks are good for subsequent reference and convenient access. I started arguing this in 2008, and it certainly reflects my own experience. By the same token, books are becoming more booklike. The Washington Post report on the book is interesting, if problematic for its use of the loathsome phrase "digital native". The preference for print over digital can be found at independent bookstores such as the Curious Iguana in downtown Frederick, Md., where owner Marlene England said millennials regularly tell her they prefer print because it’s “easier to follow stories.”
Why digital natives prefer reading in print. (via Mitch Wagner) Isaac Asimov on the Thrill of Lifelong Learning, Science vs. Religion, and the Role of Science Fiction in Advancing Society. By Maria Popova “It’s insulting to imply that only a system of rewards and punishments can keep you a decent human being.” Isaac Asimov was an extraordinary mind and spirit — the author of more than 400 science and science fiction books and a tireless advocate of space exploration, he also took great joy in the humanities (and once annotated Lord Byron’s epic poem “Don Juan”), championed humanism over religion, and celebrated the human spirit itself (he even wrote young Carl Sagan fan mail). Like many of the best science fiction writers, he was as exceptional at predicting the future as he was at illuminating some of the most timeless predicaments of the human condition.
In a 1988 interview with Bill Moyers, found in Bill Moyers: A World of Ideas (public library) — the same remarkable tome that gave us philosopher Martha Nussbaum on how to live with our human fragility — Asimov explores several subjects that still stir enormous cultural concern and friction. Painting by Rowena Morrill. Cognitive map. Overview[edit] Cognitive maps serve the construction and accumulation of spatial knowledge, allowing the "mind's eye" to visualize images in order to reduce cognitive load, enhance recall and learning of information. This type of spatial thinking can also be used as a metaphor for non-spatial tasks, where people performing non-spatial tasks involving memory and imaging use spatial knowledge to aid in processing the task.[6] The neural correlates of a cognitive map have been speculated to be the place cell system in the hippocampus[7] and the recently discovered grid cells in the entorhinal cortex.[8] Neurological basis[edit] Cognitive mapping is believed to largely be a function of the hippocampus.
The hippocampus is connected to the rest of the brain in such a way that it is ideal for integrating both spatial and nonspatial information. Connections from the postrhinal cortex and the medial entorhinal cortex provide spatial information to the hippocampus. Parallel map theory[edit] What Are You Learning? Welcome to Soul Speak! If you’re ready to slow down for a moment, listen to your inner wisdom, push through your fears, and support others on the same journey, you’re in the right place!
Click above to receive these Soul-Connection Tools for free! It seems the older I get, the more I realize how little I truly know. It seems silly to admit this – especially since we’re always learning and growing and experiencing and taking so much into our hearts and our minds at any given moment. And yet, I am constantly humbled by how much I still don’t know. I find that so exciting! I thought it would be fun to share some of what I’ve been learning recently and then invite you to share what you’re learning as well.
I also wanted to point out that I’m very consciously phrasing this as to what I’m learning rather than what I’ve learned. Here’s some of what I’ve been learning: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. Now it’s your turn! Hugs, 20 Teen and Tween Conversation Starters | Radical Parenting. How was your day? Fine. How was school? Good. How was your test? Anything you want to tell me? Nope. Now that its summer, a lot of parents and the families I work with are focusing on communication skills because we are finally done with school for a bit. I find that some of the best ways to do this is to play games like Scrabble, Clue or Sorry that you can all engage over the common game.
-Ask over dinner -Ask over dessert -Leave a few cards with questions in the car for long drives -host a sleepover for your son/daughter and their friends and encourage them to play. -Play at a family reunion -Ask your adult friends (I do this with mine all the time–in between Wii games of course) I came up with some and borrowed some from the cards–a few are a little mature, but I find those table topics get the best conversation going! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. I really love to engage youth in intelligent conversations about values, ideals and goals. 5 Reasons Why Music Classes are the Best Test Prep for Your Kids - Dads Round Table.
Nothing useful going on here. cough cough. A friend of mine mentioned to me a few days ago that at his local high school in Massachusetts, the school’s private music lessons are scheduled to be shelved for several months. At this school, students in instrumental music have the option to leave a core class, once per week, for thirty minutes, to study one-on-one with the school’s music director. Why will the lessons be halted? To “hopefully, allow 100% of our students more time to prepare for the pilot testing of a new state mandated standardized test,” according to the district’s superintendent. Let me repeat that. It counts. Music IS test prep. 1) Research has repeatedly shown that students with a musical education out-perform those without a music background on standardized tests. We found jumps of 22 percent in English test scores and 20 percent in math scores at elementary schools with superior music education. 2) What is the goal of an education?
Pretty fair set of life skills.