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Forget All You Thought You Knew About How We Learn - Education. The New York Times ran a fun story last week about how we learn.

Forget All You Thought You Knew About How We Learn - Education

Well, it's fun if you don't mind finding out that everything you thought about learning and studying may actually be wrong. Certain accepted truths and tips, it turns out—due to possibly flawed education research—aren't legit, according to various studies from psychologists. For instance, clearing out a nook where one can do his or her homework isn't the most effective way to retain information. Rather, according to cognitive scientists, studying in multiple locations helps people hold more in their heads.

Cramming also isn't a great way to learn—though you probably figured that out already. From the Times article: Take the notion that children have specific learning styles, that some are “visual learners” and others are auditory; some are “left-brain” students, others “right-brain.” Another interesting finding: Testing helps us learn—in addition to serving as an assessment. Photo (cc) via Flickr user John Althouse Cohen. Children Teach Themselves to Read. The general assumption in our culture is that children must be taught to read.

Children Teach Themselves to Read

Vast amounts of research go into trying to figure out the scientifically best way to do this. In the education stacks of any major university library you can find rows and rows of books and many journals devoted solely to the topic of how to teach reading. In education circles heated debates--dubbed "the reading wars"--have raged for decades between those who believe that most emphasis should be placed on teaching phonics and those who take what is called a "whole language" approach to reading instruction. Many controlled experiments have been conducted comparing one instruction method to another, with kindergartners and first graders as the guinea pigs.

The phonics people say that their method has "won" in those experiments, and the whole language people say that the experiments were rigged. The evidence from the standard schools is that reading does not come easily to kids. Keybr.com - Take typing lessons, test your typing speed and practice typing for free! Teacher Certification in New York. To become a certified teacher in New York, you will need to fulfill all prerequisite coursework, teacher preparation, and testing requirements.

Teacher Certification in New York

Our goal is to make this process as easy as possible, and we are dedicated to updating the site with new information on a regular basis. To stay up-to-date with the latest in teacher certification, please complete the form in the right sidebar. Certification Requirements All states require a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in education to become a certified teacher. Additionally, New York State requires teachers to obtain a master’s degree in teaching (or a related discipline) within five years of the completion of their initial degree.

New York Teacher Prerequisite Coursework. Reading_Test.jpg (JPEG Image, 575x600 pixels) Theories of Learning - Top 20 Websites No Teacher Should Start the 2010-2011 Year Without - StumbleUpon. I have to tell you that it was a tough call to make these decisions, especially when we’re talking every teacher no matter what grade level or subject, but I hope that you find a couple of gems to put away in your virtual treasure box.

Top 20 Websites No Teacher Should Start the 2010-2011 Year Without - StumbleUpon

You may have others you’d like to add to the list. Please post them in the comments for all of us to explore. A great photo editing tool is a must for teachers and I recommend Aviary, LunaPic, Picnik, or BeFunky with some being simpler than others, but all having unique features. Explore all the tools and choose the best option for your skill level. Creaza and Jaycut are answers to the Windows XP Movie Maker and Flipcam problem. Delicious or Diigo are online bookmarking networks teachers need. Doodle is a groovy scheduling tool teachers can use when setting up a collaborative work meeting or building social committee event. Dropbox is one of my absolute favorite tools shared with me by Intel Teach buddies Glen Westbrook and Jill Summers. How to Not Suck at a Group Presentation. Using three iPods like magical props. Theories of Learning -

Learning: Theory and Research Behaviorist teaching methods have proven most successful in areas where there is a “correct” response or easily memorized material. Background View of Knowledge View of Learning View of Motivation Implications for Teaching Background Methodological behaviorism began as a reaction against the introspective psychology that dominated the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Introspective psychologists such as Wilhelm Wundt maintained that the study of consciousness was the primary object of psychology. Their methodology was primarily introspective, relying heavily on first-person reports of sensations and the constituents of immediate experiences.

The mentalistic problem can be avoided by going directly to the prior physical causes while bypassing intermediate feelings or states of mind. How To Create a Juvenile Delinquent With Materials Easily Available At Home. The mom looked down, shocked, at her bare legs and worn underpants. She was standing at the edge of a crowded gym. Her 4 year old crowed triumphantly, holding the skirt he had just tugged to her ankles, his eyes on her face and ready to run. She snatched up the skirt, snagged him by the waist, and strode from the room.

I never saw her again. A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence. Blog » The Crazy World of Visual Hallucinations.