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11 Ways Finland’s Education System Shows Us that “Less is More”.

When I left my 7th grade math classroom for my Fulbright research assignment in Finland I thought I would come back from this experience with more inspiring, engaging, innovative lessons. I expected to have great new ideas on how to teach my mathematics curriculum and I would revamp my lessons so that I could include more curriculum, more math and get students to think more, talk more and do more math. This drive to do more and More and MORE is a state of existence for most teachers in the US….it is engrained in us from day one. There is a constant pressure to push our students to the next level to have them do bigger and better things. When I arrived in Finland I did not find big flashy innovative thought provoking math lessons. So, what is the difference? Less IS more. They believe it. Conversely in the US we truly believe “more is more” and we constantly desire and pursue more in all areas of our lives. Finland on the other hand believes less is more. Less = More 1. (But wait! 2. 3. Related:  motivational inspirational

Homeschoolers can learn from Swedish preschools There's a big push in the United States to introduce formal academics earlier and earlier for young children, and that has been spilling into the homeschooling community. While many homeschoolers of the 90's chose to homeschool because of issues like schools transitioning to full-day kindergarten and the "too much, too soon" academic pressures that were being pushed on children, many of today's new homeschoolers are mimicking modern public schools even in the preschool years and before. However, much of the world is catching on to the idea that early academics do not do children any favors, and in fact, they lead to lower academic scores and educational burnout just a few years later. Teachers TV, a group that produces educational programs to benefit teachers, highlighted Swedish preschools in their video series "How Do They Do It?" for their Early Years series. They say: Sweden's attitude to teaching one to six year olds appears incredibly relaxed. As the narrator says, NBC says:

Competency-Based Learning or Personalized Learning Transitioning away from seat time, in favor of a structure that creates flexibility, allows students to progress as they demonstrate mastery of academic content, regardless of time, place, or pace of learning. Competency-based strategies provide flexibility in the way that credit can be earned or awarded, and provide students with personalized learning opportunities. These strategies include online and blended learning, dual enrollment and early college high schools, project-based and community-based learning, and credit recovery, among others. By enabling students to master skills at their own pace, competency-based learning systems help to save both time and money. The links on this page are provided for users convenience and are not an endorsement. State efforts District efforts Alternative/credit recovery schools and programs Additional resources: < Back to the Improving Student Achievement index < Back to the Increasing Educational Productivity index

Projeto Baleia Franca Os fragmentos da História que desvendam parte das atividades econômicas da América Portuguesa são, todavia, insuficientes para entendermos a magnitude das alterações ambientais imediatas que a colonização européia causou à zona costeira do Brasil, do Nordeste ao Sul. Entretanto, um diligente e memorável trabalho da Professora Miriam Ellis, publicado na década de 60, resgatou grande parte da memória da atividade de caça à baleia no Brasil-Colônia, permitindo que se componha um quadro do que foi o massacre dos grandes cetáceos - e principalmente da então abundante baleia franca - nos primórdios da epopéia nacional. Já em 1587, Gabriel Soares de Almeida sugeria à Corte a vinda de baleeiros de Biscaia (especializados na captura das francas boreais) ao Brasil, dizendo delas que na Bahia (Salvador) “em nenhuma parte entram tantas como n’ella, onde residem seis mezes do anno e mais, de que se fará tanta graxa que não haja embarcações que a possam trazer à Hespanha”.

Why Are Finland's Schools Successful? It was the end of term at Kirkkojarvi Comprehensive School in Espoo, a sprawling suburb west of Helsinki, when Kari Louhivuori, a veteran teacher and the school’s principal, decided to try something extreme—by Finnish standards. One of his sixth-grade students, a Kosovo-Albanian boy, had drifted far off the learning grid, resisting his teacher’s best efforts. The school’s team of special educators—including a social worker, a nurse and a psychologist—convinced Louhivuori that laziness was not to blame. So he decided to hold the boy back a year, a measure so rare in Finland it’s practically obsolete. Finland has vastly improved in reading, math and science literacy over the past decade in large part because its teachers are trusted to do whatever it takes to turn young lives around. “I took Besart on that year as my private student,” Louhivuori told me in his office, which boasted a Beatles “Yellow Submarine” poster on the wall and an electric guitar in the closet.

New Zealand Weather Maps & Rain Radar | ONE News Now Weather Analysis Sat Oct 03 08:15:00 NZDT 2015 The 'Isobar' or 'Synoptic' map is updated at 6am, midday and 6pm, everyday. It illustrates the weather systems currently in play around New Zealand and the East Coast of Australia at sea level. Weather Satellite 10 Tools to Help Students Keep Track of Tasks This Year This is the time of year when many of us make resolutions. If one of your students' resolutions is to do a better job of keeping track of tasks and assignments, have them take a look at one of the following options. If your school is using Google Apps for Education or your students have personal Gmail accounts, they already have some great tools at their disposal. In Gmail students can simply select "tasks" under the "Mail" drop-down menu in Gmail. That will open a small pop-up window in which they can enter their lists of tasks. Todoist is a task management service that impresses me with its clean design and intuitive user interface. Fetchnotes is a neat service for creating and keeping notes online. Wunderlist is a free task management service that syncs across all of the devices that you use. Flask is a simple tool for making to-do lists and sharing them with others. DropTask is a task management service that has a neat user interface.

:: MUSEU NACIONAL DO MAR :: Sala das Baleeiras O barco típico de Santa Catarina Baleeira é um tipo de barco que só existe em Santa Catarina. Os açorianos começaram, então, a conviver com as baleeiras, seja porque os marinheiros do arquipélago eram contratados para a caça à baleia, ou porque os barcos acabavam ficando pelas ilhas, como pagamento por serviços e alimentos. Origem nórdica Os romanos já haviam notado que os povos nórdicos utilizavam embarcações de proas e popas iguais, característica dos famosos barcos vikings, que por tanto tempo aterrorizaram a Europa. Construção A base da construção de uma baleeira é a quilha, normalmente feita em peroba ou canela. O costado também pode ser de dois tipos. São três as principais características das baleeiras catarinenses: casco curvo e hidrodinâmico, rodas de proa e popa em arco e dupla proa. Cores A cor básica das baleeiras catarinenses é o branco, que normalmente reveste a maior parte do casco. Usos A vela Parece ter havido duas opções principais de velame. Ocorrência

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, Varieties of Capitalism Suzie's Home Education Ideas: 10 Ways to Support an Interest in Engineering When our son was just sixteen months old, we brought him a little train set. With some help, our son would design and build the train route as he showed a natural curiosity in all things engineering. From the early days of playing with trains and blocks, to now building bridges (from paddle pop sticks) and wiring electrical circuits, our son's love of engineering science is evident. Now that our daughters are starting to show an interest in engineering too, I have been reflecting on how my husband and I have supported our son's learning and how we can do the same for daughters. A Designated Work Area Every learner needs to have a work space where they can make their ideas come alive. Quality Equipment When our son was four years old, we got him a tool kit with real tools. A Journal One of the best ways to encourage engineering is to have loads of paper available to draw on. A Range of Resources There are plenty of manufactured resources that can support the budding engineer. Literature

Honors Biology Class Handouts - Mr. M.N. Baker Chapter 7 Cell Structure and Function Chapter 10: Cell Growth and Division Chapter 11: Introduction to Genetics Chapter 12: DNA and RNA Chapter 13: Genetic Engineering C13A1: Create A DNA Fingerprint to understand Restriction Enzymes and Gel Electrophoresis Internet Links: Nova: Create A DNA Fingerprint DNA Learning Center: Lecture: Unit 4 Test Review Chapter 14: The Human Genome Fala Garopaba | Armação Baleeira: Uma Oportunidade! Os Termos de Uso do site FalaGaropaba, cuja aceitação plena e integral é requisito para todos os usuários. Ele inclui os termos de limitação de responsabilidade, e a licença de livre uso do conteúdo, e as informações sobre como reportar violações. Ao visitar, ler, postar sua mensagem ou de outra forma interagir com os recursos disponibilizados pelo FalaGaropaba, você está aceitando todas as condições mencionadas nestes Termos de Uso, com destaque para as seguintes condições gerais: 1) O reconhecimento de que não há presunção de anonimato, e de que o conteúdo postado é de sua inteira responsabilidade, não podendo os autores e mantenedores do FalaGaropaba serem responsabilizados por quaisquer fatos decorrentes da postagem de conteúdo abusivo. 4) O reconhecimento de que seu conteúdo será considerado livre como o restante da página em que foi emitido ou exibido.

The two big lessons for the UK from Germany and the Nordics There are two big economic debates in Britain today. The first is the familiar one about whether austerity is the right response to the aftershocks of the global financial crisis that pushed so many countries around the world into deep recession, leaving a colossal debt overhang. The second, and no less important, is the question of whether Britain can craft a more sustainable growth model, if not a new political economy. To a large extent, the government seems intent on sidestepping this question, mainly resorting to quick fixes like subsidised mortgage credit, and sticking plasters, like timid banking reform and lower corporation tax, to recover the economic output that has been lost since 2008. Labour, in contrast, sounds more ambitious and has repeatedly advocated the need for deeper reform of the British economy. No wonder, therefore, that progressive policy-makers look for inspiration to countries that appear to offer a more attractive socio-economic model of development.

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