Study suggests giving kids too many toys stifles their creativity (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers at the University of Toledo in the U.S. has found that children are more creative when they have fewer toys to play with at one time. In their paper published in the journal Infant Behavior and Development, the group describes their observational study of toddlers at play, what they learned and offer some suggestions for parents. Parents have long been subject to the opinions of others, some of which include judgments regarding the number of toys they should provide for their children. In the experiment, parents were asked to bring toddlers to a play area where the little ones were given either four toys or 16 toys to play alone with for 30 minutes. The researchers found that the toddlers playing with four toys engaged in more creative activities than did the toddlers who had 16 toys to choose from. Explore further: Consider eye safety when toy shopping
What’s the “problem” with MOOCs? In case the quotes didn’t clue you in, this post doesn’t argue against massive open online courses (MOOCs) such as the ones offered by Udacity, Coursera, and edX. I think they are very worthy ventures and will serve to progress our system of higher education. I do however agree with some criticisms of these courses, and that there is room for much more progress. Criticisms of MOOCs Khan Academy The organization is unclear and it lacks sufficient learner support.The videos aren’t informed by research and theory on how people learn, and this may diminish the effectiveness of his videos. Especially disturbing is that none of the major MOOC providers have hired anyone trained in instructional design, the learning sciences, educational technology, course design, or other educational specialties to help with the design of their courses. Are MOOCs a Horseless Carriage? In the book How People Learn (which can be read free online), John Bransford shared the story of Fish is Fish. MOOC or MMORPG?
GROUP LEARNING ROUTINES - Resources Index Jessica Lahey’s ‘The Gift of Failure’: A Fear of Risk-Taking Has Destroyed Kids’ Love of Learning I’ve known the mother sitting in front of me at this parent-teacher conference for years, and we have been through a lot together. I have taught three of her children, and I like to think we’ve even become friends during our time together. She’s a conscientious mother who obviously loves her children with all of her heart. I’ve always been honest with her about their strengths and weaknesses, and I think she trusts me to tell her the truth. But when she hits me with the concern that’s been bothering her for a while, all I can do is nod, and stall for time. “Marianna’s grades are fine; I’m not worried about that, but she just doesn’t seem to love learning anymore.” She’s absolutely right. The truth—for this parent and so many others—is this: Her child has sacrificed her natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement, and it’s our fault. I look at this mother with concern on her face, her eager pencil poised to write down my words of wisdom.
725 Blå krystaller Det er spændende at se dannelsen af de smukke, blå krystaller. Salte danner krystaller, og en af de flotteste er blåsten. I kemien kalder vi det for kobbersulfat og bruger formlen er CuSO4. De første krystaller er dannet. · Kog ca. 2 dl vand og hæld 100 ml i et bægerglas · Tilsæt 50 g kobbersulfat og omrør til alt er opløst i det varme vand · Hæld opløsningen op i en stor petriskål · Vent nogle timer, evt. til næste dag · Udvælg et pænt podekrystal og bind en snor i det · Brug podekrystallet i forsøg nr. 2 Podekrystallet hænger i en sytråd og vokser sig større, time for time. Forsøg 2: Dannelsen af flotte, blå krystaller · Kog ca. ½ l vand og hæld 300 ml i et bægerglas · Tilsæt 150 g kobbersulfat og omrør til alt er opløst i det varme vand · Lad opløsningen stå og køle af, så den er mellem stuetemperatur og håndvarm
Through Course Task (TCT) - Kentucky Department of Education 2018-2019 Through Course Task (TCT) Expectations Over the past two years, each district was requested to submit samples of student work for through course tasks (TCTs). These submissions were used to create annotated student work samples to support teacher learning regarding grade band expectations for the cross-cutting concepts and science and engineering practices. Due to the high number of work samples submitted, the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) will shift its focus from that of collection to curation and support. TCTs are a vital component for a fully functioning and comprehensive science assessment system. To assist schools and districts, the KDE also is developing professional learning modules to support: the implementation of the TCTs; and, the review and use of student work. Once these professional learning modules are finalized, information will be shared through the Commissioner’s Monday Message and other avenues. Through Course Task Bank
What not to do when your kid tells a lie At the ripe old age of 3, my older daughter has begun flirting with falsehoods. So far, the few lies she has told have been comically bad and easy to spot. Her dad and I usually laugh at them with an amused, “Oh, yeah?” But now that I’ve stopped to consider, that strategy seems flawed. While reporting a story on adult lying, I had the pleasure of talking with developmental psychologist Victoria Talwar of McGill University, who studies lying in children. I told her about an episode last week, in which I watched my older daughter swat my younger one. My accusatory question had created conditions ripe for this lie to be spawned. Lying, it turns out, is actually a sign of something good happening in the developing brain. That thought sounds simple, but it’s actually quite profound. For the rest of us parents who can’t maintain an elaborate charade like that, Talwar says the key is to create an environment that fosters truth-telling.
I tre generationer er vi blevet født i det stuehus, om lidt er gården rabundus | Information Forfatteren Josefine Klougart skriver i sin nye roman, New Forest, som udkommer omkring den 1. december: »På landet kan man få den tanke, at gårdene har magten over menneskene, der får lov at leve i gårdenes maver som sunde bakterier, der opretholder den organisme, gården er. Indimellem bliver menneskene slået i stykker af et lån, der skal indfries, eller af regnen, der kommer og lægger sig i søer på markerne og på gårdspladsen og siver ned langs murværket og går i fundamentet ... Og med huset går menneskene i huset til grunde og bliver som huset som ruinøse skikkelser i periferien. Det passer næsten for godt til min bror: Han går konkurs, efter 41 år som gårdmand er det slut. Tålmodigheden er opbrugt. Det er den besked, han fik, da han og min svigerinde sidst var inde for at få fornyet kreditten. Han havde modet, han var inspireret. Det koster 2,30 kroner at producere en liter mælk. Men det bliver han nødt til, bare for at have lidt penge. Løftet i min brors krop De tog fejl. Et mareridt
Integrating Science and Engineering Practices into Assessments The new vision for science education articulated in the Next Generation Science Standards guides students toward a “three dimensional” understanding of science—one that integrates disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and real-world practices from science and engineering. With this new three-dimensional model for learning, students will need new assessments to demonstrate their knowledge and competencies, ones that integrate multiple strands of student abilities. Developing assessments that combine these multiple strands presents new challenges for educators, from developing informal classroom formative assessments to those creating high-stakes state-level testing. This tool offers between four and eight possible task formats for each of the science and engineering practices listed in the Next Generation Science Standards. It can be a great way for educators to brainstorm new activities or to adapt their existing lesson plans to this new three-dimensional vision.
Study Finds Montessori Schools Level the Playing Field for Disadvantaged Kids Researchers and educators have identified early childhood as one of the most important developmental periods in a person’s life, setting in place patterns that can predict life outcomes. This is not surprising given the fact that the human brain goes through profound changes in the first six years, most of which appear to be permanent. In addition, economic analyses have shown that educational interventions aimed at preschool programs have the highest return on investment. A new longitudinal study from the University of Virginia has been published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology comparing the Montessori educational method to regular preschool education. The Montessori method was developed by Dr. Some major differences from regular schooling methods are lack of exams and grades as well as a multi-age classroom in which children can choose whether to work alone or with peers. Academic achievement across preschool by school type.
5 Tips for Blending The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with NGSS | Teaching Channel Have you ever interviewed a group of your students about their experiences in your classroom? It is amazing how much you can learn from your students’ perspectives, especially when you are experimenting with new methods. Last June, a visit from the Right Question Institute prompted me to meet with a group of my students and ask them about how the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) process impacted their learning in my science class. As I am relatively new to implementing the NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards), I was curious (and even a little anxious) to hear what they would say about how I had combined the QFT with the new standards. I was blown away. According to the NGSS, students need to learn and practice generating scientific questions. Courtesy of Ellington Public Schools and Liz Cole 1. Students appreciate clear expectations of how to generate questions as a scientist. Goal setting also helps students envision what they need to work on during the QFT process. 2. 3. 4. 5.
12 "myths" about education in Finland debunked The success of public schooling in Finland has been a huge topic of discussion in the education community over the past year. I’ve read a few good articles about it, including Why Are Finland’s Schools So Successful?, and was impressed with what I learned. So when the image to the left started circulating on social media, I shared it along with a link to 26 Amazing Facts About Education in Finland. The image and the article weren’t in total agreement about the state of Finnish education, and neither were commenters on Facebook. A Finland native named Nina Smith had recently offered to guest blog for me, and I was thrilled when she was receptive to my request for her to respond to the rumors floating around about Finnish education. Obviously, Nina can’t speak on the experiences of all students and teachers in Finland, but having received her own education there as well as having taught there for several years, I feel she has some important experiences and insights to share with us.
Eliciting students’ ideas | AST Eliciting students’ ideas Why do we use these particular practices? Our main objective as science teachers is to change students’ thinking over time, so we need to know what our students understand about the target science ideas in the first place. This set of practices—eliciting students’ ideas—is used at the beginning of a unit of instruction. It is designed to 1) reveal the range of resources that students use to reason about a set of science ideas (working theories, everyday experiences, language), 2) activate their prior knowledge about the topic, and 3) help you to adapt upcoming instruction, based on how students reason about the anchoring event. Please note that this set of practices is about more than “hooking” students or temporarily capturing their interest. This page does not describe the practices in depth—that is done in the primer document (see below). Some important links to learn more about this set of practices: Orientation videos that show this set of practices in action