Home University of Arizona :: Mirror Neurons and Motor Memory Formation Mirror neurons have been hailed by scientists as the most significant finding in neurology in the past decade, the key to understanding the secrets of human interaction and learning, and as significant to psychology as DNA is to biology. Mirror neurons are a newly-discovered structure of the brain responsible for the firing of neurons during both physical movement and the observation of physical movement. It is these firings during observation of movements that has scientists excited about their relation to learning and interaction. While mirror neurons have been found in both primates and humans, their role in terms of learning and perfecting motor skills is still unclear. The discovery of mirror neurons: The discovery of mirror neurons in macaque monkey was actually an accident during research on the monkeys. This image was drawn by group member Min Wang and is used with permission. Breakthrough: Recent research has linked mirror neurons deficiency to autism.
Effective Teaching | Harry K. Wong Publications STEAM tips and resources you can use right now | eSchool News | eSchool News | 2 ArtsEdge, from the Kennedy Center, offers resources for educators to integrate arts into their classroom instruction. The site features lessons, activities, and projects, along with multimedia such as games, audio and video clips, printables, and graphics. Themes that help students connect arts to other education topics include acoustics and sound; earth, wind, and water; the Civil War; and plants and seasons. Season 43 of Sesame Street focuses on STEAM and the importance of STEM knowledge in arts-based careers, such as that of a musician, dancer, or painter. STEAM not STEM maintains that arts education is key to creativity, and creativity supports innovation. “Clearly the combination of superior STEM education combined with Arts education (STEAM) should provide us with the education system that offers us the best chance for regaining the innovation leadership essential to the new economy,” according to the site.
Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts February 26-27, 2016 Featuring 2016 Call for ProposalsSynergy: Cooperative Interactions Among Content Area Teachers Reflecting on the Teaching of Reading and Writing Calling all content area teachers to present reading and writing in the classrooms: STEM, Social Studies, English Use new pedagogy to inspire learning Share successful ideas to meet course standards Broaden your perspective of meeting students’ needs Learn multiple ways of teaching reading and writing If you have any questions along the way, or cannot fill out this form online for any reason, please e-mail Virginia McCormac, the OCTELA 2016 conference chair, at vcmccormac@gmail.com. Click Here to access the online form. Louise Borden Louise Borden is the author of thirty books for children. Sharon Draper Sharon M. Elfrieda Hiebert Timothy Rasinski Timothy Rasinski is a professor of literacy education at Kent State University. Tim served on the Board of Directors of the International Reading Association. Rainbow Rowell
thInk | On art, science and the brain Volume 31, No.1 - Fall 2016 - Rethinking Schools Online Volume 31 Number 1ShareThis Cover Story By Amy Lindahl Teachers learn that the district’s plan for a desperately needed school renovation is based on “100 percent utilization”— teachers will rotate through classrooms, losing the home bases students depend on. They organize to change the plan. Features By Grace Cornell Gonzales A 3rd-grade bilingual teacher describes how administrators’ anxiety about standardized test results erodes both a school’s commitment to Spanish literacy and students’ love for learning. Por Grace Cornell Gonzales | Traducido por Vanesa Ortiz Solís Una maestra bilingüe describe cómo la ansiedad que sienten los administradores escolares con respecto a los resultados de los exámenes estandarizados disminuye el compromiso de la escuela con el desarrollo de la lectoescritura en español y el amor de los estudiantes por el aprendizaje. By Linda Christensen By Jody Sokolower By Tom McKenna By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca By Karen Zaccor By Alexa Schindel and Sara Tolbert Departments
Curation: Creatively Filtering Content We are living in an era of information overload. So much content is shared online that curation is needed as a way to get value out of the information flood. Content curation is the process of shifting through the vast abundance of content on the Internet to select the best, most relevant resource, on a specific topic or theme, so that we can organize, manage and collate the content for ourselves and share with others. Content curation is about working smarter and not harder. Why is curation important? Curation is a life skill and an important part of being digitally literate. While at the Edutech National Congress & Expo I curated the best resources shared from the Edutech conference into a Flipboard magazine. The purpose of this post is to showcase all the different ways content was curated at the Edutech National Congress & Expo to: Provide a deeper understanding of curation.Provide inspiration to try alternative curation methods.Make you appreciate the importance of curation. Blog posts
untitled Initiatives and Programs Advocacy and Policy Get informed, get involved, make a difference. From the classroom to Capitol Hill, get the latest education policy news and developments, and learn about opportunities to take action. Emerging Leaders ASCD is committed to engaging a diverse community and building capacity to improve learning, teaching, and leadership. Student Chapters The ASCD Student Chapter Program accelerates the professional growth of preservice educators and their self-identification as education professionals.