untitled Four neuromyths that are still prevalent in schools – debunked | Teacher Network It is no surprise that many teachers have an interest in neuroscience and psychology since areas such as memory, motivation, curiosity, intelligence and determination are highly important in education. But neuroscience and psychology are complex, nuanced subjects that come with many caveats. Although progress is being made towards understanding what helps and hinders students, there is still a disconnect between the research in labs and what happens in many schools. Many “neuromyths” are rampant in our classrooms, and research suggests that people are often seduced by neuroscientific explanations, even if these are not accurate or even relevant. Research also shows that explanations accompanied by images of the brain also persuade people to believe in their validity, however random the illustration. Such myths are a drain on time and money, and it is important to explore and expose them. Learning styles Where next for learning styles? You only use 10% of your brain Right brain v left brain
Solving the Hand Raising Problem Advice from Real Teachers Every Wednesday at 8:30 pm EST, I'll post a call for teacher questions on my Facebook page. I'll review the questions and choose a few to feature on Facebook each day, and you'll be invited to chime in with your advice. When I see a post that receives a large number of responses, I'll compile the best answers to create a helpful blog post. That way your great ideas won't get lost in Facebook land! Today's Question D'Anna asked for advice about how to handle students who raise their hands constantly while she's giving instructions. There were so many great responses to D'Anna's question - 175 in all! Peggy Seals: I have 2 very anxious seventh grade students that used to do this. Thank you to everyone who took time to answer this question. I am so grateful for this question. And Melissa:
Reader Idea | ‘How The New York Times Saved My Class’ Lance Rosenfeld for The New York TimesPrimate pets can require unusual home improvements. Dave Viguers and his wife built an addition and put a big cage in their living room for six capuchins, including Eldon. Our Reader Idea today uses this related 2009 article. Welcome to a week of Great Ideas From Readers. We begin with an idea from an English teacher from New Jersey, Margueya Poupko, whom we met at a Learning Network presentation at the National Council of Teachers of English annual convention in November. We hope this week of lessons inspires you to write in and tell us how you’ve taught with The Times, too. Teacher: Margueya Poupko Institution: Bruriah High School, Elizabeth, N.J. Grade Level of Students: High School Idea: Students express their opinions and learn how to write critical analyses of issues they care about, using human-interest articles from The New York Times as their text. Why We Chose It: Ms. We think that other teachers will appreciate reading about how Ms. What Ms.
School Report's 10th News Day under way - BBC School Report BBC News School Report's 10th annual News Day is under way, with about 30,000 students in schools across the UK making and broadcasting the news. School Reporters are striving to post stories to their websites by a 14:00 GMT deadline, when the BBC will link to those sites via its interactive map. Pupils are also going on air and online on the BBC throughout the day, from the Today programme to BBC News at Six. Some will even guest edit part of the News Channel and CBBC's Newsround. There will also be behind-the-scenes visits for School Reporters to BBC buildings, including visiting the Chris Evans Breakfast Show in London, taking part in a computer coding workshop in Salford using the new BBC Micro:bit and going behind the scenes of the John Beattie programme in Glasgow. There will be seven special radio reports on BBC World Service from young people around the world in Delhi, Moscow, Soweto, Hamburg, Rio, Mexico City and Jerusalem. And l 10th anniversary Busy students What is School Report?
UK supermarkets ban sales of energy drinks to under-16s | Life and style Sales of energy drinks to children under 16 will be banned by most major UK supermarkets from Monday, following concerns about their high levels of sugar and caffeine and impact on health and behaviour. Customers buying drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre in branches of Asda, Aldi, the Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose will be asked to prove they are over 16. The high street chemist Boots is the latest retailer – and the only non-supermarket – to announce a ban, following the lead of a voluntary restriction taken by Waitrose in January. Drinks such as Red Bull, Relentless, Monster Energy and Rockstar have become increasingly popular. The compulsory health warnings read: “High caffeine content. The teachers’ union NASUWT called last year for the sale of the drinks to under-16s to be banned by all retailers. Also seeking a ban are medical experts, including the charity Action on Sugar, as well as the TV chef and food campaigner Jamie Oliver.
Classroom Management: The Intervention Two-Step All of us have had major classroom disruptions that try our patience and push our limits. These incidents can threaten our sense of control and generate fear of looking weak to other students. We fear that other students might do the same thing if we don't take a strong stance. Couple these feelings with the possibility of taking the disruption personally, and we have a recipe for disaster. It's important that we divide our response into two parts: Immediate stabilization Intervention to resolve these issues Crisis Management If you go to the emergency room, the goal is not to make you better (unless the required treatment is minor). The same is true in the classroom. Calming down requires time for both the student and teacher to depersonalize the incident. Common wisdom tells us to intervene as fast as possible, that waiting is a bad thing. Do's, Don'ts and 5 Examples Understand that stabilizing is not excusing, letting the student get away with anything or ignoring. Things to avoid:
35 Psychological Tricks To Help You Learn Better - InformED : 25 Attention-Grabbing Tips for the Classroom Posted 03/13/2014 11:55AM | Last Commented 03/06/2015 8:04PM Whether you're a new or experienced teacher, strategies for getting student attention are an important part of your classroom-management toolkit. In this presentation you’ll find 25 tips for quieting a noisy class. You can view the presentation here: 25 Attention-Grabbing Tips for the Classroom These attention getters were contributed by educators from Edutopia’s community in response to a plea for help from a student teacher. One important point highlighted in the discussion and the guide is that what works for one teacher, might not work for another. Be playful.
Study Finds That Brains With Autism Fail to Trim Synapses as They Develop Photo As a baby’s brain develops, there is an explosion of synapses, the connections that allow neurons to send and receive signals. But during childhood and adolescence, the brain needs to start pruning those synapses, limiting their number so different brain areas can develop specific functions and are not overloaded with stimuli. Now a new study suggests that in children with autism, something in the process goes awry, leaving an oversupply of synapses in at least some parts of the brain. The finding provides clues to how autism develops from childhood on, and may help explain some symptoms like oversensitivity to noise or social experiences, as well as why many people with autism also have epileptic seizures. It could also help scientists in the search for treatments, if they can develop safe therapies to fix the system the brain uses to clear extra synapses. Dr. The findings are the latest in an area of autism research that is drawing increasing interest. Dr.
What to Do About ... Students Who Seek Attention Advice from Real Teachers Each Wednesday at 8:30 pm EST, I post a call for teacher questions on my Facebook page. I review the questions and choose a few to feature on Facebook each day, where you're invited to chime in with your advice. When I see a post that receives a large number of responses, I compile the best answers to create a helpful blog post. Doing that means your great advice doesn't get lost in Facebook land! Today's QuestionToday's question comes from Anne, who asks, “I have a second grade student who at this point in the year still interrupts class. He has the need to always be right and be heard constantly. Many of you weighed in with really great answers, and I'm sharing some of the best below. Sonya Callaway Adamson: I have a few students in my class that are always eager to be the first to speak, answer, interrupt. Shimona Moloney: I had a pupil who constantly interrupted my lessons with off topic questions.
Relationship Building Through Culturally Responsive Classroom Management School behavior problems often originate outside of the classroom. For example, asthma is the number one cause of absenteeism. When asthmatics are unable to sleep at night, they miss class or arrive at school so sleep drunk and irritable that disruptive behavior ensues, getting them tossed out of class. Consequently, they fall more behind in classwork, which increases academic struggle. Poverty and race nitro-accelerate the cycle. Don’t blame asthmatic students, their parents, or their teachers. Society pays a high price for these inequities. What can teachers do to reduce these inequities? Take the Cultural Competence Test Our perceptions and values might feel stable, but they’re actually influenced by social forces. “Suppose you are on a boat with your mother, your spouse, and your child. Of the U.S. citizens who answer the question, 60% decide to save their spouse and 40% save their children. Cultural Competence Begins with Relationship-Building Monitor your discourse style.
Letting Go of the Reins to Allow for Student Self-Advocacy -Originally ran on Finding Common Ground on 12/31/2013 Very young, children learn to include everyone in some way when they play, education should be no different. Kids need to be in control of how and what they learn – how they work out challenges, you get the point Control, the false sense of knowing the outcome as the plan is put into action. Tightly holding the reins, manipulating the space to achieve a perceived understanding of success, all to maintain the illusion. Does this sound familiar? This is how I’d characterize my early teaching experience and I thought it worked pretty well. After 12 years of teaching, and a loosening of my grip over time, this year I landed on gold. The best gift we can offer students is the ability to know what they need, to articulate what they know and how best to ask for help. As we begin to teach students to be the masters of their own learning, teachers need to understand that kids may not be so willing to want to control. If they don’t come willingly, give them a nudge.