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The case for space: An inspiration for learning in the stars
Sheilamary Koch EducationThe excitement surrounding the discovery of the Trappist-1 solar system announced by NASA on Feb. 22 speaks to the allure that space still holds for modern humans. Despite the exploration that's taken place in the last 80 years, the universe is full of mystery, as it was for ancient civilizations.
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Strategies for teaching gifted and talented English learners
Erick Herrmann EducationWho are our gifted and talented students? What makes a student gifted? How are gifted and talented students identified? These questions are important in education as we attempt to best meet the needs of each of our students. When it comes to meeting the needs of English learners, these questions can seem more complicated.
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America’s sleep deficiency: Resolving the nightmare
Bob Kowalski Mental HealthcareRealizing that Americans are suffering from a lack of sleep is no eye-opener. Just look around classrooms, offices, the car next to you in traffic — the yawns and bleary eyes give it away. In a previous article, we discussed the issues that result from sleep deficiency and the research into the problem plaguing America. The path to our long national nightmare has been complicated, but solutions may be available.
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Is too much technology a bad thing for kids?
Brian Stack EducationDoes this story sound familiar to you? It is a typical weekday evening at home. Our family has just finished eating dinner together. The kitchen has been cleaned up, lunches have been packed for school the next day, and my wife Erica and I both sit down and start to scroll through the many notifications that have popped up on our phones from both email and social media over the past couple of hours.
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Students and fake news: Educators breathe hope into bleak diagnosis
Sheilamary Koch EducationIt’s easy for parents and teachers to be wowed by the tech savvy of today’s "neo-digital" natives. Yet, while the typical millennial student can work the most complicated phone and has got a finger on the pulse of social media and the newest apps and games, recent research out of Stanford University shows a gaping hole in their digital competence — namely in their ability to discern what online information is credible and what’s not.
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Listen…do you want to know a secret?
Debra Josephson Abrams EducationAs you learned from my previous article, I’m spending almost a year as an English Language Fellow in Moscow, Russia, where, in late December 2016, I had the great fortune to teach three classes to 10th- and 11th-level students at a distinguished English language school for students from primary through high school. I chose to develop activities whose theme was succeeding in spite of — if not because of — obstacles, and embracing the inevitable challenges that we face.
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Understanding the new school choice push
Bambi Majumdar EducationPresident Donald Trump’s announcement of a broader school choice initiative has baffled many. His idea is to empower disadvantaged youth from lower-income families so that they have more options than just public schools. On paper, this doesn’t sound too bad. So why is there so much opposition to it? To answer that question, we need to understand the concept of school choice and our education system.
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Moving beyond ‘drill and kill’ during test prep season
Savanna Flakes Education"Testing season" is right around the corner! As we enter testing season, it is essential that we consider novel and exciting ways to provide students with rigorous review and preparation activities. Research shares that too much time spent solely on verbatim memorization and test-taking skills often neglects high-order thinking skills, creative expression, and student choice in demonstrating mastery.
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America’s sleep deficiency: When you can’t snooze, you lose
Bob Kowalski Mental HealthcareAmericans seem to be closing their eyes to a problem that's growing, despite exhaustive research into the ramifications. It's time to wake up and smell the coffee: We don't get enough sleep. Insufficient sleep has been declared a "public health problem" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which attributed an increased risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, depression, cancer and reduced productivity to a shortage of shut-eye.
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A surprising new use of virtual reality — Teaching empathy
Sheilamary Koch Education"It is exciting to consider what could be accomplished if the power of virtual reality were harnessed for education rather than gaming; if developers turned their resources away from creating games that teach children how to steal cars and kill people and toward allowing them to explore history, science, art and other subjects in innovative new ways," wrote Charles Sahm, director of education policy at the Manhattan Institute, in US News and World Report back in October.
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