Teachers and educational administrators are deciding cursive is a less important part of the curriculum than learning to read and use 21st century digital tools to communicate, said Joanne Carney, associate professor of elementary education at Western. She said students must learn computer skills to communicate effectively. In one of Carney’s graduate courses on literacy, she discovered that her students felt the same way about how cursive is presently taught. “Cursive is taught for limited time periods in one or two grades,” Carney said. “Most students don’t practice it enough to develop good handwriting.” => http://bit.ly/lEKqzv
This website is especially for kids. Go on an interactive adventure. Take part in all the activities. Discover what copyright really means. There is a test you can take at the end to see what you really do know! There are six questions with full answers provided on the next page.
=> http://bit.ly/kXLd17
Facebook's founder sees the social networking site as a tool with educational potential. That of course means getting kids Facebooking at an early age.
FORTUNE -- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg may be a college drop-out, but the billionaire 27-year-old is passionate about education reform. That's why he took time out of his busy schedule to discuss the heated topic (and why he thinks young people can benefit from social networking sites) at a recent summit on innovation in education. => http://bit.ly/jXEwW6
Book borrowing from libraries has fallen as computer use has increased
Computer games are harming children’s reading, researchers warned last night.
They found that the reading ability of nine and ten-year-olds has slumped in countries where households have at least one computer.
Read more: http://bit.ly/mkDInG
On this day in 1897 Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker was published
"There he lay looking as if youth had been half-renewed, for the white hair and moustache were changed to dark iron-grey, the cheeks were fuller, and the white skin seemed ruby-red underneath; the mouth was redder than ever, for on the lips were gouts of fresh blood, which trickled from the corners of the mouth and ran over the chin and neck. Even the deep, burning eyes seemed set amongst the swollen flesh, for the lids and pouches underneath were bloated. It seemed as if the whole awful creature were simply gorged with blood; he lay like a filthy leech, exhausted with his repletion."
Is your audience getting lost during your big presentation? The issue might be in the clarity of your presentation agenda. Learn 5 creative ways to provide a clear and memorable agenda to your presentation. =>http://bit.ly/m0qjjN
Bec Kavanagh has worked in the book industry for almost a decade, during which time she founded A Thousand Words Festival, a festival celebrating children’s books. Bec is a freelance writer and reviewer and speaks as a curriculum specialist for Booked Out Speakers Agency.
Choosing books is a tricky job. With limited budgets and time, how can you be sure that you’re choosing books that students will actually read?
Once upon a time genres were so broad that you could buy all the science fiction books in the world and yet still miss the mark with the type that kids are actually reading. But the last decade has seen a boom in more specific sub-genres, which are an ideal tool to use in the library. It is much easier to direct students to books you know they’ll like once you have identified the trends in their reading. Below are some genre guidelines to get you started. => http://bit.ly/jEhmY0
As it is the characteristic of great wits to say much in few words, so small wits seem to have the gift of speaking much and saying nothing.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
For many there is nothing more relaxing than standing quietly in the yard watering the garden.
The body is relaxed and the mind is serene. Peace lives in the trickling of water onto grateful leaves. Earth darkens and softens as it soaks up the powerful moisture. Liken this to your classroom. You as the educator have sown a handful of seeds; the seeds have fallen onto rich, moist earth and now all you need to do is relax. It is a call for faith! Your only job now is to breathe out and water those seeds! Students will choose to germinate or not to germinate, this is the sublime nature of human free will.
It is not for you to feel pressure at the responsibility of having your students achieve nor is it for you to take credit when they do achieve or surpass your expectations. It is for you to offer the nutrients and encouragement necessary, for you to open up the files of universal information and spread it like fertiliser.
The child is the only one that can grow the seed, they will always make the final decision as to where to place their focus.
You cannot scare or cajole another into focusing in a certain way. Fear tactics lead to a 'I hate you and I hate this but I'll do it anyway ' attitude that filters through into other aspects of their lives. (a marriage for example 'I hate you and I hate this a but I'll do it anyway...') A child will only grow a seed that is pertinent to their existence.
If someone has learned that thinking negatively and growing 'I CAN'T' neurons works for them then they will continue to focus in that way. If they learn that 'giving it a go' works then that is what they will grow. It is too complicated to try and unravel the individual's motivation for choosing certain patterns of thought. It is far more appropriate to step back and allow them space, whilst offering options for clarity of mind and positive decision making. The best thing we can do as parents and educators is to expose the workings of the brain. Make it clear that what we concentrate on will propagate.
If a child creates a neuron cluster for enjoyment in maths they will naturally lean in the direction of thoughts that will expand this cluster making maths more and more enjoyable. If a child dislikes maths they will likely ignore maths entirely which will foster no neural growth in this direction creating a blank when they are asked to attempt a mathematical problem. Alternatively, they may repeat 'I hate maths, it's too hard', this then is how the neurons will grow.
It is next to impossible in a busy classroom to address the individual regarding enjoyment or non enjoyment of any and all subjects we are required to teach.
• We can hold weekly discussions; opening up the possibility for examination of thought patterns.
• We can grace the students with information on neural growth and personal responsibility.
• We can let students know through examples and storytelling that enjoyment can be found in all subjects.
• We can encourage the thought that concentration on any enjoyment that can be found in a disliked subject will foster neural growth for more enjoyable aspects to emerge.
I disliked mathematics as a child but I did like drawing and I did like problem solving. As I noticed how much I enjoyed 'drawing' the shapes of numbers and concentrated on how much I loved solving problems, neural growth occurred in my brain that led away from dislike of maths to a more enthusiastic approach. I began to at least enjoy the problem solving aspect and things became a little clearer for me. My marks also improved somewhat. I never grew to LOVE maths nor was I ever really good at it. BUT I didn't hate it and I didn't dread the misery of a maths lesson anymore.... And that is what is important.
Giving kids the option of happiness and taking the pressure off in the classroom will bring a more balanced energy to all subjects, generally.
Remember too that people respond to each other's energy so if you have a bunch of kids that are giving of sparks and resistance to a particular subject then that is felt by others and general classroom performance is lowered.
Through gaining an understanding of the mechanics of the brain;
• We can learn to recognise our emotions for what they are.
• We can understand that someone else does not need to affect our moment.
• We can learn to accept subjects we normally might despise.
• We can choose to grow strong, positive neural networks and live happy, successful lives.
It is not the educator's responsibility to make kids learn. ALL we need do is sow the seeds and water the garden. AWESOME!
To learn more about growing emotionally intelligent children please visit our beautiful website http://www.theiamprogram.com
If you would like to understand further about body mind and spirit please pop over to http://www.iamspirituality.com
After a stint of viral video fame, the much-loved Muppets are headed back to the big screen this fall in Green With Envy, a period piece set in mid-century Hollywood.
Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang will be joined by Amy Adams and Jason Segel, who appear to be playing out a sweet rom-com plot throughout the first part of the trailer. => http://on.mash.to/jmrrLB
