“Outside the Box” Children

June 28, 2011 By Melanie West Leave a Comment
box

Got an “outside of the box” child? Chances are you consider it a mixed blessing. Yes, you love the creativity and the moments of spark. And, some part of you knows that school success is not a direct indicator of success in life. Just look at the long list of ‘outside of the box’ success stories on this fun video clip (click here if you can't see the video): But as parents, most of us still end up pressing for as much school success as possible. Why? Because, school is your child’s first opportunity to find his or her pathway in life. It’s worrisome to see your child not meet with success at these early stages of life. But, … [Read more...]

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Did “Race to Nowhere” Lead You…Nowhere?

June 17, 2011 By Melanie West Leave a Comment
school chair

Did "Race to Nowhere" leave you...ahhhh...No Where? Big Problems, No Solutions I’m very happy and grateful for the grassroots efforts "Race to Nowhere" has made. It’s an important piece to bring to the table and has stimulated a lot of dialogue across the country. If you’ve seen the film, or maybe even just heard of the film, you’ve most likely have been entangled in an emotional debate with your friends and family that started something like this: “This is Unbelievable!” and ended with something like this: “Soooo...what do we do now?” The truth is, a film like "Race to Nowhere" is a great way to stir the pot. But, … [Read more...]

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The Case Against Homework

June 12, 2011 By Suzanne Kisly Coburn Leave a Comment
homework

When my children were young, we began to feel burdened by homework.  I had read that very few studies found benefits of homework until 9th grade, and had often mentioned that to my kids’ teachers. If a child “gets” a math concept, can’t they just show it in five problems instead of forty-five?? Who benefits from phonics worksheets?  The kids who “get” it race through it without benefit or challenge; the kids who learn differently and don’t get it, fail or feel frustrated. If school wants me to be more “involved”, shouldn’t I have the freedom of choice to read a book with my child, or cook a family recipe together, or … [Read more...]

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The “Inconvenient Truth” About School

June 3, 2011 By Melanie West Leave a Comment
modern classroom

You know what’s sad: Every time a major invention has come along, society has completely changed. We used to communicate with fountain pens and paper. And we’d mail these by horse and carriage to communicate with someone the next town over. Then TVs came along and gave us a brand new way to communicate, almost instantaneously, across the nation. And finally, the digital age came along and broke down almost every single barrier. Whereas before only TV stations had the power to communicate widely, a 6 year old can now talk to her grandmother on the other side of the world, for free. This is amazing. But What Is Sad? Every time we … [Read more...]

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We Need a Little “Hip Hop” in School

May 31, 2011 By Melanie West Leave a Comment
hip hop

Is it possible the only thing our education system is missing is a little Hip Hop? Most of us consider Hip Hop a form of music and dance. But really, Hip Hop is so much more: It’s a lifestyle, and one which can drastically improve our education system. Teacher Sam Sneidel discusses the great impact hip hop had on his own students in this video, “Hip Hop Genius" (thanks to MindShift for bringing this to our attention). First, what is the Hip Hop lifestyle? As Sam describes, it’s the kid on the street, playing two vinyl records, fading back and forth between the two to create a completely new song. It’s also the street artist who … [Read more...]

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More Proof That Lectures Don’t Work!

May 27, 2011 By Suzanne Kisly Coburn Leave a Comment
lecture

Ready to change the way you look at education? While researching ways we can incorporate more technology and visual stimulation in traditionally lecture based classrooms, I stumbled across this amazing study by a physicist. And not just any physicist, but a Nobel winning physicist. In nearly identical classes, college students learned more when the class involved interactive tools and techniques with almost no lecturing than they did from a seasoned professor giving a traditional lecture. The students who had to engage interactively using technology scored about TWICE AS HIGH on a test compared to those who heard the normal lecture. As a … [Read more...]

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Should Cellphones and Laptops be Banned from Classes?

May 18, 2011 By Brandon Yanofsky 2 Comments
cell phone

Walk into any classroom and watch the students. You’ll notice they are fidgeting with something under their desks; it’s their cellphones. They are texting, checking Facebook, and playing games. If they aren’t careful though, this may happen: It’s seems absurd that a teacher might do this. But trust me, I’ve seen many teachers take cellphones and really consider chucking them against the wall. In college, the technology problem gets worse. I’d sit in the back of the classroom and have fun watching my fellow students’ laptops, as they uploaded pictures from last weekend’s party, play World of Warcraft, and read the latest … [Read more...]

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Is He The Best Math Teacher EVER?

May 11, 2011 By Melanie West 5 Comments
calculator

Our Kids Need Teachers Like This! You'll never meet a math teacher quite like Dan Meyer. He's fed up with the "accepted" way of teaching math. He says that giving a child a math textbook is just as effective as having her watch Two and a Half Men: pointless. Solving math has become formulaic. Our kids are taught to memorize the problems. Instead of learning how to think, they are learning to regurgitate a formula. As Dan says, the problems we encounter in real life that are worth solving are not the ones with formulaic answers. So Dan has changed how he teaches math. Dan’s math problems sound more like mysteries than homework. "How … [Read more...]

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Why Your Child Can’t Read

May 6, 2011 By Melanie West Leave a Comment
reading

Remember the last time you got lost in a great book? Time passes without you noticing. You are transported to a farm. You can smell the freshly cut grass, hear the birds chirping. You see the kids running from the porch to the stables. You're no longer looking at words on a page. Those words have crossed over into your imagination and the scene has become entrancingly real. You have just experienced true reading comprehension: words triggering visual and sensory experiences within your mind. Sadly, the way schools teach how to read is greatly impacting our children’s ability to experience authentic reading comprehension. You see … [Read more...]

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Stop Expelling Creativity from School!

May 3, 2011 By Melanie West 4 Comments
school building

Did you know there’s a test that will measure how successful your child will be later in life? Can you guess what it is? Surprisingly, it’s not the IQ test, or the SATs, or your child’s GPA. In fact, it’s a test that measures your child’s creativity. Back in 1958, professor E. Paul Torrance tested the creativity of 400 children, later to be known as the “Torrance Kids.” Over 59 years, Torrance and his colleagues tracked the accomplishments of the Torrance Kids, such as how many books they wrote, patents they filed, and businesses they founded. Higher Creativity=More Success The kids who had scored higher on the … [Read more...]

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