Teaching Students About the Brain February 16, 2010
Posted by Connie Chow in Books and articles, Executive Director Musings, For parents, General.Tags: children, Education, learning
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Judy Willis was a neurologist before becoming a middle-school teacher, and is a pioneer in bringing what we know about how we learn to how we should teach. How to Teach Students About the Brain, from Educational Leadership, December 2009 | Volume 67 | Number 4
She’s created a “Brain Owner’s Manual” and explicitly teaches her students about how the brain works. By telling them that the brain is a muscle that can be exercised, and then teaching them specific strategies, she motivates and trains them to become better learners.
I also appreciate that she incorporates mind-body “strategies” that takes into account the impact of the emotional brain to learning. (We’ve also been telling our mentors that it is essential they create that safe emotional space before any of those neural connections related to learning can be made). For example, Willis tells her students that to manage test anxiety, they should train themselves to take a deep breath and imagine a happy place for better recall and performance.
Most importantly, Willis unpacks the mystery of learning, and help us all realize that being “smart” is neither purely genetic nor static.
We’re going to incorporate some of these ideas into our Junior Mentor/C.E.L.L.S. program. We encourage you to try the many ideas with the young(er) ones around you. If you’re interested in helping us conduct some of these workshops, let us know!
Obama says, WHAT UP SCIENCE November 23, 2009
Posted by jburnstein in Books and articles, For parents, General, General Post.Tags: After school programming, Education, High school students, Middle school students, News, Obama, Science, STEM
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Fresh off the presses: White House Plans Campaign to Promote Math and Science Education
“President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle and high school, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, officials say.
The campaign, called Educate to Innovate, will focus mainly on activities outside the classroom. For example, Discovery Communications has promised to use two hours of the afternoon schedule on its Science Channel cable network for commercial-free programming geared toward middle school students.”
Here is the press release itself: “Educate to Innovate” Campaign
“Among the initiatives announced by the President are:
- Five public-private partnerships that harness the power of media, interactive games, hands-on learning, and 100,000 volunteers to reach more than 10 million students over the next four years, inspiring them to be the next generation of makers, discoverers, and innovators. These partnerships represent a combined commitment of over $260 million in financial and in-kind support.
- A commitment by leaders such as Sally Ride (the first female astronaut), Craig Barrett (former chairman of Intel), Ursula Burns (CEO, Xerox), Glenn Britt (CEO, Time Warner Cable), and Antonio Perez (CEO, Eastman Kodak) to increase the scale, scope, and impact of private-sector and philanthropic support for STEM education. This coalition, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, will recruit private sector leaders to serve as champions for STEM at the state level; mobilize resources to help scale successful STEM innovations; and raise awareness of the importance of STEM among parents and students.
- An annual science fair at the White House, showcasing the student winners of national competitions in areas such as science, technology, and robotics.”
