Young Children and Background TV

By Deborah Williams

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Recently, parents have been warned that too much screen time (30 minutes daily) is very unhealthy for very young children; it impedes their learning and can affect their ability to focus and sustain attention.  So, most parents do not allow their very young children to sit in front of a screen for more than 30 minutes a day, but they probably are not concerned when their young ones are in the same room as a television if the child is not primarily focused on it.  The article, “Background TV May Harm Young Kids’ Development,” on the WebMD website, reports that a new study presented recently at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association in Phoenix finds that even background television is linked to learning and reading problems for many young children.

The researchers evaluated the television exposure of children from eight months to eight years old.  They found that younger children and African American children were exposed to more television than other children.  There seemed to be less background television exposure when there is no television in the child’s bedroom.  (The researchers noted that some parents leave the television on while the child is sleeping.)  Background television, or television that is on within the vicinity of the child even though he or she is not watching it, “interrupts mental tasks.”    “…for children under the age of 2, this [background television] may interfere with language development,” says Victor Strasburger, M.D. who reviewed the findings for WebMD.

So, parents should not have a television in their young children’s rooms, and they should not allow their very young children to be exposed to background television for extended periods of time.

Topics: Child Development, Parenting | No Comments »

Summer Math Ideas

By Deborah Williams

Children all across the country have either just completed the school year or have just a few more weeks before it ends.  Of course, they are looking forward to long, lazy days that will require none of their typical school-day routine, and that includes none of the academic demands or mental rigor that their educators expect.  While students expect this two-month downtime to relax and pursue fun and leisure activities, their parents should realize that allowing them to avoid all academic pursuits will bring on the dreaded “Summer Slide.”

Researchers have proven that the average student who is not engaged in academic activity during the summer will lose about two months of previously acquired academic skills by the time the new school year begins.  Many parents turn to subject-focused camps and one-to-one tutoring services to make sure that their children do not slide during the summer and to even advance in their skills when possible.  However, in these tough economic times, those kinds of opportunities may not be an option.

A recent post by Patrick Honner and Holly Epstein Ojalvo on the New York Times education blog, “These Days are Numbered:  Eight Summer Math Ideas,” offers eight math ideas for parents to engage their children this summer:

  1. Go for the Gold – The authors suggest using the final standings, medal counts, world records, and economic impact for the host city as starting points for math activities such as making graphs to improve math skills.
  2. Watch Those Stocks – Have your child identify companies to chart their stock performance over the summer.
  3. Get Out of Town – The researching and planning for a trip—real or imaginary—can be the launching pad for several math activities that can include flight price comparisons, creating a budget, etc.
  4. The Race for the Pennant… – Use the summer to have your child follow how well his or her favorite baseball team does this summer.
  5. …And the White House – This summer’s presidential campaign is a good time to have your child track the progress of the candidates and the candidates’ total donations.
  6. Parse Personal Data – Have your child keep a record of some of his or her personal routines, like how much time they spend on social media.   The following link will take you to a video about how major retailers use personal data in their businesses:   http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/02/17/magazine/100000001367956/timescast–retailers-predictions.html
  7. Track Weather Patterns – Your child can track temperature trends to see if there is any validity to the theories.
  8. Chart Summer Blockbusters – Have your child keep track of the box-office numbers to keep track of how this summer’s movies will fare with the movie-going public.

Topics: Motivation and Self Improvement, Parenting | No Comments »

Sleep to Improve Memory

By Deborah Williams

Memories of cramming for exams might surface when one reads about the results of a new study from the University of Notre Dame.  Notre Dame Psychologist, Jessica Payne, and colleagues studied the two kinds of declarative memory (the ability to consciously remember facts and event). Declarative memory can be broken down into episodic memory (memory for events) and semantic memory (memory for facts about the world) of study participants after a night of sleep or after a night of sleep and a day of wakefulness.

The results, summarized in an article, “Learning Best When You Rest:  Sleeping After Processing New Info Most Effective,” on Science Daily, indicate “that sleeping directly learning something new is beneficial for memory.”  The researchers found that sleeping after learning new material improved both kinds of memory.  This suggests that sleeping soon after learning new material is beneficial to memory.  Payne suggests, “that it would be a good thing to rehearse any information you need to remember just prior to going to bed.”

So, going to sleep after studying might be what helps to cement the material to the brain.

Here is Professor Payne talking about the important of sleep for children:

Topics: Child Development, Study Skills and Learning Strategies | No Comments »

Math 101: Differentiated Instruction the New Norm?

By guest post

It’s no secret that mathematics is one of the greatest educational challenges for many students in the United States. The most recent PISA figures, or, Program for International Student Assessment, showed that while American 15-year-olds scored “at the international average of industrialized nations in science and reading,” they were “below the international average in math.” President Obama has even weighed in on the issue saying, “We’ve got to get serious about education,” and “It is an undeniable fact that countries who out educate us today are going to outcompete us tomorrow.” But with new ideas in the field of math education making a steady rise in popularity, is there perhaps hope blossoming alongside these concerns?

The goal of differentiated learning is to increase individual success by allowing students the freedom to move at their own unique, yet guided pace within the classroom. Teachers use a number of metrics to design either specific curriculums, or specific timeframes and tools appropriate for each student’s learning curve. The following are some of the most commonly used strategies of interventions for differentiated instructions that teachers are using today, which many believe offer greater promise for future American generations as they pertain to mathematics especially.

Tiered Assignments

Tiered assignments are assignments given to students in tiered levels of complexity. Essentially, while they teach the same curricular content and objectives, they are of varying complexities appropriate for each student’s learning level or readiness level. This type of differentiation, like most others, allows students who are at higher levels to learn more complex principles and thus travel at a pace more appropriate for them, while allowing student’s with lower readiness levels or understanding, to grasp the basics of these same principles before moving on.

Learning Contracts

A learning contract is similar to any other standard contract but is made between the teacher and each student individually. The contracts are drawn up by the teacher with the student’s learning style, math prowess, and unique goals in mind. This is geared to help children get as far into the material as possible at an appropriate pace. It’s also a great way to target specific learning styles for students and can help individuals learn planning skills and independence while eliminating unnecessary repetition and practice of understood material.

Flexible Grouping

Flexible grouping may entail a number of grouping strategies employed by the teacher. They may assign groups by particular levels of comfort with certain material or principles, or randomly assign groups to give students the chance to learn and teach one another. Groups may also be set by specific interests relating to the material, or chosen by the students themselves. Grouping offers a variety of ways to get students involved in the learning process with each other, and can be a good way to practice differentiated learning without labeling students as struggling or advanced.

As previously mentioned, these are only a few of the various techniques already being used by teachers around the country that have shown promise. As is true with any subject, the best way to gain a sound teaching strategy is to gain an understanding of a number of different techniques and the unique advantages and disadvantages associated with each.

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Changes in Science Education Needed, According to Some

By Deborah Williams

Professor William Schmidt is the leader of a group of scientists and educators who have culminated six years of work and are proposing that there needs to be a significant change in how science is taught in America’s public schools.  Their proposal, the 8 + 1 Science concept, is described in the article, “US Students Need New Way of Learning Science,” on the Science Daily website.

The 8 + 1 Science concept differs from current science instruction.  The 8 + 1 Science is a departure from “memorizing scientific facts and focuses on helping students understand eight fundamental science concepts.”  Instead of teaching science in isolated disciplines that include chemistry, biology, and physics, 8 + 1 Science uses the eight concepts to help students build connections within those disciplines.  The “plus 1” encourages students to ask “Why?”  The eight concepts are:

1.      Atoms

2.      Cells

3.      Radiation

4.      Systems change

5.      Forces

6.      Energy

7.      Conservation of mass and energy

8.      Variation

Look for this new way of learning science to come to your child’s school.  The 8 + 1 Science concept is further explained in the following video:

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Early Algebra, A Good Idea or Not?

By Deborah Williams

Most people agree that having more math courses improves a child’s chances in college and those highly-coveted STEM jobs of the future, so it’s not surprising that school districts have looked at ways to increase enrollment in higher level math courses at an early age.  Sarah V. Sparks, writer for Education Week, recently reported on such efforts at urban middle schools in California and Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.  In her article, “Studies Question Value of Early Algebra Lessons,” Sparks acknowledges that California’s mandatory enrollment in early algebra course increased overall enrollment in the subject significantly with three times as many eighth graders taking algebra in 2009.  However, researchers—Don Taylor, Michael Kurlaender, and Heather Rose–recently reported in their findings at the American Educational Research Association’s annual conference that this is not a good idea for many eighth graders.

The group that fared the worst students who performed in the lowest ten percent on the state math tests at the end of seventh grade and who took algebra in eighth grade  “had no significant effect on their state math-test performance at the end of eighth grade.”  Additionally, those students’ GPAs dropped 7 percent.

The news in Charlotte-Mecklenburg was not good for some early algebra enrollees either.  The algebra course was offered earlier to eighth graders, and researchers at Duke University found that the “moderately-proficient students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg who were put into early-algebra classes performed significantly worse on state end-of-year math tests.”  Not only that, the low-performing students who took Algebra I were not inclined to take more advanced math in high school.

Topics: Child Development, Education Policies and News | No Comments »

Play Easy Brain Games, Improve Math Skills in Your Preschoolers

By Deborah Williams

Science Daily reports on easy brain games developed by Professor Ming Ming Chiu of the University of Buffalo that are designed for preschoolers that may improve math skills as well as their overall conceptualization of math.  The article, “To Teach Kids Math, Researcher Devises ‘Brain Games,’” explains that Chiu created these games to help preschoolers to become more confident in math.

According to Chiu,

“Children with stronger math skills can recognize more patterns in the world’s rapid creation of new information, which grew by a factor of nine during 2006-11.  By understanding these patterns, children will not only better compete for the best jobs as adults, but they also will be better equipped to help solve such major problems as global warming and energy crises.  The U.S. may be the richest country in the world, but the scores of 15-year-olds on international mathematics tests are below average, behind 30 countries.”

Chiu’s games are designed for parents to play with their children at home.  The four games:

Professor Chiu explains the games in the following video:

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Deciding Which College to Attend

By Deborah Williams

Since most colleges want a decision from accepted incoming freshmen by May 1, the month of April often is filled with much anxiety and stress.  Caralee Adams’ recent post, “Countdown to May 1: Advice on Making the Final College Choice,” on the College Bound blog on the Education Week website provides some useful things to consider when a student has to make a choice among multiple colleges.

Here are some suggestions for prospective college freshmen:

Topics: College Preparation and Advice | No Comments »

Predicting Dyslexia Before Children Can Read

By Deborah Williams

A recent article on the Science Digest website describes the results of a three-year study of pre-reading children followed them from kindergarten to second grade.  The study and its results were described in “Tackling Dyslexia Before Kids Learn to Read,” which contradict prior notions about diagnosing dyslexia in children.

The researchers, led by Andrea Facoetti of the University of Padua in Italy, first  looked at the students before they could read in the following areas:

After the students could read, the researchers gathered data about how well they could read.

Facoetti and his team found “that kids who initially had trouble with visual attention were also the ones to later struggle in reading.”  This finding flies in the face of conventional wisdom about the causes of dyslexia and the best options for its treatment.  He suggests that “simple visual-attention tasks should improve the early identification of children at risk for dyslexia” and increase reading comprehension later in life.

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Better Technology May Mean More Essay Assignments

By Deborah Williams

Reuters reporter, Stephanie Simon, reports on the Chicago Tribune website in an article about the enhancement of robo-readers. Robo-readers are computers that are “programmed to scan student essays and spit out a grade.” This technology may encourage teachers to assign more essays because it will take much less time to score them than scoring essays themselves. Essay scoring programs are not new, but more of them are being created.

There are detractors and supporters of this technology. Supporters say that this will benefit students because they will have more opportunity to practice their writing.
Feedback (regarding “spelling, grammar, organization, and other traits and prompt students to make revisions”) is more timely, and ultimately, students win. Officials at Pearson Education, the marketers of the Intelligent Essay Assessor, a web-based essay scorer, believe that it “can “understand’ the meaning of text much the same as a human reader.”
Conversely,the detractors believe the feedback about spelling and the other traits mentioned by robo-reader supporters do not get at the heart of writing. Thomas Jenn, director of the Harvard College Writing Program, asserts that “the best way to teach good writing is to help students wrestle with ideas; misspellings and syntax errors in early drafts should be ignored in favor of talking through the thesis.” Jenn also is concerned that students will not include imagery and figurative language to paint a picture for the reader because the reader is a machine.

Topics: Education Policies and News | No Comments »

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