November 16 - November 23, 2014
A Great Week:
The "teachers as performers" article has started to clarify for me how lectures, active learning, and inspiration might fit together. We're in an active learning era, and surely it's best, but lectures aren't entirely wrong. What is the balance?
Also notable is Gallup's survey indicating that applied internships increase engagement in people's professional work in the future. To what degree can we incorporate lessons from this in our schools?
And, I find most critical thinking frameworks to be cumbersome, or otherwise not very useful for their abstraction. The student-generated map published in Psychology Today, however, was practical and descriptive, something that might directly inform decision-making while teaching.
Lastly, this week has a wealth of compelling writing on the value of diversity in teams and organizations. This is a good reminder for schools.
Enjoy!
FEATURED ARTICLES
Why We're Seeing An (Affluent) Adolescent Mental Health Implosion
Psychology Today, 11/5/13
"The high rate of maladjustment among affluent adolescents is strikingly
counterintuitive. There is a tacit assumption--even among those most affected--
that education and money procure well-being, and that if children falter, they will
swiftly get the appropriate services. Education and money may once have served
as buffers against distress, but that is no longer the case. Something fundamental
has changed: The evidence suggests that the privileged young are much more
vulnerable today than in previous generations."
Are We Losing Sight of the Ideas That Shaped the Humanities?
Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/21/14
"We have shifted our focus from the meaning of ideas to the means by which
they're produced. The same questions that always intrigued us--What is justice?
What is the good life? What is morally valid? What is free will?--take a back seat
to the biases embedded in our neural circuitry. Instead of grappling with the gods,
we seem to be more interested in the topography of Mt. Olympus."
Does "Teacher As Performer" Contradict Student-Centered Learning?
KQED, 11/19/14
"The performance question has gotten caught up in this fight between active
learning and lecturing. 'We assume that performance only relates to the passive
delivery. And thus it should be discarded along with the lecture,' says Robert Lue,
the faculty director of Harvard University's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and
Learning. Lue is a big fan of honing a teacher's performance gene. He insists the
absolute best active learning teachers have it too."
CHARACTER
Embrace Failure... Or Transcend It?
Creativity Post, 11/17/14
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Do Poor Circadian Rhythms Actively Inhibit Learning and Memory?
Stanford, 11/17/14
Looks Like Online Brain Training Games May Not Do Much
Pacific Standard, 11/18/14
CREATIVITY
Political Correctness Boosts Creativity in Group Work
Cornell, 11/3/14
Kindness Kills Creativity; Criticism Helps It Grow. (Sometimes.)
Creativity Post, 11/21/14
Keep It Loose, Keep It Creative
Brain Pickings, 11/9/14
Clayton Christensen Defends Disruption, Describes Modularity
Business Insider, 10/28/14
CURRICULUM
Map: How Students Describe Critical Thinking
Psychology Today, 10/31/14
USC Adds A Degree In World Building
Fast Company, 11/18/14
Coding Courses Are Even Being Offered in Prison
EdSurge, 11/18/14
Applied Internships Increase Emotional Engagement in Future Work
Gallup, 11/20/14
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION
Gender Gap Growing in Music Classes: Band, Chorus, Etc
Pacific Standard, 11/19/14
Claude Steele Shares Origin of the Idea of Stereotype Threat
Harvard, 11/7/14
Diverse Groups Make Better Financial Decisions
New York Times, 11/17/14
HUMANITIES
Helen Vendler on the Need for More Humanities Students
New Republic, 11/20/14
Nat'l Book Award Winner on Writing as Art, Not Commodity [Video]
National Book Foundation/YouTube, 11/20/14
LEADERSHIP
At What Age Are We Most Innovative?
Harvard Business Review, 11/20/14
Recommendations on How and When to Take Risks
Gallup, 11/21/14
Elements of Engaging Leadership
Harvard Business Review, 11/7/14
10 Character Traits for Entrepreneurial Success
Gallup, 5/6/14
PEDAGOGY
Broad-Reaching Report on Digital Games in Education
KQED, 11/18/14
TECH
$10 Robot Teaches Kids the Basics of Coding
Wired, 11/21/14
3D Printing Is Now Changing Medicine
New Yorker, 11/24/14
How Texting Affects Your Spine
Quartz, 11/19/14
9 Year Old Maker Makes His Own Prosthetic Arm
Atlantic, 11/13/14
Machines Can Analyze Pictures Using Words and Phrases
Stanford, 11/18/14
3 Ways To Use Data in Decision-Making
Misc Magazine, 11/20/14
More Colleges Offer AP Courses Through EdX
Cooper Union, 11/17/14
Another Site Curating the Web's Education Resources
Curiosity, 11/11/14
WORKPLACE
Sitting All Day Also Correlates With Poor Mental health
New York Magazine, 11/21/14
Meditation on "The Disease of Being Busy"
On Being, 11/6/14
OTHER
Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year: "Vape"
Oxford Dictionaries, 11/17/14
More Libraries Are Pivoting Towards Digital Workspaces
KQED, 11/20/14
Who Are the Millennials?
NPR, 11/18/14
Maps About the Growth and Diversity of Language
Vox, 11/17/14
Elon Musk Recommends 12 Books
Farnam Street, 11/12/14
Software Engineers Are In So Much Demand, They Now Have Agents
New Yorker, 11/24/14
Earlier School Start Times Correlate with Increased Teen Car Crashes
New York Magazine, 11/17/14
The "teachers as performers" article has started to clarify for me how lectures, active learning, and inspiration might fit together. We're in an active learning era, and surely it's best, but lectures aren't entirely wrong. What is the balance?
Also notable is Gallup's survey indicating that applied internships increase engagement in people's professional work in the future. To what degree can we incorporate lessons from this in our schools?
And, I find most critical thinking frameworks to be cumbersome, or otherwise not very useful for their abstraction. The student-generated map published in Psychology Today, however, was practical and descriptive, something that might directly inform decision-making while teaching.
Lastly, this week has a wealth of compelling writing on the value of diversity in teams and organizations. This is a good reminder for schools.
Enjoy!
FEATURED ARTICLES
Why We're Seeing An (Affluent) Adolescent Mental Health Implosion
Psychology Today, 11/5/13
"The high rate of maladjustment among affluent adolescents is strikingly
counterintuitive. There is a tacit assumption--even among those most affected--
that education and money procure well-being, and that if children falter, they will
swiftly get the appropriate services. Education and money may once have served
as buffers against distress, but that is no longer the case. Something fundamental
has changed: The evidence suggests that the privileged young are much more
vulnerable today than in previous generations."
Are We Losing Sight of the Ideas That Shaped the Humanities?
Chronicle of Higher Education, 11/21/14
"We have shifted our focus from the meaning of ideas to the means by which
they're produced. The same questions that always intrigued us--What is justice?
What is the good life? What is morally valid? What is free will?--take a back seat
to the biases embedded in our neural circuitry. Instead of grappling with the gods,
we seem to be more interested in the topography of Mt. Olympus."
Does "Teacher As Performer" Contradict Student-Centered Learning?
KQED, 11/19/14
"The performance question has gotten caught up in this fight between active
learning and lecturing. 'We assume that performance only relates to the passive
delivery. And thus it should be discarded along with the lecture,' says Robert Lue,
the faculty director of Harvard University's Derek Bok Center for Teaching and
Learning. Lue is a big fan of honing a teacher's performance gene. He insists the
absolute best active learning teachers have it too."
CHARACTER
Embrace Failure... Or Transcend It?
Creativity Post, 11/17/14
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
Do Poor Circadian Rhythms Actively Inhibit Learning and Memory?
Stanford, 11/17/14
Looks Like Online Brain Training Games May Not Do Much
Pacific Standard, 11/18/14
CREATIVITY
Political Correctness Boosts Creativity in Group Work
Cornell, 11/3/14
Kindness Kills Creativity; Criticism Helps It Grow. (Sometimes.)
Creativity Post, 11/21/14
Keep It Loose, Keep It Creative
Brain Pickings, 11/9/14
Clayton Christensen Defends Disruption, Describes Modularity
Business Insider, 10/28/14
CURRICULUM
Map: How Students Describe Critical Thinking
Psychology Today, 10/31/14
USC Adds A Degree In World Building
Fast Company, 11/18/14
Coding Courses Are Even Being Offered in Prison
EdSurge, 11/18/14
Applied Internships Increase Emotional Engagement in Future Work
Gallup, 11/20/14
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION
Gender Gap Growing in Music Classes: Band, Chorus, Etc
Pacific Standard, 11/19/14
Claude Steele Shares Origin of the Idea of Stereotype Threat
Harvard, 11/7/14
Diverse Groups Make Better Financial Decisions
New York Times, 11/17/14
HUMANITIES
Helen Vendler on the Need for More Humanities Students
New Republic, 11/20/14
Nat'l Book Award Winner on Writing as Art, Not Commodity [Video]
National Book Foundation/YouTube, 11/20/14
LEADERSHIP
At What Age Are We Most Innovative?
Harvard Business Review, 11/20/14
Recommendations on How and When to Take Risks
Gallup, 11/21/14
Elements of Engaging Leadership
Harvard Business Review, 11/7/14
10 Character Traits for Entrepreneurial Success
Gallup, 5/6/14
PEDAGOGY
Broad-Reaching Report on Digital Games in Education
KQED, 11/18/14
TECH
$10 Robot Teaches Kids the Basics of Coding
Wired, 11/21/14
3D Printing Is Now Changing Medicine
New Yorker, 11/24/14
How Texting Affects Your Spine
Quartz, 11/19/14
9 Year Old Maker Makes His Own Prosthetic Arm
Atlantic, 11/13/14
Machines Can Analyze Pictures Using Words and Phrases
Stanford, 11/18/14
3 Ways To Use Data in Decision-Making
Misc Magazine, 11/20/14
More Colleges Offer AP Courses Through EdX
Cooper Union, 11/17/14
Another Site Curating the Web's Education Resources
Curiosity, 11/11/14
WORKPLACE
Sitting All Day Also Correlates With Poor Mental health
New York Magazine, 11/21/14
Meditation on "The Disease of Being Busy"
On Being, 11/6/14
OTHER
Oxford English Dictionary Word of the Year: "Vape"
Oxford Dictionaries, 11/17/14
More Libraries Are Pivoting Towards Digital Workspaces
KQED, 11/20/14
Who Are the Millennials?
NPR, 11/18/14
Maps About the Growth and Diversity of Language
Vox, 11/17/14
Elon Musk Recommends 12 Books
Farnam Street, 11/12/14
Software Engineers Are In So Much Demand, They Now Have Agents
New Yorker, 11/24/14
Earlier School Start Times Correlate with Increased Teen Car Crashes
New York Magazine, 11/17/14