November 30 - December 7, 2014
A big week on many fronts:
Current events as charged as they are, it's almost too early to "teach" students about Ferguson--and now Long Island. Instead, teachers across the country are working simply on how to help students talk about race. This week includes a few of last week's resources about Ferguson, some additional materials that also apply to the Eric Garner case, and more.
Also worth reading is the feature article from EdWeek about the effect of studying the Arts. This is complemented well by the new, free chapter about music from "Brain Rules." It's a free download with the code: "holiday2014" -- Another reminder of why strengthening the arts in schools is important.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Finally, A Study About the Importance of Experiencing the Arts
EdWeek, 12/3/14
"The results across our two experiments were remarkably consistent: These cultural
experiences improve students'... desire to become cultural consumers in the future.
Exposure to the arts also affects the values of young people, making them more
tolerant and empathetic... Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching
students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the
world. Noticing details in paintings during a school tour, for example, helps train
students to consider details in the future."
Lena Dunham Talks About Being Creative
Slate, 12/3/14
"My parents taught me that you can have a creative approach to thinking that is
almost scientific... You don't have to be at the mercy of the muse. You need your
own internalized thinking process that you can perform again and again...
Everything that I do comes out of writing. It's the genesis point... You go within
yourself, wrestle with your demons, scribble some stuff up and come out with a
vision of what the world is like. It is close to being a painter."
A History of Race, A Definition of Racism, And How to Write History
Five Books, 5/20/14
"Racism is a prejudice... coupled with discriminatory action. It's a very simple
definition, it took me a long time to arrive at it, but it is composed of those two
parts. You need to have prejudices concerning a certain group of human beings --
to whom you attribute mental and physical features reproduced from generation to
generation -- coupled with discriminatory action. If you only have prejudices, you
don't have racism."
CHARACTER
Is Resilience Determined By Genetics?
New York Times, 11/28/14
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
To Remember Something, Test Yourself On It
BBC, 12/2/14
'Brain Rules' Author Writes a Chapter About Music [Download PDF]
Pear Press, 12/1/14 [Use code: "holiday2014"]
Reflection With Others Aids Performance
Atlantic, 5/15/14
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION
Most of What Is Needed Is Dispelling Rumor And Sharing Fact
Wall Street Journal, 12/4/14
Dos and Don'ts for Talking About Brown/Garner
The Root, 9/2/14
Some Basics For Holding Charged Discussions In Class
Edutopia, 9/10/14
Again, A Crowdsourced List of Lessons for Talking About Ferguson
Google Docs, 12/7/14
A Collection of Resources About Race/Racism
Larry Ferlazzo, 5/5/14
A Collection of Writing/Articles About The Events In Ferguson
Larry Ferlazzo, 11/25/14
On Talking About Race With White Kids
New York Times, 11/25/14
Twitter Has A Hashtag for This: #FergusonSyllabus
Twitter, 12/7/14
HIGHER ED
Harvard Releases Data from Study of Lecture Attendance
Harvard, 11/1/14
HUMANITIES
'Reading Like a Historian,' An Approach To Teaching History
Stanford, 11/26/14
Should the Supreme Court Archive Justices' Personal Papers?
New Yorker, 12/1/14
On the Psychology of 'Serial,' An Audio Serial Narrative
New York Magazine, 12/5/14
LEADERSHIP
On How To Best Engage Your Faculty In School Service
Harvard, 12/3/14
What A Driver Of Innovation Should Do At Your School
Harvard Business Review, 11/26/14
MINDFULNESS
Another Benefit of Mindfulness: Reduced Racial Bias
Pacific Standard, 12/2/14
Meditation Leaders to Gray Matter Brain Changes In Only 8 Weeks
Harvard, 1/21/11
STEM
Make Fractals Dance With Code and Motion Capture
Wired, 12/4/14
A Look At The Future Of Private-Public Space Exploration
Bloomberg, 12/3/14
TECH
Less Email = Less Stress
New York Magazine, 12/4/14
ChromeBooks Surpass iPads In New Shipments to Schools
Forbes, 12/1/14
6 Key Insights From EdX's Global Forum: How Teaching Is Evolving
Inside Higher Ed, 11/23/14
EdX Offers First High Course: AP Physics Mechanics C
MIT OpenCourseWare, 12/4/14
Here's What We Currently Know About Internet Addiction [Not Much]
New Yorker, 11/26/14
What Are The Inherent Biases In Social Media Demographics?
Fast Company, 12/2/14
2014 Year In Review: The Business of Ed Tech
Hack Education, 12/4/14
WORKPLACE
Against the Open Office Plan, Decisively
New Yorker, 1/7/14
8 Ways to Say No
Farnam Street, 11/23/14
OTHER
On Using Student Data Beyond the Classroom
New York Times, 12/3/14
What's Going On With High School Football Deaths?
USA Today, 11/30/14
Map and Timeline of 2014 Student Protests
Student Activism, 12/4/14
Spotify Shares Music Trends from 2014
Spotify, 12/1/14
Current events as charged as they are, it's almost too early to "teach" students about Ferguson--and now Long Island. Instead, teachers across the country are working simply on how to help students talk about race. This week includes a few of last week's resources about Ferguson, some additional materials that also apply to the Eric Garner case, and more.
Also worth reading is the feature article from EdWeek about the effect of studying the Arts. This is complemented well by the new, free chapter about music from "Brain Rules." It's a free download with the code: "holiday2014" -- Another reminder of why strengthening the arts in schools is important.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Finally, A Study About the Importance of Experiencing the Arts
EdWeek, 12/3/14
"The results across our two experiments were remarkably consistent: These cultural
experiences improve students'... desire to become cultural consumers in the future.
Exposure to the arts also affects the values of young people, making them more
tolerant and empathetic... Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching
students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the
world. Noticing details in paintings during a school tour, for example, helps train
students to consider details in the future."
Lena Dunham Talks About Being Creative
Slate, 12/3/14
"My parents taught me that you can have a creative approach to thinking that is
almost scientific... You don't have to be at the mercy of the muse. You need your
own internalized thinking process that you can perform again and again...
Everything that I do comes out of writing. It's the genesis point... You go within
yourself, wrestle with your demons, scribble some stuff up and come out with a
vision of what the world is like. It is close to being a painter."
A History of Race, A Definition of Racism, And How to Write History
Five Books, 5/20/14
"Racism is a prejudice... coupled with discriminatory action. It's a very simple
definition, it took me a long time to arrive at it, but it is composed of those two
parts. You need to have prejudices concerning a certain group of human beings --
to whom you attribute mental and physical features reproduced from generation to
generation -- coupled with discriminatory action. If you only have prejudices, you
don't have racism."
CHARACTER
Is Resilience Determined By Genetics?
New York Times, 11/28/14
COGNITIVE SCIENCE
To Remember Something, Test Yourself On It
BBC, 12/2/14
'Brain Rules' Author Writes a Chapter About Music [Download PDF]
Pear Press, 12/1/14 [Use code: "holiday2014"]
Reflection With Others Aids Performance
Atlantic, 5/15/14
DIVERSITY/INCLUSION
Most of What Is Needed Is Dispelling Rumor And Sharing Fact
Wall Street Journal, 12/4/14
Dos and Don'ts for Talking About Brown/Garner
The Root, 9/2/14
Some Basics For Holding Charged Discussions In Class
Edutopia, 9/10/14
Again, A Crowdsourced List of Lessons for Talking About Ferguson
Google Docs, 12/7/14
A Collection of Resources About Race/Racism
Larry Ferlazzo, 5/5/14
A Collection of Writing/Articles About The Events In Ferguson
Larry Ferlazzo, 11/25/14
On Talking About Race With White Kids
New York Times, 11/25/14
Twitter Has A Hashtag for This: #FergusonSyllabus
Twitter, 12/7/14
HIGHER ED
Harvard Releases Data from Study of Lecture Attendance
Harvard, 11/1/14
HUMANITIES
'Reading Like a Historian,' An Approach To Teaching History
Stanford, 11/26/14
Should the Supreme Court Archive Justices' Personal Papers?
New Yorker, 12/1/14
On the Psychology of 'Serial,' An Audio Serial Narrative
New York Magazine, 12/5/14
LEADERSHIP
On How To Best Engage Your Faculty In School Service
Harvard, 12/3/14
What A Driver Of Innovation Should Do At Your School
Harvard Business Review, 11/26/14
MINDFULNESS
Another Benefit of Mindfulness: Reduced Racial Bias
Pacific Standard, 12/2/14
Meditation Leaders to Gray Matter Brain Changes In Only 8 Weeks
Harvard, 1/21/11
STEM
Make Fractals Dance With Code and Motion Capture
Wired, 12/4/14
A Look At The Future Of Private-Public Space Exploration
Bloomberg, 12/3/14
TECH
Less Email = Less Stress
New York Magazine, 12/4/14
ChromeBooks Surpass iPads In New Shipments to Schools
Forbes, 12/1/14
6 Key Insights From EdX's Global Forum: How Teaching Is Evolving
Inside Higher Ed, 11/23/14
EdX Offers First High Course: AP Physics Mechanics C
MIT OpenCourseWare, 12/4/14
Here's What We Currently Know About Internet Addiction [Not Much]
New Yorker, 11/26/14
What Are The Inherent Biases In Social Media Demographics?
Fast Company, 12/2/14
2014 Year In Review: The Business of Ed Tech
Hack Education, 12/4/14
WORKPLACE
Against the Open Office Plan, Decisively
New Yorker, 1/7/14
8 Ways to Say No
Farnam Street, 11/23/14
OTHER
On Using Student Data Beyond the Classroom
New York Times, 12/3/14
What's Going On With High School Football Deaths?
USA Today, 11/30/14
Map and Timeline of 2014 Student Protests
Student Activism, 12/4/14
Spotify Shares Music Trends from 2014
Spotify, 12/1/14