April » 2012 » Carol J. Carter

The 3-Year Graduate: Can You Get to College Too Soon?

How are some students curing “senioritis”? By avoiding senior year all together, according theÂ Wall Street JournalÂ article “High School, Only Shorter.” The most recent data on 3-year high school graduates shows about 2.9% of sophomores graduated in three years or less in 2002, which is up from 1.5% of students in the early 1990s. One reason for the rise is the increased availability of online classes, allowing students to continue working after the school bell rings and during summer vacation. In some states, students even receive scholarships incentives for graduating in under four years.

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Cyberbullying Ends When Students Bring Social Sense to Social Media

The classroom bully is not a new character, but technology has given the bully new shape. The Internet and the accessibility of handheld devices for younger and younger kids has afforded the bully to be more elusive and far-reaching, both in audience and victims.

Findings of a new cyberbullying study illuminates the changes and challenges well. According to the study, physical bullying decreases as children get older, but cyberbullying increases. The study also found:

Almost 90 percent of students are online by third grade.
83 percent of middle school students have a mobile device.
35-40 percent of elementary students report being targets of bullying, and 50-53 percent of middle and high school students say they have been victims.

Â (“One-Fifth of Third-Graders Own Cell Phones” — CNET)

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Bringing Art to the Classroom for Engaging and Relevant Lessons

Is it mandatory that educators use technology to engage young minds in the digital age?

For many schools and individuals, the terms “student” and “education” have become redefined — and undefined — by digital tools. For example, “students” can still be teens who attend a brick and mortar high school, but they might also be a retired lawyer who takes advantage of Stanford’s free online classes. Some students attend a “flipped-classroom” where they take a lesson at home on YouTube and come to class to do their homework. Some students master activities through gaming, answer tests on their cellphones, and collaborate with peers by developing computer software.

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Lessons in Basic Neuroscience Build Persistence

How much do you know about how the brain works?

Studies show that children don’t have a solid understanding of how the brain functions, which isn’t surprisingly linked to the lack of education they receive in early childhood neuroscience. New research shows elementary students commonly believe the brain is like a container that holds memories and facts, according to Annie Murphy Paul’s article “What Kids Should Know About Their Own Brains.” Consider the limitations students might start putting on themselves at an early age when they envision the brain as having the same finite characteristics of a container. They might set unnecessary parameters on knowledge, knowing that a container acts as a holding tank and that it runs out of room. Â This runs counter to the brains’ nearly infinite and plastic capacity.
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Promoting Nonfiction Literacy Standards Is a Collaborative Effort

Most states are adopting the new Common Core Standards, requiring that students’ reading curriculum include more rigorous and nonfiction materials. In fact, the goal is to have 70 percent of a student’s reading come from informational texts by graduation, according to the article “New Literacy Standards Could Challenge Even Passionate Readers.”Â This shift in reading content is aimed at helping build reading skills students will need in college, career and throughout their lives.

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The Real Cost of Cutting Art Programs for Low-Income Kids

Education in the arts can do more than boost a student’s creativity. A new report by the National Endowment for the Arts shows high school students who had “arts-rich experiences” had a higher overall GPA than students who weren’t involved in the arts. The report also found disadvantaged high school students involved in the arts were more likely to enroll in competitive colleges than their peers who weren’t involved, according to the article “Arts Involvement Narrows Student Achievement Gap.“

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Engaging Students: Finding Relevance in Your Lessons

How do you get people interested in a lesson and how do you make the information stick, whether it is in classroom or a board room?

Consider what engages any audience, whether they’re educators, low-income students, or CEOs. As an educator, you need to know your audience and define what they need to know to better themselves academically, personally, or professionally. Chances are if you were to hold a professional development class for second-grade teachers and you chose to present on the lifespan of bumble bees in Venezuela, the teachers would not find your presentation key to advancement in their career. Why? The material doesn’t haveÂ relevance. Students demand the same customization and relevance in their lessons in order for information to make an impact. However, one lesson does not fit all. A topic’s “relevance” is defined differently by different student populations.

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Fight Summer Learning Losses: Preparing for a Summer of Reading, Engagement, and Curiosity

Spring break is coming to an end and that’s a sure sign summer vacation will be here before we know it. When students go on summer vacation it isÂ important for them to be mentally challenged. Why?Â Students who arenâ€™t engaged in learning activitiesÂ donâ€™tÂ Â retain information learned during the school year and often start the following year behind their counterparts who do grow their brains in the summer.
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