If you’ve ever been in an argument with a teen, it might have felt like anything but productive. However, researchers found that if parents turn the argument from heated to healthy they are providing their kids with critical training they need for handling peer pressure, engaging in respectful confrontation, and offering solutions in reassuring ways, according to the NPR story “Why a Teen Who Talks Back May Have a Bright Future.”
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From College to Elementary, Learning Tools in 2012
In yesterday’s blog, I shared the three learning trends for 2012 from the Mind/Shift article “Three Trends That Define the Future of Teaching and Learning.” Experts predict 2011 paved the way for learning to continue to be collaborative, tech-powered, and blended. Another recent article, “The Year in Education: Seven Innovations Changing the Way the World Learns,” highlights the learning tools and advancements we saw in 2011 that are predicted to influence education in 2012, and beyond. The following are a few we will be watching in the next year:
Education in 2012: The Three Trends
Educators, parents, and the business world have watched as technology, the economy, and new policies change how, where, and what students learn. Even in the last year, we’ve seen many changes to the evolving classroom. Education Week recently looked back over the last year and compiled The 10 Most Memorable Stories of 2011: Ed Tech, which included stories on cyberbullying, flip model classes, and the use of e-readers in classrooms and home.
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Willpower in the New Year
For many, the turning of a new year is symbolic of new beginnings. A time when we can assess what we have and haven’t accomplished and set new intentions on a fresh calendar. For those who are setting resolutions, they may find that setting a resolution is easier said than done. These resolutions, or long-term goals, can fail for a number of reasons: the goal wasn’t in manageable pieces, it was the wrong goal, there were unforeseen obstacles, or the effort wasn’t there.
Healthy Habits for the Whole Year
33.9% of adults in America are obese and 34.4% of adults are overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Knowing these stats, it might not be a surprise to learn getting healthy will be the number one New Year’s resolution for Americans. Yesterday, I wrote a blog on the benefits walking can have on your health if you do it for just 30 minutes every day. Today, I’m going to focus on some healthy habits you can adopt in the new year, and keep going for the rest of your healthy life.
Not Enough Counselor Time Spent on Students’ College and Career Prep
Is your high school using your counselors to their full potential? Do they work as support for underperforming students? Do they have the time to discuss career and college paths with successful students?
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Sharp Increase in Number of Youth Arrested
Over the last 44 years, the percentage of youth arrested between the age of 8-23 has taken a sharp increase. Today, nearly one in three people will be arrested by the time they are 23, according to a study recently published in Pediatrics.
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Study Shows Technology Is Creating a Fundamentally New Learner
Most people don’t need a study to tell them that students today have different academic and personal lives than students did even 10 years ago due to advances in technology. If you were to interview or even observe students, you would see that they are involved in creating, discovering, and connecting digital information on their own time as well as at school. However, a new study by the Pew Research Center goes beyond showing the obvious, and discusses the implications of the changing way students receive and create information.
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How and When to Get Students Interested in STEM Subjects
When did you know what career you wanted to pursue? Was it in college? High school? Middle school? Earlier?
Studies show that students need to be introduced to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects at an early age in order to pursue STEM careers later in life, according to the MindShift article “Should Computer Science Be Required in K-12?” In the Microsoft survey Audrey Watters quotes in this article, data showed
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Accommodations for Students with Mental Disorders May Hurt Future Career
Schools are seeing a rise in the number of students registering with their disability offices due to psychological problems, according to the Wall Street Journal article “A Serious Illness or an Excuse?” It’s still not understood what the reasoning is behind the rising numbers, but there are a few theories. The rise may be in part to the fact that there is more access to and more effective medication for students to manage psychological disorders allowing more students to attend school. Another reason could be that some schools are successfully reducing the stigma attached to mental illnesses and therefore bringing more students forward to get help.
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