In 2011, an unprecedented study found forty-five percent of students made no significant improvement in their critical thinking, reasoning or writing skills during the first two years of college. Many were stunned by the number of college students entering and graduating from college without critical thinking skills, a core 21st century skill necessary for making smart personal and professional decisions.
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What does it look like when students are learning? Are they sitting quietly at their desks, listening to the teacher lecture, and scribbling notes? According to a recent article in the Washington Post, those are three of seven misconceptions people have about how students learn.
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What’s one word that describes your morning routine? Rushed? Stressful? Old? How about creative?
New studies show the repetitive morning routines most of us have are exactly what we shouldn’t be doing if we desire flexible and open-minded thinking, according to the Time article “Why Morning Routines Are Creativity Killers.” One study published in the journal Thinking and Reasoning showed “imaginative insights” will more often turn up in our groggy and unfocused moments. These insights come to us because the mental processes that restrict “distracting or irrelevant thoughts” during the day are at their weakest when we’re tired. Creative thoughts erupt when a tired person tries to problem-solve because they have to “widen their search through their knowledge network,” leading to more possible, and creative, answers.
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More and more school districts are bringing financial literacy into the classroom to teach a new generation how to be financially successful and stable adults. However, many students graduated from high school without an education in finances before the implementation of financial literacy courses and many still aren’t getting it today.
Carol’s Summary:
It has also been found that girls not only have been scoring higher in reading than boys, but that girls also tend to fare better academically overall. The exception is mathematics, which has generated varied results amongst boys and girls. On average, girls also have higher grade-point averages than boys in their grade level, and are likelier to graduate high school and go to college.
Although gender gaps in education have existed for decades, it is now becoming a global problem. In 2006, a study was released with data from fourth grade reading tests in 40 countries; the results showed that girls scored higher than boys in every area where data was collected properly.
Education experts and schools around the nation are now coming up with ideas for “boy friendly†teaching, which would engage boys’ interests in a way so that they would be likelier to succeed, particularly in literacy. There are many kinds of achievement gaps that need to be reduced and eventually closed, from gender to economic background and ethnicity.
There are as many different teaching styles as there are learning styles, and every child is different.  LifeBound books and curriculum provide teachers with different strategies and learning activities that engage different kinds of students. It is important that all students are on a level playing field, so that all children have an equal opportunity to succeed in school and in the real world. To learn more about LifeBound’s books, curriculum and other materials, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.
Article:
Putting the “Boy Crisis†in Context
Finding solutions to boys’ reading problems may require looking beyond gender
By MICHAEL SADOWSKI
“The Boys Have Fallen Behind.†“Girls Lead the Nation in Reading Scores.†“Are Teachers Failing Our Sons?†Earlier this year, newspapers across the country ran these and other headlines in response to a March report by the independent Center on Education Policy (CEP) in Washington, D.C. The report, which outlined results on state accountability tests, raised alarm by noting that the percentage of boys scoring “proficient†or higher in reading was below that of girls at all grade levels tested and in every state for which sufficient data were available.
To read more: Harvard Education Letter
Carol’s Summary:
An estimated one in five middle school students has been affected by cyberbullying. Bullying has always been an issue that teachers and principals have had to handle. However, in middle and high schools lately, the problem has evolved to involve technology. Schools are now finding ways to cope with issues of cyberbullying, in which children are harassed through text messages and social networking websites.
Much of cyberbullying occurs after school and on weekends, when children are not under the guidance and care of the school system.
Cyberbullying can affect a child’s academic success, self-esteem, social skills and emotional growth. While this is a relatively new problem that students, school officials and parents must deal with, it is spreading fast and has proven to be dangerous.
Many school districts are conflicted with whether or not they have the right to inspect students’ cell phones and social networking accounts, unless the issue deals directly with a conflict within the school. There are legal issues involving privacy which makes many school officials either nervous or leery about doing so.
Many administrators are concerned about the possibility of looking through a child’s cell phone and finding compromising photos and text messages that could bring about child pornography cases. There is also the issue of how students should be punished if they are cyberbullying other students.
Cyberbullying is growing into a major conflict in today’s schools, and not only for the students involved. Teachers and parents are finding themselves concerned for the well-being of children, but are not always able to get involved since technology is the medium for these behaviors.
LifeBound’s Making the Most of High School, 2nd Edition and the accompanying curriculum shows students how to use technology in a beneficial and safe manner. To find out more about Making the Most of High School and other LifeBound materials, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com
Article:
Online Bullies Pull Schools Into the Fray
By JAN HOFFMAN
June 27, 2010
The girl’s parents, wild with outrage and fear, showed the principal the text messages: a dozen shocking, sexually explicit threats, sent to their daughter the previous Saturday night from the cellphone of a 12-year-old boy. Both children were sixth graders at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J.
Punish him, insisted the parents.
“I said, ‘This occurred out of school, on a weekend,’ †recalled the principal, Tony Orsini. “We can’t discipline him.â€
Had they contacted the boy’s family, he asked.
To read the full report: www.nytimes.com
CAROL’S SUMMARY:
The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is providing a “teachable moment†for science teachers nationwide. With environmental issues likely to continue throughout the summer, more lessons are expected when schools starts back up in the fall. The spill provides the opportunity to study the delicate balance of nature through hands-on simulations and to role play as government officials and scientists.
Teachers note that their students are extremely interested in how the situation is being handled and many express the desire to help. Leading some teachers to challenge students to devise solutions on how to plug the leak and brainstorm strategies for cleaning up the oil.
Real life examples of topics learned in school are essential to helping students relate content to their own lives and allow students the opportunity to put their classroom knowledge to work. That is why Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers provides cross-disciplinary real-world examples of each step to becoming an effective critical thinker and creative thinker. To request a free review copy or learn more about LifeBound’s materials, visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com.
ARTICLE:
Educators Using Gulf Oil Spill as a “Teachable Moment”
Role Playing, Cocao Powder and Cooking Grease Used To Study Disaster
By AL PRIETO
June 21, 2010
Science teachers nationwide are using the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as a “teachable moment” as the school years ends, with most saying environmental issues will likely continue throughout the summer and spark even more lessons when school starts up again.
Using everything from role playing of government officials and scientists to hands-on models of cocoa and cooking grease (to simulate crude oil), teachers are tackling the disaster with students who are demanding answers and a chance to help find solutions.
“This is science at its best,” said Dianne Haberstroh, a 7th Grade teacher from Orefield, PA. “When they can actually live it and feel like they’re living it.”
In her classroom, she built a long table with water and sand to recreate the water and beaches in the Gulf. Students pumped cooking oil into the water to see how it would react
To view this entire article visit www.abcnews.com
Developing emotional, social and cognitive intelligence is important to understanding and becoming a great leader according to Dr. Richard E. Boyatzis. Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Case Western Reserve University and Professor in Human Resources at EASDE in Barcelona, Dr. Boyatzis sees leadership as the ability to connect emotionally with others and inspire them. He states in a recent podcast that “Adults can improve their emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competencies—those that distinguish outstanding performance in management, leadership and other professions, by as much as 70%!â€
Emotional and social intelligence is at the center of LifeBound’s mission to prepare students for college, career and life success because these skills are not only important in the world of work, but also throughout school. Students need to be able to form strong relationships with others in order to function effectively in teams, participate in study groups and join extracurricular activities. Life success requires not just book smarts, those who struggle academically, do better when challenged emotionally and socially which teaches them how to persist.
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ARTICLE:
The Hay Group posted a 4 part podcast by Dr. Richard E. Boyatzis titled, “Developing emotional, social and cognitive intelligence in graduate, undergraduate and executive students.â€
To listen to all 4 podcasts visit http://www.haygroup.com/ww/Media/Details.aspx?ID=27430.
Indianapolis Public Schools Teacher of the Year, Michael Anderson, 31-year-old math teacher at Howe High School, shares the method behind his success. Now in his third year of teaching, Anderson is a strong advocate of becoming a strong educator through an emotional connection with students and according to the Indy Star article below, “Anderson says his recipe for success in the classroom is simple: Earn students’ respect, create an environment where it’s safe for them to try and even fail, and then make the material relevant to their lives.â€
Anderson makes math come alive with real-life examples relevant to his student’s lives. Recently, he asked students about their cell phone bills while teaching systems of equations. These real-life connections are the basis for LifeBound’s materials and build on making emotional connections with students so that they become interested in the material and invested in mastering the skills. To learn more about LifeBound’s materials visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com.
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ARTICLE:
IPS teacher goes from mutiny to best in class
Indy Star
By Andy Gammill
May 21, 2010
Michael Anderson says his recipe for success in the classroom is simple: Earn students’ respect, create an environment where it’s safe for them to try and even fail, and then make the material relevant to their lives.
It’s a method Indianapolis Public Schools applauded Thursday when it named Anderson, a 31-year-old math teacher at Howe High School, the district’s Teacher of the Year.
To view this entire article visit www.indystar.com
CAROL’S SUMMARY:
According to a new study, “eighty-five percent of poor 4th graders in predominantly low-income schools are failing to reach ‘proficient’ levels in reading on federal tests.†Prompting the Annie E. Casey Foundation to lead a 10-year initiative to improve 3rd grade reading levels.
“EARLY WARNING!: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters,†reports that “It’s crucial that children master grade-level reading by 3rd grade, because that’s when instruction moves from a focus on learning to read to reading to learn.â€
LifeBound’s books, designed for grades 5-12, encourage reading by starting with topics such as self-awareness and building from there. Students are naturally interested in themselves and when students read about something they are interested in they enjoy it and ultimately read better. To learn more about LifeBound’s books visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com.
ARTICLE:
Education Week
May 17, 2010
Analysis Ties 4th Grade Reading Failure to Poverty
By Debra Viadero
Eighty-five percent of poor 4th graders in predominantly low-income schools are failing to reach “proficient†levels in reading on federal tests, according to a new study by a national foundation that is gearing up to lead a 10-year effort to raise 3rd graders’ reading proficiency.
“The evidence is clear that those students who do not read well have a very tough time succeeding in school and graduating from high schools and going on to successful careers and lives,†Ralph R. Smith, the executive vice president of the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation, said in an interview. “The Casey Foundation is putting a stake in the ground on grade-level reading by the end of the 3rd grade.â€
To view this entire article visit www.edweek.org