…you don’t have to be a scientist for science to be transformative… Some years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Brian Greene explain string theory to a group at an NAIS national conference in Boston. His audience comprised a majority of non scientists and he made his work in theoretical physics both fascinating and accessible. Here he is on…
It’s testing season and here’s a timely reminder that traditional testing for ability is not the last word in thinking about what makes for success. This is from a May edition of Education Week Robert J. Sternberg often writes about a lecture-style psychology course he took as a college freshman in which he got a C. “There is a famous…
Part One: The Audacity of High Hopes Part Two: What to do If praising kids for being smart saps motivation what are we to do? Here’s the sidebar to the article and Dweck’s advice on what to do. What do we tell the kids? You have a bright child, and you want her to succeed. You should tell her how…
The maple wood blocks . . . are in my fingers to this day. – Frank Lloyd Wright I have recently rekindled my interest in the work of Friedrich Froebel – the educational pioneer often recognized as the inventor/ creator of the kindergarten. One aspect of this story is the connection between the toys, blocks and shapes that were commonly…
The effort effect on display at Buttercup Farm Nature Reserve, near Poughkeepsie. See below for a photo of the dam. Intelligence is not fixed. It is it is learnable and teachable. It can be changed. The way we approach learning and thinking makes all the difference. It is our ‘mindset” that keeps us back. If we believe, and if we…
Too Busy to Eat, Students Get a New Required Course: Lunch Did you read this article from today’s New York Times? It’s about high school students and their overpacked schedules? What were your reactions? Worth keeping in mind when you get a chance to review the new high school schedule for PDS students. Time is the coin of the realm…
Read Peter Gow’s Education Week article The New Progressivism is Here. Commenting on the 2008 NAIS annual conference held in New York City last winter Gow identifies independent schools as being at the forefront of contemporary thinking about education. The elements he identifies in particular include: Assessment against high standards Professional development Real-world connections Multiculturalism as a process, not a…
The Complex Workings of the Human Brain Medical and cognitive sciences, new technologies, and pedagogic research are helping us appreciate how the brain works. The human brain is the most complex living organism on Earth. Coveney and Highfield (1995) call it the “Cathedral of Complexity.” Although it weighs only about three pounds, it contains billions of cells (neurons). The total length…
We don’t own the words of course, but it was fun to come across these words from the PDS mission statement: Poughkeepsie Day School graduates students who: Possess a rich academic knowledge base and know how to think as creative, flexible, independent, resourceful learners for life Are intellectually curious, active seekers, users and creators of knowledge echoed in the words…
It was standing room only at Radio City for Sir Ken Robinson’s keynote speech at the NAIS annual conference last week. I’ve written before (here) about his TEDTalks address on Creativity and Education that went viral in 2006. His book Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative is a great read. What a treat, then, to hear his latest…
“Social Networking: does it bring positive change to education?” This is one of the questions posed by The Economist magazine. Here is a link if you have a view, or if you want to understand more about the issues, or participate in the debate. Their first debate focused on technology and education, the second on university recruiting, and the third…
“We used to fool ourselves…We used to think our content was perfect just exactly as it was. We expected our business would remain blissfully unaffected even as the world of interactivity, constant connection and file sharing was exploding. And of course we were wrong. How were we wrong? By standing still or moving at a glacial pace, we inadvertently went…
NAIS is working on a PGP (Principles of Good Practice) for Global Citizenship. Here is a draft. They are seeking feedback, questions and responses as they work toward a final version to be added to their other PGPs. Twenty-first century independent schools shape student experiences in ways that encourage global awareness and instill a compassionate, respectful understanding of other peoples…
“It’s the teachers….” I refrain from adding the usual last word to that phrase because it seems unnecessarily rude but, surprise, surprise: Top quality teachers are the key factor in making a difference to quality education and top performing schools worldwide. This is according to this recent and extensive report (pdf) on education systems worldwide and the factors that make…
Ten Trends: educating children for tomorrow’s world An article in the Journal of School Improvement a while back examined ten major trends and looked at the challenges they present for schools. The author, Gary Marx, begins with this ringing statement: The status quo is a ticket to obsolescence. Why? Because the world around us is in motion, changing at dizzying…