tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28282214590864264532024-02-28T15:43:27.510-08:00ScienceMasterFeed Your BrainEugene J. Mascolihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03796614235444196610noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-90251259375193812672018-11-04T22:57:00.000-08:002018-11-04T22:57:15.594-08:00Color and the Classroom
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%;">C</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #538135; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">l</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #bf8f00; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">o</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: red; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%;">r</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 107%;"> and
the Classroom<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Anyone with only a modest degree of experience working with
children has recognized that their moods can be impacted by numerous color-related
factors ranging from the amount of light in the classroom to the myriad colors
surrounding the classroom. The color of the chairs, desks, tables, bulletin
boards, floors, furniture, and walls can impact student learning and student
behavior. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Since the publication of Faber Birren’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Color Psychology and Color Therapy</i>,
there has been a growing interest on the part of educators and administrators to
better understand how colors can influence the overall climate in the classroom
and the role that emotions/mood play in concentration, appetite, relaxation,
alertness, and student engagement and thereby, learning. Every educator
acknowledges the value we place on memory, but learning precedes memory
formation, and emotions often determine when, if, and for how long a memory
last. Certain colors stimulate creativity, while others promote collaboration
with colleagues (PBL-oriented learning environments), and still other colors
keep students “bouncing off the walls.” There are also colors that activate the
body-brains alarm systems, which shut down learning and memory.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Not only are there centuries-old and widely-accepted
therapeutic benefits of specific colors, that knowledge can be put to good use
and classroom planning. While there is no direct one-to-one correspondence
between color and student learning/memory, we do know that specific colors can
have a significant impact on the emotions and moods that influence learning.
Although some colors (example: black) are excellent for keeping a classroom clean
and cleaning up daily, they are not ideal colors for stimulating student
participation in conversations that advance learning. The best
ergonomically-designed furniture will not counterbalance the impact of the
colors that negatively affect learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Before the bell rings for dismissal, teachers frequently
admonish kids, “…And don’t touch the walls in the hallway!” Research from
cognitive science tells us that stimulating the hands and fingertips is how we
stimulate the young brain. Most adults will notice that children walking past a
picket fence on the way to or from school will want to touch every single picket
as the child passes by. The first 3 feet of school hallways should be composed
of paneling, burlap, or any material with indentations, varied surfaces,
crevices and protrusions that activate the high density of specialized receptors
in the fingers, which “turn on the brain” readying young children for learning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Colors
in the classroom<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Aqua
blue and light green – are calming colors (conducive to relaxation, comfort,
and a sense of well-being and healing). Light blue is a tranquilizing color
(decreasing nervousness and irritability), and regularly persuades our
body-brain into thinking that the room temperature may be cooler than it
actually is. The body-brain message sent by these colors is “calm down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Bright
yellow – promotes excitement, optimism and liveliness in children, which can be
an asset to creativity (“sunshine and energy”), but can be over-stimulating to some
learners. The body-brain message sent by this color is “be alert.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Red
and red/orange – stimulates the alarm systems in the brain and can promote
anxiety learners. They can be disturbing to anxious individuals, as well as students
with ADD and ADHD. The message sent by these blood-like colors is “you had
better pay attention!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Off-white
- promotes and helps to maintain one’s attention, because it is not
distracting, although it does little to stimulate thinking either. The
body-brain message sent by this color is “only look around occasionally at your
surroundings.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Neutral
colors like beige - also a common effect on children, but can lead to lethargy.
(Thus, these colors are also referred to as “institution beige,” because of
their use in hospitals, correctional institutions, and many schools). The
larger challenge is that one will often “calm down” to the point of drowsiness
or slumber. Neutral wall colors can be matched with colored furniture as the stimulant.
The body-brain message sent by beige and related bland colors is “relax.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Dark</i> brown promotes a sense of security
and relaxation, but can promote feelings of fatigue, particularly during
winters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Gray -
elicits depression, sadness, and edginess in students. Gray to the human
body-brain suggests clouds overhead and the absence of sunshine, promoting
negative moods that are not conducive to long-term learning. In geographical regions
where there is little sunshine for long periods of time, inhabitants regularly
experience “Seasonal Affective Disorder” (SAD), because each time they look up,
everything is still gray with dark clouds. The body-brain message sent by gray
and related melancholy colors is “not much reason to be happy or excited here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The
free play centers and common gathering areas should have bold vibrant colors
(red and/or canary yellow tables that are stimulating and exciting. These
colors generate immediate smiles from children.) The body-brain message sent by
vibrant colors is “have fun!” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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reading center should have blue chairs, beige rugs and only slightly decorative
walls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Using large wide rolls of colored paper (including wrapping
paper) to cover student tables on which specific learning tasks are planned,
can promote specifically sought-after behaviors. For artwork or creative STEM
projects, bright colored and/or patterned paper is an appropriate stimulant.
For student discussions cover the table with calming greens or aqua blue paper
promotes the desired behaviors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">School furniture, classroom decorations, and displays of
artwork (streams of crêpe paper) that complement the learning goals of the
environments can enhance student responses that move them <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">towards</i> the intended learning goals rather than away. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Picture a long vinyl couch manufactured in each of these
colors inside your “mind’s eye.” Then, ask yourself, “How would I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feel</i> as I walked towards that couch, and
what would I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> on that particular couch?”
As you think of your own response, you will quickly detect the impact of that
specific color on your own mood(s). In planning colors for your classroom and
students, whether you are investigating furniture or wall colors, deploy the
“couch color test” as a practical barometer for the most probable affect that a
particular color will have on the moods of the students in your classroom.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-24879727984010872502018-07-04T18:35:00.000-07:002018-07-04T18:35:35.763-07:00The Brain, the Enlightenment, and Coffeehouses<br />
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 107%;">Over the centuries, there
was never a shortage of admonitions based on the negative effects of alcohol and
frequent drunkenness. While the mountain of related warnings continued to increase,
there was a distinct period in Western Civilization during which all caution went
largely unheeded. Today, we recognize the
long- and short-term effects of alcohol on the human brain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 107%;">Neurons are the brain
cells that are largely responsible for communicating with one another to produce behavior and cognition. However, alcohol
can block the communication signals between neurons, prompting the conspicuous signs of
intoxication including slower reflexes, poor recall, slurred speech, moderated
judgment and decreased problem-solving capabilities. Cognitive impairment is
a long-term consequence of heavy drinking, with his own visible signs including
difficulties in paying attention, verbal fluency, working memory and controlling
impulses. Excessive alcohol consumption eventually leads to a decreased brain cell count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 107%;">During the Middle Ages, due
to the poor sanitary practices of the times (primarily associated with human
waste disposal), water was rarely potable in
England and therefore, unsafe for human consumption. The most common substitutes for water were ales, beers, and wine, which were indulged in both day and night, resulting in a slightly intoxicated public most waking hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt; line-height: 107%;">Coffee, which originated
in Ethiopia in the 10<sup>th</sup> century, ushered in a new era in England and Europe. When water is heated above the boiling point to produce a
coffee, bacteria and parasites that cause most illnesses are eliminated. Not only could large numbers of people remain sober, as
a bonus to their newfound sobriety, the caffeine in coffee was a stimulant. Suddenly, coffeehouses spread throughout England in the early 1600s,
and this addictive brain stimulant helped to </span><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">usher in the European period
known best for a "rationalist and scientific approach to the understanding of human society, the law, religion, and individualism" or the period of Enlightenment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Coffeehouses became the central hub for
exchanging ideas, conducting business, spreading the latest news and gossip, and meeting up with other like-minded thinkers. Coffeehouses were places where one could discuss and debate with his ideological, theological, and
political opponents, as well as friends. For a mere penny entry fee, the door to nearly any coffeehouse would open as if by magic giving one access to uniquely stimulating
conversations fostered by the stimulant caffeine. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Most importantly, 17<sup>th</sup>
and 18<sup>th</sup> century coffeehouses became the primary location where one could learn from
colleagues, "authorities," friends, and complete strangers who gathered in the coffeehouses
to introduce, explain, critique, compare, and exchange innovative and
scientific ideas. <span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">The Enlightenment also saw individuals challenge the traditional religious-based pseudo-scientific notions that opened the window to transformative scientific examinations of commonly held ideas that were intensely advocated by the church. </span>Thus, these establishments became known as “penny
universities,” and emerged as the most appropriate and most common venue to
conduct business, becoming an integral component in British commerce.<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Coffeehouses became the most dynamic social, intellectual, and
commercial hubs where professionals, merchants and farmers could confer with colleagues and complete strangers in specified businesses and in support of specific professions. Coffeehouses
near the Westminster became the places for politicians to meet. Coffeehouses in
the proximity of the Royal Exchange catered to the merchant and business communities, while
theologians and clergymen gravitated to the coffeehouses nearest the major churches. Sotheby’s
and Christie’s auctioneers were spinoffs of the coffeehouses near the auctioneers. “Jonathan’s coffeehouse”
was the principal hangout for London’s stockbrokers and was the location from which the London
Stock Exchange emerged. The establishment known as "Lloyd’s Coffeehouse," was the main scene for insurance transactions. It evolved into the Lloyd’s of London insurance company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Recognizing the high neurological price one pays when small or moderate doses of alcohol
impact the central nervous system (processing, learning, remembering, rational
thinking, etc.), what might the long-term toll
be on the CNS brought on by a lifetime of nearly nonstop alcohol
consumption? Diminished cognitive performance would be the first expected
outcome. </span><br />
<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #002060; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">During the Enlightenment, the needle for all cultural, religious, political, and scientific
conversations moved dramatically after the introduction of
sustained sobriety brought about by the introduction of coffee. The
coffeehouses and their "secret ingredient" caffeine were instrumental in
developing and expanding complex circuitry in sober brains during the
Enlightenment, rather than damaging brain cells and the vital dendritic
connections that formed the basis of transformational and creative thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-91707695219135291402018-03-18T13:00:00.001-07:002018-03-18T13:04:05.596-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part VII: Key Science Organizations and Conclusion<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Key Science Organizations<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1857
– The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Education Association</b>
is founded in Philadelphia by forty-three educators with a total membership of
100 educators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1900
– The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">American Association of
Universities</b> is founded for the purpose of overseeing the competitive
nature of American universities compared to their European counterparts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1916
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">American Educational Research
Association </b>(AERA) is founded, and; the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">American Federation of Teachers </b>(AFT)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>is founded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1920
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Council of the Teachers
of Mathematics </b>is founded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1944
- The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> National Science Teachers
Association </b>is founded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Among the historical
events directly and tangentially shaping the nature of contemporary science
instruction are the transformative demographic changes that modified the target
population of students we serve. When over 3 million immigrants entered the
country in the mid-19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century, educational policy was created to successfully
absorb them into the American fabric. A similarly monumental challenge faces us
today in successfully preparing millions of students of color, who constitute
the new “majority minority” (an oxymoron although accepted in educational
circles) and science and STEM education. Effectively educating students who are
different than the type of students for whom our colleges of education were
initially designed, becomes a primary concern of mathematics, science, and STEM
education. This consideration has important implications in the implementation
of the NGSS<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>over the next five
years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Addressing this goal
translates into a carefully planned professional development undertaking
concentrating not only on how to teach the Next Generation Science Standards,
but also on how the human brain best encodes, processes, stores, retrieves, and
applies the new 3-D content, practices, and protocols for assessment. In
cognitive science, we recognize that all brains are basically gray and it is
exclusively the gray matter that truly matters in the areas of learning and
memory. However, are there teaching and learning strategies expressed or
implicit in the NGSS that should be underscored in professional development for
classroom practitioners teaching the “new majority” in our schools? When the
new assessment items on the NGSS assessment tools are written and field-tested,
how will the needs of these students be reflected? Hopefully, history is not
poised to repeat itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The relationship between
economic prosperity and the successful delivery of science and STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics) education has become increasingly
apparent to economists, policymakers, and educators. Stephen Priutt, who played
a lead role in crafting the NGSS said, “The need for a quality science
education for all students has never been more critical than it is in the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>
century.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the fundamental
principles of science have not changed, how we will teach those principles in
the future has changed. The degree of student engagement in long-term science
investigations, where students take a “deep dive” into the content with new
performance expectations (combining content with claims, evidence, and
reasoning) and enhanced learning outcomes in mind, indeed will differ
dramatically from how students learned science in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In 1865, British
mathematician Charles Dodgson, wrote the children’s tale, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, </i>under the pseudonym “Lewis
Carroll.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Well<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>into the story, Alice<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>asks
the Cheshire Cat, “Which way ought I go from here?” The Cheshire Cat responds,
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” When Alice says that
she really doesn’t care where she gets to, the Cheshire Cat informs her that,
“If you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there.”
Equally important, not knowing where we hope to be in science education would
lead us anywhere, including places we have already gone, as well as places at
which we do not wish to be. The path formed by scientific discoveries, public
policy, and educational psychology over this vast time period have taken us to
where we currently are in science education. Fortuitously, with the Next
Generation Science Standards we know where we are headed, we know how we will
get there, and we have established the benchmarks tell us that we have indeed
arrived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-87847987877180486442018-03-18T12:56:00.000-07:002018-03-18T13:03:30.687-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part VI: Tools and Technologies for Learning<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Tools and Technologies for
Learning<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">1609 – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Galileo</b>
observes the moon with a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">telescope,</b>
moving <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">astronomy</b> out of the realm of
religion and into the world of science. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1638</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">
– The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">first printing press </b>in the
American Colonies is installed at Harvard College</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> permitting the
production of academic literature and textbooks.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1654
- The first <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">slide rule </b>with the
familiar <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">inner sliding rule </b>is
invented by instrument-maker <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Robert
Bissaker</b>. Until handheld calculators are invented 300 years later, slide
rules remain the most commonly used calculation tool in engineering and the
sciences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1801
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">blackboard</b> is invented by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">James Pillans</b>, allowing teachers to
share information with an entire class simultaneously. It becomes the most
widely used educational tool worldwide for the next two centuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="tgc"><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1868
- The “modern” <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">typewriter</b> is
invented</span><span class="tgc"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sholes</b>, Frank Hall, Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule. </span></span><span class="tgc"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1902
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pencils and paper </b>are <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">mass-produced </b>for the first time making
them affordable and readily available to nearly all American students,
teachers, and schools. In tandem, the two products quickly replace <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">slates</b> as the most dominant means of
learning and practicing the 3R’s in classrooms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1939
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Televisions</b> are introduced into
the classroom as an instructional learning tool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1959
The Xerox Corporation introduces the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Xerox
copier </b>rendering the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ditto machine</b>
obsolete; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">personal</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">computers</b> (PCs) are used for the first
time <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">in public schools</b> (New York).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1962
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Roger Appledorn</b>, an engineer with
the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">3M Corporation</b>, advances the
technology that makes <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">overhead projector</b>
one of the most widely used tools in the history of classrooms and boardrooms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1964
-<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> IBM</b> releases the first<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Magnetic Tape/Selectric Typewriter</b>
(MT/ST).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1972
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Texas Instruments </b>produces the
first line of electronic handheld calculators. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">1973 – The first handheld cell phone (mobile telephone)
is invented by Martin Cooper.</span></strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1977
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apple Computer Company</b> headed
by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steve Wozniak </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steven Jobs</b> introduces the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apple II</b> personal computer, which is
enthusiastically adopted by American schools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1981
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">IBM</b> introduces the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">PC</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MS-DOS</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1990
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Internet</b> becomes accessible to
the public; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Whiteboards </b>are
introduced to American schools replacing blackboards; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Multimedia</b> features were developed into PCs making possible
high-capacity simulations, videos, games, sound and animation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1991
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Smart Board (</b>an interactive
Whiteboard) is released by SMART Technologies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1994
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Netscape </b>Communications
(previously Mosaic Communications) releases <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mozilla 1.0</b>, the first commercial <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">web browser</b>. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1998
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Google</b> begins operation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2002
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">99%</b> of American schools have <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Internet access</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2007
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kindle </b>electronic readers (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">e-books</b>) are commercially sold for the
first time by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Amazon.com</b>
revolutionizing how people read books and store books in their libraries; the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apple</b> Company introduces the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">iPhone</b>, the first touchscreen cell phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2010
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apple Company </b>releases the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">iPad</b>,<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>a “slate computer” and schools begin substituting multiple
textbooks with single iPads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2013
- Approximately <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">36% of humanity </b>worldwide<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>has <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Internet</b> access<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2015
– The beginning of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Innovation Age</b>
as more than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">50%</b> of humanity has
access not only to the Internet, but to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the
Cloud.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-21850793086473027222018-03-18T12:40:00.000-07:002018-03-18T13:03:19.211-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part V: Research and Practices<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Research and practices<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1500
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Leonardo da Vinci</b> declares that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">experimentation and observation </b>are
essential to all human learning, particularly the sciences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1637 - <b>René Descartes</b> presents “<b>The
Scientific Method</b>,” which influences science teaching and learning for the
next 350 years.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1690<b> – </b>The <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Essay Concerning Human Understanding</i> </b>is published by John
Locke, an advocate of the tabula rasa theory (“clean slate” or “blank slate”)
of the human mind. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">1779 – A future US President, </span></strong><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Thomas Jefferson, </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">proposes a
two-track educational system with one track intended for students destined to
become laborers and another track for the more promising "learned"
individuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1892
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Committee of Ten, </b>a working
group of leading educators convenes at the behest of the National Education
Association, and publishes its trailblazing report offering the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">first standard curriculum</b> for US
schools. It recommended that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">science</b>
(with labs) should <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">constitute 25% of the
curriculum</b>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1899
– The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">first US Science Curriculum </b>is
published calling for two lessons per week in K-8 schools on Nature Study (an
interdisciplinary investigation of plants, animals, and ecology). It recommends
four lessons per week on physical geography, biology, physics, and chemistry
for secondary schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1916
- John Dewey’s<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education</i>
</b>is published, arguing that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">student
centered, hands-on curriculum</b> constitutes the most effective approach to
student learning, and that schools are the best agents of democracy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1956
- (Benjamin) <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloom’s Taxonomy</i> of Educational Objectives </b>is published
dividing the cognitive domain into six levels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1958
- Paul DeHart Hurd coins the term “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">scientific
literacy</b>” in his article <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Science Literacy: It’s Meaning for American
Schools,</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>defining scientific
literacy as a conceptual understanding of science and its application to
societal experiences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1960
- “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New Math</b>” is introduced to
American schools. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lev Vygotsky’s </b>1934
book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thought
and Language</i> </b>introduces the concept of “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Zones of Proximal Development</b>.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1966
– <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jerome Bruner</b> offers an
alternative to behaviorism in his book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Toward a Theory of Instruction</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, </i>which introduces his <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Constructivist Learning Theory</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1964
- the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">NSF </b>sponsors 20 innovative <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">hands-on, interactive curriculum projects</b>
marking the first time that science curriculum was influenced from a national
level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1970
– <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jean Piaget’s </b>book, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Science
of Education </i></b>is published in which his <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Learning Cycle</b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Model</b>
stresses the value of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">discovery-based
teaching </b>approaches, particularly in the sciences. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1975
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why
Johnny Can’t Write </i></b>is published in the December 8 issue of Newsweek
magazine bringing literacy to the political forefront, and contributes to the “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Basics” Movement </b>reversing 20
years of progressive education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1982
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Howard Gardner </b>introduces the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Multiple Intelligences Learning Theory </b>in
his book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Art, Mind and Brain</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1983
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform </i></b>is released by the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Commission on Excellence in
Education</b> calling for reforms in public education and teacher training,
stating that “the educational foundations of our society are being eroded by a
rising tide of mediocrity.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1993
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Benchmarks
for Science Literacy </i></b>is<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b>released providing coherent
end-of-year learning goals for students in grades 2, 5, 8, and 12 in the areas
of science, mathematics, and technology. The Benchmarks shape future state and
national science standards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2007
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">American Competitiveness
Initiative </b>is signed into law adding $136 billion over a 10-year period for
research, development and education in the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">STEM</b>
fields.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2009
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Common Core State Standards</i> </b>for Mathematics and English
Language Arts is launched.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2013
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Next Generation Science Standards </b>establish
new science standards and curriculum recommendations for standard-specific
performance expectations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2017
- Implementation of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Next Generation
Science Standards</b> begins nationwide.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-27221408437022724142018-03-18T12:37:00.000-07:002018-03-18T13:03:01.412-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part IV: Law and Policy <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Law and Policy <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1791-
The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> US Bill of Rights</b> passes and
makes formal education a function of the states rather than a responsibility of
the federal government.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1833
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Factory Act</b> is passed <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">prohibiting the employment of children </b>until
they are at least 9 years of age.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><strong><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></strong><!--[endif]--><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">1865-1877: With the end of race-based
legalized slavery in the US, African-Americans establish a network of black
public schools throughout the South.</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1867
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">U.S. Department of Education</b>
is established to coordinate the policies and practices used in public school
systems throughout the states.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1925
- In the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tennessee vs. John Scopes </b>trial
(the “Monkey Trial”), Scopes is convicted of the then-scandalous crime of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">teaching evolution</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1950
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Science Foundation </b>is
founded for the purpose of upgrading the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">teaching
of science</b>, and addressing the national manpower shortages of talented
scientists and engineers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1954
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Brown v. Board of Education </b>(of
Topeka, Kansas) ends the pretentious policy of “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">separate but equal</b>” public in education based on race. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1958
- Triggered by Sputnik, Congress passes <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the
National Defense Education Act</b> (NDEA) allocating $887 million to boost <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">research and education </b>in science and
mathematics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1965
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Elementary and Secondary Education
Act </b>(“Title I”) is signed into law by Pres. Johnson providing funds for
poor children attending America’s public schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1968
- The<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> Bilingual Education Act </b>is
passed by the US Congress providing federal funding to local school districts
for teaching students with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">limited
English </b>backgrounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1970
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Environmental Education
Act</b> creates the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Office of
Environmental Education </b>(although it is eliminated by Congress in 1981.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1996
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">National Research Council</b>
publishes the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">National Science Education Standards</i> </b>(NSES) setting new goals
for producing a scientifically literate populace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2001
- Pres. George W Bush signs the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No Child
Left behind Act</b> (NCLB) into law, which holds schools accountable for
student test scores (“standards-based reform”) in the areas of reading and
mathematics (but no mention of science education). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2005
- Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District reignites the evolution debate
presenting “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Intelligent Design</b>” as
an instructional alternative to evolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">2010
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Race to The Top</i></b> was approved as a new educational reform
initiative in which states would compete for federal grants (in the midst of an
economic recession). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-6368193595451345742018-03-18T12:35:00.000-07:002018-03-19T10:36:42.282-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part III: Advances and Inventions in Science<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Advances and Inventions in
Science<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">1687 – Isaac <b>Newton</b> formulates his three <b>laws
of motion</b>.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1800
– The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">electric battery </b>is created by
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Count Alessandro Volta. <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1859
– <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Charles Darwin’s </b>revolutionary
treatise on evolution, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Origin of Species,</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>is published.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1869
– <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dmitri Mendeleev</b> unveils the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Periodic Table</b>.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1879
- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thomas Edison</b> invents the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">incandescent lamp </b>(the “light bulb”),
one of his 1,093 inventions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><strong><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">1905 - Albert Einstein explains the relationship between
speed, time and distance in his Theory of Relativity.</span></strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1953
- James <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Watson</b> and Francis <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Crick</b> describe the double-helix
structure of DNA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1957
- The Soviet Union launches <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sputnik I</b>,
the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth, beginning the “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">space race.</b>” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1960
- Stephen <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hawking</b> publishes the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Grand Unified Theory, </b>which explains
the origin of the Universe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1969
- The United States “wins” the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">space
race </b>when <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Apollo 11 </b>lands on the
moon, and Commander <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Neil Armstrong </b>steps
off the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lunar Module</b>’s ladder and
onto the surface of the moon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1990
- The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hubble Space Telescope </b>is
launched into orbit from the space shuttle <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Discovery</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">1995
- Although originally developed in 1960 by the U.S. Navy, the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GPS</b> (Global Positioning System) becomes
fully operational for general and commercial use.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">2018 - <strong>Stephen Hawking </strong>dies at age 76. At the age of 22, Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of a motor neuron disease and was given only a couple of years to live. </span> </span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-88633261997774589252018-03-18T12:32:00.002-07:002018-03-18T13:01:46.872-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part II: <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Unlike the biblical
account of Moses returning to the Israelites’ campsite after receiving the 10
Commandments from the Almighty, the Next Generation Science Standards have them
delivered with a well-known, deep, rich and unpredictable historical
background. Arriving at our latest iteration of science standards in 2013
entailed a journey that began centuries ago. Over the past 500 years, inventions,
great minds, scientific and engineering tools, educational policies and practices,
research on human learning, the founding of scientific organizations, science
curriculum development, educational psychology, Congressional acts, laws, court
rulings, novel educational initiatives, standards-based movements, cognitive
science, revised science standards, demographic changes, technology, and
periodic trips “back to the basics” under the guise of educational reform have
all played explicit or implicit role in shaping today’s Next Generation Science
Standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">What are some of the key
milestones in the history of science education? How did we get to where are
today with the NGSS? Those questions cannot be satisfactorily answered without
stepping back in time and taking a journey on a conceptual and historical “time
machine,” where we can become a vicarious eyewitness to science education
history and the hundreds of pieces comprising the intricate jigsaw puzzle that
is defining how students will learn science during the next decade. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We are often cautioned
against “getting too deep in the weeds,” but the “weeds” documented herein are
comparable to the living and non-living parts of a vastly complex ecosystem, where
each of the interacting components (the producers and the consumers) could not
exist without the others that make up the whole. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The precursor to the NGSS
of 2013 was not the 1996 National Science Education Standards nor the AAAS <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Benchmarks for Science Literacy</i>
published in 1993. Instead, centuries of myriad events ranging from the
development of science curricula to more tangential affairs -- compulsory
education, the space race, Apple Computer’s iPad -- all unfolded over a massive
expanse of time. With the occurrence of each historical event, the destiny and
direction of science education took a new turn, bringing us to where we are in
the year 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-44021788469146458982018-03-18T12:29:00.000-07:002018-03-18T13:01:31.793-07:00Next Generation Science Standards in a Historical Context - Part I:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Beginning immediately, educators
and administrators throughout the country will undertake one of the most
challenging reform efforts in the history of science education in America. The
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are built around Three-Dimensional (“3-D”)
Learning and incorporate major conceptual shifts in how science instruction
will be delivered. The 3-D learning strategy includes Disciplinary Core Ideas
(DCIs: what students should <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i>),
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs: what students should be able to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> with what they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i>), and the Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs: how we transcend traditional
disciplinary boundaries to make cognitive connections as we learn <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> to think like a scientist and an engineer).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Science standards are
nothing new. Since the 1890s, an infinite number of them have been crafted and
refined specifically for American students. However, the conceptual shifts
proposed by the NGSS call for the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">learning
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">practices</i> of science and
engineering (one of the most important departures from past standards) through
rich content experiences rather than merely identifying appropriate science
content, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">performance
expectations (not multiple choice answers) that will inform the basis of curriculum,
instruction, and assessment,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">investigating
science phenomena collaboratively, not reading content in solitude and
memorizing science factoids,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">a
deeper understanding of key science ideas, rather than shallow exposure to
simple easy-to-assess science topics, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">a
strategic alignment with the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English/Language
Arts (E/LA), since digesting informational texts in the fields of science
requires a working knowledge of how to deploy the critical language skills
traditionally taught in E/LA (reading, writing, listening, speaking, note-booking,
asking questions, engaging in discourse, dialogue, and presenting arguments
with evidence) in realistic science contexts. The CCSS Mathematics standards
are also aligned to the NGSS, recognizing that “number sense,” computational
thinking, and understanding how to collect, calculate, analyze, and interpret data
are among the most critical skills applied in research and scientific
investigations, and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">an
integration of science and engineering,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The mantras for the new
standards (both the NGSS and the CCSS) are “Synergies not silos” and “Where are
the connections?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span>Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-59897403971372377672017-11-21T14:27:00.001-08:002017-11-21T14:43:36.314-08:00Using Science Activities for Developing Academic Language (part 2)<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most children have had countless first-hand experiences with objects, toys, and the outdoors by the time they arrive at school for their first day of Kindergarten. The greatest number of high utility words can be mastered through these events. However, the <em>quantity</em> of pre-Kindergarten first-hand experiences has decreased significantly in the last decade with the advent of handheld technology. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More children today have a greater involvement with "in silico" experiences (not of the real world). Classroom practitioners have noticed a sharp decline in linguistic ability as a result of children spending more time playing with technology toys rather than having the normal "serve-and-receive" language exchanges with caregivers and older more language-capable children. </span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span></o:p><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Research tells us that of the most common language interactions used, 400<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>to 600 high frequency words are used most often out<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>of the nearly 90,000 most widely-used English words (actual figure = 86,741):</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Children's books contain 627 of the high utility words</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Primetime children's TV shows use 543 of the high utility words</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Conversations among non-college graduates typically deploy only 496 of the high utility words </span></span></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. However, science reading use <u>4389</u> of the high utility words rendering science the richest source for developing academic vocabulary (and it simultaneously teaches students how to think scientifically).</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is through discourse during active experiences with others that children learn syntax and vocabulary usage. When they are engaged in science activities and investigation, children have a opportunity to practice and further develop their proficiency in syntax and vocabulary. The chart below summarizes how such experiences can enhance language competency.</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; height: 718px; mso-padding-alt: 0in 0in 0in 0in; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 0px;"><tbody>
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</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Vocabulary</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></td><td style="background: rgb(79, 129, 189); border-color: white white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1pt 1pt 3pt 0px; height: 176.25pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white 1.0pt; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt 0in; width: 582pt;" valign="top" width="776"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Content-specific terms (atom, germ, osmosis,
photosynthesis)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Polysemous words (multiple meanings)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Morphology (prefixes, suffixes, root words and other
parts of words)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">General academic terms (analysis, argument,
connotation, resolution, aspect, etc.)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Everyday vocab., specialized vocab (life cycle,
metamorphosis, pupa, chrysalis,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>larva), and
technical academic words and expressions</span></b></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Understand and use abstract words/concepts (chaos,
energy, fragile, principle)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Functional language (making requests; giving advice,
etc. - “If I were you, I would…)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Figurative speech ("So hungry I could eat a bear.")</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 72.1pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><td style="background: rgb(79, 129, 189); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; height: 72.1pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid white 3.0pt; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt 0in; width: 102pt;" valign="top" width="136"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Syntax</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></td><td style="background: rgb(208, 216, 232); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; height: 72.1pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid white 3.0pt; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt 0in; width: 582pt;" valign="top" width="776"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sentence structure (simple, compound, complex) and
length</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Transitions/connectives (e.g., however, because,
therefore,)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Complex verb tenses (imperative verbs: preheat,
combine, mix, etc.)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Passive voice (“Magnetism is one of the four major
forces in our universe.”)</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></td></tr>
<tr style="height: 163.9pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="background: rgb(79, 129, 189); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt; height: 163.9pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid white 1.0pt; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt 0in; width: 102pt;" valign="top" width="136"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Discourse</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></td><td style="background: rgb(233, 237, 244); border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0) white white rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1pt 1pt 0px; height: 163.9pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid white 1.0pt; padding: 0.75pt 5.4pt 0in; width: 582pt;" valign="top" width="776"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Posing arguments using claims and evidence</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Drawing conclusions</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">High amount and density of speech/written text</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Using discipline-specific language</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Understanding that voice, perspective and audience can
change</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Clarity and cohesion of ideas across longer
sentences/paragraphs</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Transitions of thoughts</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Variety of sentence types</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman";">
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No offense intended towards English majors, but the purpose of developing competencies in language is to understand how to use them in disciplines/contexts like science and social science. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-72012854143145504622017-11-21T13:32:00.000-08:002017-11-21T14:38:48.223-08:00Developing Academic Language (part 1)<div style="-ms-word-break: normal; direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 6pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<div style="-ms-word-break: normal; direction: ltr; language: en-US; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-top: 6pt; mso-line-break-override: none; punctuation-wrap: hanging; text-align: left; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Many students struggle in
school due so much to the difficulty in understanding complex
concepts, but instead due to the unfamiliar and specialized language used
when presenting the concept. As most parents and educators realize,
everyday language skills do not translate into successful academic experiences.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Research from Jim Cummins is
among the most comprehensible on this topic. Cummins divided language into to
easily digestible categories. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The first is
"Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills" (BICS), and the second
is "Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency" or CALP.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: small;">•</span></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: small;"> BICS
(also referred to as "communicative competence") is highly
contextualized with lower cognitive demands to understand, and includes the
listening and speaking skills that students tend to acquire quickly as
they learn a language or as they learn a <em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">new</span></em> language (within the first few years). The
young learners master the language in order to communicate with
others as they engage daily in ordinary social interactions,
such as asking someone for his/her name, asking for directions,
requesting food from a menu. BICS are often beneficiaries of non-verbal cues,
gestures, facial expressions, and objects that can immediately be referred to
(including pointing to them).</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">•</span></span><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: small;">Cognitive
Academic Language Proficiency (CALP): describes the academic language and the cognitively
demanding language skills necessary for success in a formal classroom
setting. CALP typically requires 5-7 years to develop, but longer for
students with <em><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">less native
language</span></em> proficiency. CALP is far less contextualized. Lectures,
classroom conversations, teacher-student discussions, research projects
and complex language skills such as summarizing, analyzing,
extracting and interpreting meaning; evaluating evidence; composing;
and editing are heavily dependent on a student's mastery of
CALP, where one's language proficiency does the heavy lifting (listening
or reading) without the assistance of environmental clues or cues.</span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-37415281108526713182016-11-28T13:17:00.001-08:002016-11-28T13:17:35.426-08:00The“Survival of the Fittest”? No: It Was the Survival of the Fastest Adapting Brains<br />
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: large;">Evolutionary
biologists have estimated that 99.99% of the species that have ever lived on
earth are extinct today. From devastating meteors and asteroids to
natural environmental hazards, their survival was under constant threats and many of which spelled immediate doom. Human beings, on the other hand, became quite adept at
avoiding danger partially by creating their own environment, rather than just adapting to it. They crafted ways to solve problems, and became the only animal
on the planet (1) that looks for problems, (2) that even predicts future problems, and
(3) that invents “practice problems” to solve. (The imaginary and practice problems were/are presented in a safe and controlled environment that we called “schools”).</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-size: large;">With the
capacity to think flexibly, and after amassing an incredibly robust repertoire
of problem-solving strategies, human beings evolved as the only species that
could run away from a problem, swim away from a problem, climb away from a
problem, talk our way out of a problem, create vehicles (sometimes with cooperating domesticated animals) to take us away from a problem, and use technology to design remedies
to our problems. Mastering a wide range of possible problem-solving strategies
and passing them down from one generation to the next permitted the survival of
our species. However, it was not as much governed by the “survival of the
fittest” rules as it was the survival of the most innovative and fastest
adapting brains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<h2>
</h2>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-46389647279736248522016-11-22T14:50:00.000-08:002016-11-28T14:58:41.914-08:008 Fascinating Things We Learned About the Mind in 2015<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">I recently came across an article from last year that is worth sharing.
It describes “8 Fascinating Things We Learned About the Mind in 2015” written by
Carolyn Gregoire. While a couple of items would certainly constitute “no-brainers,”
several of them are quite startling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1. Smartphones are wildly distracting (constantly </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">looking at a screen is detrimental).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">2. Psychedelics may be the next big thing in mental
health care (there is </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">a
renaissance in psychedelic research for psychiatric purposes).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">3. Pollution is worse for the brain than we realized
(</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">exposure to air pollution is
associated with neurodegenerative diseases.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">4. The brain and immune system are actually linked
(there is a direct connection between the brain and the body's immune system)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">5. Erasing memories could be the future of addiction
treatment (</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">mind hacking can
help with permanent memory erasure)<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">6. Nature does the mind good (there are mental
health benefits to spending time outdoors) </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">7. To boost your mood, boost your bacteria (increasing
healthy bacteria in the stomach can improve health)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">8. Good sleep is critical to a healthy emotional
life (healthy amounts of sleep can improve emotional intelligence).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">For more details on these discoveries, see the website below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mind-brain-research-2015_us_5671ac66e4b0dfd4bcc03848"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "calibri";">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mind-brain-research-2015_us_5671ac66e4b0dfd4bcc03848</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></o:p></div>
<h2>
</h2>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-76040014472195213892016-11-06T19:03:00.001-08:002016-11-28T20:38:20.305-08:00Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-80622559316515400982016-11-06T19:03:00.000-08:002016-11-28T20:38:16.042-08:00Is Dyslexia a Disorder Affecting Life or Just School?<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">While there is hardly an argument that dyslexia can interfere with learning to read, we must also acknowledge that reading is one of many cognitive artifacts and strategies by which we learn. Any experienced educator or child psychologist will gladly tell you from both training and experience that the manner is which children learn is wide-ranging. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Over 55% of the astrophysicists are dyslexic. Dyslexia causes difficulties with language processing and thus language development, which is most noticeable in formal education settings. However, dyslexics become more adept at VST (visual-spatial-thinking or thinking in pictures) and visualizing a big broad picture of things that others can only envision from "inside the box."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The list of other individuals who had learning difficulties because of dyslexia includes Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Steve Jobs, John F. Kennedy, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Picasso, Mozart, Steven Spielberg, Richard Branson, and Winston Churchill. While each of them may have struggled in school, they did not struggle with achievement in life. Consequently, those individuals struggling with dyslexia at four times more likely to become self-made millionaires than the rest of us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span>Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-51858797787178548592016-11-04T11:56:00.001-07:002016-11-04T11:56:24.470-07:00
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First-hand Experiences Are Essential Cognitive Rehearsals</span></span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <strong><em>for Writing and Reading</em></strong></span> (in that order)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">When asked to begin a writing assignment, students often respond by asking one of two questions (and often both). Their first question is "What do I write about?" Their second question is frequently "How do I get started?" <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">According to Colorado <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">master educator, Eileen Patrick, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“You can't make the <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">words or ideas </span>come out of your <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">pencil,</span> until you can get them to come out of your <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">mouth first.” </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">D</span></span>iscourse and dialogue are the vitally important “cognitive rehearsals” that should always precede any writing assignment. Unfortunately, teachers typically tell students, "If you aren't ready to begin writing your essay, then outline it first," which is unwittingly asking them to engage in a higher cognitive task (synthesizing and summarizing) than the writing itself. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Before students are asked to write about a given topic, they should be afforded (1) an opportunity to have a first-hand or virtual (visual) experience with it to gain some degree of appreciation for the "what," (2) some time allotted to reflect on and digest the experience, and then, (3) time to talk with peers about what was learned, what was discovered that was surprising, and what they might still "wonder" about the topic, both specifically and generally -- the "why it is so." </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Through the talking about related personal/virtual experiences with a given subject, students prepare themselves to write about it. They can write down that which they have just articulated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Although we are prone to say that "words are used to communicate," before we can even <em>utter</em> those words, we must <em>think </em>about them first. A more accurate statement is "words are used to think, and we can say what we think." It is impossible to speak without thinking first (yes, there are people who do so, sponsoring more derision than admiration). Prior to expressing our thoughts, we must "think them" first. Preparing a student to think more deeply about a topic and expressing that thinking coherently is the first step in what we refer to academically as "good" student writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">During first-hand learning experiences, students quickly add important new vocabulary words to their personal "working" vocabularies. We often hear that students can best learn new words "in context," it should be stated more precisely that they learn new words more efficiently in the context of <em>doing</em>, rather than in the process of <em>reading</em>. This is because, when the written text is unfamiliar, coupled with the introduction of words that the learner has never seen before, neither the concept or the vocabulary will be readily grasped. Most likely, both will remain elusive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">While t<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">he accumulated vocabulary that a student brings to a text largely determines if he/she will spend more time trying to understand the target concept or devote a majority of the reading time merely attempting to make sense of the strange new words being used to bring the concept to light. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Research suggests that 95% of what a student gains <em>from</em> reading a passage depends on his/her background knowledge or what the student "brings <em>to </em>the text." Students with little or no background knowledge will likely comprehend far less than a student who is well versed in the same topic. (Similar to cooking without many of the basic ingredients). No prior experience with the vocabulary words tends to expand the gap between the novice learner and comprehending the topic. Having either personal or virtual experiences with a subject, and having talked about and having written about it provide the level of background knowledge that enhances reading comprehension. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Conceptual development progresses along a distinctly consistent pathway that is
grounded in concrete experiential learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Experiences
Are Cognitive Rehearsals<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">When playing with <i>objects,</i>
learners are simultaneously manipulating/<i>playing with ideas</i> (internal
dialogues attach words and meaning to actions – the “mind’s eye”) building the
representative brain circuitry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Exploring and experimenting
involve examining relationships, interactions and systems, where learners
formulate their own personal “theories” (mental constructs)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Thinking is a cognitive <i>rehearsal</i>
for discourse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Discourse is a cognitive <i>rehearsal</i>
for writing (phonological loop or “inner voice”). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Playing with objects and ideas,
exploring and experimenting, thinking, talking, and writing become cognitive
rehearsals (background knowledge) for reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Writing and reading clarify one’s
thoughts, generate coherent thinking, and cultivate <i>precision </i>in
expressing one’s inner thoughts <i>(supporting long-term memory consolidation).</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border: currentColor; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt; padding: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Experience, discourse and writing
become cognitive <i>rehearsals</i> for assessment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In today's academic world driven by accountability, producing high test scores is viewed as the indicator of a quality education being offered. However, brain-considerate learning strategies such as these have a greater long-term impact on teaching "thinking," which is the true mission of formal education. </span></span></o:p></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-41835658285257108572016-11-01T12:20:00.000-07:002016-11-06T21:05:07.825-08:00Left-brained? or Right-brained?<br />
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;"><strong>Left-brained or Right-brained?</strong></span></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Few discoveries in contemporary neuroscience have had
a greater spill-over effect into the educational community than the
now-legendary “split-brain” (corpus calloscotomy) research of Roger Sperry for
which he received the 1981 Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or
Medicine. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga began his early career in the field with Sperry,
and subsequent made significant contributions to our understanding of how the
two hemispheres of the brain communicate with one another (or fail to do so when surgically separated from one another). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Later,
when these hemispheric interactions were translated into educationally appealing terminology,
“left-brained and right-brained” seminars were advertised at nearly every educational conference. We saw educators,
whose genuine motive was merely to be well-informed and effective in their classrooms,
flock to professional development workshops on this topic. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">While the notion of
cortical specialization is an accurate representation of the inner workings of
the brain, every <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">healthy</i> human brain
is intricately interconnected with massive pathways stretching across the neural divide rendering the content of many of these seminars
misleading at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are over 300 million nerve fibers crisscrossing from one hemisphere to the other.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We
have unraveled more of the brain’s deep secrets over the past 5 years of research in neuroscience than
during humankind's last 2,500 years on this planet. Now, one of the "unguarded secrets" is that we learn with a “whole
brain” that craves and creates meaningful connections. The foundation of all learning lies
in the one quadrillion connections among the neurons throughout the brain and in both of the two hemispheres. The corpus
callosum sends as much as 4 billion bits of information between the two hemispheres each second.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16pt;">My
Brain Valentine</span></u></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(a.k.a., "I’m
in love with a corpus callosum who makes me whole")<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Left-brained?</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Right-brained?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Well, I use both of ‘em.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Because I have <em>you,<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My corpus callosum!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-25262840280912396732014-06-27T19:03:00.000-07:002016-11-28T20:42:19.287-08:00STEM's 500 year-old Foundation: Leonardo Da Vinci<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Almost 500 years following his
death, the name Leonardo Da Vinci still tops most lists of the greatest
scientific minds in world history. The “Renaissance Man” with insatiable
curiosity and determined innovation, Da Vinci became an accomplished inventor, scientist,
mathematician, painter, sculptor, architect, cartographer, engineer, anatomist,
botanist, geologist, and writer. Da Vinci's 7 Principles </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">serve as guideposts for STEM/STREAM education today: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>1. Curiosità:</strong>
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">An insatiably curious approach to
life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>2. Dimostrazione:</strong>
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A commitment to test knowledge
through experience, persistence, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>3. Sensazione:</strong>
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The continual refinement of the
senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>4. Sfumato</strong>
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(literally means “Going up in Smoke”):
A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>5. Arte/Scienza</strong>
(art and science): </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The development of the balance
between science and art, logic and imagination (“whole-brain” learning and
thinking.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>6. Corporalita:</strong>
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The cultivation of grace,
ambidexterity, fitness, and poise. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-outline-level: 5;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>7. Connessione:</strong>
</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A recognition of and appreciation
for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">For 21st century STEM success, our students must
learn to solve problems by creative/inventive </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Da Vincian </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">thinking. “Creativity requires the
courage to let go of certainties” as psychologist Eric Fromm stated, accentuating
the fourth of Da Vinci’s Principles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our test-centric schools of today may be
unwittingly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">constraining </i>student
imagination and creativity by insisting that all thinking must conform to a preordained
“correct” answer, rather than allowing for multiple solutions, multiple avenues
to arrive at each of them, and more than one suitable answer to the same question or problem. (It is
important to note that no <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">high-achieving
nation spends as much time, money or organized efforts on standardized testing
as we do).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-67370553767934917182014-06-27T18:43:00.000-07:002014-06-27T18:43:45.399-07:00Why STEM? Why STEM Now?
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The latest career statistics
and economic projections emphasize the new prerequisites for
economic survival in today’s STEM-driven competitive world. Consider
the following:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported that the
average mathematics score for 15-year-old U.S. students was lower than the
scores in 18 out of 24 comparison nations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
number of countries scoring <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">higher</i>
than the United States on the PISA science assessment increased from 6
countries to 12 over the past six years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">A
survey conducted by the Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of
California, Berkeley concluded that 80% of K-5 teachers in the San Francisco
Bay area spent 60 minutes or less <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">per
week</i> teaching science. Over 16% of them reported spending no time at all
delivering science instruction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
the 2013 Horizon Research survey, researchers found that K-2 classes spend an
average of 18 minutes per day on science, while grades 3–5 teachers were
teaching science an average of 23 minutes per day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Statistics from the National Science Foundation
website indicate that<b> </b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">STEM achievement in secondary education is also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decreasing</i> overall in American schools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The
conventional practice of delving deeply in a study of the sciences in high
school is coming under long-overdue scrutiny. According to a 2010 report from
the International Journal of Science Education, over 65% of scientists and
science graduate students reported that their personal interest in the sciences
began before their middle school years. Building the necessary background
knowledge that is essential for success in secondary STEM courses requires an
early foundation for science beginning in the elementary grades. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-70450973255893519232013-11-30T16:22:00.000-08:002013-11-30T16:22:50.927-08:00STEM: Making Transdisciplinary Connections
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Research has shown that
approximately 13% of pupils in an average classroom are auditory learners, who
learn best by listening to others (typically the teacher). The dominant teaching
method of most schools is likely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> meeting
the learning needs of 87% of our students. Our brains do their best work when
we are learning in by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doing</i>, not by
passively listening. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Scientists, engineers,
mathematicians and others STEM professionals spend a great portion of their day
applying skills and concepts that fall <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">outside</i>
the boundaries of their discipline. The National Research Center found that
reading and writing comprise over half of the work of scientists and engineers
(NRC 2011).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking, listening,
reading, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">writing,
computing, sketching, collaborating with others, etc., make up the typical day
for most professionals, where we use these competencies on an as-needed basis
throughout the day. It is natural for us to engage in STEM daily if we
participate in any brand of regular problem-solving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By completing the chart below, we are reminded of this
important academic reality.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq-kvOTXHagWQNmToNQTm0aUjJ4su2F91Zs5JL2bpJQQFyob2OpEhONei4CuxbD7RUrK6gKGYBaLKKwWh_0UFzAwlk1xkNXFMpnALk2NezzcENs3FPRMwZMP5ovDfOC4fy59fL-8iVtP9/s1600/transdisciplinary+chart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq-kvOTXHagWQNmToNQTm0aUjJ4su2F91Zs5JL2bpJQQFyob2OpEhONei4CuxbD7RUrK6gKGYBaLKKwWh_0UFzAwlk1xkNXFMpnALk2NezzcENs3FPRMwZMP5ovDfOC4fy59fL-8iVtP9/s320/transdisciplinary+chart.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
</v:shapetype></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">By filling in the appropriate boxes of this chart with
students, parents and educators, hopefully, we can reduce the number of times
we hear, “Why do I need to know this?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>and “When will I ever use this?” It is through these </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“aha” moments that students not only appreciate STEM, but
they also understand the value of a truly “interconnected” curriculum that
provides a multidimensional backdrop for understanding their transdisciplinary world. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The connections their young brains make reach across numerous academic
borderlines fostering what we first refer to as knowledge, and subsequently as
creative thinking.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-57882527087436822342013-11-30T16:03:00.000-08:002013-11-30T21:19:02.556-08:00Failure IS an Option!<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: text1;">In keeping
with our current assessment obsession, educators have unwisely borrowed the
popular mantra “Failure is not an option” from the business community (where
failures are forgiven, because they are “too big to fail,” but small children should pay a hefty emotional fine.) A deeper examination
of this</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
maxim reveals its glaring inaccuracy when applied to both how young brains
learn and how inventors innovate. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Students may struggle in school with reading,
they often fall short of a perfect score in mathematics, they will frequently
misinterpret cause-and-effect relationships in science, it is not uncommon for
them to repeatedly make the same spelling errors, and display
developmentally-appropriate academic missteps. Occasionally, our students
appear to be impervious to the best efforts of well-trained professionals. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
goal of academic “rigor” becomes almost rigor mortis for them. In nearly all
cases, each learning difficulty is indicative of a naturally occurring
neurological <i>under-</i>investment in the necessary brain wiring that is mandatory
for successfully demonstrating a specific skill. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When we refer to a concept or
skill that is not “developmentally-appropriate” to children of a given age, the
reference we are making is to their <i>brain </i>development not our <i>curriculum
</i>development. With this backdrop, certain academic shortcomings are highly
anticipated outcomes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">However, these events foster teacher, parent
and student frustrations in the meantime, since the child “doesn’t get it”. With
time, maturation, and most important, the proper brain circuitry, he/she will surely
"get it" quickly and with apparent ease. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When it comes to learning,
failure is a predictable <i>prerequisite </i>during the lengthy course of
converting new information into personal knowledge. This is particularly true
when learners lack similar prior learning experiences, which prevents the new
information from readily merging with neural pathways that don't yet exist.
If </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">there is nothing with which to integrate new knowledge, the conceptual
development process must begin from an earlier starting point and new learning can be quite
a lengthy process for some children, who are not “slow,” the brain-building process
is frequently <i>slow</i>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If learning occurred effortlessly, error-free, easily,
and occurred without any naturally occurring obstacles, then wouldn't formal
education from the pre-school years to graduate school fall somewhere between pointless and redundant? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, architecture, and the myriad other science-related fields,
mistakes are not just prerequisites, they are nearly requirements for future
success. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Most inventors and creative geniuses have a long history of failures
leading to their ultimate triumph – the success that they were after from the
beginning. Along the road to success, the greatest inventors looked into the
face of failure for most of their journey to achievement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Below are several famous failures, who are
only known for their famous successes. Failure <em>was </em>an option, but they became icons for persistence and success, following their early failures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lWptFkolCnVjTcB0lzZArTt3skO3l8iqsfXB_3ol9yC-TwnqJjMWFcsshSIbCZ_7ynaiKM7v-f3Uw2-ddv7PEdpGv-TcXBCREKorqkC-MgE7Ghk1ZGNCobTocYErbIheus7gJAypwBtE/s1600/failures.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lWptFkolCnVjTcB0lzZArTt3skO3l8iqsfXB_3ol9yC-TwnqJjMWFcsshSIbCZ_7ynaiKM7v-f3Uw2-ddv7PEdpGv-TcXBCREKorqkC-MgE7Ghk1ZGNCobTocYErbIheus7gJAypwBtE/s320/failures.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-82926555685414093352013-11-03T21:51:00.000-08:002013-11-03T21:51:53.898-08:00STEM: Leveling the Playing Field for Struggling Students
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">One of the first revelations for STEM teachers has been that STEM tends
to level the academic playing field quickly for students who are typically
struggling learners. Distinguishing them from the high achievers in the STEM
classroom is frequently difficult. These classroom events become peak
motivational experiences for the less-academically proficient student. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">For many students, feeling a sense of competence through STEM lessons can
constitute the first in-school learning occasion that has a tendency to conceal
their “low-achiever” stigma rather than to broadcast it. More importantly, this
motivational boost can thwart the tendency toward “performance avoidance,”
where academic insecurities entice struggling students to dodge classroom
participation at any cost in order to mask their well-known history of learning
failures.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-91501152266601580372013-11-03T21:30:00.000-08:002013-11-03T21:30:12.073-08:00Auditory Learners<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 6pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Research has shown that
approximately 13% of pupils in an average classroom are auditory learners, who
learn best by listening to others (typically the teacher). The dominant teaching
method of most schools is likely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> meeting
the learning needs of 87% of our students. Our brains do their best work when
we are learning in by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">doing</i>, not by
passively listening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-77393572837018800142013-05-29T20:09:00.000-07:002013-05-29T20:10:37.030-07:00<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;">The Brain Needs to “</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wander and
Wonder”</span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Part 2)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Visual spatial thinking is facilitated
most readily through the development of art, imagination, and exploration. Art
and visual imagery have been key contributors to the human experience
considerably longer than the printed word has. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Nearly 2.5 million years ago, hand tools surfaced as an integral
part of the daily life for primitive mankind. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The first evidence
of prehistoric art forms did not appear until roughly 80,000 years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">There is an
abundance of signs that the earliest art forms were “manuports.” These naturally-formed
or man-made portable artifacts were valued for having an appearance that was similar
to any well-known object, particular those that were personally important or appealing.
These visually attractive objects were saved and carried about, due to their striking
likeness to a fertile woman (e.g., the Venus of Wilendorf), a horse or a bison.
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">A massive cognitive
leap took place with the introduction of tools, language, art, and large-groups
living. Coincidentally, a threefold increase in hominid braincase also occurred
during this same time period. Each of these new human competencies appears to
have significantly impacted the fast-paced evolution of the others. The milestones
highlighting man’s evolution include the rapid and sudden advances in human
intelligence. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12pt 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The survival imperatives of 2 million
years ago dictated that our ancestors cultivate a keen ability to distinguish a
potential opportunity from an impending danger, which meant developing visual
memory systems coupled with an awareness of the broad categories that could be
used to classify objects in the environment. Upon encountering an object or
animal, (1) it could be an animal or object that clearly falls into a
particular category, (2) it could concurrently enjoy membership in more than
one category, and (3) at first glance, its initial identification could be in error.
Being cognizant of the three possibilities prompted the evolution of
flexibility in one’s responses, which contributed to our ancestors’ survival. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKvdSrOWR0bDnK9LVG96yfQAHkoq9o-noQylp6Gij5-kwFP3w37myG-meBM0oJsIytL9-UMXRYRFaMkUrIfiyll-NBt0G3sbjQ3TKnCsUPSyWfb2B6MdJlFq6bY5YPOMf5WLGz9i4qWRw/s1600/face+or+vase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKvdSrOWR0bDnK9LVG96yfQAHkoq9o-noQylp6Gij5-kwFP3w37myG-meBM0oJsIytL9-UMXRYRFaMkUrIfiyll-NBt0G3sbjQ3TKnCsUPSyWfb2B6MdJlFq6bY5YPOMf5WLGz9i4qWRw/s1600/face+or+vase.jpg" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mpocares.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/document1.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.mpocares.com/news-events/mpo-visual-illusion/document-2/&h=637&w=640&sz=22&tbnid=aYPZ0gAl38ZusM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=90&prev=/search?q=face+or+vase&tbm=isch&tbo=u&zoom=1&q=face+or+vase&usg=__eoBCLiNbB1RyHyV56-P2vmRekTE=&docid=FbG4LZcXl_mscM&sa=X&ei=x7-mUfimDYqmiQKipoCoCw&sqi=2&ved=0CCwQ9QEwAA&dur=660"><span style="color: #1122cc; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Our
startled reaction to a snake-like vine on the walkway has the precautionary
benefit of alerting us to a potentially fatal encounter with a poisonous
reptile.<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span>In 1915, </span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ansi-language: DE; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Edgar Rubin gave the above
“is-it-a-face-or-is-it-a-vase?” conundrum a permanent place in visual
perception research.</span><span lang="DE" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Mother
Nature can be most unforgiving allowing us only one life-ending miscalculation
of this type. Cases of fortuitous multiple identifications of this sort
determined if one lived to see another day, and reveals how the mind developed
a propensity to look for glaringly conspicuous characteristics in objects,
which allows us to place them into one category or another. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2828221459086426453.post-26204896903361738212013-05-23T22:11:00.000-07:002013-05-23T22:11:08.717-07:00
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Schools Must Allow More
Time for the Brain to </span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;">“</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wander and
Wonder”</span></span></div>
<h2 align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(Part 1)</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></h2>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Approximately 30%
of our waking hours are devoted to time where our minds make a sudden shift from
"concentrate" to “wander and wonder."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Scientists
have estimated that 99.99% of the species that have ever lived on planet</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> Earth have gone extinct. An extensive list of natural
causes posed insurmountable environmental hazards, leading to their demise.
Human beings, on the other hand, not only learned how to solve problems, but we
became the only animal on the planet that looks for problems, that invents
“practice problems” to solve (imaginary problems in a carefully controlled
environment called “school”), and even anticipated means by which we can solve future
problems. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">With an ability to think with high degrees of
flexibility (“imagine”) and with the development of </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">an
increasingly robust repertoire of problem-solving strategies, human beings
evolved as the only species that could run away from a problem, swim away from
a problem, climb away from a problem, talk our way out of a problem, and design
solutions to our problems. Mastering a broad range of possible solutions
promoted the survival of our species. </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">What, one might ask, constitutes the
most effective educational path to creativity, inventiveness and innovation?<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Our current global challenges require that we
develop well-trained creative minds that will craft novel strategies and
innovative solutions to those problems and challenges. Spawning new inventions
to sustain the worldwide economies translates into developing fine-tuned young
minds from Kindergarten through graduate school. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">We can facilitate
visual spatial thinking, as well as general learning, by guiding the creative
brain process of making neural connections. As young learners build on their
experiences, the brain moves easiest from simple concrete experiences to
increasingly more complex levels of abstractions and abstract thinking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span> </div>
Ken Wessonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01654476177689106029noreply@blogger.com0