Parent Cortical Mass

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

Can parents get more skilled at helping kids develop self-control? Three articles here discuss the current science on self-control and willpower. We continue last week’s discussion on American vs. French parenting with two more articles. There's more information on Carol Dweck's research on the interplay of beliefs and intelligence. If you’re unfamiliar with mirror neurons, an article below will change that. This week in education the results of a Brookings Institute study threw a bucket of cold water on enthusiasm for Common Core Standards. Will the passage of the Common Core by 45 states improve education in America? Read posts by top education bloggers to consider why they will or they won’t. In Resources discover the best geek toys at the 2012 Toy Fair.

Parenting

Building Self-Control, the American Way - Aamodt and Wang, New York Times

NYT Op-Ed on Science of Self-Control Misses the Science - Daniel Willingham, Willingham Blog

The Physiology of Willpower - Wray Herbert, Huff Post

Why American Kids are Brats - Judith Warner, Time

Meres Tigre? Non! - Robert Pondiscio, Core Knowledge Blog

Learning

Patty Cake and the Mirror Neuron System - Martha Burns, Science of Learning Blog

5 Things to Know About the Developing Brain - Norene Wiesen, Science of Learning Blog

Hamlet and the Power of Beliefs to Shape Reality - Maria Konnikova, Scientific American

Regular Exercise Improves Memory and Learning - Richard Gray, The Telegraph

Puzzle Play Helps Boost Learning Math-Related Skills - University of Chicago News

Education

Brookings Study Says Common Standards Will Fail - Catherine Gewertz, Education Week

Must Standards Past Be a Prologue? - Richard Colvin, The Quick and the Ed

Why Common Core Standards Will Fail - Jay Mathews, Washington Post

Common Core Loved Less? - Andy Rotherham, Eduwonk

Fixing the Fixation on Testing - Randi Weingarten, Huff Post Education

Resources

Best 9 Toys for Geek Tots at the Toy Fair 2012 - GeekMom

Introducing Programming to Preschoolers - Heather Chaplin, Mind/Shift

Nukotoys’ Monsterology: Mix of Risk and Magic The Gathering - Kotaku

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

What country does the best job of parenting? That crazy question got argued this week. Two articles ballyhooing American and French parenting connect you to the fun. The New York Times published alarming data on the increasing gap in test scores between rich and poor students, a gap now twice the size of the black-white gap. In response, three education leaders speak to the issue of poverty--Sec. Arne Duncan in a recent speech, cognitive scientist, Daniel Willingham, in his blog, and education scholar, Diane Ravitch, in a book review. Check out the finalists of The Cybils Awards, an annual list of best children’s books selected by school children.

Parenting

Why French Parents Are Superior - Pamela Druckerman, Wall Street Journal

Are “American” Parents Really Worse than the French? - Lisa Belkin, Huff Post Parents

Today’s Teen Risk Behaviors Compared to Their Parents - Tara Parker-Pope, New York Times

Yikes, Parents Face Misdemeanor for their Kids' Chronic Lateness - B.A. Birch, Education News

Learning

Poor Number Sense Puts Kids at Risk for Bad Decisions - Gwen Dewar, Momformation

Program or Be Programmed - Mary Beth Hertz, Edutopia

Let Kids Tinker With Dangerous Things? - Gever Tulley, Ted Talk

Education

Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Show - Sabrina Tavernise, NYT

NYT With Part of the Story on Income and Education - Daniel Willingham, Willingham Blog

Fighting the Wrong Education Battles - Sec Arne Duncan, Dept of Education

Schools We Can Envy - Diane Ravitch, New York Review of Books

Resources

Book Apps: Finalists of 2011 Cybils Awards - The Cybils

Middle Grade Fiction: Finalists of 2011 Cybils Awards - The Cybils

Young Adult Fiction: Finalists of the 2011 Cybils Awards - The Cybils

PCM's Top Articles of the Week

Have you heard of Open Education Resources? “For the first time in human history we have the tools to enable everyone to attain the education they desire…and it’s almost free.” So begins a report from the Center for American Progress explaining the sea change OER will bring. Watch MIT Professor Rebecca Saxe’s enchanting Ted Talk on how children start to understand the minds of others. This week Sam Chaltian wrote persuasively about why Americans should care about educating other people’s children. Cathy N. Davidson, author of Now You See It, writes on how badges, an informal learning scheme, could solve the teacher evaluation problem.

Parenting

What Makes a Child Develop Into a Leader? - Laura Pappano, Harvard Education Letter

How to Foster Initiative in Kids and Teens - Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Roots of Action

The Power of Diligence in Creating a Remarkable Life - Cal Newport, Study Hacks

2 Parent Trigger Movies In the Works for 2012 - Alexander Russo, This Week in Education

Learning

How We Read Each Other’s Minds - Rebecca Saxe, Ted Talks

How Games Teach Kids Empathy - Annie Murphy Paul, Mind/Shift

How The Right Kind of Praise Makes Kids Smarter - Tina Barseghian, Mind/Shift

Education

Other People’s Children - Sam Chaltain, Democracy. Learning. Voice.

I Hate Homework; I Assign It Anyway - Jessica Lahey, Motherlode, New York Times

Dramatically Bringing Down the Cost of Education with OER - Center for American Progress

MIT’s Online Education Platform - Ethan Solomon, The Tech

Badges: A Solution to our Teacher Evaluation Disaster? - Cathy N. Davidson, Washington Post

Resources

Ansel & Clair’s Adventures in Africa (age 4-9) - Cognitive Kid

GameUp -Top Free Online Games Matched to Curriculum - BrainPop

Top 50 Brain Teasers for Kids and Adults - SharpBrains