With summer coming to an end, it makes sense to ask: “Does play help learning? Luckily, there’s good reason for kids to keep moving and playing! 1 3 4 No doubt you’ve seen those Kids-Get-Too-Many-Trophies articles. We don’t list them here because often they're just rants. But this week NPR covered the topic, discussing the pros and cons with whimsy. 2 There's further commentary on last week's NYT article by Elizabeth Green on how Americans stink at math. Brookings Fellow, Tom Loveless, debunks 6 myths in Green’s article. Worth the read, especially if it bugged you. Even more so if it didn't. 5 Teacher tenure remained in the news another week as celebrities chimed in on the topic. 7 Brandon Wright’s wonky article talks due process, eligibility, and seniority laws. It's all about states. Check out the map. It will brief you in seconds. 6 Are your kids obsessed with Minecraft? Rebecca Sahl’s description of You Tube phenom, Mr. Stampy Cat, made me laugh! 8
Parenting
1 The Shortening Leash: Kids Have Less Freedom Than Their Parents Did - J. Grose & H. Rosin, Slate
2 Should Kids Get A Trophy For Showing Up? - Cory Turner, NPR Ed
Screen Time That's Valuable for Young Kids - Jordan Shapiro, Mind/Shift
Parents Are the Ones Who Need Limits on Screen Time - Mari-Jane Williams, Washington Post
Who Are Teens Talking To on Their Cell Phones While Driving? Parents. - Sharon Jayson, USA Today
Celebrate Men Speaking Openly About Work Life Balance - Rebecca Traister, New Republic
Learning
Your Two Kinds of Memory: Electronic and Organic - Annie Murphy Paul, Slate
Risk-Glorifying Video Games Increase Deviant Behaviors in Some Teens - K. Lees, Science World Rpt
A Bit of Videogaming is Good for Kids: Study - Anne Collier, NetFamilyNews
3 Brains At Play - John Poole, NPR Ed
Lowdown on Longhand: How Writing by Hand Benefits the Brain - Ainissa Ramirez, edutopia
How the Web Became Our External Brain. What That Means for Kids - Michael Harris, Wired
Education
Tests That Look Like Video Games - Anya Kamenetz, NPR Ed
4 The Benefits of Movement in Schools - Nina Fiore, Creativity Post
5 Six Myths in the NYT Math Article by Elizabeth Green - Tom Loveless, Brookings
The Case for Starting Statistics in Kindergarten - Jonathan Wai, Quartz
Are Great Teachers Born or Made? - Nick Romeo, The Atlantic
Why Teachers Have a Tougher Job than Doctors: A Talk with Elizabeth Green - Libby Nelson, Vox
6 Teacher Tenure Lawsuits and Their Pitfalls - Brandon Wright, Flypaper
7 Education Reform Is Becoming a Celebrity Cause - Juana Summers, NPR Ed
A Short List of Things that Do Not Explain Our Educational Mediocrity… - AmandaRipley.com
Resources
Scrabble Players Rejoice: 5,000 New Words in Dictionary Update - Leanne Italie, AP
Introducing Netflix Academy: Best Edu Videos Available for Streaming - Michael Petrilli, Flypaper
Lego Launches Female Scientist Set - Gwynn Guiford, Quartz
10 Apps, Games, and Robotics that Teach Kids How to Code - Daily Tekk
16 Educational Apps to Get Kids Ready to Go Back to School - Dan Crawley, VentureBeat
Why Kids Need to Read Non-Fiction + Recommended Book List - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
8 The British Invasion: Mr. Stampy Cat in Your Living Room - Rebecca Sahl, Tubefilter
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