Parent Cortical Mass

Week's Best Articles on Learning and Education, for Parents

Happy Father’s Day! There’s great news for Dads. “Goofy” play is good for your kids! Of course you knew that. You could tell by their smiles. But check out this research and be scientifically vindicated. 1 You’ve heard of fixed and growth mindsets, and the best way for parents to praise children. Now, find out how long it takes to overcome a fixed mindset. 2 And learn more on-target phrases to praise your kids. 3 A new study this week shows that kids learn from Sesame Street as much as they learn from preschool. How this research was done, and the effect sizes, will fascinate you. 4 Can digital games improve math skills? If you want to be more persuasive about having lots of video games in the house, check this out. 5 It’s summer and the question will come: What's the difference between gelato and ice cream? Read this and know the answer in 3 minutes. Or, make up something silly! 6

Parenting

Don't Worry Working Moms: Just Leave Dad in Charge at Home - Anne-Marie Slaughter, WashPost

1 Let Dad Be Dad: New Study Says Goofy Play Helps Kids Development - Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ

Be a Good Dad for Gender Equality - Gary Barker, New America

Harvard Researchers Map 5 Child-Rearing Techniques to Raise Kind Kids - Cassie Werber, Quartz

4 New Parenting Tips That Will Make Your Kids Awesome - E. Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree

‘Big Parenting': How Data & Technology Are Changing Families - Bob Sullivan, GeekWire

Learning

What are the Best and Worst Ways to Prepare for an Exam? - Daniel Willingham, Scientific American

2 No Quick Fix for Pupils with a Fixed Mindset About Intelligence - Heather Rolfe, The Conversation

3 Preschoolers and Praise: What Messages Help Kids Grow? - Deborah Farmer Kris, Mind/Shift

Parents' Comparisons Make Siblings Different - ScienceDaily

How the Brain Learns What is Important and What is Not - PsyPost

Education

I Believe in Freedom of Choice - Diane Ravitch, Huffington Post

When Guarding Student Data Endangers Valuable Research - Susan Dynarski, New York Times

Don’t Do Away with School Testing - Editorial Board, Washington Post

Ask More Questions About School Curricula - Robert Pondiscio, US News

Is the Common Core Killing Kindergarten - Chris Berdik, Boston Globe

4 Study: Kids Can Learn as Much from ‘Sesame Street’ as from Preschool - Jim Tankersley, WashPost

High School Graduation Rates: the Good, the Bad And the Ambiguous - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

5 Digital Games Promise to Improve Math Skills - Greg Toppo, Education Next

Resources

6 Do You Know the Difference Between Gelato and Ice Cream? Here's The Scoop - Linda Poon, npr

The Trip Back Home Often Seems to Go By Faster -- But Why? - Eryn Brown, LATimes

The Must Read Insect Books of the Summer - Gwen Pearson, Wired

Dyslexia Font Simulates Reading If You're Dyslexic - Rhodi Lee, TechTimes

10 Educational Games That Could Change How Your Child Learns - Eric Schulzke, Deseret News National

Read a few articles each week, and gain parent cortical mass! If you enjoy our weekly article roundup, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!

Week's Best Articles on Learning and Education, for Parents

You’ve made it to the end of the school year! Were those last weeks crazy-busy with parent-attendance requirements? Read Motoko Rich's article for some inconspicuous commiseration. 1 There’s an intriguing TED Talk on the logical minds of babies. How scientists do this research is fascinating. Watch it to upgrade your baby observation skills. 2 Dr. Judy Willis has written a short primer on the neuroscience of learning. It's pitched to teachers, but during summer, parents are the teachers. 3 Want to know more about the art and science of talking with babies? Maybe you've heard this kind of chatting referred to as "language dancing." This new study calls it a “conversational duet.” 4 Do you say, "I'm not a math person"? TED.com put together this playlist just for you! 5

Parenting

1 Mom and Dad Have Their Own Set of Finals - Motoko Rich, New York Times

The Benefits of Slow Parenting - Jaci Conry, Boston Globe

Lifelong Damages of Harsh Parenting - Morgan E. Peck, Scientific American/Salon

Let's Agree to Stop Judging Each Other's Parenting Styles - Julie Scagell, The Mid

What's Your Teen Doing This Summer? In Defense of Nothing. - Julie Lythcott-Haims, NYT

Are Scary Scenes on TV Really Damaging Your Child? - Kathleen Lees, Science World Report

Learning

2 The Surprisingly Logical Minds of Babies - Laura Schulz, TED Talk

3 How the Memory Works In Learning - Judy Willis, TeachThought

4 Talk 'With' Not Just 'At' Your Child - Hirsh-Pasek & Golinkoff, Philly.com

How Early Academic Training Retards Intellectual Development - Peter Gray, Psychology Today

What Poverty Does to the Young Brain - Madeline Ostrander, The New Yorker

Education

Bill Gates, College Dropout: Don't Be Like Me - David Leonhardt, The Upshot, NYT

College Board Jumps Into SAT Coaching as Test Changes Loom - Eleanor Chute, Pittsburg Post-Gazette

Why Minecraft Rewrites the Playbook for Learning - Mimi Ito, BoingBoing

Can Text Messages and Interventions Nudge Students Through School? - Justin Reich, Mind/Shift

An App That Predicts GPA - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

Why Technology Alone Won't Fix Schools - Kentaro Toyama, The Atlantic

The Common Core Can't Speed Up Child Development - Joseph Ganem, The Baltimore Sun

Resources

Official SAT Practice - Khan Academy

20 STEM Activities for Kids This Summer - TeachThought

5 6 TED Talks for People Who Hated Math in High School - TED.com

Websites and Apps for Making Videos and Animation - Common Sense Graphite

Read a few articles each week, and gain parent cortical mass! If you enjoy our weekly article roundup, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!

Week's Best Articles on Learning and Education, for Parents

This week we discuss "resilience" and other "non-cognitive" skills associated with success. Resilience is not freaking out when your hopes and plans are going down the drain. There's "grit" for persistence and a "growth mindset" for confidence in your ability to learn. How can parents help their kids build these skills? Can schools help? 1 3 4 5 6 The school year is coming to an end. How do parents (and students) say thank you to teachers? For first-rate guidance read Jessica Lahey’s article. 2 It’s summertime! When kids aren’t in school, parents inevitably get their questions--really important questions like, “What do I do if I see a bear?” or “Why do I hear the ocean in a seashell?” Don’t just make up stuff! Be ready. Parent like a champ! 7 8

Parenting

1 Strength-Based Parenting Improves Kids' Resilience and Stress Levels - EurekAlert

How Millennials Think About Paid Leave - Naomi Shavin, New Republic

When Family-Friendly Policies Backfire - Claire Cain Miller, New York Times

Practical Tips for Parents of Exceptional Readers - Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media

5 Things I Want for My Children in Elementary School - Allison Slater Tate, Huffington Post

2 A Heartfelt Thank You, and 9 Other Great Teacher Gift Ideas - Jessica Lahey, New York Times

Learning

3 The Path to Resilience - Bari Walsh, Harvard Education

4 Is Your Child Resilient? - Connie Matthiessen, Great Schools

5 The Weird Potency of Self-Esteem - Greenberg, Solom, Pyszczynski, Science of Us

Why Spaced Repetition is Important to Learning and How to Do it - Tri, Examined Existence

Reduce Prejudices While You Sleep - Xiaoqing Hu, Discover Magazine

Poor Sleep Lowers Next Day Cognition in Kids - Rick Nauert, PhD, PsychCentral

Education

6 Nonacademic Skills Are Key To Success. But What Should We Call Them? - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

Which Candidates Want to Axe the Department of Education? - Frank Bruni, New York Times

1 in 5 U.S. Schoolchildren Are Living Below Federal Poverty Line - Lyndsey Layton, Washington Post

Can Racism Be Stopped in the Third Grade? - Lisa Miller, Science of US

Stop the Testing Circus - Andrew J. Rotherham, U.S. News

States Should Ditch 'Cut Scores' on New Tests - Randi Weingarten, Education Week

Board Shortens Common Core Test Known as PARCC - Emma Brown, Washington Post

Resources

7 What to Do If You See a Bear - Emma Rathbone, The New Yorker

8 Why Do Shells Sound Like the Ocean? - Matt Soniak, Mental Floss

How Do Greenhouse Gases Actually Work? (video) - Bec Crew, ScienceAlert

How Big is Minecraft? Really, Really, Really Big - Sarah Fallon, Wired

11 Must-See Lessons from TED Ed - Global Digital Citizen Foundation

Spring 2015 Learning Apps for Kids - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

Read a few articles each week, and gain parent cortical mass! If you enjoy our weekly article roundup, please email it to a friend, or share on social media. Thank you!