Parent Cortical Mass

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

The culture of America’s workplace is antiquated, “designed for the Mad Men era,” says Anne-Marie Slaughter. If the issues of family-work balance are important to you, this is an important article. 1 We’ve said it here many times--it’s essential for parents to talk to their babies. A study published this week shows that repetition of words, not just the number of words, benefits babies language skills when they are toddlers. Good to know, good to know! 2 We frequently feature articles about Carol Dweck’s work on the growth mindset. This week we’ve linked to her recent Ted Talk. Really, every parent should know why she loves the word “yet.” 3 Economists and cognitive scientists are uncovering significant biases in the way we make decisions. There’s so much research on this topic, it’s hard to keep it all straight. So, check out this graphic and get smarter! 4

Parenting

1 It's Not a "Women's" Problem, It's a "Work" Problem - Anne-Marie Slaughter, New York Times

Questions Families Need to Ask About Paying for College - Jillian Berman, Wall Street Journal

How Helping Kids with Their Math Homework Could Make Matters Worse - Max Nisen, Quartz

Homework: A New User's Guide -Cory Turner, nprEd

Is It Cyberbullying? Parents' Views Differ on How Schools Should Respond - Science Daily

How Parents Can Support Kids' Social Learning - Jennifer Miller, Getting Smart

Learning

The Science of a Strong Start: About Executive Function - Ellen Galinsky, Huffington Post

2 The Benefits of Word Repetition to Infants - ScienceDaily

3 Carol Dweck: The Power of Believing You Can Improve - Ted Talks

4 20 Cognitive Biases that Affect Your Decision-Making - Patrick Allan, Lifehacker

Education

The Surprising Thing About Schools with Lots of Technology - Joy Resmovits, L.A. Times

Coding Class, Then Naptime: Computer Science for the Kindergarten Set - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

Why Civics Is About More Than Citizenship - Alia Wong, The Atlantic

5 Good Reasons Why Federalism Is So Important in Education - Rick Hess & Andrew Kelly, US News

The Real Battle for Common Core Begins - Robert Pondisco, Common Core Watch

Learning Never Stops, Not Even During Testing - Annie Murphy Paul, Getting Smart

The Global Search for Education: Teaching in a Global World - C.M. Rubin, Huffington Post

Resources

34 Books to Help Your Kid Survive Middle School - Common Sense Media

9 Teen-Friendly Podcasts - Robin Brenner, School Library Journal

Pixar in a Box Teaches Math Through Real Animation Challenges - Katrina Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Resources: Let's Talk About Math - Too Small to Fail

Baby Proofing and Child Safety at Home: A Complete Guide - Krista N. Bordner, Expertise

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

Yippee, the kids are back in school! After our summer break, Parent Cortical Mass is back, too, and there's so much to cover. Parents, how many clever ways can you ask your kids that all-important question, “How was school today?” Getting kids to talk about what they're learning in school fortifies that learning. 8 In this week’s batch of articles we revisit four of PCM’s Top 10 Learning Concepts: language dancing, the growth mindset, flow, and background knowledge. 1 2 3 4 Four of our Top 10 Education Influencers -- E.D. Hirsch Jr., Arne Duncan, Linda Darling-Hammond and Diane Ravitch --have mentions this week. 4 5 6 7 A Washington state court ruled last week that tax-payer funded charter schools in that state were unconstitutional. Why? Because public schools are subject to the voters in school districts, and charter schools, by definition, bypass required local control. What do you think? 7 It's September. You've just recommitted to reading nightly to the kids. Check out Bonnie Lathram’s list of must-read kids' books for some fresh selections! 9

Parenting

Why We Should Let Our Children Fail - Jessica Lahey, The Guardian

When Did Parents Get So Scared? I Blame It on Bridge to Terabithia - Melissa Schorr, Boston Globe

How Schools Are Handling an 'Overparenting' Crisis - Anya Kamenetz, nprEd

When Homework Stresses Parents as Well as Students - KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times

Fathers Who Serve as the Primary Parent - Andrew Moravcsik, The Atlantic

Wondering at What Age Children Can Safely Play with a Tablet? - C. Featherston, Hechinger Report

Learning

4 Ways to Remember Everything You Learn - Drake Baer, Time

The Lesson You Never Got Taught in School: How to Learn! - Simon Oxenham, Big Think

1 Pretending to Understand What Babies Say Can Make Them Smarter - Cari Romm, The Atlantic

2 3 Tricks to Find Your Flow - Christine Carter, Medium

3 Growth Mindset: How to Normalize Mistake Making & Struggle in Class - K. Schwartz, Mind/Shift

Education

Teachers Aren’t Dumb - Daniel T. Willingham, New York Times

5 Critical Skills to Empower Students in the Digital Age - Ki Sung, Mind/Shift

4 How Common Core Can Help in the Battle of Skills vs. Knowledge - Natalie Wexler, NYT

5 Arne Duncan: U.S. Needs to Modernize Its Schools - Sec. Duncan & Sec. Perez, eSchool News

6 A New Moment in Education - Linda Darling-Hammond, Huffington Post

7 What Makes a Public School Public? WA Court Finds Charters Unconstitutional. - Emma Brown, WP

New Poll: Heartening and Glum News for Ed Reformers - Chester Finn, Education Next

National Leaders Fail in School Reform - Jack Jennings, Huffington Post

The Problem with Making Education a Campaign Issue - Joy Resmovits, LA Times

Resources

8 25 Other Ways to Ask "How Was School Today?" - Liz Evans, Huffington Post

Parents of College-Bound Students: About the Upcoming SAT Changes - J. Bolkan, THE Journal

What is a Math Circle? - Anna Kuchment, Scientific American

The Best Way to Guess Correctly on a Multiple Choice Test - Justin J. Couchman, Quartz

9 20 Must-Read Children’s Books for Back to School - Bonnie Lathram, Getting Smart

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!