Parent Cortical Mass

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

This week Daniel Willingham, a cognitive scientist and expert on the science of learning, published five articles at the Washington Post about reading. We’ve selected three here, but really, read all five! Find out if it’s even possible to teach reading comprehension. And, learn how the common core boosts comprehension by building background knowledge. Parents need to understand this. 1 2 The Department of Education released the results of the nation’s 8th grade NAEP tests in History, Civics and Geography. Since the last test in 2010, did our 8th graders do better, worse, or the same? Here are two perspectives on the results. 3 4 Have you heard of MOOCs--Massive Open Online Courses? If you have a high schooler, they’re worth checking out. 5 Don’t you love a summer reading list? Don't miss Melissa Taylor’s fabulous grade-by-grade summer reading lists! 6

Parenting

Helping Kids See Themselves as Readers: Self Image Matters - Daniel Willingham, Washington Post

Choice in Books May Help Kids' Reading Score Over Summer - Andrew M. Seaman, Reuters

Thinking Beyond Screentime: Creativity Over Consumption - Devorah Heitner, Raising Digital Natives

For a Child With Learning Differences, Making Home a Safe Harbor - Jessica Lahey, NYT

Learning

Nothing Beats a Good Night's Sleep for Helping People Absorb New Information - ScienceDaily

Study: Dramatic Math Improvement Playing Video Games 10 Minutes Per Day - Jordan Shapiro, Forbes

Child Prodigies and Autism: Is There a Genetic Link? - Michael Dhar, LiveScience

The Teenage Brain: Scaffolding the Brain for Lifelong Learning - Dr. Frances Jensen, Getting Smart

Education

1 Can Reading Comprehension Be Taught? - Daniel Willingham, Washington Post

2 Does the Common Core Help Boost Reading Comprehension? - Daniel Willingham, Washington Post

3 No Real Gains in U.S. 8th Grade History, Civics, Geography NAEP Test - Emily Richmond, The Atlantic

4 This Paradox Hides the NAEP Gains (Again) - Chad Aldeman, Education Next

Is Testing Students the Answer to America's Education Woes? - Room for Debate, NYT

25 States Now Require Computer Science for Graduation - Katie Kilfoyle Remis, District Administration

5 Five Reasons High School Students Should Consider MOOCs - Charlie Chung, Class Central

What’s the Best Way to Teach Sex Ed Today? - Room for Debate, NYT

Resources

6 Summer Reading Lists for Kids Ages 6 – 14 - Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup

Free, World-Class Test Prep for the New SAT - KhanAcademy and the CollegeBoard

5 Fantastic Learning Channels on YouTube Kids - Andre Infante, MakeUseOf

This Summer Build Math and Science Skills with Daily Practice - CK-12 BrainFlex

Kids' Summer Movie Guide 2015 - Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media

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 Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Maybe you've heard that boys are falling behind girls in school. Or that girls are far behind boys in science and math. This week the spotlight is on the gender divides in education. Get the facts. 1 2 How much do you know about sex education in America? Likely not much since what is taught gets determined locally. The CDC says that 47% of high school students have had sex. So this is a pertinent, not just political, topic. Read Jessica Lahey’s article for a perfect introduction. 3 Are the rigorous common core standards for kindergarten children developmentally appropriate? Some say yes, some say no. What do you say? 4 5 For many reasons parents across the U.S. are opting their kids out of common core standardized tests. But, doesn't all the testing data accelerate progress in public education? 6 7 You can now take a peek at all the rockets in the world! 8

Parenting

Teenagers, Dealing With Addiction, on What Might Have Helped - Jessica Lahey, New York Times

15 Sites and Apps Kids are Heading to After Facebook - Polly Conway, CommonSenseMedia

The Power of Touch - Maria Konnikova, The New Yorker

3 Tech Skills That Help Kids Hack Real Life - Jordan Shapiro, Forbes

Learning

What's Science Got to Do With Teaching and Learning? - Karin Chenoweth, Huffington Post

The Cost of Paying Attention - Matthew B. Crawford, New York Times

Are Humans Getting Cleverer? - William Kremer, BBC News

Letting Your Mind Wander Can Make You More Productive - Carolyn Gregoire, Huff Post

Education

1 The New Gender Divide in Education - Andreas Schleicher, Huffington Post

2 5 Reasons Boys are Falling Behind at School - Libby Nelson, Vox

3 What Schools Should Teach Kids About Sex - Jessica Lahey, The Atlantic

Skipping School is a Problem. But Why Is It a Crime? - Dana Goldstein, Marshall Project

4 No Time to Lose - Robert Pondiscio, US News

5 Is Early Reading a Problem? - Peter Green, Curmudgucation

Here's What Free Higher Ed Looks Like - Terry Gross, NPR

6 Some Parents Across the U.S. Are Revolting Against Standardized Testing - Emma Brown, WP

7 Standardized Tests Suck But the Fix Is More Data, Not Less - Jason Tanz, Wired

Resources

Best Movies with Positive Role Models for Girls - Common Sense Media

12 Empowering Children's Books for Little Girls' Bookshelves - Evelyn Chapman, Bust

11 Picture Books with Advanced Math Concepts - What Do We Do All Day

Daylight Saving Time is One Big Experiment for Scientists - Karen Kaplan, LA Times

8 Here Are all the Rockets of the World, to Scale - Fiona Macdonald, Science Alert

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 Top Articles on Learning & Education, for Parents

Happy 2015! We are back with a fabulous line up of articles which will make you smarter at fostering your kids learning and education. The most intriguing article this week is from Keith Stanovich, on the thinking that IQ tests miss. Don’t miss it! At least try to solve a couple of the simple problems that make the case of the “cognitive miser.” 1 This week the most discussed research study compares the “Big Five” personality traits to school achievement. Interesting results! 2 The common core and standardized tests for accountability are the education policies that got the most digital ink in recent weeks. If you have time for only one article, then read Libby Nelson’s clear explanation for why 2015 is a crucial year for common core. 3 Wouldn’t you applaud whoever organized (into a tidy website) all the education programs for kids on Netflix? Cheers for "Netflix Academy!" 4

Parenting

How First Borns Can Raise a Sibling's Game - Tracy McVeigh, The Guardian

'Small Screens' Impact on Kids' Sleep: US Study - Yahoo! News

In Fervent Support of the 'Gap Year' - Susan Greenberg, New York Times

Shift Your Parenting Mindset this New Year's - Marilyn Price-Mitchell, PhD, Psychology Today

New Year's Resolution For College Applicants - C. Crabtree, Family Online Safety Institute

Baby Brains: The First Year - Y. Bhattacharjee, National Geographic

Learning

1 Rational & Irrational Thought: The Thinking That IQ Tests Miss - K. Stanovich, Scientific American

2 When Personality Matters More Than Intelligence - Melissa Dahl, Science of Us

5 Amazing Advances In Brain Research In 2014 - Carolyn Gregoire, Huffington Post

Why Talking About the Brain Can Empower Learners - Mind/Shift

Could Playing Tchaikovsky's 'Nutcracker' and Other Music Improve Kids' Brains? - EurekAlert

Education

Rage Against the Common Core - David L. Kirp, New York Times

Common Core a Battle for 2016 Republicans - Hugh Hewitt, Washington Examiner

3 Why 2015 is a Crucial Year for Common Core - Libby Nelson, Vox

The Man Behind the Common Core Math Standards - Sarah Garland, nprEd

Colleges Reinvent Classes to Keep More Students in Science - Richard Perez-Pena, NYT

The Worst Way to Push Kids into STEM - Jeff Guo, Washington Post

Why Better Tests = Better World - Anya Kamenetz, Medium

Testing Under Fire - Caitlin Emma, Politico

Resources

Top 10 Books on Children and Sleep - Hilary L. Friedman, Brain,Child

3 Great Read-Aloud Books for Tweens & Teens (Yes, You Heard Right) - C.J. Westerberg, Daily Riff

Dash and Dot -- Best Toy to Teach Computational Thinking - Ester Wojcicki, HuffPost

The Best iPad Apps for Kids of 2014 -Stuart Dredge, The Guardian

The Best Android Apps for Kids of 2014 -Stuart Dredge, The Guardian

4 Education On-Demand (Like a "Netflix Academy") - Mike Petrilli, Ed Excellence

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!