Slang? Maybe Not Such A Bad Thing
Thumbs—they’re good for more than just hitchhiking. Teens these days do not use their thumbs for hitching rides on the side of the road. They use their thumbs to text rapid-fast messages to their friends on their cellphones. But, because keypads on cellphones are so tiny and typically thumbs are not, and each number key […] […]
School Systems not Keeping with the Times
An article in a recent issue of Time Magazine says that in a society filled will technological development, social change, and health care advances, one thing remains a shining beacon of the past: our school systems. “Today’s economy demands not only high-level competence in the traditional academic disciplines, but also what might be called 21st […] […]
Is Handwriting Irrelevant?
It shouldn’t surprise you that many university students can’t remember how to form cursive letters… Their argument is that handwriting skills are essentially irrelevant because the majority of the time, student work is done on the computer. Some schools are even doing away with teaching cursive handwriting beyond the primary grades, preferring to focus on […] […]
School Performance and Nutrition
Building good eating habits leads to better performance in school. Studies have shown that poor diets, especially diets that are too high in fats and sugars, can have a detrimental effect on behavior — particularly behaviors that can help children succeed in school. Poor eating habits can cause problems with concentration, mood, energy, and focus, […] […]
It’s Children’s Book Week in Canada!
Last week was children’s book week in the US, this week it is book week in Canada—writing contests, author readings, book giveaways, read-ins… what a great way to promote literacy in young readers! It’s reading and fun combined. Canada’s book week is the only bilingual literacy event in the nation. To find out more about […] […]
Yeah for books!
One of the first things that my mother ever taught me was that books are our friends. (Usually preceded by a scolding such as: we do NOT color in books! or we do NOT crumple book pages!) Needless to say, my love of books and the written word was developed at an early age—which is […] […]
Dangerous Waters: Surfing Not Recommended?
Last week I wrote about the possibility that Instant Messaging might interfere with children’s learning curve during the early educational years… and said that IM possibly could interfere with language development, that it was potentially harmful and it’s usage should be monitored. Let’s face it—the Internet is out there, along with all its accoutrements: chat […] […]
Texting VS Writing: The Problem with Instant Messaging
Q: When is talking on your phone not talking? When it’s texting! At the ripe old age of 25 I thought myself to be fairly au courant — that my online skills weren’t at all lacking, or needing of improvement. That is until I added my 13-year-old cousin to my messenger service. Every time I […] […]
TED Talks – Sir Ken Robinson on Education
Sir Ken Robinson, author of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, gives an entertaining and touching talk on children and their native creative abilities. Uncommon Genius by Denise Shekerjian is also worth a look. In it she interviews 40 winners of the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship award – an award given to those who […] […]
Handwriting Skills: Neatness Counts!
Have you ever gotten a test back and you had lost marks because of messiness, or because the teacher couldn’t read some of what you had written? My son brought home a test the other day and he had lost ten marks because the teacher couldn’t read what he had written! Ten marks! She said […] […]