A great read in The New York Times Magazine about the role of Emotional Intelligence in academic success. The article describes programmatic attempts in schools at teaching emotional intelligence. I'm going to argue that if emotional skills aren't learned before they get to school, it may be too late. The Nobel Laureate economist, James Heckman, [...]
Back in 2011, I wrote a blog post arguing that early childhood education was far more important to positive outcomes for poor children than current efforts to reform public education once kids get to elementary and secondary school. A recent commentary in the New York Times by James Heckman, a Nobel Laureate in Economics from [...]
A great read that invalidates the current parenting and educational zeitgeist of rushing children into academics. As the article describes, play, and the life and cognitive skills it teaches, is the best predictor later educational attainment. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/simon-says-dont-use-flashcards/ The lessons to be learned: Put away the iPads and flashcards, fire the tutors, choose preschools and kindergartens [...]
I read about a book, The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human, by Jonathan Gottschall, that demonstrates the essential role that stories play in child development. Make-believe encourages the development of values, group identity, prosocial behavior, and social norms. The conclusion: Stories aren't just child's play (or just for children!).
Teach Your Children Well, the new book by Dr. Madeline Levine, looks like a good read. Its premise is very much in line with my own views on the importance of parents defining success and failure in healthy ways for their children rather than relying on our popular culture or education systems to do so.
"I am struck by the fact that the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think that the same is true of human beings. We do not wish to see children precocious, making great strides in their early years like sprouts, producing a soft and perishable timber, [...]
I recently contributed to an article, In Support of the Whole Child, that was recently published on HuffingtonPost.com. As the title suggests, it argues for a holistic approach to educating children rather than the current emphasis on a few core subjects and extensive testing.
I was recently interviewed on Blog Talk Radio's Total Education Show with Neil Haley on my views of public education reform. You can listen to the 15-minute interview here.
Here's an article demonstrating that at least one school (albeit in the UK) sees the value in failure: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-16879336
Dear Arne and Bill, I really don't understand you two, the U.S. Secretary of Education and the world's second richest man and noted philanthropist. How can you possibly say that public education can be reformed without eliminating poverty? Let's start with you, Arne. Here's a quote from you: "When I was in Chicago, people used [...]