The Answer Sheet: learning


Posted at 06:02 AM ET, 05/02/2013

Duke University quits elite online learning initiative
By Valerie Strauss
Duke University professors forced the school to quit an online learning initiative with other universities that will offer for-credit courses.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:02 AM ET, 05/02/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Online Learning, Professors Voted Against It, Voted Against Participation

Posted at 04:01 AM ET, 04/12/2013

'Learning disabilities' movement turns 50
By Valerie Strauss
Fifty years ago the phrase "learning disabilities" was coined -- and a movement began.

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:01 AM ET, 04/12/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  A Brief History, Learning Disabilities

Posted at 04:02 AM ET, 04/02/2013

The new challenges of teaching
By Valerie Strauss
An education school dean writes: 'Our schools are no longer designed to produce educated citizens but rather places to produce test results.'

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:02 AM ET, 04/02/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Teaching and Learning, The Impact of Testing

Posted at 06:02 AM ET, 03/28/2013

Five ways to get kids to want to read and write
By Valerie Strauss
Here's a book excerpt from veteran educator Larry Ferlazzo's new book on how to get students to warn to learn.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:02 AM ET, 03/28/2013 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Book Excerpt, Teaching and Learning

Posted at 02:45 PM ET, 01/28/2011

Do tests really help students learn -- or was a new study misreported? -- Kohn
By Valerie Strauss
A new study that received attention was said to have concluded that kids should "take a test to really learn." Except, as Alfie Kohn explains, the study doesn't support that conclusion.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:45 PM ET, 01/28/2011 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Alfie Kohn, Alfie Kohn, Alfie Kohn | Tags:  alfie kohn, high-stakes testing, new york times, rote learning, standardized testing, student on testing, testing, testing study

Posted at 01:30 PM ET, 12/02/2010

A system to tell how your kid is doing in school
By Valerie Strauss
Here's an assessment that can help parents figure out how well their kids are doing in school. And students can use it themselves if they are so inclined.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:30 PM ET, 12/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  how kids learn, learning, parents, report cards, teachers, teaching and learning

Posted at 11:55 AM ET, 11/13/2010

Teacher: Data, my new dirty word
By Valerie Strauss
A teacher explains how an obsession with data has led to the redefinition of teaching and learning: "Teaching itself has become redefined as generating, collecting, and using data, and learning has become redefined as the curve connecting data points. This is a fundamental shift in how educators think, talk, and go about educating our children. Unfortunately, it is not a shift that serves anyone but the data-collectors very well."

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:55 AM ET, 11/13/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  data, education, educational data, mad math minutes, mad minutes, nclb, no child left behind, school reform, schools, teachers, teaching and learning, test data

Posted at 10:00 AM ET, 11/03/2010

Why so many bright kids fail to launch in college
By Valerie Strauss
Nationwide, there is a large and growing group of bright kids whose brains aren’t wired right for a demanding college routine. The strategies and supports that worked in high school when they were living at home are not adequate to the new demands that college places on the executive functions of the brain.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:00 AM ET, 11/03/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Higher Education, Higher Education | Tags:  SAT scores, add, adhd, college dropouts, college freshmen, college graduation, college work, executive functioning, graduation rates, high school, higher education, landmark college, learning disabilities

Posted at 11:32 AM ET, 11/01/2010

Willingham: How sugar really affects kids
By Valerie Strauss
As parents eye bags of Halloween candy, cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham writes about the real effect sugar has on kids.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:32 AM ET, 11/01/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  daniel willingham, health, sugar, sugar and health, sugar and kids, sugar and learning

Posted at 02:55 PM ET, 10/28/2010

How to evaluate students: Look at their work
By Valerie Strauss
The best way to find out what students know and can do is to look at their actual work, not by the results of a standardized test. Monty Neill looks at how a local assessment system can work.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:55 PM ET, 10/28/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  fairtest, learning record, local assessment, monty neill, nclb, nclb reauthorization, no child left behind, problem solving, standardized tests

Posted at 04:00 PM ET, 10/19/2010

Missing from reform debate: The power of caring
By Valerie Strauss
The founder of YouthBuild programs writes: "We are woefully off the mark when the conversation is all about superintendents and principals needing power to fire inept teachers and not about using their power to create a caring, learning community."

By Valerie Strauss  |  04:00 PM ET, 10/19/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  curriculum, harlem schools, learning process, parent involvement, school reform, teachers development, youthbuild

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 10/08/2010

Poll: Americans misunderstand learning disabilities
By Valerie Strauss
A new poll shows that a majority of Americans have severe misperceptions of learning disabilities, the causes and even the definition. This can affect when children are diagnosed and given help that they need.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 10/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities | Tags:  autism, learning disabilities, mental retardation, research, roper

Posted at 11:22 AM ET, 08/26/2010

Getting real about social, emotional learning
By Valerie Strauss
Since we know that socialization is key to student growth and achievement, why don't we do a better job of integrating social and emotional learning into school programs, standards, evaluations and assessments?

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:22 AM ET, 08/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers | Tags:  ascd, bullying and schools, bullying summit, sean slade, social and emotional learning

Posted at 09:30 AM ET, 07/07/2010

The value of arts education: A video
By Valerie Strauss
Here is a 14-minute film that does a great job detailing the impact of arts education on the development of children’s cognitive, artistic, social and psychological development.

By Valerie Strauss  |  09:30 AM ET, 07/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Arts Education | Tags:  andrew swaine, arts education, arts/learning, derek ledoux, effects of arts education, importance of arts education, kennedy center and arts video, value of arts education

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 07/07/2010

Learning math with Sherlock Holmes
By Valerie Strauss
Teacher Sharon Jacoby’s students are having so much fun learning math in summer school that it makes you wonder why teachers can’t do this from September through June.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 07/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Math, Math | Tags:  interesting courses, learning math, math and sherlock holmes, summer school, summer school classes, thinking like sherlock holmes

Posted at 12:26 PM ET, 06/25/2010

The long-lasting power of a great teacher
By Valerie Strauss
A colleague writes about one special high school teacher and the powerful connection they forged. He just learned of her death, and what she left for him.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:26 PM ET, 06/25/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Teachers | Tags:  great teachers, great teaching, powerful learning experiences, teachers

Posted at 11:51 AM ET, 06/21/2010

Preventing summer learning loss
By Valerie Strauss
Summer learning loss is real, but there are ways to prevent it.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:51 AM ET, 06/21/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning | Tags:  how to prevent summer learning loss, michelle obama, preventing summer learning loss, summer learning, summer reading

Posted at 01:00 PM ET, 06/15/2010

Why fun is important in learning -- Part 2
By Valerie Strauss
In Part 2 of "Why fun is important in learning" Sean Slade says: I would not ask a 6th grader to play on a senior basketball team as they would too easily be overwhelmed by skill-level, teamwork required, and level of competition (not to mention height). I would also not ask a 6th grader to play on an early elementary team for the opposite reasons. They would not be pushing themselves, would not be challenged, and subsequently would not be having fun.

By Valerie Strauss  |  01:00 PM ET, 06/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  fun in learning, learning, making learning fun, sean slade

Posted at 12:35 PM ET, 06/08/2010

Arne Duncan's 'learning story'
By Valerie Strauss
The following is a story that Education Secretary Arne Duncan told about his most powerful learning experience. It is one in a regular series of “learning stories” that I am starting to publish and that are focused on effective teaching and learning.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:35 PM ET, 06/08/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Education Secretary Duncan, Education Secretary Duncan | Tags:  arne duncan, effective teaching, learning stories, powerful learning

Posted at 11:19 AM ET, 06/04/2010

Why fun is important in learning
By Valerie Strauss
By Sean Slade. Why do we assume that learning only occurs when kids are serious and quiet? This anti-fun vein is evident in education editorials and discussion boards, but brain research suggests that fun is not just beneficial to learning but required for long-term memory and authentic learning.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:19 AM ET, 06/04/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning | Tags:  ascd, engaging students, fun in education, healthy classrooms, healthy school communitiesy, learning, theory of learning

Posted at 10:34 AM ET, 05/26/2010

Geography Bee today! Test your geo smarts
By Valerie Strauss
Nearly 5 million kids across the country participated in state and local competitions for the 2010 National Geography Bee, and it came down to 10 finalists--all boys 11 to 13 years old -- in today’s championship round being held in the nation’s capital.

By Valerie Strauss  |  10:34 AM ET, 05/26/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  National Geographic Bee, geographic bee, geography quiz, geography studies, learning geography, national geographic studies

Posted at 08:59 AM ET, 05/15/2010

Literacy kudzu
By Valerie Strauss
Will Fitzhugh, editor of The Concord Review, questions, no, savages, the way students are taught to read in school.

By Valerie Strauss  |  08:59 AM ET, 05/15/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers, Guest Bloggers | Tags:  best practices and reading instruction, how to teach reading, how to teach writing, learning, literacy, reading, reading instruction, reading wars, will fitzhugh, writing

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 05/10/2010

Why student attitudes toward school change -- Willingham
By Valerie Strauss
Cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham talks about the differences he sees between first-graders and sixth-graders, and the reasons kids change in their attitude toward school.

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 05/10/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham | Tags:  Daniel Willingham, about first graders, about sixth grade, guest bloggers, learning

Posted at 03:00 PM ET, 05/07/2010

Learning Stories: Tell your own
By Valerie Strauss
school systems: What do these actually look like. To find out, Rethink Learning Now asked people from various walks of life to talk about their most powerful learning experiences. You can share your own.

By Valerie Strauss  |  03:00 PM ET, 05/07/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning, Learning, Learning | Tags:  great teachers, learning stories, teaching, what makes a great teacher

Posted at 05:08 PM ET, 05/05/2010

Accented teachers may be better for English language learners: study
By Valerie Strauss
Arizona may be making a mistake by trying to remove heavily accented Hispanic teachers from classrooms filled with Hispanic English-language learners. A new study on how well students learn second languages from teachers with accents suggests that tudents can learn a second language better from a teacher who speaks in the same accent as the student.

By Valerie Strauss  |  05:08 PM ET, 05/05/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning, Learning, Learning | Tags:  Arizona, Arizona and accented teachers, Arizona and teachers, Arizona orders teachers with accents out of class, Arizona schools, English language learners, accented teachers, how accents affect learning, language research, research, research on accents, research study on accents, teachers with accents, the answer sheet and arizona

Posted at 12:51 PM ET, 03/11/2010

How students trick themselves about what they know--Part 2
By Valerie Strauss
In the second part of his article on why students think they know material that they don't, cognitive scientist and University of Virginia professor Daniel Willingham discusses the situations that can get kids in trouble in this regard.

By Valerie Strauss  |  12:51 PM ET, 03/11/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham | Tags:  Daniel Willingham, guest bloggers, learning, the brain

Posted at 02:45 PM ET, 02/02/2010

Special ed arts teacher walks in students' shoes
By Valerie Strauss
Pamela Michaels worked for 28 years in four schools with at-risk special education students in the arts. She developed two art programs in schools for students with learning disabilities and taught numerous subjects. After years working with learning disabled students, Michaels suffered her own disability--severe hearing loss--that helped her gain a new understanding of the challenges her students had faced throughout the years. Here is her story.

By Valerie Strauss  |  02:45 PM ET, 02/02/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning Disabilities | Tags:  learning disabilities

Posted at 06:30 AM ET, 01/20/2010

Does this sound fair?
By Valerie Strauss
The National Board of Medical Examiners denied a request by medical student Frederick Romberg to have extra time to take the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Romberg is a 41-year-old student at Yale Medical School who has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. He is appealing the decision. Here is what Romberg told the board, and what the board told him. How would you decide the case? ... It wasn't until he was an adult that he finally learned what was causing his academic difficulties. A professor asked him why he was taking so much longer than anyone else to finish a 10-question quiz.

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:30 AM ET, 01/20/2010 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Learning Disabilities | Tags:  learning disabilities, test accommodations

Posted at 11:00 AM ET, 09/14/2009

Willingham: Student "Learning Styles" Theory Is Bunk
By Valerie Strauss
Guest Blogger Daniel Willingham: The Big Idea behind learning styles is that kids vary in how they learn: Some learn best by looking (visual learners), some by listening (auditory learners), and some by manipulating things (kinesthetic learners).

By Valerie Strauss  |  11:00 AM ET, 09/14/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham, Daniel Willingham | Tags:  Daniel Willingham, auditory learner, kinesthetic learner, learning styles, visual learner, visual-auditory-kinesthetic theory

Posted at 06:00 AM ET, 09/01/2009

Q & A on Learning
By Valerie Strauss
As promised yesterday, here is more from cognitive scientist Daniel Willingham from the University of Virginia, and author of "Why Don't Students Like School," on how kids learn and what teachers should and shouldn’t be doing in class. The...

By Valerie Strauss  |  06:00 AM ET, 09/01/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  brain, learning, schoolwork, teachers

Posted at 07:40 AM ET, 08/31/2009

Why Do Kids Dislike School?
By Valerie Strauss
So. Your child is one of the millions who think school is a drag. He or she gets bored. Doesn’t stay focused. Avoids homework. When you ask what happened at school earlier in the day, the response is, “Nothing,”...

By Valerie Strauss  |  07:40 AM ET, 08/31/2009 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  brain, learning