The Educator's Notebook

Ancient Greeks Described Free Speech In Two Different Ways
Atlantic - 12/2/17

"In ancient Athens, isegoria described the equal right of citizens to participate in public debate in the democratic assembly; parrhesia, the license to say what one pleased, how and when one pleased, and to whom.”
A Literature Review Of Maker-Centered Learning
Harvard - 1/1/15

"We offer a strand-by-strand overview of our developing work, and conclude by presenting the “big take away” from our research and by making suggestions for policymakers, educators, and other stakeholders. Along the way, we identify what we consider to be the most salient benefits of maker-centered learning for young people and, introduce some of the key concepts and resources that have emerged from our work… The most salient benefits of maker-centered learning for young people have to do with developing a sense of self and a sense of community.”

Minnesota Adds HS Fitness Program, Measures Results
Star Tribune - 12/6/17

"Researchers found that students who were physically fit were much more likely to score better on state standardized tests. They were 27 percent more likely to be proficient in math and 24 percent more likely to be proficient in reading.”

Is It Better To Sleep, Or To Exercise? (Is There An Answer?)
New York Times - 12/8/17
John Medina: Exercise Is Really Good For Your Brain [video]
Vimeo - 10/27/12

“Exercisers outperformed couch potatoes in long term memory, reasoning, attention, problem solving, abstract thinking, and more.”

“The Growing Importance Of Social Skills In The Labor Market”
National Bureau of Economic Research - 12/9/17

"Labor market rewards to performing routine tasks have fallen, while the returns to workers ability to cooperate and adapt to changing circumstances have risen.”

“Harvard Imposes Single-Gender Social Club Sanctions”
Harvard Magazine - 12/5/17

"The final clubs in particular are a product of another era, a time when Harvard’s student body was all male, culturally homogenous, and overwhelmingly white and affluent. Our student body today is significantly different. While we should respect tradition, it is incumbent on us to organize the institution for the benefit of our current students and those who will follow. …at least as an initial step, we should proceed in such a way as to give students both choice and agency in bringing about changes to the campus culture.”

The Cynic’s Read On Higher Ed: Bad Learning, Poor Job Training
Atlantic - 1/1/18

“I’m cynical about students. The vast majority are philistines. I’m cynical about teachers. The vast majority are uninspiring. I’m cynical about “deciders”—the school officials who control what students study. The vast majority think they’ve done their job as long as students comply.”

Audrey Watters Critical Look At Technology Platforms
Hack Education - 12/9/17
We Can Now 3D Print Computers Made Of Bacteria
Quartz - 12/7/17
Can Video Games Improve Attention And Control In Kids With ADHD?
Stat News - 12/4/17
“Ambient AI Is About To Devour The Software Industry”
MIT Technology Review - 12/1/17
How Action Video Games Actually Enhance Some Areas Of Cognition
National Institute of Health - 11/27/17

"Moderator analyses indicated that action video game play robustly enhances the domains of top-down attention and spatial cognition, with encouraging signs for perception. Publication bias remains, however, a threat with average effects in the published literature estimated to be 30% larger than in the full literature.”

Search thousands of curated articles from all back issues