The Educator's Notebook

David Brooks: Relationships Are Essential For Learning
New York Times - 1/17/19

“Students have got to have a good relationship with teachers. Suzanne Dikker of New York University has shown that when classes are going well, the student brain activity synchronizes with the teacher’s brain activity. In good times and bad, good teachers and good students co-regulate each other. The bottom line is this, a defining question for any school or company is: What is the quality of the emotional relationships here?”
“How Learning Goals Can Stifle Deeper Learning”
Lustre Education - 1/4/19

“It is worth critically examining whether the practice of telling students what they will learn before they learn it equates to the kind of deeper learning that will allow students to thrive in a rapidly changing 21st century job market.”

The Mathematics Of Basketball: Why The Mid-Range Shot Is Vanishing
Flowing Data - 1/15/19

“On average, 3-pointers produced 1.07 points. Mid-Range shots produced only 0.81 points, 24% less than 3-pointers.”

Aspiration Vs. Ambition, And How We Make Decisions
New Yorker - 1/21/19
Goals: Duckworth On Making Your New Year’s Resolutions A Reality
Character Lab - 1/13/19
Cal Newport: “How to Actually, Truly Focus on What You’re Doing”
New York Times - 1/13/19
On Happiness: “The Joy Of Being A Woman In her 70s”
New York Times - 1/12/19

"We may not have control, but we have choices. With intention and focused attention, we can always find a forward path. We discover what we are looking for. If we look for evidence of love in the universe, we will find it. If we seek beauty, it will spill into our lives any moment we wish. If we search for events to appreciate, we discover them to be abundant.”

What Happened To Schools That Group Students Of Different Ages?
Larry Cuban - 1/18/19

“Adoption of an innovation in schooling has less to do with what the research says and far more about what school leaders and practitioners believe about students, teaching, learning, and knowledge.”

Doctor Has A Stroke, Then Can’t Stop Rhyming. Becomes Rap Legend.
Atlantic - 1/16/19

“Like many other survivors of stroke, he sometimes stuttered, and his speech became slurred. His personality also seemed to change. He suddenly became obsessed with reading and writing poetry. Soon Hershfield’s friends noticed another unusual side effect: He couldn’t stop speaking in rhyme. He finished everyday sentences with rhyming couplets.”