In a recent commentary piece at Education Week, author, speaker and educator Dr. Thomas Armstrong argues for tipping from a deficit model to a more inclusive (and enlightened) model that values students’ strengths, regardless of their learning profiles. He writes, I believe it’s time for a paradigm shift in the field of special education. Fortunately, a new concept has emerged … Read More
Language Learning and the Developing Mind
[brightcove vid=2104029225001&exp3=673439679001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=665003388001&pk=AQ~~,AAAAmtVKbGE~,pW41hkPiaotk7M2LC0HZ3RTjdL1UaDYv&lbu=http://projects.scpr.org/bilinguallearning/&w=480&h=270] Here is a short video from Southern California Public Radio station KPCC on the science behind bilingual learning. The site, Bilingual Learning, explores “the science, options, and dilemmas of dual language education.” Much appreciation to Marcela Summerville (@PreKlanguages) of Spanish Workshop for Children for pointing this out to us.
Neurology of Gaming, Infographic
As with most things, “gaming” (or being engaged in video games) has both positives and negatives when it comes to developing minds. Too much gaming, and the positive effects are overshadowed by the negative. Yet, the right balance can add another avenue for pursuing educational goals and achievement. As a result, more and more programs are using gaming to reach … Read More
The Divided Brain, RSA-Style
Here is an interesting look at the divided brain, not in the now debunked 1960’s & 70’s one-side-handled-reason-and-the-other-side-handled-emotion sort of way, but rather in the shared-responsibilities-and-tension-between-objectives mindset of the 21st century. Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist and author of the recent The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. This RSA of his talk cleverly … Read More
Organization of Object and Action Categories in the Brain
The team at Gallant Lab at UC Berkley has been looking at how the brain processes and maps words/subject/objects. (Their recently published paper in Neuron) The result is a fascinating look into the workings of the brain and yet more evidence that we have only barely begun to uncover the mysteries of the mind at work. Check out the video … Read More
Language and Your Brain
Just a quick info graphic to give yourself some perspective on language and the brain. Image via: Voxy
Royal Society’s Summary of Implications of Neuroscience on Education
The Royal Society, a self-governing Fellowship of scientists from around the world dedicated to “excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity,” released a series of modules in 2011 as part of their Brain Waves Project. The four modules explore the intersection of neuroscience, society and public policy with summarized analyses of … Read More
On Cognition and the Bilingual Mind
In the past year there has been a flurry of articles on the cognitive advantages of the bilingual mind. Below is a selection of quotes from various pieces. The best of the articles comes from the Dana Foundation‘s Cerebrum publication (which includes a list of accompanying research for more exploration). In their piece, Viorica Marian, PhD and Anthony Shook conclude: The cognitive and neurological benefits … Read More
BRAIN POWER: From Neurons to Networks
Video source missing
Your Brain By the Numbers
Scientific America recently published the engaging and amusing image below. It is the result of a collaboration between Wake Forest School of Medicine neuroscientist, Dwayne Godwin and the writer/illustrator of the Piled Higher and Deeper comic strip, Jorge Cham. Not only will some of these fact amaze you, you’ll have fun reading them, perhaps due to the associative memory the … Read More