Another report has been published which shows the sad increase in over-protectiveness by parents of their children. Parents are increasingly denying children the opportunity to learn naturally, to enjoy life and to be children. The consequences for those children are not just a more boring life today, but also less enjoyable and successful life as …
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Category:Education
Charles Darwin on-line
Some of the notes of Charles Darwin were first put on-line in October 2006. Today they become more complete with the addition of the first draft of the book which changed the world’s attitude to evolution. The draft notes are among 20,000 archive items created by the 19th Century naturalist during his lifetime, which include …
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Cooperative learning
Cooperative learning is an idea that is gaining traction. The approach is more productive and efficient than competitive learning, which is the staple of most schools. Below is a useful introduction from the Georgia Educational Technology Training Center. Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of …
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Home education Q and A
Tracy Culleton has published a well written and useful Q&A on home education. Those interested in home education or expanding their engagment with their children may get some useful perspectives from it. Here below are reproduced a few paragraphs. Her site also has useful links to home education resources. Q: Why are you home-educating? A: …
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More sex education needed for all
In the UK Children the Terrence Higgins Trust, the NSPCC and the National Union of Teachers have called for enhanced and extended education about sex. The authors of a letter ot the Times say that children should be taught about sex and relationships throughout their time in school because children needed to know about health …
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Humans not as smart as monkeys …
Well the headline is cheeky, but highlights the similarity between humans and other primates. Findings, published in Current Biology, suggest we may have under-estimated the intelligence of our closest living relatives. Research suggests chimpanzees have an extraordinary photographic memory that is far superior to ours. Young chimps outperformed university students in memory tests devised by …
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International education study released: PIRLS and TIMSS
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study was just released. It is a wide survey focusing on primary school reading standards, conducted every five years. It also surveys aspects such as how safe children feel. At right is a summary table extracted from the press release pack (zip). The executive summary is here. Other links …
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Literacy is declining rapidly in developed economies.
The following extract from PPI Trade Fact of the Week makes sobering reading. While the data is for the US, I am sure that it reflects similar trends in other wealthy nations, certainly anglophone ones. The culprits of declining literacy are presumably attractive TV, movies and video games combined with lowering of scholarship standards by …
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Education should provide more support for experiential learning over academics in early years
Dr Lilian Katz, a professor of education at the University of Illinois, USA who addressed an international conference on foundation-stage learning at the University of Oxford, spoke out against plans to teach reading at pre-school and said there is a danger that children could be put off reading for life. She said: “The evidence we …
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Emotional intelligence at 6 months
According to new research, 6 month old babies can already assess someone’s intentions towards them, deciding who is a likely friend or enemy, even though they are barely able to sit up. Like all social creatures, humans are able to make rapid judgements of other people based on how they behave towards others, but the …
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