Learning and Life Skills

Recognizing Spatial Intelligence a necessity for talent assessment

 
Ninety years ago, Stanford psychologist Lewis Terman began an ambitious search for the brightest kids in California, administering IQ tests to several thousand of children across the state. Those scoring above an IQ of 135 (approximately the top 1 percent of scores) were tracked for further study. There were two young boys, Luis Alvarez and William Shockley, who were among the many who took Terman’s tests but missed the cutoff score. Despite their exclusion from a study of young “geniuses,” both went on to study physics, earn PhDs, and win the Nobel prize. 

via www.scientificamerican.com

Just as many young people who have grown up on farms, handling equipment and solving various and sundry problems that arise as they complete their chores, have gone on to be successful engineers.  Their abilities were developed and enhanced through their daily work with objects and the mechanics of equipment used on the farm.  These skills, while not included in 'gifted' testing, are spot on in terms of 21 century skills and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).   Another testament to the futility of determining the futures of our children based on a 'one-point-in-time' assessment. 

Parents must take the bull by the horns and engage their children in learning and developing skills that will serve them for a lifetime - regardless of the specialized programs the school systems will permit or not permit them to participate in.

Find resources for developing creativity, problem solving, critical reading and reasoning skills through my website: ThinkingToLearn.com. 

 

 

 

 

New York City... and the saga continues as "Parents Fret as Kids Seek 'Gifted' Status"

The number of incoming kindergartners who took the test to qualify for gifted programs in New York public schools shot up 13% this year over last, according to data released by the Department of Education Thursday.

It is no small thing to feel as if there is only one alternative for your child getting what he/she needs - the gifted program - and realizing that the one high-stakes test determines it all.   Parents need access to additional resources to use at home to help their children develop crucial 21 Century skills and cognitive abilities - like critical thinking and critical reading - regardless of whether those skills are taught at school.

What are you doing to ensure that your child stays challenged and growing in his/her learning?  Have you considered how to develop and build key skills - creativity, collaboration, critical thinking outside the school system?  If so, how are you making it work?

 

"Above And Beyond" - new animated video highlights 21 Century skills

via www.youtube.com

There are so many questions raised by this video from FableVision and the Partnership for 21 Century Skills. 

My interest is on parent involvement.  How can we, as parents, encourage and develop these skills in our children?  How can we reduce, if not eliminate, the eradication of these skills once children begin attending formal schools? 

According to P21, "...the 4Cs -- communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity - complement and strengthen traditional school instruction."  How can parents play a role in making sure that these skills are recognized and valued in their child's life at home and at school?

Does your child's school talk about, reinforce, heighten these skills?  Do you know whether they are deliberately and directly taught?  If so, how?  What are you seeing?

 

 

The status quo in education no longer suffices.. the global achievement gap - thoughts for parents

A post by Dr. Scott McLeod, coordinator of the Educational Administration program at Iowa State University and the director of CASTLE, in his blog Dangerously!Irrelevant,  summarizes well the issues regarding how we educate our children in the United States.  Dr. McLeod shares his letter to the Ames, IA School Board Members, who are in a candidate search for both a new District Superintendent and a high school principal.   His aim is to build awareness and a desire to hire professionals concerned with the how we are preparing students for the demands of the 21st Century.   Parents need to hear these concerns, understand them, and begin to address them at their schools and in the home.

The following is an excerpt I found most important.  You can find a link to the entire blog post just following the quote.

"Dr. Tony Wagner, Harvard University, notes that there are two achievement gaps in this country. The first is the gap between the educational experiences of middle-class children and those of most poor and minority children. The second gap is that between what even our very best schools are teaching and testing versus what all students will need to be successful in today’s globally interconnected, technology-suffused, information economy. The new educational paradigm requires an emphasis on critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, creativity and innovation, information fluency and media literacy, data synthesis and analysis, and the applied use of many other higher-level cognitive skills, much more frequently than we currently are doing in our classrooms.

"... We have many things of which to be rightfully proud. But the second global achievement gap that Dr. Wagner so aptly describes will increasingly be an issue for our schools and our community if we do not transition from a system in which student success is judged by mastery of lower-level cognitive work to one that emphasizes to a much greater degree the skills of higher-level thinking and real-world application."

via dangerouslyirrelevant.org

For my part, this post again reaffirms my commitment to encourage the development of these skills in my child independent of the school system. Parents are increasingly becoming aware of the need to supplement, or as in my case, to home-school in order to implement these ideas in the near term. To what extent can we partner together - parents and schools - home-schoolers and home-supplementers - to impact the education and futures of our children?

We cannot afford to wait for educational reform. We have already waited too long. For our children it will come too late, if it ever really comes.

Join with me to explore ways that parents can engage directly in their child's education and  practically implement the ideas discussed as "authentic learning" and "21st Century Skills". I'll be exploring the following questions: What are these skills?  Why are they important? Can they be taught at home? If so, How and with what resources? What can research tell us, if anything? How can parents partner with their local school to enhance learning and build these skills?  These are questions I'll be exploring through this blog. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Wanting to hear - Can We Do More, Mom? then try Mind Benders

Picture this....a young boy doing his daily school work at his desk.  You're working with him on science. The 'deer in the headlights syndrome' is taking over. (In case you aren't familiar with this syndrome, the symptoms include but are not limited to:  slouched shoulders; head propped up with hand; eyes open but staring off into space, then rolling into the back of the eyelids; excessive, almost debilitating yawns; followed by loud snoring. (only slightly kidding here).   Bottom line - you are losing your student. 

You look at the clock, see that lunchtime is approaching, realize that the brain sitting before you needs to WAKE UP!, and you say something like, "Let's do some of these activities just before we break for lunch."  Miraculously, the half-dead, zombie-like student that slouched before you moments before is now wide-eyed, smiling, and awake.  His pencil is gripped firmly in his hand anticipating the unfolding of the book, and the sound of an enthusiastic, "Whoopee!" fills the air. (still only slightly kidding)

What, you ask, could elicit such a reaction?