Tags // School
Making teaching stick
After reading Switch (highly recommended) by Dan and Chip Heath I headed to their website to get more resources. I was pleasantly surprised by the range of resources they have there. From a short summary of the book to how-to guides on using the principles in different settings. The one that caught my eye was Teaching that Sticks, a resource from their previous book, Made to Stick. It is a wonderful article-length read that gives a handful of strategies that you can try immediately, such as using the unexpected to create focus and interest.
instructional design, school Add tag Permalink | Monday, March 08, 2010
Primary 1 math paper - cruel usabilty problems
I came back from work today to find my 6-year-old daughter in a bad mood. She was upset because Mommy told her that she got low marks in a math test! Surprised? Yes, in Singapore, reality hits early! I find it surreal that tests are given so early but I’m going along with it to see how all this works. So I’m biased over here. But that is not why I’m writing this post. I decided to write this post after what happened next.
I picked up the math paper and it took me a while to figure out how to do the sums. I’m pretty sure it will take you a while too. Here is part of the math paper.
Were you confused? I was. The instructions are too complex and there are just too many distractions on the page. The sums are numbered, the options are numbered and then the answers too are numbers! And did you find the “brackets”? They are on the right hand side, a trick I guess to test the range of the eyes!
See my daughter’s first answer in the brackets. Now see her second answer. Do you blame her for putting in the right answer in the bracket? Read the instruction, which number do I put in the bracket? The option number or the correct answer?
The point of this test I gather is to help the student better ‘see’ math in abstract and concrete terms. That’s fine, but where does trickery come in to play?
So, I took a shot at redesigning the paper and this is what I came up with in 5 minutes.
I gave the same paper to my grumpy daughter and asked her to try the sums out. She looked at the paper and knew exactly what to do. She had a smile across her face. That is when I decided that I should share my concerns with the world.
We live in a scary world where 6-year olds are asked to do such math sums. The least we can do is to motivate and encourage them to take on this challenge. Giving badly designed papers to these kids is such a cruel thing to do. So, if you come across papers like these then please do something about it.
school Add tag Permalink | Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Kiran Bir Sethi teaches kids to take charge
When will this infection catch on worldwide? These are the small pockets of hope that we have left. Brilliant stuff Kiran!
school, education Add tag Permalink | Thursday, January 14, 2010
iPhone + Book = Phonebook
Now this is interesting. The video does look very impressive.
interesting, school Add tag Permalink | Monday, November 23, 2009
Libraries and Readers Wade Into Digital Lending
NY Times reports on the emerging trend of borrowing e-books from libraries. It’s all nice but there are some cracks—e-books are treated as physical books. “Most digital books in libraries are treated like printed ones: only one borrower can check out an e-book at a time, and for popular titles, patrons must wait in line just as they do for physical books. After two to three weeks, the e-book automatically expires from a reader’s account.”
social media, school Add tag Permalink | Friday, October 16, 2009
Clive Thompson on the New Literacy
Clive Thompson discusses the new literacy in Wired Magazine. He uses a study by Andrea Lunsford of Standford University to base his claims that the Internet is providing a new ground for literacy development.
“Of course, good teaching is always going to be crucial, as is the mastering of formal academic prose. But it’s also becoming clear that online media are pushing literacy into cool directions. The brevity of texting and status updating teaches young people to deploy haiku-like concision. At the same time, the proliferation of new forms of online pop-cultural exegesis—from sprawling TV-show recaps to 15,000-word videogame walkthroughs—has given them a chance to write enormously long and complex pieces of prose, often while working collaboratively with others.”
Compare this post with the previous post where another Standford study finds that the fast-paced literacy confuses the decision-making process. We’re living in interesting times!
school Add tag Permalink | Sunday, August 30, 2009
Stanford d.school has a blog
The Stanford d.school blog -- d.news -- is now live. The Aravind Eye Clinic story continues to shine.
[Via Bob Sutton]
school Add tag Permalink | Thursday, November 30, 2006
Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0
Brian Benzinger over at Solution Watch has published his 3rd installment on Back to School with the Class of Web 2.0. This Web 2.0 factor is becoming so pervasive that its going to become increasingly hard for traditional courseware management systems to catch up -- in the right form, not in an assembled hotchpotch fashion.[via SoulSoup]
school Add tag Permalink | Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Video games have ‘role in school’
"The survey found 59% of teachers would consider using off-the-shelf games in the classroom while 62% of students wanted to use games at school."
gaming, school Add tag Permalink | Monday, October 02, 2006
Top Innovation & Design Schools
BusinessWeek has a special report on the best design schools around the world. Great read.
innovation, school Add tag Permalink | Sunday, October 01, 2006
Concept Maps Go to School
I use concept maps regularly in my work to gather requirements, problem-solve, explore design options, etc. I find it a wonderful consensus-building tool when used collaboratively. I use OmniGraffle for building my concept maps. This Wired article reports on the use of another free concept map building tool called Cmap, which is available on many platforms (yes,OSX too).
school Add tag Permalink | Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Virtual Schools for Jocks
More high school athletes are taking online classes. Does electronic ed work?
Ten or so years ago, budding athletes only had an "either-or" option when it came to considering education and sport. As this article reveals, e-learning has empowered such people by giving them an "and also" option. This is exactly the type of change we need in developing countries where for many the very existence of only the "either-or" leads them to a path of inaction.
school Add tag Permalink | Thursday, January 06, 2005
Mobile Learning Attracts High School Students
This was just waiting to happen: "Starting this month, high school students preparing for the college entrance exam will be able to use personal gadgets to study instead of textbooks on the bus or subway." [via SmartMobs]school Add tag Permalink | Monday, September 20, 2004
Sketchy Grades for Cyber Schools
Wired reports the failure of cyber schools in meeting quality issues: "In Pennsylvania, students who attended the state's six cyber schools scored below the state average in a majority of proficiency tests, according to 2003 test results."school Add tag Permalink | Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Asia-Pacific Perspectives: e!-Schools in Japan
Asia-Pacific Perspectives: e!-Schools Japan
Here's an interesting report on the role of IT in Japan. I like the way IT projects are related to the real-world. Here's one example from the e!-School project: "In a social studies class at the Third Municipal Elementary School in Mitaka City, Tokyo, 28 third graders are earnestly typing out e-mails on laptop computers. Equipped with the latest systems such as a wireless LAN (local area network), this progressive school is leading efforts to incorporate information technology into education. The purpose of this particular class is to teach students about real-world social interactions by having them communicate via e-mail with local shop-owners as part of the task of creating posters for the stores."
school Add tag Permalink | Tuesday, February 10, 2004
CLO: Connections: The Impact of Schooling
CLO: Connections: The Impact of Schooling"In a world where we don’t know what’s coming next, what constitutes good learning? We’re in whitewater now, and smooth-water sailing rules no longer apply. In whitewater, successful learning means moving the boat downstream without being dumped, preferably with style. In life, successful learning means prospering with people and in networks that matter, preferably enjoying the relationships and knowledge."
school Add tag Permalink | Monday, December 15, 2003
Cnet: Public schools: Why Johnny can’t blog
Cnet: Public schools: Why Johnny can't blog"At issue is a fundamental question heretical to many who have preached the power of computers in education over the last two decades: Does technology do more to improve learning than traditional teaching methods?"
school Add tag Permalink | Thursday, November 13, 2003
MSNBC: Are Computers Wrecking Schools?
MSNBC: Are Computers Wrecking Schools?"Oppenheimer is brutal in his assessment of the well-to-do "high tech" schools he visits, all too often finding teachers and administrators in a fog of self-delusion, bragging about glitzy student PowerPoint productions that in fact reveal scant understanding. He is equally cutting about the technologic follies he sees in underprivileged schools. This time he lays blame on ambitious administrators and clueless federal programs that ignore the real needs of teachers -- many of whom need careful coaching even to find the "Enter" key."
school Add tag Permalink | Friday, October 17, 2003
Wired: Schools Rule on Classroom Gadgets
Wired: Schools Rule on Classroom Gadgets"Students who bring their own PDAs to school today mostly use them as organizers and notepads. But many newer models have wireless Internet access, making it ever more difficult for teachers to detect students exchanging gossipy notes or test answers."
school Add tag Permalink | Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Wired: Web Cliques Too Cool for School
Wired: Web Cliques Too Cool for School"A clique is traditionally defined as a group of mostly teens who spend a lot of time together, control who hangs out with them and talk about a few specific subjects. But these days, another definition of a clique is a website that serves as a virtual gathering place, where the site's owner picks the topic of discussion, sets rules for joining and vets whose on-topic sites can be linked."