Boys and girls tend to use different parts of their brains to process some basic aspects of grammar, according to the first study of its kind, suggesting that sex is an important factor in the acquisition and use of language:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...210527.htm

Cheers,
Christina

It is the age-old question that remains disputed: What sort of minds should we be trying to develop in our children? According to Dr. Howard Gardner, there are at least five kinds of minds that we should be developing: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/educa...048886.stm

Cheers,
Christina

Taken from a referral by Seagarama (My personal thanks to you for many usefull referrals) and to our expert

THIS IS A FINE METHOD OF TEACHING FOR POLISHING UP AN ALREADY WELL TAUGHT STUDENT BUT LITTLE USE WITH A BABY

YES SOCRATES WAS CORRECT UNLESS WE ARE TAUGHT TO THINK WE ARE NOT TAUGHT AT ALL

I BELIEVE IT WAS BLAKE9(No John Locke, founder of British empiricism) THAT SAID THE MIND OF THE NEW-BORN CHILD WAS TO BE COMPARED WITH A BLANK PAPER

MOST OF US ARE BABIES

Robert Lee Moore and the Moore Method
Robert Lee Moore (1882-1974) was a towering figure in twentieth century mathematics, internationally recognised as founder of his own school of topology, which produced some of the most significant mathematicians in that field. The 50 students he guided to their PhDs can today claim 1,678 doctoral descendants. Many of them are still teaching courses in the style of their mentor, known universally as the Moore Method, which he devised. Its principal edicts virtually prohibit students from using textbooks during the learning process, call for only the briefest of lectures in class and demand no collaboration or conferring between classmates. (Exceptions were Moore's calculus and analytic geometry courses in which textbooks were used for setting problems. His doctoral students were allowed to refer to the literature mainly to ensure their theses were original.) It is in essence a Socratic method that encourages students to solve problems using their own skills of critical analysis and creativity. Moore summed it up in just eleven words: 'That student is taught the best who is told the least.'

-- From J. Parker, R. L. Moore: Mathematician and Teacher (Mathematical Association of America, 2005), p. vii.

Moore's long life was mainly devoted to mathematics and to his students but it intersected with many of the principal social issues of 20th-century America. Some of the key events are given in A Chronology of Moore's Life and Times.

hi
I am looking forward to know more about the dyscalculia from the perpective of classroom teacher. like how these children behave , what other kind of problems if any these children have? what do other children and they think of themselves......peer interaction. What is the reaction of teachers not trained well to teach and take care of the needs of these children........

thanks
love
bharti

Three new studies published independently last week in the journal Current Biology have yielded new insights into "mirror neurons" and point the way to two intriguing conclusions: The mirror system seems to be involved in the human capacity for language, and people with stronger mirror neuron responses to sounds seem to also have a larger capacity for empathy, suggesting the mirror system is part of the brain mechanisms that produce altruistic behavior.

Read more about this: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...00718.html

Cheers,
Christina

I would like to get feedback on SAT Test Prep website, http://www.satprepplan.com. The most interesting part about the site is the custom study plan creation tool. It works like this: students take the SAT practice test and then a custom prep plan is created for them based on their strengths, weaknesses, times to study, and time until the test. SAT Prep Plan also includes a bunch of practice problems, problem solving videos, SAT vocabulary, tips and other prep materials. Any feedback about the site I can get would be great.

i am going to sit for 0b0-104 exam in next 2 weeks and looking to purchase certmagic q&A for this . can anyone plz let me know how good is their prep for this exam before i shell my $29 out

An interesting article on creativity: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.d...242/health

Do you think creativity can be taught? How?

Cheers,
Christina

WHAT WE NEED TO CONSIDER ABOUT EDUCATION

What a child learns naturally, and what skills need to be taught to assist the child in developing its brain in order to make the best use of its own natural abilities.

The first thing a child learns naturally is language, purely by imitation and associating sound with meaning.

With the use of Abacus One basic math’s principals can be taught from the time the child learns to speak, naturally the child counts in its own language first, but for instance a Japanese or any none English child simply sees the language written in English as a picture of the meaning it associates with that number in its own language, just as it associates the numerals with the sound of its own language, to start learning English the child can then be taught the alternative sounds for English.

How? Simply by chanting in English. A child can simply copy the sound.

The child’s brain is programmed to copy sound and associate that sound with meaning.

So the child begins to count on the abacus using the meaning of numbers it already understands in its own language, using English sounds, at this stage the English words are still only a picture that the child understands the meaning of in its own language.

AND so we start to learn the English sounds of numbers.

First of all the rhythmic sound of the numbers one to ten.

Nothing in the whole world can be easier for a child that can already count to ten.

In less then one week any child will be able to count in English and remember for the rest of its life, the sounds of the numbers one to ten.

The second sounds to learn in rhythmic chanting are the centre column it is even easier then the numbers one to ten, the child already knows the number ten and the endings of the words provide the rhythm until we shout out
ONE HUNDRED

STARTING ON THE LEFT HAND COLUMN OF THE ABACUS WE ALREADY HAVE THE MEMORY OF EVERY WORD

AND so we move on from TEN.

Ten and one are eleven, ten and two are twelve, ten and three are thirteen, ten and four are fourteen, ten and five are fifteen ten and six are sixteen, ten and seven are seventeen, ten and eight are eighteen, ten and nine are nineteen, finally in this count ten and ten are twenty, a word already remembered in meaning and sound.

ALLWAYS SHOW THE COUNT IN TRAINING THE SOUND AND SIGHT COMBINATION

Along with the word million the child should then have the sound and meaning of a million million numbers using only thirty words, practicing those words is no problem the abacus or the abacus one map provide the tools for this learning program.

Using the English language to learn mathematics in the earliest and most comprehensive manner ever developed by any human to date will provide every child on earth with the possibility of communication in a common language and science, for mathematics is the basis of all science.

USING ENGLISH TO PROCESS NUMBERS IN MATHS PROVIDES THE CHILD WITH ABILITY TO MAKE THE SOUNDS NEEDED IN VITUALY ALL ENGLISH WORDS

Having taught the child to read English numbers subconsciously as it uses the Abacus One and the Abacus One map provided in English and the Childs natural language, we must logically proceed to teach the child to read English.

Learning to read English can proceed alongside learning mathematics with Abacus One both for an English child or a child of any nationality at around three to four years of age.

AGAIN WE USE THE POWER OF RYTHMIC CHANTING

WE USE CARD SIZE LETERS PLACING THEM IN ORDER OVER A SIMPLE ALPHABET MAP ONCE WE HAVE ESTABLISHED THE RYTHMIC SOUND MEMORY FIRST. AS STEP ONE

Step two is to establish perfect sound and sight memory in combination, placing the cards over the map of the alphabet and tracing over numbers on a white board soon establish perfect memory, chanting is as valuable for natural English speakers as other children.

Simple three letter words can be used to illustrate the phonetic (natural) sounds of letters with sight and sound for children in other languages.


BUT CHILDREN WHO HAVE LEARNT ENGLISH NUMBERS ALREADY HAVE SUBCONCIOUS SOUND (phonetic) awareness.


THE FUTURE

FROM THE PAST WE HAVE VAST AREAS OF UNREALISED KNOWLEDGE, FROM THE PRESENT WE CAN MAKE NO DIFFERENCE TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED PREVIOUSLY NO SIMPLE OR COMPLEX WRONG CAN EVER BE UNDONE EVEN THE LAST THOUGHT WE HAD CAN NEVER BE UNTHOUGHT, IT MAY BE UNRECORDED BUT NEVER UNTHOUGHT. WE ARE THEREFORE ALWAYS AT CRISIS POINT. EVERY THING WE DO AND THINK IS FOR THE FUTURE, THE UITILISATION OF KNOWLEDGE CAN NOT BE WITHOUT CONSIDERATION FOR THE FUTURE AND ITS EFECTS ON HUMANITY.

SIMPLE COMUNICATION OF VAST AREAS OF PERIPHERAL ( NONE VITAL KNOWLEDGE) MAY CAUSE UNDUE HARM.

IT IS THERFORE ESSENTIAL THAT THE LINK BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND MATHEMATICS BE UITILISED TO BUILD A COMMON LANGUAGE. ENGISH IS ALREADY THE DOMINANT LANGUAGE OF INTERWORLD COMMUNICATION EARLY CHILDHOOD LANGUAGE CAN BE ACHIEVED JUST AS SIMPLY AS MATHEMATIC AWARENESS UTILISING A COMMON WORLD APROACH WITH ABACUS ONE AND A LITTLE EFFORT.

Laughter causes changes in the autonomic nervous system and alters stress hormone and neurotransmitter levels. For example, watching 60 min. of a video with the comedian "Gallagher" caused reductions in the stress hormone cortisol.

Then, if laughter is good for the brain, perhaps humor is a valid teaching tool. Do you use humor in your classroom? How?

All best wishes,
Christina

P.S. In the spirit of humor: What works even after it's fired?
Answer: A neuron!