Snip: That’s why a new breed of educators, inspired by everything from the Internet to evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and AI, are inventing radical new ways for children to learn, grow, and thrive. To them, knowledge isn’t a commodity that’s delivered from teacher to student but something that emerges from the students’ own curiosity-fueled exploration. Teachers provide prompts, not answers, and then they step aside so students can teach themselves and one another. They are creating ways for children to discover their passion—and uncovering a generation of geniuses in the process.
Tag Archives: youth
McDonalds to stuff kids books into Happy Meals next month | USA Today
McDonalds, the kingpin of fast food and lightning rod for consumer activist groups, plans to distribute more than 20 million paperback books inside its Happy Meals in the U.S. during the two-week period between Nov. 1 and 14.
Snips:
[T]he four books are based on McDonald’s own animated animals, including a goat, ant, dodo bird and, yes, a dinosaur…The books, whose titles include The Goat Who Ate Everything and Doddi the Dodo Goes to Orlando, will focus on nutrition, imagination and active play.
McComb says McDonald’s will partner with literacy non-profit Reading Is Fundamental to give out an additional 100,000 books. The Nov. 1 roll-out is a tie-in with National Family Literacy Day, she says. Each book is 24-28 pages. McDonald’s declined to give a dollar value for each book.
Read: McDonalds to stuff kids books into Happy Meals next month | USA Today.
These Teenage Girls Are Some Of The Most Promising Scientists Of The Future | Co.Exist
Girls made up more than half of the finalists at Google’s Science Fair, the largest in the world. From turning banana peels into plastic to diagnosing skin cancer, here were a few of our favorite projects.
3 projects are reviewed including producing bioplastic from banana peels, diagnosing melanoma, no human help necessary and a better way to predict the spread of tumors.
Teachers ‘frustrated’ over Reading for Pleasure | The Bookseller
Teachers have a strong desire to teach reading for pleasure but feel frustrated by a restrictive curriculum, a lack of support from parents and a drop-off in school librarian numbers, according to publisher Egmont.
In the latest instalment of Egmont’s Reading Street study into children’s reading habits, the publisher’s consumer insight team surveyed 250 teachers about their pupils’ reading. The majority were classroom teachers, with 77% teaching children at primary stage and 66% having been in the profession for more than a decade.
Over half the teachers surveyed said there had been a decline in the number of children who read for pleasure over the course of their career, with the majority observing this trend over the past decade.
Read the full story: Teachers ‘frustrated’ over Reading for Pleasure | The Bookseller.
Kobo and Free the Children Partner to Advance Literacy of Aboriginal Youth Across Canada | Kobo Cafe
“Toronto, September 17, 2013 – Kobo, a global leader in eReading, and Free The Children, today announced a year-long partnership focused on supporting literacy among Aboriginal youth in Canada. Both organizations share a commitment to making Reading more accessible and are working together to support literacy programs in Aboriginal communities across the country. Kobo has donated 3,500 of its award-winning Kobo Touch™ eReaders as well as $100,000 to develop a program designed to cultivate a love and passion for reading. The program includes a speaking tour to educate youth about literacy in Aboriginal communities and encourage them to explore their own culture through digital reading.”
The Full Story: Kobo and Free the Children Partner to Advance Literacy of Aboriginal Youth Across Canada | Kobo Cafe.
Books for Boys and Books for Girls: Problems with Gendered Reading | Book Riot
Interesting opinion piece from Kelly Jensen, a librarian and a blogger.
Snip: “When we buy into these ideas about boys and reading, we also make a statement about girls and reading. We believe they’re automatically readers. They don’t need our support or encouragement to be life-long readers because reading is part and parcel of being a girl.”
Read: Books for Boys and Books for Girls: Problems with Gendered Reading | Book Riot
Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons | The Digital Shift
Should libraries and librarians use Tumblr? Is it wise to wade into this alluring sea of wacky photos, pop-culture commentary, and gifs—snippets of moving images—in order to virtually chat about best book lists, library events, title recommendations, and our favorite quotes?
Yes, and here’s why. The key to a useful social network is to strategically use communication tools, understand each network’s reach, and guarantee ease of use for all involved. Tumblr can be a successful way to connect to new and diverse audiences, provided you understand who you’ll be attracting to your site and how to use Tumblr to your advantage.
The post includes 8 tips for successful tumbling.
See the full story: Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons | The Digital Shift.
Arlington library system starts ‘1,000 Books Before Kindergarten’ to urge a love of reading | The Washington Post
Books are one of Chloe Leitmann-Morales’s favorite things. She sorts through the full shelf in her family’s Arlington County living room, pulling out her choices one after another, then settles comfortably on almost any nearby lap. She’s ready to listen and follow along as her father, mother or grandmother reads about Dora the Explorer, different kinds of bellies or the dog Blue, in both English and Spanish.
Chloe has “read” more than 1,000 books. She is 2 years old.
She is a poster child for the Arlington County Public Library system’s “1,000 Books Before Kindergarten” program, a months-old effort encouraging preschoolers to strengthen language skills, build their vocabularies and begin love affairs with stories and the printed word.
Read the full story: Arlington library system starts ‘1,000 Books Before Kindergarten’ to urge a love of reading | The Washington Post.
Dr. Seuss Available as eBooks for First Time | GoodReader
Random House Children’s Books, the publisher of multi-award winning and best-selling children’s author Dr. Seuss’ entire catalog of children’s content, announced today that it would begin releasing most of the author’s forty-four books as ebooks for young readers, starting with fifteen titles near the end of this month. The ebooks will keep the original layout and beloved illustrations, but will also incorporate a read-aloud narration.
See the full story: Dr. Seuss Available as eBooks for First Time | GoodReader.
‘Teachers on Pinterest’ Offers Education-Based Inspiration | PCMag.com
[T]his week announced a new effortto support “a community of creative, inspiring and hard-working people who make a difference to millions of kids everyday” — teachers.
A number of elementary school educators have already joined the fray, partnering on the launch of Teachers on Pinterest, where teachers can find everything from lesson plans for different grades to classroom decorating ideas.
Pinterest is also working with the online educators’ resource Edutopia to continue building the website’s education-focused community.
See the full story: ‘Teachers on Pinterest’ Offers Education-Based Inspiration | News & Opinion | PCMag.com.
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