"More than 1,000 of California’s 9,500 schools are branded chronic failures, and the numbers are growing. Barring revisions in the law, state officials predict that all 6,063 public schools serving poor students will be declared in need of restructuring by 2014, when the law requires universal proficiency in math and reading.
“What are we supposed to do?” Ms. Paramo asked. “Shut down every school?” more»
REPORT: National Action Plan for STEM Education
The United States possesses the most innovative, technologically capable economy in the world, and yet its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education system is failing to ensure that all American students receive the skills and knowledge required for success in the 21st century workforce... more»
ARTICLE: Snooze or Lose
Overstimulated, overscheduled kids are getting at least an hour’s less sleep than they need, a deficiency that, new research reveals, has the power to set their cognitive abilities back years... more»
QUOTE: Goethe on How We See and Learn to See
"We don’t know what we see; we see what we know."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
STUDY: Ten Myths of Scientific Collaboration
From this book, here are 10 myths of scientific collaboration...
Big Myths...
Other Myths...
Big Myths...
- ICTs improve collaboration
- Larger collaborations are more rigid & hierarchical (No -- on matters pertaining to the generation of scientific research, they are not. Size is less significant than we suspected.)
- Outcomes of a collaboration determine success.
- Collaborations are based on Trust. (Trust has no influence on outcomes.)
Other Myths...
- Co-authorship tells us important things about collaboration
- We can learn from high energy physics. (Not typical - Physics is only typical of high-energy physics. Not a model.)
- Collaboration is a necessity
- Collaborations are formed by people who know each other.
- Collaborations benefit everyone (e.g., Matthew effect).
- Benefits of collaboration are greater than the costs. (Believe it -- but it isn’t true.)
BOOK: Structures of Scientific Collaboration
"Collaboration among organizations is rapidly becoming common in scientific research as globalization and new communication technologies make it possible for researchers from different locations and institutions to work together on common projects. These scientific and technological collaborations are part of a general trend toward more fluid, flexible, and temporary organizational arrangements, but they have received very limited scholarly attention..." more»
The authors find that collaborative research depends on both technology and bureaucracy; scientists claim to abhor bureaucracy, but most collaborations use it constructively to achieve their goals. The book analyzes the structural elements of collaboration (among them formation, size and duration, organization, technological practices, and participant experiences) and the relationships among them. The authors find that trust, though viewed as positive, is not necessarily associated with successful projects; indeed, the formal structures of bureaucracy reduce the need for high levels of trust--and make possible the independence so valued by participating scientists.
SPECIAL ISSUE: Social Cognition in SCIENCE
Social cognition is a very active field these days. SCIENCE magazine recently did a series of articles on recent developments... more»
OPINION: Cave Man Didn’t Have Classrooms
In the beginning, there was action -- and learning was accomplished through sustained apprenticeships and deliberative practice. And now, of course, there is still action -- but we put a lot of energy into thinking it isn't the central thing... more»
The cave man’s mind was never prepared for, or concerned with, knowing. There was no test. There were no game shows. There was no Nobel Prize. There was action. The winner was the person who brought down the elk or buffalo. He didn’t have to know how to do it, at least not consciously. He had to be able to do it. What knowledge he had was unconscious. He may not have been able to say what he knew that helped him throw a rock straight. He could just do it. He practiced a lot.
RESOURCE: NCTM Illuminations - Standards-based resources that improve the teaching and learning of math
From the national organization that oversees math ed...here are activities, lessons, clarifications about standards, and links to resources involved in the teaching and learning of math... more»
ARTICLE: 2007 Visualization Challenge Winners
Scientific visualization is a powerful representational practice that can clarify complex concepts, reveal patterns in data, or provoke a deep aesthetic reaction. SCIENCE magazine held a contest to identify the best visualizations in science for 2007... more»
TALK: Pushing Past the Achievement Gap (video)
Gloria Ladson-Billings presents a broad conceptual framing / reaction to the achievement gap... more»
REPORT COMING: National Science Board to Release National Action Plan for 21st Century STEM Education
The National Science Board (Board) is scheduled to unveil a national action plan for 21st Century STEM education on Wednesday, Oct. 3, in a briefing at the U.S. Capitol... more»
Back from summer vacation...
I went to a much lower level of posting over the summer given a range of research, professional, and personal goals. The academic year just started yesterday. I'll be back to more regular posting to the blog.
LEGISTLATIVE NEWS: The House and Senate passed the America Competes Act; President Signs It Into Law
As of the August congressional recess, Congress is poised to add billions of dollars to proposed budgets for the federal investment in research and development (R&D) for fiscal year (FY) 2008... more» more» more»
REPORT: A National Action Plan for Addressing the Critical Needs of the U.S. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education System
The National Science Board proposed on Wednesday a "national action plan" intended to spur major improvements in the teaching of science and mathematics at all educational levels but especially elementary and secondary schools... report» article»
ARTICLE: The Scientific Research Potential of Virtual Worlds
Online virtual worlds have great potential as sites for research in the social, behavioral, and economic sciences, as well as in human-centered computer science... more»
ARTICLE: 10 Practical Uses For Psychological Research in Everyday Life
Here's a top 10 list of what you can learn practically from psychological research... more»
BOOK SERIES: Acting with Technology
Books published in this new series are concerned with the study of meaningful human activity as it is mediated by tools and technologies. The series will explore developments in postcognitivist theory and practice concerning technology from the fields of sociology, communication, education, and organizational studies, as well as from science and technology studies, human-computer interaction and computer-supported collaborative work... more»
ARTICLE: Baby Einsteins: Not So Smart After All
Mounting evidence suggests that passive screen sucking not only doesn't help children learn, but could also set back their development...more»
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