Nov 20
It was amazing to see students at the end of 1st grade, only 2 years into the program, drawing electrical diagrams and cannibalizing circuitry from one toy to create something completely new. I attended the November 5 workshop by the Children’s Innovation Project at the CREATE LAB at Carnegie Mellon University. Melissa Butler and Jeremy Boyle presented the …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/11/20/kindergarten-and-circuit-boards-the-childrens-innovation-project/
Oct 28
Grow a Generation advocates active learning, engaging young people in meaningful projects, and tapping into a person’s intrinsic motivation to learn. I’ve challenged parents and teachers to see technology as a tool to help develop a generation of innovators, critical thinkers, collaborators, young people able to take criticism, to fail and rise, who are empowered …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/10/28/assigning-wikipedia-entries-for-a-college-classroom/
Oct 07
I was given a chance to preview a new documentary film on the state of math education in the United States, The Biggest Story Problem: Why America’s Students are Failing at Math. The film opens with stories of Middle School students struggling in math and quotes some alarming statistics. Three quarters of US students fail …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/10/07/the-biggest-story-problem-a-new-documentary/
Sep 19
The news came a few weeks ago that Neil Armstrong had died. He is a personal hero and I mourn his loss, especially coming so soon after Sally Ride. I went into my computer and resurrected the slides from a presentation I did at the Western PA Montessori school, Neil and Buzz Go to the …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/09/19/neil-armstrong-bill-nye-and-the-war-on-math-and-physics/
Aug 07
A friend wrote and asked last week: “My grandchild will turn 6 in September. Do you know of any game or book for her age to get the math and science query started? She starts Kindergarten late August.” (thanks Anna Mae!) Here are my ideas… Do you have others? 1) Books! So important. As an …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/08/07/libraries-the-start-of-math-and-science-queries/
Aug 03
I just finished five fantastic mornings with some brilliant hardworking middle schoolers, CMU Robotics Academy Curriculum on Robotics Engineering, seven Mindstorm robots, and five robot challenges. Life is good. Thank you to CCBC and the Beaver County STEM for sponsoring and encouraging such a great week, but most of all thank you to the parents willing to …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/08/03/curiosity-for-curiosity/
Jul 13
I just finished reading Switch by Chip and Dan Heath from the perspective of a person and parent trying to understand how to motivate myself and my child to action. It was a great complement to Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow reviewed last month. The Heath’s metaphor for what Kahneman called System One and System …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/07/13/switch/
Jun 16
Daniel Kahneman, the psychologist who won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics, wrote what is considered by the NY and LA Times, Economist, and Wall Street Journal, one of the best books of 2011. In Thinking Fast and Slow : He uses questions to understand the brain, for example: A bat and ball cost a …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/06/16/thinking-fast-and-slow-and-being-a-devils-advocate/
Jun 08
Do you actually sit down and set goals with your kids? Share your experiences! I’m big on goal setting. I have my own mission and goals I visit often, and so do my kids. I read and listen to leaders in education and 21st century businesses announce that our kids need to not merely have …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2012/06/08/summer-goals-and-portfolio-building/
Dec 30
Eighteen year old Ben Breedlove died on Christmas Day, leaving behind a touching video on the heart condition that took his life. This young man, who had struggled since age four with the fear of a young death, used social media to reach out to his friends and make new friends. Ben created the popular …
Permanent link to this article: https://growageneration.com/2011/12/30/dreams-and-hopes-for-a-new-year-in-the-eighth-continent/
