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Research shows Eyes and Ears understand differently – implications for learning and working |
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By Fusive on
Sunday, February 19, 2006
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A new study by Carnegie Mellon University scientists in Pittsburgh have shown that because of the way the brain works, we understand spoken and written language differently, something that has potential implications in the workplace and in education, among many other things.
In the first imaging study that directly compares reading and listening activity in the human brain, Carnegie Mellon scientists discovered that the same information produces systematically different brain activation. And knowing what parts of the brain fire during reading or listening comprehension affects the answer to one of the classic questions about language comprehension: whether the means of delivery through eyes or ears makes a difference. "The brain constructs the message, and it does so differently for reading and listening. The pragmatic implication is that the medium is part of the message. Listening to an audio book leaves a different set of memories than reading does. A newscast heard on the radio is processed different
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Research shows online access increases student learning |
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By Fusive on
Saturday, February 18, 2006
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A detailed and interesting research study in America quoted here demonstrated clearly that using the children who had access to the Internet to gain information performed a great deal better on key comprehension, communication and presentation skills than those that had no access. As parents we need to understand that our child’s access to the Internet is now essential for them to learn to succeed in this modern world – however, Internet access is a two-edged sword – it makes it even more important that kids are kept away from harmful sites – and also are not just left to randomly surf the net – but helped to learn the research, independent information-finding skills, and ability to analyse and weigh the quality of information. They will need help to do this – parents themselves may well have to brush up on their own skills. The report of this research will help you (like it helped me) to know what the skills to be developed actually are !
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Preparing Emily for School – Language and General Knowledge (2) |
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By Fusive on
Friday, February 17, 2006
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Children in Infant classes are involved in many activities that require them to use language and to solve problems. Children who can't or don't communicate easily may have problems in school. There are many things we can try to do to help children learn to communicate, solve problems, and develop an understanding of the world.
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Getting Emily Ready for School (1) |
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By Fusive on
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
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There is no one quality or skill that children need to do well in school, but a combination of things contributes to success. These include good health and physical wellbeing, social and emotional maturity, language skills, an ability to solve problems and think creatively, and general knowledge about the world. We try to help our children develop in these ways though its true that children develop at different rates, and most children are stronger in some areas than in others. Also we are aware that that being ready for school depends partly on what the school expects. Children who match the school's expectations may be considered better prepared. Its important to visit the child's school to learn what the Head and teachers expect and discuss any areas of disagreement.
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Helping to develop good television habits |
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By Fusive on
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
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Children have watched an average of 4,000 hours of television by the time they begin school. Most experts agree that this is too much. But banning television isn't the answer, because good television can spark curiosity and open up new worlds to children – develop vocabulary , encourage listening and develop attention-spans (at its best). But its obviously a good idea to monitor how much and what television children watch helps them, starting at an early age, to develop good viewing habits.
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Are parents doing the homework ? |
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By Fusive on
Saturday, February 11, 2006
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The issue of parent’s involvement in homework has been in the national press as well as being a focus for educational research – it is being said that parents can create more problems for children than they solve. This is affecting the confidence in the reliability of GCSE coursework as an indicator of student’s ability. The government QCA guidelines suggest that parents help at many stages of child’s homework – so what on earth is it that parents should do ? Where do they draw the line ? It its not clear is it ? Children should do their own work – is this heresy ?
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So how do you find out if your child has ADHD or not ? |
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By Fusive on
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
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There appears to be no single diagnostic test for ADHD or similar conditions so different sorts of information needs to be gathered. ADHD requires a medical diagnosis by a doctor, usually a child or adolescent psychiatrist, a paediatrician or paediatric neurologist or a GP. Treatment can be behavioural management or drug therapy and/or other therapies that depends on the particular diagnosis. Around half the children diagnosed with ADHD appear to grow out of it, but for others some symptoms follow them through to adult life.
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So when are behavioural difficulties in children ADHD or ADH or something else ? (2) |
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By Fusive on
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
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Looking through the research data and information available on ADHD and ADH and other behavioural problems it seems that parents and teachers could end up labelling a perfectly normal child – as well as having serious worries unnecessarily. Many children have tantrums and difficult periods – which is just a by product of growing up naturally – and sometimes one wonders if the problem is in the skills of being a parent and setting a framework of house rules and discipline and not with the child who is being allowed to behave badly. It is true, however, that there are illnesses and learning problems that can affect children’s behaviour that are NOT ADH or ADHD and that need considering separately. But also parents need to develop a flexible toolkit for dealing with behavioural problems in their children whether they are diagnosed ADH or ADHD or any other acronym, I feel.
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Paying attention – young children often have difficulty –when is it a problem ? (1) |
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By Fusive on
Sunday, February 05, 2006
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There is so much in the press about attention disorders and “hyperkinetic” disorders where children have behavioural problems associated with a poor attention span. ADD refers to Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. BUT many young children (especially boys) are full of energy, restless and have short attention spans. It is really difficult to understand when impulsiveness and inattentions are the actions of a perfectly normal boisterous child who will later settle down, or when the behaviour is symptomatic of something that will prevent a child learning effectively and socialising with other children. Some pointers on attention and hyperactivity are given here.
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Looking into the national standards for under 8s day care – for healthy living |
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By Fusive on
Saturday, February 04, 2006
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“In 2001 the Government introduced national standards for under-8s day care to ensure a consistent approach to the regulation of day care in England. The standards state that 'day care providers must ensure that children are provided with regular drinks and food in adequate quantities for their needs and that this is properly prepared, nutritious and complies with dietary and religious requirements.” I wonder how many providers are sticking to the requirements – and I wonder how many parents who provide lunches for their children have been offered the huge amounts of published information on healthy packed lunches ?
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