Kid-Friendly Neuroscience

The human brain is a control center: It monitors everything our body does, every minute of every day. Chances are, your child's science teacher has introduced the human brain in passing. So, your child may not know that his brain, which sends messages to other parts of his body through nerves, or bundles of neurons, controls his movements and also makes his thoughts and emotions possible.

You may know a bit about neuroscience – the study of the nervous system – through books like Oliver Sacks’ recent Musicophilia, which compiles stories about unusual neurological disorders, some of which make people see certain colors when they hear a particular kind of music, or associate a specific scent with a musical octave. Another book, Proust Was a Neuroscientist, shows that taste and smell are more powerful than sight: Memories from childhood, for example, are more vividly recalled through our tongue or nose.

Sounds fascinating, doesn’t it? Well, experts in this cutting-edge field are learning more about the brain’s mysterious nature, and its connections to perception, memory, and the development of our language. NeuroKids, created by youngsters Bo Erik and Shennendoah Hollsten, and the University of Washington’s Neuroscience for Kids both maintain colorful and illustrated resources on the brain. If your child loves science and is a gross-out guru, he'll enjoy picking apart the cerebrum, cerebellum, and other parts of a wrinkly, pinkish-gray plastic model of the brain.

But neuroscience trickles into disciplines other than science, like music, art, cooking, and literature. So if your child isn’t an aspiring scientist, an overview of the field is still helpful to understand how we learn new skills and remember information, move our bodies, or dream and imagine new ideas. The brain controls everything. And who knows? Your child may one day be a neuroscientist.

To understand, then, how the field relates to various interests or professions, consider these activities with your child:

The Memoirist:

If your child enjoys writing, telling childhood stories, or recounting places she’s been or people she’s known, she probably senses the power of words and the emotions and memories they evoke. The cerebral cortex, the outer layers of our cerebrum where most of our thinking takes place, is made up of different lobes. The temporal lobe – the hippocampus in particular – is associated with memory.

Exercise: Gather at least 25 objects in your house and spread them out on a table. Allow 30 seconds to study the items, and then cover them. Write down as many objects as you can remember. After, create a poem incorporating the words on the list. Compare your stanzas to see how a person’s unique memory creates a distinct poem.

The Psychologist:

Fascinated by Freud? If dreams and the unconscious intrigue your child – or he prefers movies or books of fantasy and the supernatural – he may be interested in his brain’s activity during sleep. Your child spends about 8 hours a day, or 122 days a year, in deep sleep! It may seem like a lot of time doing nothing. His brain, however, is very active while he snoozes, making sure his body is replenished with energy for the next day. Most dreaming occurs during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a stage in which his eyes quickly move back and forth.

Exercise: To monitor the REM stage, quietly observe a family member as they sleep to see if the person’s eyes shift back and forth. There are only four or five periods of REM over the course of a night’s sleep, so you may miss it.

Another activity is to keep a dream journal. Leave a notepad and pen next to your bed before you sleep, and when you wake up, record visuals, sounds, and feelings from, as well as questions about, your dreams. Train yourself to gather fragments from dreams with your eyes shut after you wake up. We lose details from our subconscious the moment we open them.

The Chef:

If your child has seen Ratatouille, there’s a good chance the flavorful film got him interested, or at least hungry for, gourmet food. Budding chefs – and kids who simply appreciate delicious dishes – may be interested in learning how the brain relies on sensory receptors, like the tongue, to collect information about chemicals in food and drinks.

Exercise: Test your taste buds. In paper cups, create different “flavors” of water: Dissolve salt in cup A, mix sugar in cup B, squeeze lemon or add vinegar into cup C, and pour tonic water into cup D. Use a dropper or thick toothpick to graze different areas of the tongue – front, sides, middle, and back – with each liquid. (Rinse between each test with unflavored water). Are parts of the tongue more sensitive to salty, sweet, sour, or bitter tastes?

The Musician:

“Our ability to make sense of music depends on experience,” writes Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music. Over time, a person grows to prefer a particular style, such as rock, jazz, reggae, R&B, electronic, or classical, and finds certain rhythms, tempos, pitches, and melodies familiar and comforting.

Music – and most creative pursuits – has been associated with the brain’s right hemisphere, which deals with aesthetics, feeling, and intuition. “Each time we hear a musical pattern, we try to contextualize the sounds, and eventually, we create memory links between a set of notes and a particular place, time, or set of events,” writes Levitin. Often, listening to music is subjective and emotional.

Exercise: First, gauge your hearing acuity. You can try this several ways. Situate yourself in a park or busy (but safe) street intersection, put on a blindfold, try to detect various sounds, and compare your results. An indoor alternative is playing a recording of sound effects and identifying noises. (That CD used for last Halloween's haunted house is fitting!)

Next, proceed to more complex sounds. Choose several CDs of different genres: Classical, jazz, and rock are good bets because each is composed of different instruments, from string and wood to brass and percussion. Take note of the instruments you recognize and enjoy in each song, and which ones you dislike. What do you like about a particular sound, but not another?

Neuroscience is a fast-growing field, and scientists continue to discover new, unprecedented ideas about the brain. The possibilities for learning about this science are endless, so get that noodle working!

By: Cheri Lucas - Education.com

Tips for Parents: Helping Parents Understand Their Profoundly Gifted Children

The very definition of profound giftedness includes the extremely individual nature of the development of these children. We can discuss this development in general terms, however, much of what we discuss will apply differently to each profoundly gifted child. Being familiar with the basic structure and function of the human brain will prove invaluable as we seek to understand how we might nurture profound giftedness.

Nature and Nurture

It has been established that at birth nearly all human infants come equipped with a marvelous, complex heritage that contains some 100 to 200 billion brain cells. Each neural cell is in place, ready to be developed and used for actualizing the highest levels of human potential. Such a structure will allow us to connect cells to process trillions of bits of information in our lifetime. However, it is estimated that we actually use less than 5% of this capability. How we use this complex system is guided by the patterns provided by our genes, the element within the cell nucleus that transmits a hereditary character and forms essential parts of our DNA that become critical to our development of intelligence, personality, and the very quality of life we experience as we grow. However, genes do not make specific bits and pieces of a body; they code for a range of forms under an array of environmental conditions. Moreover, even when a trait has been built and set, environmental intervention may still modify inherited effects. Enriched education can increase intelligence. Genes provide us with a structure or pattern but are dependent upon the environment for the particular characteristic that they will express. Whereas genes provide us with our own unique menu, the environment makes the actual selection within that range of choice. It is misleading to think of either genes or the environment as being more important: Genes can only express themselves in an environment, and an environment has no effect except by evoking genotypes already present. Siegel (1999), medical director of the Infant and Preschool Service and associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles concludes, "Genes contain the information for the general organization of the brain's structure, but experience determines which genes become expressed, how, and when" (p. 14).

Levels of Giftedness

The area of gifted education recognizes three levels of giftedness, the moderately gifted students that comprise the major group of gifted learners, the highly gifted persons who are as different from this major group as the moderately gifted are from average learners and the profoundly gifted learners. The highly and the profoundly gifted learners tend to evidence more energy than gifted individuals; they think faster and are more intent and focused on their interests. They exhibit a higher degree of ability in most of the traits we have identified with giftedness. Such children are less able to benefit from regular classroom experiences, and modifications to their educational programs need to be more comprehensive and developed to a much higher degree to meet their needs than is necessary for less gifted learners.

Studies of the profoundly gifted learners suggest that they differ significantly from highly gifted students as a result of differently wired neurons that allow more complex and efficient neural highways for transmitting information. They seem to have different value structures, which usually allow them to cope with the dissonance they find between their perception of life and that of the average person. They tend to be more isolated by choice and more invested in concerns of a meta-nature (e. g., universal problems). They seldom seek popularity or social acclaim.

A pressing issue is the provision of an appropriate education for profoundly gifted students. Typically, schools offer these students little; some educators suggest that tutoring with eminent authorities or homeschooling would be a far more productive educational plan. The higher the expressed intellectual ability, the more difficult will be the problem of finding a match between the school programs and the child. Although many school settings give limited priority to differentiating learning experiences for gifted students in general, even less concern is given to the highly and profoundly gifted student.

Characteristics of Profoundly Gifted Individuals

Profoundly gifted individuals seem to be characterized by their uniqueness; each is different from others their age and from others who are highly and profoundly gifted. There are, however, some characteristics that seem to be common among such children. These include both marvelous traits that provide joy and fulfillment to the individuals and those that result in deep frustration and despair as they confront structures that have no space for them and attitudes that have no understanding. Some of the most often found characteristics are:

* Extraordinary speed in processing information.
* Rapid and thorough comprehension of ideas and concepts.
* Unusual ability to perceive essential elements and underlying structures and patterns in relationships and ideas.
* The desire for precision in thinking and expression resulting in the need to correct errors and argue extensively.
* Ability to relate a broad range of ideas and synthesize commonalities among them.
* Early development of a high degree of ability to think abstractly.
* Appreciation of complexity; ability to find myriad alternative meanings in even the most simple issues or problems.
* Ability to learn in an integrative, intuitively nonlinear manner.
* An extraordinary degree of intellectual curiosity.
* Unusual capacity for memory.
* A long concentration span.
* A fascination with ideas and words.
* An extensive vocabulary.
* Ability to perceive many sides of an issue.
* Argumentativeness.
* Advanced visual and motor skills.
* Ability from an early age to think in metaphors and symbols; a preference for doing so.
* Ability to visualize models and systems.
* Ability to learn in great intuitive leaps.
* Highly idiosyncratic interpretations of events.
* Awareness of detail.
* Unusual intensity and depth of feeling.
* A high degree of emotional sensitivity.
* Highly developed morals and ethics and early concern for moral and existential issues.
* Unusual and early insight into social and moral issues.
* Ability to empathetically understand and relate to ideas and other people.
* An extraordinarily high energy level.
* A need for the world to be logical and fair.
* Conviction of correctness of personal ideas and beliefs.

A Summary of Clues from Brain Research for Educators at Home and School

There are exciting clues in brain research that can help parents optimize learning experiences for their youngsters. The following summary of ideas will help parents get a better idea of how to use the information:
An Enriched Environment

* includes a steady source of positive emotional support.
* provides a nutritious diet with adequate amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals, and calories
* stimulates all senses, but not necessarily at once.
* is stimulating and includes appropriate challenges that encourage curiosity, exploration, and the fun and excitement of learning.
* gives a child an opportunity to choose many of his or her own activities.
* provides an atmosphere with a degree of pleasurable intensity, but free of undue pressure and stress. (Note: Stress produces biochemistry for the adrenal cortex that dampens cerebral cortical function. Fear, threat, anxiety, and tension make it very difficult to learn.)
* presents a series of novel challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult for the child at his or her level of development. (Note: The brain responds to novelty, to the unexpected, and to discrepant information. Novelty registers information independent of rewards or punishment, and such processing is more effective for learning. When asked to repeat, drill, or do reinforced repetitive activities, the brain habituates, that is, responds automatically without thought, and such practices may be counterproductive to learning concepts; doing something new and different is the way to gain information most effectively.)
* includes activities that are physical, cognitive, affective, and intuitive to ensure balanced and integrated brain growth.
* allows the child to be an active participant, rather than a passive observer.

At School:

* Individualized instructional planning is strongly indicated as each person responds uniquely to the environment.
* The use of single goals or objectives does not allow for developing patterns and relationships; bright minds require complexity.
* The brain does not just process information or amplify thought, it constructs meaning. Didactic teaching is no longer justifiable; instead, teachers must create problems to solve.
* The brain attaches emotional significance to information; good learning derives from exciting teaching. Emotional responses are often more important in making cognitive decisions than are our rational processes.
* Optimal development requires the active involvement of the learner.
* Concrete experiences and active sensory stimulation are needed at both elementary and secondary levels. Written material (e.g., texts and workbooks) alone is not appropriate to teach abstract concepts.
* The processes and content of both specializations of the right and left hemispheres of the cortex need to be included in curriculum planning to take advantage of their complementary nature.
* Opportunities must be given for alternative modes of learning and expression so that the whole cortex is used for support and integration, preventing the limits to knowledge and understanding brought about by teaching each discipline as a separate specialization.
* The brain is a model builder generating models of reality. Students' minds do not just record what is taught; the brain makes inferences.

Remember:

1. The potential of brain development is essentially unlimited for most individuals.
2. The dynamic nature of the brain allows intellectual growth to progress or regress, but not to maintain or remain static.
3. How intelligence is expressed will depend on the individual genetic pattern and anatomical structure in interaction with the support and opportunities provided by the environment.

As we have seen, intelligence is dynamic. As relevant as the axiom "Use it or lose it" is when applied to abilities and talents, when it focuses on the profoundly gifted learner it is critical. They and we have so much to lose.

By: Barbara Clark - Davidson Institute for Talent Development - Education.com

Musical Intelligence

"Of all the gifts with which individuals may be endowed, none emerges earlier than musical talent" (Gardner, 1983, p. 99). Leonard Bernstein had lots of it; Mozart, presumably, had even more (Gardner, 1993b). Types of musical skills one might encounter in young, exceptionally talented individuals (called prodigies) might include playing a Bach suite for solo violin with technical accuracy as well as considerable feeling; performing a complete aria from a Mozart opera after hearing it sung but a single time; or playing on a piano a simple minuet the child has composed. There is a wide range of musical skills and abilities found in the human population and of ways in which people encounter music through the senses, media, and modalities. These abilities might be shown through singing, playing instruments by hand or with the mouth, writing or reading musical notation, listening to recordings, or moving to music.

Music has been described as the controlled movement of sound in time, and the "succession of tones and tone combinations so organized as to have an agreeable impression on the ear and its impression on the intelligence is comprehensible" (see Sessions, 1970). Composers, for example, work with tones, rhythms, and an overall sense of form and movement when deciding how much melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic repetition is appropriate and how much variation or elaboration is required to achieve their musical ideas (Gardner, 1983). Of the constituent elements of music, pitch and rhythm are central to the tonal and temporal aspects and provide the structural and organization components of the aural expression (Wright, 1985). While pitch and rhythm can exist independently, most often musical elements coexist.

Musical intelligence involves musical memory, a sensitivity to sound, and a responsiveness to sound sequences and structures. In addition, most people who have been involved intimately with music acknowledge the importance of emotions. Music conveys emotions or affects by capturing the forms of these feelings—it imitates the world around us and our human emotions (Worth, 2000). However, these emotions are more in the abstract than directly linked to events, objects, or persons. Music, which is perhaps the most abstract of the various art forms, is similar to abstract art—there is no object to which our emotions can be directed. In some ways, understanding music is a purer process than understanding language, because language is complicated with outside referents in order to determine meaning and to communicate. Music does not have easily detectable referents. Instead, it represents what is closest to us, too close to be put into words. It has the capacity not only to "go beyond words, but to exist only beyond words" (Worth, 2000, p. 105). Music is about "the experience that moves us, that reaches the deepest part of our interior world, that part in which the human spirit resides" (Eisner, 2001).

By: S. Wright - Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall - Education.com

Handling Children's Feelings in Public Places

We live in a society that has a demanding and judgmental attitude toward parents and young children. Often, the attitude toward children in public is that they should be seen and not heard, that the parent should be “in control” of the child’s behavior, and that children who are having feelings in public are a nuisance. In short, children are not really welcome. Their freshness, curiosity, and frank expressions of feelings are not seen as a gift.

In addition, the childrearing tradition that has been handed down to most of us sets us against our children when their behavior isn’t convenient for adults. Others expect us to criticize, use harsh words, punish, isolate, shame, threaten, or physically attack a child who is “misbehaving.” No parent really wants to act like an adversary to the child he loves. We treat our beloved children in these ways when we can’t think of anything else to do, or when we fear the disapproval of others.
You can learn to predict your child’s emotional moments

There are certain situations in which young children often become emotionally charged. These situations include:

* Being with several people: with the whole family at dinner, at a family gathering, a meeting, a birthday party, the grocery store, church, or temple.

* Moving from one activity to another: leaving home for day care, leaving day care for home, stopping play for dinner, going to bed.

* Being with a parent who is under stress: the parent is cooking, cleaning, shopping, trying to finish a task on time, and is upset because there’s so little help.

* At the end of any especially close or fun-filled time: after a trip to the park, after a good friend leaves, after wrestling, chasing and laughing with Mom or Dad.

When children become emotionally charged, they can’t think. They simply can’t function normally. They become rigid and unreasonable in what they want, and are unsatisfied with your attempts to give them what they want. They can’t listen, and the slightest thing brings them to tears or tantrums. Their minds are full of upset. They can’t get out of that state without your help.

The help your child needs at this time is to have you set kind, sensible limits, and then for you to listen while he bursts out with the intense feelings he has. This spilling of feelings, together with your kind attention and patience, is the most effective way to speed your child’s return to his sensible, loving self. A good, vigorous tantrum, or a hearty, deeply felt cry will clear your child’s mind of the emotion that was driving him “off track” and will enable him to relax again and make the best of the situation he is in.

“Do I have to listen to a screaming, flailing child in the middle of the supermarket?”

Several adjustments of our expectations are necessary before we can let ourselves to be on our children’s side as they do what they need to do in a public place.

* We need to remember that every good child falls apart often in public places. This is, for some reason, the way children are built!

* We need to remember that our society has trained people to disapprove of children doing what is healthy and natural. People disapprove of horseplay, of noise, of exuberance, of too much laughter, of tantrums, of crying, of children asking for the attention they need. This disapproval is out of line. Children are good, and their needs are important, including the need to offload bad feelings.

* We need to decide that, as parents, it’s our job to treat our child well. When other adults criticize him, it makes sense to do what we can to be on our child’s side. If a child doesn’t have his parent to protect him from harm, who will?

* We need to realize that being parents means that we will have to advocate for our children in many settings: with doctors and nurses, with teaches, with relatives, and with strangers.

* Finally, we need to acknowledge that children legitimately need far more attention than it is comfortable to give. Adults who gave less attention to their own children, or who got little attention themselves as children, will be upset when they see you giving undivided attention to your child. We can expect these upsets, but we don’t have to be governed by them.

“OK, but what do I do when my child falls apart in the supermarket aisle, or at the grandparents’ house?”

* Spend one-on-one time with your child before you take him to a public place, so that you and he are connected with each other before heading into a challenging situation. Then, stay connected. Use eye contact, touch, your voice, and short spurts of attention to keep him in the orbit of your love. This contact is deeply reassuring, and can sometimes defuse situations that your child often finds difficult.

* When you see an upset brewing, make contact right away. See if you can find a way to play, so that your child can laugh. Laughter relieves children’s tensions, and allows them to feel more and more connected. If, when you make contact, your child begins to cry or tantrum, do what you can to allow him to continue. His upset will heal if the feelings are allowed to drain.

* Slow down the action, and listen. If getting into the car seat has triggered tears, then stay there, seat belt not yet done, and let the tears flow. Listen until he is done. Because of this cry, your whole day, and his, will improve.

* If necessary, move to a more socially acceptable place. Go to the back bedroom, or move your grocery cart out the exit to the sidewalk. Do this as calmly as you can. Your child isn’t doing anything wrong. It’s sort of like a car alarm going off accidentally—loud, but not harmful to anyone. These things happen!

* Plan what you will say to people who express their opinions or concern. It’s hard to come up with a comment that says, “We’re OK—don’t worry!” in the middle of wild things happening, so think ahead. You can adopt some phrase like, “We seem to be having technical difficulties,” or, “My daughter really knows how to wail!” or, “It’s that kind of a day!” or, “After he’s finished, it’s my turn!” or simply, “We’re OK. I don’t think this will last all day.” A comment like this reassures others, and gives the message that you are in charge.

As one parent I know put it, “I’ve finally figured out that it’s my job to set a limit when he’s going “nuts,” and it’s his job to get the bad feelings out. As I listen to him, people might not be able to tell that I’m doing my job and he’s doing his, but at least I know that’s what’s going on.”

By Patty Wipfler - Hand in Hand - Education.com

How Can Teachers and Families Work Together?

To work well with families and help young children learn, teachers need to know several things. The following skills are ones that parents can look for in their child's teacher. These are also skills that parents can help teachers learn. Teachers need to know:

* About families—who they are and what they want for their young child.
* How to involve families in their young child's learning.
* How to talk with families.
* How to support families in helping their young child learn at home.
* How to involve families in the classroom and school.
* How to support families' interests and needs.
* How to share decision making with families.
* Respect and value different cultures.

Research on how teachers learn to work with families shows good examples of families and teachers as partners and the important role that families play. For example, in an early childhood center in Napa, California where the preschool teachers are mostly non-Hispanic and the families are mostly Hispanic, the teachers invited the families to the center to learn from them about their culture and their goals for their young children. In this way, the parents and teachers helped each other gain important knowledge about what the families and teachers valued, how to communicate with each other, and how to work as partners.

In an early childhood center in Fort Worth, Texas, teachers and other staff members have helped busy parents save time and have more time to spend with their young children. Parents can drop off their dry cleaning at the center when they bring their children there in the morning. They can also buy snacks for the ride home when picking their children up in the evenings. Many of these time-saving ideas came from parents who returned a survey about what they needed help with most from the child care center.

By Holly Kreider - Harvard Family Research Project - Education.com

School Success for Your Child

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 helps to ensure that all children receive a high-quality education and holds schools responsible for making sure that all children are learning. The information below is consistent with this important law.

This brochure includes information on things you can do at home and at school to help your child be a more successful student, including tips for parents of students with disabilities.
Background

Every child has the power to succeed in school and in life, and every parent, family member and caregiver can help. The question is: How can we help our children succeed?

We know, for example, that children tend to follow their parents' example. Children watch what we say and do. Parents are truly their children's first teachers, and this role lasts a lifetime. When we show our children that we value education, it gives them a powerful model for success. At home, we can take steps to support our children's education. Also, research shows that when parents and families are involved in their children's schools, the children are more likely to succeed.
What You Can Do at Home

As a parent or caregiver, no one cares more about your child's education than you. Get involved in your child's education at home. Here are simple tips that may be useful to you:

* Encourage Your Child to Read. It's the single most important thing you can do to help your child succeed in school. Read aloud to your baby right from the start, and make reading together part of your daily routine.

* Encourage Healthy Habits. Research shows that regular sleeping times, good eating habits and physical exercise are critical for student success.

* Monitor Homework, TV Viewing, Computer Use and Video Game Playing. Have a special place and regular time for your child to study, and check to see if your child needs help. Set limits on time spent watching TV, using the computer and playing video games.

* Encourage Your Child to Be Responsible and to Work on His Own. Help your child choose activities that build knowledge, responsibility and independence, and be aware of his activities after school, in the evenings and on weekends.

* Communicate With Your Child. Have daily conversations with your child about his or her school day.

* Praise Your Child. Provide consistent, encouraging words to help motivate young children.

Working With Teachers And Schools

Learn everything you can about your child's school. You know your child best and understand her needs. Ask for a school handbook and read it over. Ask the principal and teachers about the school's expectations of your child and how it will prepare your child to succeed in life. Visit the school's Web site for more information. Ask for information in your native language.

Talk with your child's teacher early and often—and start talking right at the beginning of the school year. Contact the teacher immediately if you notice a change in your child's behavior or school performance or if your child doesn't understand an assignment. If you don't understand a school rule or the teacher's assignments, set up a meeting to talk about the issue.

Stay involved in your child's school activities. Attend school events. Go to sports events, back- to-school nights and parent-teacher meetings. Volunteer in your school.

Tips for Parents of Students With Disabilities

When a child is having a reading or language problem, the reason might be simple to understand or it might require extra help. Some children may have a learning disability.

If you think your child may have some kind of learning problem, get help quickly. Talk with your child's teacher or principal. By law, schools must provide special help to children with disabilities. By: U.S. Department of Education - Education.com

Charter Schools on the Rise: What You Need to Know

Charter schools have been around for nearly 20 years and their numbers have been swelling in recent years, with 1.5 million students and more than 4,900 schools throughout the country, according to a 2009 survey.

But this past summer, President Obama gave parents who may not be familiar with charter schools billions of reasons to consider this alternative to traditional public schools.

More than $4.3 billion in grant money, part of the federal stimulus program, is available through the U.S. Department of Education. States interested in battling for the money have already turned in applications in the first part of the Race to the Top program that encourages innovative programs that emphasize several key areas, including turning around low-performing schools and raising standards through test scores and other accountability measures.

The president, in interviews since the summer, has made it clear that charter schools are an important part of the Race to the Top initiative, and states with laws that limit the number of charter schools could find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes time to dole out the $4.35 billion.

"The stimulus has had an interesting effect ... It's creating a debate about charter schools—and making that debate even more widespread—particularly in the 10 states that don't have them," said Paul O'Neill, a senior fellow with EdisonLearning and an adjunct professor at Columbia University, where he teaches education and special education law and has a special course on charter school design. EdisonLearning is an educational management firm that promises to improve school performance in public and charter K-12 schools and is affiliated with 125 schools and 350,000 students in the United States and Britain.

Charter schools offer an opportunity to create a school to meet specific needs, while still relying on public dollars, O'Neill said. Charter school organizers can establish their own discipline rules and set up the kind of educational program they want—like dual Spanish-English curriculum originally established at the Family Life Academy Charter School in the south Bronx in New York—as long as it is approved by the governing authorities.

For example, there have historically been restrictions on single sex public schools, leaving that arena largely for private and parochial schools. However, changes to the federal Title IX rules several years ago eased that ban, O'Neill said. A group of parents in Baltimore have taken advantage of the change and created a charter school model for an all boys school called Maryland Possibility Prep.

Charter school proponents must come up with a contract with state officials, often from the Board of Education, laying out the rules and setup of the proposed school. Depending on the size of the proposed school, and if the charter model is approved, a budget is approved by state officials. Most charter schools have a "charter term" or contract period of five years, though some are longer. When that period is up, the state decides whether to renew the contract and can examine accountability statistics to determine the future of the school.

Because charter schools have only existed since 1991, and they are only located in 40 states plus Washington, D.C., O'Neill said he routinely runs into parents who know very little about charter schools. By: Bob Ross

8 Tips to help you (and your kids) adjust...

Every year, school boards across the country grapple with the issue of redistricting: Drawing new lines to decide which kids go to which schools, thanks to the opening of a new building, the closure of an old school or lopsided class sizes among schools in the same district. Once these new lines are drawn, many kids end up stuck in the middle.

If redistricting means your child is at a new school this year, it's a sure thing she’s going through a period of adjustment – which could be rough if he was happy at his old school. “It is a big deal for your child, no matter what age they are,” says Dr. Mary Beth Klotz, a certified school psychologist at the National Association of School Psychologists.

Still, in this situation your child isn’t the only one who has to get used to a new school. Everyone is in the same boat and some of your child’s old friends are probably at the new school too, which makes the transition less disorienting than moving to a whole new neighborhood.

The process of redistricting is often contentious, but Klotz says that once the new lines have been drawn, parents should keep a positive attitude and encourage their kids to embrace the new opportunities that a different school can bring.

When you’re talking to your kids, emphasize the good things like a new playground and the chance to be the first kids ever in a new school, says Dr. Karen Hoving, a psychotherapist in Aurora, Colorado.

Here are 8 tips to help you (and your kids) adjust:

* Make new friends and keep the old. The nice thing about new attendance boundaries is that some of your child’s old friends will probably be going to the new school with her. Set up a play date with some of her old friends and some new ones – or if she’s older, help her plan a sleepover or movie night. Make sure your help your child keep in touch with her friends that aren’t attending the new school.

* Keep up-to-date. Find out how parents at the new school keep in touch. Is there a parent e-mail listserv? Sign up for it. Does your child’s new teacher have a website? Check in regularly to keep tabs on homework assignments and classroom activities. Staying abreast on homework and happenings at school will make the transition easier for everyone.

* Get involved. Look for a way for each family member to find a place in the new school community. Is there a club or sports team your child might like to join? Could the PTA or PTO use your help on a project? Is there a school picnic coming up? Getting involved at school will not only help you and your child get to know others, but it's also a great way to show support for your child's education.

* Volunteer. Schools can always use volunteers. Give some of your time if you can. This will also allow you to get to know teachers and staff at the new school on an informal basis.

* Stay in touch. Attend back-to-school night to get acquainted with your child’s teacher. Find out if he prefers e-mails or phone calls from parents. Ask what your child can expect to learn this year and how much homework to expect every night. Asking questions and communicating frequently will help you and your child will help you stay ahead of them game when adjusting to a new school.

* Talk to your child. Ask your child what she thinks of the new school. What is her teacher like? Who does she eat lunch with? What are the names of her new friends? If you had to go to a new school when you were a kid, tell her what it was like. If you didn’t, describe how you might have felt about it. It's important to make your child feel like her feelings matter and that she has a say in this new situation.

* Remember: The teacher is your ally. Every day your child’s teacher sees how your child is progressing academically and socially. If your child is having trouble making friends or is struggling with her homework, contact the teacher right away. “The teachers will give you feedback on what they see,” Hoving says. “Anything can be helped if you catch it early.”

* Ask for help. If your child has been in the new school for a few weeks and is having problems with the change, talk to a school counselor or school psychologist. Talking to someone other than a teacher or parent can make a hugely positive impact in how your child adjusts and deals with any problems she may be having at school.

Remember that going to a new school is a new start for your child. She has a chance to make new friends and get to know new teachers. With caring adults like you by her side and lots of support at home and at school, she'll make it through the transition and come out a stronger person. By Rebecca VanderMeulen

Faces of Education

Education is a wide topic to discuss. It composes of several subsidiaries that leads to one specific goal. Goal that leads man to dream and keep fighting for the better. Well, to define Education. Education is the basic foundation of knowledge and plays a vital role in everyones success. There would never be professionals like teachers, engineers, doctors, hairstylist, cosmetologist, and some other forms of profession if there were no educatio at all.

Simply because education was the driving force and very essence in uplifting man's personality. It develops enlightens one's mind and perhpas it is the greatest and noblest constructive force ever set in motion.

To cite a specific profession, let cosmetlogist be the sample of profession. Do you think there'll be cosmetologist, hairstylist and beauticians if there's no education? Of course not! All of their God given talents is hone through education and through the help of Regency Beauty Institute who in one way taught them all the techniques and proper guidlines of becoming a versatile cosmetologist.

So, if you guys are one of those people who wanted to become a well-known beauticians and famous hairstylist better enroll your self now at Regency Beauty Insitute and earn the degree for cosmetology to become a certified beauticians. With them, education for cosmetologist is just a click away! This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com

Taking Outdoor Education Up a Notch

Kindergarten outside? For more than recess? Yes, indeed. It's part of a growing worldwide trend toward outdoor education. The schools are called Forest Kindergartens.

The numbers are small so far in the U.S., but the idea is well established in Europe, with schools in Scotland, England, and Switzerland. By far the most such schools are in Germany, which has more than 400 Waldkindergartens.

Some schools feature several hours of outdoor schooling. This is certainly the case with the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. Children attending that particular school enjoy a good amount of outdoor education each day, rain or shine. They know to come with layers of clothing because they know that they will be venturing out on the nearby Hemlock Trail to learn more about the natural world around them. Some lessons are focused on nature; others are academic topics delivered in a natural setting. In all cases, students are active — not sitting at desks or on mats on the floor but walking, running, jumping, solving problems like how to get the mud off the bottoms of their shoes before their parents find out.

Seriously, the focus is on activity at these schools. Even lessons on words and numbers involve the children's being active because the teacher leads the class to an outdoor "classroom." All of this activity just has to be good for the children's physical systems as well, and studies have supported just that conclusion over the years (including the fact that children's immune systems actually get stronger after all of the outdoor activity). Other studies have shown that graduates of Waldkindergartens show a higher ability to learn when they progress through their academic careers.

Other schools are all outdoors, al the time. This is the case with the Cedar Song Nature School, on Vashon Island, Wash. Students at this school come dressed for the weather, all right, but they spend their whole three-hour day outdoors, in a private five-acre forest, doing all manner of physical activities but also learning much more than "just what nature has to offer."

The school, begun in 2008, runs four days a week. Organizers, one of whom traded in her law practice to help start the school, hope to expand the schoolweek to five days soon.

At these forest kindergartens, students learn science by observing and doing it, learn math by applying it to the natural world around them, learn letters and words by putting them together using sights and sounds. The children learn to make comparisons using mundane things like pine cones and rocks. (Which pine cone is the largest? Which rock is the shiniest?) They develop an appreciation for animals and plants in their natural environment — not just by looking at pictures in a book or on a computer screen.

Some of the science activities involve teamwork (like demonstrating the best way to move a heavy object (showing how a lever works, anyone?). In other sessions, teachers encourage students to develop their motor skills by building wooden tools such as hammers and cutlery.

These students also learn how to get along with one another, individually and in a group. They also develop healthy levels of self-confidence, just from being able to do the everyday activities that the school offers.

In a time when so many children are being classified as obese because of their obsession with sedentary activities like watching television and playing videogames, these outdoor schools serve as a reminder that before the advent of the "screen mentality," children learned just as much, if not more, from opening their eyes to the (nonvirtual) world around them.

Living a Healthy Lifestyle...

Educate Your Family, Educate yourself and your family. Learn how to cook healthy meals for your children and your family. The more knowledge you have as an adult, the more you can pass on to your children and give them a healthy start in life.

Build a Support Group, If you are starting a strict diet, try to get the support from your family and friends. The more informed people around you are the more you can count on them to support you in your pursue of a healthy lifestyle.

Avoid Temptation, Clean out the cupboards in your kitchen and through out everything that you shouldn’t eat. Create a new healthy kitchen for you and your family. Do not buy anything in the grocery store that is not on your diet. If you bring it home, you will end up eating it at a weak moment. The rule is very simple: If you shouldn’t eat it, don’t buy it!

Top Up On Tap, Bring a bottle of water with you everywhere you go whether it’s shopping, driving in your car, going to a meeting or just to work. Don’t let that water bottle leave your side all day. Keep drinking your water throughout the day.

Beat The Pavement, Take a walk around the block at night before you go to bed to clear your mind and to get some fresh air before you go to sleep. If you work in the city, take a 20 minutes walk at your lunch. It will relieve some stress and get your metabolism going. If you have the possibility to take a power nap nothing will recharge your batteries better then a 20-30 minutes catnap.

Information is organic!

Information is organic. Its form and location can change from one moment to the next depending on who is using it. One second it is here. The next second it is there. To secure information is to understand how it can be used, where it will exist, and what it may become. Every moment of every day.

Complacency is the enemy of security. Information will continue to change.

To keep information secure, we must be able to predict and adapt. Intuitive Information Security combines human intuition the application of knowledge based on experiences, patterns and trends and adaptive technology to create new strategies. Evolving security strategies that can be automatically deployed across entire networks instantly. No matter how much information changes.

How to determine Quality Post?

Its been quite sometime now that I have been blogging to those things that best interest me. Things, places and serious matters that somehow encourage me to write a quality post in order to sustain an interactive blog in which some nor many of those bloggers, visitors and viewers who came in to browse my blog will somehow at least appreciate my work though I’m not really particular on who are they nor what level of Education they been. What’s important for me is they will understand my purpose of writing a specific post nor they will easily arrive to the point of knowing the essence of a particular thing.

I admit that, I may not be a good writer nor a perfect blogger who will respond to those issues about writing a quality post but one truth about all this things is I’m sincere of what I am doing. I know what are my limitations in this field and eventually what are the things that I need to learn. Blogging is still learning! Education is always involve in any activities you been craving to do so. Specifically, blogging is one of a great idea to learn and explore new things around us. It enables us to do certain things that we didn’t do before. Yes! Definitely! For what reason? Well, I guess for those bloggers out there knew already what I mean. But to discuss it, you are certain to do those things for one reason and that was to build story , discussion and experience that you can probably post it on your online journal/blog. Right?

On the other hand, I don’t know exactly what does other people say about ” QUALITY POST “… Obviously, its self explanatory subject. But I was just really wondering that there are lots of people out there who use to say that your post “doesn’t make any sense “ … or let say ” you really had a bad grammars and vocabularies “… One thing and foremost, Who are you to tell me like those word? Who are you to discriminate my work? Do you think your qualified enough to judge me? Oh common people! Nobody’s perfect in this world not unless you think you are! Actually, I happened to arrive to this topic since, I got a friend who just started to do a paid post in a couple days ago but too bad He was being ban by one of the paid post company ’cause according to them ” Very poor quality reviews that do not meet many of our requirements “… Yes! they had a right to do it but my concern is “What kind of reviews they want? “… He’s giving his honest feedback as to what he think is right! But still they ban him without any warning which means to say he could no longer be accepted in there company anymore!….

My purpose of writing this post is to let those ADVERTISERS know that you are only looking for feedbacks on your site, services and products and one thing for sure to anticipate on that is you’ll probably receiving a personal feedback on it. Don’t expect more since, we are not being paid to advertise your products! We are just paid to provide a FEEDBACK and REVIEWS. Get it?…. So, I just do hope that everything will be fair….

Truth About Cancer....

Cancer is already a risk in and of itself…they way a person lives, however, can influence and, at times, increase the risk of getting cancer. Now, if you’re asking, is theres a risk for anyone of any age group to contract cancer, then the answer is yes. Just like what DA said, there are factors that predispose a person to have cancer. However, this does not necessarily imply that elderly people are more likely to get cancer as opposed to children, teens, and normal adults. In essence, everyone can be a candidate for cancer. The only thing to consider is, of what nature is the cancer going to be. A good example is leukemia, which essentially is the cancer of the white blood cells. Children and teens are more likely to contract this disease compared to adults, but elderly people can acquire it too.

Cigarette smoking increases the likelihood of a person to contract lung cancer, mainly because cigarette sticks have aldehyde compounds that react with the epithelial lining of our lungs, causing tissue damage and necrosis. Our lungs can regenerate, but constant smoking increases the chance of the cells giving rise to abnormally diving cell lines which have mutations in the genomic DNA, thus leading to faulty DNA synthesis and cell division. Now, you may be wondering why your aunt, even after smoking tons of cigarette sticks and consuming so much packs in her lifetime of smoking, did not contract lung cancer. This is not a surprise as this is analogous to people who never smoke actually are actually the ones who contract lung cancer.

There are a number of reasons. One of which includes your aunt’s metabolism. Even if she does smoke a lot, perhaps she used to consume a lot of healthy foods which balanced the offset of her smoking. Another one is her physiologic make-up; maybe her body, especially her lungs, tolerate the “aldehyde storm” in her lungs, which enables her lung tissues to adapt to the increase in aldehyde concentration and use it to her advantage. Such a case is interesting, because people like your aunt who are in a sense “immune” to cancer have some type of metabolic response that can be used in treating people who have cancer. If that can actually be researched on, it would be a great breakthrough for oncology and cancer patients.

Education Issues...

Education is the source of knowledge, the key to success. Such is a factor for an effective change in any level of our society if only to achieve accomplishments. It should be taught and instituted into the minds of everybody that is indeed a continuing and never ending process. A process and a must, if it is to be effective and thorough, seek to develop the God-given faculties and talents.

It aims to develop the whole child’s personality, mentally, physically, socially, morally, and spiritually. It guides everybody to act properly, informs people on what to do, leads people to the right track and guide them to achieve their ambitions in life. By so doing, everybody must perpetuate the desirable Filipino customs and traditions related to home and family living. Hand in hand, let us promote a system where a society of moral and spiritual aspects must be given due considerations.

Freedom of the Press...

Its nice and honor to think that people is really aware that expressing their minds is the best way to improve their selves and make them stand on their own. But its so sad rather to think that their are still people out there who didn’t have a courage to express what they feel towards a particular situation nor people who doesn’t have a voice to fight what they believe is right. Too bad… But I guess, they might have their own reasons why they prefer to shut up rather than to voice out. They might protecting somebody nor anyone else just to save their lives. Whatever their reason is I just want to let them know that telling the truth and what’s on your mind will definitely set you free even if the person is involve are those people who are near in your heart but could you dare to just shut up rather than voicing out that will save the lives of millions? Could you dare to put a tape on your mouth rather than telling the truth that will definitely change the future of those innocent young ones? Will you dare to block the freedom of your mind to speak the truth that will absolutely save you from danger? For some nor many of you will do it for the sake of your family nor for those people whom care. Or maybe some nor many of you will speak your mind for the sake everybody.

What I’m trying to emphasize it here is “LET YOUR MIND SPEAK “… Give the freedom of your mind to speak what he see is right and what he believe is for the better. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind ’cause every opinion is welcome as long as you believe that its right. Fight for the better! Learn by example…

Marketing Outlooks...

Marketing the fish to the pet shops, however, was pretty much old school: phone calls, and then the owners would go over to the fish breeders or distributors to look at the product. This could be a time-consuming process, often taking the better part of a week. This was further aggravated by the fact that the product is essentially livestock it had to move fast, otherwise there would be higher mortality rates. Business essentially became a race for time, for the breeders to pass the fish on to the distributors, who can then send it to the shops, and the the shops can finally sell the fish to customers and all this has to be done without the fish getting the worse for wear.

All that, however, has changed with the introduction of telephones with integrated cameras. Filipinos are practically symbiotic with their cellphones, so it’s no surprise that in an arcane business such as aquarium fish, technology has made the business cycle much faster (and therefor, there is a possibility of more profit with the increased number of business cycles).

Weapons of choice are either cellphones with digicams, megapixel digicams, and a PC with an Internet connection. Of course, there are some business compatibility issues: many of the fish breeders are looking for a cellphone with digicam that is waterproof, inasmuch as accidentally dunking a cellphone is a very real concern. But other than that, the business of aquarium fish breeding has become fast and sophisticated. Some fish businessmen keep whole photo galleries of fish in their cellphones, ready to sell at a moment’s notice.

How important to set your goals?

Its been a quite sometime already that I don’t have a work since the day I came home from Tokyo, Japan. Actually, I been planning to look for a job since I really wanted to hone and practice my profession. But I guess, it really takes time to find a suitable job that best suit on your capabilities and knowledge. Aside from that fact, companies standards nowadays are too high to the extend that they are looking for a skilled workers that will definitely render the best and reliable service. Besides its indeed one of the vital factors to consider in hiring an applicant. Due to that, I came to a realization that leads me to a question that ” Is it really hard to set your goals?”…. I mean, everybody is entitled to set his/her goals but is it that really so hard?…

For some reasons, setting your goals is wasn’t easy ’cause you have to consider and anticipate those things that you didn’t expect to come. Things that will somehow give you the real meaning of life. In fact, even if how eager we are to pursue our plans as it was set already we can’t still avoid issues that might possible come in our way. Whether we like it or not still we don’t have a choice but to accept whatever it is! Besides, there are lots of ways to deal with it and we just need to be patient in order to pursue our plans.

On the other hand, setting goals is just a guide as to where we wanted to be but it does not necessarily mean that you have to fulfill all of those ’cause remember we are just humans. We don’t own everything! I mean, we could not win everything we want! Theres always a limitation that help us realized and think that life indeed is not perfect. But imperfection is not a hindrance to fulfill our individual goals but rather it serves as our motivating factor to aim high and hit the mark. Good luck everyone!

Essential thought about computers...

I got some lessons for you about the most accessible technology nowadays that I guess, all people are using it to make their life more easier, faster, and to lessen their time, effort and money. What I’m talking about is COMPUTER. I happened to browse it here in the net accidentally.

A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions & Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. Today, computers can be made small enough to fit into a wrist watch and be powered from a watch battery. Society has come to recognize personal computers and their portable equivalent, the laptop computer, as icons of the information age; they are what most people think of as “a computer”. However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras, and even children’s toys.

The ability to store and execute programs makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: Any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore, computers with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks as long as time and storage capacity are not considerations.

Do you know the real essence of Education?

Education will help to uplift and revive the idealism of every family and strengthen the bonds of duty. It is a set of educational programs or services designed to meet the particular needs of exceptional children. This education is having the vital role in uplifting man's personality. On the other hand, education is a vital element in our life because this will serve as the biggest foundation to success.

Education is important because it guides nor leads people to heed with so much care the priorities in values development of personal discipline, human dignity, nationalism, family solidarity, civic conscience, honest, humility, justice, courage and wisdom in oder to obey the strong desire of country. On the hand, education will help each and everyone of us become a good member of the society, above and foremost it will help us obtain our goals of success.

If people are properly educated, they must be equipped with critical knowledge and skills and the right attitude and values not only to function and live well in society, but also to be creative, productive and useful citizens of the country. Moreover, this education is our weapon to succeed, that is why if there is no education there will be no professionals at all.