Can social networking make youth more politically and socially active? This is the question partially answered in a recent California study which suggests that the internet leads to kids becoming more engaged citizens.
School Rankings – A Perilous Path
George Briggs
It’s that time of year again. Spring, yes, but also the time that the Fraser Institute releases its rankings of Ontario elementary schools. George Briggs is philosophically opposed to this type of exercise, and presents three arguments and an alternative to school improvement (if this is the motive behind rankings).
“It’s for You” – in School!
George Briggs
In a previous blog post I spoke about the case for using social media in the classroom today and that post elicited a comment regarding the lack of solid evidence that using social media would lead to improved learning. The Metiri Report begins to address this issue.
“Flow” Parenting – A Checklist
George Briggs
I am in the midst of reading “Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihayli, the section that I believe is of particular relevance to parents is based on a study conducted at The University of Chicago that “… observed that teenagers who had certain types of relationships with their parents were significantly more happy, satisfied, and strong in most life situations than their peers who did not have such relationship.” Now it would be nice to know that we are setting our kids up to be happy, but the critical piece for me is the suggestion that we can help our kids become strong to prepare them for their life ahead. The ‘family context’ could be used as a checklist for parenting teens.
Are Schools Creative Environments?
George Briggs
Creativity appears to be the attribute that we can develop in kids that will enable us to prepare them for their place in the 21st century. Emerging economies, such as those in China, emphasize rote learning in their education systems and, although they are able to outperform our students in standardized testing in maths and sciences, there is a recognition on their part that their education systems are lacking in developing creative graduates. What then should our education system look like if we want to develop and encourage creativity in kids? Part of the answer to this question comes from Steven Johnson, author of “Where Good Ideas Come From.”
Creativity – Are We Failing Our Kids?
George Briggs
The Toronto Globe and Mail of Friday, Jan. 28, 2011 featured an article by Anne McIlroy titled Neuroscientists try to unlock the origins of creativity. In this article Anne poses the question “Does studying art and music make children more creative in math and problem solving? How do you train a young brain to make it more flexible?” Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity. If you have not seen Sir Ken’s 19 minute TED talk I would highly recommend that you do so. Robinson suggests that “creativity is as important as literacy in education” and I believe that creativity is one important characteristic that will enable our kids to be competitive in the global economy of the future.
