A few weeks ago I finished a science reporter's book "How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens".  In it, Benedict Carey testifies to my experience in graduate school of figuring out a solution to a problem when not actively working on it or thinking about it.  This approach worked 75% of the time for me.  It's been a few weeks since I read the book so I'm testing another statement of his:  how to better remember information.  After reading or hearing something, he suggests letting time go by and then trying to recall as much as possible without re-reading the text or notes.  Recall the information by self-testing with flash cards, saying it aloud, or writing about it, all without referring to notes.  Re-reading text or notes gives students the mistaken impression that they know the information.  Instead, they are just recognizing the information.  Carey claims that students forget what they learn because they often cram for exams at the last minute, which works for the short-term but not long term.  Cramming prevents the brain from forgetting unimportant or distracting details because not enough time has passed.  A bit of forgetting is needed to help you later remember.  Going to sleep at different times also helps:  for tests that require lots of memorization students should go to bed at the usual time and get up early for a review.  For creative work, music, or athletics, students should stay up a bit later and wake up later because their early morning sleep helps this kind of thinking.  For study areas and study times:   vary them because then the memories will not just be connected to one place and this will help students remember information under different conditions.  Study time should be divided up 2 or 3 chunks, instead of trying to do it in one sitting.  Finally, he urges students to start a project as early as possible so that their brain has time to "percolate", to use Carey's expression.  Though I have repeatedly used the word "student" in this post, Carey does address his book to both students and non-students. 

Carey provides an historical look at the science of learning from his perspective as a science reporter.  He also shares examples of how he unknowingly followed some of these ideas about learning in his own days as a student.  His statements about forgetting, text recognition, and varying sleep and wake times are all new to me.  As an educator, I would try these different approaches to check which of them work for me.  Then, I could share these ideas with my students, as different approaches that they could also try.

In my December 3, 2014 post I focused on teachers Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and suggested that teachers learn a second language.  Here are several additional suggestions:

1) Teachers can keep a daily journal.  If on paper, they can put a security lock on it so no one, including spouse and kids, can see it.  If on a computer, they can protect it with a password.  It's for venting about their day, exploring crazy ideas that may or may not work, spelling out hopes for the future, and offering prayers to reach their students.

2) If a teacher learns something  new about "teaching" it will not cross over or help them learn about their subject matter or vice versa -- teachers must learn about "teaching" and their "subject matter" separately.  

3) Teachers need a computer and Internet access at home so that they can remain in touch with their students, parents, and colleageus.  If an idea occurs to them and they need to send an email or perform some research then they need to have Internet access at that point and not just when they return to the school building.
  
4) Teachers can learn about academic subjects other than the one they teach.  I'm not advocating that teachers pursue multiple degrees necessarily but they can become familiar with other fields.  For example, teachers can take training or self-educate themselves in the fields of psychology, sociology, and education.  In psychology, teachers can learn about neuroscience, learning disabilities, personality development, and mental health issues to name a few.  Sociology knowledge can include an examination of education, race, gender, organizations, and families within the context of a society.  As part of this process, teachers can create a reading list for themselves which can include resources such as books, newsletters, magazines, blogs, fiction, non-fiction, journal articles, and international publications.  

Another topic that’s been on my mind for a while:  teachers complain about a lack of time.  One underlying explanation:  most of them, who are married women, continue to do the majority of the housework and childcare (per the “National Council of Education Statistics” and “Sex Roles: A Journal of Research”).  Since teaching is a full-time job, female teachers do not have any more time for home and childcare activities than their non-teaching husbands.  A solution:  their children and husbands can do more at home for both themselves and the entire household.  For example, children can complete chores that are age-appropriate.  By a certain age, children can make their beds, pick out their clothes, fold laundry, and set the dinner table.  Wives and husbands can agree to divide household chores and childcare activities more equably.  For each household chore (laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping), the amount of time and effort can be considered.  For example, taking out the trash requires less time and effort than washing dishes.  If possible, recurring household bills can be set up as automated payments. 

Having lived with roommates of different genders, ages, and nationalities I know that chores can and will be done differently (for example: loading the dishwasher).  I’ve learned that as long as it gets done without breaking anything who cares how it’s done.  

I recently finished reading an interesting book titled “How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character” by Paul Tough.  The author claims that US society tends to focus on the cognitive preparation of children and their academic success in school.  He attributes this focus to a 1994 Carnegie Report which asserts that children of single parents and working mothers do not receive enough cognitive stimulation between the ages of 1-3.  However, Tough then cites different experts in economics, education, and psychology who believe that other factors are more important.  These factors include grit, curiosity, persistence, self-control, conscientiousness, and self-confidence.  To demonstrate the importance of these factors, Tough discusses a study of baby rats by the neuroscientist Michael Meaney (baby rats share similarities with humans).  In this study, baby rats experienced trauma just by being handled by humans.  However, mother rats (biological or not), subsequently provided comfort by licking them. The baby rats who received the most licking coped better than the other baby rats over the trauma of the human touch.  Research on humans found that children who received the most attention and responsiveness from their mothers dealt better with the stress of living in a difficult physical environment and family situation.  Tough then shares the story of a female high school student named “Kewauna” who was living a dangerous life.  Her mother and grandmother intervened.  Her mother said that she did not want Kewauna to become like her (no career, teenage mother, no college). Somehow, this talk reached Kewauna and she’s now on track to attend college.  Though Tough cannot explain why some kids make it while others living in similar circumstances do not (why Kewauna and yet not others), he does provide valuable suggestions backed by research for helping students shift from a negative to a positive path in both school and their lives.  

Periodically I have the opportunity to watch the WYCC Chicago TV show “The Professors”.  As suggested by the title, this show has a panel of professors, led by a moderator, who discuss a different educational topic for each episode.  Recently, they debated whether cursive writing should still be taught in schools.  I learned cursive writing in 2^nd grade and still use it to this day but I also use a computer a fair amount of the time, both personally and professionally.  Since I use both, where do I stand?  My answer lies in the action I took in preparing this blog entry:  I immediately reached for a pen and paper instead of my laptop.  I use pen and paper when I am just beginning to think about a topic; when I am stuck in my thinking; when I want to slow down my thinking; and when I am writing personal reflections.  Even for academic writing, if a thought flashes across my mind I do not want to wait till my laptop boots up or type a note in my Evernote app but rather just grab pen and paper because it’s always close by.  There is nothing like using a pen (or pencil) to write out your own words and seeing the ink form your words on the paper right in front of you.  To me, it feels more personal than using your fingers to strike keys on a keyboard so that characters appear on the screen in front of you.  I recognize that computers save a tremendous amount of time (both for the writer and reader) and admit that they have helped me better organize my writing.  In the end, I view computers and pen / paper as writing tools and which one to use depends on the type of writing undertaken by the writer.  

Continuing with my first entry about 3 month summer vacations – this schedule places unnecessary stress on teachers because they must spend time at the beginning of every school year helping their students acclimate back into an academic environment.  Students, of course, pick up on this stress and so the school year begins with everyone under unnecessary stress.  To me, a 9 month school schedule signifies the mentality that learning happens for only 9 out of 12 months and students and teachers need a “vacation” from learning.  A year-round schedule might allow teachers to have more flexibility in scheduling their professional development.  They could have professional development divided up over a year rather than cramming it all into the summer months. Having taken a few training courses and presented a few myself I know how quickly knowledge and skills may be lost if not put into practice in less than 3 months. 

First Post

I named my blog "The Jigsaw of Life" because I view each of our lives as a jigsaw that we put together over our lifespans. We try to piece together our world in ways that makes sense to us. In piecing together our world we interact with many individuals and groups. In addition to individuals, systems and institutions are jigsaws to me that need reviewing and tweaking as individuals and societies evolve over time. When you buy a jigsaw in a store the picture of it on the box tells you what it will look like when you put all the pieces together. Life, however, does not work out that way. Instead of a game designer telling us how our lives and our societies will "look" we decide what works and what does not. In terms of our institutions, one in particular is critical to me:"EDULLL" which stands for "Education and Life Long Learning". I use these terms together because "education" may suggest to some readers just time spent in school whereas I want readers to understand that I mean school and learning over the lifespan.

One part of the USA education system I've found puzzling sine I was a child: summer break for 3 months. For parents (and children) who do not have the money or resources to enroll in any kind of summer camp or childcare it can be a long summer. I've witnessed myself and read complaints from teachers about the brain drain which occurs over the summer so that teachers have to spend time getting their students back to the appropriate level when they return in the fall. I understand from history books that the mostly agricultural society of the 1800s and part of the 1900s benefited from this schedule but we are far removed from that way of life now. I think we need to spread the "3 month summer vacation" over the entire calendar year.  I understand that parents with relatives in another country will want to travel with their children to visit those relatives and very often travel times can last 2 days each way so 1-2 weeks vacation will not suffice.  However 4-6 weeks should work in such situations. For those concerned about "summer camp" and childcare schedules, those providers would have to change their schedules to accommodate a new school schedule. After all, they are in the business of providing a service so they need to accommodate their clients changing needs. I believe that the school year spread over the calendar year follows in line with my interest in life long learning because it mirrors more closely the idea of learning throughout the year. Of course some children do learn over the 3 month summer break but I think the mentality of "3  months off" negatively affects the progress of many students and teachers.