Watch your back, einstein!
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/03/26/12-year-old-genius-expands-einsteins-theory-of-relativity/
This link takes you to a story about a 12 year old boy who is working on Einstein's Theory of Relativity! Talk about "gifted."
This link takes you to a story about a 12 year old boy who is working on Einstein's Theory of Relativity! Talk about "gifted."
Finally, my preoccupation with fonts is vindicated!!
Here's a snippet from the article by Benedict Carey(full article available through link):
"To test the approach in the classroom, the researchers conducted a large experiment involving 222 students at a public school in Chesterland, Ohio. One group had all its supplementary study materials, in English, history and science courses, reset in an unusual font, like Monotype Corsiva. The others studied as before. After the lessons were completed, the researchers evaluated the classes’ relevant tests and found that those students who’d been squinting at the stranger typefaces did significantly better than the others in all the classes — particularly in physics.
“The reason that the unusual fonts are effective is that it causes us to think more deeply about the material,” a co-author of the study, Daniel M. Oppenheimer, a psychologist at Princeton, wrote in an e-mail. “But we are capable of thinking deeply without being subjected to unusual fonts. Think of it this way, you can’t skim material in a hard to read font, so putting text in a hard-to-read font will force you to read more carefully.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/health/19mind.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
"To test the approach in the classroom, the researchers conducted a large experiment involving 222 students at a public school in Chesterland, Ohio. One group had all its supplementary study materials, in English, history and science courses, reset in an unusual font, like Monotype Corsiva. The others studied as before. After the lessons were completed, the researchers evaluated the classes’ relevant tests and found that those students who’d been squinting at the stranger typefaces did significantly better than the others in all the classes — particularly in physics.
“The reason that the unusual fonts are effective is that it causes us to think more deeply about the material,” a co-author of the study, Daniel M. Oppenheimer, a psychologist at Princeton, wrote in an e-mail. “But we are capable of thinking deeply without being subjected to unusual fonts. Think of it this way, you can’t skim material in a hard to read font, so putting text in a hard-to-read font will force you to read more carefully.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/health/19mind.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
study success dependent on difficulty of material...
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/04/27/29stability-2.h30.html?tkn=VSXFWfRD9BPqv4I64JNAuGyTNkDeM0lVNCXn&intc=esweeblylink_new_window
Here's an excerpt from this article:Emerging research suggests that, contrary to what students may think, material that’s easy to understand is not always easy to learn—and working harder can help them hold on to what they’ve learned.
It’s a typical school scenario: A student strolls into class on test day, telling classmates he crammed the night before and certain he will ace the exam, only to be confounded by how little he actually remembers from hours of studying.
The cause of that pitfall is something cognitive researchers call the “stability bias,” which means that people rely too much on current memory to predict how well they will learn and remember something in the future. In other words, people think they will remember material better if it is initially easy to understand.
Here's an excerpt from this article:Emerging research suggests that, contrary to what students may think, material that’s easy to understand is not always easy to learn—and working harder can help them hold on to what they’ve learned.
It’s a typical school scenario: A student strolls into class on test day, telling classmates he crammed the night before and certain he will ace the exam, only to be confounded by how little he actually remembers from hours of studying.
The cause of that pitfall is something cognitive researchers call the “stability bias,” which means that people rely too much on current memory to predict how well they will learn and remember something in the future. In other words, people think they will remember material better if it is initially easy to understand.
Science shows you how to win at 'Rock, Paper, Scissors'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44162400/?gt1=43001
Here's a quick excerpt:
In the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors," two opponents randomly toss out hand gestures, and each one wins, loses or draws with equal probability. It's supposed to be a game of pure luck, not skill — and indeed, if humans were able to be perfectly random, no one could gain an upper hand over anyone else.
There's one problem with that reasoning: Humans are terrible at being random.
Our pathetic attempts to appear uncalculating are, in fact, highly predictable. A couple of recent studies have provided insights into the patterns by which people tend to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" (and why). Abide by them, and you'll be riding shotgun and eating the bigger half of the cookie for the rest of your life.
Here's a quick excerpt:
In the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors," two opponents randomly toss out hand gestures, and each one wins, loses or draws with equal probability. It's supposed to be a game of pure luck, not skill — and indeed, if humans were able to be perfectly random, no one could gain an upper hand over anyone else.
There's one problem with that reasoning: Humans are terrible at being random.
Our pathetic attempts to appear uncalculating are, in fact, highly predictable. A couple of recent studies have provided insights into the patterns by which people tend to play "Rock, Paper, Scissors" (and why). Abide by them, and you'll be riding shotgun and eating the bigger half of the cookie for the rest of your life.
Video game players put their talents to work for science!
http://geek.pikimal.com/2011/09/19/gamers-can-save-lives-in-the-real-world-too/
Check out this story:
While some video game players fantasize about killing people in a multitude of fashions, others take pleasure in creating and saving lives. Sometimes, there is even a real-world application for all of that time spent in the virtual one.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that a group of video gamers have helped scientists at the University of Washington gain a much greater understanding of how the monomeric protease enzyme constructs itself, via the game Foldit.
Foldit, released in 2008 by University of Washington students, challenges players to collaboratively unfold chains of amino acids, and whichever team can figure out the lowest-energy model scores the highest number of points. What is amazing, is that it only took three weeks for players to figure out the best way for the protein to construct itself!
Check out this story:
While some video game players fantasize about killing people in a multitude of fashions, others take pleasure in creating and saving lives. Sometimes, there is even a real-world application for all of that time spent in the virtual one.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that a group of video gamers have helped scientists at the University of Washington gain a much greater understanding of how the monomeric protease enzyme constructs itself, via the game Foldit.
Foldit, released in 2008 by University of Washington students, challenges players to collaboratively unfold chains of amino acids, and whichever team can figure out the lowest-energy model scores the highest number of points. What is amazing, is that it only took three weeks for players to figure out the best way for the protein to construct itself!
How to get your kids to read
http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/opinion/patterson-kids-reading/
Author James Patterson has written an article about his tips for getting reluctant readers to pick up a book. If your child would rather do anything than read, you might want to check out his ideas.
Author James Patterson has written an article about his tips for getting reluctant readers to pick up a book. If your child would rather do anything than read, you might want to check out his ideas.