Learning

If real learning changes the architecture of our brains, then, educators should be fascinated to discover how the brain works. In the early 1990s new imaging techniques allowed researchers to see the brain working with more clarity. It was amazing to see different areas of the brain light up when thinking happens. When these results were first examined and published, some researchers were quick to make bold claims for the implications of their work. In some cases, this gave rise to popular ‘neuro-myths’, big ideas that many educators, including myself, were quick to embrace. So, for example, for many years it was claimed that there was a so-called pink brain for girls and a blue brain for the boys, with real structural and operational differences. More recently, this view has been challenged with research showing that gender-based structural differences can be explained by the size of the skull more than…

At AISB, we believe that math learning should be engaging, purposeful and connected to real world contexts. During an inquiry into How We Organize Ourselves, students in Grade 2 have been learning how systems of measurement are used to meet the needs of people and communities. As the unit is drawing towards an end, students in 2JR have been participating in experiences that allow them to use measurement within the context of a real world situation. To launch the engagement, Ms. Johanna gave students a challenge. Students started out by matching sets of cards. One set contained recipe ingredients and another set listed the ingredients, as sold at the store. For example, students would match a card from set A, which says that a recipe calls for 200 grams of butter with the card from set B that says butter sells in packages of 100 grams and that each package…

Back in 1982 the British Government formed a Committee of Inquiry into the Teaching of Mathematics in Schools under the Chairmanship of Dr WH Cockcroft, a study entitled Mathematics Counts; and became known as The Cockcroft Report. Despite years of effort to improve the overall mathematical literacy of the general population, the standard reached was still wanting. It is interesting to note that this subject is still a subject of controversy as it was then – to quote from the report: Few subjects in the school curriculum are as important to the future of the nation as mathemat­ics; and few have been the subject of more comment and criticism in recent years. This report tackles that criticism head on. It offers constructive and original proposals for change. It should be read by those responsible for school mathematics at all levels. The study delved into why we teach Mathematics, what is…

It used to be that we all came to school to learn ‘stuff’. Depending on the national curriculum we were educated in, we learnt facts and skills that were locked in time, place and culture. We were then tested on what we did and didn’t know. Today, in many international or national education systems, knowledge and skills still play a vital role in building students’ understanding. All learning starts with this awareness; either learning about something (knowledge) or learning to do something (skills). The difference in PYP and conceptual learning is that we consider isolated knowledge or skills the starting point. Our goal is to help students see patterns and undercover trends in what they are learning, and test and transfer what they understand in new contexts. Conceptual learning addresses the ‘why’; helping students to extrapolate above singular facts to broader, transferable, more meaningful understandings. Some examples of what this…

We are constantly reminded, as I remind you, that things are changing, and changing fast. But if one reflects, this really has always been the case. Back in 1964, before most of you were born, Bob Dylan wrote a song entitled,

As we plan to improve and change our educational offerings the key to any vision of the future lies in our ability to predict what knowledge, skills and concepts will be needed by coming generations of students. I am firmly of the belief, from what I read and understand of our world changing, at a rate which must be daunting for the younger folk amongst us, that technology will be at the centre of any transformation. However, as our cultures and communities evolve there will be constants and traditions that we must preserve, indeed cherish; ideals, morals and values that will transcend time and ensure that our world is a safer, cleaner, and more ethical, leading to a more sophisticated understanding of the world in which we live. These traditional principles and standards must focus on mutual respect and a fundamental understanding that, in everything, we ‘do under others as…

In reference to the comment made by a ‘concerned parent’ I would like to make a few observations. But, first of all, thank you for your feedback and to all of you who have responded to my posts. At AISB we celebrate a diverse community, and as remarked in a previous blog post, we are not an elitist school, rather we aspire to be an elite school that honors and respects diversity of our student population and their learning needs. We use MAP data as one set of information to evaluate student performance and inform our teaching practice. My expectation, given our heterogeneous student base, is that we are always 80% at or above the norm, based on US schools using MAP aligned with the Common Core. In some cases this is achieved, but in others we need to focus our attention and ensure that there are improvements. From next…

I mentioned in my first blog post that we will be ‘cognizant of those things that we will not change: enduring ideals and philosophies that transcend time and place.’ Over the coming weeks I will detail those constants. This week it will be homework! Both sections of the school – Primary and Secondary – will be issuing guidelines as to the School’s expectation with regards to homework (the PYP ones were shared with Elementary parents on Tuesday, 7th April). To quote from the introduction:  “… we believe that regular homework is an important element of improving student learning and the developing skills and attitudes that will support our students in their post-secondary education … regular homework … improves student learning.”  There is substantial educational research that discounts the importance of regular homework, as Alfie Kohn, speaker and writer on human behavior, education, and parenting, recounts in his piece titled ‘Rethinking Homework.’…