“Did anyone have an oops today?” asked my four-year-old son at the dinner table last night. “Oh, I did!” replied his six-year-old sister. “I left my Patriots hat on the bus in the morning. But my oops is also my yay because the bus driver found it and gave it to me in the […]
Originally published on MindShift. Popularity is a loaded word. For many adults, it evokes powerful memories of jockeying for position in high school cafeterias and hallways. These memories are salient for a reason, said Mitch Prinstein, a professor of psychology and author of “Popular: The Power of Likability in a […]
Originally published on MindShift. Barbara Oakley’s professional biography does not suggest that she was once a struggling math and science student: She is an engineering professor, author of A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science and Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential (which is not […]
Originally published on MindShift. Schools are typically designed to serve the average student, and those with learning differences — such as dyslexia or trouble with executive functioning skills — usually make up a smaller part of the population. Estimates find that 5 to 20 percent of Americans have […]
Originally published on MindShift From an early age, children are sensitive to social cues from adults, peers, media and their surrounding environment. A closer look at adults’ nonverbal signals — including their tone of voice, facial expression and body language — found that children can “catch bias” simply by observing adult actions, […]
Originally published on MindShift. Publicly funded pre-K programs enjoy broad public and political support, largely because of research suggesting that preschool graduates enjoy both short-term and long-term benefits, including improved academic and school readiness, higher graduation rates, and lower incarceration rates. Public preschool is also a financial benefit to lower- and middle-class parents, as quality […]
“Open up!” “The doctor said you need to take your medicine.” “This will help you feel better!” “You can have one chocolate chip if you drink it all gone.” My four-year-old needed to take a dose of antibiotics yesterday — a heaping spoonful of chalky goo — and […]
“Every child is an artist,” Pablo Picasso said. “The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Look at toddlers banging pans, wiggling their bodies to the music, and scribbling on the floor. They are exploring their world and making their mark on it — […]
In early September, my first grader sat on her bed thumbing through a picture book that was way above her reading level. “I’m reading this book all by myself, mommy! I’m reading the pictures. My teacher says that’s one way to read a book.” In the first week […]
On August 21, 2017, the United States will witness a solar eclipse. Parts of fourteen states will experience a total solar eclipse, but people in every region can observe at least a partial eclipse of the sun. We talked to Dr. Amy Mainzer, a NASA astronomer who is […]
