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The Science of Education: Back to School
The Science of Back to School by the Editors of Scientific AmericanUpdated Edition. This eBook has been updated to include content from two special reports on education. Scientific American's popular "Learning in the Digital Age," is included almost in its entirety as the new Section 7 and analyzes the positive and negative effects of the digital revolution on education. In addition, two new articles from Scientific American Mind's report "The Science of Better Learning" are included in Section 2: "For the Love of Math" and "The Science of Handwriting." The first examines the benefits of guided-discovery programs like JUMP in teaching math, and the second discusses research that shows forming words by hand rather than typing may lead to longer-term memories. These and the rest of the articles in this collection explore how learning is a scientific process and offer the latest theories of education. Section 1, "The Lesson Plan," begins with how children learn and includes an eye-opening piece by Scientific American Editor Ingrid Wickelgren on how honing certain psychological skills not only enhances learning but also helps kids fight frustration and ward off stress. Other sections cover teaching the three Rs, the unique requirements of gifted children, controversies of class size, roles of parents and teachers and the imperative to improve science teaching. Individual articles delve into specific issues such as how a focus on intellect over effort can negatively affect potential, the role that errors play in retention, how physical activity boosts academic achievement, the effects of parents versus peer groups on behavior and much more. In this anthology, Scientific American has gathered some of its best reporting on the challenges, successes and the execution of a scientific approach to education. Together, they help construct a path for success for the next generation.
226 pages, ebook
Published September 17, 2012
About the author
Scientific American
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Scientific American
, as an institutional author, is a popular science magazine founded by Rufus M. Porter and controlled by Nature Publishing Group since autumn, 2008. Mariette DiChristina has been editor-in-chief since December, 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 22, 2013
The Science of Education: Back to School by the Editors of Scientific American
"The Science of Education" is a very solid collection of articles addressing a wide-range of issues pertaining to education. This enlightening book focuses on methods and theories of both teaching and learning. The editors of Scientific American have provided the general public with a meaningful anthology on the challenges, successes and the execution of a scientific approach to education. This stimulating 183-page book is broken out by the following six sections: 1. The Lesson Plan, 2. The Subjects: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, 3. The Sharp Pencils, 4. The Classroom, 5. The Teachers, and 6. The Science Imperative.
Positives:
1. Well-written articles that cover the gamut of methods and theories of teaching.
2. A very important but neglected area of study, the science of education.
3. Generally, even-handed and fair treatment.
4. Much of what is revealed in this book is based on social science studies. "On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a `growth mind-set,' which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life."
5. The book provides many nuggets of valuable information both teachers and parents. "Teaching children such information is not just a ploy to get them to study. People do differ in intelligence, talent and ability. And yet research is converging on the conclusion that great accomplishment, and even what we call genius, is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift."
6. Environmental factors that impact students. "Research indicates that stress from a variety of sources-- chaotic and poorly run classrooms, for example, or problems with family or peers--impedes learning. The potential good news: knowing that stress is a malevolent force means that finding ways to thwart it could boost children's learning capacity."
7. Good use of current science (albeit in its infancy) to help identify challenges that students face. "The dyslexic brain shows disorganized circuitry in the left temporal lobe. In most dyslexic children, the phonological circuitry of the left hemisphere seems subtly disorganized, and this seems to cause a failure to learn to properly interconnect visual letter recognition with speech sounds."
8. The challenges facing teachers. "Well aware of the difficulties, educators have given a great deal of thought to how they can best help children learn to read. No single method has triumphed." "In some cases, IQ tests mislead parents and teachers as well. A gifted child might excel in questions that probe verbal intelligence, say, but perform miserably on spatial reasoning skills in the labyrinth part of the test."
9. The three different approaches to reading discussed: whole-word instruction, whole-language, and phonics. Find out what the findings show.
10. Interesting discussion on gender differences. "Imaging studies assessing brain function support the notion that females perform better on tasks such as language processing that call on more symmetric activation of brain hemispheres, whereas males excel in tasks requiring activation of the visual cortex. Even when men and women perform the same task equally well, studies suggest they sometimes use different parts of their brain to accomplish it."
11. Prejudice in science, the challenges to improve. "This study and others suggest that stereotypes of science as masculine may prejudice educators against girls from the start."
12. Gifted children. Debunking myths. "The myth of the well-adjusted, easy-to-teach gifted child persists despite more recent evidence to the contrary."
13. Interesting theories behind savants. "According to Darold A. Treffert, a psychiatrist now in private practice in Fond du Lac, Wis., the fact that many savants were premature babies fits well with this notion of left-side brain damage and resultant right-side compensation."
14. IQ in perspective. "One way to avoid such difficulties is to recognize that IQ is just one ingredient among many in the recipe for success."
15. The relation between exercise and intelligence.
16. Do small classes improve school achievement? Interesting research.
17. So what is the best way to nurture children up to the age of seven? Is direct instruction the way to go? Great stuff.
18. The quest to improve our poor state of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in this country (STEM). The book provides sound steps on how to make improvements.
19. Achieving school success. "What accounts for the school's success? Doug Lemov, a leader of the Uncommon Schools Charter Network, of which Troy Prep is a part, does not hesitate: outstanding, well-trained teachers like Bellucci."
20. How best to reward teachers.
21. Minorities and science education. An interview with Shirley Ann Jackson.
Negatives:
1. More charts and graphs would have added value.
2. Some articles overlap and cause repetition.
3. Some articles are over ten years old and it makes you wonder if the findings still apply. A footnote or a brief update would have settled that unease.
4. No formal bibliography.
5. A lot of typos that unfortunately got through the editorial process.
In summary, this is a very good and thought-provoking anthology. This is a must-read for educators and parents alike, a lot of good research that debunks some old myths. The truth is that neuroeducation is in its infancy and there are many variables at play. One thing we can safely say, it's hard to beat a well-prepared teacher that cares. I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: "Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single)" by Will Richardson, "Save Our Science: How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists (Kindle Single) (TED Books)" by Ainissa Ramirez, "Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy" by Robert M. Hazen "Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America" by Shawn Lawrence, "Lies, Damned Lies, and Science: How to Sort Through the Noise Around Global Warming, the Latest Health Claims, and Other Scientific Controversies (FT Press Science)" by Sherry Seethaler, "For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics" by Walter Lewin, and "Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience" by Kendrick Frazier.
"The Science of Education" is a very solid collection of articles addressing a wide-range of issues pertaining to education. This enlightening book focuses on methods and theories of both teaching and learning. The editors of Scientific American have provided the general public with a meaningful anthology on the challenges, successes and the execution of a scientific approach to education. This stimulating 183-page book is broken out by the following six sections: 1. The Lesson Plan, 2. The Subjects: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, 3. The Sharp Pencils, 4. The Classroom, 5. The Teachers, and 6. The Science Imperative.
Positives:
1. Well-written articles that cover the gamut of methods and theories of teaching.
2. A very important but neglected area of study, the science of education.
3. Generally, even-handed and fair treatment.
4. Much of what is revealed in this book is based on social science studies. "On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a `growth mind-set,' which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life."
5. The book provides many nuggets of valuable information both teachers and parents. "Teaching children such information is not just a ploy to get them to study. People do differ in intelligence, talent and ability. And yet research is converging on the conclusion that great accomplishment, and even what we call genius, is typically the result of years of passion and dedication and not something that flows naturally from a gift."
6. Environmental factors that impact students. "Research indicates that stress from a variety of sources-- chaotic and poorly run classrooms, for example, or problems with family or peers--impedes learning. The potential good news: knowing that stress is a malevolent force means that finding ways to thwart it could boost children's learning capacity."
7. Good use of current science (albeit in its infancy) to help identify challenges that students face. "The dyslexic brain shows disorganized circuitry in the left temporal lobe. In most dyslexic children, the phonological circuitry of the left hemisphere seems subtly disorganized, and this seems to cause a failure to learn to properly interconnect visual letter recognition with speech sounds."
8. The challenges facing teachers. "Well aware of the difficulties, educators have given a great deal of thought to how they can best help children learn to read. No single method has triumphed." "In some cases, IQ tests mislead parents and teachers as well. A gifted child might excel in questions that probe verbal intelligence, say, but perform miserably on spatial reasoning skills in the labyrinth part of the test."
9. The three different approaches to reading discussed: whole-word instruction, whole-language, and phonics. Find out what the findings show.
10. Interesting discussion on gender differences. "Imaging studies assessing brain function support the notion that females perform better on tasks such as language processing that call on more symmetric activation of brain hemispheres, whereas males excel in tasks requiring activation of the visual cortex. Even when men and women perform the same task equally well, studies suggest they sometimes use different parts of their brain to accomplish it."
11. Prejudice in science, the challenges to improve. "This study and others suggest that stereotypes of science as masculine may prejudice educators against girls from the start."
12. Gifted children. Debunking myths. "The myth of the well-adjusted, easy-to-teach gifted child persists despite more recent evidence to the contrary."
13. Interesting theories behind savants. "According to Darold A. Treffert, a psychiatrist now in private practice in Fond du Lac, Wis., the fact that many savants were premature babies fits well with this notion of left-side brain damage and resultant right-side compensation."
14. IQ in perspective. "One way to avoid such difficulties is to recognize that IQ is just one ingredient among many in the recipe for success."
15. The relation between exercise and intelligence.
16. Do small classes improve school achievement? Interesting research.
17. So what is the best way to nurture children up to the age of seven? Is direct instruction the way to go? Great stuff.
18. The quest to improve our poor state of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in this country (STEM). The book provides sound steps on how to make improvements.
19. Achieving school success. "What accounts for the school's success? Doug Lemov, a leader of the Uncommon Schools Charter Network, of which Troy Prep is a part, does not hesitate: outstanding, well-trained teachers like Bellucci."
20. How best to reward teachers.
21. Minorities and science education. An interview with Shirley Ann Jackson.
Negatives:
1. More charts and graphs would have added value.
2. Some articles overlap and cause repetition.
3. Some articles are over ten years old and it makes you wonder if the findings still apply. A footnote or a brief update would have settled that unease.
4. No formal bibliography.
5. A lot of typos that unfortunately got through the editorial process.
In summary, this is a very good and thought-provoking anthology. This is a must-read for educators and parents alike, a lot of good research that debunks some old myths. The truth is that neuroeducation is in its infancy and there are many variables at play. One thing we can safely say, it's hard to beat a well-prepared teacher that cares. I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: "Why School?: How Education Must Change When Learning and Information Are Everywhere (Kindle Single)" by Will Richardson, "Save Our Science: How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists (Kindle Single) (TED Books)" by Ainissa Ramirez, "Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy" by Robert M. Hazen "Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America" by Shawn Lawrence, "Lies, Damned Lies, and Science: How to Sort Through the Noise Around Global Warming, the Latest Health Claims, and Other Scientific Controversies (FT Press Science)" by Sherry Seethaler, "For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics" by Walter Lewin, and "Science Under Siege: Defending Science, Exposing Pseudoscience" by Kendrick Frazier.
January 10, 2023
I really liked this audiobook. I got it from Audible, but unfortunately Goodreads doesn't seem to allow me to add an edition anymore unless I am a Goodreads librarian and for various reasons it is difficult for me to become a librarian. Thus, I am putting this review on this (Audio CD) edition. Go figure.
I will probably listen/read it again.
I will probably listen/read it again.
May 12, 2022
As a teacher, I can recommend to get some insights.
May 16, 2023
Listened to the one that was released in 2020. Goodreads didn't seem to have it in their database. Various articles about education.
October 14, 2012
In this collection of articles from both Scientific American and Scientific American Mind, the authors bring the integrity of experimental science to the forefront of educational issues. All too often, educational research is grounded in shoddy methodology, bad statistics and outright pseudoscience. It has long been my opinion that methods used in educating youngsters should be grounded in primarily neuroscience, behavioral science and cognitive science with educational research taking a complimentary back seat. There is an emphasis on STEM education as this area of academia has the greatest potential for impacting the maintenance and improvement of the health and well-being people everywhere. A must read for educators and parents.
On the down side, this volume has numerous typos as do many of the other ebook publications put out by Scientific American Editors. If you can get past that, this is an informative read.
On the down side, this volume has numerous typos as do many of the other ebook publications put out by Scientific American Editors. If you can get past that, this is an informative read.
December 15, 2014
Thought provoking about how we learn
Every topic is relevant and I loved the discussion of what it means to learn vs what is taught to be known. The person, child ability to think creatively is more important to brain development than being shown how to think like every one else. Play is important.
Every topic is relevant and I loved the discussion of what it means to learn vs what is taught to be known. The person, child ability to think creatively is more important to brain development than being shown how to think like every one else. Play is important.
Read
November 30, 2014I'd already read some of this research but it was nice to revisit and there were some new interesting things I hadn't seen before. Gave me some ideas for teaching and reminded me of others I had forgotten about.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews