edu-cat-ion

Continuous Improvement ≠ Transformational Innovation (or, 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Education) – Kids Need to Be Read To: Part 5 of 5

One of my earliest childhood memories was snuggling up to my mom on the couch on Sunday mornings. She would read the comics to me. It didn’t matter that I may not have understood the humor the cartoonist was presenting, because mom would explain what was going on in the pictures. I still remember bringing…

Continuous Improvement ≠ Transformational Innovation (or, 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Education) – Reading, Writing and “Teching”: Part 4 of 5

You may think the title of this article has the word “teaching” spelled incorrectly. That assumption would be incorrect. “Teching” was a termed coined in the early video game era, but some folks started to use it regarding the increasing utilization of technology. Today, most children “tech” for enjoyment…alright, young adults do too, as evidenced…

Continuous Improvement ≠ Transformational Innovation (or, 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Education) – Play Physical Games (Not Just Virtual Ones): Part 3 of 5

When I was a teacher, all ten of us – one teacher for each home room (K-8), and yours truly who taught 7th and 8th grade science and health, 8th grade algebra, and instrumental music – had recess duty once a week every other week. Kids played. It was not structured. It was not attuned…

Continuous Improvement ≠ Transformational Innovation (or, 5 Things We Must Do To Improve Education) – Kids Need to Sing: Part 1 of 5

I’m sure you’ve heard the argument that students in faith-based schools academically outperform public school students because of small class sizes. Let’s debunk that myth here and now by going back to 1965…almost 50 years ago. The 1st grade at St. Albert the Great School in Baldwin Boro (a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA) had approximately…

Why Edu-Cat-Ion?

Why do we need another Web site that talks about education? Why is there a picture of the space shuttle blasting off associated with this article? Why is education spelled that way? And now, why is this article being repeated since it was first published on November 1, 2014? This site was launched on November…

The Problem: Students Believe What They Are Told

Tomorrow, I’ll be at my nephew’s high school graduation. Three years ago, I attended a high school graduation for another family member. It was great to see so many young men and women excited about their achievements, and the enthusiasm about the world they’re going to enter and affect. It reminded me of my daughter’s…

The Problem: An Aversion or Dissuasion From Life-Long Learning

If you’re an administrator or teacher in a school today, one of the phrases you have heard, spoken, believe and may even be passionate about is that one of the goals of education today is to create life-long learners. That is indeed a worthy goal! While it’s a message that can be conveyed to and…

The Problem: No One Teaches About Financial Literacy

The United States has a problem. It’s called the National Debt. School Districts have a problem. It’s called eroding tax bases, which means cutting education expenses. Families have a problem. It’s called credit card debt. College graduates have a problem. It’s called student loan debt. Anyone see a pattern? Education News recently did, and found…

The Problem: We Learn to Forget

We’ve all heard the expression, “Use it or lose it.” It applies to skills; it applies to possessions; it applies to memory; and it applies to learning. “Teaching to the test” simply puts knowledge into short-term memory. If what we learn is not reviewed through a “spaced repetition” process, we will retain little of what…

The Problem: Using Standard Statistical Measurements to Analyze Data to Improve Educational Outcomes

This article is the first of five highlighting five problems which work together and create a system which makes improving education a difficult task. Tackling each of the problems individually may require a significant amount of effort, but when all the elements of a system work in concert with each other, if they’re all not…

Coding: The Future of the Service Industry

A number of schools, in conjunction with their STEM, STEAM and STREAM efforts, are building coding classes into their curriculum. Resources such as those available at https://code.org/educate/curriculum and https://www.kodable.com/ offer resources for educators who want to incorporate this important learning to students eager to learn how to build games and create apps that might be able…