THE DAILY RIFF: Wit & Wisdom Archives - Be Smarter. About Education.

The Paradox of Wealth

"But what is overlooked in all the shouting is that paradoxically, the people who have the most to gain from insuring some measure of economic equality and social justice are the wealthy." by Joseph Ganem Ph.D. Read more

Seven Questions: Is your child a recipe-follower or a real learner?

"It may help to have in our minds a picture of what we mean by understanding . . . "-John Holt, Why Children Fail, p. 177by C.J. WesterbergI recently had a loooong conversation with a parent about whether his child... Read more

Tom Friedman: Think Like an Immigrant

Five Ways to Succeed in Life and Work Read more

Advice for Teens Going to College

Weekend Funnies: "Amid skyrocketing tuition costs and dismal job prospects, Aasif Mandvi imparts a healthy fear of higher education in a group of at risk young people." (04:57) Read more

No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship

Every child deserves a champion - TED talk Read more

Am I Preparing Students for My Age or Theirs?

I can never understand how and why we expect students with far more energy, ideas, natural creativity and far more everything, to be more "contained" in their behavior than adults. Read more

Cultivating the Entrepreneurial Learner

Connected Learning: Communities and Collectives - Conversations with John Seely Brown (Part 2) about A New Culture of Learning PLUS videos from DML Read more

Battle Of The Minds: Why Don't Kids Like School?

Sparks Fly In This Book Review By Guest Jonathan E. Martin about Daniel Willingham's Book & His Conclusions About Learning, Imagination & Knowledge Read more

Why Change Is So Darn Hard

Radish or cookie? Read more

The Bad Habits You Learn in School

And it's not about smoking. John Coleman via Harvard Business Review Read more

Would You Hire Your Own Kids? 7 Skills Schools Should Be Teaching Them

Tony Wagner, Former HS teacher, Principal & Co-Director At Harvard School Of Education Posts. "The Ability To Ask The Right Questions Is The Single Most Important Skill." Read more

Shaping Serendipity for Learning: Conversations with John Seely Brown

"Conventional wisdom holds that different people learn in different ways. Something is missing from that idea, however, so we offer a corollary: Different People, when presented with exactly the same information in exactly the same way, will learn different things. Read more

21st Century Skills: A "thorny problem" in the classroom

. . . .most high schools' science "experiments" are really "demonstrations," because they are "rigged" for the right answer, thereby disqualifying them as true experiments where outcomes are unknown. Read more

Weekend Funnies: My Teenage Son is "Going Through a Phase" Video

Gabriel Iglesias' smart teenage son doesn't talk to him anymore. 2 Minute Video via Comedy Central Read more

High Schoolers: "What You'll Wish You'd Known"

It's dangerous to design your life around getting into college Read more

"The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination"

JK Rowling, Harry Potter Author, Captivates Crowd With Harvard Commencement Speech Read more

High School: Are the Kids Alright?

"Long ago my son determined exactly how not to let the institution of school get in the way of his learning, and had explicit plans for choosing courses carefully so that he had ample time to attend local university lectures and participate in arts events." Read more

Are we creating innovators? 22 Insights

C.J. Westerberg dissects new book by Tony Wagner - "Creating Innovators" Video Trailer Read more

How to Create Nonreaders

Why Johnnie and Jane don't like to read . . . and what to do about it
Alfie Kohn Delivers a Powerful Essay About MOTIVATION & Learning Read more

To be Daringly Vulnerable

Transforming Education, Parenting and Work, PLUS the Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto Read more

Student as "Contributor" in School and the Outside World

Alan November video Read more

21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education by 2020

Desks, Language Labs, Computers, Homework, Standardized Tests in College Admissions . . . . Read more

The Arts: Seeing & Thinking Differently

Artless & Senseless? "Once it is recognized that productive thinking in any area of cognition is perceptual thinking, the central function of art in general education will become evident." -Rudolf Arnheim, Visual Thinking Read more

Does your school have a beehive? (or have your students worked with one?)

"If we want children to be inventors, we have to give them opportunities to invent."- 5:00 mark, Mission Hill videoMaking Learning RealVideo BelowI sometime hear two questions from parents and educators about schools and learning - "Are they (students) really... Read more

Friday Funnies: PRINT THIS

30-second Video Read more

Forget Calculus. Learn Statistics. It's about data, stupid.

UPDATE TODAY The 3 Billion Dollar Brain - Obama's Brain Activity Map Read more

Music Education . . . do you recall . . . the day the music died?

"One of the things that musicians and artists tend to do is explore other people's art and other people's way of doing things" Read more

Gifted Student or Test-taker Extraordinaire?

The iconic educator Howard Gardner sends a brilliant Letter . . . Read more

The Flipped Class Manifest

"The Flipped Classroom is an intentional shift of content which in turn helps move students back to the center of learning" rather than the products of schooling." Read more

From the Culture of Aloha, a Path Out of Gun Violence

In an OLA school environment, we would find group and individual achievements and excellence praised, rather than superiority or domination. -Poka Laenui Read more

Mother Nature's Child: New Documentary Trailer

Children today spend on average spend less than 40 minutes "outside" Read more

Legendary Quincy Jones riffs about technology, music, math, creativity, and . . . parenting

" . . .We'd go to executive conferences with Bill Gates and he'd say, 'Alan will you please take over?' . . . " - Quincy Jones Read more

Rethinking College

"I believe that we are in the midst of a major transformation in the human experience." - Dr. Joseph Ganem Read more

Stephen Colbert's Sound Advice: How To Ace The SAT's

Tip #1: "Spend A Lot Of Money . . ." Read more

Two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner, Harvard Professor did not take Algebra until College (!)

Are we too obsessed with Math requirements? by CJ Westerberg Read more

Conversations that happen in the middle

"We (parents and teachers) really don't get into a conversation . . ." Read more

Campbell's law in education: test scores vs. accountability

"A society in which decisions are based solely on numbers instead of sound judgment is one in which no one is truly accountable." Guest post. Read more

Why Testing Fails: How Numbers Deceive Us All

"Tests fail because of an effect I call the "Numerical Outcome Principle". . .Our leaders need to look beyond the numbers..." Guest Post By Joseph Ganem, Ph.D. Read more

Wanted: Teacher, Coach or both?

"The coach is the boss of you, but they're not the boss." Read more

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Is Math Art? Dream or Nightmare?

"A Mathematician's Lament"
Every parent & educator should check out this book excerpt Read more

Kids React to Valentine's Day (Humor)

Video Below Favorite moment: Video: "Where do you parents go on a date?" Answer: Costco Read more

"It's Disengagement, Stupid"

The 10 Essential Rules for Engagement Read more

"An Amazing Time For Math In This Country"

High School Math Teacher Dan Meyer, gig At Google, riffs about Math - photo NOT Meyer(!) TED talk Read more

Is Learning a Sport?

Students should not go to school to win - students should go to school to learn. Read more

10 Steps . . . for smarter schools

Dennis Littky, Big Picture Learning, gives us his 10 top musts. Read more

The Parent-School Relationship: The Importance of Listening

"....I have been part of schools that have constantly told me what to do but never listened to what I had to say.' " Read more

Being Pegged, Late Bloomers and Effort

How 2012 Nobel Prize Winner Dissed by His High School Biology Teacher Read more

How 7 Principles Of Baseball Can Help Transform How Teachers Teach

How to Teach so Kids Can Think and Learn - by Harvard's David Perkins Read more

Three Great Books to Read Aloud to Your Tweens & Teens (Yes, you heard right)

Interesting that two of these three recommendations have to do with a teacher . . . Read more

A "rising global army of freelancers." Are students equipped for this world?

The problem lies with the system that punishes artists and rewards bureaucrats instead. Read more

7 Ways to Spark Engagement

Moving from on-task to learning: "Have you noticed that 'on-task' does not always mean engaged?" Read more

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Why I Would Fail Third Grade Math

Guest post from a physics college professor with a Ph.D who shadowed his own daughter's 3rd grade class Read more

"Let's Raise Our Kids To Be Entrepreneurs"

"We're Giving Them Ritalin & Saying To Them: Don't Be An Entrepreneur Type, Fit Into This Other System And Become A Student". Video Read more

Charlie Rose & Kauffman Foundation On Education & Entrepreneurship

Plus, President "Obama's Entrepreneur Problem" by naming GE's Immelt business czar Read more

What Students (Really) Need to Know

"A good rule of thumb for many things in life holds that things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then happen faster than you thought they could." - Lawrence Summers Read more

The Most "Inarticulate Generation?"

2 Minute Video - Truth in Humor Read more

What Would Ted Sizer Say About Technology?

Guest Post About Harvard & Phillips Academy Andover Education Legend
"One Of The Great Educational Minds Of Our Time" Read more

Famous Failures who didn't "make the grade"

What Michael Jordan and Thomas Edison had in common - One Minute Video Read more

Something's Gotta Give

What stays, what goes, and what we're missing in education Read more

" MI (Multiple Intelligences) is not a statement about learning styles." Howard Gardner

Human beings differ from one another and there is absolutely no reason to teach and assess all individuals in the identical way. - Howard Gardner Read more

Do students and teachers get feedback or measurement?

What does your school look like? Read more

Choke: Test-takers - - - a different way to look at test-prep?

"Most students will not find a steady diet of test-prep drills and worksheets to be particularly meaningful, and accordingly, they will not put forth optimal learning effort." Read more

Why I'm a listener

For most of my career, I was an awful listener in almost every possible way. I was arrogant throughout my 30s for sure--maybe into my early 40s. My conversations were all about some concept of intellectual winning and "I'm going to prove I'm smarter than you." -Why I'm a listener, Amgen's CEO, Kevin Sharer Read more

If I were trying to select a school system for my children . . ."

"If I were trying to select a school system for my children or grandchildren, I'd beware of . . . ." - Howard Gardner, Harvard School of Ed Read more

How to Scare Students on Parent Teacher Night

"Setting up those relationships is always, always important." Read more

Rethinking Education via The Economist

Pattern Matching & the Human Brain Read more

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The Math Salon

Play Games = Learning Math Video Read more

Phyllis Diller on Children

"We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up." - Phyllis Diller RIP Read more

College M.I.A.'s #7

College Missing In Action: J.D. Salinger, Harry S. Truman, Steve Jobs, Ted Turner -- Didn't Attend College Or Dropped Out -- "Some of the people coming out of those apprenticeships are in more demand than college graduates because they've actually managed things in the workplace." Read more

Weekend Light - Daniel Radcliffe Sings the Elements

Harry Potter sings the periodic table of elements on the Graham Norton show with Colin Farrell, Rihanna...humor video Read more

A Fine Line

Do you have a first-rate intelligence? Read more

Financial Literacy: Making Math Relevant

Guest Post By Joe Ganem Ph. D.: Schools Fail Teaching Students "Quantitative Literacy" Read more

The Day I Abolished Grading

"There was no love for learning. It was a game that I was perpetuating - and I was done perpetuating it." Joe Bower Read more

A Definitive Guide for Developing a Technology Vision Statement for your School

. . ."students will be inquisitive, open-minded learners who use technology in a balanced & responsible manner along the way to becoming discerning, self-directed life-long learners . . ." Read more

10 Questions for the First Day of School

Australian Edna Sackson challenges us whether our classrooms are "old school" or not - Read more

Ten To-Do's for Young People to Consider

#1 - Build a "Personal Board of Directors" Read more

What American Teachers Can Learn From Japan

Bill Jackson Shares His Travel Journal To Japan & What He Found Out About Improving Teacher Quality, Cooking Shows & Asking Questions First Read more

Note to Aaron Sorkin

Dig Deeper into Education Read more

NEW GUEST POST . . . "teachers are seen as the driving force behind educational innovation in Singapore"

Surprise. Surprise. Now showing in Singaporean schools: Not the parents' education Read more

Yong Zhao: Standardized test scores do not reflect teacher ability, school quality or a student's future

The Asian-American Model Minority Myth, the U.S. obsession with test scores, and why Asian education is running away from that model. VIDEO - great watch. Read more

Put Yourself In Our Shoes: "What Would You Do?"

The Question General Motors Asks New Hires Read more

Teenage Whisperer: Hear Me Roar

"So please stop shuffling the paper me around And stop, talk and listen and then I might just be found . . ." Read more

Michael Jordan and success: "Maybe I led you to believe it was easy . . . when it wasn't . . ."

Michael Jordan & LeBron James duke it out Read more

The Top Ten: School Leadership

What Jim Collins, Best-Selling Author of "Good To Great" and A School Principal Have To Say About What Leaders Students & Teachers Need Now Read more

The Flipped Class: Students Talk

"There is no one-size fits all in education, but as teachers, we always can benefit from observing and listening to our students." Results from Student Satisfaction Survey on the flipped class shared in The Daily Riff Read more

What's Missing in Education: The Entrepreneurial Edge?

Video Interview- Eric Ries, "The Lean Start-up," and Mark Suster: . . . numerous take-aways for educators, parents and students, covering topics such as the necessity of failure; Steve Jobs; what the next middle class will look like; getting out of our silos (one of my favorite topics); how software development is not just about creating another Facebook; and what's missing in education. Read more

Dear 16-year-old Me

It's that time of year again. Sun is fun, but . . . spread the word. Video. Read more

Teachers Share Their "Aha Moments"

"There was a time when I was a young teacher where I really thought my worth as a teacher was judged by how much I could cover and how much I could transmit to kids . . ." Read more

Time to Re-think School Award Ceremonies?

Should school leaders take another look at how award ceremonies affect learning and motivation? Read more

A Conversation with Maurice Sendak

"There's something in this country that is so opposed to understanding the complexity of children." -Maurice Sendak, author, Where the Wild Things Are Read more

E-Learning in Singapore: Where Teachers are Involved in Product Development - NEW Post

This gives teachers and schools an important voice in how textbooks, technology and other learning resources are developed. Read more

How Design Impacted a Rural School System

A "Small Story" with Big Implications: "We need to be better citizens in our own backyard" Read more

The Flipped Class Revealed

What Does a Good One Look Like? Part 3 of 3 of guest post series Read more

I Used to Think . . . that traditional public education was the institution with the most promise . . .

"I saw that teachers unions, administrators, parents, and school boards were locked in a bureaucratic stasis of self-interest. . ." Read more

Ten Lessons For My Daughters - From a Dad

"Take Trips, Girls. Take Chances. Take Off." - Bruce Feiler - The Council Of Dads Read more

What we do matters. Al Pacino riffs in this classic . . .

"Inches" Make the Difference. Inspiration for students, parents, educators - - - Read more

What Adults Can Learn From Kids: "Don't Underestimate Our Ability"

12 Year Old Literacy Advocate Sets Us Straight
Are Teachers & Parents Actually Making Kids "Shrink To Fit?"
TED Video - Eight Minutes of Adora Svitak Read more

Welcome, Professional Students . . . to the Hunger Games, er, we mean School

"First, students have to jump through ever-more demanding, preassigned academic hoops. Instead of developing a passion for one subject, they're rewarded for becoming professional students, getting great grades across all subjects, regardless of their intrinsic interests." - David Brooks, The Creative Monopoly Read more

The Flipped Class = flipped homework

flipping a class is also flipping homework. I know, "no kidding, Sherlock" you may be thinking, but the flipped class will have impact on disrupting the concept of homework. Read more

How the Flipped Classroom Is Radically Transforming Learning

. . .AND how it changes the way teachers talk with parents - - - Read more

The Flipped Class: Myths vs. Reality

We also realize there is a lot of mis-information about the Flipped Classroom and quite a bit of controversy about whether or not this is a viable instructional methodology. Read more

Jon discovers Instagram and Google Glass

"People are living in the moment and want to share in the moment" Professore Sundar said."Two huge tech stories, Google Glass and Facebook's purchase of Instagram, that have wiped patent lawsuits news off the front page, for now at least. ... Read more

The 3 Myths about Competition: How it affects student motivation

"When 85% of school is built around competition . . " Read more

The Limits of Education

New guest post. Financial Literacy: Yes. Does it equal "doing the right thing?" Not necessarily. Read more

Parents: Are we sabotaging our own kids' math "ability"?

Many parents in the United States assume that (math ability) is just some kind of aptitude - some kids have it, some kids don't . . . The result is most of our kids (in the U.S.) don't do really well in Math . . ." Read more

Two Families. Two different paths to "academic excellence." And, the winner is . . .

But the two families - one Chinese, one Mexican/Jewish - have made strikingly different decisions about how to pursue academic excellence. One relies on a parent-driven focus on tutoring, advanced classes and testing drills, while the other allows . . . Read more

The best way to reach each student? Private school Math teacher flips learning

Stacey Roshan , private school teacher at Bullis School in Maryland, is asking and answering questions about the "backwards or flipped classroom" & how if affects the way students learn, in new guest post. Check out parent & student reactions, too. Read more

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Why Other Countries Do Better in Math

Should Parents "Race to the Tutor"? It's not what you think. Guest post. Read more

Are STEM subjects "Just So Darn Hard?" Or, do we make them so?

Why so many college students are dropping STEM & what to do about it Read more

"No one tests you on empathy"

Lots of very smart people lack empathy. They're able to test their way through life and get A's. How about empathy, adaptability, initiative and responsibility? Read more

Ask a student, how does your teacher learn?

"They (educators) need to be able to model their own learning process for their students. Ask just about any student how much her teacher knows, and you'll get a quick answer. Ask a student how her teacher learns, and you'll likely get a confused look. This must change . . ." -Will Richardson Read more

Are you "That" Parent?

How many good questions aren't asked about schools and education because of the apprehension of being "that" parent? Read more

Stories Matter: The Danger of a Single Story

Melinda Gates' Twitter Poll: A Top "Crowd Fav" TED Talk Read more

How would students rethink education? The list may surprise.

While a few of those might seem large at first glance, the reality is that most students wanted more authenticity and more autonomy. Read more

What is the "right" kind of parent?

"It is sad to me when I hear parents feeling bad that they aren't doing "x", or feeling bad or embarrassed that they are doing "y"or doing too much of "x", or reluctant to ask questions and convey their concerns." Read more

Harry Potter Dissed by Oscars. Video - Humor.

Videos: Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes : How It Should Have Ended Read more

Passion-Based High School vs. High School Boredom: Choose

"We cannot afford to tweak around the edges" ----Dennis Littky, co-founder Big Picture Learning, New TedxNY Talk Read more

New Literacies? Why?

"Relevancy is not an option." Read more

Say 'No' to the Greek Chorus

"The mess, the mess! . . . an engraved invitation to transformation. . . Certainty is dead. . ." Read more

Educational Testing: Where conservatives & liberals agree? Sigh.

"And if the point of education really is the production of abstractly and measurably skillful people who don't necessarily know anything in particular, it's a vision (maybe a chilling one) that, at least, should be articulated for parents - and voters - to decide on." Read more

Noam Chomsky: The Purpose of Education

"Education is really aimed at helping students get to the point where they can learn on their own. . . " Read more

What Color is My World? by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

African-American Inventors & Innovators: MSNBC Morning Joe video Read more

Student and Teacher Evaluations: Drowning in Data?

Editor's Note: The devil sure is in the details. While we know that the judicious use of data can add important insight, this guest post illustrates how and when data collection defeats the original purpose, with unintended costs along the... Read more

A Complex Web: Teacher-Student Relationships

"Like most of us, they (teachers) had complex personalities that meshed with some people and conflicted with others." Read more

Does our educational system put the brakes on the entrepreneurial spirit in America?

"Parents could turn the system on its head if they weren't so caught up in outmoded mentalities about education forged in the stable economy of the 1950s (but profoundly misguided in today's chaotic, entrepreneurial economy)." Read more

"A Radical Idea For Changing Math Education"

Someone always asks the math teacher, 'Am I going to use calculus in real life?' And for most of us, says Arthur Benjamin, the answer is NO. Read more

The Double Whammy "F" Word: Fear of Feedback

A School Leader Riffs Read more

Can Messy Be A Sign Of Brilliance?

Einstein's Desk In Photo: What He & Agatha Christie May Have In Common Read more

Jon Stewart on SOPA: "Angry Nerds"

Masterful - - - Read more

The Kindergarten Marshmallow Test

Will Your Child Be Successful? Read more

A Glaring Fundamental Flaw In Education

Guest Post. What Is Effective Teaching? Is "learning to cope with failure" a parenting flaw or "the way we educate" outcome? Standardized Testing and Stuff We Really Don't Want to Talk About . . . Read more

The Parent Trapped

"While educators beat the drum about the importance of parental involvement in their child's education, many really mean parental compliance." Guest Post. Read more

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Visions of Mathematics: What Content Should We Teach?

Ben Daley of High Tech High Outlines a Revolutionary Approach to Math Read more

How U.S. Education is Failing our Kids: Eric Ries

. . . how our educational system teaches students that incremental effort always brings incremental benefits. Not so . . ." Read more

What does it mean to be a tech-savvy and connected principal?

I wasn't there. In fact, I was almost literally half-way around the world. It happened in Philadelphia and I'm in China. Read more

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher

Holiday Movie Time! If you missed last night's 60 Minutes on CBS, check out Streep in this fabulous interview with Morley Safer. We also included a fun second video which was not featured on the show, Meryl's Men: How She Feels about her Co-Stars like Dustin, Jack, Kevin and Alec. Read more

Holiday Reading: Thinking fast and slow

Because it is much easier, as well as far more enjoyable, to identify and label the mistakes of others than to recognize our own. Read more

Boy Role-Modeling: The "Man Box"

New TEDWomen Video: Tony Porter Makes a Call to Men Everywhere Read more

Are Your Students "Learning How to Learn"?

A Canadian teacher shares what she learned about teaching with technology, and discovers more what our students need to learn. Short Video. Read more

Bravo, Gustavo Dudamel!

The 29 year-old Conductor Who Is Redefining Music Education Read more

Are Girls Really Alright?

"The Morale of this Story? Embarrass Your Daughters"- Rachel Simmons Read more

Mike Huckabee: Kids leave school not because they are dumb, but because they are BORED

Who Woulda Thunk? Chats with Sir Ken Robinson Read more

The Door to "a New Generation of Leaders"

Seth Godin offers 3 ways to help people get things done Read more

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Math Tutors to the Rescue?

Why So Many Students Aren't Mastering Basic Math Facts Read more

The 10,000 Hour Rule At Play: Federer Video

What Does It Take To Get Really Good At Something? (Humor) Read more

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Math Education: Arguing Over False Choices

"I tell my students that expertise in any subject, math or otherwise, has three components - facts, skills, and understanding. Each of these components is learned in a different way." Read more

Teachers: Don't Leave Out the Parents

"I think we should start assuming that parents are truly on our side and not someone who is out to get us." Read more

The Flipped Class: Shedding light on the confusion, critique, and hype

The Flip is in flux . . . as is an educator's evaluation of any instructional practice. Plus "Is Khan Academy an example of the flipped class?" Read more

Bullying: "Most parents have no idea . . . kids aren't talking" - 4 tell-tell signs

Photo above: Kameron Jacobsen, age 14, died from suicide brought on by bullying Read more

Dr. Jane (Ph.D.) Can't Network, Either

Guest Post: "Dr. Jane Knows How To Narrowly Present Herself To A Unique Audience Of Like-Minded Individuals. Is It Any Surprise That Students Aren't Well-Equipped For Our Present Economy?" Read more

The Flipped Class: Show Me the Data!

Ultimately, in teaching, there is no one size fits all. You, as a teacher, must do what is best for YOUR set of students. Read more

Charlie Rose: The Creative Brain

"Inspiration is for amateurs. Painter Chuck Close: "The rest of us just show up and get to work. Because everything grows out of work. You do something and it kicks open a door . . . " Read more

Ending the Dinosaur Era?

Global is not a test score. Two thought-leaders. Fred Wilson interviews Carlota Perez in this illuminating and inspiring video about our global future Read more

"My screwed, coddled, self-absorbed, mocked, surprisingly resilient generation."

" . . we had a PC education - people tried to hide from us as long as possible that not everyone is equal we were told we all have a fair chance of making it that's just not so and we're starting to realize that . . ." Read more

12 Angry Teachers

The Video By Teachers Depicting a Clever Debate About Teaching and Learning Read more

Entrepreneurs: Pirates in the Arena

In honor of Steve Jobs - the quintessential role model for entrepreneurs everywhere. Read more

The Great Disruption

"Two master narratives - one threat-based, one opportunity-based, but both involving seismic changes." Read more

Occupy Wall Street explained in a NY minute on Bill Maher's "Real Time"

Bongo drums, disorganization, and incoherence? Maybe not so fast . . . Read more

John Sculley on Genius

Former CEO of Apple riffs about Steve Jobs, what makes the best innovators & the nature of genius in this essay tribute to mentor - his "Oxford Don" - Alan Kay Read more

Steve Jobs: Liberal Arts Essential for Innovation

"We need to revolutionize education to encourage creativity and need to teach our kids to play, take a chance and create. By not teaching our children liberal arts we will hinder their capacity to innovate." Read more

College Drop-Out Steve Jobs' Commencement Speech: "Three Stories From My Life"

Followed His Curiosity & Intuition Which "Turned Out To Be Priceless Later On" VIDEO Read more

Steve Jobs: Why don't schools get rid of the crappy stuff?

People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. . . ." Read more

Life as a Learning Lab

" . . .we've spent hours and hours discussing how we can help students follow their interests and passions, and also help students learn powerful ideas and develop as systematic thinkers." Mitchell Resnick on Alan Kay, Squeak and Scratch Read more

Modern Manhood: Bill Bennett on Morning Joe

William Bennett promoting his new book, "The Book of Man," below, which prompted an interesting discussion on MSNBC's Morning Joe today. Read more

Lady Gaga: "Bullying is for Losers"

Video: Lady Gaga sings tribute to Jamie Rodemeyer, gay 14-year old who committed suicide last week Read more

"Mr. Cellophane" Invisible Kids: In the middle of the achievement gap

Because you can look right through me, walk right by me, and never even know I'm there Read more

Taking a homework break and "feeding my brain"

13-year old daughter is doing homework on-line. Mom walks in. Sees her watching a video when "supposed" to be doing homework . . . Read more

The Unintended Consequences of Grading "Effort"

"Even when I try really hard, I'm still dumb." Grading effort is a precarious endeavor that teachers need to think long and hard about before . . . Read more

Lipgloss: "The Gateway Drug" for Girls

3 Quick Videos from the "Women of the World" 2011 Conference Read more

Malcolm Gladwell: We're Off the Rails

Being Smarter about Stuff: like Income Inequality Read more

Think for yourself, your teacher might be wrong

If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking. Read more

Education at the Crossroads

By Seth Godin. Should this be about school or about learning? For a while, smart people thought that school was organized to encourage learning. Read more

Random good reads: "Face it. Don't Facebook it."

"I felt they wasted a lot of time at Lulu's school" - Amy Chua, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" Read more

Welcome Back to School, Parents!

A Back-To-School Newsletter - Does it sound anything like your school? Read more

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Math Spiraling: down a black hole to nowhere?

Are there too many Math concepts being taught in the early years? Read more

Facebook and education? Social media? Ask kids what they think.

The Southpark Episode A group of teens set me straight this week-end when I asked them about Facebook. Read more

Digital Natives: Another Myth?

Are adults relinquishing responsibility for technology to kids? Tom Whitby weighs in. Read more

What Should Kids Know?

What about reading and writing, civics, life skills, mastery skills, pleasure of knowledge? What kind of Math should high schoolers learn? Read more

Got Jobs? Yup. Got Tech?

A Help Wanted Listing via Fred Wilson post Read more

The Social Network Grows Up with Google Plus

What goes round must . . . What circle of "Friends" are you in? Sound familiar? Read more

Great Movie Moments for The Declaration Of Independence

I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace; that two, are a called a law firm; and that three or more, Become a Congress!" -- John Adams Read more

Ten Ways to be an Entrepreneur

Lessons From Matt Drudge, Twitter and Foursquare: Fred Wilson of USV Read more

Are You Ready to Flip?

Part 2 of 3 of "The Flipped Class" Series - Guest Posts Read more

Letting Go in Fatherhood

Teacher Jose Vilson: "I called my father this morning, a rather unusual thing for me since our relationship doesn't necessitate the usual banter and warmth that sitcoms project . . ." Read more

Commencement Speeches 2011: Amy Poehler at Harvard and Tom Hanks at Yale

Very different speeches, laden with humor, but both circle round to our shared humanity, lest we forget. Read more

How about a Family Awards Ceremony?

The key here is that by encouraging our children to strive for these awards, and defeat the other, they will achieve more and be pushed toward a more successful career in the real world. Read more

The Unintended Parent-Child Disconnect

"The real value of college isn't in teaching what is known; it is in preparing students for the unknown." Read more

What Would Yoda Do? Teachers Tweet About Their World

Want a glimpse behind-the-scenes of what teachers think about their own development? Read more

7 Lessons From My Father

Chris Wejr is school principal at Kent Elementary School in British Columbia. He has spent his career working with students as a high school physical education, math, and science teacher, an intermediate teacher, an elementary vice-principal, as well as a... Read more

Commie Core Standards?

State Governors have convened again to bring in a system of Common Core Standards across the country so that all children will be taught exactly the same thing in English and Math from kindergarten through high school... Dr. D. Rigour Is Baack! (Humor) Read more

Parents & the homework blues. Forget the flash cards . . .

"Be There. . . .Let's not forget the emotional connection between teacher and student." David Brooks and "The Social Animal." Read more

What Do They Know? They're Just Students . . .

Dr. Alec Couros Says He's An Educator, But Has His "Open Doctrine" Gone Too Far? Video - Humor Read more

How to Learn

"If we continue to look at education as if it's about coming to school to get the information and not about experiential learning, empowering student voice and embracing failure we are missing the mark . . . ." - Diana Laufenberg Read more

What Skateboarding Can Teach Us About Learning

Dramatic Video "School Sucks" : Building a Better Learning Culture Read more

CLASS!!!

by Velorazzo Flickr... Read more

Colbert takes on Renaissance man, James Franco

"Is his brain like a shark, and will die if he stops learning?" Read more

Google Science Fair: Singing Fingers & Musical Paint Strokes?

Mitch Resnick, professor of MIT Media Lab takes us on a quick discovery tour - Video Read more

Some Big Questions for Educators & Parents

"Are we intentionally, purposefully, and explicitly modeling these new technology literacies for our students?" Read more

The Shift is About to Hit the Fan?

"I Am" documentary by Tom Shadyak, director of Bruce Almighty, The Nutty Professor, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Read more

When was the last time you invited a student to a faculty meeting?

Kirstin Olson Hits a Bull's-Eye Front and Center: How to Make Schools More Welcoming for Everyone? Read more

Don't Take Away My Extra-curricular Activities or Charge Me Extra

Over the past few decades, we have tended to define human capital in the narrow way, emphasizing I.Q., degrees, and professional skills. - NY Times David Brooks Read more

Sir Ken Robinson: The Purpose of Education

It's Personal. Cultural. Economic. Read more

Ten Points to Consider When Transforming Towards a Digital Curriculum

"A digital curriculum allows the creation of a society of creators, innovators, and learners." Read more

Jon Stewart Offers Solution to Education Crisis in DairyLand

Two Videos: Crisis in Wisconsin and Teachers vs. Wall Street Read more

3 Who Lead, Learn, and Think

3 Quick Videos. #1 Heidi Hayes Jacobs shares a leadership story when she goes head-to-head against a school principal and allows her ego to take precedence (we've all been there). Read more

10 ways to build resilience . . .

Does your child's school and class culture sound like this? Read more

Science Education: The Hidden Benefits

" . . . .scientific thinking has valuable uses outside of science. In science class we learn to interrogate nature, but the interrogation methods can be used to scrutinize many other ideas and beliefs." Guest post. Read more

School Pie Charts LOL

Final Exams, What Teachers Hate Most, What I Like About Being a Father, What to do About Homework, What I Got From My College Degree, and more . . . . funny charts Read more

Stephen Colbert Interviews Tiger Mom

Well, we asked when the story broke, and Stephen did get around to interview Amy Chua - aka the Superior Chinese Mom" - last night on The Colbert Report. Read more

EDUCATION MASH-UP (Humor)

"So much cranky clamoring lately: Three major movies. Joe Scarborough, Seth Godin, even Carl Bernstein getting into the act. Who gave these intruders the stage? Don't "turn over the tables in the temple" in education!" I like the status quo. Cheers!" Dr. D. Read more

Learn Chinese & Become A Communist ?!

Socialism Studies With Jon Stewart on The Daily Show- PLUS CNN UPDATE 1/19/2011 Read more

High School Stinks

Science Leadership Academy Breaking the Mold - What High School Should Look Like Read more

Bill Gates Riffs about Math Education

Video: The Future of On-Line Lectures plus what Bill is reading and watching these days - Read more

Who is The Daily Riff's "Person of the Year" in Education 2010?

The Winner Made Everyone a-Twitter Read more

School of One: Is This What "Blended Learning" Looks Like?

When Technology & Education Collide - Every "One" Has a Story Read more

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Kindergarten Test-Prep Nightmare

Are You Tipping Off Your Child's Test Monitor? A Jaw-Drop View of How To Prepare Your Kindergartner To "Win" Private School Entry Read more

6 Creative Ways Our Students Can be "Contributors" - - - In & Out of School

By Alan November: "If our children are to grow up to make important contributions to our society, it is essential that we provide them with powerful tools and experiences across the curriculum. This will require a new culture of teaching and learning that engages students as contributors." Read more

We're All Frogs Boiling In Water

The Hidden Impact of Technology on our Everyday Lives . . . Read more

A School Leader Chooses Student Potential Over Test Scores

"Ensuring that every young person learns means constant reassessment of the curriculum, multiple measures of student achievement, and support systems throughout the school." Read more

James Paul Gee: How Kids Learn Through Video Games

So the next time you fret that your child is on a mindless video game (of course, depending which one), take a chill pill. It may not be as bad as you think. Recommended videos. Read more

So you want to get a Ph.D. in Humanities?

Humor: Video Series Plus "So You Want to Go to Law School" Read more

Pushing back on mediocre professors

Seth Godin: "The vast majority of email I get from college students is filled with disgust, disdain and frustration at how backwards the system is." Read more

"Pretty" Blown Away

Not just for parents of girls: Poetry Slam video Read more

The Education Crisis: "The Daily Show" Version

Wish-We-Thought-of-ThatThe Daily Show Version of "Education Nation" and "Waiting for Superman"Video Below (Humor)An education news round-up that only Lewis Black on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show can do . . . Black takes no prisoners with NBC's special "Education Nation"... Read more

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Doodling in Math Class: Snakes & Graphs

Math as Art: "math relies too much on memorization and not enough on immersion" Read more

Colbert to Parents: Keep Fear Alive

"The More You No" Video: Banning Books & the March on Washington DC in October Read more

"Figure-It-The-Hell-Out Gene" Is Most Important When Hiring

WIT & WISDOM: CEO Looks for Grads Who Come Up with the Unexpected Read more

The Illustrated Guide To A Ph.D.

Very cool representation of the process and end result of obtaining a Ph.D. - all in 10 quick slides. Very clever conclusion - check it out with link below:"Imagine a circle that contains all of human knowledge . .... Read more

Transforming School for Real Learning: The Video to Watch

Best education video of 2010? Brilliant TED talk by Chris Lehmann, principal of Science Leadership Academy -- a featured school in "Apple in Education" series takes on technology to meta-cognition to empowering students to the role of education. Check it out. Read more

College Grads: Diploma First. Passport Next.

"I don't care where you went to business school. I don't care whether your grades were good or bad. You have to leave the country." Read more

"How Creative Are You?"

. . . .this test is that measures (and values) exactly the opposite qualities that are generally most valued in schools, especially in middle and high schools, where compliance, conformity and rigid adherency to instruction, rules and "what is taught" are rewarded and highly valued . . . Read more

A New Conversation With Sir Ken Robinson

"The Problem Is In Order To Get Through This Culture Of Standardized Testing, We Are Standardizing Our Children To Make Them 'Fit The Test'." Read more

Have We Created A Generation Of Followers?

From Over-Praising & Over-Structuring, Have We Created A Young Adult World Fraught With Paralysis and Fear Of Failure? 2 Min. Videos. Read more

A New Way To Look At Teacher Credentials

"Always Learning" We are really impressed with the teachers who are actively initiating and engaged in their own development -- and who are not solely relying on the school for this area of professionalism, or the next formal degree or a development course every five years to "do the job" for them. Read more

Graduation Mash-Up: Reality-Check Time

Three To Read: Sharp Observations On Our Graduating Class Read more

Dear Millennials: Your Parents Lied To You

"You're wonderful, sweetie. Just keep working hard and you can be anything you want to be. Great job!" (soccer mom, 1992) Read more

NYT: "We Have Met The Enemy And He Is PowerPoint"

"When We Understand That Slide, We'll Have Won The War:" General Scott McChrystal Read more

What If We Trained Teachers Like We Trained Doctors?

NPR's "Morning Edition" Questions Teacher Colleges With Lack Of Apprenticeship Read more

Sir Ken Robinson: So Many "Are Prevented From Finding Their True Talents"

Education Processes At Fault. We Must "Radically Transform" Schools. See New CNN 3-Minute Video. Read more

The College MIA List #6: Those Who Dropped Out Or Never Attended

* Read More About the Steve Wozniak Relationship (Rift?) With Steve Jobs, Fellow M.I.A. In This Fascinating Piece From Slate: "The iPad is Steve Jobs' Final Victory Over The Company's Co-founder Steve Wozniak." Read more

COLLEGE MIA'S #4

See The Updated List -Not Everyone Is College Material. Those Who Dropped Out Or Never Entered . . . Read more

MIA #5

See The Updated List - Not Everyone Is College Material- Those Who Dropped Out Or Never Entered . . . Read more

Careers In Math And The Sciences? Juggle Deadly Chemicals and Electricity? Rubbish!

My interest was piqued as I presumed I was about to enter the fray debating whether sociopathic, liberal high schools should be allowed to breed their own stem cells, only to find that STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and math. (Humor) Read more

COLLEGE MIA'S #3

Not Everyone Is College Material. See The List Grow: Those Who Dropped Out Or Never Entered . . . Read more

Why We Need Mentors In School & Work More Than Ever

"The young entrepreneurs who are starting companies for the first time are best served by seeking out and getting experienced serial entrepreneurs as angel investors, board members, and mentors.We encourage all of the first time entrepreneurs we work with to do... Read more

Bill Maher: Fire The Parents, Not The Teachers

VIDEO - Did Newsweek Cover Put Maher, A Teacher Union Critic, Over The Edge? Read more

The Creepiest Children's Books Ever

From The "What Were They Thinking?" Department - Over The Top Weirdness Read more

Wit & Wisdom

Game Changers & Tales of Triumph and Woe