Last December we launched our stimulating Author Speaks Series to provide a platform for leading scientists and experts writing high-quality brain-related books to share their insights with SharpBrains readers. Participants so far include (in order of appearance):
Joanne-Jacobs
The First Step Is Failure
Joanne Jacobs, educator, blogger and author of Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea and the Charter School That Beat the Odds, participates today in our Author Speaks Series with an excellent article on how “Schools won’t improve until administrators and teachers can admit the problems, analyze what’s going wrong and try new strategies. Students won’t improve if they think they’re “special†just the way they are.” Enjoy, and feel free to add your comment to engage in a stimulating conversation.
When self-esteem became an education watchword in 1986, I thought it was a harmless fad. I was wrong: It wasn’t harmless. Many teachers were persuaded that students should be pumped up with praise, regardless of their performance. Schools lowered expectations so students couldn’t fail. Everyone got an “I Am Special†sticker. Till the standards and accountability movement kicked in, students often were judged by how they felt about learning not by whether they’d actually learned something.
2 more Contributors on Brain, Education issues
We are pleased to announce that we’ll have 2 additional excellent contributions during February:
- Adrian Preda, M.D., will write about a brain plasticity topic.
Adrian Preda, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the UC Irvine School of Medicine. His expertise in human behavior, psychology and spirituality is based on years of experience working as a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, teacher and researcher in a variety of academic clinical and non-clinical settings, including Yale Psychiatric Institute, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale Health Plan, UT Southwestern and UC Irvine Neuro-Psychiatric Research.
- Joanne Jacobs, education expert and great blogger, will participate in our Author Speaks Series.ÂÂ
Once a Knight Ridder columnist, Joanne is now a freelance writer and author of a book about a charter school that prepares Hispanic students for college. Her most recent book is Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea and the Charter School That Beat the Odds. ÂÂ
Stanford Media X Annual Conference
We will be attending the 5th Annual Media X Conference, April 16 and 17, 2007 at Stanford University.
If you are coming, please contact us so we can talk in more detail about cognitive and emotional training (brain fitness).
Description: Media X Annual Conference will highlight fundamental research about people and technology for our Affiliates and friends. The research ranges from biometrics for authentication, to wireless network sensors for enhanced quality of life, to gaming and leadership along with [Read more…] about Stanford Media X Annual Conference