Concise Learning

Taking short breaks helps your brain learn A study found that even short breaks help solidify new learning. "I noticed that participants' brain waves seemed to change much more during the rest periods than during the typing sessions," Bonstrup tells the NIH. "This gave me the idea to look much more closely for when learning was actually happening. Was it during practice or rest?" While the study was concerned with the learning of motor skills, the finding may be more broadly applicable to other types of learning. For the most effective learning sessions, build-in short rest periods. Read more at https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/learning-neuroscience. (at Vienna, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByBLyLzBy6g/?igshid=1rs680yicl6fx

Do something syndrome Motion is easy. Results are hard. Doing something gives us the illusion of progress but often makes things worse. The next time you feel the urge to do something for the sake of just doing something, pause to ask “why”. (at Fairfax, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxfBC4KhzGN/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=m08jl97f3bah

Teacher Appreciation Week: May 5 to 11 Teachers change the lives of millions of children every day, and their work and impact extends far beyond the boundaries of the classroom—“Out of This World.” Special thank you to all teachers for inspiring a lifelong love of learning and discovery and making a difference in the well-being and long-term success of our children. Check out card ideas for your teachers at https://www.pta.org/home/events/PTA-Teacher-Appreciation-Week. 📷 by @nationalpta #thankateacher (at Fairfax, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxFDia-B1lc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1047iky0clsbr

Don’t stress about your child’s stress According to latest research, it's important to let kids stress out a bit: "While chronic or traumatic stress can be damaging, psychologists say normal, everyday stress — in the right dose and viewed through the right lens — can be helpful, pushing adolescents to grow beyond their limits and setting them up to thrive." “It’s easy for kids and adults to fall into the assumption that if it doesn’t feel good, it’s bad for you,” Dr. Lisa Damour says. “But as anyone who has exercised knows, that’s not true. Stress, even healthy stress, doesn’t feel good in the same way that lifting weights doesn’t usually feel good.” Parents need to be at ease with the idea that their child will be uncomfortable, and that it doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong. Healthy stress is motivating, focuses attention, and primes our minds and bodies to face new challenges, be it taking a test, speaking in front of an audience or standing up to a bully at school. Stress turns unhealthy when it feels bigger than our ability to cope with it. The next time your adolescent comes home complaining about the stress she’s under, listen, validate her concerns, and then offer a more positive, adaptive view. Help her see that stress isn’t the enemy. In fact, it may be one of our most undervalued natural resources, one worth preserving to help us grow, rise to the challenges that lie ahead and push us to reach our full potential. Read more at https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/on-parenting/dont-worry-about-your-childs-everyday-stress-it-may-be-helping/2019/04/22/969ac748-4426-11e9-90f0-0ccfeec87a61_story.html. 📷 by @washingtonpost https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw1iNaiBz4S/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1a8meir308gdr

Tony Buzan's Mind Map Legacy Tony Buzan (1942-2019), the inventor of Mind Maps, died last night but his mind map legacy lives on. He was a pioneer and a legend in the fileds of memory and education. He changed the lives of millions who now use mind mapping to improve memory and learning, academically and at work. Thank you Tony Buzan, we're saddened you're gone and grateful for your brilliance. #rip #tonybuzan https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPEEsbh6MV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ch1xmwexbp60

Why You Need To Learn 1 Hour Per Day Just To Stay Relevant Every second that passes by, the knowledge in your head becomes a little bit outdated, and, therefore a little less valuable.We all know this intuitively. Living in the midst of an information explosion makes this even more apparent. For example, If you learned about the periodic table as a high school student in 1970, you were told there were 106 elements. Students today are taught that there are 118. This is not just true with sciences but also with technology and everything around us. The long-term effects of learning complacency are as insidious as the long-term effects of not exercising, eating well, or sleeping enough. Keep learning. If you're not learning everyday, you're falling behind. If you're not refreshing your skills, your skills are outdated. Make lifelong learning a priority. Read more at https://medium.com/the-mission/the-math-behind-the-5-hour-rule-why-you-need-to-learn-1-hour-per-day-just-to-stay-relevant-90007efe6861. https://www.instagram.com/p/BvrEZfEByA9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1t5bv8plpbuvs

Lack of sleep could kill your brain cells One study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows a direct correlation between sleep deprivation and impaired cognitive function—including your working memory and cognitive speed. Here’s what’s even scarier — continued lack of sleep might actually destroy your brain cells. As part of a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, when mice were deprived of sleep, the researchers discovered that locus ceruleus neurons (LCns) in the mice’s brains—which are essential for the brain’s alertness—began to die off. Since these neurons were continuously firing without enough rest, they became damaged and were eventually destroyed. The mice lost a whopping 25% of their LCns after just three days of 4-5 hours of sleep. Scientists hypothesize that the same thing could happen in human brains. So, basically, a lack of sleep could quite literally kill your brain cells. No wonder it’s so hard to focus when you didn’t get a good night’s rest. How much sleep should you get? See sleep duration recommendations at https://www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need. Read more at https://blog.trello.com/why-you-cant-focus-on-anything-plus-how-to-fix-it https://www.instagram.com/p/BvESaeShTaW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lue1u0qdnp81

Help your children SOAR to academic success Students often are ineffective in their note taking and studying strategies. They record sketchy notes, organize ideas using lists and outlines, and review information in piecemeal—one idea at a time. No matter the reason, the one thing that most students have in common is that they are not taught note taking and study strategies in school or home. However, it’s essential that parents and educators spend time teaching children how to organize their lessons, how to analyze the material, and how to study. What can parents and teachers do to help? Research demonstrates that learning is enhanced when students incorporate graphic organizers and other tools into their note taking and studying to reveal relationships among concepts. Dr. Kenneth Kiewra calls this method SOAR: Select, Organize, Associate, and Regulate, a framework and methodology he created that enables students to make critical connections, apply critical thinking skills, and, ultimately, understand concepts versus rote memorization. For learning to best occur, each SOAR component plays a vital role. Using SOAR, students: (1) select and note the critical lesson information, (2) organize it using graphic organizers such as hierarchies, sequences, matrices, and illustrations, (3) associate it with other information, both inside and outside the lesson, and (4) regulate learning through self-testing. Read more at http://www.nagc.org and https://cehs.unl.edu/kiewra/. https://www.instagram.com/p/BvCDbRqBxiS/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=afywnxyz5q07

90-year human life in weeks The 90-year week chart is a reminder that this grid of empty boxes is my life. That's all the weeks you get. We tend to feel locked into whatever life we’re living, but this pallet of empty boxes can be absolutely whatever we want it to be. Everyone you know, everyone you admire, every hero in history — they did it all with that same grid of empty boxes. Use this life grids as a tool for self-reflection and goal setting: What have you accomplished with your weeks so far? What do you want to accomplish with them in the future? Read more at https://blog.doist.com/present-self-vs-future-self-f598f5ab0e2a. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu1CTk3BD7r/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=wct18buwhwan

Importance of self-directed, engaged learning for young children In our quest for preparing our children for life in the real world, providing them with self-directed, engaged opportunities for learning can help them realize their full potential. When you value learning experiences, so will your child. In her book “Mind in the Making: The seven essential life skills every child needs,” author Ellen Galinsky describes how adults can raise children with essential life skills through self-directed and engaged learning experiences. To help your child be a self-directed and engaged learner, consider the tips in this mind map, as they are essential life skills that will prepare children for success in the school and the world. Read more at at http://mindinthemaking.org/. Download the mind map at https://www.mindmeister.com/1220785705/mind-in-the-making-the-seven-essential-life-skills-every-child-needs. https://www.instagram.com/p/BuTT1HvBp_u/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=75wokg7rn5tj

The Complete Guide to Memory Being able to remember things is key to success in school, work and life. @scotthyoung and Jakub Jílek have put together a comprehensive guide to understanding how #memory works and how to improve our memory. The guide covers all three parts of memory that need to function together in sync: #encoding, #storage and #retrieval. In addition to reviewing the science of how memory works, the guide also offers practical tips on improving memory, including tips on how to encode information better, how to store information better, and how to retrieve stored memories. Read more at https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2019/02/15/memory. https://www.instagram.com/p/BuI84Iphkjq/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gze54lo0s2qj

16 Habits of the Mind A Habit of Mind is a pattern of intellectual behaviors that leads to productive actions. The 16 Habits of Mind are attributes that teachers and parents can teach, cultivate, observe, and assess. The intent is to help students get into the habit of behaving intelligently. Read more at http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108008/chapters/describing-the-habits-of-mind.aspx https://www.instagram.com/p/BuENqrLhKBd/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=syytuxjqkh08

Always Learning “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” - Albert Einstein This is a humbling lesson for us all. Not only do we not know everything, but we don’t know most things. Read more at https://managercompanion.com/buster-bensons-cognitive-bias-cheat-sheet/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt-5sieBB4w/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mnudxcmhx1lf

2019 Annual Letter by Bill and Melinda Gates In this year’s annual letter, @thisisbillgates and @melindafrenchgates highlight 9 things that have surprised them in 2018. Highlight #8 is on #northwesternctd education - that Textbooks are becoming obsolete and that educational software is finally changing how students learn. Bill: I read more than my share of textbooks. But it’s a pretty limited way to learn something. Even the best text can’t figure out which concepts you understand and which ones you need more help with. It certainly can’t tell your teacher how well you grasped last night’s assigned reading. But now, thanks to software, the standalone textbook is becoming a thing of the past. Suppose you’re taking high school algebra. Instead of just reading a chapter on solving equations, you can look at the text online, watch a super-engaging video that shows you how it’s done, and play a game that reinforces the concepts. Then you solve a few problems online, and the software creates new quiz questions to zero in on the ideas you’re not quite getting. Melinda: In addition to adapting to what students know, these online tools also facilitate a new approach to teaching and learning that adapts to who these students are. All of this is a complement to what teachers do, not a replacement. Your teacher gets a rich report showing what you read and watched, which problems you got right and wrong, and the areas where you need more help. When you come to class the next day, she is equipped with a ton of specific information and suggestions to help her make the most of her time with you. What’s next? The same basic cycle you go through for all software: Get lots of feedback on the existing products, collect data on what works, and make them better. Read more at https://www.gatesnotes.com/2019-Annual-Letter. https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt5wXWmB19c/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ttqw59lofavy

Increasing the Value of Graphic Organizers Graphic organizers are a helpful learning tool for students of all ages to organize, clarify, or simplify complex information. They help students construct understanding through an exploration of the relationships between concepts. Careful design, creation, and use of graphic organizers can provide important intellectual guardrails to guide students toward deeper understanding and learning. Well-designed graphic organizers should guide students to categorize key concepts, surface the interconnection of ideas, or help students construct knowledge. The visual guides work best when learning goals drive the design and students are engaged in their creation.Shift the intellectual responsibility by asking students to construct their own visual representation. In an example from an AP Biology course, the teacher provided guidelines and a blank sheet of paper for students to create their own concept maps, which offered flexibility in how they displayed their thinking. Upon reflection, students reported that the act of creating their own organizer enhanced their grasp of the concepts because they had to sift through the information in a more critical way. It also provided a visual that identified gaps in their understanding. Concept mapping not only allows students to consolidate their thinking but also provides a formative assessment the teacher can use to check for understanding and surface misconceptions. Read more at https://www.edutopia.org/article/increasing-value-graphic-organizers https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt3A_DtBFj6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qcvji9u71nuk

Cognitive bias mind map @busterwiki developed an invaluable #mindmap for helping us identify the hidden flaws in our #thinking. It's both comprehensive and succinct. He started with the raw list of all 175 biases in #wikipedia and then removed duplicates and grouped them. The list came down to about 20 unique biased mental strategies that we use for very specific reasons. He then made several different attempts to try to group these 20 or so at a higher level, and eventually landed on grouping them by the general mental problem that they were attempting to address. Every cognitive bias is there for a reason — primarily to save our brains time or energy. If you look at them by the problem they’re trying to solve, it becomes a lot easier to understand why they exist, how they’re useful, and the trade-offs (and resulting mental errors) that they introduce. Read more at https://betterhumans.coach.me/cognitive-bias-cheat-sheet-55a472476b18 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt0gETPhVVX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ypep5jeejp10

100 Days of Mind Mapping @visibility_experiments took on the 100 day #mindmapping challenge to share how valuable mind mapping is to everyday #learning and #work. Here’s what he learned from 100 days of mind mapping: mind mapping provides confidence and clarity for thoughts; mind mapping helps clear up complexity; mind mapping helps organize concepts and connect related and unrelated ideas; with #mindmaps, you can show others exactly what you mean. Read more at @teambiggerplate blog: https://blog.biggerplate.com/100-days-of-mind-mapping-72729ef9e0e4. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtYPiytBbeF/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lnd3st6ftfs3