By   Mon, May 24, 2010

We post this talk in tribute to the late Martin Gardner

By   Mon, May 24, 2010

Martin Gardner is considered by many to be a major influence behind mathematical games and brain teaser popularity. Born in 1914 in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the US, he obtained a degree in Philosophy from the University of Chicago before joining the navy in WWII. Mr. Gardner is the author of a great number of books and articles on recreational mathematics. A shy person by nature, he refused  many awards that involved a public appearence. Of note however, is the Gathering for Gardner event organized on even numbered years that celebrates his work and is held in his presence. www.g4g4.com

By   Tue, Apr 27, 2010

By   Fri, Apr 09, 2010

By   Sat, Apr 03, 2010

By   Sat, Apr 03, 2010

By   Sat, Apr 03, 2010

By   Thu, Apr 01, 2010

GEMS chief, Sunny Varkey, has sent a letter to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority informing them that the KHDA's ruling to freeze tuition will force the group to shut down certain schools. Mr. Varkey believes that, with a freeze on tuition, GEMS may not be able to ensure the standards demanded by the group or by KHDA.

You may read an opinion on this issue on our blog.

By   Thu, Mar 25, 2010

www.twitter.com/meeducator

By   Wed, Mar 24, 2010

By   Tue, Mar 23, 2010

DAILY CARTOON click to enlarge

Cartoon by Andertoons

By Staff   Tue, Mar 23, 2010

The results of KHDA's school inspections of Indian schools expected to be out in May, 2010

By Staff   Thu, Mar 11, 2010

Kuwait has floated a tender for the development of an e-curriculum for 23 million Kuwaiti Dinars

By Staff   Fri, Jan 22, 2010

Seeding Labs, a non-profit US-based group that works with universities and firms to provide the developing world with second-hand laboratory equipment in good condition, is helping African universities overcome a lack of appropriate technology which hampers their ability to undertake in-depth research. Twenty-two science laboratories at universities in 13 Latin American and African countries have been equipped by Seeding Labs over the past six years. The equipment comes from major biotech and pharmaceutical giants in the United States which donate outdated but functional equipment that would have been dumped in basement storerooms. The organization’s expertise centers on equipment suitable for biological and chemical sciences.

By Staff   Fri, Jan 22, 2010

The owners of a number of private schools in Kuwait have  expressed their discontent with the approval by a parliamentary   legislative committee of a proposal to impose gender segregation in public schools, while rejecting another proposal to leave the choice on this matter in universities to individual universities’ administrations. Private schools warn that the measure would have an adverse effect on many generations and have a harmful effect on students themselves. The issue of whether or not the proposal will advance further has yet to be decided, but members of the Union of Private Schools intend to utilize every means to oppose the introduction of such segregation in education at a time when Kuwait’s conservative neighbor Saudi Arabia is allowing coeducational classes at King Abdullah University and moving toward taking serious steps to get rid of such “unacceptable” measures.

By Staff   Fri, Jan 22, 2010

Leading Dubai-based language institute Eton Institute will be introducing sign language courses as part of its CSR initiative to remove communication barriers between all members of society. This visual course will be based on the widely used American Sign Language (ASL) standard and part of the proceeds will be donated to charity. With nearly three out of every 1,000 children afflicted, hearing impairment or deafness is one of the most common birth defects. This challenge is overcome with sign language, whose users can express themselves entirely through gestures and signals. Using a simple, step-by-step approach, the institute’s “Introduction to Signing” course will teach the basic words, phrases, and expressions of American Sign Language to students, essentially everything they need to begin using sign language in practical, everyday situations.

By Staff   Fri, Jan 22, 2010

Morocco has launched a $1.7 billion plan to reform its education system. This four-year endeavor includes overhauling universities in an effort to boost the country’s science and technology workforce and promote knowledge-based sustainable development. 

The effort focuses on enhancing the research reputation of Moroccan universities, improving higher education quality and increasing the sector’s capacity as the number of students passing the baccalaureate examination after high school increases. Morocco’s King Mohammad VI recently oversaw the signing of 17 pacts between the government and universities to improve higher education, including the hiring of additional lecturers and raising teaching credentials to expanding infrastructure. 

The reform plan commits universities to take the necessary measures to boost performance, promote high-quality teaching and develop scientific research, in order to enable Moroccan universities to become internationally competitive. 

By Staff   Fri, Jan 22, 2010

Hundreds of university students staged protests in Venezuela on December 9 to condemn the fatal shooting a day earlier of an undergraduate during a demonstration. Protesters assembled in a Caracas plaza chanting “No to violence! No to impunity!” The students marched through the streets and onto a highway, blocking traffic. Protests were also held in other cities to denounce the murder of 20-year-old Jesus Eduardo Ramirez, who was shot in the western city of San Cristobal during a student protest against power cuts and gasoline shortages. The rector of Ramirez’s university said the students had been killed during clashes between opponents and supporters of President Hugo Chavez. The governor of Tachira state, Cesar Perez Vivas, said Ramirez died during an “ambush” of the demonstration which he claimed took place after local leaders of Chavez’s socialist party called for a counterdemonstration. Perez accused armed groups linked to pro-Chavez partisans of being responsible. Authorities say they have yet to determine who was responsible.

By Staff   Fri, Jan 22, 2010

The Lebanese University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences saw the launch at its headquarters in Dekwaneh of forest-fire-management courses in partnership with the Association for Forests, Development and Conservation (AFDC) and in collaboration with Tragsa and the University of Cordoba-Spain. The project comes within the framework of a Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID)-funded project entitled “Supporting a sustainable institutional mechanism for-forest fire control in Lebanon,” implemented by AFDC in partnership with Tragsa and the directorate of Civil Defense at the Interior Ministry. Thousands of hectares of Lebanon’s forests are consumed by fire every year, resulting in massive economic losses due to material and environmental damage as well as loss of lives and livelihoods.

By Staff   Thu, Jan 21, 2010

BEIRUT

By Staff   Thu, Jan 21, 2010

School Express

www.schoolexpress.com

School Express is an excellent website replete with classroom resources. In addition to an award maker, puzzle maker and quiz maker, it also includes online activities for you and your students to enjoy. You can also find free software for your classroom and suggestions for useful websites for teachers as well as parents.

By Staff   Thu, Jan 21, 2010

Classroom 2.0

www.classroom20.com

Classroom 2.0 is a social network and forum designed for teachers where you can connect with other teachers from all around the world and discuss your classrooms and exchange ideas. All you have to do is simply register, and you can find all sorts of resources for all grade levels and subjects along with comments from teachers. You can also find lesson plans, ideas for lesson plans and much more. Log in and increase the “teacherness” in you.

Thu, Jan 21, 2010

T-shirt Personality

To develop creativity in your students and help them get to know one another better, ask your students to design T-shirt Iron-Ons that tell more about themselves. Even better yet, it could be designed on a computer, thus giving them a chance to work on their IT skills as well. Afterward, invite the students to display and explain their designs. 

 Let’s all do the elbow cough

By Staff   Thu, Jan 21, 2010

New York Times Word of the Day 

www.nytimes.com/learning/students/wordofday/index.html

For those of you that want to increase their vocabulary or prepare for the SATs from an early age, this is the perfect website to integrate into your English lessons. Each day, open the website and tell the students about a new word and have them integrate it into the classroom. You can also take a look at the New York Times Education Section for the latest news and resources.

By Rick Docksai   Thu, Jan 21, 2010

Four out of every 10 American students in elementary school today might give up on learning well before graduation time, according to school psychologist Richard Selznick. They will disconnect from teachers, tune out of class, and simply “shut down” as students. In The Shut-Down Learner, Selznick tells parents and teachers what they can do to re-engage them.

“The shut-down learners that I have known are incredibly talented and misunderstood. Sadly, many of them are casualties of school,”  Selznick writes. Selznick has counseled thousands of young people with learning challenges. Almost all of his patients share two common traits: high visual-spatial skills –  i.e. strength in “hands-on” activities – and poor language skills. They are adept at building, painting, and exercising outside. But standard classroom instruction is “deadening” to them. They get restless, easily distracted and fail to follow through on assignments and exercises.

“Laziness and low motivation are not the main culprits – they are the byproducts of years of frustration,” Selznick writes.  As one example, he shares the experience of Catherine, whose mother scheduled an appointment with Selznick. He recalls: “Catherine loved doing all of the spatial and hands-on activities, such as making puzzles, building block designs and drawing pictures. In contrast, when it came to doing more of the letter- and language-related activities, she became much more fidgety and restless. I had to help her to stay on task and not give up readily.”

Shut-down learners constitute about 40 percent of the US population, says Selznick. We often diagnose them with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or dyslexia and prescribe them medications. Selznick is not anti-medication, but he cautions against thinking that medications alone will solve the problems. Shut-down learners have additional emotional and psychological needs. The first step is to discover why a child is exhibiting “shut-down” behavior, learn what makes him or her tick, and note his or her strengths.

Parents need to give intense structure, supervision, and support to children with learning needs. Parents must congratulate any small achievements and maintain an encouraging tone, Selznick advises. Outside tutoring can also help. Selznick urges teachers to provide remedial education for shut-down learners in small classes or in one-on-one settings. The lessons would be supplemented by classes steeped in lively visual and spatial exercises.

“Building, creating, taking things apart and putting them back together will keep them connected much more than sitting in seven excruciating classes a day of academics,” Selznick writes. Growing numbers of teachers today say that they struggle to sustain the attentions of many of their students. Selznick’s text is very timely, offering teachers and parents educational tools that could better engage children of many backgrounds and learning types.

The Shut-Down Learner by Richard Selznick

Sentient Publications, 2009, 

Softcover, 160 pages, $15.95 

ISBN-10: 1591810787

ISBN-13: 978-1591810780

www.sentientpublications.com

Dr. Richard Selznick is a psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist, graduate school and university professor of pediatrics. He is author of the book The Shut-Down Learner: Helping Your Academically Discouraged Child. Included in the book are numerous case studies drawn from vast professional experiences.

By Staff   Thu, Jan 21, 2010

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