Last Friday’s Choreolab concert of ten original dances was the culmination of a central studies (CS) elective. Choreolab started at The Walden School in the 1980’s and was further developed as a student-led and directed experience by the work of Laurie Roth and Kirstin Been Spielman at Trevor Day School in New York City where the annual dance extravaganza is…
The title and content of this entry have changed. The original title – A Challenge to Stephen Colbert – referred to the Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report where the grippy and relentless megamerican Stephen Colbert holds court. The show opens with dramatic graphics of eagles, waving flags and the swooping adjectives that Colbert proclaims for himself. Lincolnish and flagaphile have…
I had the great pleasure of attending Life on Earth – a student written, multi-media and very original musical by the students in a central studies elective. The script was impressive – witty, pointed and poignant. The modern day Olympians – from Dr. Freud and Robin Hood to Miss America, from Wonder Woman and Bacchus to Ben Franklin and all…
Quick, quick! – spell “yacht” New research on spelling and the brain English spelling and pronunciation are renowned for complexity and quirks. Spelling still matters and we all know how computer spell checkers can mislead**. So what goes on in our brains when we spell a word or try to? New research about exactly what happens in our brain when…
Robbie sent me this picture of a high school student with members of her kindergarten class. As you can see from the background lights – this was taken the all-school winter festival event. A cheering picture for a gray day as we dry out from the deluge. It was taken by Alexandra.
When dealing with bunkum like the unsubstantiated and most unlikely claim of the 14,000 parachuted cats it would be good to have a handy little tool like the Quackometer. This tool provides an instant service for checking a website for obvious signs of fraud, quackery and pseudoscience. (I tested this site – my personal quack report below.* Clean (duck) bill…
We are all very fond of talking about critical thinking. But what does it actually mean? In the classroom, in reality, in our lives? And how is such a skill developed? Awash with information, how do we determine truth, integrity and merit? The skills of discernment and discrimination are more crucial than ever as we all sort through what we…
What struck me about Operation Cat Drop – the flying cats of Borneo story – was not the unintended chain of events but the detail about the cats. Fourteen thousand cats! Where on earth would they be able to round up 14.000 cats? Could it possibly be true? And how could I find out? In addition to the wide circulation…
Let’s Abolish High School – it’s a link to an article in Education Week (April4, 2007) by Robert Epstein. Epstein provides some historical context to the educational warehousing of teenagers. Teenagers, he contends, are not inherently incompetent and irresponsible and we should stop treating them as if they were. To give you a taste: In today’s fast-paced world, education needs…
Here’s a blog with an irresistible url Stop Holford Talking Rubbish. (Yes – that is the real name). It’s by someone who takes exception to the work of one Patrick Holford – a UK nutritionist (no relation.) Photo: Jay Wennington
Gary Stager came to Poughkeepsie Day School at the end of March and he began with a lively Vassar College/ PDS presentation Ten Things to do with a Laptop. His title is a deliberate nod to a groundbreaking 1971 article by Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon “Twenty Things to Do with a Computer.” They had twenty on their list but…
Does this Jerry King cartoon from FNO strike a chord? It’s easy to say “less is more” but not always so easy to see the sentiment translated into the practical of everyday life where the pressure seems on for more stuff in less time. Here is Carl Honoré – author of In Praise of Slowness explaining how to get more…
El externado de Poughkeepsie desarrolla a ciudadanos educados con una pasión para aprender y vivir. Nuestra comunidad exige integridad, responsabilidad y respecto mutuo. Poughkeepsieの昼間学校は学び、生存のための情熱の教育がある市民を開発する。 私達のコミュニティは完全性、責任および相互点を要求する。 Пугхкеепсие Day School разрабатывает образованных граждан, имеющих страсть к обучению и жизни. Наше сообщество требует честности, ответственности и взаимного уважения. A former colleague – a wonderful Spanish teacher – has a sign by her desk…
What’s next for computers? Here’s a demonstration of a multi-touch interface. Pretty amazing.Imagine the classroom or the workplace where everyone has access to this technology.