One might assume state policymakers had improved school recess for children, considering their databases, but except for a few places, most school districts still deny children recess. They don’t appear to understand that children need and deserve unstructured school breaks several times a day. Unstructured is key. When they discuss recess they usually still mean […]
Fake Play and Its Dangerous Alignment to Standards and Data
Where does pretending come in? It relates to what philosophers call “counterfactual” thinking, like Einstein wondering what would happen if a train went at the speed of light. ~Alison Gopnik, “Let the Children Play, It’s Good for Them” Smithsonian Magazine. July 2012. There’s a troubling phenomenon happening in early childhood education. It involves aligning standards […]
Worry in Toys ‘R’ Us News: Children Prefer Tablets Over Toys
They [iPads] have overtaken dolls, action figures, board games and other traditional toys–and experts say their popularity is still rocketing. ~Mark Prigg, “How the iPad Replaced the Toy Chest: Researchers Find Children Play with Touchscreens More than Traditional Toys.” Daily Mail. February 21, 2014. With the announcement that Toys ‘R’ Us is filing for bankruptcy, […]
Important Education Research Repeatedly Ignored
Have you noticed we are bombarded by articles and reports about what is right and wrong in education by think tanks and non-educators? In fact, I have heard a variety of education reformers claiming there is little education research. They are wrong. There are many serious studies that these same people continue to ignore. Not […]