Overcoming Dyslexia: Timing Of 'Connections' In Brain Is Key
ScienceDaily (2007-09-05) -- Using new software developed to investigate how the brains of dyslexic children are organized, researchers have found that key areas for language and working memory involved in reading are connected differently in dyslexics than in children who are good readers and spellers. However, a three-week instructional program can normalize those connections. ... > read full article
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Dyslexic Brain
Friday, October 12, 2007
Congratulations, Mrs. Lessing
Lessing wins Nobel prize for literature
By Peter Aspden
Published: October 12 2007 03:00
Doris Lessing, the prolific English novelist who crafted her reputation as a critic of colonial African society and whose career has spanned an occasionally bewildering range of styles and genres, has been awarded the Nobel prize for literature at the age of 87.
The Swedish Academy yesterday described Ms. Lessing as "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny".
She is the 11th woman to receive the literature prize since its inception in 1901, and the 34th woman Nobel laureate across all categories.
Ms. Lessing is best known for her series of novels Children of Violence, written in the 1950s and featuring her heroine Martha Quest, whose growth in consciousness reflected the author's concerns over social justice.
Her first, semi-autobiographical novel, The Grass is Singing, addressed the culture clashes and racial discrimination she encountered during her childhood in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where she moved with her parents at the age of six.
Ms. Lessing, born in Persia, now Iran, left school at the age of 14 and went on to work as a nanny, telephonist, office worker and stenographer before having several short stories published.
In 1939 she married Frank Charles Wisdom, with whom she had a son and a daughter. The couple divorced in 1943 and two years later she married Gottfried Lessing, whom she had met in a Marxist group and with whom she had a son.
She moved to Britain in 1949, joined the British Communist party and became a fierce critic of the South African regime.
In 1956, Ms. Lessing was declared a prohibited alien in Southern Rhodesia and South Africa, a ban that was lifted in 1995.
In the 1960s the author broke new ground with The Golden Notebook, which examined the multiple aspects of the life of a woman, Anna Wulf, in an experimental style. The burgeoning feminist movement regarded it as a pioneering work.
Ms. Lessing went on to experiment with a variety of styles. Her Briefing for a Descent into Hell in 1971 was described by the author as "inner space fiction", while her series Canopus in Argos: Archives was a post-nuclear study in science fiction.
She was attacked for being "unfeminine" in her work, to which she replied: "Apparently what many women were thinking, feeling, experiencing came as a great surprise."
In The Good Terrorist of 1985, she satirised the contemporary left and the novel's female protagonist, for her misguided martyrdom.
The Fifth Child, written in 1988, was a psychological thriller in which a woman's aggression against family life was incarnated in a monstrous boy child.
Ms Lessing was appointed a companion of honour in 1999, having turned down the offer of becoming a dame of the British empire, because she said there was no British empire.
Her most recent novel, The Cleft, was published in January by Fourth Estate to mixed reviews.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
By Peter Aspden
Published: October 12 2007 03:00
Doris Lessing, the prolific English novelist who crafted her reputation as a critic of colonial African society and whose career has spanned an occasionally bewildering range of styles and genres, has been awarded the Nobel prize for literature at the age of 87.
The Swedish Academy yesterday described Ms. Lessing as "that epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny".
She is the 11th woman to receive the literature prize since its inception in 1901, and the 34th woman Nobel laureate across all categories.
Ms. Lessing is best known for her series of novels Children of Violence, written in the 1950s and featuring her heroine Martha Quest, whose growth in consciousness reflected the author's concerns over social justice.
Her first, semi-autobiographical novel, The Grass is Singing, addressed the culture clashes and racial discrimination she encountered during her childhood in Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where she moved with her parents at the age of six.
Ms. Lessing, born in Persia, now Iran, left school at the age of 14 and went on to work as a nanny, telephonist, office worker and stenographer before having several short stories published.
In 1939 she married Frank Charles Wisdom, with whom she had a son and a daughter. The couple divorced in 1943 and two years later she married Gottfried Lessing, whom she had met in a Marxist group and with whom she had a son.
She moved to Britain in 1949, joined the British Communist party and became a fierce critic of the South African regime.
In 1956, Ms. Lessing was declared a prohibited alien in Southern Rhodesia and South Africa, a ban that was lifted in 1995.
In the 1960s the author broke new ground with The Golden Notebook, which examined the multiple aspects of the life of a woman, Anna Wulf, in an experimental style. The burgeoning feminist movement regarded it as a pioneering work.
Ms. Lessing went on to experiment with a variety of styles. Her Briefing for a Descent into Hell in 1971 was described by the author as "inner space fiction", while her series Canopus in Argos: Archives was a post-nuclear study in science fiction.
She was attacked for being "unfeminine" in her work, to which she replied: "Apparently what many women were thinking, feeling, experiencing came as a great surprise."
In The Good Terrorist of 1985, she satirised the contemporary left and the novel's female protagonist, for her misguided martyrdom.
The Fifth Child, written in 1988, was a psychological thriller in which a woman's aggression against family life was incarnated in a monstrous boy child.
Ms Lessing was appointed a companion of honour in 1999, having turned down the offer of becoming a dame of the British empire, because she said there was no British empire.
Her most recent novel, The Cleft, was published in January by Fourth Estate to mixed reviews.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Hey Parents, Leave Them Teachers Alone
Is it no wonder that teachers are leaving the profession by the droves? In addition to worrying about scores from NCLB-mandated state tests, teachers have to contend with a variety of distracting factions. Parents either become completely absorbed and obsessed with their children's education, or they completely ignore it hoping their children will miraculously fly through school without any outside assistance. Can we have some middle ground here?
Many school administrators walk on eggshells around parents dreading to hear "lawsuit". Please. If a parent wants to blame Mr. X for his or her child's performance, then I suggest we need to resort to video taping classrooms. Yes, let's up the surveillance. I know it will give us teachers a breather. We know that our stories can be corroborated by a video tape. Why not? Lots of alternative education schools do this, why not ALL schools. Heck, I'll even chip in part of my paycheck.
In addition, some parents become so involved in their children's education that they question a teacher on seat placement (when there is nothing wrong with the child). As people in our society become more in tune with their children's education and as their socioeconomic status throughout generations has improved, many parents feel they have a right to make sure their money is being well used. This new money in the wallet syndrome makes them really conscious of where it's going, and they better be investing it well. I have heard parents say "Well, we pay for you to teach." Not so--if you knew that you are only paying for about a nickel of my salary (if that) where would you direct your anger?
I believe a teacher has a right to use his or her professional expertise without being constantly monitored, drilled, and analyzed to death. I agree that teachers need to be accountable for their teaching as any professional should be accountable for the quality of his or her work. But there comes a point when parents needs to back off, and have a little faith. Parents need to realize that no educational environment is going to be totally in synch with what their children need. Guess what? Welcome to the real world. It's called adaptation, and unless children are taught to adapt to their new environments they will continually suffer from "I'm specialitis". This just doesn't fly in the workplace.
And many times, these overbearing, suffocating parents are the ones who threaten HOME SCHOOLING when the going gets tough at school. Yes, I can see how coddling your child in the comfort of your home will prepare your child for the harsh realities of life. Even more, I can understand that when things don't go your way (i.e. can't run the teacher or boss her around) you want to stamp your foot and pout. But let's think about the greater good here for the child--not your ego. Children need social interaction to become well-developed adults--they won't get this kind of interaction at home. In addition, the classroom prepares children for what they will be doing the rest of their lives: WORK. If children can't get along with their peers--how will they get along with their future coworkers? Education should be as individualized as possible for maximum learning benefit. At the same time, life doesn't adapt for US, we must adapt for it. So there also has to be a happy medium between giving children 100% of what they need and teaching them that life does not consist of everything being geared or catered to their needs.
I'm one of the biggest supporters of adapting classrooms, differentiating instruction, and helping special learners. But my job becomes increasingly difficult when I have to worry about whether I can sit Joe next to John and will I get a phone call from the parents. Hmmm . . . Parents, there are greater things out there for you to be concerned with. Just let the teachers teach, and we won't tell you how to parent or discipline your children--even if we can do it better than you can.
Many school administrators walk on eggshells around parents dreading to hear "lawsuit". Please. If a parent wants to blame Mr. X for his or her child's performance, then I suggest we need to resort to video taping classrooms. Yes, let's up the surveillance. I know it will give us teachers a breather. We know that our stories can be corroborated by a video tape. Why not? Lots of alternative education schools do this, why not ALL schools. Heck, I'll even chip in part of my paycheck.
In addition, some parents become so involved in their children's education that they question a teacher on seat placement (when there is nothing wrong with the child). As people in our society become more in tune with their children's education and as their socioeconomic status throughout generations has improved, many parents feel they have a right to make sure their money is being well used. This new money in the wallet syndrome makes them really conscious of where it's going, and they better be investing it well. I have heard parents say "Well, we pay for you to teach." Not so--if you knew that you are only paying for about a nickel of my salary (if that) where would you direct your anger?
I believe a teacher has a right to use his or her professional expertise without being constantly monitored, drilled, and analyzed to death. I agree that teachers need to be accountable for their teaching as any professional should be accountable for the quality of his or her work. But there comes a point when parents needs to back off, and have a little faith. Parents need to realize that no educational environment is going to be totally in synch with what their children need. Guess what? Welcome to the real world. It's called adaptation, and unless children are taught to adapt to their new environments they will continually suffer from "I'm specialitis". This just doesn't fly in the workplace.
And many times, these overbearing, suffocating parents are the ones who threaten HOME SCHOOLING when the going gets tough at school. Yes, I can see how coddling your child in the comfort of your home will prepare your child for the harsh realities of life. Even more, I can understand that when things don't go your way (i.e. can't run the teacher or boss her around) you want to stamp your foot and pout. But let's think about the greater good here for the child--not your ego. Children need social interaction to become well-developed adults--they won't get this kind of interaction at home. In addition, the classroom prepares children for what they will be doing the rest of their lives: WORK. If children can't get along with their peers--how will they get along with their future coworkers? Education should be as individualized as possible for maximum learning benefit. At the same time, life doesn't adapt for US, we must adapt for it. So there also has to be a happy medium between giving children 100% of what they need and teaching them that life does not consist of everything being geared or catered to their needs.
I'm one of the biggest supporters of adapting classrooms, differentiating instruction, and helping special learners. But my job becomes increasingly difficult when I have to worry about whether I can sit Joe next to John and will I get a phone call from the parents. Hmmm . . . Parents, there are greater things out there for you to be concerned with. Just let the teachers teach, and we won't tell you how to parent or discipline your children--even if we can do it better than you can.
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