Author Archive

Graduate Engineer Options / True Car Costs / The Physics of Scuba Diving

Tuesday, January 17th, 2023

Free Resources for Busy Parents and Educators Who Don’t Have as Much Time to Read and Surf as I Do with Fresh Content almost Every Weekday

The Twitter names next to each link belong to the authors, publications, and the people who bring them to my attention.

Options
Six Careers for engineering graduates (other than ‘engineer’!) – The logical thinking, practical approach, and analytical skills gained during an engineering degree lend themselves to a wide range of careers in all sorts of industries. @INTOStudy

Owning a Car
The True Costs of Owning a Car – A Lesson Plan for High School Students – This is a great real-world problem that all kids should try before they think about buying a car. @EconEdLink @rmbyrne

Scuba Science
The Physics of Scuba Diving – Here is a deep dive into the science of staying alive underwater. Time for some real-world physics. @rjallain @WIRED

SM

Social Media/Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk Outlines Roadmap for ‘Twitter 2.0’ in New Slide Deck. Elon Musk has provided some more insight into his evolving plan for Twitter, which will now also see the company embark on a hiring push after firing 65% of its workforce in order to get in more development and engineering talent to help realize Musk’s grand vision. @adhutchinson @socialmedia2day

Learning

A 10-Minute Recap Of Elon Musk’s Neuralink Event – This short video summaries several areas of brain research. @elonmusk @CNET

Coaching

Leadership/Parenting

Six key elements to build a successful coaching program – When coaching is done right, it works to help support teachers and students, and build stronger districts. @jderoner @TeachBoost @eschoolnews

Inspirational/Funny Tweets

Self Talk

@BillMoore20

Humor, Music, Cool Stuff

Rome Italy travel guide – Tips for first-time visitors – I’ve been there twice, most recently in September of 2022 and I find this ten-minute video to contain great advice. I’ve traveled a lot, but I find Rome the best. @BeautyfromItaly @ItalyGuidesit

Jooble

Recent Book Summaries & My Podcasts

Kids Who Aren'T Assholes

How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting from Tots to Teens by Melinda Wenner Moyer

Critical Issues in Democratic Schooling: Curriculum, Teaching, and Socio-Political Realities by Kenneth Teitelbaum

Can You Learn to Be Lucky? Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others by Karla Staff

My Post-Pandemic Teaching and Learning Observations by Dr. Doug Green Times 10 Publications

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel Pink

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers by Jo Boaler

180 Moving Forward past the Pandemic with Dr. Doug Green – On October 4, 2021, I was Kim Mattina’s guest on her weekly show. Please join us for a discussion on what we can gain from our pandemic experiences as educators.

The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive by Ulcca Joshi Hansen

Noise: A Flaw In Human Judgement by Daniel Kahneman, Oliver Sibony, & Cass Sunstein

Cup of Joe
Listen to Dr. Doug on the “Cup of Joe” podcast. I recorded it last week. On it, I talk about the many good things I have seen in schools doing hybrid teaching. @PodcastCupOfJoe @DrDougGreen @BrainAwakes

Back to School COVID Myths – by Dr Doug Green @mssackstein

This is my podcast on the Jabbedu Network. Please consider listening and buying my book Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science, It’s Way More Complex. Here’s a free executive summary. @jabbedu @DrDougGreen

Boys and Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves (the book can be found here.

Be sure to try the bottom right translate button for your favorite language or one you are trying to learn. If you don’t see it, check your adblocking software.

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How the Internet Works / Age of AI Priorities / Trash Competition

Thursday, January 12th, 2023

Free Resources for Busy Parents and Educators Who Don’t Have as Much Time to Read and Surf as I Do with Fresh Content Every Weekday and post around 8:00 am Eastern US time.

The Twitter names next to each link belong to the authors, publications, and the people who bring them to my attention.
Be sure to try the bottom right translate button for your favorite language or one you are trying to learn. If you don’t see it, check your adblocking software


How does the INTERNET work? This is good for middle school on up. @sabinsmathew

AI
What Educators and Families Should Prioritize in the Age of AI – Being a learner for life is not about filling a pail but lighting a fire. Eric Tucker via @Getting_Smart


Spogomi: The trash friendly sport. I know New York City should do this. How about your town? @SpogomiWorldCup

iPhone Hacks

Social Media/Artificial Intelligence

Every iPhone user should know these hacks. As much time as Americans spend staring at our devices we should at least know how to use all its features. @brookenkato @nypost

Learning

How Archimedes Almost Broke Math with Circles – Archimedes proved the area formula for a circle by dividing the shape into infinitesimally small pieces. @BenSyversen

Warm

Leadership/Parenting

Four Practices of Warm Demander Teachers – A well-known approach that combines high expectations with a firm belief in students’ ability to succeed can guide them to deeper learning. Jessica Huang via @edutopia

Inspirational/Funny Tweets

No@Gapingvoid

Humor, Music, Cool Stuff

“Sweet Dreams” Hurdy Gurdy Cover – Patty Gurdy
This instrument is called “hurdy gurdy” and has its roots in the medieval times. It works like a mechanical violin with a wheel bow, that can play bass, melody and rhythm all at once. @Patty_Gurdy
  

Jooble

Recent Book Summaries & My Podcasts


Influence
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini@RobertCialdini

Valedictorians at the Gate: Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College by Becky Munsterer Sabky

Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrongby Eric Barker

How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting from Tots to Teens by Melinda Wenner Moyer

My Post-Pandemic Teaching and Learning Observations by Dr. Doug Green Times 10 Publications

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel Pink

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers by Jo Boaler 

The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive by Ulcca Joshi Hansen

Cup of Joe
Listen to Dr. Doug on the “Cup of Joe” podcast. I recorded it last week. On it, I talk about the many good things I have seen in schools doing hybrid teaching. @PodcastCupOfJoe @DrDougGreen @BrainAwakes

Back to School COVID Myths – by Dr Doug Green @mssackstein

This is my podcast on the Jabbedu Network. Please consider listening and buying my book Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science, It’s Way More Complex. Here’s a free executive summary. @jabbedu @DrDougGreen

Boys and Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves (the book can be found here.

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Dear Math: Why Kids Hate Math and What Teachers Can Do About It by Sarah Strong & Gigi Butterfield

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

Dear Math
Dear Math: Why Kids Hate Math and What Teachers Can Do About It by Sarah Strong & Gigi Butterfield shows how teachers can use students’ “Dear Math” letters to get to know their students better and draw them into learning. There is an emphasis on creating a community of mathematicians in a project-based environment. Be sure to get a copy for any math teacher you know. Thanks, Sarah and Gigi.

1. Dear Math, You Are Dreadful

  • Start by telling students that you need to get to know them as mathematicians so you can design and facilitate their math lessons. They will all write “Dear Math Letters” for you to read. To help them get started, give them one of the ten prompts listed on pages 25 and 26. For example, what is one way that math has helped you grow? As you read the letters, be prepared for a large dose of negativity, as math is not the favorite subject of most students.
  • As you read the letters, give feedback and look for connections and commonalities. As you teach, mention things from letters anonymously. Consider having students read each other’s letters. This will help develop empathy between students. Weekly letters should help you determine what was valuable and what wasn’t.

2. Dear Math, You Are Hierarchical

  • The hierarchy here comes from the natural sorting of ability from high to low that happens in classes generally and perhaps more often in math classes. The goal, then, is to disrupt any existing hierarchy or prevent it from happening. Disruption of this metaphor begins with forming close relationships with others. People with close relationships are not likely to compare themselves to each other. Being better connected also improves the quality of group work.
  • Sara’s main tool is what she calls “Belongigness Buddies,” although you can call it something else. Buddies check in on each other daily in person and using social media tools. While the check-ins largely involve content, students are encouraged to include feelings. The teacher also buddies with students who have attendance issues. Absent students can use FaceTime or Zoom to attend class virtually.

3. Dear Math, You Are Unnecessary

  • Teachers, in general, need to be prepared for the “why do we have to know this?” question. Use Internet search if you need to, and it’s ok to say, “I don’t know, but think of this concept as a puzzle that will be good for your ability to solve real problems.” Knowing why they need to learn something adds to a greater sense of agency, the ability to construct new knowledge, and the ability to look critically at new information.
  • Math isn’t pointless and shouldn’t feel that way. Sarah likes to start classes with an image of some sort. She also makes use of story problems, also known as word problems but with more captivating stories. After they read the story, she asks, what is this story about? What are we trying to solve for? What might a potential answer look like? (estimation)

4. Dear Math, You Are Intimidating

  • The three sources of intimidation or anxiety are home, society, and classrooms. Often times a parent’s doubt about their own math skills can contribute to a student’s feelings. Similar messages are also found in our media. Teachers and faster learners are also a source and these are feelings that lead to lower performance.
  • The goal is to design class activities to disrupt intimidation. Sarah describes a “Daily Discourse” activity designed to do this. It’s a ten to fifteen-minute activity led by students, with all students taking turns leading the discourse and taking notes. Gigi reminds us that the opposite of intimidation is encouragement.
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Dr. Doug’s World Cup Semi-Final Analysis and Maybe a Laugh or Two

Monday, December 12th, 2022

Croatia
England outplayed France if you look at the stats. They possessed the ball 57% of the time and had eight shots on goal to only five for France. The announcers I’m listening to agree.

Harry Kane had a poor effort on his 2nd PK, to say the least. You have to get the ball in a PK on frame in order to score!!!!!!! (I hardly ever use an exclamation point.) As Yogi says, short putts don’t go in, and zero percent of PKs at or outside the “furniture,” as British announcers say, do not find the net or at least the inside where scoring happens. I still love Harry Kane, and I hope you do too.

The semifinal games feature Argentina vs. Croatia on 12/13 and France vs. Morocco on 12/14. This means that the winner and the loser of the first game get an extra day off prior to the final on 12/18 or the third-place game on 12/17.

Analysis

If Morocco can beat Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, they can also beat France, a team that was outplayed by England. If Croatia can beat Brazil, for goodness sake, they can beat ANYBODY! (See note above.)

They will both be underdogs, but you count them out at your own risk. A Croatia-Morocco final would be crazy from a “who saw this coming” point of view.

Who’s the dog? (That’s the underdog for those not into sports betting jargon.) The team that beat Brazil, or the team that beat three top European teams and only gave up one own goal in five World Cup games, including PKs!!!

A Morocco vs Croatia final could be a tough watch. Wake me up when we get to PKs. They are both from group F, and they played each other to a 0-0 (or nil nil) draw during the group round-robin play. Croatia had the ball 65% of the time, but both teams only had two shots on goal.

Who wouldn’t rather watch Argentina and France? There are two other possibilities if there is only one upset, and neither says here is a Must-See game for the casual fan.

It’s going to be life without football for a few days. Then I go cold turkey for two years as I can’t care about the national leagues of other countries. No offense, as I suspect that non-Americans may not care too much about the US league either, although they probably know more players that American fans. I only live for the World Cup and the European Championship, which has better teams overall than the World Cup.

In games when the Premier League teams play, I might watch games if my media would tell me when they’re on. I know, it’s on the Internet somewhere. My bad. I guess that means that I don’t really care about club/city teams mostly owned by people/countries who are seriously wealthy.

Morocco
It’s hard to pick a side if both sides are located in a country where you don’t live. I do cheer for the Elfsborg team located in the city of Borås, Sweden, where my Swedish cousins live. I also pull for NYFC and The Red Bulls in the US Major Soccer League (MLS) as they are essentially New York teams even though The Red Bulls, like the Giants and Jets, play in New Jersey.

With rare exceptions, the MLS features a lot of players you never heard of. The players you may be familiar with are forty-ish-European has-beens squeezing the last paycheck out of what is left of their talent. Get ready for the Messi tour.

If I had to pick teams I wanted to win by country, I would go United States (Where I was born and live), Sweden (My Mother’s home), and Canada and/or England, where I have friends and family. After that, it gets a little arbitrary. In my case, I liked watching Luka Modric during Croatia’s run to the finals in 2018. My daughter also won some money backing Croatia, so that pulls me to them.

This is exciting for Arab and African countries as this is the first country to make it to the semi-finals from either region. Ironically, I find that a lot of people in the US routing for underdog Morocco may also find that they disagree with Arab countries’ views and laws regarding the LGBTQ+ scene.

The Odds and My Picks

I don’t gamble because I live on a fixed-income teacher pension, which means it’s not broke. I do, however, follow the betting scene. The odds for the four teams left to win the Cup are France +110, Argentina +170, Croatia +750, and Morocco +900. The odds for the semifinals are Argentina (-120) vs. Croatia (+400) and France (+189) vs. Morocco (+650). You have to bet $120 to win $100 if you bet on Argentina and $100 to win $400 if Croatia wins. You have to bet $189 to win $100 if France wins and bet $100 to win $650 if Morocco wins. This screams bet the dogs!

As my rationale above explains, these underdogs are only underdogs because they don’t carry a World Cup-winning brand. If you are betting on France and Argentina, the favorites, you don’t have much to win. If you bet the underdogs, you only need one of them to cash to win overall. I would be surprised if at least one underdog doesn’t make the final. Croatia made the final last time, so they have been there. Morocco represents the African continent and the Arab world. Both games they play going forward will be big-time home games for them. They also haven’t given up a goal kicked by another team yet.

Somebody has to win, and good for them. I enjoy watching soccer/football at this level every two years. I just hope that I can get a ticket to a game near me when the World Cup comes to North America in 2026. I hope you can too.

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Six Ways To Help Students Deal With Academic Burnout by Amanda Winstead

Thursday, November 24th, 2022

Six Ways To Help Students Deal With Academic Burnout by Amanda Winstead

Burn Out
Photo by Monstera: Pexels
Every educator should be all too aware of how real academic burnout can be for students, especially as the holiday break draws near. After months of learning new information and skills, taking tests, and finishing up homework assignments, students can feel burnt out and exhausted, both mentally and physically.

Thus, it’s crucial for educators to truly understand what burnout is and recognize the signs. If students go too long feeling burnout, it can severely affect their educational experience and even start wearing on their mental health.

Let’s take a closer look at what academic burnout is as well as some ways educators can help students deal with it and even prevent it in the first place.

What Is Academic Burnout?

Usually, when you hear the word “burnout,” it refers to occupational burnout. We lead hectic and stressful lives today and, as such, burnout has become a major concern. In fact, the World Health Organization has deemed burnout an official syndrome that can be diagnosed.

However, while burnout typically refers to a syndrome that stems from chronic workplace stress, it’s important to recognize that this same overwhelming stress can occur as a result of chronic classroom or academic stress as well.

When students spend too much time pushing themselves at school and then working on homework when they go home, they can easily become overwhelmed and exhausted. Students need time to de-stress and take care of themselves just as much as working adults do.

Unfortunately, not all educators know how to recognize the signs of academic burnout and what to do about it — but they should. Some of the most noticeable signs of a student dealing with burnout include:

Increasing self-doubt
Feeling defeated more than usual
Detachment and disinterest
Lack of motivation
Poor or negative attitude that is getting worse or not going away
Emotional and physical exhaustion

Burnout 2
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: Pexels

Six Ways Educators Can Help Students Prevent and Manage Academic Burnout

Academic burnout is not something to take lightly, as it can significantly impact a student’s life and success. Luckily, there are ways educators can help their students mitigate and manage their academic burnout.

1. Make student health a priority

First and foremost, the well-being of your students should be a top priority. It’s difficult to teach your students adequately if they are struggling with their mental health.

Supporting student mental health not only shows them that you care and have their best interests in mind, but it can also teach them how to manage and prioritize their own well-being. You can do this by bringing mindfulness exercises to the classroom, normalizing mental health check-ins with personal awareness, and offering resources to students who might need to talk to someone about their mental health.

Making your students’ mental health, a priority can go a long way toward helping them better manage stress and prevent burnout.

2. Teach healthy coping strategies

For some students, suffering from academic burnout is the result of poor stress-coping habits. Thus, teach them healthier academic coping strategies, such as how to:

Stay present and aware
Recognize their needs and prioritize them
Build self-care habits
Use positive self-talk and be kind to yourself

Essentially, you want them to understand that it’s okay to not always be the perfect student. They are allowed to give themselves a break and even forgive themselves when they mess up or fall behind.

3. Encourage healthy habits

When students are overwhelmed by school, they can start developing unhealthy habits. They might start sleeping poorly, exercising less, and developing unhealthy eating habits. All of these things can make the symptoms of academic burnout worse.

While it is the job of the parent to promote healthy habits, teachers can also encourage healthy habits in the classroom. You can teach them that eating smarter makes them smarter, that getting a good night’s rest can help them focus better in school, and that making time to exercise can boost their mood.

There’s no one right way to encourage healthy habits in the classroom, but doing so can help students better manage their stress.

4. Provide more outlets for students to have fun and de-stress

Learning doesn’t have to just be about sitting at a desk listening to a lecture or reading out of a textbook. There are many other fun ways to help your students learn while also providing them with an outlet to have some more fun and release some of their stress.

Educational video games, for example, can be a great way to boost student engagement while also giving them a much-needed break from more traditional and mentally exhausting teaching methods. You can also use other types of games or more interactive and fun lessons.

If you feel like your students are more stressed and overworked than usual, you can also offer them more breaks during lessons. Even just five minutes here and there can allow them to give their brains a much-needed break. You can even guide them through some meditation or even mini-stretch sessions to help them alleviate stress.

5. Encourage socialization with their peers

When students are burnt out, they might start to isolate themselves and spend less time with their peers. But socialization is important, and it can help them find support in friendship and give them an outlet for their stress.

Of course, you can’t control what your students do with their time outside of the classroom, but you can help by encouraging them to participate in extra-curricular activities or even join a student club.

6. Help them stay organized and set realistic goals

Burnout can also be the result of poor organization and time management, and not all students are great at this, especially when they are younger. So an important aspect of helping students deal with their burnout is teaching them how to be more organized.

This can also include teaching them how to set more realistic and attainable goals. As students get older, they start setting academic goals for themselves, especially if they hope to go to college or land a job.

But this can sometimes lead to them putting too much pressure on themselves by setting unrealistic goals. Helping them learn to better manage their workloads while also teaching them how to set more attainable goals can help them mitigate stress that can lead to burnout.

Wrapping Up

As an educator, you are likely aware that no two students are the same. So not all of the above tips will necessarily work for every student. In the end, the most important thing you can teach them is that it’s okay to ask for help. If they are struggling and feeling burnt out, help them understand that it’s okay to reach out to you, their parents, the guidance counselor, or anyone else for help.

Amanda Winstead

Amanda is a freelance writer out of Portland, focusing on many topics, including educational technology. Along with writing, she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey or even just say hi, you can find her on Twitter.

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