learning

Stories 21 - 35 | << Prev 

Web Puts 2nd Language at Your Fingertips

Online options, from free to pricey, abound

(Newser) - The days of chanting vocabulary words in a classroom and dozing off in the language lab are fading from memory as language instruction becomes increasingly available on the Internet. Freestanding smartphone apps are one option, and more structured instruction comes at a price—and sometimes no price at all. The...

Sunny Days Help You Think
 Sunny Days Help You Think 
Aug 5, 2009 4:42 PM CDT

Sunny Days Help You Think

Cloudiness reduces cognitive agility in depressed people, researchers found

(Newser) - Does a cloudy day leave you groggy and unable to focus? If so, a study suggests you’re not alone: Cloudy days, regardless of season, can have an effect on cognitive function, MSNBC reports. Researchers cross-referencing the results of cognitive tests from 16,800 Americans with data on daily sunshine...

Keep Computers Out of Class, Prof Argues

(Newser) - An SMU dean has a message for his fellow college professors: Ditch the PowerPoint. Jose A. Bowen isn't anti-technology, explains the Chronicle of Higher Education, he just thinks too many instructors rely on it as a crutch. He's challenging others to "teach naked," without computers in the classroom,...

If Monkeys Could Talk ...
If Monkeys
Could Talk ...
Jul 9, 2009 3:54 AM CDT

If Monkeys Could Talk ...

Tamarins possess skills fundamental to human language: researchers

(Newser) - Monkeys can recognize “incorrect” syllable pattern in words, revealing that species other than human possess the underlying skills necessary for anguage, the BBC reports. Researchers played recordings of made-up words that shared either a common prefix or suffix for two groups of cotton-top tamarin monkey. Tamarins familiarized with either...

Real 'Thinking Cap' May Not Be So Far Off

Magnetic pulse boosts learning, study shows; headgear next?

(Newser) - A magnetic pulse directed at a certain area of the brain may enhance learning and memory, the Telegraph reports. Canadian researchers subjected volunteers to a test that required they track a dot moving on a computer screen with a joystick, and volunteers who received stimulation fared much better.

Ditch 'i Before e Except After c' Rule: Brits

Ditty 'not worth teaching,' government says

(Newser) - Generations of frustrated schoolchildren have grumbled that “i before e except after c” isn’t worth learning because of numerous exceptions. Now the British government agrees, the BBC reports. In a document sent to 13,000 primary schools, officials say the ditty “is not worth teaching” because it’...

Clint Calls Us 'Generation Pussy'
 Clint Calls Us 
 'Generation Pussy' 

Glossies
Dec 16, 2008 2:09 PM CST

Clint Calls Us 'Generation Pussy'

Toughness and learning the 'secret to life'

(Newser) - "We live in more of a pussy generation now," Clint Eastwood tells Esquire upon the release of his new film Gran Torino. "Everybody's become used to saying, 'Well, how do we handle it psychologically?' " Eastwood, who grew up having to duke it out with bullies, looks...

Colleges Make iGadgets Part of Course Load

Schools give students iPhones, iPods as learning tools

(Newser) - Some US universities have started handing out free iPhones and Internet-enabled iPods to students, the New York Times reports. The institutions view the gadgets as tools for online research, student polling, and as-yet undeveloped educational applications, while Apple gets an in with a new generation with consumers. Professors with easily...

A Good Night's Sleep Shores Up Memory

8 hours of shut-eye helps brain function the next day, study suggests

(Newser) - Nothing improves memory like a little shut-eye, a new study suggests. Researchers taught new information and skills to two groups of patients, and allowed one to sleep normally while giving the other none or only a nap. The sleepers tested better the next day–and scans revealed enhanced brain activity...

Focus, Not IQ, Might be Best School Skill

Kids trained to flex 'executive function' muscles learn better

(Newser) - EF is the new IQ, and if educators accept that new acronym mantra, more preschoolers will be playing games, Newsweek reports. Executive function—the ability to repress distracting thoughts and focus on a task—could be a better indicator of scholarly success than intelligence alone; psychologist Adele Diamond implemented an...

Two Trains Leave a Station Going 30mph...

Stop! Story problems wrong way to teach math, study says

(Newser) - All those sacks of different-colored marbles and word problems about pizza slices may not actually teach kids effectively, Reuters reports. Though meant to offer a real-world grounding, story problems just add extra distractions, a new study says, suggesting that students might be better off learning abstract concepts than figuring out...

What's Baby Got That Chimps Don't?
What's Baby Got That Chimps Don't?
Sep 7, 2007 12:05 PM CDT

What's Baby Got That Chimps Don't?

Study pits toddlers against primates to see how human brains are different

(Newser) - What makes humans smarter than their primate relatives? Into the ongoing debate comes a new study that concludes it's not just size, it's the particular kind of computing power. A study matching human toddlers with chimps and orangutans compared their performance on a battery of different kinds of tasks. The...

So, You Need to Learn Swahili?
So, You Need to Learn Swahili?
Aug 26, 2007 5:08 PM CDT

So, You Need to Learn Swahili?

Learning languages is labor-intensive. Here's how to get you up to speed.

(Newser) - Get ready for your business trip or vacation with these programs recommended by Porfolio.
  • Pimsleur Approach: 10-day courses offered in 40 languages.
  • Rosetta Stone: Promises competence in 2 weeks in 30 languages.
  • Teach Yourself: CDs and books offer 200 languages at varying speeds.

Toddlers Learn Language Slowly and Quickly

Kids stockpile simple words in buildup to vocab explosion

(Newser) - Toddlers learn to speak by simply using small, familiar words to acquire harder ones, new research says, throwing a curveball at scientists who assumed a more complex cognitive system. Youngsters can rapidly go from spouting babble to intelligible chatter as long as their words have varying levels of difficulty, Scientific ...

Day Care Kids Learn to Act Up
Day Care Kids Learn to Act Up
Mar 26, 2007 10:55 AM CDT

Day Care Kids Learn to Act Up

Study finds preschoolers in day care

(Newser) - Day care centers enlarge kids' vocabularies--and teach them how to act up, too, says a study that’s followed 1,300 children from birth through 6th grade. Although parental guidance and genes were the strongest predictor of behavior, who attended day care as preschoolers were slightly more likely to be...

Stories 21 - 35 | << Prev