This is the blog of the GW team. We'll be writing regularly and from time to time, will also welcome guest contributions.
The GWT Blog
Howard Gardner in Mexico City
February 01, 2010
Last October, Mexico City had the pleasure of receiving Dr. Howard Gardner. Banamex, one of the most important Mexican Financial Groups, invited him to their " 2009-3rd Encuentro de Educación Financiera "Respuestas de Pe$o" Ser, conocer y hacer para vivir juntos". Dr. Garder's lecture "Five Minds of the Future" gave participants new alternatives to develop strategies within ourselves, and everyone who is devoted to education in a formal or informal way.
The Ministers' Misconceptions
January 11, 2010
Of all the findings from cognitive psychology that are relevant for education, one stands out. That is the repeated demonstration, across a number of disciplines, of the prevalence of misconceptions and the difficulty of getting rid of them and replacing them with more powerful and more veridical conceptions.
Press Release: On Teens' Online Activities
December 04, 2009
Global Kids, Harvard's GoodPlay Project and Common Sense Media today released Meeting of Minds, a report that highlights the ways in which parents, teachers, and teens relate to the emerging ethical dimensions of life online. The report is the result of a series of cross-generational online dialogues held this past spring about digital ethics, and reveals the critical importance of active adult engagement with teens to help develop healthy attitudes about online behaviors that often have long-lasting and far-reaching effects.
A Choice with Real Value
October 27, 2009
Choice and opportunity are emblems of freedom. But researchers tell us that the myriad options available to us are no longer liberating but quite oppressive. Studies indicate that the number of decisions we make every day – in the cereal aisle, at the espresso stand, on our cable TVs - are literally exhausting us. Perhaps more significant is the implication that the constant stream of relatively minor decisions we make may lead us to make poorer choices across all areas of our lives.
Nobel Prize for Mentorship?
October 16, 2009
The recent announcement of the Nobel Laureates in Medicine point to another achievement that deserves recognition: outstanding mentorship. Elizabeth Blackburn and Carol Greider were members of a scientific "lineage" with Joseph Gall at its head. Blackburn studied under Gall; Greider studied under Blackburn. Two very successful women in a field that has been dominated by men, in a field in which mentoring does not typically come first.
The Obama Gamble
October 14, 2009
I begin with a confession. Away from my home in Cambridge, traveling in London, I must admit, with embarrassment, that when I first saw the headline in a tabloid "Obama wind Nobel Peace Prize" I thought it was a joke. After all, the satirical publication, the ONION has featured headlines that were less surprising. A bit later, I realized that the joke was on me.
The Road to Hell?
September 26, 2009
If the proverbial inter-planetary visitor observed educational policymakers around the world, she would soon infer their single preoccupation: “How to raise scores on international comparisons like the TIMMS or the PISA tests.” This mentality also dominates the United States. A focus on standardized tests, how to raise scores, and what consequences follow ...
Looking for Good Work
September 25, 2009
A year ago, I was content in California—finishing up graduate school coursework and working in educational program assessment. Based on what I hear from everyone who’s ever spent a winter in New England, I probably should have appreciated the sunshine and cool breezes back home (read: the opposite of gray skies and icy wind) a bit more.
Welcome!
September 15, 2009
Welcome to the Toolkit website! This project has been a long time coming, and we are excited to watch what happens as this community comes together. In the past few months, we have been gathering together material for this site, and it's been a pleasure revisiting letters, syllabi, student work, and other materials gathered over the past few years.
What do you do in the summer?
July 20, 2009
Upon hearing that we work at a graduate school of education, people often ask us "What do you do in the summer?" "Do you get the summer off?" Our answer back is short: "NO!"
In fact, in many ways, our summer is busier here at work because it is the time that educators have time to breathe, reflect on their year, and think about the academic year that lies ahead.
