iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

What does it take to improve student success and interest in math? The Philadelphia-based Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) asked more than 400 U.S. high school math teachers for their advice related to teaching and learning mathematics.

“The good news is that students can have success in math class with the right effort, attitude, and behavior, regardless of a natural affinity or being ‘good at math,’” said Michelle Montgomery, project director of the MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge at SIAM. “Using quantitative skills to solve real, open-ended problems by employing the mathematical modeling process is a great way to get started.” 

The announcement that the University of Cambridge has appointed the world’s first Lego professor of play gives new meaning to the phrase “red-brick university”. Professor Paul Ramchandani will lead a team “examining the importance of play in education”. And, presumably, building awesome spaceships that turn into Durham Cathedral.

I have a one-year-old son who might agree; try as I might, I just cannot get him to recite Homer or parse a sonnet. I have, however, watched in childish joy as he tumbles through Duplo and teddy mountains, rolling in grass like an explorer on a new planet. It is a new planet – new to him. All he wants to do, it seems, is play.

One question has fascinated me my entire adult life: what causes some people to become world-class leaders, performers, and changemakers, while most others plateau?
I’ve explored the answer to this question by reading thousands of biographies, academic studies, and books across dozens of disciplines. Over time, I’ve noticed a deeper practice of top performers, one so counterintuitive that it’s often overlooked.
Despite having way more responsibility than anyone else, top performers in the business world often find time to step away from their urgent work, slow down, and invest in activities that have a long-term payoff in greater knowledge, creativity, and energy. As a result, they may achieve less in a day at first, but drastically more over the course of their lives.