Making Minds Matter with Bill Costello » Parenting

More U.S. Students Learning Chinese

Bill Costello — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:50:33 +0000

Over the past decade, the number of U.S. schools offering classes in Chinese has increased from roughly 300 to 1,600 according to a government-financed survey.

As China continues to rise as an economic rival, more and more parents and educators believe that learning Chinese can provide opportunities.

Also over the past decade, thousands of U.S. schools have [...]

School Choices for Expatriate Families in Hong Kong

Bill Costello — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:05:25 +0000

On a recent trip to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to visit a private school. The ISF Academy is located within the Island South district of Hong Kong Island. It offers a unique language program wherein students attain fluency in both English and standard Chinese by the end of grade 12.

As an American educational [...]

Thinking Skills Required of the Next Generation

Bill Costello — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:54:50 +0000

In Five Minds for the Future, Howard Gardner describes five kinds of minds—or cognitive abilities—that he believes are critical to success in the 21st century: disciplined, synthesizing, creating, respectful, and ethical.

Garner argues that anyone can cultivate these ways of thinking with time and effort.

Parents and educators should help the next generation cultivate the thinking skills required for [...]

The Conceptual Age

Bill Costello — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 01:43:50 +0000

In A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Daniel H. Pink describes the four major historical ages: agricultural age (farmers), industrial age (factory workers), information age (knowledge workers), and conceptual age (creators and empathizers).

Pink suggests that while left-brainers ruled the first three ages, right-brainers will rule the upcoming conceptual age. I tend [...]

Text Messaging Harms Interpersonal Skills

Bill Costello — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:13:18 +0000

In The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, Thomas L. Friedman suggested that children and adolescents can best prepare for an increasing competitive world by developing four skill sets: self-learning, passion and curiosity, interpersonal skills, and creative thinking.

One of these skill sets—interpersonal skills—is not being fully developed by many of today’s [...]

Kumon Fills Gaps Left by U.S. Public Schools

Bill Costello — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:34:44 +0000

Something magical is happening at the Largo Kumon Center located in Largo, Maryland: students are studying beyond school grade level and actually enjoying it. Not surprisingly, their parents have great things to say about Kumon.

One mom, Sandy Frazier, said: “Kumon gave my son the challenge that he needed. He wasn’t challenged in school. I started [...]

Where the Education Gender Gap is Leading America

Bill Costello — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:32:17 +0000

As early as kindergarten, a gender gap in academic achievement is evident in American schools. Girls are excelling; boys are underachieving. The longer students are in school, the wider the gap becomes.

Boys’ academic performance relative to girls has been plummeting for decades. Boys are more likely than girls to earn poor grades, be held back [...]