Four Thought Friday - July 19, 2019

Kids and Intelligence

This week, we are laser-focused on meeting the needs of all students, while acknowledging the possible and unavoidable decline of human intellectual potential -- an underdog story of sorts? 🤷‍♂️

As always, if you find the following four thoughts useful, please be sure to share via Twitter, Facebook, or by simply forwarding this email to a friend or colleague. Word-of-mouth is the best way we can share knowledge with our personal and professional communities. So, without further ado, please enjoy this edition of Four Thought Friday!

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• The Radical Case for Teaching Kids Stuff: In her adaptation from the book, "The Knowledge Gap: The hidden cause of America's broken education system—and how to fix it," author Natalie Wexler describes how U.S. schools tend to value reading-comprehension skills over knowledge, especially in the early grades. According to Wexler, the results are "devastating," particularly for poor kids. This article and book should open the eyes of all educators, especially those responsible for teaching the youngest and most deserving of attention.

• Reaching the Quiet Kids in Class: In an excerpt from her book, “Tech with Heart: Leveraging Technology to Empower Student Voice, Ease Anxiety, & Create Compassionate Classrooms,” author Stacey Roshan describes the silent struggle affecting a number of students, including yours truly, and offers tips on how to help these students reach their full potential.

• Viral video of dad helping daughter hula hoop: To put it simply, this video makes my heart smile. At this point, I've watched it a few dozen times and each time I smile from ear to ear. If you're in need of a pick-me-up, let this be the one.

• Has humanity reached 'peak intelligence'?: Over the past 100 years, IQ levels have steadily increased every year. However, the most recent evidence suggests this trend is not only slowing, but may be on track for a reversal. Can this phenomenon be influenced or are we destined for a real-life Idiocracy?

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That's it for this week! Thank you for subscribing to this newsletter. If you feel like a colleague or friend could benefit from the information, please forward it or share your thoughts on social media. If you are discussing these topics on Twitter, please be sure to include the hashtag #FourThoughtFriday in your tweet, so I can check it out. Have a great week!

With gratitude,

Larry Zuares
Instructional Coach
zuarescoaching.com | @larryzuares
 
Currently reading: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Recently finished: Why Buddhism Is True by Robert Wright
Up next: You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh

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