Interesting Facts

Go shoeless According to a study by Bournemouth University schoolchildren who don't wear shoes in their lessons are likely to obtain better grades and behave better than those who do. (Experts believe that by leaving their shoes outside the classroom pupils feel more at home, and relaxed. An added bonus is that it cuts down on cleaning bills.  No more muddy floors, although holey socks might be an embarrasment.) Next session online, everyone must take their shoes off.

A new law in Spain would require Spanish children under the age of 18 to be respectful to their parents and teachers, and have a positive attitude towards learning. (They will also be required to help out with housework, regardless of age and gender", the ABC newspaper says. The rules come under a section of the law called "the rights and duties of children". I guess that as most laws are written by men, they decided that if they have to do housework, everyone does (see previous fact). The new law doesn't say what the penalties would be for children who refuse to comply.)

New research shows that early language development isn’t so much about the number of words as the style of speech and social context in which speech occurs. ( Patricia Kuhl, co-author and co-director of UW’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences said,  “It’s not just talk, talk, talk at the child.  It’s more important to work toward interaction and engagement around language. You want to engage the infant and get the baby to babble back. The more you get that serve and volley going, the more language advances.” I kind of do this with my students, without the goo goo ga ga, although I did offer that service to a recent visitor who said he wanted to learn like a baby. LOL)

According to neuroscientists, children who write using good old fashioned pen and paper learn better than those who use a keyboard. (A study carried out at the University of Stavanger in Norway showed that people who are learning new letters—such as children learning to read for the first time, or as adults picking up a second language with new characters— retain the information best when writing the letters by hand. One of the researchers, Anne Mangen, said, "The movement for “the typing of a T is no different than the typing of a Y. Furthermore, when you write something on the keyboard, you get the visual output somewhere else, on the screen, as opposed to watching your hand when you write on paper." I am so tempted to say "Told you so" again.)

In Finland children do not have to undergo any formal tests and teachers are allowed to teach whatever and however they wish as long as they meet very general learning objectives set by Finland’s National Board of Education. (The only formal, national test is the university matriculation exam: a set of four open-ended exams that are based on problem-solving skills rather than subject mastery. Although most students who go on to university take this exam, it is not required for graduation from upper secondary school or even for university admissions Imagine that!  No fear, just learning.)

A school in Middlesborough, in the UK, has drawn up a list of banned words and phrases. (The head teacher, Carol Walker, has drawn up the list to promote standard English in order to improve the job chances of the pupils at the school. Here's the list and the suggested alternatives:- I done that. - I have done that. / I did that. I seen that. - I have seen that. / I saw that. Yous - You lot come her. I dunno - I don't know. It's nowt - It's nothing Letta / Butta etc. - letter - butter etc. Your - Your late should be you're late. Werk / shert etc - work / shirt etc. E was sat there - He was sitting there. Dropping the "th" - "School finishes at free fifteen," should be, "School finishes at three fifteen." Gizit ere - Please give it to me. or Please give me the ... Yes, as anyone who visits my sessions regularly knows, some people in the UK really do talk like this.)

According to a report published by Renaissance Learning, pupils in the UK struggle to understand GCSE exam papers. (Their reading skills are so poor at the end of secondary education due to a lack of time spent practising how to read.  This is so sad.) Source

According to Dr Enlli Thomas, there is evidence that being bilingual "may provide protection against age-related memory loss". (Language processing is one of the most complex activities that our brains carry out and the ability to be able to speak, listen, and think in two languages and of using two languages on a daily basis may help protect against the decline in the brain's abilities when ageing. I can only hope they're right, and that I didn't start learning German too late.)

Scientists at the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland, say that monkeys learn more from females. (The monkeys were better able to learn a task when it was demonstrated by a female, who in monkey society are core group members with higher social status than males. Quite right too.) Full story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8571318.stm

A study by the University of the Arts, London, suggests that learning a musical instrument at primary school can boost a child's confidence and learning in other areas. (It was said to improve motivation and behaviour, because it is a social activity that engages the child's emotions and self expression, and it can improve the way a child collaborates without any competitive element. I'm not sure about the lack of competition, and anyone who's been laughed at for playing the wrong note in the school orchestra would agree with me.)

According to a study by Learndirect people in the UK have to use maths skills up to 14 times daily and literacy skills 23 times a day. (I'm sure I use my literacy skills more often than that. Maybe I need to keep a record.)

There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. (Now I bet you are all wishing you were learning Hawaiian.)