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It's no secret that the U.S. education system is hurting, especially when it comes to science teachers. Public schools are chronically underfunded, and the most talented college graduates shy away from entering the teaching profession when its future seems so grim. But hope isn't lost. A pioneering program at New York's American Museum of Natural History aims to make the future better for science teachers by starting a new kind of Master of Arts program in science teaching. Starting this June, the program will provide 50 teachers-in-training with a thorough education in Earth science, along with a year's classroom work experience, all while paying a modest stipend. More »
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Do you feel like you're too old to enjoy a science museum? Do you wish science exhibits focused less on the basic science that kids are likely to study in the classroom, and more on technologies of tomorrow like synthetic biology, artificial intelligence, and nanomachines? Wouldn't it be nice to learn about science from somewhere other than — ahem — science journalism? More »
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As someone who weathered an all-boys high school, I was always bewildered by the constant reassurances that single-sex schools are better for everyone concerned. The prevailing wisdom was that young men and women both would be less distracted by the opposite sex, and so would work harder — which completely ignores a teenager's incredible ability to be distracted at will during a statistics class. More »
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Last Thursday, Trinity College recruited an unexpected new professor for their English department: a one Dr. Conan T. Barbarian. Sadly, this was the work of rascals at the university and not one of Thulsa Doom's unusually stupid spells. More »
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New research published today shows that doodling helps you learn. In fact, say scientists, students should be encouraged to doodle while they take notes in class. More »
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The accepted wisdom is that kids under the age of seven have a better chance at fluently learning a language than adults do. That may not be the case. In fact, it may be no more than a flimsy excuse. In some respects, adults may be better at learning languages than children. More »
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Remember those dueling lightsaber robots? Robotics students at Stanford University have taken things one step further and taught a mechanical arm to spar with human opponents. Fortunately, the "Jedibot" isn't mobile, so a cowardly retreat is still an option. More »
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The 1970s was a tough decade for America. As we saw in the second episode of paleofuture.tv, many people were predicting apocalypse. More »
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Very few universities have had realistic "action figures" made of their faculties and staff. One exception is the University of the Ozarks in Arkansas, where Dr. Jesse Weiss (Associate Professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies) has produced a collection of them. More »
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Remember how South Korean classrooms have been experimenting with integrating robots into their curriculums? A robot called KIRO recently completed a three-week test run as a kindergarten aide. It's unclear how much the robo-teacher actually taught, but he seemed enthusiastic. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5813688&view=rss&microfeed=true Last week, Harvard celebrated a record number of female students declaring a computer science major. But the school - and the field - may still have a ways to go. [Jezebel] More »
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One of the big puzzles for education researchers is why students of comparable talents fall into a "racial achievement gap." On average, white students outperform black students when it comes to grades in college classes - even when the students are equally capable. Now psychologists have discovered a simple exercise that closes the gap, boosting the grades of minority students quite dramatically. More »
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Some scientific studies choose massively weird topics...this is one of those. But among all those weird topics, a select few also produce results so bizarre, so counterintuitive that it makes you rethink everything...starting with whether teachers look better with tattoos. More »
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Ever wonder why you can go over a book again and again and still be completely lost when tested on what you read? It may be because you haven't practiced remembering. More »
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It looks like our automated creations are beginning to get the best of their meatbag overlords. Two studies show that automated labor is increasingly taking over middle-class jobs and that babies will regard humanoid robots as sentient beings. More »
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At the awesome blog Awful Library Books, Michigan librarians Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner showcase old, bizarre books that probably shouldn't be in circulation. The blog contains many science, engineering, and computing texts. Here are some of the most lamentable. More »
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This semester the University of Baltimore is offering English 333, a.k.a. the pop history of zombies. Sadly, Spam and fruit cocktail hoarding does not appear to be on the syllabus. More »
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There are many terrific schools where special effects designers learn their craft, but one of the standouts is Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Los Angeles. We talked to Alex Alvarez, the school's founder, and peeked at recent student work. More »
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In 1986, Mississippi Educational Television created Tomes & Talismans, a poorly acted 13-episode educational program designed to teach children how to use microfiches and the Dewey Decimal System. It also took place in the post-apocalypse. Huh? Read on... More »
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As we crest this season of graduations and commencements, we're taking a look at the educational institutes that have taught pop culture's finest heroes and darkest villains. More »
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For would-be scientists pursuing postgraduate degrees, the lack of jobs within academia is disheartening. This reality stands in stark contrast to the narrative that America's perpetually falling behind in the science game. This excellent essay at Miller-McCune dissects this misconception. More »
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For proof that videogames can teach survival and teamwork, look no further than the story of 12-year-old Hans, a Norwegian boy who rescued his sister from a charging moose. All thanks to lessons he'd learned in World of Warcraft. More »
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Anthropology Professor Haseley at Niagara County Community College wants UFO courses taught in college. As long as the class meets in a giant field in the middle of the night, we're registering. Will the school provide night vision goggles? [AOL] More »
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Want to spend a few semesters analyzing the Marxist subtext of Scream Blacula Scream? This fall, University of Hertfordshire in England will offer an MA in Vampire Literature. They're also holding a conference next weekend: "Open Graves, Open Minds." More »
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Due to a shortage of accredited English teachers, some South Korean schools have begun experimenting with robotic instructors who look a little like cartoon characters. According to pupils, these automated schoolmarms aren't all bad - in fact, they're easy graders. More »
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Southern California's premiere all-female, banked track roller derby league, the LA Derby Dolls, bring us a fantastic demonstration of electrical principles on their banked track, featuring a great soundtrack. Click through to see their update of roller derby in action. More »
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Yesterday a Painted Lady butterfly emerged from its chrysalis and flapped its wings - in microgravity on the International Space Station. It was the first butterfly to be born and survive in microgravity. More »
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Joan Slonczewski is one of the few science-fiction authors who's also a biology professor. She's teaching a Biology In Science Fiction course at Kenyon College, using Tribbles, Dune and Jurassic Park to teach biological principles, and you can join in. More »
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How old is the universe? Scientists agree that the answer is somewhere around 14 billion years (give or take a few million)... unless you happen to be a student in the state of Texas. More »
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If you're a high school student looking for a way to reboot your creative brain for a couple of weeks this summer, check out the Wofford College Shared Worlds Creative Writing program. For two weeks, students will live at Wofford's South Carolina campus and have a chance to learn about building imaginary worlds from published authors, scientists, and artists. io9's Jeff VanderMeer, author of countless amazing short stories and editor of the recent collection The New Weird, will be Assistant Director of the program this summer as well as a teacher. More »
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Proof that we have taken over culture, or a sign that the education of future generations is irreparably flawed? You be the judge, as Alabama's Huntsville Times reports on a school that has done more than take Star Wars to its heart - it's taken it into its curriculum, as well. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=377629&view=rss&microfeed=true On Christmas Day in 1978, kids across the U.S. unwrapped Alphie and gloated, "Wow! Cool! A robot of my very own!" Unfortunately, however, Alphie wasn't equipped with lasers, missiles, or nuclear death rays. In fact, he couldn't even move. He only had a few blinking red lights and a blatty musical tone that farted out "London Bridge Is Falling Down." But Playskool suckered parents into getting this for their kids by calling it "educational." More »
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