Daily Bookmarks 03/15/2007
Introductory Course Makeovers Annotated
- Examples of how moving away from learning models where the students are passive recipients of knowledge to active creators with independent practice improves student performance.
– post by christyinsdesign
Quote: NCAT has identified several redesign models, all of which adhere to the principle that students need more than just traditional lectures.
The models stress online assessment that provides immediate feedback to instructors. Administrators can monitor tests given to students before the course redesign and after to measure their subject knowledge.
The idea, says Carol A. Twigg, president and chief executive of NCAT, is to structure courses so that both student and instructor time is best used.
ScienceDaily: Music Training ‘Tunes’ Human Auditory System Annotated
- Interesting research on changes in the brain due to music training. I’m not sure if their conclusion is entirely justified–they may have gotten those results just because it was a tone language. More concrete evidence that music training is beneficial is always welcome.
– post by christyinsdesign
Quote: The study, which will appear in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience, is the first to provide concrete evidence that playing a musical instrument significantly enhances the brainstem’s sensitivity to speech sounds. This finding has broad implications because it applies to sound encoding skills involved not only in music but also in language.
Social Science Statistics Blog: Which Color for your Figure?
- Interesting ideas about choosing colors for graphical representations
– post by christyinsdesign