The current methods of Chinese learning are focused primarily on learning the most commonly used characters of the language. While this is highly practical, researchers and educators are exploring an alternative approach. This approach incorporates a second focus; on getting students to learn and recognise the ‘trunk’ characters that are present in complex words. By knowing 木 (wood) for example, students will be able to more intuitively recognise 森林 as forest. Or, by knowing 日 (sun, day) and 月 (month, moon), students find it easier to learn 明 (bright).

The debate rages on, and educators may get ever more creative in their teaching of Chinese.

Full article on BBC: A better way to learn Chinese?

A balanced approach that incorporates the learning of ‘trunk’ characters could be the way forward for Chinese language learning.

Jack Andraka, a 16-yr old, won at Intel’s science fair in 2012 after developing a cheap and simple cancer detection test. His brother Luke, at 18 years of age, is a MIT Think Award winner and was a finalist twice in the Intel competition.

Forbes magazine spoke to Jack and Luke’s parents to find out how they raised such intelligent children. The key lies in teaching your children to think about problems on their own and form innovative solutions. Other tenets pointed out by the parents include:

i) Encourage your children to focus on a single project: “When you focus just on a specific goal or problem and wrap your head around the goal, it opens up all kinds of creativity and problem solving,” said Mrs Andraka.

ii) Do not set too many rules: Rules can kill creativity, and it boxes up children. The Andrakas keep to a simple – “Treat people with respect, do your homework, be honest, and try to be safe.”

iii) Set expectations early: The Andrakas set the expectation with their children that they would attend university since they were at primary school.

Full story at Forbes: The Genius of Raising Brilliant Kids – A Conversation with Jack Andraka’s Parents

Jack Andraka won the Youth Award at Smithsonian Magazine’s Annual Ingenuity Awards

In a recent study conducted by Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, it was found that children who hung out with more intelligent friends experienced improvements in their academic performance. The research tracked the social network of 16 and 17 year olds over a period of 12 months, asking respondents to identify people in their social networks as acquaintances, friends or best friends. It was found that the influence of friends on subjects’ academic performance was the strongest, compared to the influence of acquaintances and best friends.

For more details, refer to the articles on Business Standard or Indianexpress

hanging out with the right crowd is important to improving academic performance

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Go ahead and have a look at the existing small group tuition listings and explore how you may best structure your own classes. All the best!

According to a  study published in the International Journal of Psychology, 84 percent of parents in the US and 98 percent of parents in China lie to get their children to behave. The most common lie told by parents in both countries is the same; that the child will be left behind to his/her tantrum while parents walk away.

Another lie that is common to both countries is that parents will buy a particular toy the next time, in an indefinite future. Interestingly, experts have labelled parents’ lying to children clinically as ‘instrumental lying’.

More at BBC: Most parents ‘lie to their children’

Where should we draw the line when it comes to lying to children?

Mozart’s music can boost a child’s IQ – fact or myth? If we are to delve deeper into the origin of ‘the Mozart Effect’, we find discrepancies that tell us it is more a myth than anything else. The earliest study which spawned ‘the Mozart Effect’ craze was conducted on but a small group of 36 people. The test subjects were not even children; they were young adults who were made to listen to either Mozart or nothing else for 10-15mins between an imaginary origami folding session.

Subsequent studies affirm that music which we like can boost our ability to solve spatial puzzles. This is not limited to Mozart’s music, it could be pop. Furthermore, there are no tests to confirm that Mozart’s music raises our IQ. Learning to play the piano however, may have the effect of increasing one’s IQ by as much as 3 points.

Full Story on BBC: Does listening to Mozart really boost your brainpower?

In a ranking of global education systems published by Pearson in November 2012, Singapore ranks at number 5 among 40 other countries. While Singapore may rank ahead of the UK and US, there are many worthy lessons to be drawn when we look into the details that make up the numbers.

Pearson’s Top-10 Global Education Rankings

1. Singapore ranks 33 in Educational Attainment

It is surprising that Singapore manages to emerge 5th overall despite a very poor ranking in Educational Attainment (EA).  The EA comprises of literacy and graduation rates at the secondary and tertiary level of education. While literacy may not appear to be a problem in Singapore according to the study by OECD, our graduation rate apparently needs to be worked on. The government has already set in motion the establishment of more tertiary education institutions. This will see each cohort with 50% or more students graduate with degrees.

2. The Education culture is more important than spending

That the top positions are occupied by asian powerhouses should be no surprise, given the very strong culture of education that pervades our societies. While it may seem intuitive that with more monetary investment in education should produce higher test scores, the study points to the wider support for education as being more crucial.

3. No substitute for good teachers

Interestingly, good teachers have been statistically linked to higher income (of students) later in life, lower chances of teenage pregnancy, and a higher tendency to save for their own retirement. Higher salaries accomplish little by themselves, but having a reasonable base rate is essential for drawing the best talents into teaching.

BBC Education: UK Education sixth in global ranking

Pearson’s Learning Curve Report: Executive Summary

To the teens who think that studying is not so productive an activity, you are able to reap benefits right into your old age by staying attentive in school and by going through a longer period of education. Studies have found that the battle against Alzheimer’s starts at school age. Schooling keeps our brains productively engaged and promotes the continued growth of neural connections. The more neural connections established in youth, the greater buffer we develop against the onset of old-age brain diseases.

What about Alzheimer’s you may ask? Tangles and plagues form in our brains naturally as we age. To the more susceptible brains, the ability of memory recollection is impaired, leading to learning difficulties. Furthermore, the behaviour of individuals may be severely affected, and late-stage symptoms include the inability to carry on conversations. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s.

The next time that somebody goes “what’s the point, I won’t remember a thing after I graduate”, you can let that person know that he has acquired a sharper and a more durable brain.

Dailymail UK: The battle against Alzheimer’s starts at school age: Research pinpoints three key stages that help keep disease at bay

How has Singapore done in the overall after all the effort we have put into tuition and into building our public education system? In a 2009 international study conducted by the OECD, Singapore is placed top 5 among 65 countries on the three scales of assessment: Reading, Maths, and Science…

Read the full article and view the full ranking table: Singapore’s Education System – How It Ranks Globally

The funny men and women at Mr Brown’s show give their take on the MOE’s ruling of keeping mum on the identity of the top PSLE students. Mr Brown reveals his shocking PSLE results of the past well! Now he’s going to get people to start digging for records of his PSLE.

Listen to the pod-cast by clicking on the link below:

Mr Brown’s take on MOE’s PSLE mum-rule