Today is UNESCO’s World Book Day and it is also World Book Night – both seek to promote publishing, writing and of course, a love of reading and books.
Reading – whether in electronic form or paper – is a vital part of developing minds,
imaginations, understanding different cultures, people and worlds. They can be milestones in our lives, great companions and are an essential part of sharing knowledge. What are your favorite books? For my part, as I will mention in my interview will Arthur Benjamin later this week, there are books that I like to come back to from time to time, such as “The Number Devil: A Mathematical Adventure and Inspiration”, which definitely raises children’s interests and enthusiasm for Mathematics.
Here is another interesting read: the recent New York Times article “Teach the Books, Touch the Heart,” which discusses the importance of teaching the love of reading, and how we can zap that love and appreciation of literature with standardized testing. “We cannot enrich the minds of our students by testing them on texts that purposely ignore their hearts,” argues writer Claire Needell Hollander. “By doing so, we are withholding from our neediest students any reason to read at all. We are teaching them that words do not dazzle but confound. We may succeed in raising test scores by relying on these methods, but we will fail to teach them that reading can be transformative and that it belongs to them.” What do you think? How do you encourage the love of books and reading?
This week on dailyedventures.com, we are honoring very important (and sometimes forgotten) champion of books: the librarian. We talk with Linda Braun, a librarian and advocate for both books and teens. Also this week, NASA G.I.R.L.S program manager Mamta Patel shares her thoughts on the importance of bringing girls into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects, and as I mentioned, professor and “Mathemagician” Arthur Benjamin tells us why math can and should be fun. We’ll also talk to Sven Olaf Brekke and Julia Breen who use games and television technology to innovate in their schools.
Finally, don’t forget to take a look at our “Classrooms of the World” feature. We have some great examples from Raksheet Haulkory, Ron Summers, and Wasin Thonkaew. Send us photos or photosynths of your classrooms – it’s a great “window” into your world. Even better? Send us Photosynths that showcase your classrooms in immersive 3D.
Commemorate this week by reading a book!
- Anthony
sending...
