{"title":"Meredith Olson Ph D","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"raising-interesting-people-book-meredith-olson-ph-d-9780965706186","title":"Raising Interesting People","description":"Light reading about interesting stuff. Earth is a machine. This is a collection of essays that weave slivers of knowledge into big images of what we know and how we know about the Earth. Students explore interesting topics. They connect ideas. A few well chosen stories help. Students love it. And thrive. And learn. And become interesting conversationalists. It is about nurturing and raising interesting people. Classrooms organized to grab their attention and enthusiasm promote development of this type of person. New concepts make life interesting. We notice more things and make connections that we have not made before.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53186084798737,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53186084962577,"sku":"NIN9780965706186","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780965706186.jpg?v=1772375615"},{"product_id":"raising-interesting-people-book-meredith-olson-ph-d-9780965706193","title":"Raising Interesting People","description":"Light reading about interesting stuff. Earth is a machine. This is a collection of essays that weave slivers of knowledge into big images of what we know and how we know about the Earth. Students explore interesting topics. They connect ideas. A few well chosen stories help. Students love it. And thrive. And learn. And become interesting conversationalists. It is about nurturing and raising interesting people. Classrooms organized to grab their attention and enthusiasm promote development of this type of person. New concepts make life interesting. We notice more things and make connections that we have not made before.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53251487924497,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53251488088337,"sku":"NIN9780965706193","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780965706193.jpg?v=1773584584"},{"product_id":"cultivating-meaning-in-the-science-classroom-book-meredith-olson-ph-d-9780965706117","title":"Cultivating Meaning in the Science Classroom","description":"They are learning what is expected of them. They will ask questions and figure things out and be rewarded with my attention. It is amazing how rewarding it is to a child, and to a classroom, for the teacher to thoughtfully listen to the comments of a child. A teacher's focused attention makes an emotional bond with the child. It draws the child from peer orientation, at least in the classroom setting. With a teacher's appreciative gaze, I have witnessed the spark of an intellect. I have watched debating skills grow. Comments become more precise, eloquent. It is a joy to watch that happen. Children want to grow up. To be seen as being competent. Worthy. Valued. Enjoyed. They strive because growing into adulthood is important to them. Children don't want friendship from a teacher. Not buddy-buddy friendship. They don't want grades. They don't even want praise, really. What they seem to want is the reflection back on themselves that they are becoming increasingly competent. Cognitively interesting. More mature. They can feel themselves growing. Debate is the reward. They thrive on a real conversation. Thoughtfully listening. Incorporating and expanding on the ideas of others. Not being judged. Just being interesting - right or wrong. No consequences. Unconditional acceptance after waiting for their turn. Just the development of an idea. My instruction has to be consistent with the end result. I can't just tell them. I want them to reason without being told. To own the idea. To figure it out. Mostly. Experience first, words second. So, I say, Lets practice. A practice topic to see how it goes. Teaching, Orchestrating the instructional setting. The ongoing discovery of how to lead students to notice and develop their inner rational self. Not to evaluate or stand in judgment of them. Report card grades are expected. They are not a surprise. They are communicated on schedule. There is nothing special or satisfying about them. They are subject to being lowered with every reporting period. A child's self image is more strongly built from the unexpected. During class debate, when the teacher pauses and says, That was brilliant  Really insightful  The child internalizes the magic of the unexpected moment. I am capable. I am interesting. I am worth listening to. The magic moment of spontaneous recognition connects the child to the joy of intellectual discourse. Grades don't do that. In fact, they sabotage the very intellectual behavior we are after. I don't give grades. I give attention.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53379385524497,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53379385884945,"sku":"NIN9780965706117","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780965706117.jpg?v=1775469172"},{"product_id":"never-trust-a-science-teacher-book-meredith-olson-ph-d-9780998462721","title":"Never Trust A Science Teacher","description":"Using scientific discourse to purposefully cultivate thoughtful citizens. This book describes my belief in the importance of individuality, the habit of truth, personal responsibility and respectful dissent. What does this scientific method have to do with democratic citizenship? Are science and democracy two separate endeavors? From the dawn of humanity, the natural state of man has been to live under tyranny of one form or another. Even today, less than 10% of humans alive enjoy individual rights. And these cultures are the most prosperous. Prosperity from scientific advancement. Scientific advancement from the scientific method. The scientific method rests on individual rights and personal responsibility. Individual rights and personal responsibility form the cornerstone of a free democracy. Many citizens mistrust science. They easily revert to authoritarian attitudes and become activists for causes that are obviously true. They fail to recognize that the statement, 97% of scientists believe.something (anything) is an argument relying on pre-Enlightenment logic.logic more than 400 years out of date. I struggle and wonder what I can do to help bring our citizens to modern ways of reasoning. Perhaps the best I can do is try to prepare my own students for the citizenship challenges they will find in their future.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53380296474897,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53380297883921,"sku":"NIN9780998462721","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780998462721.jpg?v=1775494996"},{"product_id":"raising-interesting-people-book-meredith-olson-ph-d-9780965706131","title":"Raising Interesting People","description":"We want our children to grow into interesting adults who enjoy many aspects of their future world. Classrooms organized to grab their attention and enthusiasm promote the development of this type of person. This is a book about ways of being in a classroom that promotes interested engagement and enthusiasm for learning in children.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53383219118353,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53383219937553,"sku":"NIN9780965706131","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780965706131.jpg?v=1775564646"},{"product_id":"this-other-kind-of-child-book-meredith-olson-ph-d-9780998462738","title":"This Other Kind Of Child","description":"Children differ. Some are shy, others outgoing. Some have high verbal ability. Some few, have strong spatial ability. What can we know about spatial ability? Are there different categories of spatial ability? Do certain types of individuals show the ability to analyze one category of spatial thinking more than other categories? Much of our interest in spatial ability stems from our concern over how children understand mathematics and science. Our research identified a kind of child who visualizes 3-dimensions and uses logical reasoning even with nonsense syllogisms. They are rare. To reach their fullest potential, we feel instructional modes must be differentiated for this other kind of child. Acceleration is not enough. Working with this other kind of child is a major part of what is distinctive about the school where I teach. Serving this other kind of child is what we do here. We are not serving a privileged group, we are serving an oppressed group. These students often come to dislike school. Typical school classrooms emotionally assault their sense of self worth on a daily basis. There, students resist doing standard assigned lessons. They get fed up with school, barely comply with lesson requests, and often simply drop out. Our school is a singular hope for them. We have an opportunity. Their high Block Design sub-score on the WISC intelligence test is the best predictor of this unique kind of child who we seek to serve. This underserved kind of child needs us. The need is urgent. These children are worth saving. They are the future of our technological society.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53383237697809,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53383238484241,"sku":"NIN9780998462738","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780998462738.jpg?v=1775564682"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-meredith-olson-ph-d.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}