iWorth's Blog:

It's not just about numbers The idea of mathematics for pre-school children can seem a bit daunting. However, at this age a lot of maths is about understanding ideas such as size, shape and pattern - things that most adults would not think of as maths at all. If your child gains an early understanding of these concepts, then this can give him or her a flying start with number work. Shapes Give your child opportunities to notice and recognize the different shapes around them. Use the proper names when talking to children about 3D shapes and encourage them to find things in the house with the same shape. Look at road signs and discuss the different 2D shapes you see. Counting Children enjoy counting real objects. Counting the stairs as you take your child up to bed each night; count buttons on clothes; count the number of apples into a shopping bag; count 'pennies' in a money box and save up to buy something. Make up little games and ask your children to fetch 3...

A major part of our work with children is developing Early Literacy skills. One of the most significant steps in learning to read is a gradual understanding that the visual aspects of print , that is the individual letters and groups of letters correspond to the sounds we hear in speaking. In Nursery as well as at home, we can help children in this process by: reciting and singing Nursery Rhymes using rhymes of all kinds to make sounds fun encouraging the children to dress up and act out their favourite rhymes and stories drawing the children attention to words that start/end with the same letters and sounds Number rhymes are also good fun and help children to remember the order of numbers You are also: Using lots of plastic, magnetic and sponge letters as well as alphabet puzzles, wall friezes and alphabet books to encourage the children to learn the names and sounds of letters encouraging the children to recognise his/her own name and its letters drawing attention...

THE most used IQ tests do not provide just a single figure as a measure of ability but have at least two (and usually more) scores. For instance, the IQ test most commonly used by psychologists is the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children). This has two main IQ figures, currently called index score: a verbal comprehension index (or verbal IQ) and a perceptual reasoning index (or nonverbal IQ). The verbal index or IQ is a measure of spoken language ability; the score shows how the child performed on tests of vocabulary and verbal reasoning. The nonverbal index or IQ is a measure of visual-spatial ability; here the score shows how the child performed on puzzle- and pattern-based tests. The two IQ scores may be combined to give an overal indication of ability, called general or full scale IQ.

SETI stands for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. SETI@home is a scientific initiative launched by the University of California, Berkeley, with the goal of discovering radio signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. For this purpose, a radio telescope in Puerto Rico records a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum from outer space. This data is sent to the central SETI@home server in California. There, they take advantage of the fact that the greater part of processor cycles on private and business computers remains idle. Rather than analyzing the data in a costly supercomputer, the SETI server divides the data into smaller units and sends these units to the several million computers made available by the volunteers who have registered to participate in this project. The SETI client carries out the calculations during the idle processor cycles of the participants' computers and then sends back the results.

Peer to Peer computing: The Evolution of a Disruptive Technology, by Ramesh Subramanian & Brian D. Goodman Hype Cycles Disruptive techonologies are at the heart of change in research and industry. The obvious challenge is to distinguish the hype from reality. Gartner Research's "Hype Cycles" work charts technologies along a life-cycle path, identifying when the technology is just a buzzword through to its late maturation or productivity. Technology trigger Positive Hype Peak of inflated expectations (Don't join in just because it's 'in') Negative Hype Trough of disillusionment (Don't miss out just because it's 'out') Slope of enlightenment Plateau of productivity

The term "Progressive Teaching" was used chiefly by and about the reformers associated with Jane Addams, John Dewey, and other such people, who worked before and after 1900. It advocated a student-centered courses and pedagogies and about democratic efforts of many kinds in schools and universities. In a progressive school, you may find the following things: Classroom layout suitable for Group works: In a traditional class room, all pupils seated in rows, facing their teacher at the front and the teacher could see all of pupils' faces. This might produce a quiet class conducive to concentration and hard work. Pupils were only allowed to sit with friends just so long as they were co-operative and muted conversation was relevant to the work they were doing. But in a modern classroom, children are seated in a little groups facing each other. Such an arrangement may encourage idle chatter and constant distraction. This desks arrangement also requires a teacher to ...