César Williams @ceswill

🇯🇵🤺 La esgrima da un paso hacia el futuro: Japón presentó un sistema que permite visualizar en tiempo real la punta de la espada, con el objetivo de mejorar la precisión arbitral y hacer el deporte más comprensible para el público.

How creative are students in your country? Creativity can be a powerful driver for learning, & is important in today's job market as routine skills risk automation. The OECD’s PISA measures the creative thinking skills of 15-year-olds around the world: bit.ly/45dxRvv

It's not just phonics: Schools have failed to teach reading because they ignore 50+ years of findings in cognitive psychology that reading depends on general knowledge. ED Hirsch has been banging this drum for a long time but Ed Schools shut their ears because the whole idea was unromantic & had a vaguely right-wing aroma. Now he joins with Dan Willingham to make a strong case that kids can't read if they don't have the background knowledge that makes sense of the rarer vocabulary, allusions, and understandings that allow us to read between the lines - which all reading requires. educationnext.org/rediscovering-…

This is a 1000-gram iron bar. In its raw form, it’s worth around $100. If it’s turned into horseshoes, its value rises to about $250. If it’s made into sewing needles, its value jumps to roughly $70,000. If it’s crafted into watch springs and gears, it can be worth around $6 million. And if it’s transformed into precision laser components, like those used in lithography, its value can reach $15 million. Your value is not defined only by what you are made of, but by how well you shape your potential into something extraordinary.

As Michale Pollan (A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness) feelings precede perception and thought. An information-processing model of the mind is not not-true, just seriously unbalanced & incomplete.

Steve Magness @stevemagness

4 months ago

In a study out of the University of Plymouth in the UK, when subjects were walking up to a massive hill, they perceived it to be less steep if they had a friend by their side. With someone else there, the daunting seems more manageable. thegrowtheq.com/we-are-born-to…

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🧵 Reflexión necesaria sobre #DUA y “diseño universal” en educación: Diseño Universal para el Aprendizaje (DUA) no es lo mismo que "diseño universal" o "accesibilidad"

Esta carta de Rod Wilson al Wall Street Journal sobre el tema de las prohibiciones de redes a los jóvenes me parece de lo más sensato que he leído al respecto. La pongo entera porque es cortita: La prisa global por prohibir el acceso de los adolescentes a las redes sociales es emocionalmente comprensible -y estratégicamente miope (“Las prohibiciones de redes sociales para jóvenes ganan impulso en todo el mundo”, Portada, 19 de febrero). Las prohibiciones parecen contundentes, pero evitan la verdad más dura: el entorno digital no es temporal y la adolescencia no puede posponerse hasta que resulte conveniente para los adultos. No estamos criando niños para un mundo sin algoritmos. Los estamos criando para un mundo moldeado por la inteligencia artificial, la visibilidad pública y la comparación constante. Eliminar el acceso no construye resiliencia, juicio ni autorregulación. Solo retrasa el momento en que esas habilidades serán necesarias, a menudo hasta que la influencia parental ya se ha debilitado. La historia demuestra que la prohibición rara vez genera madurez. Los adolescentes necesitan adultos dispuestos a establecer límites claros, aplicar consecuencias, enseñar alfabetización digital y modelar ellos mismos un uso disciplinado de la tecnología. Necesitan escuelas que enseñen la atención como una habilidad. Necesitan responsables políticos que exijan transparencia y barreras de protección a las plataformas que monetizan el engagement adolescente. El verdadero problema no es si los adolescentes tienen acceso a las redes sociales. El problema es si estamos dispuestos a hacer el trabajo de criarlos dentro de ese entorno. Una prohibición traslada la responsabilidad hacia fuera, a gobiernos y empresas. Pero la atención, la disciplina y el juicio se aprenden en casa. Si queremos adultos que contribuyan en lugar de dependientes digitales, deberíamos centrarnos menos en proteger a los adolescentes del mundo moderno y más en formarlos para navegarlo. Rod Wilson

Alec Muffett @AlecMuffett

4 months ago

If you read 1 thing about Social Media Bans this week, it should be Rod Wilson’s magisterial letter to the WSJ; extract, text & link below

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Dieciséis mil millones. Esa es la cantidad de veces que la popular canción infantil Baby Shark ha sido vista en YouTube. Eso es más del doble de la población mundial. Y lo que es realmente sorprendente: 5 de los 10 videos más vistos en la historia de YouTube son contenido para niños pequeños. No de Bad Bunny. No de Taylor Swift. Mas bien tiburones bebés y autobuses con ruedas giratorias. Estos números revelan que la primera infancia está siendo influenciada por las pantallas, mucho antes de que Instagram o TikTok entren en escena. Los niños de 0 a 5 años aún no tienen cuentas de redes sociales, pero ya pasan horas en YouTube o con un teléfono inteligente Eso es lo que exploramos en el informe El tiempo frente a la pantalla en la educación infantil: Equilibrar la balanza digital (lnkd.in/e49cCpuy). Algunos enfoques de política que se discuten allí: - Las autoridades deben definir directrices claras y basadas en la evidencia y apoyar a los padres con campañas públicas. - Para madres, padres y cuidadores, el mensaje no es la prohibición, sino el balance: reemplazar el uso automático de pantallas con alternativas graduales, crear zonas y momentos sin pantalla. - Las instituciones educativas, por su parte, pueden modelar hábitos saludables que comienzan en preescolar. - La industria digital debe estar regulada para limitar las prácticas que promueven el uso excesivo. Puede que “cero pantallas” no sea algo realistas, pero el balance es factible. No vamos a eliminar a Baby Shark de YouTube, pero podemos asegurarnos de que no sea lo único que nuestros hijos recuerden de su infancia. Ver blog con Ezequiel Molina y Cristóbal Cobo 👇 lnkd.in/eH6Vbyih

54% of American teenagers now use AI chatbots for help with their schoolwork. Nearly 60 percent believe that chatbot-assisted cheating has become, in Pew's phrasing, "a regular feature of student life." The numbers have doubled in two years. But I think the worst thing about this is cognitive offloading and the fact there is a new generation of students who think they are learning when they're not. According to Pew, most students aren't actually cheating and asking chatbots to write their essays. They're asking them to explain, summarise, and solve. They probably think they're studying but this is 'cognitive offloading and does something cheating never does: it leaves the student believing they've learned when they haven't done anything remotely like the thinking that learning requires. Many schools haven't got to grips with this at all it seems. Are we still pretending that coursework or take-home essays are valid measures of learning? nytimes.com/2026/02/24/tec…

Who calls classical music boring? It's straight-up rocket fuel.

How learning happens in seven general principles ⬇️ 1. Working Memory Capacity is Limited: Our working memory, responsible for holding and processing information in real-time, has a limited capacity. This limitation means that when learners are exposed to large amounts of new information simultaneously, they may struggle to process it effectively. Focusing attention is essential because distractions or overload can lead to cognitive strain, reducing the ability to learn. Teachers can support this by breaking information into manageable chunks, allowing students to engage deeply with smaller parts before moving on to the next concept. 2. We Learn Through Meaning and What We Already Know: Learning is enhanced when new information connects to existing knowledge. When learners relate new content to things they already understand, they create a stronger foundation for retention and comprehension. This process, known as schema-building, helps students make sense of complex ideas by fitting them into an established framework. Teachers can facilitate this by introducing new concepts through familiar examples or linking them to relevant prior knowledge, making learning more meaningful and long-lasting. 3. Novices Think Differently Than Experts: Novices often approach tasks with means-end analysis or trial-and-error methods or simple strategies because they lack the knowledge to recognize patterns or apply sophisticated approaches. In contrast, experts draw on rich mental models, using prior experiences and refined techniques to solve problems more efficiently. This difference means that novices need structured guidance to develop these mental models over time. Teachers can help by gradually introducing students to expert strategies, enabling them to progress from basic skills to more advanced understanding. 4. To Remember, We Need to Forget: Storage strength is the measure of how well information is embedded in long-term memory, indicating its durability over time. Retrieval strength is the ease with which information can be accessed from memory at a given moment, which fluctuates based on recent use and context. Unlike storage strength, retrieval strength is influenced by context and interference from other information. To remember something long-term, it’s essential to boost its retrieval strength, which can be achieved by actively retrieving the information. Unlike passive studying, retrieval requires you to recall the item on your own, strengthening memory more effectively, especially when the retrieval is challenging. This principle explains why strategies like interleaving (alternating topics) and spacing (spreading out sessions) are so effective. By allowing time for slight forgetting, these methods make retrieval harder, ultimately enhancing memory retention. This “adaptive forgetting” is crucial for retaining core concepts. 5. Learning ≠ Performance: A high test score or good performance in the classroom doesn’t necessarily mean that true learning has occurred. Learners might perform well temporarily by memorizing facts or rehearsing specific methods without understanding the underlying concepts. This principle highlights the difference between short-term performance and deep, long-term learning. Effective assessment should look beyond scores to evaluate true comprehension. The rate of assessment matters which is why regular checking for understanding is so important. Teachers can use open-ended questions, application tasks, and reflective discussions to gauge whether students genuinely understand the material. 6. Achievement Leads to Motivation: Success in learning (however small) can foster a positive cycle of confidence, self-efficacy, and motivation. When students achieve their goals, even in small steps, they are more likely to believe in their ability to succeed in future learning tasks. This sense of accomplishment encourages them to take on new challenges and persist through difficulties. Teachers can support this cycle by setting attainable goals, providing regular feedback, and celebrating incremental progress to reinforce students’ confidence and motivation. 7. Learners Are Bad at Knowing How to Learn: Many students are unaware of effective learning strategies, often relying on passive techniques like re-reading, highlighting, or cramming. These methods feel productive in the short term but are less effective for long-term retention. Evidence-based strategies like retrieval practice, spaced learning, and interleaving have been shown to improve memory and understanding, but students may need guidance to adopt these methods. Teachers can enhance learning outcomes by teaching students about these techniques and encouraging their use, helping students develop more efficient and powerful study habits. (Thanks to @MrAlexKoks for the design)

@ValeriA_Tech Muy, muy útil. Muchísimas gracias

Dog realizes when the point has been won and celebrates.

10 empresas construidas alrededor de un solo producto: 1/Crocs (2002)

The story of the Emperor's New Clothes captures various knowledge states/levels. When the little boy blurted out that the emperor was naked, he wasn't saying anything everyone else couldn't see with their own eyeballs. But when he said it, then everyone else knew that everyone else knew that the emperor was naked. And this changed their relationship with the emperor.

¿La clase media se redujo? Sí. En 2019, 40 de cada 100 peruanos eran clase media. Hoy solo son 34 📉, según @IPEopinion Durante una década, este grupo creció con fuerza, a la par que bajaba la pobreza. Pero en 2020, la pandemia lo cambió todo 😷: la clase media cayó al 22% 📉 y más de 4 millones de peruanos salieron de este grupo y cayeron en condiciones más precarias. Desde entonces, la recuperación ha sido lenta 🐢. ¿Por qué? Porque gran parte de la clase media trabaja en condiciones precarias: sin contrato, sin seguro, sin beneficios. Cerca del 60% está en la informalidad. Eso los hace vulnerables. Basta perder el trabajo o enfrentar una emergencia para entrar en la pobreza. Y aunque el empleo formal ha mejorado algo, todavía no alcanza para absorber a todos. Según @CEPLAN2050, se esperaba que para 2030 ⏳, 70 de cada 100 peruanos serían clase media. Pero con un crecimiento económico de solo 3% anual, el @IPEopinion estima que recién en 2033 podríamos volver al 40% 🔁 de clase media que teníamos en 2019. ¿Quiénes son clase media? 🔍 Según el @BancoMundial, quienes viven con S/986 a S/5,707 mensuales por persona. 💵 📊 Si Perú fueran 100 personas: 🔹26 serían pobres (menos de S/484 al mes) 🔹39 serían vulnerables (S/484–S/985) 🔹34 serían clase media (S/986–S/5,707) 🔹1 sería clase alta (más de S/5,707) Una clase media frágil no resiste a la crisis 💥. La pandemia lo demostró. Y cuando ella cae, no cae sola: aumentan la pobreza, la inestabilidad y la desigualdad 🚨. La reconstrucción de la clase media no es automática. Requiere empleo formal 💼, inversión que genere oportunidades 📈 y un sistema de protección 👵 que evite que millones vuelvan a empezar de cero. Una clase media fuerte es clave para el desarrollo ¿Estamos haciendo lo suficiente para fortalecerla? 🤔

A great example of explicit instruction: ✅ Clear, structured explanations ✅ Skill broken down into parts ✅Constant checking for understanding ✅ Scaffolded support + Faded guidance ✅ High success rate before independent practice

🚨 What is Teacher Expertise? 🚨 We easily recognise expertise in fields like sports or medicine, where success is often measurable. But how do we define expertise in teaching, where the outcomes are more complex and influenced by multiple factors? This free resource, a taster from the forthcoming How Teaching and Learning Happens e-learning course, highlights the key characteristics of expert teachers and how they develop over time. This framework is part of a broader programme of teacher professional development we have designed for @AcademicaUoAS Sign up to our newsletter for more content like this: academica-group.com/en/newsletter-… For more info on the course: academica-group.com/en/how-teachin…

25 Must-Read Nonfiction Book's Visual Summary: 1) The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

Nobody explains meditation like Seinfeld. "It's like you have a cell phone and then somebody gives you the charger. Oh, I can get this thing up to a hundred anytime I want?! "It doesn't feel like anything. Doesn't do anything. I don't get it. I don't understand it. But here's the difference: at 1pm that day, my head does not hit the desk like it used to. ... I sail through the day."