TLDR 108
Too Long; Didn't Read Issue 108
Published: 2017-07-29 β’ π§ Newsletter
Welcome to issue #108 of TL;DR. Now everybody knows there's exceptions to this rule.
This week I shared the following:
π Key Takeaways
- Questioning Gender Binary: This comes from a Vice episode in which host Amelia Abraham goes to Sweden - the world's most forward thinking country when it comes to questioning gender - to find out what it's like to grow up without the gender binary.
- We Thought We Knew Nothing: My response is that it affirms what we already thought we knew...nothing. We need to continuously problematize our conceptions about these tools and literacy practices.
- Bilingual Benefits Are Intriguing: The results suggest very intriguing results about the impact of second language acquisition on attention, empathy, reading decoding, and delaying dementia.
- Trust Game Fertile Ground: The 30 minute game is a good way to explore issues of trust, and provides fertile ground for later discussion.
- Brains Are Mosaic: Only about 3% of people have a brain that is fully "male" or fully "female." In other words, it is extremely rare to find a consistently pink brain or blue brain. The other 97% of people have brains that are a mosaic of pink and blue.
- Problematize Our Own Perspectives: In these experiences, it is often challenging to think through these descriptors and problematize our own perspectives. I believe this is very important as we work with youth in various contexts.
πΊ Watch
Vice: Raised without gender
This video is a bit longer than the ones that I typically share here in TL;DR.
This comes from a Vice episode in which host Amelia Abraham goes to Sweden - the world's most forward thinking country when it comes to questioning gender - to find out what it's like to grow up without the gender binary.
π Read
Generation Z is abandoning traditional text
Findings from a March 2017 survey suggest that younger internet users, the so-called Generation Z (ages 13 to 17), are moving away from text-based content online, as well as television, while increasing their time with video and social media.
The research polled 1,173 American internet users from ages 13 to 34.
A number of colleagues saw these results and asked what this means for what we thought we knew about media habits for these demographics. My response is that it affirms what we already thought we knew...nothing. We need to continuously problematize our conceptions about these tools and literacy practices.
6 Potential Brain Benefits Of Bilingual Education
This piece from NPR Ed connects the dots between neuroscience and bilingual education.
The results suggest very intriguing results about the impact of second language acquisition on attention, empathy, reading decoding, and delaying dementia.
It should be noted that research of bilingual education regularly undergoes pushback in the field. Reviews and meta-analyses suggest the benefits may be small and age related, however there appear to be no negative effects of bilingual education.
The evolution of trust
This fun interactive game called The Evolution of Trust starts with a variation of the prisoners' dilemma. You choose to put a coin into a slot. Another person has the same choice on a different machine. You can't communicate with the other person. The only thing you know is this: if the other person put a coin in their slot, you will receive 3 coins. And if you put a coin in your slot, the other person will get 3 coins. What's the best strategy?
The 30 minute game is a good way to explore issues of trust, and provides fertile ground for later discussion.
Everything you believe is wrong: There is no such thing as a male or female brain
This piece from FastCompany shares some of the recent research surrounding brain chemistry and the differences between men and women.
Previously we believed that men were from Mars and women are from Venus....at least in terms of our brain physiology. Recent results suggest that our brains are both male and female.
There are specific size and density differences between male and female brains. However, only about 3% of people have a brain that is fully "male" or fully "female." In other words, it is extremely rare to find a consistently pink brain or blue brain. The other 97% of people have brains that are a mosaic of pink and blue. Almost all of us have features common in men and features common in women.
Toolkit for "Being There for Nonbinary Youth"
This toolkit synthesizes the key tips and takeaways in the feature story "Being There for Nonbinary Youth" from the Teaching Tolerance magazine. Teaching Tolerance is a great project from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
This toolkit provides links a great series of online resources for supporting transgender students.
In some of my classes, I start the semester by asking students to introduce themselves and their PGP, preferred gender pronoun. This is a way to foreground our examination of language, names, and educational contexts. In these experiences, it is often challenging to think through these descriptors and problematize our own perspectives. I believe this is very important as we work with youth in various contexts.
π¨ Do
Google Made with Code - Emoji Maker
In this Google Made with Code project, you can create your own unique emoji and personalize it with accessories and goals. You'll be exploring the Blockly programming language as you build up your digital self.
π€ Consider
"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will." β Charlotte BrontΓ«
π Navigation
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π± Connected Concepts:
- Gender and Education β Sweden leads in gender-neutral upbringing practices where children grow up without strict gender binary, challenging assumptions about gendered socialization and requiring educators to problematize their own perspectives when working with youth in various contexts.
- Generation Z Media Habits β Survey of 13-17 year olds shows shift away from text-based content and television toward video and social media, affirming that we continuously need to problematize our conceptions about tools and literacy practices rather than relying on fixed demographic assumptions.
- Bilingual Education β Neuroscience research reveals second language acquisition impacts attention, empathy, reading decoding, and may delay dementia, with meta-analyses showing small age-related benefits and no negative effects despite field pushback against bilingual programs.
- Neuroscience of Gender β Research debunks male/female brain myth: only 3% have fully gendered brains while 97% are mosaics of characteristics, challenging "men from Mars, women from Venus" stereotypes and requiring rethinking of gender assumptions in education and society.
- Supporting Nonbinary Youth β Toolkit from Teaching Tolerance and Southern Poverty Law Center provides resources for supporting transgender students, including practice of asking for preferred gender pronouns (PGP) at semester start to create inclusive learning environments.
Part of the π§ Newsletter archive documenting digital literacy and technology.