February 2001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friend:

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Don't Forget: The Power of a Good Night's Sleep


"Sleeping on it" may or may not help you make better decisions the next day-but it certainly improves your memory.

Getting a good night's sleep within thirty hours of trying to remember a new task is a vital part of effective recall, according to a study published recently in Nature Neuroscience.

In the study, 24 volunteers were asked to identify the orientation of three diagonal bars flashed for one-sixtieth of a second on a screen that was also covered with a series of horizontal stripes.

Half of the test subjects were allowed do to have a good night's sleep; the other half were kept awake. Both groups however, were allowed to sleep on the second and third nights. It turned out that those volunteers who slept the first night were significantly and consistently better at performing the memory task. The second group showed no improvement despite their catch-up sleep over the two following nights.


Imagery -v- Reality: It's All in the Mind

Ever wondered how you're able to conjure up a vivid mental picture of something? Researchers have just discovered that the same brain cells used to view an object are utilized when you try and imagine it.

"Our research helps clarify how the mind's eye works," says UCLA neurosurgeon Dr. Itzhak Fried. "Visual images can be generated in our mind's eye in the absence of actually looking at the image. Our study reveals that the same brain cells that fire when a person looks at a picture of the Mona Lisa are, in fact, the same neurons that excite when that person is asked to imagine the Mona Lisa."

In the study, researchers recorded the electrical activity of several brain cells on nine patients with severe epilepsy who had tiny microelectrodes implanted in their brains to find the focus of their seizures.

"When you look at something, it's really vivid and when you close your eyes to imagine it, the image is not so vivid," says Fried. "So, we were surprised that the brain cells fired at almost the same intensity."

Of the neurons that fired selectively during both vision and imagery, the majority-88 per cent-had identical selectivity, suggesting that the brain processes incoming visual information and visual recall in a similar manner.

Homework-More or Less?

The age-old debate over how much homework kids should get has flared up again.

It was sparked by the publication of a book entitled "The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children and Limits Learning." In it, authors Etta Kralovec and John Buell argue that research doesn't support the use of homework as a means of academic achievement. They say it puts too much pressure on kids and busy parents, and it robs children of valuable time that could be spent just being a kid, hanging out with the family and developing other interests.

Homework proponent, Harris Cooper, however, says that about every fifteen years there's a call to abolish homework, followed fifteen years later by a call for more homework.

Cooper, professor and chairman of the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia provides the following calendar of events:
  • Early 1900s: The mind is viewed as a muscle that could be strengthened with exercise. Homework is considered an exercise.
  • 1940s: There's a movement away from filling kids' heads with facts and doing drills, and there's a push to teach kids broader life skills.
  • 1957: Sputnik is launched by the Russians, and the American public worries that education lacks rigor and leaves children unprepared for complex technologies. The result: a push for more homework to accelerate learning so the United States can compete with Russia.
  • Late-1960s: Educators question whether homework is placing too much pressure on students and is crowding out social experiences, outdoor recreation and creative activities that could help them become well-balanced individuals.
  • 1983: Publication of "A Nation at Risk." The report calls for an increase in homework in addition to other changes in education to combat "the rising tide of mediocrity" and make the United States more competitive with Japan.
  • 1990s: The push for more homework continues, fueled by parents who want their children to be competitive for elite colleges and universities and by educators who use it to meet increasingly rigorous state-mandated standards.
  • 2000: A backlash sets in, led by beleaguered parents concerned about their stressed-out children.

You can buy "The End of Homework" by clicking on the book and going to amazon.com. Just $14.40. Save 20%.

New book

Fire-Up Your Learning: An Accelerated Learning Action Guide

Out now: A 336-page illustrated trade paperback written by noted trainer Thomas L. Madden.

This new book shows high school and college students how to quickly:

  • Improve your grades
  • Become a confident learner
  • Enhance your self-esteem
  • Remember anything easily
  • Be better prepared for tests
  • Make well thought out decisions.

"Fire-Up Your Learning" is a user-friendly action guide that explains the:

  • Five learning styles
  • Six assimilation styles
  • Eight intelligences.

Recognize your personal preferences and you can easily become a natural learner.

"Fire-Up Your Learning" also includes:

  • Creating your own Mission Statement
  • Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals
  • Using music to enhance retention
  • Developing a Personal Learning Plan.

Plus a special section on successful test taking strategies.

Author Tom Madden has been involved with the field of education for over twenty-five years. He uses his Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology to enhance an innovative approach to education that speeds learning and dramatically improves retention.

Fire-Up Your Learning.

Code: WS135 Cost: $24.95.

Click here to order.

FREE-The book that started it all!

Special offer for the month of February only!!!

Every order for Accelerated Learning products totaling more than $75.00 (languages excepted) will receive a FREE copy of the original paperback "Accelerated learning" written by Colin Rose. It's been described as a seminal work for the accelerated learning movement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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