Medicating Away the Disorders

As promised, I am posting the links to two Frontline programs on medicating children and the effects...and affects it has. The first episode is titled The Medicated Child, and addresses the increase of children on medication since the 1990's. The increase is cited as an increase of 4000%, which is an extremely large number. You can find it here. The second episode is titled Medicating Kids and again addresses the increase of children on medication, but also debates whether or not this increase is necessary, whether or not the behavior in children has changed so much over the years that it requires medication, and has personalized stories from four individuals on medication and how it has helped or hindered the child's development. You can find it here. Enjoy!

Work and Motivation

As I was sitting in class today and we were discussing work and motivation, I though of a few videos that I have seen in recent months. This first one is on motivation, especially in the workplace. Sometimes it makes me wonder what that level of pay is in order to maintain our security. I hope you've asked yourself some pretty deep questions in regards to how to better apply this to your own learnings. What is the best way for you to learn, and for me to teach? The other video that I thought about had to do with work. Where does work happen? How does work happen? I was especially happy that the presentation today mentioned "flow", or the deep thinking/work that occurs when, as I like to call it, you're in the zone. Believe it or not, it's really difficult to get in "the zone". Consider this:

Consider these two videos separately and they are intriguing. Consider them in conjunction with one another and they become revealing, inspiring, and game changing. How can you use these two concepts/theories to better enhance YOUR life? How can teachers use these concepts to better educate you? I'd love to read your thoughts in the comment section.

Spring Break for Dreier

Good Evening,

Thanks for checking in. As a reminder for your spring break assignment for Mr. Dreier's class you will have Hock readings #14 and #16, three blog posts (with at least one on a Hock reading), You need to watch the video posted in this blog (and maybe reflect on it as a second blog...if you were looking to make it easier), and develop a prototype lesson for your own personal learning style.

Whew. Now that that's over, we can concentrate on the fun stuff. I can't wait for spring break so I can hang out in good old WI and look at snow through my windows. I will probably have to take some time to play my guitar, I might go hang out and have coffee somewhere, I will more than likely watch a little basketball on the television, and I will clean my basement, install a fake beach with a sunlamp, paint a mural of the ocean on my wall, and pretend I am in a faraway tropical land.

If you believe all of that, then I have a bridge to sell you in New York.

Have a great break!

Spring Break Assignment - Wollersheim

1. In addition to your blogging assignment, you will need to read pages 117-125 in the Hock book (Reading 16: Thanks for the Memories)
2. Your blog is due Sunday March 20th at 11:59pm.
3. Also a reminder that you should have ALL of Chapter 9 read for class on Monday.

Have a great Spring Break!!

Dubs.

Oh the Memories...

Click on the following links to complete both memory tests!

1. Test your memory....


2. Face Memory Test

Representing China

So, I'm off representing China today in a simulation, along with a few students from AHS. Business first - you can work on your assignments that are due Wednesday with ONE other person at most. This assignment is something one could complete by oneself, but I always like what happens when two people work together to create something quite interesting and unique. Two heads are better than one right? (unless of course you're a whitetail deer of the male variety, upon which you'd be quite the prize to some lucky hunter).

Secondly, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, some of you are not blogging every week. This is a very unwise move. Let me help you out with this - your blog doesn't have to be impersonal. You can certainly have fun with these. Write to entertain yourself, write to learn, write to entertain ME at the very least. Write about a funny thought you've had while thinking about psychology, write about something personal that completely relates to what we've learned. Some of you have gotten quite good at this, while others are still struggling to blog on a weekly basis and have probably come to dread blogging because you have to "go look for a video or article that relates to psychology". Nothing could be further from the truth of this assignment - psychology is everywhere, you just have to take a little time to write about it.

Happy blogging!

Tests, Tests, Tests.

Yes. There is a test tomorrow, Tuesday February 22nd. Plan for it. Study for it. Study session in Mr. Dreier's room Tuesday AM before school.

Best of luck on the snow day.

Mr. Dreier

Think Like A Child

So what might this mean for you? Well...there are some things that kids do better, mainly because they are without boundaries. They have little concept of "I can't do that" and instead often times find a way to make it happen.

Consider this: A five year old kid is playing outside when she sees a tall rock. Instead of saying "I can't climb that, I could get hurt", she says "gosh, I'd really like to sit on top of that rock, it looks like a fun place." Instead of worrying about a safety harness, ropes, and knot-tying prowess, she starts climbing.

Ask the questions that make you consider possibilities "What was it I wanted to do as a child, and why am I not working toward that goal?" Ask the questions that force you to think like a child. Ask the questions that allow you to become more creative. Ask why not instead of why, ask "i wonder if this will work" instead of asking how. Imagine what happens to a child, a student, a person, if they are told "no" or "you can't" too often. Slowly the intrinsic drive to learn wears away, and the budding creativity is trimmed to fit non-changing expectations in a changing society.

What is it that you can do right now to change how you think?

Nature or Nurture?

This is a video that I've shown to a number of people, and I thought that now was as good a time as any to share it with the AHS AP Psychology students. There is a lot of interesting concepts that can relate to brain research, nature vs. nurture, and child development that we will be learning about soon.



I realize that you might not be able to see this from school, but take the time to watch it from home. I think you'll be quite happy you did.

Enjoy!