Children who have good memory are good liars

Children who have good memory are good liars

A I have been wondering many times why my son Tobias sometimes constructs his own ‘truth’. Then I read an article which explained that children, who have a good memory, are better at telling lies. According to this article, scientists tested six and seven-year-old children who were given the opportunity to cheat in trivia games and then they lied about their activities. Those children, who were good liars, coped better with verbal memory. They remembered a larger number of words. This means they are good at managing lots of information, even when they tell porkies.

B The experiment recruited 114 children from four British schools. The children were asked to play a question and answer game, and some hidden cameras were placed to shoot the children. It was found that the children were secretly looking at the answers. It was really surprising for the parents to see that a quarter of children were found cheating.

C The researchers from the Universities of North Florida, Sheffield and Stirling also wanted to find out who was a good or a bad liar. They were especially interested in children’s ability to keep a good cover story for their lie. In memory tests, the good liars showed they had a better memory for words. But they didn’t show any evidence of having a better visuo-spatial memory, that means they didn’t remember pictures better. The research showed that this was because lying involves remembering lots of verbal information, whereas remembering images is less important.

D The parents were surprised that the children maintained their good image even after telling porkies. They are usually not too proud when their children lie, they can at least be pleased to find out that when their children lie well, it means their children are becoming better at thinking and have good memory skills. Adults themselves lie in approximately a fifth of their social exchanges lasting 10 or more minutes.

E My son Tobias himself lies when doing forbidden things at school, when breaking something, and when speaking about food. He is not a keen eater, so he tries to avoid meals all the time. I am not proud of his lying. To be true, it drives me mad. Now, I can calm myself down, because he might be clever.

Adjusted to (1)

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Good liars have better verbal and worse visuo-spatial memory

2 Research in lying among British children

3 Toby’s lying

4 Parents, adults and lying

5 Introduction

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What was the research about?

2 What were the results of the experiment?

3 When did children lie according to this article?

4 How often do adults lie?

5 How are intelligence and lying connected?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 trivia game

2 cover story

3 visuo-spatial memory

4 social exchange

5 keen eater

Source: (1) Children with good memories 'tell better porkies'. BBC News [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-33204165

Answer the following questions. Find tips and sources of information in the following links:

1 https://goo.gl/v38n6K

2 http://goo.gl/JcyOSJ

3 http://goo.gl/cCsfSR

1 What is social intelligence? What are its key elements? How can we develop it?

2 Is social intelligence connected with lying? How? Why do we lie? When do children start lying? What should parents do in case their child lies? 

3 What is IQ? What do you know about IQ tests? What do they test? What are levels of IQ?

 

How to teach... making friends

A A long summer stretches out invitingly before students (and teachers), but when they return to school after the break, everything will have changed. The new academic term means new groups and, for some, the start of a new school.

B With this transition comes the inevitable challenge of making friends. Children of all ages worry about various things, from finding a partner to work with in science class to having someone to eat lunch with on the first day. So, to prepare your students for their next steps, and in time for the UN International Day of Friendship on Thursday 30 July, this week’s how to teach... includes a selection of ideas and resources to help your students strengthen current friendships and make new ones.

C There is an old adage that to love someone else you must first love yourself, and the same is true of friendships. Children need to value themselves before they can properly value others, so kick things off by building self-esteem. Get your students to discuss their talents – dancing, running, helping at home or drawing. Then share their ideas during a circle-time activity or record their thoughts. Next, get children to reflect on others’ qualities by thinking about what they look for in a friend using a worksheet and game. Playing as a group or in pairs, students must explain whether each of a variety of attributes is something a “good friend” or “bad friend” would have. When you’ve gathered opinions on this, get creative by making colourful friendship posters.

D Discover what worries students have around making friends by answering the questions primary students often ask. For example, why is friendship important? What if a friend is mean to me? Do students agree that it’s impossible to share a friend? Role play might be an interesting way to explore how to resolve problems. Go beyond the classroom and get students thinking about the theme of friendship around the world by focusing on relations between countries. Use this to encourage students to think about what they can do to help create a more peaceful world. As a follow-up activity, ask students to identify times when they could be a good friend to others. How would they behave towards a new child in their class, for example?

E One of the most challenging times in terms of making friends is moving to secondary school, and a little cinema magic is a great way to ease the transition. A Back to School assembly contains a whole section on making new friends at secondary school. It uses clips from films such as Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Skateboards and Spandex… to tackle themes such as first days, making new friends, believing in yourself and working together. This year the UN International Day of Friendship is focusing on involving young people in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding.

Adjusted to (1)

invitingly – lákavě, svůdně

adage – přísloví, rčení

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Summer and new school year

2 Self-respect and friendship games

3 Secondary school transition

4 Transition, new friends and the Day of Friendship

5 Friendship questions

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What changes in the new school year for many students and teachers?

2 Why was the old adage mentioned? What does it mean?

3 What is important to make friends? Why?

4 What should students ask? Why?

5 How can films help solving relationships?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 science class

2 kick things off by building self-esteem

3 circle-time activity

4 it’s impossible to share a friend

5 follow-up activity

4) Answer the following questions.

What is relationship? What are types of relationships? What is the difference between extroversion and introversion? What is typical for introverts and extraverts? What do you know about children and youth criminality prevention?

Video:

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Tips, sources of information:

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Source:

(1)

How to teach.. making friends. The Guardian [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/jul/13/how-to-teach-making-friends-primary-secondary-school

Children who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better in school

Children who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better in school

A Children who watch “Sesame Street” are more successful in primary school. Spending an hour a day with Elmo, Big Bird and Count von Count is especially beneficial for boys, African-American youth and children from low-income families, the recent study found. They do better academically after watching the programme.

B Sesame Workshop is the non-profit educational organization standing behind Sesame Street. Their aim is to help children all over the world grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. The show runs in more than 150 countries, using the power of media and Muppets to meet children’s developmental needs with vital early education, social impact programs, and a lot of fun. Sesame Street is American educational television series for children. It appeared first in 1969. The show has been continually broadcast since its inception, making it one of the longest-running shows in American history. It is watched by almost half of all American preschool-age children.

C “Sesame Street” began on November 10, 1969, making it one of America’s longest-running TV shows. It was a big hit when it started. Estimates suggest that nearly 40% of preschool aged kids watching the show by 1971. Beloved characters like Cookie Monster and Elmo have become American icons, and many adults can still recite famous lines from the show such as “brought to you by the letter...” At present, Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced a major new initiative to offer help and hope to the growing number of young children across the United States who are experiencing homelessness. The initiative engages children and families with the resilient and relatable Lily, a seven-year-old Muppet whose family is staying with friends on Sesame Street after losing their home. Lily is featured in new videos, storybooks, and interactive activities for families with children ages 2 to 6, in addition to materials for the professionals who serve them, such as teachers, social workers, and healthcare providers. Sesame launched the initiative, part of its Sesame Street in Communities program, to help mitigate the impact of the trauma and stigma that result from homelessness.

D Sesame offers a variety of free, bilingual materials specifically developed to help children who are experiencing homelessness, which often involves an ongoing cycle of physical, emotional, and psychological problems. The resources were created in partnership with national experts on family homelessness. The creators want children to know that they are not alone and home is more than a house or an apartment. Home is a place connected with love.

E Even taking into account a number of other factors that influence educational success, the study found that one hour of “Sesame Street” a day made a difference to young kids in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It suggests that educational programs online could have similarly beneficial impacts today at a very small cost. Parents might not want to be so quick to tell their kids to stop watching TV, at least if “Sesame Street” is on. With proper guidance, children can learn to use television in a healthy and positive way.

Adjusted to (1)

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Introduction

2 Sesame aims at fight with homelessness

3 Educational TV program is broadcast in the whole world

4 Sesame Street educational impact

5 History and help of Sesame Street programme

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What is Sesame Street?

2 What do we know about its history?

3 What is the social aim of this programme?

4 What has changed during the years of broadcasting?

5 How does the program influence children?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 primary school

2 low-income families

3 recite famous lines

4 cycle of physical, emotional, and psychological problems

5 proper guidance

Adjusted to:

LONG, Heather. Study: Kids who watch ‘Sesame Street’ do better in school. LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL [online]. 2019 [cit. 2019-04-11].

Available at:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/ news/education/watching-sesame-street-actually-helps-kids-school

https://www.sesamestreet.org/

Answer the following questions.

Find tips and sources of information in the following links:

http://goo.gl/QqUKTk

http://goo.gl/WQjQBX

 

1 How does television influence children?

2 What are negative effects of TV on children?

3 Are there any positives?

4 Does TV affect children’s brain development?

5 How can parents regulate the time children spend watching TV?

6 How does watching TV influence school performance?

7 How often do children nowadays watch TV?

8 How much time do they spend by their PC?

9 What are attention problems?

10 How are they connected with new technologies?

Private tutoring is abhorrent says private school head

A Heads of some top private schools have spoken out against parents who excessively tutor or interview prep their children to try and gain them a place. Parents are making children act like “performing animals” by putting them through extensive private tutoring to gain places at leading independent schools, headteachers have warned.

B Being tutored in an attempt to make children appear brighter than they really are in interviews and entrance exams is “abhorrent”, according to Andrew Halls, the headmaster of fee-paying King’s College School, Wimbledon. “It is really important parents choose a school where their child will be valued for the sort of boy or girl they are, not crippled by the idea that they have not lived up to your ambitions,” said Mr Halls.

C Dr Andrew Mayfield, director of admissions at St Paul’s School, in Barnes, West London, said children can be “crushed” by getting in to schools that are not appropriate for them. “If you’re trying to tutor them to get them in, then that’s probably not the best school for them. You’re probably trying to overcook them,” he said. “A child’s happiness, well-being and development are more important than the reputation of a school.” The right school is one where a child can “flourish without external support”, he added.

D Hilary French, headmistress of Newcastle High School for Girls, said: “Of course teach children good manners, but don’t train them in certain conventions that somebody has put on the internet. They’re not performing animals, they’re children. We all need to learn to accept who we are and not pretend to be someone different.” Mrs French said children who have been prepped often do worse during the admissions process because they “think along pre-determined, learnt lines rather than thinking through things”.

E Dr Ralph Townsend, the headmaster of Winchester College, said the private tutoring industry was “both unfortunate and unnecessary”. “There are many good schools; the parents’ task is the one that best suits the child’s interests and abilities,” he said. “If the child cannot meet the required criteria naturally, it’s the wrong school for him or her. “A good school sets out its stall very clearly so that parents know whether or not that is what they want for their child. No school is right for every child: the child needs to be right for the school.”

Adjusted to (1)

abhorrent – odporný

crush – zlikvidovat

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Child’s happiness is more important than good name of the school

2 Prepared children often do worse at entrance exams

3 Headmasters speak about ambitious parents

4 Parents should find a suitable school for the child

5 Hall’s opinion about pushy parents

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What do headmasters of top private schools say?

2 What does Hall say about tutoring for entrance exams?

3 What does Mayfield mean with the phrase “flourish without external support”?

4 What shouldn’t parents do according to French?

5 What does Townsend say about private tutoring industry? Why?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 excessively tutor or interview prep

2 fee-paying

3 reputation of a school

4 teach children good manners

5 child cannot meet the required criteria naturally

4) Answer the following questions.

What are levels of education? What are types of schools in the Czech Republic? What is the difference between Czech and British systems of education?

Video:

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Tips, sources of information:

http://goo.gl/VOmyKI

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Source:

(1)

CONNINGTON, James. Private tutoring is abhorrent says private school head. The Telegraph [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ education/educationnews/11687621/Private-tutoring-is-abhorrent-says-private-school-head.html