When people talk about the future, we like to think that we will be able to drive out of our garages and take to the skies in our own personal flying car. The advantages are obvious. Some people predict this technology {#blank#}1{#/blank#} complete freedom of movement. We could fly at 480 kilometres per hour,{#blank#}2{#/blank#}traffic lights, busy roads and speeding tickets. However, some people point to the disadvantages of flying cars. They say that there are certain to be problems with traffic control. Another big problem is engine{#blank#}3{#/blank#}. What will happen if the car goes wrong? Also, if they become popular, there is {#blank#}4{#/blank#} to be another big problem: air traffic jam. So we may find flying cars {#blank#}5{#/blank#} with more than a few problems if they are to get off the ground!

Emphasizing social play in kindergarten improves academics

    Emphasizing social play and students helping one another in kindergarten improves academic outcomes, self-control and attention regulation, finds new UBC research. The study, published in the journal PLoS One, found this approach to kindergarten curriculum also {#blank#}1{#/blank#} children's joy in learning and teachers' enjoyment of teaching.

    "Before children have the ability to sit for long periods {#blank#}2{#/blank#} information, they need to be allowed to be {#blank#}3{#/blank#} and be encouraged to learn by doing," said Dr. Adele Diamond, the study's lead author. "Indeed, people of all ages learn better by doing than by being told."

    Through a controlled experiment, Diamond and her colleagues {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the effectiveness of a curriculum called Tools of the Mind (Tools). The curriculum was introduced to willing kindergarten teachers and 351 children with different backgrounds in 18 public schools.

    Tools was developed in 1993 by two American researchers. Its basic {#blank#}5{#/blank#} is that social-emotional development and improving self-control is as important as teaching academic skills and content. The Tools {#blank#}6{#/blank#} the role of social play in developing skills such as self-control, selective attention and planning. "Skills like self-control and selective attention are necessary for learning. They are often more strongly associated with school readiness (入学准备) than intelligence quotient (IQ)," said Diamond. "This experiment is the first to show {#blank#}7{#/blank#} of a curriculum emphasizing social play."

    Teachers reported more {#blank#}8{#/blank#} behavior and greater sense of community in Tools classes. Late in the school year, Tools teachers reported they still felt {#blank#}9{#/blank#} and excited about teaching, while teachers in the control group were exhausted. "I have enjoyed seeing the {#blank#}10{#/blank#} progress my students have made in writing and reading." said a Tools teacher in Vancouver. "I have also enjoyed seeing the students get so excited about coming to school and learning. They loved all the activities so much that many students didn't want to miss school, even if they were sick."