3 . A Need to Close the Digital Gender Gap

One of the most efficient ways to promote peace and jump-start flagging economies is to empower girls and invest in their education. Today, girls’ lack of access to basic education is _______when it comes to the use of digital technology, leaving them far behind boys. And because the world is ever more digital, those who lack basic Internet skills will find it_________difficult to participate in the formal economy, to obtain a quality education, to_______health care, information and psychosocial support, and to have their voices heard.

Since 2013 the global gender gap in male and female access to the Internet has actually increased from 11 to 12 percent. _________yet, women and girls living in the poorest countries are 31 percent less_________than men and boys to have access to the Internet. In developing countries, some 200 million fewer women than men own a mobile phone, the most common means of Internet access there. This digital_________is increasing, and should it continue at the present pace, it is predicted that over 75 percent of women and girls will lack Internet access and _________skills.

There are many causes for the digital gender gap. They include girls’ obvious ___________from basic education, from specific technology education and design, high costs of both___________and Internet access, scarcity of content relevant for women and girls, and socio-cultural biases and____________, such as barriers to women speaking freely and privately both online and offline. Indeed, one of the most insidious (隐伏的) reasons why girls may be____________from learning how to access and use digital technology is also a groundless one: that girls are simply not good at using technology. The United Nations has announced that human rights online are human rights offline. These stereotypes reinforce harmful norms that keep women and girls from enjoying their human rights.

According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, an independent, non-profit and non-governmental research organization, the gender digital gap is a major__________to women’s economic empowerment and participation in the economy. __________a major increase of policy effort and investment, most of the benefits of technological change will be enjoyed only by men, worsening gender inequality. This also results in____________economic growth and innovation that is possible only when men and women have equal access to technology and the economy.

In the words of USAID Senior Gender Coordinator Michelle Bekkering, “A girl’s future should be__________not by her sex, but by her commitment to hard work and ability to access the resources she needs to succeed.”

4 . “Don’t be a helicopter parent.” This message has been repeated frequently and others try to encourage parents to back off their kids and give them greater space and freedom to explore. But it doesn't actually tell parents how they should act. What kind of parenting style should be adopted in place of the overprotectiveness of helicoptering?

One possible answer is, “Be a lifeguard parent.” That means sitting apart from the action and keeping an eye on everything that’s going on, ready to jump in if needed. This was brought up by Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a developmental psychologist at the University of British Columbia and Richard Monette, editor-in-chief of Active for Life. They think life guarding should include three parts.

Open attention is the stage parents should be in most of the time, showing a caring interest in what kids are doing, but keeping their physical distance and remaining non — intrusive (不介入的). Focused attention is when a parent perceives (察觉) warning signs and becomes more alert. Maybe it’s time to check in with the child to see how they’re doing. It might be a good opportunity to help the child think through their actions, rather than directing them. Most of the time, play goes back to being safe and the parent can return to open attention. Active intervention is when a parent needs to step in to reduce immediate risk. A child might not realize they’re close to the edge of a busy road or deep water, so the parent has to ensure their safety.

Brussoni says most of a parent's time should be spent in open attention. Days could pass，without ever entering focused attention. Active intervention should be extremely rare. It’s crucial to avoid telling kids to be careful all the time. This sends a message that the child can’t do things without parental assistance.

No one said parenting was easy, but it can be less unbearable if you let go of some control, teach your kids to do things independently, and trust them to self — regulate. Everyone comes out happier in the end.

Millions of first-year Chinese primary, middle and high school students have received new versions of Chinese language textbooks     1    (write) by the Ministry of Education, the textbooks attach more importance to traditional Chinese culture.

Textbooks for high schools have more content on traditional Chinese articles and poems.

Primary school students’ books contain 129 ancient Chinese articles,     2    take up 30 percent of all the texts. The articles were chosen from classic essays, historical records, and poetry     3    (date) back to the Han, Tang and Song     4    (dynasty). Before the official release, the textbooks     5    (test) in schools in 2016, but not everyone is a fan. Some parents have questioned the added focus on classical Chinese no longer     6    use.

However,     7    welcome the new books. “Students at that age may not be able to understand classic poetry and essays well, but they will benefit sooner or later,” one teacher said.

In fact, the textbooks arrive at a time when ancient Chinese culture is regaining     8    (popular) in China. During this year’s Spring Festival, the Chinese Poetry Conference was watched by     9    (many) people in China than many soap operas or reality shows.

It’s time our children     10    (learn) traditional Chinese culture.

6 . If you have spent any time reading papers on teaching strategies in the past few years, you have probably noticed a strong backlash against drill & practice, in favor of “constructivist activities” and “project-based learning”.

Memorizing facts, many people argue, is an outdated educational practice, since anyone could just Google a fact on demand or look it up on Wikipedia nowadays. They consider that we should focus all school activities on the acquisition of skills as opposed to knowledge.

However, learning by rote (memorization by repetition) is more important than you think. There are many cases in which having knowledge immediately on the tip of your tongue can have great social and professional value. For example, last night at a networking event, when I casually asked a Nigerian entrepreneur how much of his business was conducted in English versus in his native Yoruba, he immediately became more engaged in our conversation. It was as if the simple fact that I knew that Yoruba was spoken in Nigeria won his trust, and therefore built up our relationship.

The same goes for professional settings. If I am a pharmaceutical salesman talking to a doctor about a specific digestion drug, and he asks if it has any effect on the process of peristalsis, it will look quite unprofessional if I have to pull out my medical dictionary to look up the word. I need to memorize those facts so that I can access them immediately.

Of course, most constructivist educators will argue that on-the-job training and project-based learning are more effective at learning new concepts than rote memorization. The problem is that no single cost-effective constructivist activity will guarantee that you will be exposed to all the concepts you need, or that you will fully remember the facts that you are exposed to. If you actually want to acquire a full range of knowledge about a given topic, the most guaranteed and efficient way is to study deliberately using the time-honored practice of repetition—specifically confidence-based repetition.

7 . Can you imagine a world without music? Studies show that public schools across the country are cutting back on music classes to save money. Worse, some schools have never had music classes to begin with. But without them,students’ academic growth and emotional health could suffer. In fact, music classes are necessary for all students in schools.

Recent studies by Brown University have shown that students who received music education classes were better in maths and reading skills than those without music classes. Another study by the College Board found that students taking music and art classes got higher points. Students' academic success seems to depend on their taking part in music education.

Music programmes in public schools also help to add to a students sense of pride and self-confidence. Teens today have too many learning tasks. Besides, they have family problems, self-confidence problems, relationship troubles, and other troubles. All of these can stop academic success, but music education can help. A study by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse found that students who took part in school music programmes were less likely to turn to drugs. Music programmes encourage students to work together to produce an excellent performance.

Music crosses language, class, cultural and political boundaries. Music allows students from different countries to connect. For example, at a school talent show, a new Japanese student played a piano duet with an American classmate. Although they could not communicate verbally, they were able to read the music in order to play the duet. Two students from different cultures worked as a team with self-confidence and common purpose through music.

The gift of music is priceless. We need to be sure to have necessary music classes for all students. The world is losing its music, and putting music into schools is the first step to get it back.

8 . As a children’s author, I don’t just write books. I build bridges. I carefully construct each of my stories to connect readers to the story itself, to the characters in the story, and to other readers.

My goal is to build kids’ social-emotional learning skills to help improve healthy relationships and prevent peer cruelty. And since October is National Bullying Prevention Month, this is the perfect time to share with you, dear book lovers, how literature can be used as an effective tool to address hurtful behaviors.

What I’m describing here is nothing new. For years, children’s literature has been used by advisors, parents, teachers, and librarians to address tough issues kids face in their everyday world.Researchers report that literature, with proper adult guidance and assistance in a safe social setting,can help form viewpoint and empathy (同情) in young readers. And let’s face it: the more empathy and compassion kids have in their hearts, the less room there is for arrogance and contempt (蔑视) of others.

I love what Dr. Zipora Schectman, author ofTreating Child and Adolescent Aggression Through Bibliotherapy, said in the book: “Through the imaginative process that reading involves, children have the opportunity to do what they often cannot do in real life — become thoroughly involved in the inner lives of others, better understand them, and eventually become more aware of themselves.”

Because the social world of today’s children is very complex, I try to include in my stories the wisdom and insights of young readers, so that my books go hand in hand with their life experiences and views.

There are also many other wonderful books that generate thoughtful conversations (my website lists my top picks-from pre-school to young adult, both fiction and nonfiction). If you’re looking for ways to turn stories into teachable moments, visit authors’ or publishers’ websites for ready-made lesson plans. With lessons in hand, you’re ready to open the hearts and minds of young readers to new perspectives and possibilities!

9 . When students and parents are asked to rate subjects according to their importance, the arts are unavoidably at the bottom of the list. Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. Too often it is viewed as main entertainment, but certainly not an education priority (优先). This view is shortsighted. In fact, music education is beneficial and important for all students.

Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it reflects their thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. Rock music represents a lifestyle just as surely as a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions. Music expresses our character and values. It gives us identity as a society.

Music provides a kind of perception (感知) that cannot be acquired any other way. Science can explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts explore the emotional meaning of the same phenomenon. We need every possible way to discover and respond to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.

The arts are forms of thought as powerful in what they communicate as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human beings “talk” to each other. They are the language of civilization through which we express our fears, our curiosities, our hungers, our discoveries, and our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be shared with others. When we do not give children access to an important way of expressing themselves such as music, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses.

Science and technology do not tell us what it means to be human. The arts do. Music is an important way we express human suffering, celebration, the meaning and value of peace and love. So music education is far more necessary than people seem to realize.

10 . Disappointment is a natural human emotion that occurs after a failure. For our young children, this failure can look like not getting the toy they wanted, not being invited to a classmate’s birthday party or losing their favourite stuffed animal.

It is essential for children’s mental health, well-being and overall development that they experience how to deal with disappointment well. But this can be difficult for parents to handle, particularly around holidays that have grown to involve gift-giving and expectations.

North American culture often mistakenly links love and happiness with material goods such as toys; the Santa story promises magical wish fulfillment. This can cause conflict for parents when children do not get the “right” gift.

On holidays, there’s social and personal pressure to provide happiness and joy to children through material objects, which can be confused with providing the necessities. For parents who do not have the resources to provide the perfect or desired gift, this can cause additional stress, shame, guilt and fear around disappointment. Parents may feel as though they have let down their child and that they have impacted the child’s experience or memory of their “special day”.

This is especially true if the child has difficulty with or is learning to regulate emotions and expresses disappointment through tantrums (发怒) or sulking (生闷气). These behaviours can affect parents profoundly, often leading them to feel badly about themselves or that the child does not love them.

Changing our focus from giving rather than receiving can help our children develop and appreciate the strength in gratitude. Research has linked gratitude to significant health and wellness benefits such as improving self-esteem, improving sleep and developing empathy.

The other thing to know is that although disappointment feels awful, it is a part of life and is actually a positive and healthy emotion that’s central to children’s emotional, cognitive and social development throughout their lives.