Resources for building a knowledge base (Ch. 17)

  • BrainPop

    These kid-friendly videos introduce a wide variety of topics.

    https://www.brainpop.com/

  • Simple English Wikipedia

    For a young kid or an English-language learner, simplified language can help build understanding. Heck, when the topic is complex enough, simple English can help even those of us with Ph.D.s!

    For instance, check out the article on quantum tunneling:

    “Quantum tunnelling is a part of the theoretical branch of physics known as quantum mechanics. It states that electrons can behave like both particles and waves, and can cancel the effects of an energy barrier if the energy barrier is thin enough, due to quantum mechanics being dependent on probability. In other words, particles can travel through walls, doors, etc. if the door or wall is thin enough.”

    That almost made sense even to me!

    https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

  • Leitner Technique for Flashcards

    Spaced repetition is the evidence-based way to memorize large amounts of information. And the Leitner technique is an efficient system for doing it.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leitner_system

  • The Knowledge Gap

    As schools came to focus more on skill-building, they left a lot of fact-memorizing behind. That can leave kids with serious gaps in the background knowledge they need, especially on topics like geography, history, and science.

    Read Natalie Wexler’s book for more analysis of the problem and possible solutions:

    The Knowledge Gap: The hidden cause of America’s broken education system—and how to fix it by Natalie Wexler

    https://nataliewexler.com/the-knowledge-gap/

    Some have called Wexler a modern-day E.D. Hirsch. Hirsch published a series of books in the 1990s with titles like What Your First-Grader Needs to Know. These books can give you ideas for what information you want to impart. But as you peruse them, consider a few questions: Who decides what information is part of the “canon” of Important Knowledge? How much knowledge do these books suggest from non-Western countries’ traditions, versus European traditions? Is the knowedge they are suggesting knowledge that will be important in the 21st century, or knowledge that was important in the 20th century? And how can we know what information our children will need?

  • Cornell Ornithology Lab

    If you or your kid loves birds, you’re going to love this website. Run by the premier university for ornithology, it’s a wealth of resources and information.

    https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/

    But maybe your kid doesn’t like birds, they like something else? There’s probably a resource somewhere for that too—Find it!