A History of Education: The American Educational System, Colonial Period (New England Books)

[Editor’s Note: This is the 19th in a series of blogs that examine how education developed throughout history until the present. Links to previous blogs are included at the bottom of the post.] During the colonial period, students used a couple of different tools for learning. The first was the hornbook, which got its start … Continue reading “A History of Education: The American Educational System, Colonial Period (New England Books)”


Does Learning Music Help Students Learn to Read?

If it’s to be believed, a 2018 study from researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that students who receive music lessons — specifically piano instruction — have an advantage over their non-musical peers when it comes to learning to read, and that … Continue reading “Does Learning Music Help Students Learn to Read?”


The Science of Reading – Part 1: Unlocking Language

[Editor’s note: This is the first part of our five-part series on the best practices of learning to read and learning to read better.] There’s a long-standing debate about how best to teach children to read, which has led to what is colloquially known as the “reading wars.” On one side of the battle are … Continue reading “The Science of Reading – Part 1: Unlocking Language”


Real-Time Language Change

We spent a good part of last year looking at how writing — and therefore reading — changed since its inception thousands of years ago till the present day (for links to all those blogs, click here). What’s interesting now, is there is at least one language that is changing in real-time, the language of Laos. The … Continue reading “Real-Time Language Change”


The History of Writing and Reading – Part 27: The Future of Writing (part 2 of 2)

[Editor’s note: This is the twenty-eighth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 27: The Future of Writing (part 2 of 2)”


The History of Writing and Reading – Part 25: Featural Scripts (part 3 of 3)

[Editor’s note: This is the twenty-sixth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 25: Featural Scripts (part 3 of 3)”


The History of Writing and Reading – Part 23: Featural Scripts (part 1 of 3)

[Editor’s note: This is the twenty-fourth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 23: Featural Scripts (part 1 of 3)”


The History of Writing and Reading – Part 12: Runes and Futhark

[Editor’s note: This is the thirteenth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 12: Runes and Futhark”


The History of Writing and Reading – Part 10: Etruscan, an Undecipherable Language

[Editor’s note: This is the eleventh of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 10: Etruscan, an Undecipherable Language”


The History of Writing and Reading – Part 9: Aztec Writing

[Editor’s note: This is the tenth of an ongoing series that examines the rise of writing – and therefore reading – around the world. We will be looking at the major developments and forces that shaped the written languages we use today. Links to all the previous posts are listed at the end of this … Continue reading “The History of Writing and Reading – Part 9: Aztec Writing”