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How can I help my child to love science?

November 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Expose your child to the best teachers of science.

Richard Feynman,  Nobel-prize-winning physicist and father of quantum mechanics, is a perfect ambassador for instilling a love of science into your kids.

When you child is ready (from 16 on?), urge him or her to watch the amazing Feynman 7-part lecture series.

In these lectures, Feynman is masterful, passionate, funny and articulate–and very, very likeable. Your child will not understand everything Feynman says (hardly anyone would I suspect), but your child will certainly pick up on how exciting scientific discovery can be.

In this video, Bill Gates explains how he came by the Feynman lectures and has made them available for everyone to enjoy:

Click here for the complete Bill Gates intro.

Click the link below to access the lectures:

The amazing Richard Feynman lecture series

Lecture 1: Law of Gravitation–An Example of Physical Law

Lecture 2: The Relation of Mathematics and Physics

Lecture 3: The Great Conservation Principles

Lecture 4: Symmetry in Physical Law

Lecture 5: The Distinction of Past and Future

Lecture 6: Probability and Uncertainty–The Quantum Mechanical View of Nature

Lecture 7: Seeking new Laws

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How should I read to my child?

November 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Perhaps read the way Richard Feynman’s father read to him:

Richard Feynman was a Nobel prize winner and is famous for his ability to communicate science to the masses (that’s us!).

Feynman and Reading (1-minute video)

An elaborated version:

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How can I improve my conversational skills?

October 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: State your opinions gently rather than dogmatically.

In How to Have a Beautiful Mind, de Bono advises us to replace “sweeping generalizations with less absolute statements” and gives this example:

Sweeping generalization: All sex offenders should be castrated.

Softened version: There may be a place for investigating hormonal treatment of some sex offenders. (p 63)

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How can I artfully change the direction of the conversation?

October 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: When you hear an opening in the conversation you’d like to explore further, say “Now that is interesting.” Then say why you think it is interesting.

This is another Edward de Bono conversational tip.  He says:

You need to get into the habit of saying: ‘Now that is interesting.”

Once you are ready to use that phrases you can now direct the phrase at anything that comes up in the conversation. . . It is like having a bow and a quiver full of arrows. At any moment you aim your arrow at a particular  point and let fly: “Now that is interesting.”

You will need to explain why you find that point interesting.

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How can I grow my young child’s brain?

October 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Teach him or her music.

Young Children Show Improved Verbal IQ After 20 Days of Exposure to Music-Based, Cognitive Training ‘Cartoons’

October 4, 2011 — Canadian scientists who specialize in learning, memory and language in children have found exciting evidence that preschoolers can improve their verbal intelligence after only 20 days of classroom … > full story

Time Invested In Practicing Pays Off For Young Musicians, Research Shows (Nov. 5, 2008) — A new study has found that children who study a musical instrument for at least three years outperform children with no instrumental training — not only in tests of auditory discrimination and …  > read more

Music Education Can Help Children Improve Reading Skills (Mar. 16, 2009) — Children exposed to a multi-year program of music tuition involving training in increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and practical skills display superior cognitive performance in reading skills …  > read more
How Music Training Primes Nervous System and Boosts Learning (July 20, 2010) — A data-driven review pulls together converging research from the scientific literature linking musical training to learning that spills over to skills including language, speech, memory, attention …  > read more
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How can I prevent my teenager from becoming obese as an adult?

October 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Try encouraging them to be physically active on most days during their high school years.

Physical Education And Active Play Help Teens Maintain Normal Weight As Adults (Jan. 9, 2008) — Adolescents who participate in physical education at school are more likely to maintain a normal weight as young adults, according to a new study. For each weekday of physical education at school the …  > read more
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How can I help my child drink more responsibly?

October 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Try cultivating a “high accountability/high warmth” relationship.

Teens and Alcohol Study: After a Few Drinks, Parenting Style Kicks in (June 25, 2010) — The teens least prone to heavy drinking had parents who scored high on both accountability and warmth. So-called “indulgent” parents, those low on accountability and high on warmth, nearly tripled …  > read more
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How can I improve my conversational skills?

October 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Learn how to disagree without being disagreeable!

How to disagree aggressively:

You are just stupid.

That is the silliest thing I have heard in a long time.

That is wrong.

That is poor logic.

I disagree with everything you have said.

How stupid can you be?

How to disagree more gently but still firmly voicing your disagreement:

I am not sure I follow your reasoning.

There may be another way of looking at it.

That is only one point of view.

How about this other possibility?

I think I have some doubts about your conclusion.

Maybe that is so, and maybe it is not so.

I can think of an alternative explanation.

My experience in working with young offenders is obviously not the same as yours. I found that. . .

(These good and bad examples are from Edward de Bono’s book How to Have a Beautiful Mind, p 14-15.)

Try gently spelling out the two differences in opinion, or spell out the reasons for the difference in opinion:

I think that raising prices will increase sales. You think that raising prices will reduce sales.

I believe that ‘thinking’ can be taught directly as a skill in school. You believe that you cannot teach thinking directly but can only pick up good thinking habits through studying other subjects.

You believe that severe punishment is the best way to control crime in all cases. I believe that giving youngsters an alternative way of sensing achievement will reduce crime amongst the young.

I believe you are looking at it from that point of view (specify). . . and I am looking at it from this point of view (specify). . .

We are looking at it in two different ways. This is my perception (specify)… and I believe your perception to be (specify). . .

The difference may just arise from personal preference. You like clever people and I prefer charming people.

We are using two sets of values. My values are as follows (specify). . . Your values seem to be (specify). . .

(from How to Have a Beautiful Mind by Edward de Bono, p 34- 35)


If all else fails and the discussion turn a bit testy, then smile and gently say:

“I think we’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this point.”

President Obama demonstrating being a good model for “disagreeing without being disagreeable”:

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How can I improve my conversational skills?

October 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer:  Learn to agree with what the other person is saying more often.

I don’t think we realize how often we disagree with the other person in conversation.

In his book on good conversational skills, How to Have a Beautiful Mind, Edward de Bono writes:

To have a beautiful mind you must genuinely seek to find points of agreement with the person with whom you are talking. Surprisingly, this is the most difficult aspect of all.

It is so difficult because the agreement must be genuine and not just sycophantic pretense. It is difficult because the motivation to do this is contrary to most people’s natural inclinations.

We can look at two extremes of agreement and disagreement:

You are so right. . .

I agree with everything you say. . .

I completely agree with you. . .

Absolutely right. . .

I agree one hundred percent. . .

If you agree with everything, there is not much of a discussion. . . The other person might as well be giving a lecture. Nice as it may sound, your contribution is not very significant.

Then there is the other extreme:

Yes, but. . .

I totally disagree. . .

You are wrong there. . .

That is not so. . .

This is the person who makes a point of disagreeing with everything that is said. This highly argumentative person seeks to demonstrate superiority through disagreement. Too often, academics or highly educated people behave in this manner because they have been encouraged to do so. This type of mind is intensely irritating and is far from being a beautiful mind.

You need to be somewhere between these two extremes. (How to Have a Beautiful Mind, p 4)

Related to the need to  disagree with the other person all the time is the need to be right. Edward de Bono wrties:

This is very much tied up with the ego. An argument is a battle between the egos. When you agree you seem to be submitting to the other point of view–so you lose.  When you disagree you are asserting your ego and indicating that you may be superior. . .

If you insist on always winning an argument you end up with nothing more than you started with–except showing off your arguing ability. When you lose an argument you may well have gained a new point of view. Being right all the time is not the most important thing in the world and it is certainly not very beautiful.

A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between competing egos. (p 5)


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Can I watch an conversation in action to study good and bad conversational skills?

October 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Answer: Watch this fascinating 2-hour conservation among four very clever minds–as long as you don’t mind having your religious beliefs challenged!

Sam Harris is my favorite conversationalist of the four. He’s so respectful and articulate and gentle that he naturally commands respect–in my opinion. He also asks excellent questions of the group, which adds value to the discussion. Christopher Hitchens has many excellent ideas, but his conversational skills aren’t perfect. Often he talks too long and talks over people and interrupts. Richard Dawkins talks very passionately–I find myself listening to him very easily. Dan Dennett is very interesting, but he’s not a naturally passionate speaker in this discussion.

Generally, the four guys were excellent taking turns and listening respectfully to each other. See what you think. The first hour is quite polite; the discussion gets quite spirited in the second hour, with lots of interesting dynamics happening.

Another good foursome displaying excellent conversational skills:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoCFTddNedk

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