Pritzker Architecture Prize

The Pritzker Architecture Prize usually goes to just one architect. But this year, two Japanese partners are being honored — a woman, Kazuyo Sejima, and a man, Ryue Nishizawa — who lead the firm SANAA.

The Pritzker jury praised their buildings for being "deceptively simple" — and, perhaps in a jab at contemporary architecture, the jurors wrote: "SANAA's architecture stands in direct contrast with the bombastic."

Simplicity greets visitors to the Glass Pavilion for the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. Set among trees, its layers of ultraclear glass walls fluidly curve between thin white ceiling and floor. The building almost disappears into a pool of reflections and transparencies.

Source: National Public Radio
Image: Courtesy of SANAAGlass: Pavilion for the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio.

First Three Weeks of College are Crucial

What happens in the first three weeks of classes is crucial to whether students will persist and graduate, says a report on a survey of 50,000 students. Even though most community-college students say they are motivated, many haven't developed the habits that could lead them to actually achieve their academic goals.

That was a key finding of a new national survey of community- and technical-college students that was released Monday. A report on the survey, "Benchmarking and Benchmarks: Effective Practice With Entering Students," provides six benchmarks for colleges that are trying to improve students' habits during the critical first three weeks of class.

The Survey of Entering Student Engagement, or Sense, which is administered by the Center for Community College Student Engagement, was given to more than 50,000 new students at 120 community colleges during the fourth and fifth weeks of classes in fall 2009 to assess early impressions of institutional practices and student behaviors. The survey began in 2007 with a pilot test involving 22 colleges.

While 90 percent of community-college students said they agreed or strongly agreed that they had the motivation to do what it took to succeed in college and 85 percent believed they were academically prepared, about 33 percent said they had already turned in an assignment late and 24 percent of students said they neglected to turn in an assignment at all. A quarter of the students surveyed also reported that they skipped class one or more times within the first three weeks of class.

CQ Researcher: Tea Party Movement

Will angry conservatives reshape the Republican Party
Introduction to CQ Researcher weekly report by Peter Katel

"The Tea Party movement seemed to come out of nowhere. Suddenly, citizens angry over the multi-billion-dollar economic stimulus and the Obama administration's health-care plan were leading rallies, confronting lawmakers and holding forth on radio and TV. Closely tied to the Republican Party — though also critical of the GOP — the movement proved essential to the surprise victory of Republican Sen. Scott Brown in Massachusetts. Tea partiers say Brown's election proves the movement runs strong outside of “red states.” But some political experts voice skepticism, arguing that the Tea Party's fiscal hawkishness won't appeal to most Democrats and many independents. Meanwhile, some dissension has appeared among tea partiers, with many preferring to sidestep social issues, such as immigration, and others emphasizing them. Still, the movement exerts strong appeal for citizens fearful of growing government debt and distrustful of the administration." Read the entire report. Call or text a librarian for the user name and password.
Source: CQ Researcher March 19
Image: Tea kettle held high, a Tea Party activist dressed like a Revolutionary War soldier rallies tax protesters in Atlanta on April 15, 2009. It was among several protests held in cities around the nation. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Academic Search Premier

The Goodwin College Library now has the Academic Search Premier database
Academic Search™ Premier contains indexing and abstracts for over 8,450 journals, with full text for more than 4,600 of those titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles.

Academic Search Premier contains unmatched full-text coverage in biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, psychology, religion & theology, etc.
Academic Search Premier is considered the world's largest scholarly, multidiscipline full text database designed specifically for academic institutions. It offers critical information from many sources found in no other database

Quote for the Day

"So, impolitic as it might be, I'd like to believe that I teach because I want students to think of true education not as a frivolous mental gymnastics but as a compulsion to bring their intellect to bear on more than their textbooks. Maybe that way I can finally understand my place in the classroom--for both my students' and my own sake."

Darryl Campbell,a Ph.D. sttudent in history at the University of Notre Dame, wrote the above as part of "Wisdom as Secret Learning Objective" in the March 19 issue of the Chronicle Review. A copy of the Chronicle is in the library.

Is That Really True?

Do you ever wonder when you listen to the news if the people being interviewed are actually giving you correct information? One of the places to check on that is Stats now affiliated with George Mason University in Virginia.

The non-profit, non-partisan Statistical Assessment Service - STATS - has become a much-valued resource on the use and abuse of science and statistics in the media. They correct scientific misinformation in the media and in public policy resulting from bad science, politics, or a simple lack of information or knowledge. This is a great resource for all of us.
Source: http://www.stats.org/

Weight Watchers, Take Note

Seven Foods That Will Prevent You from Overeating

David A. Kessler, the author of The End of Overeating, confirms what most of us know. We have become addicted to foods that are high in sugar, fat, and salt. But when we stop eating those foods, we perhaps do not know the right foods to choose as replacements. He has seven suggestions:
bananas, eggs, almonds, avocados, peanut butter, and oatmeal.
Source: Body and Soul

Health Care Reform

Without significant reform to the current health care system, the number of uninsured Americans could grow by 10 million people in just five years, and spending on government health care programs for the poor could more than double by 2020, according to a new report released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

The report projects that by 2015, there could be as many as 59.7 million people uninsured—and further estimates that the number could swell to 67.6 million by 2020. An estimated 49.4 million individuals were without health coverage in 2010.

Analysts at the Urban Institute used their Health Insurance Policy Simulation Model to assess the changes in coverage patterns and health care costs that will occur nationally from 2010 to 2020 in the event that major reforms are not enacted.Read the Complete report.
Source: Posted in Business and economics, Consumer issues, Government and politics, Health and health care

Warm, Warmer, Warmest

Last month’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the sixth warmest February ever recorded. Additionally, the December 2009 – February 2010 period was the fifth warmest on record averaged for any similar three-month Northern Hemisphere winter-Southern Hemisphere summer season, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C.

Based on records going back to 1880, the monthly NCDC analysis is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides to businesses, communities and governments so they may make informed decisions to safeguard their social and economic well-being.
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

When will Connecticut's Misery End?

"There is no jobs recovery in sight. Assuming national growth trails off from the unsustainable 5.7% of the fourth quarter, Connecticut continues to lose jobs through 2011. The rate of loss simply slows from the predicted rate in the previous CCEA Outlook.

The state’s economy has undergone a critical structural change as the degree of outsourcing—whether to other states or abroad—has grown quickly for more than a decade. The result is that even strong growth in total output may not translate into rapid improvement in employment. The effect shows in a pattern of progressively slowed jobs recovery. Before 1990, Connecticut’s economy recovered jobs lost in recessions in ten months or less; recovery took 23 months and then 39 months in the last two recessions."

Connecticut Economic Analyis
Read the full report.

New Books in the Library Today

New Books in the Library
Swamp Man by Donald Goines
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
Bauhaus Group: Masters of Modernism by Nicholas Fox Weber
Essentials of Nursing Research: Appraising Evidence for Nursing Practice by Polit & Beck
Evidence-Based Geriatric Nursing Protocols for Best Practice by Capezuit et al.
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Best European Fiction 2010 edited by Aleksandar Hemon
Clashing Views on Environmental Issues by Thomas Easton (Taking Sides Series)

Children's Books
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (Newberry Medal Award 2010)
An Eye for Color: The story of Josef Albers by Wing and Breckenreid
Bad News for Outlaws: Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves by Vaunda Nelson
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott Medal Winner 2010)
Big Wolf & Little Wolf: The Little Leaf that Wouldn't Fall by Brun-Cosme & Tallec
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Sidman illustred by Zagarenski (Caldecott Honor Book 2010)
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No by Geoffrey Hayes
Faraway Island by Annika Thor (Batchfelder Award 2010)

Batchfelder Award-outstanding children's book published in a foreign language and translated into English.
Newberry Award- the most distinguished American Children's book published the year 2009
Caldecott Medal Winner-recognizes the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

MORE COMING!

Can Good Teaching be Learned?

All the teachers at the high school in Central Falls, RI, have been fired because it is one of the worst performing schools in the state. What do you think of that decision? Can teachers be taught to teach better?

"Can Good Teaching be Learned" by Elizabeth Green is the lead article in Sunday's New York Times Magazine. Since everyone here is involved with teaching or being taught, this article is definitely worth your time.

New York Times March 7, 2010

International Women's Day March 8

On International Women's Day, women around the world join together in celebration of the intelligence, strength, courage and beauty of women. Since 1908 this has been a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world without regard to their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political differences.

Celebrate!

New Books in the Goodwin Library

Roy Adaptation Model by Sister Callista Roy
Essential Study Skills for Science Students by Daniel Chiras
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward Smith
First Responder Handbook by Andrea Walter et al.
Complete Illustrated History of World War II by Donald Sommerville
Understanding by Design by Wiggins and McTighe
Teaching Kids with Learning Difficulties in the Regular Classroom by S. Winebrenner
Furniture of the New Haven Colony The Seventeenth Century Style by P.Kane
Winning Strategies for Classroom Management by C. Cummings
Introduction to Criminal Justice by L. siegel et al.
Oxford Picture Dictionary by N. Shapiro and J. Adelson-Goldstein
Complete Works of Mark Twain 24 volumes
Teaching the Digital Generation: No MoreCookie-Cutter High Schools by Kelly et al.
Library Instruction Cookbook edited by R. Sittle and D. cook
West of the World by D. Sherman and J. Salisbury

Horizon Project Report

The annual Horizon Report
describes the continuing work of the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Project,a qualitative research project established in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative inquiry on college and university campuses ithin the next five years. The 2010 Horizon Report is the seventh in the series and is produced as part of an ongoing collaboration between the New Media Consortium (NMC) and the EDUCAUSE.

Source: Henriette Pranger, Director of Educational Assessment, and the executive summary of the report.

Glossary of Genetic Terms

The Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms was created by the National Human Genome Research Institute to assist in the understanding of the terms and concepts. The glossary offers definitions and spoken pronunciations of the terms,and specialist in the field provide clarifying commentary. Colorful illustrations, images, and three-dimensional animations are included to enhance comprehension.
Source: National Human Genome Research Institute

Memory Boosting Tool for Students

World's Database of Medical Mnemonics is a free, nonprofit online searchable database of medical mnemonics--memory-boosting tools to assist students in mastering the detailed medical information that they need to know. Users can search the database by filters and keywords, browse mnemonics by category and charts, add a mnemonic to the database, customizethe database, and download the database to a personal digital assistant.

Source: Medical Library Association News February issue

Round Monopoly Board? No More Paper Money?

In 75 long years, the game of Monopoly has seen a lot of tweaks, but nothing like the 2010 edition unveiled at Toy Fair. The game board is now round, and the famous paper dollar bills have been replaced by a credit card. Players now collect $2 million when passing "GO" instead of $200, and the die and decks of cards have been replaced with an electronic card scanner. Will it be dust, or magic? A Toy Fair preview is here.
Source: Children's Technology Review

Writing Women Back into History

About Women’s History Month
Before the 1970’s, the topic of women’s history was largely missing from general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978 and chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Women’s Day.

The celebration was met with positive response, and schools began to host their own Women’s History Week programs. The next year, leaders from the California group shared their project at a Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Other participants not only became determined to begin their own local Women’s History Week projects but also agreed to support an effort to have Congress declare a national Women’s History Week.

In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) cosponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming a “Women’s History Week.”

In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women’s History Month Resolution has been approved every year with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

The overarching theme is “Writing Women Back into History.” In celebration of their 30th anniversary, the National Women’s History Project will be highlighting themes and honorees from previous years. Each of these past themes recognizes a different aspect of women’s achievements, from ecology to art, and from sports to politics.
Source: Library of Congress

Women's History Month Message from CT Senator

Senator Dodd Commemorates Women's History Month.

“March 1 marks the start of Women’s History Month, and during this month we reflect on the pivotal role women have played in the shaping of our country. In my home state of Connecticut, women have made countless contributions not only to our state’s rich history, but to the history and spirit of our entire nation.

“Harriet Beecher Stowe, a Hartford native and the author of the landmark novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was called by President Abraham Lincoln ‘the little lady who started the Civil War’. Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt was one of America’s first woman CEOs and a distinguished philanthropist.

“Marian Anderson of Danbury was the first African-American woman to perform with the Metropolitan Opera and was invited by Eleanor Roosevelt to perform at the Lincoln Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution barred her from performing at Washington’s Constitution Hall. And Ella Grasso, a native of Windsor Locks, was the first female governor of Connecticut and the first female governor in the country elected in her own right."