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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Computer crash hit Tuesday paper, website Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Local gas prices lowest in years Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Two injured in Hayes Hill crash OSP finds 68 pounds of marijuana in car during traffic stop Emergency services Politics and Elections Local gas prices lowest in years Ads attack Dotterrer and Bates Oregonians not in party mood Sign wars rage again in Phoenix Democratic contender not conceding victory to Walden Education Medford Schools Foundation supports programs the district can't Fire marshal visit prompts cancellation of Sacred Heart haunted house Kids Unlimited Academy awarded $450,000 grant County helps fund RCC job training SOU student says free speech issue overblown Environment Local gas prices lowest in years Where do all those leaves go? Ashland council calls for divestment from fossil fuel Reintroduction of McCloud River salmon inspires film, tribe Rite Aid bear cub may be released into the wild in spring State news Nation - World Obituaries Bess Hamers Mary Frost Newcomb Jassen M. Hatley Steven M. Rayburn Charles Stanley Rider Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Thousands attend Taveras' Dominican burial Parker helps Spurs edge Mavs 101-100 in opener With chance at title, Giants unravel quickly Ashland's Guthrie to start Game 7 tonight Seventh Heaven Varsity 541 College Sports Stanford trying to upend No. 5 Oregon a new way Ducks try to loosen up a bit for Stanford Mississippi State, Florida State top playoff list Georgia still waiting for ruling on Gurley Pac-12 passes reforms for athletes Pro Sports Thousands attend Taveras' Dominican burial Parker helps Spurs edge Mavs 101-100 in opener With chance at title, Giants unravel quickly Ashland's Guthrie to start Game 7 tonight Seventh Heaven Community Sports Results / Standings LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories Local gas prices lowest in years Revenue rises for Harry & David's parent company Where do all those leaves go? Business Briefs Volvo V60 R-Design is all work, all play Real Estate News New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford People In Business People in Business Transportation Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Revenue rises for Harry & David's parent company Where do all those leaves go? Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Opinion Latest Our View: Any new gas tax must be equitable Letters to the Editor, Oct. 29 Measure 89 provides equality for women Granlund cartoon: Haunted White House 2014 Southeast center offers new approach to growth Editorials Our View: Any new gas tax must be equitable Southeast center offers new approach to growth Our View: Cost is a poor excuse for local pot tax Don't bet on pot windfall for schools Our View: SOU's 'free speech zone' constitutionally questionable Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 29 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 28 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 27 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 26 Guest Opinions Measure 89 provides equality for women Eagle Point needs public transportation Guest Opinion: Common Core testing sets math students up for failure Guest Opinion: Campaigning and voting 'the Oregon way' Guest Opinion: A glimpse into the reality of our elections Lifestyle Latest stories 5 Things to Do This Weekend (Oct. 31-Nov. 2) Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home Dave Ramsey: Extra savings takes away volatility Can’t get enough pumpkin-pie spice? Spices of Autumn Food Can’t get enough pumpkin-pie spice? Spices of Autumn Living and cooking in pear-a-dise Kitchen Call: A cookbook by its cover Community blog: Quick breads take well to gluten-free ingredients Home and Garden Dear Monty: 10 tips toward a quality offer on a home How to live and work in a tiny home Dear Monty: Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster​ Recycle plastic at The Expo Friday and Saturday How to know when trees and shrubs need to go Health Community blog: Finding My Roots Dr. Jeff Hersh: Controversy over breast cancer screening Dr. Murray Feingold: Choose a diet best for you Community blog: The Crowd And The Win - Better Health Joan Endyke: The importance of a healthy diet when pregnant Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Guide promotes better food system Where do all those leaves go? Engagement Wedding: Potter-Hazel Wedding: Martin-Berg Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Theater Review: Funny 'Lion in Winter' roars to life at Camelot Theatre Camelot presents 'The Lion in Winter' 'Carnage' is short, smart, darkly funny Music Patty Griffin plays the Historic Ashland Armory Live Music in Local Clubs Southern Oregon Repertory Singers present harmonious voices, dissonant notes Beekeepers Ball is one sweet soiree Scottish music duo plays highland magic Community Events Puss 'N' Boots Costume Ball and Auction Theater's haunted house not for faint of heart Third Fridays in downtown Medford Works in progress Dining Back Porch Bar & Grill Yu's Yummy Yan's offers great take-out Agave offers tasty tacos Asian cuisine for all seasons at Misoya Bistro Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Any new gas tax must be equitable ... Measure 89 provides equality for women ... Providence ready to go as Oregon ebola treatment center ... Our View: Any new gas tax must be equitable ... Measure 89 provides equality for women ... Providence ready to go as Oregon ebola treatment center ... Dr. Elaine Heffner: First building blocks By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now MailTribune.com By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now Posted Oct. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now Posted Oct. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News In reporting on the good teacher search, I described an amazing project called “mining,” developed by two teachers in a suburban middle school. Children were given a hands-on experience in which chocolate chip cookies and different toothpicks were used to teach math, environmental issues, profit and loss in business ventures and judgment among other things. It was the kind of creative teaching that kept children engaged, interested and learning. In many ways this seems like the kind teaching and learning that parents would hope their children could be exposed. I was surprised to learn that many parents were not that happy. Apparently, the concern was that this kind of teaching would not prepare their children for the kind of tests that are now given as part of the core curriculum protocol. Although children were really learning in many areas that are an important part of being educated, they were not being drilled in the Q&A format they would encounter in the testing situation. This speaks to a central criticism of the implementation of the core curriculum. The emphasis on test results as a way of judging teachers, schools and children has led to so-called “teaching to the test.” Everything seems to ride on how well children will do on the tests and the pressure this has created is felt by teachers, children and parents. The pressure of the emphasis on academics has even trickled down to the preschool years. Unfortunately, the idea seems to have taken hold that only the acquisition of academic skills constitutes real learning. Too often, a description of the nursery school  years reflects a feeling that children are just playing – implying that nothing important is happening.  In fact, as many have noted, play is children’s work. It is through play, pretending and the use of their imagination that children begin to enter the adult world. They develop cognitive and language skills and as important, social and emotional skills. Learning to function successfully in a group means learning how to interact with others in socially acceptable ways. That means expressing feelings appropriately and resolving conflict situations. It means learning to share and to take turns.  Children learn about the world through the use of their senses. The early school years should afford them the opportunity and the materials to make that possible. If you watch children at a water table, a sandbox, using finger paints or clay you will see not only imagination and creativity at work but also the meaning of the tactile experience that is provided.  Children solve engineering and architectural problems using building blocks. They find solutions to complex balancing problems. Young children also need to move – to run, jump and use their bodies. Both large and small muscles need exercise so that play in the physical sense is an important part of children’s development. Using their bodies also involves learning how to control their bodies when necessary and that becomes increasingly important as children later are expected to sit at desks, to focus and attend to teacher directions. Early childhood education has also been stressed as the key to equalizing academic performance and thereby later economic achievement. In New York City universal pre-K is now the starting point of the public school system. Early childhood education is intended to serve as the building blocks for later success. We should be looking at the importance of the building blocks themselves in those early years, as well as the other materials children “play” with, as the foundation on which to build. “Play” is the true beginning of education.        Elaine Heffner, LCSW, Ed.D., has written for Parents Magazine, Fox.com, Redbook, Disney online and PBS Parents, as well as other publications. She has appeared on PBS, ABC, Fox TV and other networks. Dr. Heffner is the author of “Goodenoughmothering: the Best of the Blog,” as well as “Mothering: the Emotional Experience of Motherhood after Freud and Feminism.” She is a psychotherapist and parent educator in private practice, as well as a senior lecturer of education in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College. Dr. Heffner was a co-founder and served as director of the Nursery School Treatment Center at Payne Whitney Clinic, New York Hospital. And she blogs at www.goodenoughmothering.com .   By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
More Content Now MailTribune.com By Dr. Elaine Heffner, 
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