The flat Earth theory is a conspiracy theory that has been promoted by various individuals and organizations throughout history, despite the overwhelming evidence that the Earth is spherical.

The theory has been promoted by some public figures, including NFL players such as Kyrie Irving, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins, as well as singers like Yuri Loza, who have expressed support for the flat Earth theory.

However, it is essential to note that these public figures may not necessarily represent the views of the majority, and their statements may have been misinterpreted or taken out of context.

The flat Earth theory has also been promoted by some media professionals, such as Ashraf al-Kaali, a Tunisian journalist, who has publicly endorsed the flat Earth theory.

The theory has been debunked by scientists and experts, who have provided overwhelming evidence that the Earth is spherical, including satellite imagery, spacecraft observations, and measurements of the Earth's circumference.

Despite the lack of evidence to support the flat Earth theory, it continues to be promoted by some individuals and organizations, often through social media and online platforms.

The reasons for the resurgence of flat Earth beliefs in the modern world are unclear, but it is possible that the theory is appealing to some individuals due to its simplistic and intuitive nature.

Human isolation and a lack of education may also contribute to the spread of the flat Earth theory, as well as fanaticism and a desire to reject established scientific knowledge.

The characteristics of people who are most likely to subscribe to flat Earth beliefs are not well-defined, but it is clear that the theory is often promoted by individuals who disregard scientific reasoning and ignore opposing views.

The flat Earth theory can have severe consequences, particularly for children and teenagers who are exposed to it, as it can lead to a lack of critical thinking and rational reasoning.

It is essential for parents and educators to address flat Earth beliefs in a sensitive and informed manner, by providing accurate information and promoting critical thinking and scientific literacy.

Critical thinking is a crucial skill that can help individuals evaluate information and make informed decisions, and it is essential for navigating the complexities of the modern world.

Parents and educators can promote critical thinking by discussing situations with children, modeling argument culture, and providing opportunities for debate and critical discussion.

The long-term effects of flat Earth beliefs on children's cognitive development can be detrimental, as believing Earth is flat can waste children's time in proving axioms and hinder their critical thinking.

It is essential for parents and educators to be aware of the potential risks of flat Earth beliefs and to take steps to mitigate them, by promoting critical thinking, scientific literacy, and evidence-based understanding.

Overall, the flat Earth theory is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that requires a nuanced and informed approach, and it is essential to promote critical thinking, scientific literacy, and evidence-based understanding to address it [15, 20, 22].

The flat Earth theory is a conspiracy theory that has been promoted by various individuals and organizations throughout history, despite the overwhelming evidence that the Earth is spherical.

The theory has been promoted by some public figures, including NFL players such as Kyrie Irving, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins, as well as singers like Yuri Loza, who have expressed support for the flat Earth theory.

Title:

Content: “Everyone Gets Hit in the Head”: Travis and Jason Kelce Boldly Claim 20% NFL Players Are Flat-Earthers

Samnur Reza
Published

Eight-time NBA All-Star and Mavericks point guard, Kyrie Irving, has time and time again claimed that the earth is flat. Sadly, this belief is widely held around the globe. When discussing the same and if there are NFL players who also call themselves flat-earthers behind closed doors, Jason Kelce and his brother Travis boldly claimed that a good chunk of the NFL locker room actually believes the earth to be flat.

During a recent episode of the New Heights podcast with comedian Andrew Santino at the discussion table, the younger Kelce said, “We’ve mentioned on the show that conspiracy theories help bring NFL locker rooms together,” before asking the guest, “What are your conspiracy theories?”

Without skipping a beat, Santino posed the question about what percentage of NFL players actually believe in the Flat Earth theory. In response, Travis claimed that at least 10 to 15 athletes in every locker room are flat-earthers. Jason Kelce, however, added that if someone were to conduct an anonymous poll about it, the number of flat-earth believers could potentially jump up to 20%, equating to approximately 11 players out of a 53-man roster.

“Dude, honestly, there are at least 10 to 15 guys in every locker room; I would imagine,” Travis remarked, followed by Jason adding, “If you took an anonymous poll like nobody had to disclose their name or anything like that, you’re over 15% of an NFL locker room… Maybe over 20.”

This revelation baffled the Ricky Stanicky actor, but Travis consoled him by jokingly saying, “Dude, everyone gets hit in the head.” Nevertheless, while the Kelce duo’s numbers may be somewhat exaggerated, there have been some instances when NFL players have openly admitted believing in the earth being flat.

Darius Slay, Sammy Watkins, and Others Are Flat-Earthers

As per Sports Illustrated, free agent wide receiver Sammy Watkins claimed back in 2017 that the earth is flat. But he isn’t the only NFL athlete on that list, as Eagles CB Darius Slay told Tori Petry of DetroitLions.com back in 2018 that the earth is flat.

“I mean, I think it is (flat), we’re walking flat, so how is it round?,” claimed the All-Pro cornerback.

Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen followed suit just last year and claimed the same thing. “PSA,” Queen wrote in a tweet. “Earth is flat. Thank you. Carry on!!”

The list goes on! Former Texas Tech safety, Tyler Owens, apparently told reporters at the Scouting Combine that he doesn’t believe in space or any other planets. Thus, he finds the Flat Earth Theory ‘interesting’ and ‘valid’.

“Nah, I don’t believe in space…. like, you know, I’m religious, so I think like… we’re on our own right now. I don’t think there’s, like, other planets, and stuff like that. I don’t know,” Owens said, as per DailyMail.

Even Seahawks QB Geno Smith has claimed that the whole thing is still up for debate. Moreover, Jason Kelce once revealed that, out of curiosity, he had asked one of his coaches about the Flat Earth Theory and if anyone believed in it. Right there and then, an athlete nearby said, “I mean how you know it isn’t?”

Despite its absurdity, the debate will rage on till the end of time, it seems. However, there are simple experiments that can be conducted in front of a flat-earther to convince them otherwise, as perfectly demonstrated by Wired.

About the author

Samnur Reza

Samnur Reza, or "Rocky," is an NFL editor for the SportsRush. Although his love for football began with Tom Brady, he’s now a devoted fan of Jalen Hurts and is keeping his fingers crossed for the first ring. When asked how he remains loyal to the Eagles, he channels his inner Jim from The Office and responds, 'On a wing and a prayer.' Much like his love for football, Rocky is a dedicated cinephile with an impressive amount of screen time. He’s also fond of cats and has a furry friend named ‘Eva’.

Read more from Samnur Reza

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What are you complaining about?

What NBA star claimed that the earth is flat?

Which Russian celebrities support the flat Earth theory?

What NBA star claimed that the earth is flat?

Which Russian celebrities support the flat Earth theory?

However, it is essential to note that these public figures may not necessarily represent the views of the majority, and their statements may have been misinterpreted or taken out of context.

Title:

Content: Kyrie Irving’s Flat Earth Theory Revisited: How Did Scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson React to It?

Tonoy Sengupta
|Sun Oct 16 2022

Kyrie Irving has some rather interesting theory on the planet we live on

Kyrie Irving sure is an interesting guy.

Of course, his ability on the basketball is a sight to behold. However, his thoughts and ideologies off it are something the NBA community has had its eye on for a long time too.

Over the years, he has come to be known as the man who is absent from the team for about half the year tending to one cause or another. Though it must be noted that there is a massive amount of exaggeration at play in all the conversations regarding them.

But frankly, his tendency to take holidays off work isn’t exactly weak either.

However, this is Kyrie during his most recent years in the league, a stark contrast to how he was at the start of his career. But it had to have started somewhere, right?

Well, apparently it did. And frankly, fans should’ve known the kind of person they were in for after this little incident was revealed.

Also Read: When Dennis Rodman teared up after his friend North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un met with former US President Donald Trump

Kyrie Irving once believed the Earth is Flat

There are shockingly a whole bunch of Flat Earthers on this planet of ours to this day. And apparently, Kyrie Irving was once a part of that army.

Now admittedly, the original clip of him admitting he believes in the Flat Earth theory can no longer be found. However, there are several clips of him justifying his stance on the matter, one of which is right here, below.

There are also clips of him claiming that he was only joking when he spoke about believing the flat earth theory, so frankly, he may deserve to be cut some slack here. Furthermore, even if he believed it several years ago, there is a strong chance that his beliefs have changed completely.

However, if the man still believes in the theory, that is quite something, isn’t it?

At this point, even most scientists would probably just find themselves chuckling on the matter, rather than be exasperated.

But until Irving announces his current beliefs, one can only speculate.

Neil deGrasse Tyson once shared his thoughts on Kyrie Irving’s backing of the Flat Earth theory

When it comes to scientists, Neil deGrasse Tyson is probably the most well-liked one out there, on the face of this planet.

Whenever he is brought on a show of any kind, he has been asked questions about space, aliens, and even some questions on theoretical physics concepts, such as the Multiverse theory.

But never had he been asked to react to a basketball player in any kind of way. Or at least, that wasn’t the case, until the Kyrie Irving incident.

And here was his reaction.

While he does seem to be speaking facts, and trying to go about this in a logical manner, he does seem a tad bit snarkier than usual.

We can’t imagine Kyrie Irving being the biggest fan of that.

Also Read: Michael Jordan, Who Refused to Back Black Political Candidates, Appreciated ‘Bishop of Brixton’ Jimmy Rogers’ Communal Work

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

I've always been someone surrounded by sports. At 15 though, Basketball was brought to my attention, and I absolutely fell in love with it. At 21 now, I look to share the joy I feel with the world through my articles.

Read more from Tonoy Sengupta

The flat Earth theory has also been promoted by some media professionals, such as Ashraf al-Kaali, a Tunisian journalist, who has publicly endorsed the flat Earth theory.

Title:

Content: Tunisian media ignites social media sites..
“The earth is flat! ”
Palestine Today - Gaza
Time: 08: 38 AM
March 18, 2023
The statements of Tunisian journalist Ashraf al-Kaali sparked a wave of ridicule on social media.
He said, “The earth is flat and not spherical. ”
Al-Kaali said in an intervention on the Tunisian channel "Ninth": "I believe that the earth is flat and not spherical.
I read the Qur ’ an, the Torah, the Bible, and several civilizations, and I came to this conviction. ”
He added: "I have confirmed scientifically and philosophically that the earth is flat, and has no other as with the heavens, and the belief that the earth is round is wrong, I will continue to adhere to the theory of the surface of the earth and I am not ashamed of that."
Tunisian writer and novelist Kamal Riahi criticized al-Kaali ’ s statements, saying: “Yes, we are on a path towards reaction. ”
Al-Riahi added in statements on Facebook: "Canning ignorance is not funny, this is how the destruction of young people occurs when one of the stars of the media appears to say that the earth is flat."
"Children watch such shows with their parents and see them on Facebook, and the danger is not only in believing, but in wasting time in proving the axioms."
Al-Riahi pointed out that Ashraf al-Kaali ’ s belief that the earth is flat “only makes us discover the state and location of a large part of the Tunisian media. ”
Ashraf al-Kaali is one of the most famous media professionals in Tunisia and has been a presenter on state television since 1994.
It is worth mentioning that Al-Kaali presented the weekly musical program "World Rhythms" on channel "21" from 1994 to 2007 and his program was very popular and achieved the largest viewing rates, and then joined the radio "Mosaic" (private).

What does Tunisian journalist believe in?

The theory has been debunked by scientists and experts, who have provided overwhelming evidence that the Earth is spherical, including satellite imagery, spacecraft observations, and measurements of the Earth's circumference.

Title:

Content:     People Are Sharing Debunked Conspiracy Theories That People Believe Anyway, And I Kind Of Can't Believe Some Of These

    "Not only is the entire conspiracy surrounding it completely implausible, it's also so easily defeated. It's just random garbage with a thousand predictions that haven't come true. Just give it up already. Even most doomsday cults give up after four or five faulty predictions."

    Sometimes you hear someone repeat a conspiracy theory that is obviously total nonsense — and it makes you say to yourself, "People still believe that?"

    Redditor u/Gaza1121 recently asked the people of Reddit, "What conspiracy theory is so easily disproven that you don't understand how it's still going?" At the very least, these answers might help people get a clue about a thing or two:

    1. "Flat earth."

    —u/Vivid_Reading_2159

    "I’ve truly never understood what the big conspiracy is about this — who would benefit from lying about the earth being a globe? I understand most other conspiracies and what the purpose that they would serve, but this one is so moronic it’s just beyond me. Why do they think we would be lied to about gravity?"

    —u/PM_ME_YOUR_SUBURBS

    2. "Elvis faked his death. If he was going to do that, wouldn’t he have chosen a more dignified way to go?"

    —u/jb40018

    3. "Dinosaurs never existed."

    —u/Outrageous_Winner663

    4. "That JFK, Jr. didn’t die and was going to come out of hiding to be Trump’s VP."

    —u/jwt0001

    5. "That the Holocaust was a hoax."

    —u/Left-Star2240

    "Eisenhower demanded they photograph and document it because he knew people would try to deny it happened. 'While I was touring the camp I encountered three men who had been inmates and by one ruse or another had made their escape. I interviewed them through an interpreter. The visual evidence and the verbal testimony of starvation, cruelty, and bestiality were so overpowering as to leave me a bit sick. In one room, where [there] were piled up 20 or 30 naked men, killed by starvation, George Patton would not even enter. He said he would get sick if he did so. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in position to give first-hand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to 'propaganda.'"

    —u/bostonwolf

    6. "The moon landing. The entity with the most at stake for the US successfully landing on the moon was the USSR, who also had the ability to track the spacecraft and refute that it landed. They never said a word."

    —u/314159265358979326

    7. "Vaccines cause autism."

    —u/llcucf80

    8. "That the grieving families of children shot in American schools are 'crisis actors.'"

    —u/InverseRatio

    9. "Today I discovered that there's large groups who believe that 9/11 was CGI and there never really were any planes. Hundreds of people in an Instagram post talking about how fake it looks and it's clearly edited. Then I realized anyone under the age of 22 weren't alive for it — and if they're under 25 and they don't remember it, and any teenagers from outside of the tri-state area might not even know anyone who was there."

    —u/Stonewall30nyr

    10. "Obama birtherism. A lot of other bonkers insane conspiracy theories are more insane in a 'supernatural insanity' sense, but they're also so far out there that you can barely apply common sense to them. What would motivate the lizard people? Who knows? They're lizard people! Whereas, let's see, a not-particularly-well-off woman living in Hawaii is pregnant — and the powers that be are somehow aware that her biracial child is someday in the future going to want to run for president."

    —u/Alex_Werner

    11. "Cancer has been cured and big pharma is sitting on it because it is more profitable not to cure cancer. The first problem with this is that there are multiple types of cancer. So there can't be a one size fits all cancer cure. Second is that a cancer cure would be exceedingly profitable for whatever company created it."

    —u/Thick-Worry5028

    12. "QAnon. I mean, they made a fucking documentary series about it and outed its creators. Not only is the entire conspiracy surrounding it completely implausible, it's also so easily defeated. It's just random garbage with a thousand predictions that haven't come true. Just give it up already. Even most doomsday cults give up after four or five faulty predictions."

    —u/Noobeaterz

    13. "Chemtrails."

    —u/you-are-number-6Q

    "I met someone who was into chemtrails — they thought everything was lithium poisoning and that the colors of the sunset was lithium in the atmosphere. They had a good hot dog stand, though."

    —u/SuspiciousStable9649

    14. "Jet fuel is a hoax and airliners run on compressed air."

    —u/Amberskin

    15. "The earth is five thousand years old."

    —u/cblume

    16. "The 2020 election was stolen."

    —u/prodigy1367

    17. "One I see sometimes as a math major, is that 0.999...does not equal 1 in the Real numbers. There are some math quacks out there who adamantly insist, no matter how you prove it to them otherwise, that 0.999...and 1 aren't just two ways of writing the same number."

    —u/bodyknock

    18. "Charles de Gaulle was King Charles's biological father."

    —u/joecoin2

    19. "The Titanic switch. I still have a hard time understanding how there are people that genuinely believe that shit."

    —u/daviepancakes

    And finally...

    20. "The republican party is fiscally conservative and believes in small government."

    —u/Psychogopher

Title:

Content: How did Muslim scholars refute the flat Earth theory a thousand years ago?
The flat earth is currently one of the most famous scientific myths widespread in the Arab world, and has private groups on social media met by supporters from all over, and in recent days has been controversial because of statements by the Egyptian artist Mohamed Sobhy.
There are two histories to this theory, not one; the first is ancient and the second is modern.
A number of Greek philosophers believed that the earth was flat, and the ancient Scandinavian and German peoples also believed that the earth was flat and surrounded by oceans, and the common belief in ancient China was that the earth was square and flat while the sky was spherical.
But it ’ s really surprising to know that early astronomers assumed its sphericity, and they were from almost every culture: Pythagoras, who lived about 2,500 years ago, proposed the sphericity of the Earth based on his observations of the moon during the eclipse.
Pythagorean's observations are still evidence of a refutation of the flat Earth theory: Pythagorean observed that the shadow that the Earth casts on the Moon during the eclipse is always round.
Regardless of the moon-facing part of the planet, eclipses occur everywhere in the world.
The idea of a lunar eclipse is simple: put a big lamp in the middle of your room and turn off the rest of the lights, stand at a distance of one meter from it, now turn around while you reach your hands in front of you with a tennis ball, when you give your back to the lamp and pass the tennis ball in the shadow extended in front of you because of your body, this is the eclipse.
To Eratosthenes
Eratosthenes, born 276 BC, was the first to measure the circumference of the Earth using a simple method involving the angle of the Sun at different locations.
Eratosthenes was astonished to read that the columns in the ancient Egyptian temples of Aswan on the afternoon of June 21 of each year did not leave a shadow under them, and the mystery of the wonder was that the columns in Alexandria left a shadow under them on the afternoon of the same day.
Eratosthenes came to the conclusion that the earth must be convex and not flat, otherwise the columns in Alexandria would appear shadowless, and then after reflection Eratosthenes came to the clever idea that we could measure the length of the shadow in Aswan which is zero, and its length in Alexandria, and then measure the distance between Alexandria and Aswan, and infer the circumference of the earth.
The story goes that he sent a man to measure the distance, so that with some simple geometry he could measure the circumference of the Earth, which he concluded was about 39,348 kilometers.
Eratosthenes' account was transferred to the Arabs from among the sciences they translated.
According to Carlo Nelino in his book "Astronomy: A History of the Arabs in the Middle Ages", the Caliph al-Ma'mun al-Abbasi (who ruled from 813 to 833 AD) asked two teams of astronomers to test these calculations and come up with the most accurate measurement of the Earth's circumference....
The safe astronomer.
The method adopted by the Arabs is to go out into a perfectly flat desert, and then rely on the inclination of the polar star in the sky.
The ancients realized that the position of stars in the sky is affected by your place on Earth, the further you travel south, the lower the polar star in the sky until it disappears completely after the equator, and the more you travel north, the higher the polar star sky until it became above your head in the North Pole, which means that the Earth is round, otherwise the position of stars in the sky changes with your place on it.
The height of the polar star (and all other stars) is measured in degrees, and it is like to put a protractor in front of your eyes, the horizon is at zero, and then look at the protractor from the side to find at what degree the polar star stands, and this is something you can do exactly as the ancients did, and now astronomical software is easily available.
Al-Ma'mun astronomers measured the height of the polar star, then moved north once and south once, until the amount of inclination of the polar star changes by one degree, and then measured the distance north and south, and this measured distance is one degree from the circumference of the Earth's circle, and it can know the rest of the circumference of the Earth, because the Earth is a ball, and like any ball, rotation around it requires 360 degrees.
The first team of Al-Ma ’ mun astronomers went out to the Sinjar desert, a small city in northwestern Iraq today, and the second team to the Palmyra desert in eastern Syria, and carried out the same experiments in both places. In the Sinjar desert, for example, the height of the polar star was about 35 degrees. south of the wedge site until the measurement dropped by a degree.
According to al-Ma ’ mun ’ s astronomers, the scale of one degree was about 56 parsecs and two-thirds parsecs, which Nalino calculated — according to Edward Kennedy of the American University of Beirut in a paper published in the Encyclopedia of the History of Arab Sciences — to be 111.8 kilometers, a value used by later researchers such as al-Biruni and al-Toussi.
Calculating the circumference of the Earth in this experiment, it turned out to be about 410,248 km, which was close to modern measurements (40075 km) in the most accurate way at the time.
Note that the difference between the two measurements is about 1,100 years, and the reason for the difference is not related to the same method but to the ellipse of the Earth, as the distance between the two latitudes increases slightly as we head north.
Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni
The second attempt was by Abu Rayhan al-Biruni, born in September 973 AD, who used the best and easiest formula to calculate the circumference of the Earth in his time.
The Al-Biruni method is based on triangulation, where the sunset is observed from the top of a high mountain overlooking flat ground to the horizon, the astrolabe measures the angle the sun descends relative to the observer on the top of the mountain, where the line connecting the observer on the top of the mountain and the horizon makes the sunset clock touch the planet Earth.
It is known that the tangent of a circle perpendicular to its diameter, and then we have a right-angled triangle at the horizon, and we can measure the radius of the Earth by knowing the height of the mountain, which is mathematically easy.
Currently, the same calculations can be applied by high school students, for example, in all countries of the Arab world, who have a good amount of trigonometry study.
In a study published in the International Journal of Sciences, an Italian team repeated al-Biruni ’ s experiment and concluded that its results for the radius of the Earth are equal to 3,928.77 English miles, which compares favorably, being 2% different, with the average reference radius at the measurement latitude, which is 3,847.80 miles.
Pakistani physicist Mazhar Mahmood Qureshi, in his book An Introduction to Muslim Contributions to Science and Technology, points out that al-Biruni ’ s experience in what is now Nandana Fort in the mountains of northern Pakistan is a typical example of the use of experimental scientific methods.
The most important book of al-Biruni astronomical is "The Law of Masoudi", in which al-Biruni collected all the astronomical problems of his time, and the way of al-Biruni was to present the origins of the matter and the views of the Indian, Greek and Arab astronomers and then weighted between them.
Modern history of flat earth
But at that point, you might ask yourself: if the sphericity of the Earth was obvious to Muslim scholars and their comrades in other parts of the world in ancient times, why did it come back?
In 1849, the English writer Samuel Rowbotham published a pamphlet entitled "Oil Astronomy" (from the Greek letter zeta, not oil), in which he defended the theory of the flat earth, and followed this with another entitled "The Instability of Modern Astronomy and its opposition to the Bible".
In 1883, Rowbotham founded oil societies in England and New York, shipping thousands of copies of his books to talk about flat earth.
Meanwhile, William Carpenter, a printer and native of Greenwich, England, supported Rowbotham and advocated his theory, learning it from John Jasper and preaching to more people than any cleric of his generation in the southern United States. Once.
From here the myth began to branch again in the United States, and then to Europe, and then to the Arab world and the rest of the world, but in this context it was mixed with conspiracy theories concerning secret groups trying to control the world by deluding people that the earth is round.
The proof of the sphericity of the earth is not new, and has a long history in which Muslim scholars have made an influential contribution, but because the “flat earth ” has been transformed from ignorance of the nature of science into a conspiracy theory it has been imported along with other famous theories into our Arab world.
Source: Al Jazeera + Websites

What scientific evidence do "flat earthers" reject?

What scientific evidence do "flat earthers" reject?

Despite the lack of evidence to support the flat Earth theory, it continues to be promoted by some individuals and organizations, often through social media and online platforms.

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Who's most likely to be open to conspiracy theories? UNH research points to millennials and Trump supporters

Who are the groups most likely to believe in conspiracy theories? That’s the question a University of New Hampshire researcher recently set out to solve.

Sociology professor Lawrence Hamilton looked into national survey data gauging public beliefs in several conspiracy theories, including: "NASA astronauts did not really land on the Moon" and "The Earth is flat, not round."

After digging into that data, Hamilton found "acceptance or openness to conspiracy beliefs was significantly higher among certain subgroups, including Millennials and supporters of ex-president Trump."

NHPR’s Rick Ganley talked with Hamilton about his findings — and the role social media plays in spreading conspiracy theories. Below is a transcript of their conversation, lightly edited for clarity.

Read more about Hamilton's research here.

Transcript

Rick Ganley: It's worth noting that some of these conspiracy theories are old. Some are more recent. But all of them seemingly were given a boost by social media. And it's not hard to find false information, obviously, about topics online. Did you find it used to be much harder to hear about or be convinced of something like this?

Lawrence Hamilton: Well, I've never asked these questions before, so I don't have my own data. There are Gallup polls going back to the late 1990s that seem to find much smaller fractions of people thinking that the moon landings were faked, for example. So there's some kind of indirect evidence. I don't know if anybody tracked it very well. The number of people who've heard about these theories [that's] rising are the people who are drawn into them. And I'm sure that YouTube and social media — people describe it as a rabbit hole, where if you start watching one video [alleging the Earth is flat], they'll recommend another one for you. And pretty soon it seems like the whole world is all about flat Earth.

Rick Ganley: Your research looked into the political leanings of people who responded. What did you find there?

Lawrence Hamilton: We did find a political correlation, and that wasn't a foregone conclusion, because I had specifically chosen conspiracy theories that are not known to have a clear political [connection]. I mean, there's been a lot of research going back really to the 1960s on the paranoid style in American politics that has found conspiracy theories are more popular among conservatives across a range of issues. In the 1950s, it was conspiracies by Communist infiltration in the U.S. government. Now, it may be conspiracies directed at politicians — [alleging without evidence that former President Barack] Obama is a Muslim, or [President Joe] Biden stole the 2020 election — and others that are targeted at scientists, like climate change is a hoax, COVID-19 is a hoax or COVID precautions or vaccines are a hoax. And I chose none of those. I chose things like: ‘The moon landings were fake,’ or ‘Earth is flat,’ ‘Vaccines implant microchips.’ So it was interesting to find that even there, there's a conservative preference.

Rick Ganley: A lot of this does come down to faith in science and academics and what so-called experts have to say. Do you see this as evidence of a decline in faith in institutions?

Lawrence Hamilton: Well, I would say there's a decline — and this is something we do have data on — there's a wide decline in trust in scientists, and it's largely partisan. It's not so much happening among people who self-identify as liberal or moderate. But among people who identify as conservative or very conservative, there's definitely a decline in trust in scientists. The COVID pandemic was an interesting case in point, because we were actually tracking this on surveys, and trust in the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] took an enormous nosedive over space about four months, specifically among conservatives. Other groups didn't change. But the conservative trust in the CDC took this huge dive when [former President] Donald Trump's tweeting turned from praising the CDC to attacking it. And with that flip, conservative trust in the CDC flipped as well, and nobody else has changed much.

Rick Ganley: Your research also highlighted a pattern having to do with age. Respondents who classify themselves as millennials, that is those born between 1981 and 1996, were the most likely to agree with some of the conspiracies that you posed. And Gen Zs, I guess, were also more inclined than older respondents. What did you find there?

Lawrence Hamilton: Well, some of that corresponded to previous surveys. There's a section at the end of our report where we say, well, how does this compare with what other people have found? Just as a reality check. And that's been reported by a number of other studies as well. So millennials in particular, and Gen Z to a slightly lesser extent, were much less skeptical about the conspiracies compared with boomers or older generations. And one explanation that's been offered for that, well, two explanations: Regarding the moon landings, of course, older generations lived through those and remember the national pride and excitement and so forth, whereas [for] younger generations, it's something in the history books. So maybe they don't have that sense of having been there when it happened. But the other thing is that you could expect younger generations to be more engaged with social media, which for some people could take them down these rabbit holes again.

Rick Ganley: Does your research have any suggestions on how to stop people from believing in conspiracy theories?

Lawrence Hamilton: That's a real hard one because there's this tendency to get into information silos where all you hear are the voices that reinforce your prejudices. And a thing about conspiracies is that they will give you a reason to reject anything that contradicts them. People have been seeing [the science behind] climate change for a long time, [and] you can't go in with fact sheets. That doesn't persuade anybody. They'll just become convinced that you're part of the hoax, too. There aren't any simple answers. The strongest recommendation is that scientists stay engaged in public communication through every channel they have, and that they try to make their conclusions understandable or accessible to people from a lot of different walks of life who obviously are not reading the peer review journals.

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Title:

Content: Taiwan has been the champion of "false information" for nine consecutive years. Children are the main target. Is critical media literacy education the solution?
Photo Credit: Shutterstock
What we want you to know is
Research shows that children often start believing unproven conspiracy theories at the age of 14, and more than 80% of middle school students mistake “sponsored ads ” for“ news stories. ”
But what exactly should the media literacy curriculum teach?
At present, there are still divergent views......
Text: Yu-An Lai
According to the 2021 V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) report by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, Taiwan has been the champion of “false information ” for nine consecutive years, making it the most frequently attacked country in the world by false information.
The government of Taiwan will invest 11.7 billion yuan in 2023, aiming to enable primary and secondary schools across the country to comprehensively promote digital improvement projects, so as to achieve "class has the Internet, there is a tablet", this policy is aimed at strengthening students' ability to use digital technology, but if children use it inappropriately, it will be counterproductive.
In the pursuit of the popularization of the Internet and the teaching of digital technology, we also have to think about how to teach children to distinguish between trustworthy news information and news when the huge amount of fake information on the Internet is overwhelming.
The younger you are, the more likely you are to be a primary target of false information.
Science magazine Scientific American reports that children are the primary targets of disinformation disseminators.
According to a 2019 study by the British Journal of Developmental Psychology, children usually start believing unproven conspiracy theories at the age of 14, and many contemporary teenagers have difficulty judging the credibility of online messages.
Researchers at Stanford University also found in a 2016 study that more than 80 percent of middle school students misidentified “sponsored ads ” as“ news stories. ”
Fake messages are often delivered to young internet users, directing them to misleading content.
A 2018 Wall Street Journal survey also found that YouTube ’ s algorithms push personalized recommendations for different users, but they tend to recommend videos that are more extreme and far-fetched than what users originally watched.
For example, when researchers search for “eclipse ” as a keyword, they are directed to a video whose main theme is to imply that the Earth is flat.
YouTube is one of the most popular social media sites for young people, and for such extreme algorithms, Zeynep Tufekci, assistant professor at the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, called it “one of the most powerful radical tools of the 21st century. ”
The influence of false information and false information cannot be ignored.
In response to the spread of false information, UNICEF provides the following 10 insights and recommendations
1.
Misinformation and disinformation on the Internet is an urgent public issue.
The power of fake information must not be underestimated. For children who are now active on the Internet, fake information is an important part of their daily lives.
Fake messages on social media are often more powerful, farther, faster, and deeper than the right messages, especially when the issues involve divisive, highly controversial, and highly emotional topics, such as immigration, gender politics and equality, and vaccination are hot topics.
2.
The impact and consequences of errors and false information on the real world
Misinformation and misinformation have been used to incite violence and crime against ethnic minorities (which can lead to the death and displacement of children), while misinformation and misinformation have reduced vaccination rates for children with Covid-19, undermined trust in news and science, and drowned out marginalized voices.
3.
Algorithms play a more critical role, even though misinformation and misinformation are often transmitted through people
Algorithms deliver personalized messages and news stories through users ’ digital footprints, but sometimes they can also recommend content that is inaccurate, misleading, sensational, and conspiracy theories.
Therefore, we can say that the algorithm may be a key carrier for amplifying the spread of false information.
4.
Children are vulnerable to errors and false information
Because children are in a developing stage, they do not yet have the ability to distinguish between reliable and unreliable information.
Not only will they be harmed by errors and misinformation, they may also continue to pass on the wrong information to their peers.
For younger children who do not use social media, they may also be exposed to false or false information through their parents, caregivers, or classmates.
5.
Still, children can challenge and debunk mistakes and misinformation
Now that they have become the primary targets and targets of misinformation, children can still actively fight them.
Children can contribute to fact-checking and deification efforts, such as the Covid-19 pandemic misinformation for Nepal.
The UNICEF Mission in Montenegro ’ s “Let ’ s decide what we want to watch ” programme provides young people with the opportunity to train in media literacy and journalistic skills to improve the quality of reporting on children ’ s rights.
6.
Education is especially important.
In order to help children to judge whether information is true or false, they should develop the ability to read and think critically from an early age.
Make sure that children have critical thinking skills, not only online, but also offline, in everyday life.
7.
It is necessary to take collective action to protect children.
Politicians, civil society organizations, technology companies, parents, and educators must all work together to avoid the harm that misinformation and misinformation can do to children.
There is no reliable data and research on how to slow down the spread of false and false information.
8.
Policymakers should develop norms of misinformation and misinformation based on children ’ s rights
UNICEF recommends that policy makers develop regulations for children to protect them from the effects of error and false information, while ensuring that they can access content safely.
Regulation should be based on the classification of content and ensure transparency and accountability.
This is a very significant policy challenge between the protection of rights on the Internet and speech.
9.
Tech companies can help combat errors and misinformation
UNICEF recommends that tech companies actually implement their declared policies and invest more in people and technology.
Tech companies should publish how they deal with fake messages on their platforms and prioritize the idea of meaningful connections and children ’ s diversity in digital system design.
Guess you like it.
Tags:

The reasons for the resurgence of flat Earth beliefs in the modern world are unclear, but it is possible that the theory is appealing to some individuals due to its simplistic and intuitive nature.

Title:

Content: "The Lost Earth Truth 1": The level of the earth seems to be the "gold rush" of our time.
Photo Credit: iStock
What we want you to know is
Through the multi-dimensional advanced high-tech "heterogeneous meta-helmet", scientists learned that the earth is full of four-dimensional entrances, the third dimension of the material plane and the fourth dimension of the etheric plane are originally "twins".
Written by Radu Cinama
Tiping said it was the "gold rush" of this era.
Based on a reference to the House of the Cabal, which hides the door to multidimensional interaction, I found an informative note that I had never seen before, floating among dozens of notes on my desk.
In general, I prefer to work in electronic form or wait for notes or files in digital format, but given my particular interest in the Dimension Portal, I decided to check everything on my desk, including the latest events.
I do not know the reasons and methods, but the information I found was ignored.
After reviewing notes and data summaries, I discovered an event called “Ground Floor – References ”, a“ movement ” that I ’ ve heard has made waves among people, but I never thought it would become a theme for our department.
The illusion of this idea is obvious, especially for those who have good judgment and personal experience of our planet from the perspective of outer space.
I was a bit confused and didn ’ t know if I should read a few pages of summaries about the ground floor.
I went to Lieutenant Nikola and asked him about it.
He told me that the information came from the operations department of another SRI division, an acronym for the Romanian Intelligence Agency, which has the status of a second level notice.
The lieutenant made it clear that the only reason this information reached our department was because it triggered an abnormal "phenomenon" in the world, but in our country, the number of "followers" is relatively small and the proportion is reasonable, and the level seems to be the "gold rush" of our time. It makes you speechless, even in a state of “shock. ”
I can understand that the paranoia and other obscure interests of hundreds of years ago amplify the lack of knowledge, which may occupy the minds of a relatively small number of people, but it is unreasonable to allow it to develop to the level of the international movement of the 21st century.
From a heavenly point of view, I wonder if human stupidity can rise above that level, but I don ’ t quite believe in that prospect.
However, even the most bizarre phenomena must be taken into account, at least taking into account the crowd and their opinions, which is one of the Secret Service's tasks.
I did read the summary, which revealed the main points of the problem very clearly, but did not give any conclusions.
Severe retrogression into the Middle Ages
On the same night, I took advantage of Cesar ’ s free time and shared the ground level problem with him, more as a social case than a research direction.
Cesar laughed loudly, talked about the topic for a while, and then suddenly turned to some very interesting questions.
He told me that three or four years ago, the issue was introduced to him and discussed with other colleagues in the intelligence department because there were signs that the idea was trending toward a consensus.
Out of respect for readers, I don ’ t usually include such a discussion in my series.
It requires only a little wisdom and minimal scientific training to understand, and arguments in support of this theory are tantamount to ignorance and fanaticism.
Beyond this, however, Cesar reveals some psychological cues that seem to be of some importance to general knowledge and social experience.
When discussing topping with Cesar, the first point involves a large number of followers.
“The mechanism for this strange theory of increased follower numbers is related to human isolation, ” says Cesar.
“It ’ s as if the population is divided into two distinct categories, but this separation is actually based on each person ’ s level of consciousness, which is directly related to their vibration frequency. ”
“But, ” I replied,“ I don ’ t know what caused this outbreak, and more and more people are insisting on these ‘ arguments ’ without meaning. ”
It's more like a stupid virus. "
“This major shift in thinking patterns is not at the same wavelength as what is commonly understood in the world today.
In other words, such new ideas have nothing to do with the knowledge of our time.
This is an effective method, because the earth is flat, and the idea is strongly supported by mystical factors, as well as by those who are keen to see things stagnant and not progressing.
This is the best way to control it: take people away from reality, let them dream nonsense, support their fantasies, and encourage them to project.
Therefore, it is controlled by imposing on the masses what they want.
Followers of earth thought, firmly believing in it, will seek to meet others, gather, and even separate themselves from others, because they will see others as fools deceived by lies.
In other words, they will be convinced that they are the ones who “discovered ” the truth. While it is sad to hear the news, unfortunately, the situation is quite real. ”
“Although I have this report under my nose, I can ’ t believe it has reached this point.
I feel like this is an ugly dream, as if some people in the world have voluntarily gone back hundreds of years.
That's how I feel.
Incredibly, people ’ s minds today are still influenced by delusions that defy not only decent intelligence but also scientific reasoning, making everything frenzied.
Look at the results! ”
I showed Cesar ’ s estimated numbers and charts.
"I know.
We've talked to other colleagues, "he said.
“Your surprise is evidenced by the huge difference in conceptualization and vibration frequency that people are beginning to feel.
This is a reality that has become increasingly prominent over time and cannot be ignored.
This is part of the isolation I told you about.
In principle, people interact with those who are evolving and those who prefer to stay in purely physical, crude or involuntary groups.
Those in the first category perfect themselves, recognize the changes that are taking place on Earth, and experience certain emotional states and specific sensations.
That ’ s why it ’ s incredible for some people to think about problems in a medieval way, such as followers of the Earth Theory. ”
Cesar saw the astonishment on my face and hurried to prove what he said again.
“Yes, I ’ m not exaggerating.
This is a return to the Middle Ages, because these people cannot evolve; instead, they return to a more archaic state of consciousness, closer to their true level of consciousness. ”
“Why can ’ t they evolve? ” I asked in surprise.
Of course, I know the answer, but it ’ s always a pleasure to capture Cesar ’ s explanation.
In addition, there is always a new element that can enrich my knowledge.
“Because the current state of things they attract has nothing to do with the higher vibrations of the Earth, this feature is becoming more and more apparent. ”
“For the followers of the Earth Plane, their consolation lies in the frenzy of these primitive ideas, which are maintained as free spirits and ideas are blocked.
The same was true during the Inquisition: a set of foolish and erroneous ideas was raised into law, and any violation of those ideas was enforced. ”
When I think about it all, I hope I ’ m wrong.
“Are we back in the Middle Ages? History has set off a wave of extreme ideas.
Ancient people already knew that the earth was round, but the situation deteriorated in the Middle Ages, when there was a revival of modern science, but was this only to take us back to the Middle Ages now? ” (The author undoubtedly refers to the knowledge shared by Pythagoras and Aristotle, who both asserted that the earth is round, and the argument made by Eratonius in ancient Alexandria.)
Cesar calmly replied, “We don ’ t; but for the part that has degraded, yes. ”
Several factors contributed to this.
Followers of the Earth ’ s theory are indignant at their opinionated views, their refusal to think logically or rationally on the basis of real arguments and evidence, their denial of evidence, and their deceitful defense of their position.
In general, this is a kind of missionary covering up fanaticism.
The psychological factor of the earth level, the mind pulls people's distance
We note that whenever fanaticism prevails, society is confronted with a lack of insight and the limitations of personal freedom.
Cesar gave me an example that better explains how this dilemma can be achieved in the context of a relatively developed civilization.
"This phenomenon is the same as in quantum physics.
If there is enough energy, the electrons can jump into higher orbits.
If there is not enough energy, it can be kept at a slightly higher level and relatively stable; but at some point, the remaining energy will be released in the form of photons, and the electron will return to the orbit where it was originally found, back to where it started.
In quantum physics, this is the basic orbit of electrons.
In other words, electrons with these characteristics will return to the level where they have a safe orbit. ” I interjected, clinging to the subject.
“I know that throughout human history, the idea that the earth is flat has long existed in some religions.
Modern astronomy has developed extensively since then.
Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto have only been discovered for about two hundred years.
In this sense, the ground floor is actually not very old, its memory is still fresh.
Perhaps that is why some humans return to the state they once knew. "
“This is another factor, ” Cesar acknowledged,“ in any case, human society is changing from ‘ possessiveness ’ to ‘ feeling ’, that sense of possession, egoism, competition, and violence tends to be gradually replaced by pure and positive emotions and feelings, which are fundamental to love, altruism, and compassion. ”
I have some doubts.
“It ’ s hard to believe, because almost all of us are seeing the spread of these negative manifestations. ”
“At first glance, it might be so.
Remember, however, that most people on Earth are uneducated, and they ‘ resort ’ to this illusion of competition, money, commerce, and lack of spirituality.
A large number of people who are addicted to this dream, tend to oppose those who are guided only by spiritual values and seek a pure life with a clear meaning, and have achieved a balance at this point.
This is what we call isolation. "
In fact, what Cesar wanted to say is that everyone is invited to participate in the great spiritual transformation of humanity and our planet, with the desire and dignity to demand that his life be the germ of light, spirituality and hope that we can enter a bright future.
This is an excellent ideal, but so far too few people have followed this ideal.
Book Introduction
This excerpt is from The Lost Earth Truth 1: The Hidden History of Holographic Time Travel, published by Daxi Culture.
Written by Radu Cinamar
Translated by: Sandra
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Radu Cinamar became famous after revealing an unprecedented and mysterious collaboration between the US and Romanian militaries.
American and Romanian troops have made an expedition under the Romanian Sphinx in the Bucegi Mountains and discovered the greatest archaeological discovery of all time: a mysterious chamber about 50,000 years old, containing a holographic record of human history of the Earth, biological resonance imaging technology, and three mysterious tunnels that lead to secrets deep in the heart of the earth.
Despite the political intrigue, confusion, and restrictions surrounding this great discovery, the expedition leader allowed Radu Sinamar to visit and explore the artifacts.
Since then, Radu ’ s life has been a labyrinthine adventure, filled with strange events, secret connections, and unusual people and things.
This book delves into ancient history in an unprecedented way, through the interaction of advanced technology ’ s “heterogeneous helmets ” with the author ’ s cerebral cortex and intuition, presenting more than 70 stunning images of the scene, the result of which is holographic projection, explaining and illustrating the DNA changes that took place over thousands of years and how humans evolved into what they are today.
Reveals the mystery of how multiple alien civilizations influenced and guided human DNA to evolve to a higher level.
Some of the hot spots in human history, which in the past either remained unknown or were only considered from a mythological point of view, include: Atlantis, Troy, Shambhala, and Huppelburia.
Disrupting the myths of the past, this book provides rich and accurate communications from the actual scene of holographic technology, combining esoteric knowledge and some scientific factors.
Special emphasis is placed on the "intersection" between the physical dimension and the etheric dimension and on the cracks or entrances between the dimensions.
In addition to revealing the ancient history of mankind, this fascinating work also describes a time out to see the origins of humanity and its hope for the future.
Book Features
Time-lapse decoding! The beginning of important human change
Through the multi-dimensional advanced high-tech "heterogeneous meta-helmet", scientists learned that the earth is full of four-dimensional entrances, the third dimension of the material plane and the fourth dimension of the etheric plane are originally "twins".
And you can see the "cosmic record" in the holographic image!
You can also overlook the cross-section of the earth, covering the deep human genetic technology and high-dimensional cosmic civilization, and no book in its amazing history has been exposed so far!
Editor-in-Chief: Weng Shihang
Editor-in-chief: Bohan Pan
Tags:

Human isolation and a lack of education may also contribute to the spread of the flat Earth theory, as well as fanaticism and a desire to reject established scientific knowledge.

The characteristics of people who are most likely to subscribe to flat Earth beliefs are not well-defined, but it is clear that the theory is often promoted by individuals who disregard scientific reasoning and ignore opposing views.

Title:

Content: Virgin Galactic's history-making space launch has left flat Earth conspiracy theorists losing their minds at the surface of the planet.

Fuming conspiracy theorists believe the recent live stream footage of three civilian astronauts heading into space proves they are correct about their claims.

A few comments on the YouTube livestream saw the nutters break through with their wild theories, foaming at the mouth as they pointed out the lack of "oval" in the Earth.

READ MORE: Virgin Galactic's first civilian spaceflight enters space with Olympian onboard

Their comments were drowned out by furious believers in the spherical nature of the planet, telling others not to "feed the flat earth trolls" as they vied for attention.

One mad comment read "THAT DOESNT LOOK LIKE AN OVAL TO ME," while another equally reasonable individual added: "LOOK AT IT??!!! WHERE IS THE CURVE IN THE EARTH?!!"

Their totally sane comments come as the Richard Branson-owned company set off on a history making flight, taking a former Olympian and a mother-daughter duo to the edges of the atmosphere.

The trio' weightless triumph was not all good news though as a small collection of conspiracy-mad individuals believed it was evidence of a flat Earth.

A third tin foil hat wearer added: "This looks like a flat earth to me."

But cooler heads in the comments prevailed, or tried to, as they hit back at those claiming the earth was flat and tried to reason with those responding to the conspiracy nuts.

One person wrote: "Between the flat-Earthies and the anti-woke twits, this chat is a bit of a fail. Congrats to the crew and the passengers and the people who aren't all bottom hurt by other people doing things."

Another added: "Don't feed the flat earth trolls."

But still the conspiracy-mad members of chat pushed on, with some saying "you can literally see the flat edge of earth" while another, quite plainly, wrote: "IT IS FLAT."

For the latest breaking news stories and incredible tales from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

The flat Earth theory can have severe consequences, particularly for children and teenagers who are exposed to it, as it can lead to a lack of critical thinking and rational reasoning.

It is essential for parents and educators to address flat Earth beliefs in a sensitive and informed manner, by providing accurate information and promoting critical thinking and scientific literacy.

Title:

Content: Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Opinion

Parents Are Among Teachers’ Best Assets

By Larry Ferlazzo — April 05, 2022 11 min read
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(This is the final post in a two-part series. You can see Part One here.)

The new question-of-the-week is:

What are the most important lessons you have learned from the families of your students?

In Part One, Sarah Cooper, Rocio del Castillo, and Don Vu shared their experiences.

Today, Hilary Kreisberg, Jeremy Hyler, and Amanda Kipnis wrap up this series.

‘The Four Core Wants’

Hilary Kreisberg is the director of the Center for Mathematics Achievement at Lesley University and the co-author of the books Partnering with Parents in Elementary Math: A Guide for Teachers and Leaders (2021) and Adding Parents to the Equation: Understanding Your Child’s Elementary School Math (2019):

I have had the privilege of spending the past four years interviewing families of elementary students, as well as teachers and school leaders at the elementary level, as I try to deepen my understanding of how educators can help parents, guardians, and caregivers better support their children’s mathematics learning. During this time, I’ve learned many important lessons from the families of these students.

Below I share the three most important lessons I believe impact our ability as educators to partner effectively with parents, caregivers, and families. Note: Moving forward, I use the word “parents” on its own for ease. Please know this term includes caregivers, guardians, and families in its use.

Lesson #1: Parents are assets to our work.

Each and every parent, no matter their situation, wants the best for their children. Yet, sometimes educators view parents as obstacles, rather than valuable partners who can help get their child to where they need to be. Take a moment and reflect on your personal core beliefs: (1) Do you believe all families want what is best for their children? (2) Do you believe all families have the capacity to support their children’s learning? (3) Do you believe that families and school staff are equal partners? (4) Do you believe that the responsibility for cultivating (and sustaining) partnerships between school, home, and community belongs primarily to school staff, especially leaders? These four core beliefs, originally identified by Henderson, Mapp, Johnson, and Davies (2007), help educators consider whether they truly believe a child’s family is essential to the child’s success.

In order for us to view parents as partners and as assets to our work, especially in mathematics, we need to recognize the strengths, knowledge, and skills they bring. Yet, there are times in which parents have felt that educators have “written them off” or made inaccurate assumptions leading themto feel like they are not able to help support their own child’s learning journey. While it may be easier to write parents off as obstacles, taking a deficit approach to partnering with parents can limit your communication and ultimately impact your relationships. Thus, Lesson #1: View parents as assets and find ways to partner with them.

Lesson #2: The more the knowledge, the lesser the ego.

Throughout my interviews with parents, one thing became obviously clear: The more understanding they had, the more at ease they were about their child’s mathematics learning and less defensive and argumentative about the way we teach math today.

After I finished asking my set of questions, I always gave parents a chance to ask any questions they had. Almost every single time I was asked, “Why are they doing math this way? Why did it change?” with the occasional addendum that they turned out just fine the way they learned math. Within minutes of giving them a very abbreviated history and justification, I immediately heard sighs of relief with one parent even stating, “Just this conversation alone has been so helpful. It’s more than I received from the school.” Parents don’t want to replace the teacher; they simply want to be informed. Thus, Lesson #2: Provide parents enough information to make them feel knowledgeable.

Lesson #3: Parents want to feel helpful, intelligent, confident, and familiar.

Feeling knowledgeable is important but isn’t the only thing parents want. Ultimately, parents also want to be able to: (1) help their child, (2) look intelligent in front of their child, (3) feel confident that they are steering their child in the right direction, and (4) communicate with their child about their learning.

These are what my co-author and I call “The Four Core Wants.” As educators, we must find ways to ensure parents are getting their four core wants met—whether that be by providing a survey at the beginning of the year asking parents what questions they have about the content you will teach so you can proactively support them or by sending home unit previews where you outline the content and jargon parents will face. Thus,Lesson #3: Communicate enough so parents can confidently talk with their child about their learning.

Citations:

Henderson, A., Mapp, K., Johnson, V., & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York, NY: The New Press.

Pass on the Emails

Jeremy Hyler is a middle school English and media-literacy teacher in Michigan. He has co-authored Create, Compose, Connect! Reading, Writing, and Learning with Digital Tools (Routledge/Eye on Education) and From Texting to Teaching: Grammar Instruction in a Digital Age, as well as Ask, Explore, Write. Jeremy blogs at MiddleWeb and hosts his own podcast Middle School Hallways. He can be found on Twitter @jeremybballer and at his website jeremyhyler40.com:

Over the past 20 years, I have learned many lessons from the families that have come through my classroom.

One lesson I have learned is that every family has a story, and as educators, we need to take that into consideration when dealing with students, parents, and guardians. Unfortunately, we never learn about every aspect of our families or our students. However, when we do learn about a student’s unique situation and have empathy toward it, we have a greater chance of reaching that student’s potential and helping them to see the value in receiving a valuable education. Too many times, I have encountered students who have bigger responsibilities at home than completing their homework for me. Often, they have siblings to care for, a house to clean, and they are expected to get dinner on the table. Education, believe it or not, is not a high priority in the home, and we need to understand what families are going through. We can help them by showing them how to find resources that could improve their situation, if they are willing.

Another lesson I have learned during my time as a teacher from families is how best to communicate with them. It is so easy to send out an email in our busy teaching lives and it is very convenient to do so between classes, grading papers, and staff meetings. However, I have learned that sending emails is not always the best way to communicate with families. Too many times, my emails have been misinterpreted.

On the flip side, I have also misinterpreted parents and the emails they have sent as well. It is easy to do, and yes, though tone can be established in an email, it is hard to understand someone’s tone if you don’t communicate with them regularly. I can’t always imagine what a parent is saying compared with a text my son may send me. What this has taught me is to take the time to pick up the phone and call parents/guardians. Yes, it means taking more time, but it is worth it. If you don’t get through the first time, simply leave a message. If you don’t ever hear back from the individual, simply send an email requesting a phone call or even a face-to-face meeting. Making a simple request for a phone call does not allow for misinterpretation, and it also shows the parent you respect the fact you would rather talk to them instead of sending an email. The more we communicate with parents effectively, the better the educational process can be for everyone involved.

These two areas are just a few of the things I have learned in my 20 years of teaching.

Listen!

Amanda Kipnis is a passionate educator who teaches a 3rd-5th grade special day class for students with moderate to severe disabilities in Lemon Grove, Calif. She enjoys finding new ways to incorporate social-emotional learning into curriculum and spends her little free time coaching softball and Girls On The Run. Amanda was named to the 2020 class of Curriculum Associates Extraordinary Educators:

Teaching students with special needs virtually this past year provided me with a unique opportunity to have my students’ parents intimately involved in literally every aspect of their child’s education. While intimidating and at times frustrating, this also presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to observe family dynamics and engage in daily discourse with my students’ families. My takeaways from talking to parents this year are:

  1. Stop talking and listen! This was the most important lesson. This year, I wrote some of my best IEPs by combining my educational expertise with parents’ expert knowledge of their child. Increased communication allowed me to better understand where parents are coming from and what their goals and dreams for their child are. For example, I would not typically include a name-writing goal in a 5th grader’s IEP (at this point, we’d move to typing or other accommodations), but when a mom told me about her big Hispanic family and how they’re always signing cards for birthdays, showers, and weddings, it made sense. I also knew I had family buy-in, which increases the child’s chances of success.
  2. Parents need and want training. Watching families “help” their children during distance learning made it glaringly obvious just how unprepared many parents were for working with their children. Many wonderful parents were caught in the trap of overprompting and/or repeating the same verbal cues over and over and then becoming frustrated when their child’s work didn’t improve. They would also do the work for their child as if I were expecting a perfect product. Parents need to be taught that the uncomfortable thinking time their child engages in is when learning happens. That’s the power of wait time.

    Training parents on the least-to-most prompt hierarchy (providing verbal, gestural, model, and, lastly, physical prompts) transferred ownership of learning to the students while promoting independence. Providing a short and very basic training on principles of behavior helped increase on-task behaviors while decreasing attention-seeking ones. This training “simply” focused on the functions of behavior (attention, access, escape, and sensory) and on the importance of providing/ withholding reinforcement. The parents I worked with were highly receptive to these training sessions. Many showed up to these optional “coffee with the teacher” trainings, and I saw immediate improvement in their confidence and their ability to facilitate their child’s learning.

  3. Shared resources need to meet each family’s individual needs. The final lesson I learned from my families this year is that you can provide all the resources in the world, but if they don’t meet a family’s needs, they won’t be used. Things to consider include access to technology and the internet, access to books, amount of time supportive adults can spend with their child, and preferred language of materials (and instructions).

    Thanks to my school district providing laptops and hot spots, all of my students had access to Google Classroom and YouTube, and thus, access to thousands of learning videos and read alouds. For families without many books at home, this was life changing! For busy or working families, websites (such as ABCYa!, Starfall, Boom Cards, and Dance Mat Typing) and online curricula (i-Ready, ST Math) were our favorite go-to resources. For other families, old-fashioned flashcards and worksheets were preferred, but the instructions on how to interact with said materials were provided in their home language. All families want to support their child’s education. It’s up to us as educators to listen and to empower parents by providing the resources they need to be successful.

Thanks to Hilary, Jeremy, and Amanda for contributing their thoughts.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email (The RSS feed for this blog, and for all Ed Week articles, has been changed by the new redesign—new ones are not yet available). And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 10 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below.

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
Abdurrahim Ali
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editorial Board
Abdurrahim Ali
Educational Portal
A student was violently beaten at a Cairo school.
Educational teacher identifies ways and mechanisms to reduce the phenomenon
Follow the latest news through the app
Cairo governorate witnessed on Wednesday the incident of a teacher assaulting a student by severe beating in an experimental school, great interest, and a video of the incident was widely circulated, and everyone expressed their rejection of this method.
« Portal News », discussed Dr. Maha Abdel Qader, professor of the fundamentals of education, Faculty of Education for Girls in Cairo - Al-Azhar University.
She said that the educational institution plays a major role in modifying the behavior of the learner within the framework of the educational process, and this amendment extends in cooperation with the family, which contributes to providing the learner with balanced life experiences in order to achieve the integration between the educational institutional entity and the family entity.
She added: When we hear or witness a case of abuse by those who represent the noble message, we ask a legitimate question: Has beating become one of the authorized means of education, whether in the educational institution or at home? practices of the individual throughout his life.
Dr. Maha Abdelkader pointed out that the learner has rights that should not be ignored or wasted, and that he has duties represented in the performance and tasks he performs through activities intended and planned by experienced people, including teachers who possess quality teaching performance skills. It absorbs the energies of learners and invests them in the desired direction until the educational goals are achieved in its various fields and prepared in advance.
And the learner fails to perform a task assigned to the teacher to follow professional skills to achieve the learner goal associated with the educational experience to be acquired, including the skill of feedback that helps him to correct the error and stand on the shortcomings, and when the matter entrusted to the teacher uses the skill of reinforcement that makes him love the content of learning and who teaches it, and then the methods of control is subject to conviction to adopt the philosophy of work Classroom that ensures that the teacher is safe to act against the abuses that may be issued by the learners during the teaching, and even makes the learners safe and unintimidating in their places and during their legitimate movements in the classroom environment.
Despite the measures taken by the institutions, departments and the Ministry of Education towards the illegal practices that may be issued, such as beatings, which are monitored, there are control mechanisms that may help to reduce this unusual phenomenon and other phenomena that are not acceptable in values or society.
- Adopting work rules that maintain the emotional balance of the two parties to the educational process through the classroom environment with its various components.
- Formulation of training programs for those responsible for educational institutions, including teachers and administrators, dealing with the skills of dealing and interaction with the learners.
- Effective communication between the educational institution and the family to address the problems that may face the learner and then develop joint solutions that contribute to solving them.
- Attention to the documentary file, which includes describing the behavior of learners and developing mechanisms for immediate treatment of undesirable behaviors in a functional way.
- Formulate educational seminars for teachers that clarify the risks and problems of physical abuse of learners during the educational process; in order to avoid them and guard against their practice.
- Clarify the legislation that confirms the criminalization of physical assault on learners regardless of the reasons behind it.
- Immediately communicate with the parent and call him because of the occurrence of what may be issued by the learner of undesirable behaviors towards his colleagues or those who teach him.
- Adopting the language of dialogue at home, which may show abnormal practices towards learners for immediate reporting to the educational institution or its authorities.
- Activating the language of family dialogue about what may be experienced by children from educational problems related to educational experiences or various daily dealings within the educational institution.
- Work to open multiple channels of communication, both digital and non-digital, between the institution and the family to reduce the problems caused by the practice of undesirable behavior by the learner.
- The belief of both the family and the educational institution in the importance of concerted efforts towards modifying the behavior of learners with modern methods and methods.
- Adopting the idea of   prompt justice for complaints that reach the investigative bodies and publicizing them through the educational and official media in the state.
- Ensure the definition of rights and duties through the rules of work announced by the educational institution and ensure their activation and punishment of those who change them from both sides of the educational process (teacher _ learner).
- Emphasize the origins of the good relationship between the two parties of the educational process (teacher _ learner), which is based on friendliness, compassion, love, mutual respect and moral appreciation.
- Training the teacher to deal professionally with all forms of behavioral disorders that may suffer from some learners.
- The positive role of the family in supporting the respect, appreciation and obedience of the teacher in order to obtain experiences that contribute to the building of minds and qualitative skills.
- Emphasize that teachers practice all the performances that contribute to building the personality of the learner, and avoid negative practices that may lead to the loss of personality or adopt methods of violence and various forms of bullying.
- Interest in the emotional aspect of the learner through the activities of the content of education, leading to the acquisition of the total value system noble target instilled.
- The educational institution shall take the necessary measures and procedures to protect the parties to the educational process (teacher - learner), especially when unusual problems occur.
- The teacher follows modern teaching strategies through which the learner plays active roles in which he invests his energy and meets his educational needs, reduces attempts to depart from the institutional system, and desires more love of scientific inquiry.
- Activate the tasks assigned to the psychological and social guidance for all employees of the educational institution in order to provide appropriate assistance and how to deal with the challenges of various personal, social and emotional patterns.
It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Education and Technical Education has taken action on the incident, which was circulated through the social networking site « Facebook », showing a teacher severely beating in Khartoum, on one of his students.
According to what was circulated through social networking sites, that the incident occurred at Omar bin Abdul Aziz experimental language school affiliated to the Ain Shams administration in Cairo, for a teacher of "mathematics", they punished a student in the sixth grade primary.
The source confirmed that the teacher was immediately referred for investigation into the legal affairs of the educational department affiliated to it, and he was excluded from the school.

Critical thinking is a crucial skill that can help individuals evaluate information and make informed decisions, and it is essential for navigating the complexities of the modern world.

Title:

Content: Parents were given advice on how to develop critical thinking in a child
Critical thinking consists of the body of knowledge that a person receives throughout life, including at school and in a higher educational institution.
Nevertheless, the basis of such an attitude lies in the mental sphere of a person, primarily in his attitude to the data obtained.
And these criteria and values are laid down from childhood.
About this "Gazeta.Ru" told the teacher of history of the school "New look", graduate student of HSE Niyaz Galyaviev.
“This is about understanding the criteria for reliability of information.
A person should not perceive the information as knowingly true and truthful.
It must be evaluated by the criteria of reliability of information: is its source reliable, is a professional expert cited certain data? ” he explained.
First of all, as the teacher said, the basic attitudes of the future adult are formed in the family.
Such mentality and approach begin with household issues.
“How much do parents give the child the opportunity to express their own opinion on a particular issue?
Are they ready, and most importantly, do they want to discuss the situation and their point of view with him?
Therefore, initially it is necessary to create an appropriate atmosphere within the family: with the appropriate values, approach and the ability to challenge the child ’ s point of view of the parents, ” the specialist stressed.
Next comes the school.
It is clear that parents cannot influence the school itself much if there is an atmosphere of “non-discussion ” of decisions in it.
However, parents can take this aspect into account when choosing a school for their child.
“It is necessary to pay attention to the teaching staff of the school, to the atmosphere prevailing in it, the style of communication between the leadership and teachers.
All this in general will form an understanding of what attitude prevails in the school to students and whether it is possible to foster critical thinking in children, ” added Galyaviev.
The teacher also gave some advice to parents.
The first of them is to discuss more with your child various situations, yours and his attitude towards them.
Here we are talking both about everyday life events, and about situations and plots in books and films.
“Model situations by taking one side or the other.
Look for arguments with your child to defend different points of view.
Teach the child the culture of argument and tell him how to use facts and arguments in it.
It is also worth paying attention to the social sciences, the processes in which can be understood and discussed.
They can be your helpers in the formation of critical thinking of the child.
It is, first and foremost, history and social science.
Let me give an example of a story - discuss historical events with your child, express your reasoned attitude to them.
And if it comes to recent history, then tell about those historical events that you witnessed to give an alternative or supplement the knowledge gained at school.
In fact, you will be another source of historical information for the child, ” he advised.
In addition, special attention to the development of critical thinking can be paid to additional classes.
“Parents ’ aides can be clubs or debate clubs.
They teach to build a discussion, to look for arguments in favor of a particular point of view.
Children also have the opportunity to defend not only their opinion, but also, participating in simulated situations, the opinion of the opposite side.
And in public speaking courses, as a rule, they inculcate the skill of speaking in front of a large number of people, they are taught to cope with anxiety and experiences.
Such classes give the child self-confidence, which is important, and also inculcate the skill of forming possible questions and preparing answers to them, ” the expert said.
You can also pay attention to the sections, which prepare for future professions, assuming the skill of critical thinking as hard skills.
These are, first of all, circles of young journalists and historians.
This is where they talk about the criteria for reliability of information.
For example, that the data are not true if they are not confirmed from 2-3 sources.
“Of course, a favorable time for the development of critical thinking is the teenage age of the child, when faith in authority begins to be questioned, ” added Galyaviev.
According to the teacher, critical thinking significantly affects the independence of a person, forms his independence from other people's judgments.
He will be able to make his own decisions and thus manage his own life.
An adult with critical thinking cannot be held hostage to other people ’ s opinions, authorities and delusions.
He will form his attitude to the situation, based on an objective attitude to it.
Such adults will not become the object of manipulation of other people, will be able to recognize their hypocrisy and dishonesty, as well as hidden motives, the expert concluded.

Title:

Content: We need to learn that if it's on the internet, it doesn't have to be true

Children use ChatGPT in school, February 2023 Copyright AP Photo/Euronews
By Yoan Blanc, Co-director, C'est vrai ça?
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

Investing in education and the development of critical thinking is more important than ever, as it will help to limit the risks of disinformation posed by the advent of technologies such as the internet and AI, Yoan Blanc writes.

In its new report on education and technology, published on 26 July 2023, UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report discusses the risks and opportunities that new technologies hold for the future of education.

The report points out that only around half of 15-year-olds in OECD countries are able to tell facts from opinions.

With the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), more than ever, educators play a vital role in teaching the critical thinking and autonomy needed to navigate new technologies.

As we have observed in recent years, disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theories have gained ground.

While it is worrying to see the often-morbid impact of fake news, we also need to consider how susceptible people are to these theories, and the lack of education about technology, which leads some people to think that “if it's on the Internet, it must be true”.

Pre-existing issues, a smouldering fire that just needed oxygen

A pre-existing situation has made it easier for people to buy into the idea.

Disinformation campaigns haven't enjoyed the success they have based solely on a particular set of circumstances.

The COVID-19 crisis merely acted as a catalyst, stoking a fire that had been smouldering for quite some time due to a number of factors that slowly came to light.

The media has become polarised in recent years, favouring ideology and punchlines over in-depth debates on social issues.

As the latest RSF report shows, freedom of the press is under threat in many countries, including those that were once regarded as democratic.

Public confidence in the press has rarely been so low, and the work of journalists is often denigrated, even though they are the foundation of a healthy democratic system.

The media has become polarised in recent years, favouring ideology and punchlines over in-depth debates on social issues.

The lack of digital literacy and critical thinking

It's hard to properly account for the surge in fake news. The general public has very little understanding of how social media work and sometimes takes falsely sourced or openly conspiracy-themed publications at face value.

Acquiring easily implemented methodological tools would undoubtedly help to avoid these pitfalls.

The main reason fake news goes viral is a lack of critical thinking. Part of the population doesn't know how to think critically and doesn't analyse the information they are given.

Social media is the favourite channel for spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation.

There is also the question of social media moderation, which is at best inadequate, at worst non-existent, and essentially based on user reports, with the impending risk of a 'militia' effect.

It allows for swift and massive dissemination thanks to its sharing functions and algorithms that highlight the sort of “divisive” content that generates reactions (the more intense the emotion, the more viral the information).

There is also the question of social media moderation, which is at best inadequate, at worst non-existent, and essentially based on user reports, with the impending risk of a "militia" effect.

The reports they make are processed by people who often don't speak French, leading to bizarre situations where overtly racist content can be allowed to remain online.

Worse still, as content deletion is sometimes based on the number of reports received, journalists' or fact-checkers' accounts or publications are regularly deleted or suspended as a result of massive reporting campaigns.

How can we fix this?

Citizens' initiatives that complement the work of the press need to take shape to counter fake news on social media.

Because while disinformation's main weapon is virality, it is still possible to mitigate the viral impact of a publication by reacting quickly to provide simple, accessible, and well-sourced explanations.

C’est vrai, ça?, for instance, has over twenty volunteers working on a citizens' initiative to check LinkedIn posts.

With an average of 10 fact-checking operations a day and 70,000 followers, they help prevent the spread of fake news or at least encourage critical thinking by providing sourced commentary.

This is where education comes in

To stem the tide of disinformation upstream, there is a solution that is both simple on paper and yet terribly difficult to implement in practice: education.

Training teachers to work with and use new technologies so that they can pass on critical thinking methods to their pupils, whether it be social media or content-generating artificial intelligence tools accessible to the general public (ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc.).

Whereas in the past, the challenge for the public was to gain access to the knowledge needed to contradict dogma, today, the challenge is to sort through the mass of information.

Here too, partnerships could be devised between schools and community associations to train students in the use of new technologies, to encourage them to question what they consult and to use the tools at their disposal to reflect rather than just consume.

The Internet and artificial intelligence are formidable instruments, providing access to information that was previously unavailable.

But like any other tool, they need to be properly mastered. Access to knowledge and education has always been a means of empowering people.

Whereas in the past, the challenge for the public was to gain access to the knowledge needed to contradict dogma, today, the challenge is to sort through the mass of information.

We have to invest in knowledge to solve this once and for all

Learning the basic techniques of OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) — how to detect texts or images generated by artificial intelligence or how to analyse a source of information — are all skills that are accessible from a very young age and help protect the human mind against manipulation.

Investing in education and the development of critical thinking is more important than ever, as it will help to limit the risks of disinformation posed by the advent of technologies such as the internet and AI.

To achieve this, we need genuine political commitment and enlightened governance to analyse the risks and work together to develop effective standards that protect us all from fake news.

Yoan Blanc is the co-director of C'est vrai ça?, an independent civic initiative that brings together private citizens who want to fight back against fake news.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

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Tunde Onakoya, the Nigerian changing young lives across Africa with chess (Inspire Africa)

Out-of-School Education in Uzbekistan

Parents and educators can promote critical thinking by discussing situations with children, modeling argument culture, and providing opportunities for debate and critical discussion.

The long-term effects of flat Earth beliefs on children's cognitive development can be detrimental, as believing Earth is flat can waste children's time in proving axioms and hinder their critical thinking.

It is essential for parents and educators to be aware of the potential risks of flat Earth beliefs and to take steps to mitigate them, by promoting critical thinking, scientific literacy, and evidence-based understanding.

Overall, the flat Earth theory is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that requires a nuanced and informed approach, and it is essential to promote critical thinking, scientific literacy, and evidence-based understanding to address it [15, 20, 22].

Title:

Content: Support Your Freedom to Speak:
The Moon Is Made Of Plasma (Ancient Mystery Teacher, FEN, VOC, AWR)
20 views
FLATEARTH NATIONS
Published Yesterday |

Thanks to Ancient Mystery Teacher @TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ancientmysteryteacher/

PLASMA MOON And GREATER WORLD MAP
https://www.bitchute.com/video/eIg05MTfbhZ3/
GREATER WORLD MAP And MACROCLIMATE CHANGE
https://www.bitchute.com/video/OFBL8gK0kszq/
Great Conspiracy Behind Great Reset
https://www.bitchute.com/video/RAJphd6FD618/
All The Moon Landings/Missions Were Faked To Hide This Fact
https://www.bitchute.com/video/cm4MJVXnfu6I/

Download the above videos (higher resolution):
PLASMA MOON And GREATER WORLD MAP
https://archive.org/details/plasma-moon
GREATER WORLD MAP And MACROCLIMATE CHANGE
https://archive.org/details/macro-climate-change
Great Conspiracy Behind Great Reset
https://archive.org/details/great-conspiracy
All The Moon Landings/Missions Were Faked To Hide This Fact
https://archive.org/details/moon-mirrors-earth

FLATEARTH NATIONS
WordPress: https://flatearthnations.wordpress.com
BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/flatearth-nations
Brighteon: https://www.brighteon.com/channels/flatearthnations
VIBES OF COSMOS
Mountaindub: https://mountaindub.bandcamp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VIBESOFCOSMOS
Odysee: https://odysee.com/@VibesOfCosmos:4
AEWAR
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aewaranon

Keywords
hoaxnasaapolloflat earthmoon landingfake spaceplasma moonartermis

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Title:

Content: Egypt News
Astronomical Research Institute: "Professor Sobhy" The Earth is spherical not flat
Thank you for reading the news about the Institute of Astronomical Research: "Professor Sobhy" The Earth is round, not flat, and now with the details of the news
Cairo - Samia Sayed - Mahmoud Ragheb Books
Tuesday ، 23 July 2024 11: 22 PM
The National Institute for Astronomical Research confirmed that astronomy since the Greeks through the Islamic civilization until the rise of man to space confirmed one fact, which is that the Earth is not flat but spherical like the rest of the planets.
The institute said in a statement: "We ask the media and technical community to be careful not to publish conspiracy theories or pseudoscience that has no research origin."
The statement of the Institute of Astronomy comes in response to the claims of the artist Mohammed Sobhi in his interview last Thursday with the program "Nazra" broadcast on the satellite "Echo of the country", that "research proved that the Earth is not spherical," while he asked a question surprised "imagine what we have been doing?".
Mohammed Sobhi added: "You say that there are inhabited areas that are not the end of the land after the north and south poles," adding: "There is no land that we do not know (we do not know) and we have not been able to reach it."
Sobhi predicted that the coming months will witness a climate risk - he did not name it - and asked about the South Pole, the artist replied: "The subject of the South Pole I will not talk about because it needs rings," as he put it.
In response to the statements of artist Mohamed Sobhi, which sparked controversy on digital platforms in the country, the Observatory called on the media and artistic communities to be careful not to publish what it described as "conspiracy theories."
You can follow the news of Egypt and the world from our website
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Title:

Content: The Mountain State’s TRUSTED news source.

Click here to stay informed and subscribe to The Charleston Gazette-Mail.

Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists.

Learn more about HD Media

Scientists have concluded that the human capacity for believing in nonsense stretches slightly beyond infinity. Natural immunity prevents COVID-19? John F. Kennedy Jr. is making plans to appear at Dealey Plaza in Dallas? Pillow guy Mike Lindell has a big file of evidence of a “rigged election?” Donald Trump represents humanity’s hope of bringing to bay a cult of baby eaters?

It’s unnerving that people believe such baseless claims. The issue isn’t whether such assertions are true, but rather how we are to deal with the roiling mess of factors that transport a good American, one who might gladly lend a hand to help a neighbor in need, to believe them.

Acceptance by the group is a powerful motivator. Once you are in, the warmth of group approval keeps you there. However, question the authority or, worse, ask, “What’s the evidence?” and one’s place in the group may come to a quick end. Those who are searching for simple answers to complex questions, as well as those who struggle for social affiliation are, thus, vulnerable to cult-like thinking.

A Monitor on Psychology article by Kirsten Weir pointed to an additional reason that some of us latch onto fantasies. We tend to accept something as true if it supports what we already have come to believe, such as a moral value, as behavioral scientists cited by Weir have discovered.

For example, University of California researchers Drs. Peter Ditto and Brittany Liu found that people who were morally opposed to condom education were less likely to believe the well-established facts that condoms are effective at preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

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Similarly, Dr. Tony Campbell and his research team at the University of Oregon sought out both the supporters of same-sex marriage and those who oppose it. Half of those in each group were presented with fictional data suggesting that children raised by same-sex parents will experience poor outcomes, while the remaining members of each group reviewed information suggesting healthy outcomes. The “evidence” tended to be seen as factual when it supported one’s side of the debate. But when the evidence did not support their view, the participants argued that their opposition was based on moral values, rather than on facts.

Perhaps there is a parallel to those who oppose COVID-19 vaccination but, when shown the evidence of vaccine effectiveness, mount moral objections, such as vaccines being an effort to reduce their freedoms.

Media, including the internet, play a role, too. The internet makes it easy to become enmeshed in the cadre who “confirm” what we wish was true. This week, the parents of several children who were murdered in the Sandy Hook school shooting successfully concluded their lawsuit against professional charlatan Alex Jones. On his show, Jones repeatedly had claimed that the shootings were a government “false flag” to justify greater gun control. Probably, the many listeners who agreed with Jones were already averse to gun control laws on moral or political grounds. Interestingly, rather than show up with evidence to defend himself, Jones defaulted on the parents’ lawsuit.

What can be done to stem the acceptance of demonstrably false beliefs? It is important to start with children, Weir says. A Stanford study shows that kids can be taught to pay attention to the source of information, to consider the possible biases of that source, to learn the motives of the source and to consider what might have been left out of a media report. Surely, grownups can cultivate those skills, too, if they aren’t already convinced it would subject them to governmental mind control.

Joseph Wyatt is a Gazette-Mail contributing columnist and emeritus professor at Marshall University. Reach him at wyatt@marshall.edu.

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Title:

Content: in educational environments.
Undemocratic Democracy (1)
"Democracy of non-democracy" is the democracy by which individuals in society deal with each other, away from its governance framework, is the "democracy" that carries within it all the meanings that have evolved across generations by the forces and changes social, political, cultural and scientific, and what the jurists of various sciences and disciplines, and linked to its original true meaning, is democracy that still pulsates in its spirit values, virtues and ethics. It serves the interest of the individual and the community without conflict, is the democracy that must be represented by the members of society in parallel with the regimes, in order to achieve a smooth consensus between what the citizen does and what the regime wants.
We need to develop the features of the "democratic personality" in individuals in our societies to be practiced routinely and spontaneously by all.
Democratic Personality
We need to develop the features and characteristics of the "democratic personality" in individuals in our societies to be practiced routinely and automatically by all, in which the educator and educator, the president and subordinate, the servant and the servant, deal with each other with the same principles and foundations to achieve the meanings of freedom, equality and participation, decision-making and adherence to rules and laws, upholding social justice, consolidating rights and duties, and the common good.
‘ Democracy ’ in Education
In general, regardless of which democratic models we speak, it is worth first to teach individuals the values and meanings of democracy, to embody them in their attitudes and behaviors by adopting educational models ranging from first: “training ” in the habits of democracy, and by conveying information through clear approaches designed to develop behaviors and attitudes that conform to the spirit and essence of democracy, using experience and practice.
Second: “Direct confrontation ” with the socio-political reality, with the aim of developing democratic values and accommodating their different positions, by exposing students and integrating them in social issues and issues that emanate from their living reality.
The role of individuals in making positive qualitative impacts in the cultural, socio-political and economic spheres extends throughout their professional and cultural career.
Outputs
Individuals learn the meanings, behaviors and ethics of democracy as an embodiment of the concept of "good citizenship" in practice, and it is evident after they graduate from school when they engage in their societies, whether higher education, vocational education or the labor market, to perform multiple roles that require modern skills and competencies, in which rights, duties and tasks are balanced. Where the graduate finds himself faced in life experiences similar to what he learned in school, the individual forms cumulative constructive educational experiences in various situations of his life, contribute to the development of his personal experiences and at the level of relations, and enrich his understanding of life and how to interact with it. His surroundings.
One of the features of the "Democratic Parental Education" is to focus on explaining the rules and laws, their importance and usefulness in our lives, and help the child to understand them whenever he violates them instead of punishing him
Parental democracy
“Parental democracy ” shines at its height when parents treat their children with justice and equality based on respect and dignity, and this value is manifested when parents give their children the space to choose what suits them, according to age group, stage of learning and development, and children have to take responsibility for their choices.
In order for the child to realize his responsibility towards his choices and their consequences, the rope of communication with them should be kept vital and strong for education and awareness, to activate the principle of self-control in the child, and to train in the possibility of modification and development after review and accountability.
One of the features of “Democratic Parenting Education ” is to focus on explaining the rules and laws, their importance and usefulness in our lives, and to help the child understand them whenever they violate them instead of punishing them.
A democratic educator does not leave an opportunity for the child to do a desirable job only and reward him for it. How can a child abide by the laws if we do not praise him every time he chooses a good deed that is in accordance with the rule or the law agreed upon, in contrast, punishment for breaking the law should be mitigated and linked to the educational goal to be meaningful.
The democratic mother / father responds to the needs of his child and motivates him always to achieve his goals, and in turn leaves the room for his child to choose things related to his daily life such as the color of clothes or between useful foods. We accustom the child to be responsible for the results of his choices. This is an important principle consistent with positivity and equality / justice. Taking into account the age group, stage of development and abilities, the opinion of the child is respected even if we disagree with him.
The most important link in the above milestones is to enhance the skill of constructive dialogue. Dialogue is a means to reach your child ’ s heart and mind without distorting their original nature. Dialogue is a language of understanding and a way to build healthy, healthy and positive relationships. Love, care and tenderness remain food for your child ’ s heart and mind, and a safe fence to prevent disturbances. Anxiety and rebellion.
When parents leave the child to choose for himself and make his own decisions, their shadow remains tender for their child from afar, watching him, helping him and guiding him towards the right decision.
Does patriarchal democracy have its drawbacks or shortcomings?
Because democracy opens a space for discussion, dialogue and asking questions, in certain cases, children, especially in the age of adolescence, may go beyond the limits of literature when dealing with their parents, and begin to hold them accountable in the form of questions and inquiries, and while expressing their opinion on matters of home management, they may abuse their opinion without respecting the views of others, this is normal and expected. End of course.
Children should understand the difference between discipline and freedom of will and choice, and that there are rules and limits to the exercise of equality and freedom of expression that should not be exceeded.
The main driver, to achieve a balance between freedom of expression and commitment to literature and respect, is to strengthen communication and communication with children using dialogue skills, and to exploit relevant situations and events, to remind the rules, laws, options and possible consequences in a clear and understandable way, and repetition is the master of consolidation.
For parent-child communication to work, parents should be interested in building a relationship of love, affection and friendship with the child, away from dictating orders and imposing prohibitions.
When parents leave the child to choose for himself and make his own decisions, their shadow remains tender for their child from afar, watching him, helping him and guiding him towards the most correct decision, because the cultivation of skills needs training by the learner, and leadership by the educator, until they are refined.
Parents should educate themselves to be able to understand, apply and practice information and skills related to patriarchal democracy.
In order to mitigate the negative consequences that may occur during the practice and application of the principles and meanings of democracy, it is best that both parents serve as role models for the child, and that the parenting style should be consistent, so that the actions of the parents do not contradict their words, but are compatible and consistent with each other, and this requires assertiveness with self, patience and commitment.
Perhaps one of the most important factors that make the child feel safe and credible is the extent of agreement between the mother and the father about the educational methods, and the harmony of decisions taken by one or both of them about their child in something, and if the child feels any contradiction or doubts about their credibility, it will cause him confusion and undermine confidence in their guidance.
Parents must continually educate themselves in order to be able to understand, apply and practice information and skills related to patriarchal democracy, and any jolt the child may feel may cause him to take advantage of the ignorance of the parents and begin to elude and break from discipline and adherence to democratic rules.
It may happen under the pressures of life and increasing its burdens that parents get tired of dialogue with their children and tend to tolerate and accept everything the children say or do, and this is a dangerous slippage that gives the child full independence without controls, and then leads to the loss of control of the parents, and the loss of the language of dialogue, and the most important tool of communication between them and their children. They lose their democratic significance, and children disintegrate with time of commitment and respect for their parents.
The most important rule
"Balance" is a divine year, a universal law, which sets things right, and keeps them from exaggeration and loss, each case measured in terms of age, sex, educational goal, stage of growth and development, character of the child, size of benefit, harm suffered, etc.
It is the task of parents to balance discipline and free expression, free choice and knowledge of the consequences, independence and respect for the views and advice of parents, and to build a healthy relationship that can give flexibility to a relationship that is subject to challenges and fluctuations, but remains the cornerstone of human development and development.

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Content: Education Myths
Policymakers often turn to experts when it comes to designing a suspension bridge or using a new drug against deadly diseases.
In the face of thorny educational issues, educational policy makers tend to back up their reform decisions and plans with simplistic assumptions and biases, based on selective employment of scientific research.
If one of the teacher ’ s central tasks is to challenge perceptions in his learners ’ minds and urge them to revise them in the light of logical arguments, the entire system lacks evidence to deconstruct simplistic judgments and misuse the unexamined interpretations of psychology and neuroscience to ensure that our children do not receive a poor education.
Phillip Eide and Justin Dillon, in their public perception of “lousy education, ” raise the case for a group of global experts to monitor models of irrational application and exaggerated claims within educational systems. The editors start from five reasons why the expert should return to the reins of power and remove the cover of science that education policymakers are cloaked with.
The first of these reasons is dreamy thinking, or what the educator wishes to believe, regardless of its scientific merit.
Second, lazy thinking that justifies the acceptance of any theory that has been presented well and coordinated to improve education; for example, the assumption that teaching each child according to his or her preferred pattern enhances the quality of academic achievement.
Third: The poor use of statistics and digital data.
Fourth, it should be based on philosophical principles, rather than on empirical facts, such as the fact that the imposition of uniform makes children smarter.
Finally, excessive simplification of classification, profiling and adjudication.
These reasons have established a conviction among officials that the educational process can be fully tuned, so teachers are subject to a barrage of instructions and directions for the details of what is going on in the classroom.
This negatively affected the teacher ’ s professionalism, and prevented the critical reflection of some ideas and practices, such as the theory of multiple intelligences, simply because they have government support!
Parents fall victim to the prevalent representation that there are vast differences between schools in terms of academic achievement, so the child will be better off if the school is good.
Comparisons are often based on exam results and high success rates.
But Dylan William, a professor of educational assessment at the University of London, argues that to get a good opinion, one needs to look at how well pupils actually learn in schools.
The common division of schools into good and bad hides what Dylan calls “contextual factors, ” where good results are sometimes a motivational outcome, expressed by pupils who have been given a choice of what to teach.
Some schools are socially selective, so it would be wrong to compare their performance with other institutions, which provide services in marginal areas.
It would certainly look like blaming a hospital for the high number of deaths, even though it only receives very serious cases.
Education policy assumes that the academic performance of schools is the most important thing, Dylan says, but fairness is that teachers and schools should be held accountable only for what they can influence — the integral development of a child ’ s personality, as well as his or her academic progress.
In this way, the vast majority of schools will resemble each other in such a way that the differences between them are minimal.
In addition to the subjective distinction between a good school and a bad school, there was a dubious view among parents of vocational education compared to general education and its advantages.
Especially in the midst of a technological revolution, praising intelligence and cognitive abilities.
To investigate the beliefs that fuelled this common mistake, Jay Claxton and Bill Lucas, professors at the University of Winchester, found scientific and philosophical deposits that reinforced the presence of the mind as the finest manifestation of human expression, as opposed to the body and its sinful tendencies.
Some of these simplistic judgments can be traced back to the ideas of Jean Piaget and his research, in which he considered that cognitive development necessarily leads to the abandonment of sensorimotor methods, as opposed to allowing for logical reasoning.
Progress in educational attainment has become dependent on the predominance of abstract knowledge over physical activities, and convictions have been formed that handicrafts and handicrafts do not require the operation of reason, as they are often routine, and mastery requires only observation and imitation.
Academic learning, then, was associated with a better preparation for life under the chaotic realities of everyday life.
A learner who does not pursue an academic path is seen as inferior, and is linked to a lack of mental or physical abilities, and at best a lack of motivation.
However, from the perspective of contemporary neuroscience, studying the mind-body relationship involves a great deal of appreciation for the intelligences of the body, which presupposes a high level of knowledge, sensitivity, and intuitive experience.
Mike Rose, for example, in his book Mind When It Works, talks about the complex structure of professional intelligence, and its competence to combine a set of skills to respond to a given situation; simple arithmetic becomes a complex design process for a carpenter in the workshop, and under pressure that a maths examiner may not tolerate.
In connection with the question of the classification of learners in schools, Ed Benes, a lecturer at the Institute of Education in London, raises doubts about the hypothesis on which the classification is based, based on the performance of pupils in achievement tests.
It is believed to be a procedure that will allow the teaching input and style to be adapted to their needs.
Taking stock of the results of a number of studies on the subject, Benes notes that the classification of abilities results in inequality, unequal opportunities in the use of curricula, and sources of learning.
In addition to the stigma attached to the learner when he is classified in a group of low abilities, and the possibility that classification tends, in one way or another, to the distribution of learners based on social class or race, especially when it comes to acceptance in schools, which is not without selectivity on the basis of social status.
Through its ongoing monitoring of learners ’ performance in science, reading and math assessments, the International Student Assessment Program concludes that the ability rating in schools leads to a decline in overall learner performance, widening the achievement gap between those from well-off and modest family backgrounds.
Overcoming learning-related problems cannot be solved by more categorization, but by integrating low-, medium- and high-capacity learners, and working to support teachers to adopt teaching approaches that meet each student ’ s learning needs.
Every learner has the right to be provided with conditions conducive to high-quality teaching.
Class size is one of those conditions that converge with common sense in the eyes of parents, and justify spending money on private education, which has smaller classrooms.
Teachers, in turn, believe that small classes make their job easier, so reducing their size will result in good learning performance.
But Peter Blachford, a professor of psychology at the Institute of Education in London, concludes in a wide-ranging study on the impact of class size on academic achievement that limiting class numbers can have only limited impact.
The results of the study showed that attention and learning behaviors improved in students in their first year of school, but those gains quickly declined by the third year.
The real impact of class size is linked to distinct teaching methods, such as mono-teaching, peer-to-peer learning, and computer-assisted learning.
while simply reducing the number of pupils can not necessarily lead to better learning.
There is always research evidence that teachers do not necessarily change the way they teach in small classes, and comparative international studies confirm that higher performance is achieved in education systems with larger classrooms, such as Japan and South Korea.
However, invoking international data and suggesting the importance of comparison in formulating any changes cannot substitute for factual knowledge.
Margaret Brown, a mathematics professor at the Royal College of London, challenges the common distinction, both in political and media discourse, between traditional and progressive education, believing that visions and practices in education are as simple and clear as cartoons when a politician looks at them from his first grade seat.
Brown monitors the attitudes of policymakers in England towards teaching mathematics in primary school, based on the results of international tests, some of which seem incomparable, and how concerns about computational adequacy have turned into an ideological struggle between proponents of a return to the traditional model as popular with voters and proponents of a progressive approach, even in the absence of studies suggesting a "process / product" relationship, favoring traditional or progressive education.
In a move to resolve the conflict, Brown concludes that subjecting education to traditional or modern teaching methods cannot result in any real difference in international tests.
Countries at the bottom of the ranking may use the same teaching methods as those at the top of the list, pointing to other differences, reinforced by a complex network of interconnected knowledge and skills.
In this case, it is best to support teaching methods that make learning meaningful to students.
In an effort to improve literacy rates, Pathan Marshall, who specializes in English language teaching and assessment issues, discusses the background of government support for one method of teaching rather than another, and how it relates to an ideological stance that invokes statistics and ambiguous comparisons.
In addressing the problem of illiteracy within British society, decision-makers have bet on a systemic approach, including the introduction of synthetic acoustics at the beginning of reading teaching, as it offers the vast majority of young people the best ways to become skilled readers and writers.
Advocates of this method argued that a child would need to learn 44 phonemas in English before submitting a book.
Picture books should only include words that can be decoded phonetically once displayed.
This method was adopted by the government prior to the academic review, while research by the American Reading Commission proved that there are no differences between the input of analytical and synthetic phonetics, and that English is not a fixed phonetic language, with a huge number of exceptions to each phonetic rule.
But at the level of political debate, a parliamentary group did not agree on what it considered a “one-size-fits-all ” approach, on the grounds that there is no single magic pill that guarantees all children to become readers.
So a new research project, coordinated by Professor Alexander Rubin, was launched and known as the Cambridge Review.
In his project, Rubin championed an advanced meaning of readability, going beyond recognizing words printed on the page to perceiving the overall meaning, and expanding the child ’ s horizons to think about life and the world as they actually are.
Thus, Rubin moved from a school reading aimed at submission and obedience, towards a critical reading, which responds to the cumulative cultural balance of the group, and prepares the child for criticism and accountability, in an open society that seeks to consolidate democracy.
The low literacy rate is mainly due to the fact that teachers tend to teach safely and uncreatively, and to follow the established frameworks of teaching as if it were a sacred text.
If we were to represent literacy in the curriculum, based on a conception that supports curiosity about how things came to be, and is biased towards individual responsibility and control, we would see how an active, creative, and broad-minded person forms before our eyes.
Despite the prevailing conviction that formal education is central, Justin Dillon, a professor of science at the Royal College of London, wonders why learners hate science when it is taught in classrooms, when they are captivated by the authentic experiences of “irregular ” sites such as museums, conservatories and science centers.
For ages, people have been learning by observation, trial and error, and listening to grandmothers ’ stories.
Learning has no curriculum, no classrooms, no degrees, and is often improvised.
In the 1990s, however, it will generate interest thanks to the growing number of media, providing opportunities for learning in non-school contexts and in pathways that have become an integral part of everyday life.
Rather than the common division of education into formal and informal, Dillon suggests shifting the focus of learning outward, enabling learners to have more interesting school experiences.
But there are some caveats that need to be taken into account to ensure parity.
It is true that one lesson in the open is the equivalent of seven in the classroom, as the well-known educator Tim Brighaus has said, but this fieldwork needs to be well designed and followed up effectively.
Concerns about the legal consequences of trips and outings, barriers to teachers' self-efficacy and the relationship between schools and service providers, such as centres, museums and environmental reserves, must be addressed and funding provided to strengthen partnerships.
Because education needs to keep abreast of contemporary research findings, to renew its practices and embrace more scientific insights, interesting links have emerged between it and neuroscience, unfortunately not without examples of misapplication, or the adoption of what Corey Need and Mike Anderson, supervisors of the Children ’ s Research Program at the University of Western Australia, call “neuromyths. ”
The myth has a seed of truth, but to say that we use only 10% of our brains, there is no evidence to support it.
For many years, brain maps have shown no functional regions of the human brain.
But this particular claim has received a staggering popularity in the market for mental training programs.
It is also common among educators to talk about how a person ’ s learning style varies, depending on the half of the brain they use.
People on the left tend to be more analytical and language-based, while those on the right tend to be more proficient in spatial tasks, art, and mathematics.
This myth, however, was based on the observation of the brains of their owners having accidents, and this distinction between the two lobes of the brain was a symptom of a disease, not a model of the functioning of the brain.
Most of the myths presented by the researchers stem from a misunderstanding or appreciation of the distance between two fields, each with its own language and independent approach.
The association has led to an exaggeration in the interpretation of brain scans, and the results of research related to pathology, or carried out on the brains of animals, differ in structure and function to a degree from humans.
This requires reflection, and the compilation of evidence based on a sound theoretical basis, in order to develop a literature capable of correctly employing the structure of mental processes in learning contexts.
In a similar vein, Philip Eddy, a professor of cognitive science at the Royal College of London, objects to the hasty and uncritical use of the theory of “multiple intelligences ” in the curriculum.
The secret of his objection is mainly due to the criteria used by Howard Gardner to determine what constitutes “intelligence. ”
His claim, for example, that every part of the brain is linked to a specific task is belied by the principle of harmony revealed by the advanced MRI scan, which showed that multiple brain regions combine to perform a specific task, such as vision, language, or spatial perception.
The argument that there is an evolutionary history of each intelligence, and that it grows in a particular path and is not constrained by other intelligences, does not hold up as to the fact that there is always a correlation between different abilities.
Yes, we can practically and even logically distinguish between linguistic, numerical, sensorimotor and other abilities; but psychometrics reveal that there is one common factor of intelligence that underlies all these abilities.
In his invocation of the cleverness criterion, Gardner ignores the difficulty of interpreting genius, as well as the fact that it involves a small number of exceptional individuals, and therefore cannot be used to construct a course of education that assumes its applicability to all.
The issues addressed by the authors of Bad Education range from how schools are organized to teaching methods, aptitude rating tests, mental training, and vocational education.
But behind these issues and others that have not been raised either because they are related to a local context, or because they have not yet risen to the priority ladder, a worthy challenge is raised, to pay off educational practice based on authentic scientific evidence, and to develop concepts and programs for a more realistic education, away from misinformation, and the irrational postulates of politicians and educational decision-makers without exception!
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