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This unavoidable and irreducible complexity means that schools are challenging place to study, to understand and to manage change within. Even for the teacher who spends everyday inside the school there is so much going on that unguided observations and the plans based upon them come with no guarantee of success. - We need a lens and a lever to manage this complexity. -  Such a lens is offered by the 'cultural forces'.

At the heart of mathematics are a set of connected thinking dispositions. The mathematician uses these dispositions as the cognitive tools of their trade. While the traditional imagining of mathematics might be all about the accurate application of well-rehearsed algorithms and processes, in the real world of mathematics, it is all about the thinking. As we consider what our students need from their mathematical education, we should not overlook the importance of these dispositions. 

Earlier this year a group of teachers I work with explored the 'Eight Cultural Forces' identified by Ron Ritchhart of Harvard's Project Zero. In doing so we decided to focus on our use of the term learning instead of the word work. Our goal was to bring our language choices into the spotlight and explore how a more deliberate focus on learning might alter the culture of our classrooms. Two terms later this focus persists and it is worth reflecting on the effect that this has had.

Carl Froch is aiming to restore British pride when he fights American Andre Ward in the final of the Super Six tournament in Atlantic City. In the past 12 months, British boxers have lost nine world title fights and won only two. "We're due a win, aren't we?" Froch, 34, said. "If you're a roulette table, eventually a red will come in. We've had eight blacks on the spin. "I want to put us back on the world map. We can't be a nation of losers." He added: "I have to bite down on to my gum-shield even harder because I've got to restore Britain's pride." Amir Khan, Matthew Hatton, Ryan Rhodes, John Murray, Brian Magee, Matthew Macklin, David Haye and Darren Barker have all lost fights abroad this year

Real Madrid defeated Zaragoza by 3-1 on this Sunday and move eight points clear at the top of La Liga, ahead of second-placed Barcelona's game away to Villarreal.

From Richard Byrne Free Technology for teacher, quoted below:Listen and Read - Non-fiction Read Along Activities Listen and Read is a set of 54 non-fiction stories from Scholastic for K-2 students. The stories are feature pictures and short passages of text that students can read on their own or have read to them by each story's narrator. The collection of stories is divided into eight categories: social studies, science, plants and flowers, environmental stories, civics and government, animals, American history, and community. Applications for Education Listen and Read looks to be a great resource for social studies lessons and reading practice in general. At the end of each book there is a short review of the new words that students were introduced to in the book. Students can hear these words pronounced as many times as they like. Listen and Read books worked on my computer and on my Android tablet. Scholastic implies that the books also work on iPads and IWBs"

Maya Shea Penn is the CEO of her very own business, Maya's Ideas, at age eight. Her company makes hand-crafted scarves, headbands, tee-shirts, and accessories. Not only are they fabulous, they are all eco-friendly. As young as she seems, Maya has a profound understanding of her responsibility as a steward of the Earth. Maya's Ideas 4 The Planet is a non-profit organization she set up that's geared towards caring for the planet. Aside from being an entrepreneur, Maya is a published writer, an animator, a speaker, a designer, an illustrator, an artist, a philanthropist, and an inspiration. To read more about Maya Penn visit www.thextraordinary.org

Peyton Robertson began inventing at the age of eight. He's been brought up by his parents to think of solutions to problems rather than complain about them. By the time he turned 12 years old, Peyton has won first place in Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for inventing Sandless Operational Sandbag (SOS). His invention is a lot lighter than conventional sandbags, more intuitively designed to avoid seawater or floodwater from seeping in, and 100% reusable. Once totally dried after use, the SOS can just be stored for future flood emergencies. To read more about Peyton Robertson visit www.thextraordinary.org

June 2009 Report by CommonSenseMedia "Digital Literacy and Citizenship in the 21st Century: Educating, Empowering, and Protecting America's Kids," proposes eight key initiatives to develop a national digital literacy program and integrate it into our educational curriculum. This white paper is meant to be a "living document" and will be updated on a regular basis.

'Inanimate Alice' tells the story of Alice, a young girl growing up in the first half of the 21st century, and her imaginary digital friend, Brad. Over ten episodes, each a self contained story, we see Alice grow from an eight year old living with her parents in a remote region of Northern China to a talented mid-twenties animator and designer with the biggest games company in the world.

The 7 minute movie was filmed at Burnt Oak Junior School in the U.K. Eight-year olds there have been using a class set of iPod touches for a couple weeks. The video interviews the class teacher, headteacher, and students about the experience.

For the past eight years students in Year Six at Redlands have participated in a Personal Passion Project during Term Four. It is a way to finish their time in Junior School with a project that connects their passion with all they have learned about managing inquiry/design based projects to that point.

Here are eight of the most well-known architectural styles,