The Road to Academic Success and Social, Emotional, and Mental Wellness Well, that subtitle sums up many of the goals of schools these days. Who knew you could accomplish it all through play? The reality is that the more schools are concerned about academic achievement, the more they double down on lessons – probably the […]
Executive Function: A Powerful Light Switch Imagine if you could flip a switch for students and have them experience academic success, emotional wellness, strong social interactions, and solid behavioral habits. Sounds like an educator’s dream come true! Well, it’s not that far-fetched. Let’s deconstruct it! Executive Function and Its Role in Life Success Academic The […]
It’s the Screens! Or Is it? Screen time has become the villain in most conversations about young children’s attention, behavior, and learning. Kids can’t focus? Screens!Kids can’t regulate emotions? Screens!Kids don’t reason the way they used to? Screens! Technology does play a role. But blaming screens alone lets the rest of the system completely off […]
Choice and Voice: A Must-Have! Student choice and voice are widely valued concepts in schools today, but what does voice actually look and sound like in practice? Choice is relatively easy to conceptualize. Students may have choices about when they complete work, with whom they collaborate, where they work in the classroom, or how they […]
Let’s think differently about how schools can serve students. . . . Learning and Schools Children love to learn! They learn all the time! Schools, however, are frustrated by declining test scores that indicate students are not learning from teachers’ lessons. Sadly, the result is a leaning into more whole-class instruction, more explicit (but not necessarily […]