4 November 2013 08:46 AM
Cramming is a Lousy Way to Study
What, are you nuts? You have an exam tomorrow, and you’re just now getting around to studying? Do you really think cramming the night before will help? Think again, you poor fool.
Cramming is for short term memory not for learning. It’s okay for errands to the grocery store (although a simple list could help), but it’s lousy for learning. What you cram tonight will be gone by tomorrow night.
Yes, there are plenty of websites that claim to ... [More]
28 October 2013 07:40 AM
How to Help Kids Learn Sequencing Skills
Sequencing – putting events, ideas, objects, places, and even people in logical order – is an essential skill for children learning to read, compute, write, and think logically. Everyone sequences. We organize our busy daily lives with sequencing. (“First, go to the bank. Then buy groceries. Next, pick up dry cleaning. Finally, come home and relax.”) We understand our roles and places in groups through sequencing. (Fir... [More]
21 October 2013 08:32 AM
Teach Kids Early About Money
There’s a really interesting new study by two researchers at Cambridge University in England that suggests kids’ spending and money habits are formed at a very early age – as young as about seven. By that age, the researchers write, most kids recognize the value of money and are able to count it. They’re beginning to understand that we must earn money in order to spend it. And they’re starting to grasp the difference between wants and needs.
It&rs...; [More]
14 October 2013 07:37 AM
Fall Fun for Kids
It’s the middle of October. Fall’s here. Colors are changing, school’s in full swing, the new TV season’s begun, and there’s a chill in the air. It’s a good time to look at some fun ways to keep kids’ minds active and learning during the school day and after. Art teachers are a great source of ideas for seasonal kid crafts. Librarians help with the newest and most popular books. Coaches have great ideas for outdoor act... [More]
7 October 2013 08:23 AM
Staying Sane on a Road Trip With Kids
Here we are at the beginning of October, and lots of families are planning fall trips to look at the foliage, to visit Grandma, or just to get away for a day or two. Car trips can be family fun or family misery, depending on how well we’ve planned for them. Nothing major, just a few steps to make sure everyone’s reasonably happy.
Anything to postpone the first “Are we there yet?”
I’ve been on lots of family road trips and even more school field t... [More]
1 October 2013 07:59 AM
You Can’t Go Wrong Being a Good Role Model
I’ve taught a lot of kids over the years. Kids of lots of races, lots of geographic areas, lots of cultures, religions, and nationalities, lots of socio-economic backgrounds. A pretty diverse group. There’s one characteristic, though, that’s common to all of them – the more involvement of the folks at home, the more success of the kids in school.
I taught at one school where, on Back-to-School Nights and PTA meetings, the faculty sat around and t... [More]
23 September 2013 04:11 PM
Big Brother Becomes Big Mother
Listen to this. Earlier this spring I read a mildly disturbing article in The Wall Street Journal about apps and gadgets that take on the role of our mothers, reminding us to do what’s right and healthy.
Mothers, as we all know, exist to keep us on the straight and narrow, telling us to mind our posture, brush our teeth, floss, go out and get some exercise, don’t eat too fast, get a good night’s sleep, say our prayers, and you’re not going out looking like ... [More]
