Today’s students have options when it comes to learning leadership skills. A traditional classroom puts the teacher in front of the students, asking questions on a certain topic, then calling on raised hands to get answers. But how does it work when teacher takes a backseat, gives ownership of not only the topic, but the […]

The people who build the classroom culture are the students. Whether technology is part of the environment or not, the students play the leading role in shaping their own learning experiences. That’s why social and emotional skills are so vital from the earliest days of education. By ensuring these skills are in place, students have […]

Whether a child is deemed ‘gifted’ or not, each one still deserves a gifted education. Gifted children are very diverse and not all demonstrate gifted characteristics all the time. There are, however, some common attributes shared by many gifted children. Do you know how to determine if your child is gifted? Have you always intuitively […]

In today’s bustling, information, and technology age, there are thousands of things competing for our attention. It’s no wonder students are distracted with text messages, smart phones, social media, and keeping up with their friends. It’s a struggle to engage students in active listening when their minds are drifting on to the next thing before […]

While many college-bound students (and their parents) vie for the ultimate sports scholarship to get them through higher education, there is a downside to consider. Sports scholarships  are plentiful, but there are a host of academic scholarships available that are often much more sustainable in the long run. A full sports scholarship may sound like […]

Collaboration is not necessarily a skill with which we are born. For the most part, collaboration is a learned skill, one that we develop through social interaction. When students share ideas and both support and challenge one another to produce results that go beyond what they imagined possible, they are exchanging the gift of collaboration. […]

While there may be many different teaching methods, there is a single component that makes education exciting, desirable, magical, inspiring and life-changing – motivation. Without it most of us would not even get out of bed in the morning, much less be enthusiastic about achieving excellence in how and what we learn. What does it […]

Structure, consistency, and rules do matter in the classroom. But over time, it has become apparent that what matters even more are relationships. Interaction between teachers and students and students and other students identifies the quality of meaningful relationships that contribute to learning. The most obvious way to build relationships in the classroom is through […]

If cognition is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding what we learn, then what is metacognition? Simply put, it refers to the process of ‘thinking about thinking’ and being aware of our own awareness. It relates to higher-order thinking skills. While teachers bring what they know to the classroom along with how they will […]

Mindfulness is a technique that has emerged over the last few years and has shown positive results in helping students reduce anxiety levels and increase their focus in creative, positive ways. Basically, mindfulness is simply being more aware and focusing attention on thoughts and feelings in the present moment. The sad fact is that traditional […]