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Tag: learning styles
One of the earliest videos I took of my daughter shows her as a toddler, playing with wooden blocks and haltingly counting to 20. I was bursting with pride, both at her ability to stack the blocks so carefully and precisely, and at how she had finally mastered her numbers. In that moment, I felt, […]
French or Spanish: Those were the two languages my son was torn between choosing for his sixth-grade language requirement. He really liked one of the Spanish teachers he met in fifth grade, but I had studied French when I was school. He saw both as advantages. I have to admit, I nudged him a bit […]
Homework is almost always a struggle at my house, especially when it’s math. I try to help my fifth-grade son but am thrown back into a time warp to my own elementary and middle school mathematics challenges. With both of us floundering, homework time is less than pleasant. I recently learned that some sixth-grade teachers […]
At the beginning of the school year, my fifth-grade son’s teacher asked parents to donate spare stools or chairs to her classroom so she could offer some nontraditional seating options for her students. This was something my son, and I, were very excited about. My son has ADHD, so spending the bulk of his day […]
Mastery-based education. Competency-based learning. Personalized learning. Project-based learning. Differentiated instruction. These are some of the terms used to describe different education practices. Maybe you’ve read about them. Maybe you’ve heard them used in reference to your child’s school. The commonality amongst them is a shift away from the traditional classroom model of students seated at […]
When young children swipe their paintbrush up and down a blank piece of paper or canvas, scribble with crayons or markers, and cut and paste with scissors and glue, they are doing much more than creating their next masterpiece. Their brains are growing and their senses are sending messages to the brain about how things […]
Odd acronym, awesome concept. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. MOOCs are free online courses available for anyone to enroll in. They’re an affordable and flexible way to learn new skills, advance a career and partake in quality educational experiences at scale. David Cormier, an educational researcher and MOOC early adopter, defines a MOOC as more […]
If John Hancock had simply printed his name at the bottom of the Declaration of Independence, would we remember who he was? The president of the Continental Congress is famous for his bold script, but would today’s students be able to read the entire document he signed? Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis of Staten Island is among […]
My second-grader recently went on a school field trip to the zoo to learn about bats. His teacher prepped his class leading up to the visit, asking the students to read books and magazine articles about bats. My son peppered me with bat facts. When the day of the field trip arrived, my son was […]
My seven-year-old loves tape. I have gotten into the habit of buying a roll, or two (OK, sometimes three), whenever I’m at the store. He has created cars out of wooden blocks, a bridge stretching from the back of a living room chair to a nearby desk and a small cardboard house for his Lego […]