[Editor’s note: This is part two of a four-part series on poverty and the educational process. Links to the previous blog posts will be included in each part.] Poverty has a multifaceted impact on both student engagement and student success in the classroom. Last week, we looked at Health and Nutrition. In this post, we … Continue reading “Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 2: Effort and the Growth Mindset”
Category: Education
Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 1: Health and Nutrition
[Editor’s note: This is part one of a four-part series on poverty and the educational process. Links to the previous blog posts will be included in each succeeding part.] In 2015, approximately about 20 percent of children under the age of 18 (about 14.7 million) came from families living in poverty, and 10 percent lived … Continue reading “Poverty and the Educational Process – Part 1: Health and Nutrition”
Common Myths about Reading and Reading Habits – Part 1
Reading, while almost ubiquitous in the developed world, is a complicated endeavor, one that we spend many years both in and out of school learning and perfecting. Even people who read well are often confused to a certain extent about the process, and they cling to a number of “myths” that actually run counter to … Continue reading “Common Myths about Reading and Reading Habits – Part 1”
Practical Optimism for Teachers and Students
In their blog post “Cultivating Practical Optimism: A Key to Getting the Best from Your Brain,” Drs. Marcus Conyers and Donna Wilson describe the concept of “positive optimism.” They define it as a way “to describe an attitude about life that relies on taking realistic, positive action to increase the likelihood of successful results.” They … Continue reading “Practical Optimism for Teachers and Students”
How to Challenge Students Effectively
While there is a great deal in the literature about helping struggling students and providing interventions for everything from physical to learning disabilities, there is relatively little on the topic of engaging students effectively. But what does engagement mean? Does it mean simply keeping the students awake enough in the classroom to absorb some of … Continue reading “How to Challenge Students Effectively”
Research Studies – Effective Studying and Reading Strategies
2017 was a year filled with interesting and informative educational research. Two areas of particular interest are in the creation of both effective studying and effective reading strategies to assist students in the learning process. When asked about an upcoming test, students often overestimate how prepared they really are, and they frequently study less for … Continue reading “Research Studies – Effective Studying and Reading Strategies”
Setting up a Classroom to Establish Critical Thinking
As we have discussed previously (click here for the blog post), critical thinking is an essential component of both reasoning through problems and situations and learning. However, as instructor Peter Liljedahl found, teachers often make the assumption that the students either cannot or will not think on their own. Under such conditions it becomes unreasonable … Continue reading “Setting up a Classroom to Establish Critical Thinking”
Technology Integration in the Classroom
Today computers, pads, cell phones, and other electronic devices are becoming a ubiquitous part of the classroom. “Technology Integration” has become the new buzz-phrase, and many teachers are relying more on these devices to help deliver content to students of all ages. But what exactly does “technology integration” mean, and are all these digital gadgets … Continue reading “Technology Integration in the Classroom”
AceReader Book Review – The “Humphrey” Series
Up today are a series of books recommended by the Montgomery County (MD) Public Library System. The series is broken in to two parts. The first part is known as the “Humphrey’s Tiny Tales” books; these are recommended for second graders or low-reading third graders. The second part is the “Humphrey Adventures” books; these are … Continue reading “AceReader Book Review – The “Humphrey” Series”
Forgetting Information and Learning How to Remember
According to a paper published in the June 21, 2017 issue of the scientific journal Neuron, the brain is hard-wired to forget information. Neurobiologists Blake Richards and Paul Frankland, the authors of the study, challenge what has become the dominant theory of memory, which holds that forgetting involves the gradual loss of critical information. According … Continue reading “Forgetting Information and Learning How to Remember”