(Dream Big, Teach Big and Watch Results Soar) I am on a mission to help 10,000 teachers become extraordinary this year. Every single goal listed below is a teaching “factor” that ranks in the Top 20 of ALL contributors towards student achievement (sources listed at the end). That is the good news. Now, you’ll want […]
When our thinking and memory capacity becomes diminished (by a stroke, trauma, aging or Alzheimer’s) we begin to lose our sense of self and we frustrate those around us. The good news is that there are some well-researched approaches that can make dramatic differences in brain health. The first thing you can do is…
What Do Murder Mysteries Have to Do with the End of the School Year? Whether your school year ends in May, June (or even December for those in other countries), this article is for you. I have only a few TV favorites, but I must admit, when I re-checked the range of shows I watch, […]
You might teach well, but do your students TEST WELL? As much as I dislike the types, timing, policies, content and uses of existing state and national tests (is there anything I left out?), the reality is, we’d rather our students get higher, not lower, scores.
You’ve often heard that few people ever materialize those “New Year’s Resolutions”. As a result, you may have joined the millions who just blow them off and never set them in the first place.
What Do Stress And Gratitude Have In Common? How Do They Connect With Student Achievement? These days, it’s a challenge to manage your own stressors. In men, increased blood flow to the left orbitofrontal cortex suggests activation of the “fight, freeze or flight” response. In women, stress activated the limbic system, which is associated with […]
If you’ve been to at least one of my workshops, you know how much I emphasize the value of managing student states. Here is what you can do at your school: First, foster meaningful relationships with tribes, clubs, committees, partner work, teams and mentors. Then cultivate these strengths over time. After about 4-6 weeks, it’s […]
There are three ways educators can reduce the effects of chronic stress or acute stress on kids. One is reduce your student’s capacity to deal with stress (somewhat difficult to do, but it can be done). This approach means strengthening time with the arts, positive social contacts, community building, conflict resolution skills, and social skills. […]
Applications and Contributions of Emotions As you work with others, framing is the “spin” you put on things. I call it an intentional bias. We all have our biases, but framing is very intentional. For example, you can say, “This last quiz was a disaster. One in five completely failed it. If we don’t ensure […]
The secret to effective brain-based teaching in the classroom using reviews is this: Review is best for retrieval when done about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way towards the exam. If the test is Friday, learn it Monday, review on Wednesday. If the test is in one hour, learn it ASAP, review it in 20-30 […]