Do you wonder what classrooms will be like in the future? Technology is rapidly changing and it becomes challenging to keep up with it. It has invaded the field of education, as some classrooms now have interactive boards instead of blackboards. When we were kids, we may have dreamed about having computers in our classrooms for learning. In today’s digitized …
What Is a Functional Behavior Assessment & Is It Effective?
What is a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)? An FBA is a research-based method used to figure out why a child is behaving a certain way in the school setting (an FBA can also be done in a residential treatment center or at home if a child is receiving mental health services there; parents can also think about ways to use an …
Effective Program Helps Young Children Learn to Read
Recently I came across a step-by-step program that helps parents easily teach their young children to read. The authors, Jim (a reading teacher) and his wife Elena, developed the Children Learning Reading program, and used it to teach their own children to read before turning 3 years old. Who Is the Program Designed For? The Children Learning Reading program is designed for parents of …
American Academy of Pediatrics Explains Why Recess is Crucial for Children and Shouldn’t be Withheld
Introduction Policy makers, educators, and parents often talk about the role of schools in promoting the development of the whole child (e.g., physical, social, and academic development). A growing trend toward putting more emphasis on academic subjects and less on recess time, has put this important part of a child’s school day at risk. When recess is provided, children get …
How 3D Printers Can Benefit Students and Teachers
Sponsored by Quill.com For most everyone’s life, when you talked about printers you talked about the kind of printers we all know: They print (in color or black and white) on paper, and sometimes have multiple, helpful functions such as faxing and scanning. And for a long time, that was it—the cream of the crop, and a diverse cream at …
Does Research Show That Exercise Helps Kids with Autism & ADHD?
Experts at Michigan State University have demonstrated that kids with ADHD have better focus and are less distracted after a 20 minute exercise session. Matthew Pontifex, assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University, and lead researcher for the study said: “This provides some very early evidence that exercise might be a tool in our nonpharmaceutical treatment of ADHD. Maybe our first …
How to Teach Six Basic Math Concepts with Transformers
Teaching kids concepts using something they love is a great way to get them motivated. You can take any favorite kids’ toy or food that you have multiples of (e.g., Transformers, Doc McStuffins Characters, Legos, Hot Wheels, Matchbox Cars, Cheerios, Gummy Bears) and use them to create a math lesson (let your child choose what he/she wants to use). To …
6 Research-Based Multiplication Strategies Parents Can Try at Home
This article has six short videos with effective, research-based strategies to help kids with multiplication (see research references at the bottom of article). The methods shown cover single-digit and multi-digit equations. Video number 2 gives great strategies for memorizing the times tables (100’s Chart) from 0 x 0 = 0 to 10 x 10 = 100. You will also find a …
Theatre Teacher Shares Three Techniques to Increase Empathy in Students
As a theatre teacher and teacher educator, I believe empathy is central to building a respectful, caring, and compassionate community. Scholarly work on empathy reveals that empathy must be explicitly taught and practiced. In clinical psychologist Baron-Cohen’s book, Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty and Kindness (2012), he identifies two types of empathy: cognitive and affective. …
How to Teach Children to Study Academic Content and Vocabulary
Studying can be a frustrating task when it doesn’t feel like you are retaining the concepts, you don’t know what to focus on, you are doing the same repetitive thing over and over, and you don’t feel prepared for the test. When children feel this way they often avoid studying, refuse to study, or shut down while studying. You may …
Creative Ways to Get More Out of a Three-Ring Binder
Sponsored by Quill.com Changing student behavior is one of the greatest challenges parents and educators face. Keeping children engaged, maintaining focus, and challenging them are all strategies in the toolbox for encouraging behaviors that enable kids to learn effectively. Sometimes, however, it’s the little things that have huge effects on behavior. The environment a child walks into each day can …
Top 5 Reasons Why Physical Education is As Important As Schoolwork
Version in Spanish Many schools are now motivating students to maintain a balance between their school work and physical education. Physical education is an essential part of healthy living for people of all age groups, especially those going to school. This is because school life is full of stress and anxiety at every stage. Researches have proved the importance of …
4 Research-Based Strategies Parents & Teachers Can Use to Teach Basic Math
When teaching math to kids, it is important to follow the natural progression of how they learn best. When children learn language, they first learn the name on an object by someone else pointing to it or touching it and saying the name. For example, a parent points to and touches the family dog while saying “doggy.” After the parent …
3 Effective Research-Based Bullying Intervention Programs
In my elementary and middle school years, I was a target for bullying and endured severe bullying from 5th through 9th grade. My confidence was not strong, my family was different from the average kid’s family in my school district, and I dressed a lot differently than the other girls in my school, due to the influence and style of …
Evidence-Based Approach Improves Student Behavior and Engagement
Research indicates that when teachers use the 5-to-1 ratio approach in their classrooms, student behavior and engagement improves. What is the 5-to-1 Ratio?During the school day students and teachers share a number of interactions. For example, they discuss academic concepts and content and teachers provide feedback to students. Research supports the idea that having five positive interactions to every one …
5 Great Books to Teach Young Children About Empathy
As a behavior specialist and mobile therapist, I always loved using books to teach kids about a variety of social-emotional skills such as how to understand your feelings, how to be a friend, how to accept differences, how to develop empathy, how to solve a problem, how to be a good citizen, etc. Research also supports the benefits of using …
Orton-Gillingham-An Instructional Approach to Teaching Students with Dyslexia
Orton-Gillingham is an instructional approach mainly intended for use with individuals who have difficulty with reading, spelling, and writing associated with dyslexia. Dyslexia makes it difficult for a person to connect sounds to letters and/or blend combinations of letters quickly and fluently in reading. Dyslexia can effect phonemic awareness, the ability to hear and separate the smallest sounds in a word, which can …
Learn About the Water Cycle, Conflict Resolution & More through These Catchy Tunes
If you google that title phrase “Can Music Make Your Child Smarter,” you’ll get over 3 million links to articles, studies, and anecdotal evidence of how music affects the brains of both children and adults. Music is such a valuable learning tool. Many teachers love using music to create a mood – calm music for when they want the kids quietly …
8 Major Principles of Positive Behavior Support
While in graduate school for education and school psychology, I learned about the principles of positive behavior support, a research-based practice. At the time, I was working in a group home with individuals with a variety of emotional and behavioral needs. I knew this would be the perfect setting to implement my newly learned strategies. I immediately saw the positive …
23 Time Management Tips to Increase Productivity in Teenage Students with ADHD
My primary goal is to make things easier for students. There are many obstacles students face when studying. I’m trying to simplify their lives by giving them helpful tips. One day, an idea to write an article for students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) came to mind. A family member of mine named “John” struggles with ADHD, and talking with him …
Help Your Child Improve the Quality of Their Writing with the Sentence Combining Strategy
In the sentence combining strategy (generally used with children in grades 3 and up), students are taught to combine two simple sentences into one more sophisticated/complex sentence. Example: Simple Sentences: The girl lost her doll. The girl is crying Complex Sentence: The girl is crying because she lost her doll. Research studies demonstrate that sentence-combining practice can help young students …