Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2016

How We Learn Tricks to Help it Stick

Throughout my studies I have read various books that explain how the brain works which parts of the brain focus on certain activities, thoughts and emotions. Applying this information is crucial to helping students learn.  Easier said than done. Knowing what sticks for one person may come easily, while trying to understand how to make things stick for another might take several tries. I believe that experience and focus are a learners best assets.  Whether it be practicing maths or learning to play the guitar, we all learn at different speeds and in different ways. Focusing on what we are doing is the most important attribute to have when practicing, it is a crucial part of what Anders Ericsson outlines as deliberate practice in his book Peak. Deliberate Practice In order to help others learn, educators must be observant and take the time to see what the individual learner is latching on to and what they are resisting. We all have our own individual strengths, the key to success i

Books for Body and Mind

Your Fantastic Elastic Brain: Stretch it Shape It This a great book for teaching children how they have the power to change their brains and what challenges are helpful to learning. The book published by Little Pickle Press also has a fantastic website with activities to use along with the book. Link to lesson plans can be found here Making a Splash Available on kindle at amazon, Making a Splash is a simple straight forward story of what happens when children persevere and work towards a goal with a growth mindset. This would be a great book to project on a large screen and discuss as the children make connections of their own. The Most Magnificent Thing Do you have children that get frustrated when what they are working on doesn't go as they planned? The Most Magnificent Thing is one girl's journey through the creation process and what techniques and strategies she uses to create her most "magnificent thing". What is the most important thing?