Inquiry-The Cornerstone fo Homework Support
Have you ever heard someone say, “Curiosity killed the cat.” While this may be true for cats, it is absolutely not the case for our students. Curious students are learners, young people who are interested in finding out how things work. The opposite of these curious students are passive and show little initiative—actually they usually…
Read MoreHow Does Afterschool Support the School Day?
It is incredibly important that your program supports the good work that the school day is doing. Teachers work each day to provide the “first, best teaching” for students and anything that we can do in after-school to support that work is a value-add to the student’s’ educational experience. So what can you do to…
Read MoreAdvocating For Expanded Learning
I think people get advocacy confused with lobbying. To my mind, there is a huge difference. Advocacy is about educating people so they can make an informed choice between options. Certainly you are passionate about what you are advocating for, certainly you will share the information in the best possible light, surely your will encourage…
Read MoreNostalgia
When I was a child I visited the boardwalk in Santa Cruz. There was a Fun House that had some amazing things for you to do. There was a wave machine—not like the ones you might see today, but a “walk” that you could go on that had pieces moving up and down while you…
Read MoreThinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision
Lack of communication is one of the biggest complaints we have both personally and professionally. Individuals, small enterprises and large businesses all face challenges with communication. Part of this is because communication is hard work and is so much more than simply speaking or writing something for others to hear or read. When we want…
Read MoreApply Past Knowledge to New Situations
What would our lives be like if we, like Drew Barrymore in 50 First Dates, had to begin all over every day? Can you imagine how many blisters you would have if you had to learn about the concept of “hot” every 24 hours? And how would we know how to read, speak, write, cook…
Read MoreGather Data Through All Your Senses
We use our senses—sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell—to experience the world. These senses are what grounds us and allows us to observe and understand the world around us. In our world today we rely heavily on sight and sound, yet the other three senses can add depth to our understanding. Think about someone like…
Read MoreCreating, Imagining, Innovating
Creating, imagining, and innovating are supported when we foster divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the ability to think “outside the box”. It means that we value it when youth think for themselves instead of operating on the “lemming principle.” There is a movie that came out in the 1989, Dead Poet’s Society. In this movie…
Read MoreWonderment and Awe
When did you experience your most recent “WOW” moment? You know, when you were absolutely blown away by what was happening. In fact, you were so pleasantly surprised it nearly took your breath away. I can tell you when it was for me. During the winter school break I was flicking through the channels—looking for…
Read MoreResponsible Risk
Responsible risk—the phrase almost seems like an oxymoron. How is it possible to be both responsible and still take a risk? Because this seems like “a disconnect” to us our behavior tends to fall in one of two categories: “at risk” or “safe”. Some of us are so “risk adverse” that even when opportunity is…
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