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Learning Modalities
There are four major learning modalities—the way in which a person processes information. These four are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and digital. Visual learners learn by seeing. Many people who have grown up in a media rich environment will tend to be visual learners. Visual learners benefit from guided imagery, taking and copying notes, watching a…
Read MoreWho’s To Blame?
The fact of the matter is that things don’t always go well. There are glitches. The “best laid plans of mice and men”, can absolutely run amuck. And what happens when things go wrong? Too often we want to find out who’s to blame. Who didn’t take care of business? Who let the details slip…
Read MoreImportance of Inquiry
The Socratic Method, named for the Greek philosopher, is a method that uses inquiry—asking questions—to deepen learning and understanding. The key in the Socratic Method is to be more concerned with what the student is learning than you are in giving the answers. So, inquiry—asking questions—becomes a key strategy for reinforcing what students know. There…
Read MoreConflict Resolution
Conflict is inevitable as long as there are people living together in a community. It is tough enough for adults to resolve conflict, but it can be even tougher for youth who do not have the skills to utilize to ensure that they can resolve their own conflicts. Conflict resolution is a learned skill. It…
Read MoreScavenger Hunt-Geocaching
Have you ever been on a Scavenger Hunt? Scavenger Hunts can be done one of two ways. The first is to give an individual or a team a list of items to find. The list ranges from “easy-to-find” objects to ones that are unusual and will take more critical thinking to uncover. In this version…
Read MoreBadges
What do you think of when you hear the word badge? Do you think about a peace officer’s shield? Do you think about the Boy or Girl Scout who has a number of badges that he/she can earn through diligence and hard work? Or maybe you think about the fireman whose badge lets you know…
Read More‘Tis The Season
December is the time of year that prompts many of us think more seriously about how we can give back—to our community, to family, to neighbors, to groups we belong to, to our friends and colleagues. That makes it the perfect time to engage our youth in Service Learning or Community Service. Service Learning is…
Read More16 Habits of Mind
Before we started to look at the Common Core Standards a great deal of work had been done to identify the Habits of the Mind that we want our youth to develop so they can be resilient and eventually successful. Costa and Kallick have done a great deal of work around this topic and in…
Read MoreBook Review: Whale Done
Ken Blanchard has written a number of best sellers. Perhaps you have read his One Minute Manager series, or Raving Fans (how to make your customer a raving fan), or Gung Ho! which encourages your pursuit of excellence. If you’ve read a Blanchard book you know that he is a master storyteller who makes his…
Read MoreImportance of Community Service
The movie, Pay It Forward, was released in October of 2000. In this movie a young boy attempts to make the world a better place as part of a social studies assignment. The assignment is to think of something that can change the world and then put that into action. Trevor, the boy with the…
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