We’ve already discussed how important listening is and different steps the listener can take to improve the accuracy of their understanding.  There are a few other points regarding listening that are worth noting. Listening is an art.  Unlike hearing, which is inborn, listening must be developed.   Most people will find that they are spending the vast majority of their attention listening to their own inner dialogue rather than to the other person speaking.  It does not really matter if that inner dialogue is compiling a to-do list, thinking how boring the speaker is, what you think of what the speaker …

We have discussed some of the things that interfere with learning and will now shift our focus to what a person needs to know and do to become a moral happy functioning human being (i.e. what educators should be teaching). Ben Franklin taught “early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise.”  Long before Mr. Franklin shared his aphorism, the book Ethics of Our Fathers was compiled by a group of sages.  This book gives guidelines for living the good life.  In chapter 6 of this book the 48 ways to acquiring the wisdom necessary to …

In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, breathing is as basic as you get.  Everyone knows this.  It is the first thing we make sure a newborn does! So why is this topic worthy of its own article?  Because this is a great example of how knowing something intellectually and owning it behaviorally is light years apart.  You know you should not lose your cool and that a great way to keep your cool is breathe.  Yet how often do you lose your cool anyway in the heat of the moment? More importantly lack of sufficient oxygen can hinder learning.  We know that …

You’ve designed the perfect lesson and your check for understanding revealed that not everyone understood.  Now what? It could very well be that you cannot teach this particular student.  So where does your responsibility lie or do you even have any? Perhaps all you need to do is inform your supervisor and/or the student’s parents? What if you are the parent? What you should know is what blocks a student from learning, his strengths, your strengths, limitations and resources. There are so many reasons that a student may not be performing the way we would like. Here are some show …

No this is not a post about the importance of teaching children fiscal responsibility (although that is important).  In this post I am continuing the conversation on showing love and am referring to the emotional bank account. Many of you may have already heard of the idea of an emotional bank account.  Perhaps most popularized by well-known educator and advocate for the child with learning disability, Rick Lavoie in his talk on self-esteem.  In this video he urges you to give your child poker chips by looking to set up opportunities for the child to do right and then noticing …