It was a crisp fall day, with sunlight streaming through the golden oak leaves like stained glass. The playground hummed with jump ropes slapping the pavement and the rhymes that went with them. The four-square courts echoed with bouncing balls and laughter. Every swing was occupied, children soaring high into the air. In one corner […]
Category Archive:
Teaching and learning principles
From Black-and-White TVs to Smartphones: What We’ve Gained—and Risked
Today it seems impossible that, for the first eight years of our marriage, we did not have a television. Yes, we watched television at other people’s houses, but there wasn’t one in our home. In year eight of our marriage, our first daughter was born, and we purchased a 12-inch black-and-white TV that lived in […]
Work is the Healer
There are moments I think we all have. Moments that provide a clearness about one’s life, and when you look back to that unclouded moment after many years, you observe a line that runs to the present. One of those moments was when I was in my late teens reading a biography of Albert Schweitzer. I […]
What’s Important?
As I look at what my grandchildren, now 7 and 4, are learning from their life—home, school, and experiences in their larger community—a whisper that nagged me as a parent echoes, “Are they learning what is important?” Parents today are trying to prepare children not just to succeed, but to navigate a complex, fast-changing world—and that tension […]
Steps to Independence
As we work to prepare places for optimum learning and living with purpose and meaning, one idea that needs to be added to a prepared environment—consisting of people, ideas, tools, objects and the natural world—is how we help others obtain independence. Stephen Covey called these steps 7 levels of initiative or self-empowerment. In Montessori terms […]
Creating Learning Environments that Foster Autonomy and Joy
Self-Construction: The Foundation of Learning As we explore ideas for creating optimal learning environments, one central concept emerges: from birth, each of us is engaged in the process of self-construction— building ourselves through our experiences and interactions with the world. We are born into an environment of people, ideas, tools, objects, and the natural world. As […]
FREE TRAINING | Want To Be A Better Observer?
Observation is the skill to help you become more effective. Please join me for this free 20-minute instant mini-workshop training, How To Become A Better Observer. In this information-packed session you’ll find out… Watch at your convenience, now or later. Watch this video for more information. Look forward to seeing you there! Remember, your email […]
Freedom of Movement Strengthens Learning
There is an enduring quote about learning: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”. Attributed to Benjamin Franklin and to Chinese Confucian philosopher Xun Kuang, the idea that active engagement is key to powerful learning has survived for over 2000 years. When I was in junior […]
SERIES | Practical Life For Living
As I’ve come to a different stage of my life–as a grandparent–and I observe my grandchildren and their peers, I’ve seen the skills of practical life as key to living a happy life. These articles came out of my realization, too, that among my peers–fellow grandparents–the ones that were the healthiest and happiest practiced practical […]
First Comes Safety
As we look at education as a help to life, safety comes first in my mind. If we don’t feel safe, we can’t learn. When we are in the edginess of fear, it’s hard to enjoy our lives. How do we create places where safety comes first? Let’s begin by defining safety: Safety is the […]