The latest educational push is for 21st century skills that include analysis, critical thinking and cooperative learning. I don’t think we can protest that these skills aren’t worthy of developing. But skills also require knowledge based on experiences that allow accurate and timely feedback. For example, let’s say we have a recipe for chocolate chip […]
Save the Date: Michigan Montessori Society
Are you dealing with these aspects of difficult behaviors with children? Parent’s denial about the behavior Lack of strategies on how to assist a child with difficult behaviors Too much time spent supervising a child Handling the stress and frustration of dealing with those children Disruption of the entire class Inappropriate interactions, such as hitting, […]
Beware of the Tree Octopus
A newsletter from the Core Knowledge Foundation introduced me to the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Going to the octopus’ website I found photos of the red octopus in a tree. The red octopus is usually found in the ocean off the coasts of Oregon and Washington. But here was an explanation that the now land-lubbing […]
The Sign of A Good Hearted Woman
The first time I went into Nina Clare’s kitchen a drawing near her back door surprised me because I recognized it. It was a drawing of a stylized cat on a piece of slate. The drawing of the cat looks like one that a child of seven or eight might draw. The cat has only […]
12 Tips for a Healthier Brain
John Medina, affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine, gives us 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home and play in his book, Brain Rules. While imparting a peer-reviewed summary of current brain research, Medina entertains us with ”the rules.” Rule #1: Exercise boosts brainpower. Movement helps our […]
A Whole New Mind
Daniel Pink in his book, A Whole New Mind, tells us the world is changing and that our brains need to change, too. Pink sees the world becoming geared more towards creative endeavors in order to maintain our economic system. Our work and behavior will need to draw on the creative side, or right side […]
Success Is Not An Outlier
Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Outliers, makes a case for understanding successful people. We may think that someone is a self-made person, that they had overnight success or were born with talent to burn. Gladwell asks us to look closer at the components of success. Ambition and intelligence are not enough to create people who thrive. […]
Spontaneous Self-Discipline
An indicator of healthy and normal development in children (and adults, too!) is the presence of self-discipline that seems to appear almost out of nowhere. In reality, there are factors that contribute significantly to the development of self-discipline in the child and adult. As a child’s will is strengthened by the use of free choice, […]
Independence
We are raising adults, not children. Our job as parents (and parent support systems) is to guide our children to complete independence. Little by little, day by day, we help our children develop skills and take on more responsibility until they can run at full speed on their own two feet. Unfortunately, it is often […]
Listening And Following The Adult
Children naturally want to connect to the adults in their lives. Obedience to these adults is a sign of natural and normal development in a child. Obedience, though, does not refer to an automatic and unthinking response to an order. Obedience, comes from the Latin, oboediere, meaning to listen to. When the relationship is built […]