Parents need guidance. Schools need good parents.
February 19, 2013
It is important that parents know how much the growth and development of their child’s brain is dependent on the right stimulation. Talking develops a child’s use and understanding of language, which is the basis of reading. I think schools would benefit by putting time and resources into Parent Education. Enlist parents in the cause of building a child’s strong literacy skills by guiding parents on best parenting practices.
Begin with teaching parents how to effectively read and talk with a child about a story, showing them why this is important. Do parents know how being read to does not automatically lead to literacy? The real link lies in the verbal interaction that occurs between the adult and child during reading a story. Talking with children has an even stronger effect on literacy learning than reading aloud to them. Teaching parents HOW to “Conversationally Read”: Read a book, Ask a question, Start a conversation is how they can best support their child’s growth and development. When we educate parents, we better educate children.
Einstein feared “a generation of idiots.”
February 4, 2013
Recently I was in a yogurt shop after school and I couldn’t help noticing how so many kids were plugged into a device. Whether they were with friends or younger children with their parents, I was sad to see so little face-to-face interaction. Einstein worried about such things when he said, ” I fear the […]
Would Ben Franklin, founder of the fist lending library, like today’s library?
January 17, 2013
If you are a lover of Libraries, you must be forever grateful to Benjamin Franklin, the founder of the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1731. It was America’s first lending library and can lay claim to being the predecessor of the free public library. “Welcome to the Library, Where Shushing is Overdue” a recent article in the […]
The value of reading the same book over and over again.
January 14, 2013
Children look for safety and autonomy in the books they read. Their familiarity with a story satisfies both those desires. Multiple reads of the same book also offers them the opportunity to go deeper into the story, showing them how to get more from a story.. You might think you can’t read Sylvester and the […]
Start the year off with a Growth Mindset
January 7, 2013
The WSJ recently published the result of a German study which found that intelligence was not a factor in achievement. Although intelligence counts at the outset, it’s a matter of motivation and study skills that bring growth. The best learning environments are predicated on motivation and skills. Here are some growth mindset principles: ~ Most basic […]
