Finding ways to engage students, increase learning efficiency, and extending recall of what students learn can be a constant quest. Fortunately, designing activities and employing strategies that release the flow of dopamine in our students’ brains can help us to meet this challenge, especially now ..read more

We might not think much about tapping our students’ brain chemicals to support learning. Yet, those chemicals play an important role and thus are worthy of our attention. Naturally produced by the brain, these chemicals serve a variety of purposes, from making us alert and keeping us safe to calming our nerves and helping us to feel pleasure. Dopamine is one of these brain-produced chemicals, found in the pleasure and reward center of the brain. Consequently, it can play a particularly helpful role in learning. Specifically, researchers have found that dopamine can have a positive impact on le ..read more

When we understand another person’s perspective, what they are thinking and feeling, we are better able to relate to them and understand their needs ..read more

In a world of complexity, diversity, and conflict, we need every tool available to navigate our relationships, find our way through conflict, and understand the people with whom we interact. Fortunately, there is a long-standing, “tried and true,” dependable tool available to us; yet it is often ignored or rejected as too threatening to closely held assumptions, judgments, and biases. That tool is perspective-taking. Perspective-taking is the ability to see things from other viewpoints, and it can help us to infer or otherwise understand another person’s feelings, thoughts, and views without h ..read more

For the parents and guardians who see their roles as constant monitors, managers, and even intervenors in the lives of their children, the growth in access to technology, social media, and instant communication has accelerated a troubling trend. Terms like “helicopter parenting” and “snowplow parenting” have been used to describe their ultra-high levels of involvement. Now, some parents and guardians are essentially accompanying their child virtually throughout the school day. Increasingly, teachers are reporting experiences where parents text their child frequently, even hourly, to check on t ..read more

It is true that slumps and ruts are part of life. They may be inevitable, but they do not have to be permanent ..read more

At some point, everyone is likely to feel as though they are in a slump. Famously, professional athletes can find themselves slumping despite considerable talent, effort, and practice. Inventors, writers, actors, entrepreneurs, and artists—and just about anyone else who is committed to progressing, performing, and producing—are likely to find themselves in a slump at some point. Educators are no different. We may feel as though we have fallen into a rut and are performing on autopilot. We may be feeling as though we have lost our energy and passion for our work. We may even wonder if it is tim ..read more

As we near the final weeks of the school year, we might struggle to have students remain engaged in their learning. Yet, the time we have with students at this point in the year can be exceptionally rich—if they remain focused and challenged. We know our students; we have built relationships and established trust. Some of the best learning of the year should happen now. Further, if students remain focused and engaged, we can avoid many behavior challenges and distractions that often accompany this time of the year. Fortunately, there are several strategies based in cognitive science upon which ..read more

When our expectations shift to constantly pressing to be perfect, pursuing unrealistic goals, being unwilling to take risks, and seeing mistakes as failure rather than as opportunities to learn and grow, our perfectionism becomes problematic ..read more

We are approaching the time of the school year when end-of-year activities are starting to occupy our planning and fill our to-do lists. In response, our anxiety may be growing. We might find ourselves wanting to create the perfect experiences, say the perfect things, and be the perfect teacher. However, striving too hard for perfection can work against our goals and take a toll on our emotional and physical well-being.   Certainly, there are times when we absolutely must get everything right. These are occasions when the consequences of missteps can have significant life consequence ..read more