Category: Brain Development

Posted on

Once Upon A Time…

Story time might be the best time! Hear me out: your teacher calls you over to the rug, you sit criss-cross applesauce on your assigned circle, and you cozy in, ready to hear a story. As your teacher reads, she does different voices for each character, and suddenly the story has come alive, and you feel like you’re right there with the characters. It’s magical, and a core part of childhood. 

Happiness isn’t the only benefit that comes from being read to, though it certainly is a great one! Reading out loud to kids can help them in so many ways. These include:

  • Boosted brain development
  • Stronger vocabulary
  • Stronger social and emotional skills
  • Improved listening skills and focus
  • Stronger bonds between the reader and the audience
  • Reduced stress

Boosted Brain Development

When kids are read to, different parts of the brain are activated than are when they are reading independently and silently. Listening and making sense of what is being heard creates unique neural pathways, and causes the brain to really focus on what is being said.

Stronger Vocabulary

Reading in and of itself is a great vocabulary builder, but when students are read to, it gives them a chance to hear a new word, then immediately ask for a definition. They recognize that they don’t know the word, then take initiative to figure out what it means. This new word then gets added to their “words they know” list for them to practice using as they become stronger readers.

Stronger Social and Emotional Skills

When students can relate to characters in the stories that are read to them, their social and emotional skills are strengthened. They begin to gain empathy, and can learn that there are other people who feel the same feelings they feel. Students can see different social skills in action in stories– how to be kind, how to include others, good manners, etc., and can use the stories to recognize similar situations in their own lives. True text-to-self connections are made!

Improved Listening Skills and Focus

Listening and focusing are two separate skills that must both be engaged in order for students to get the most benefit from being read to. The brain will make connections as both skills are activated, thus helping students to make sense of what they are hearing. 

Stronger Bonds Between Reader and Audience

When a reader makes the story come alive by using different voices, inflections, and body language, it changes the whole atmosphere in the room. The audience is drawn into the story and becomes entranced by the magic of it. When the listeners become involved with the story, they start to form a trust and bond with the reader. Think about when you were a small child, and your favorite adult would pull you onto their lap, and you would snuggle in and listen to a story– there is a certain bond that comes through this. While teachers cannot pull all students onto their laps, they can still use literature to connect with their classes.

Reduced Stress

For some students, reading out loud to others can create feelings of stress and anxiety. They worry about messing up and saying words wrong, or if they are reading too slow or too fast. When they are read to, however, those stressors disappear. They can simply sit and listen to the story without fear of misspeaking. Even if a student isn’t bothered by reading out loud themselves, having the chance to be read to is such a calming, relaxing activity. Perhaps this is why so many adults enjoy listening to audio books!

I’m certain that there are other benefits that come from being read to, and I’m sure we could explore the above listed benefits even deeper. But the truth remains the same: reading is powerful and is incredibly beneficial to readers of all ages!

Posted on

Critical Thinking: A Skill to Take to the Bank

Last week, I introduced the 7 Cs of education. Essentially, they are seven ways that students learn and process information that is taught to them. Since kids all learn in their own unique ways, each of these 7 Cs are equally important. Today we’ll start with the first on the list: Critical Thinking. 

Thinking critically has many benefits, including increased problem solving ability, improved decision making, and increased curiosity. As students learn to be critical thinkers, they begin to think outside the box. This leads to more diverse, unique solutions and answers. Students start to think creatively as they expand their thinking beyond the obvious. They are able to analyze and evaluate a problem on a deeper level, which lends itself to making informed inferences, and eventually, unique solutions.

Critical thinking is a skill that is used long after students have completed formal education. Because of this, it’s important that students are taught how to think critically so that it becomes second nature. When they are faced with a problem or situation in adulthood, they will already have the tools they need to process possible solutions because of what they had been taught when they were younger. As adults, we know that problems will arise in the workplace, at home, and elsewhere. Knowing how to tackle problems and find solutions becomes an immeasurable skill as we encounter various situations. 

There are many different ways that students can be taught to think critically. Allowing students to work in groups to solve problems can be a very effective way for students to combine their brain power to come up with creative, well thought out solutions. Activities like escape rooms, debates, role playing, case studies, scavenger hunts, and sequencing can encourage critical thinking. 

As kids are given opportunities to think deeper, they begin to train their brains to look at problems and solutions through a different lens, and soon enough, critical thinking becomes second nature!

Posted on

Hearing vs. Listening

You finish teaching a lesson and give instructions for the assignment. As usual, you ask if anyone has any questions, and you are met with radio silence. But because you’re a teacher, you know better than to believe that everyone in the class knows exactly what to do. You’ve learned that there are always questions– sometimes it’s because a student is too shy to ask in front of the whole class, and sometimes (or maybe most often), it’s because a student was not listening. They might have heard you talking, but they weren’t really truly paying attention. Repeating instructions 32 times gets exhausting! 

Students often think that hearing is the same thing as listening, when in reality, they are two different things. We hear a lot of things throughout our day. We hear people talking, noisy halls, bells ringing, music playing, and so on. But until we actively hear, we generally don’t truly register what our ears are taking in. Actively hearing – or listening – requires our minds to focus on what is being said or heard so that our brain can make sense of it and understand it. We make a conscious choice to take in the noises and turn it into something more concrete. 

In our classrooms, we can implement different strategies to help our students learn to listen rather than just hear. 

  •  After giving instructions, pick 2-3 students in the room, and call on each one individually and have them tell the class what the instructions were. Knowing they might be called on encourages them to listen more intently so that they can give an accurate answer.
  • Before students begin to work, ask them to turn to a neighbor and retell what the instructions were. They can help each other remember what is to be done. This also encourages students to effectively communicate with each other.
  • Write instructions on the board or display them through the projector– then if they weren’t listening, you don’t have to answer the same question several times, as they will have the instructions right in front of them. 
  • As you give instructions, have them write down the instructions on their own paper. Writing things down helps to create a connection between what is written and remembered. 

While it can be frustrating to have students not listen, it can be a great teaching opportunity, and there are strategies that can help students retrain their minds to be more active listeners. Not only is it a valuable skill to have within the classroom, students can learn that being an active listener is an excellent life skill to have in all areas of life– work, relationships, school, recreational time, and so on. Hearing is good, but listening is great.

Posted on

Math Manipulatives: More Than Just A Counting Tool

This one’s for you, preschool and early elementary grade teachers! I’m sure most of you have some sort of math manipulative or counting manipulative in your classroom. Manipulatives are a great way to teach math concepts to younger students– they provide a hands-on experience as students learn. As I’ve mentioned before, the more senses that can be engaged during learning, the better chance you have that the concept will become long-term knowledge. I also love manipulatives because they support fine motor development as their tiny fingers pick up and move pieces around. If you have cubes or another more 3D counter, you might also have them use tongs to pick up the counters and move them, thus encouraging even more fine motor skills to be used.

There are so many ways to use manipulatives in your teaching, beyond simply counting with them. Keep reading to discover some fun ways to incorporate these awesome tools into your teaching!

Color sorting

Sorting is one of the earliest and most basic math skills kids learn. Students can work individually or together to sort counters by color. You can have them sort into piles, provide them with colored paper to put them on, or even provide them with colored cups (or color labeled cups) to put them in. 

Grouping by 5s, 10s, etc.

This one might be best for kindergarten or first grade, as that is when they begin to learn to skip count and group numbers. Have students group their counters into groups of 5, 10, 20, or so on. They can do this by color or just by number groups.

Letter Formation

While this isn’t a math skill, you can still use counters for it. Have students practice forming letters with the counters. They might also enjoy spelling their names, or even practicing their spelling words.

Shape Formation

Preschoolers love shapes! Have them use manipulatives to create various shapes. You might need to start with an outline of a shape on a piece of paper for them to follow/trace, but as they become more confident with their shapes, they can do it on their own.

Math Equations

Using manipulatives to display and solve equations can help visual learners see what the math looks like rather than just looking at numbers on a paper. They can create equations for their peers to solve, too, which creates a great opportunity for team work and cooperative thinking.

Pattern Creation

Patterns are all around us, and are another of the foundational math skills that are taught. Students can use counters to follow a pattern or create their own patterns. They can even start a pattern, then share with a classmate to finish it.

Hiding Game

Keeping in mind the abilities of your students, hide counters around the room. Have students go on a “treasure hunt” to find the counters. You can assign them each a color, give them a certain number of counters to find (each student can find 10, etc.), or even put them into pairs to go hunting together. Kids love these kinds of games– they are moving around getting wiggles out, actively searching for something, and if in teams, working together to find the items. 

While these activities are mostly geared toward younger grades, I don’t think students in older grades would mind if you had them try these out. Kids of all ages love to play while they learn!

Posted on

One Size Fits Most Doesn’t Work in the Classroom

Last week, while getting my kids ready for school, I checked my weather app to see what the day was going to look like. I was shocked to see that it was a mere 30 degrees Fahrenheit outside, and that it wasn’t going to get warmer than the high 40s during the day. I wasn’t prepared for such low temperatures quite yet, so I sent my husband down to dig out our winter bin. In a frenzy, we began digging through the bin, searching for the appropriate sizes of coats and gloves we would need to keep our kids warm. We were soon met with a pile of gloves of varying sizes and colors. The tags on each glove were ominously labeled with the ever so (not so) precise “one size fits most” sizing. All the gloves were youth sized, yet they were all different sizes, but all labeled that they would fit most kids. The problem with that sizing? My ten year old’s hands are much larger than my four and five year old’s hands. So no, one size didn’t fit most, and it left some of my kids with floppy-fingered or stretched to the max gloves. 

At least they had something on their hands, though, right? I guess.

We frequently see a similar problem in education. So often, we deliver instruction and curriculum that is sized as “one size fits all”, when really, it doesn’t fit all in the same way. Our instruction may fit “most” and might serve the middle ground of our classroom, but there will always be students who don’t fit into that middle ground. Teachers will encounter students who are accelerated learners, needing more of a challenge than their peers. On the other end of the spectrum, teachers will have students who find the material too challenging and sometimes inaccessible entirely. It creates a tricky situation.

As teachers, we have the responsibility to see that all of our students are making progress, regardless of their intellectual abilities. And if a student is not making the progress that would be expected, the best practice would be to get that student placed in the most appropriate learning environment with the kind of help they might need.

With upwards of 40 students in a classroom for some teachers, what do you do for those students who don’t fit into the “most” category of your curriculum sizing? Making 40 different assignments wouldn’t be realistic, and you certainly can’t just leave them behind— the repercussions of such an action would be frustrating and discouraging for the students who get left behind. 

When we are faced with situations like this, we have to think back to our college days when we were learning all about differentiation and accommodation. We’ve got to pull that mental file out of the back of our minds, dust it off, and figure out ways to best serve our students. 

How we do that looks different for each student that needs different instruction. One student might need a reduced number of questions on a test. Another might need questions worded differently and more simply. One might need more rigorous work, requiring a higher level of thinking. Some students may need an assignment that is completely different than the rest of the class, but still assesses the same learning goals. 

I recall a time during my first year of teaching when I had a student who had just moved to the United States. Her knowledge and understanding of the English language was very limited. She most certainly did not fit into the “most” category. When it came time to do a class novel study, rather than expecting her to be able to read and understand the novel in English, I was able to find the novel in her native language, and give her assignment that had been translated into her language. This way, she was able to still participate and learn the concepts we were focusing on, but it was accessible to her and what she needed. 

Another time comes to mind later in my teaching career when I had a student who was very much academically ahead of her peers. Unfortunately, her schedule didn’t work out to have her placed in my accelerated class. Rather than have her get bored with what I was teaching her class period, I assigned her what I was teaching to the accelerated class. Again, she still was able to participate and learn what I needed her to, but it was at her level and gave her the appropriate amount of challenge. 

If a student was on an IEP and had specific goals about test accommodations or differentiation, I would often reduce the number of questions they had to answer so that the test didn’t feel so overwhelming. Sometimes I would eliminate questions on assignments or rewrite them in a simpler way to help my struggling students to be able to access the information more easily.

These things didn’t take a lot of extra time for me to do, but they made a world of difference to the students who needed the help. Some of my other students would see these accommodations being made and would complain to me that “it wasn’t fair” to the rest of the class. At that point, I would remind them of the quote I had hanging in the back of my room that said, “Fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need to succeed.” They would usually stop complaining at that point and would move on, realizing that their complaining wasn’t going to get them anywhere. 

Providing all students with a chance to succeed is our job as teachers. We aren’t there to make students feel like failures. We’re not there to make their lives frustrating and miserable. Our goal is to create a learning environment that is welcoming, safe, and one that leads to success. As you plan your next lesson, unit, assignment, or test, take a minute to think about who in your class doesn’t fit into the “most” category, and see what you can do to help them feel more successful in your classroom. I promise it will be worth your time, energy, and thought. 

Posted on

Physical Activity is Crucial for Growing Minds

There are many factors to consider when thinking about the overall well being of students in a classroom. All areas of health and well being are important— mental, emotional, social, and physical. Some are easier than others to address in a classroom setting, but all are equally crucial to a child’s well being. As teachers, it is important that we are taking time to provide opportunities for our students to grow in all areas. Physical health is an area that can be a little trickier to incorporate into a classroom, especially a secondary classroom. It’s not impossible, though! Below are some fun ideas for integrating physical movement into your classroom, regardless of the age or grade you teach. 

  • Brain breaks: Have students stand next to their desks and stretch, shake their arms and legs, or jog in place for 30 seconds. Put on a Danny Go episode and have students follow along with the actions. These kinds of quick, simple activities can help students get their wiggles out and clear their brain so that they can more easily focus on what they are being taught. 
  • Take your class outside (weather permitting) and play a relay game, such as transporting an object from one side of the field to the other. 
  • Take your class on a short walk around the perimeter of the building. If weather doesn’t allow for that, take a walk around the halls of the building, adding in the extra challenge of seeing who can be the quietest. 
  • Play PE Bingo, where each student must pick five activities to complete off their Bingo board— and the activities chosen must be in a row to create a Bingo (You can use the free resource below if you’d like.)
  • Do a “name workout”, where each letter of the alphabet is a different exercise, and students must complete the exercises for each letter of their name. (Ex: A- 5 jumping jacks, B- 30 second jog in place, C- 5 pushups, etc.)
  • Play “4 Corners”. Think of a series of multiple choice questions. On paper, create posters with A, B, C, and D on them. Place the papers in the four corners of the room. As you read each question and answer options, students must move around the room to the corner that corresponds to their response to the question. This not only creates a good opportunity for physical activity, but also helps students to see what they have in common with others in their class. 
  • For secondary students, have a class period where you play “old school” playground games— kickball, four square, hopscotch, or wall ball. You’d be surprised at how much fun teenagers have with these kinds of games (even if they put up a front that they are too old for such silliness).

Physical movement is so important for growing bodies and minds. It promotes healthy habits now and encourages kids to continue those healthy habits throughout their lives. Students of all ages need to see that all different areas of health and well being are important, and that there are simple, accessible ways to take care of each of those different areas. 

**Feel free to use the free PE Bingo card below. It is intended solely for classroom or personal use and may not be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own.**

PE BingoDownload
Posted on

Handwriting vs. Typing: Is One Better Than the Other?

Learning to write— like the actual formation of letters— is a fundamental skill when learning to read and write in any language. If you don’t know how to form the letters, writing legibly and making sense of what is written becomes nearly impossible. You simply must know how to form each letter before you can start putting letters together to form words, sentences, paragraphs, or entire pages of writing. 

I don’t have much memory of learning to write in standard penmanship, but I do vividly remember learning to write cursive. I recall working so hard and practicing a lot to be able to write cursive neatly and efficiently, and that’s about all I wrote in for a long time. Fast forward lots of years, and my handwriting now has become a hybrid of standard and cursive. My kids are now learning cursive at school, and I am so glad they are. It’s becoming a “lost art” the more we turn to digital forms of communication. 

I read an article the other day on NPR by Jonathan Lambert that discussed the benefits of taking a pencil to paper and writing rather than typing something out. In the article, Lambert points out that taking the time to actually handwrite things has big benefits to children and adults alike. He said, “In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.”

Sure, typing is much quicker and more efficient. Oftentimes, it’s also more convenient— like when you remember something to add to your “to do” list while you’re out and about; it’s so easy to quickly pull out your phone and type it into your Notes app. But… consider how many times you have been typing and have been on autopilot to the point that you can’t even remember what you typed. I know it has happened to me several times. The brain to hand connection isn’t nearly as strong when typing as it is when actually taking a pen to paper. 

Think for a minute about what has to happen when you type. You locate the letter on the keyboard and click it. Once you have memorized the keyboard, muscle memory kind of kicks in and your fingers almost just know what to do. It’s really pretty cool— you think of a word you want to type out, and as you’re typing, your brain tells your fingers where to move to click each letter. 

Now, take a minute and think about what happens when you pick up a pencil and put it to a piece of paper to write. First, your brain must tell your hand to pick up the pencil and and correctly hold it. Then, you must think about where on the page you are going to start writing (usually the left side). Your brain must then decide which word you are going to spell, then break the word apart and make sense of which letters to write and in which order they go. Next, your brain must communicate to your hand how to form each letter, and on top of that, it is telling your hand to make micro-adjustments as you write out each letter, such as needing to close the circle on your “d” a bit more before you start to make the line on the side of the letter. The amount of brain to hand then back to brain communication is much more involved with handwriting than it is with typing. It’s really quite remarkable. 

Not only does handwriting something take more “brain power” so to speak, it also helps to solidify material and create a stronger memory for recalling information later. Because you often paraphrase what you hear, your brain must process what you are writing, therefore creating a tighter link between the paper and your mind. Whereas with typing, you can often type verbatim what you are hearing, all while not even fully registering what you are typing. 

Obviously, there are definitely times when typing is much more efficient— can you even imagine hand writing that 100 page dissertation for your doctorate degree?! No thank you! But the art of writing by hand has its place as well. Receiving a hand written note from someone you love is so much more meaningful than having them send a text or an email. It also becomes a treasure years down the road to be able to see your grandparents’ handwriting or your kindergartener’s first sentence written out. Handwriting also goes a long way when teaching kids the early foundations of literacy. 

So even though we are becoming more and more digital today, let’s make sure we don’t lost the art of handwriting, for it seems that if we do, it could be detrimental to the way we process written text. Literacy quite literally depends on it!

If you’d like to read the article referenced above, you can find it here.

Lambert, J. (2024, May 11). Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/11/1250529661/handwriting-cursive-typing-schools-learning-brain