Lemmings are small rodents. Their actions have been popularized by Disney with the classic nature film, “White Wilderness.” Lemmings have also been used in light-hearted video games by the same name. Their behavior points to a phenomena of human behavior: our tendency to conform, to “not rock the boat,” to simply “go with the flow.”…
I know. My subject line doesn’t make much sense. I’ll unpack it a little. When it comes to setting up a practice schedule that will make remembering something likely, I suggested you teach content in small but meaningful parts. That’s the answer to the how much question I posed in another tip of the week….
Well, yes. I’m writing about doing “this” again, and again, and again. I’m talking about practice as another factor in improving your student’s memory of what you’re teaching. Practice, though, is not simply doing something over and over again. When you think about setting up a practice strategy, you have three questions to answer. They…
Does the phrase, “wax on, wax off,” sound familiar? I didn’t think so. It’s a line from a popular but decades-old movie, The Karate Kid. Daniel, a young karate student is being mentored by a sensei named Mr. Miyagi. Instead of heading for the dojo, his mentor teaches him to make a precise circular motion….
Do you remember: A favorite vacation? A proud moment at work, church, or home where what you did was affirmed? A hard-earned accomplishment that was finally realized? A conversation where you felt truly listened to? Likewise, do you remember: A stressful family vacation or trip where you couldn’t wait to get back home to recover?…
Live, Die, Repeat. That’s the subtitle of a science fiction movie, Edge of Tomorrow. Tom Cruise plays a soldier who repeats the same day of combat, living and dying over and over again. The key to his surviving longer into each repeating day is dependent on his learning and remembering what to do and what…
Today’s tools of communication encourage us to move faster and faster. The options are growing. Within moments you can text, tweet, post on Instagram, and comment on Facebook. Maybe like me, you’re addicted to the speed they represent. These communication channels, however, discourage things like thinking, reflecting, and calmly responding. What they encourage is the…
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt you needed to act as if you understood something when the fact is you knew you didn’t get it? I think most of us will admit to this. Sometimes we find ourselves in a conversation where we feel the need to nod our heads in…
Most homeschoolers compute raw scores every week. They are the result of scoring spelling tests and simple math tests in which the items are either right or wrong. With the answer key in one hand and your student’s work in the other, you determine how many items were answered correctly. The raw score represents the…
In my last article I presented seven tips for choosing the right answer when taking an achievement test. Most students might think this is all they need to do to ensure getting the best score possible. In other words, they think once they’ve reached the last item on the test, they can relax until the…