Deliberate practice for deliberate learning
Mrs. Coselian, my piano teacher, had her work cut out for her when I first climbed onto her piano bench. I was a distractible 5-year-old who would rather be playing outside than tickling ivory. Her persistence was great, however, and under her guidance and coaxing I eventually learned to play. Today, I am grateful for Mrs. Coselian’s musical tutelage, but even more grateful that she taught me something far more useful (for me) than concertos and arias: the habit of deliberate practice, or practicing with a purpose. This incredibly useful skill is the learning theme for “Catch that Question!”, Appisode 3 of Leo’s Pad, and the topic of today’s post. Read More…
How to turn your preschooler into a master problem solver
A common challenge for parents is helping their preschoolers deal with the frustration that inevitably comes with trying new things and solving new problems. It is of course important to comfort kids when they are feeling this way, but we can do one better by giving kids actual strategies with which to tackle problems on their own. This blog entry gives tips on how to help children manage their frustration and become independent and effective problem-solvers.
The first step is to help kids learn to identify problem-solving opportunities. Try these methods: Read More…
Building number sense in the brain: More than just counting to ten
Last week I wrote that for kids, thinking of the brain as a muscle empowers them to strengthen their brains through effort. This week, for parents I introduce the idea of the brain as an orchestra, and I give some tips on how parents can help kids develop an understanding of numbers supported by an orchestra of brain areas.
Like an orchestra, the brain has specialized sections that play different roles. And while these sections need to be strong in their own right, they also need to work together to perform well.
In the brain, instead of hiring a master conductor, we coordinate different sections by bringing them together literally, growing physical links between different brain regions as we develop and learn. Read More…
Fixed vs. growth mindset: The benefits of believing your brain can learn
What phrases do you use to praise your child? “You’re so smart!” and “Good boy (girl)!” are probably on the list. Unfortunately, these phrases, which praise the child for being a certain type of person, can shape children’s notions of learning for the worse.
The problem is that telling children they are [fill-in-the-blank] types of people leads them to have a fixed mindset, an attitude about intelligence that discourages learning, as originally described by Professor Carol Dweck of Stanford. Read More…
The myth of learning styles
Welcome to the first post of our series on learning and the brain! With the federal government’s recent commitments to early childhood education and a project to map the human brain, I can’t think of a better time to begin talking about brains, learning, and education, topics I’ve spent over half a decade researching.
Learning styles, a grand myth
This kick-off post talks about a grand NeuroMyth: learning styles. Familiar to anyone who has ever declared themselves to be a “visual learner,” “kinesthetic learner,” or “auditory learner,” the idea of learning styles is incredibly popular in education, with over 92% of teachers surveyed in Europe reportedly believing in learning styles. (I imagine the numbers are similar in the U.S.)
To get straight to the point, Read More…
Three guidelines for engaging preschoolers in chores (or, “Work is play”)
In previous posts, I’ve written that play is the single best learning activity for your preschooler and that playing doesn’t have to be an elaborate production with toys, rules, and undivided parental attention. One simple and effective way for parents to build on those two points is to involve their children in the real work of the house (in an appropriately accessible way).
Most parents recognize that children are natural mimics. We’ve all seen our children perform an earnest if imperfect reproduction of something they’ve seen us do, like talk on a “phone” (often a block, remote control, or something else vaguely rectangular), or put “keys” into a doorknob or car ignition. The obvious point here is that humans learn through imitation, but it’s also important to note that our children are imitating us because they want to do what we do. This fact is a gem hiding in plain sight. Read More…
Three tips for playing with your preschooler (or, “Play is free”)
Almost all parents enjoy playing with their children. Sometimes, though, we try too hard. Kids don’t need expensive toys, digital gadgets, or even our bold leadership to have a great time.
In my last post, I wrote about how play is the proper work of young children. The great thing is that because kids are wired to do it, parents don’t have to provide much by way of structure. In fact, too much structure around kids’ play can be a bad thing!
Just this week in a great email newsletter from PlayScience, I saw two research findings relevant to this point. Read More…
