Back in 1956, a team of researchers led by Dr. Benjamin Bloom identified three domains of educational activity: Cognitive, Affective and Kinesthetic. Cognitive refers to the processes involved with learning that happen via the mind.  Rote memorization, scaffolding, and mnemonic devices are examples of learning involving processes which engage the mind.  It’s where knowledge “resides”…

Back in 1988, a company called Nike launched a very successful marketing campaign with the tag line, “Just Do It.” That phrase became so ingrained within the collective psyche of our society that it’s now believed that if you’re not seen as “doing something,” you’re wasting time. Further, with the promise of technology being able…

As a new school year is now underway (and nearing the end of the first quarter already), here’s an article which was submitted by a teacher who was completing her first year at a new school a number of years ago.  Does it resonate with what happens at your school…perhaps even more so in our…

Many companies today espouse “Best Practices” when they say what their company does.  That’s a great way to build confidence in their target market. But difficulties arise when companies that may not espouse “Best Practices” want to know what others consider to be “Best Practices” so they can consider implementing them at their company. Then…

Remember that song from “Sesame Street?” My wife and I grew up in “MisterRogers Neighborhood,” so the next generation that grew up on the “Street” had to find out who the people in their neighborhood were through song rather than a by a personal visit or video views through a magical picture frame. So who…

In the schools I’ve visited over the past 18 years, I’ve heard several administrators say that if the children are happy, the parents are happy.  If the parents are happy, the teachers are happy.  If the teachers are happy, the administrators are happy.  Put them all together and it creates an environment conducive to learning…

Everyone working the field of education today has heard the arguments for and against the Common Core Curriculum as well as the benefits and drawbacks of increased standardized testing. I’m sure that anyone graduating from college with their degree in education has undoubtedly done some type of research on Common Core Curriculum (an idea that…

You may have heard of the 3 “V”s of Big Data. What’s Big Data?  It’s the voluminous amount of information that is being mined by corporations by various means (like Internet searches, surveys and preference settings) for a variety of purposes (like targeted marketing, new product development and predictive analytics). Its now the storehouse of…

When pursuing a course of study which leads to a “Master” degree, both the thesis and the practicum pathways usually involve a review of the research regarding the thesis statement.  While reviewing some of the Internet resources available regarding the implementation of publicly funded compulsory education in this country, it’s interesting to see the articles…

If you dangle a string just out of reach of a cat’s paw, the cat will do whatever it can to get it.  If it’s taken away from him and dangled again, he will continue to pounce on it, jump for it and even try to gnaw at it.  But if the cat maintains hold…