With the diverse methods of teaching and learning in today’s educational world, knowing where the strengths and weaknesses of each student is imperative in order to guarantee students’ needs are being met. Recently, Istation published 10 Assessment Must-Haves as a starting point for measuring student growth and providing teachers with the necessary information as they…
March 23, 2020
Cultivating Cognitive Skills During the Coronavirus Quarantine: Working with Preschoolers
Many of our daily routines have been disrupted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. As we adjust to social distancing and working remotely, we also need to adjust to our kids being home from school. For older children, staying home might mean connecting to classes digitally whereas for younger children, staying home might leave parents scrambling…
July 2, 2019
Parent Newsletter – June 2019
Please see our Quarter 2 Parent Newsletter: v4.2 June 2019 Q2 Learn more about agency development, literacy, and numeracy; as well as a new infographic from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child about what executive function is and how it relates to child development.
August 21, 2018
Language and Executive Function
Language and executive function skills are both critical to a child’s development. But did you know they are related to each other in important ways? Language development and executive function (EF) skills have a reciprocal relationship, meaning each relies on the other for optimal growth. EF skills represent a set of cognitive processes that underlie…
July 17, 2018
Childhood Brain Rhythm + Executive Function
Research agrees that there are prominent changes in brain rhythm (repeated patterns of brain wave activity across different areas of the scalp) from early to middle childhood. Currently, researchers are investigating if – and how – these changes are related to key developmental outcomes such as Executive Function (EF). EF is an umbrella term that…
July 2, 2018
Routines and Executive Function
The hustle and bustle of everyday routines may seem like a lot to keep track of. Whether you are shuttling your child from soccer practice to music lesson or coordinating the daily task of getting the family ready for dinner, our lives are filled with routines and activities. Although some research has suggested that too…
June 26, 2018
Cohort Effects on Delay of Gratification
The Marshmallow Test is conceivably one of the most prominent developmental research studies on delay of gratification. In the late 1960s to early 70s, American Psychologist and Stanford University Professor, Dr. Walter Mischel, and his team sat children down at a table and placed a marshmallow (or other treat chosen by the child) in front of…
June 8, 2018
Parent Newsletter – June 2018
In our Parent Newsletter June 2018, we’d like to welcome our new contributor, Marie Lister! Marie graduated in 2012 with a Masters of Education and a teaching license in Early Childhood and Early Childhood Special Education. She has been a classroom teacher for 9 years and currently is a teacher at the Shirley G. Moore…
May 9, 2018
National Effort: Improve Student Outcomes
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) are teaming up in a national effort: improve student outcomes through research and development. Yesterday (May 8, 2018), the two nonprofits announced that they are extending a public Request for Information (RFI) about innovative ways to facilitate, accelerate, and improve the academic and non-academic outcomes that…
May 1, 2018
Imagination and Brain Development
“Executive function refers to the brain skills that allow us to control our thoughts, actions, and emotions. These skills include cognitive flexibility (thinking about something in multiple ways and shifting gears, for example, transitioning smoothly from snack time to center time), working memory (holding information in mind and working with it, such as reminding yourself…