For young children, pretend play is so much more important than just having fun. In a study by Dr. Stephanie M. Carlson, University of Minnesota Professor and Reflection Sciences CEO and Co-founder, and U of MN alums Dr. Rachel White, Dr. Emily Prager, and Catherine Schaefer, children who pretend to be their strong-minded hero are…
January 11, 2017
How to Improve Early Childhood Education: Help Teachers De-Stress
A new report out this month: 46% of teachers say they feel high daily stress. Roughly 50% agree that “stress and disappointments involved in teaching at this school aren’t really worth it.” What helps? Mindfulness. Patricia Jennings, Associate Professor of Education in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, mindfulness practitioner of more…
December 1, 2016
Strategies for Parents: Goldilocks Parenting
Reflection Sciences Co-founder Dr. Stephanie Carlson explains how “goldilocks parenting”, or finding techniques that are “just right” for a child’s autonomy development, affects the child’s executive function development. When parents interact with their child in a way that balances patience, helpfulness, and involvedness, the child develops the ability to reflection on choices and make decisions according to their own…
November 23, 2016
Executive Function Issues or Laziness?
This 2-part series by Dr. Lynn Margolies of Psych Central features the published work of Reflection Sciences Co-founder, Dr. Phil Zelazo. Part 1 of the series describes how Executive Function issues, the new “hot” umbrella term being used by teachers, counselors, and parents to describe an array of learning and attentional issues, differs from laziness. Part…
October 12, 2016
Play Benefits: Students who Play do Better in School
Emily Deruy of The Atlantic describes play benefits, including cognitive, physical, mental, and social-emotional development. Read more here.
October 7, 2016
Hot or Cool Executive Functions
Co-Founder Dr. Phil Zelazo explains the differences between Hot or Cool Executive Functions, as well as how to help children improve these skills. Read more here!
October 3, 2016
Social and Emotional Development in Schools: The Effects of a One-Sided Report Card
Most current school report cards focus on academic achievement, ignoring social and emotional development, including self-control, perspective-taking, and conflict resolution skills. These traditional report cards measure a student’s achievement and progress in specific subjects covered in class, but today, educators are beginning to worry that students are not being prepared for the tests they will face…