Originally published in the Washington Post on May 20, 2016. When my daughter got home from school yesterday, she made a cozy nest of pillows, pulled out her crayons and started to draw. “Mommy,” she complained, “the music is too loud. I need to focus.” To which her […]
Originally published on NPR’s MindShift on May 26, 2016. Teens who read about the personal and intellectual struggles of scientists feel more motivated to learn science. That was the finding of a recent study out of Teachers College, Columbia University and the University of Washington. Why? Many high […]
Originally published on NPR’s MindShift on May 10, 2016. What kind of people can become scientists? When a group of researchers posed that question to ninth- and 10th-graders, almost every student gave empowering responses, such as “People who work hard” or “Anyone who seems interested in the field […]
Young children are naturally curious. They have an itch to explore their world and figure out how things work. And parents have compelling reasons to foster this inherent inquisitiveness. Curiosity is tied to academic achievement, with research showing “unequivocally that when people are curious about something, they learn […]
Before leaving for preschool this morning, my four-year-old checked on her jar of ladybug larvae, watered her little flower garden and shared a bagel with her little brother. She may not know the term, but she was practicing empathy. Empathy is a skill – one that we can cultivate […]
Ever notice how kids often have more fun playing with an empty box than with what was inside of it? That’s their imagination at work, and as parents, we should not underestimate how vital it is to nurture this creative spirit. Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson explains that […]
For all the emphasis placed on science, technology, engineering and math instruction, not much attention is given to a skill set that’s closely related with success in STEM: spatial skills. The ability to mentally manipulate objects is key to success in many fields, including physics and engineering. Spatial […]
