Taraji P. Henson Shines a Light on Mental Health Crisis Among African American Teens
(NBC’s Today)
The Oscar-nominated star has testified to Congress to urge for more funding for mental health in African American communities, but she didn’t stop there. She founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation, which partners with schools to help African American children who need mental health support. For example, the foundation is creating “Peace Rooms,” which are painted with encouraging quotes to help students with anxiety who need to step away. While this gives students a quiet place to collect themselves, it also shows them that their well-being is valuable.
Three Things I Wish I Knew as a Graduate Student Teacher
(Society for the Teaching Psychology)
Being a graduate student teacher (GST) can be one of the most difficult and most rewarding experiences in graduate school. As I reflect back on my time as a GST, there are a few key pieces of advice I wish I could have told myself that first day in my statistics course.
The Science Of Learning In Practice
(The Learning Agency Lab)
For years, centuries really, educators have experimented with different learning tools, techniques, and curricula. Some efforts have been more successful than others, of course. But how many of them are based on science with a robust body of research behind them?
7 Reasons to Let Your Kids Fail, According to Psychology
(Business Insider)
Children should know that their parents will love and support them, but it’s a disservice to never let them fail. Never failing will instill a sense of helplessness in kids, and could set them on path towards anxiety and depression — or entitlement.
The Fight for Later School Start Times
(New Jersey Family)
We see better grades and better test scores, especially in poorer performing school districts, which make big educational strides,” says Mandelbaum. According to the American Psychological Association, studies have shown that later school start times can boost students’ GPAs, as well as scores on state and college admission exams. That makes sense, given that poor sleep messes with concentration, memory retention and simply staying awake in class. And no surprise, extra shut-eye immediately impacts performance in the first two class periods (and benefits last all day).
Could Robots Be Psychology’s New Lab Rats?
(Science)
Sending a mouse through a maze can tell you a lot about how its little brain learns. But what if you could change the size and structure of its brain at will to study what makes different behaviors possible? That’s what Elan Barenholtz and William Hahn are proposing. The cognitive psychologist and computer scientist, both at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, are running versions of classic psychology experiments on robots equipped with artificial intelligence.
Stop Punting Dyslexia to Teachers. It’s Everyone’s Responsibility
(Education Week; Subscription Only – Free Trial)
At an immediate level, children with dyslexia need support and advocacy from vocal parents who fight tirelessly on their behalf. They need knowledgeable pediatricians who recognize the warning signs as early as age 3 and school psychologists who follow guidelines set forth by the American Psychological Association in identifying dyslexia under the umbrella term “specific learning disorder.” Also essential are general education teachers, who understand both the art and science of multifaceted reading instruction, and special education teachers, who provide high-quality instruction and targeted interventions.
Why Is Middle School So Hard for So Many People?
(The Atlantic)
A 2016 American Educational Research Association study of 90,000 students in New York City, for example, found that one’s status as a “top dog” has the most positive academic and social advantages in the sixth grade. And not only do kids at this age place a greater premium on popularity than their younger counterparts; they also benefit immensely from stability. A separate 2014 study of 6,000 K–8 students in small towns throughout Pennsylvania and Indiana found that starting a new school in the sixth or seventh grade can undermine kids’ motivation and confidence; those who didn’t have to transfer from their elementary school fared better.
How Children Evolved to Whine
(New York Times)
Monkey and human children alike use “whining to bridge a gap with an adult,” said Dr. Sokol-Chang — which is to say, they’re whining to get your attention, and fast. Babies may develop a whiny type of cry as early as 10 months, but full-blown whining doesn’t pick up until they learn to speak, Dr. Sokol-Chang said. Though whining typically peaks in toddlerhood and decreases with age, “I’m not sure it really goes away,” she said, pointing out that adults even whine to their partners.
U.S. Urged to ‘Turn Off Hate’ After Suicide of LGBT+ Teen
(New York Times)
The suicide of a 16-year-old who was cyberbullied over sexually explicit messages he exchanged with another boy shows acceptance – including legal support – is key to improving mental health, LGBT+ advocates said on World Mental Health Day on Thursday.
Teacher Goes Viral After Revealing Ingenious Tactic to Help Struggling Students
(Yahoo! News)
Erin Castillo, a special education teacher at John F. Kennedy High School in Fremont, Calif., originally posted about her “mental health check-in chart” on Instagram earlier this year.
Screening Kindergarten Readiness
(Science Daily)
Researchers have found that a readiness test can predict kindergarteners’ success in school after 18 months.
Anticipating Performance Can Hinder Memory
(Science Daily)
Anticipating your own performance at work or school may hinder your ability to remember what happened before your presentation, a study has found.
Colleges Have Oversimplified the Mental Health Crisis and Overpromised When It Comes to Their Ability to Respond to It (Opinion)
(Inside Higher Ed)
It is impossible to identify and treat all the college students who experience anxiety and depression, and we must determine which groups we can effectively assist, argues Billie Wright Dziech.
How Emotions Play a Critical Role in Learning and Attention
(Parent Toolkit)
For a long time, emotions and cognition were thought of as separate entities — emotions were actually a distraction from the logical, cognitive reasoning processes. However, current neuroscience shows that in every moment, our emotion networks are actively interconnected with our attention, perception, and memory systems.
An “Ah-Ha” Moment with Spaced Practice in the Classroom
(Effortful Educator)
I’m sometimes asked by other teachers how I show my students the positive effects of spaced practice. By definition, it takes time to see the results of spacing out your practice of material and this fact makes it more difficult to demonstrate in class. This past week, however, I was granted that perfect moment of instruction when it all came together and I was able to say, “See…I told you this stuff works.”
Who’s to Blame?
(Effortful Educator)
Mr. Jefferey Frieden* recently posed an interesting question to twitter and I would like to take a moment to give my take. Here’s the question:
How to Help Your Child Succeed at School
(New York Times)
In the high-pressure, high-stakes game of school, it can be difficult to know which parenting strategies really promote learning. A successful experience in school is not only about report cards. Ideally your child will learn how to learn, retain information, think independently, ask questions and develop an increasing sense of competence. Here are some guidelines for making sure you start on the right foot and keep enthusiasm and momentum high throughout the school year.
