20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain: #11 Music, Rhythm, Rhyme, & Rap

When I teach model lessons to K-12 students, I always play classical music before the lesson begins. If I am teaching elementary students, I go to each desk and introduce myself while they are listening to music. If the students are in middle or high school, I am at the door to greet them as they change classes. Continue Reading…

art in school, art education, kids coloring

20 Instructional Strategies That Engage the Brain: #2 Drawing and Artwork

I worked for 30 years with a major school district in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Even though I have been retired from that system since 2003, I still have a vested interest in the district. I have a granddaughter who goes to school in the district and a son-in-law who teaches physical education there. I was very concerned when I looked at the headlines of a neighborhood newspaper that arrived at my house. Continue Reading…

Let Them Play!

Remember when you were little and you used to play outside for hours on end? Or maybe you’d be inside in a playroom pretending to be a teacher or an astronaut or a princess? Or you would be enjoying watching videos for babies with your parent? When children engage in play, they’re do much more than entertaining themselves. They’re learning and growing; they’re turning into well-adjusted human beings. Continue Reading…