School Has Changed Since We Were There

• “What Does It Mean to Educate the Whole Child” by Nel Noddings. In a democratic society, schools must go beyond teaching fundamental skills.

Progressive Educational Best Practices

• “How Can Teachers Foster Self Esteem in Children” by Robert Brooks, Ph.D. The author describes how teachers play an important role in nurturing a student’s sense of dignity and self-worth.
• “The Primacy of Imagination” by Todd Oppenheimer. The author describes the Waldorf progressive method including integration of music.
• “The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models” by Heather Staker. This white paper describes technology as a “disruptive” force in the classroom.
• “How Khan Academy is Changing the Rules of Education” by Clive Thompson. This piece shows how technology is a tool that is also responsive to differentiated learning styles.
• “Kindergarteners at the keyboard” by Jill Barshay. This article is another example of blended learning relevant to the kindergarten classroom.
• “Ed School’s Pedgagogical Puzzle” by Sharon Otterman. This piece addresses progressive revisions to teacher education with references to specific “progressive” instructional methods.
• “Bring on the learning revolution!” with Sir Ken Robinson. TED talk about the need for innovation in education.

Social Emotional Development

• “What if the Secret to Success is Failure?” by Paul Tough. An excellent article on character traits.
• “How to Land Your Kid in Therapy” by Lori Gottlieb. Why the obsession with our kids’ happiness may be dooming them to unhappy adulthoods. A therapist and mother reports. This piece is an argument against over-protective parenting and allowing children to experience failure in order to build resilience.
• “How Not to Talk to Your Kids” by Po Bronson. This piece covers nurture shock and the inverse power of generalized praise.
• “The Perils and Promises of Praise” by Carol Dweck. This pieces asserts that the wrong kind of praise creates self-defeating behavior while the right kind motivates students to learn.
• “Study Reveals Brain Biology Behind Self-Control” by Sarah Sparks. A new neuroscience twist on a classic psychology study offers some clues to what makes one student able to buckle down for hours of homework before a test while his classmates party.