Children in most schools, especially in Primary 7 (age 11, England Year 6), are increasingly engaging with technology and social media in a way that is completely different from 10 or even 5 years ago. More time is spent on phones and devices and, as a result of this, observations and appreciation of the wonderful natural world around them are…

The revised UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) now places a stronger emphasis on personal, social and emotional development (PSED) as one of its three prime areas. PSED has three characteristics of learning: active learning, creating and thinking critically, and playing and exploring. These aspects of the revised EYFS closely align with the…

The value of authentic knowing, autonomous behavior and altruistic motivation is presented. Authenticity, autonomy and altruism are primary human capacities and keys for individual and collective transformation. Realizing the full development of these three basic potentialities can serve as goals and standards for well-being. Authenticity,…

A brain has the capacity to absorb a great deal of information and can make decisions about what role or roles, major or minor, that data will play in its life. While it is most likely true that we learn one new thing every day, our brain, the controller of our thoughts, can decide what number of new things we can learn and remember each day. As I…

In her well-known research, Carol Dweck has documented how individuals' attitudes about intelligence affect their behavior and achievement. People with a fixed mindset, she writes, believe that intelligence is inborn and unchangeable, whereas those with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can grow through practice and effort. In this…

The National Research Council's (NRC) statement and description of features of settings that have value for positive youth development have been of great importance in shifting discourse toward creating programs that capitalize on youth motivations toward competence and connections with others. This assets-based approach to promote development is…

This article discusses the proposition that learning is an unexplored feature of the guided autobiography method and its developmental exchange. Learning, conceptualized and explored as the embedded and embodied processes, is essential in narrative activities of the guided autobiography method leading to psychosocial development and growth in…

This book offers an examination of the related topics of school prayer and character education in the United States, advocating for their return to public schools. In 1962 and 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court made rulings that removed prayer and Bible reading from public schools. But in the aftermath of the rulings, the nation endured one of the worst…

Presenting a framework for brain-compatible learning and literacy education implemented in grades K-5 in Carroll County (Georgia) schools, this group presentation describes brain-based education as being aware and familiar with the most recent research that is out there about how brains learn best and what facilitates brains' learning and…

Eight teachers who consistently and successfully implement individualized, personalized learning in their classrooms were interviewed for the study summarized in this article. (Author/MLF)

"On the Level," a classroom video series developed for 14- to 17-year-olds, is being broadcast by many public television stations. The series was designed to promote personal and social growth among adolescents. Suggestions given for the effective use of the series by teachers include: (1) selecting appropriate questions and activities; and (2)…

Highlights two studies examining multiple meanings of schooling for 36 adolescent girls in 3 school sites. Focuses on how peer relationships affect the sense of self through hierarchical social groupings, how school tasks either obliterate the self as a participant or provide opportunities for self- discovery, and how teachers can honor…

The Personal Map is a series of activities designed to help students develop self-reflexivity, interpersonal communication, emotional intelligence, and diversity awareness. Students create and present to their classmates personal maps depicting formative life events. They then reflect on their experience of the project and share their reflections.…

Compares early childhood classrooms in Italy and the United States. Concludes that art educators must create environments that support children's aesthetic and artistic development, incorporate aspects from the world into the life of classrooms, and critically examine classroom learning spaces. (DAJ)

Explains how high quality early childhood programs address academics, including assessment, and are accountable to early childhood standards. Describes how the early childhood learning situation that looks very much like play is actually a carefully designed and organized learning environment that provides structure, stimulation, and support for…