With kids doing so much of their learning at home during the COVID-19 outbreak, it becomes very important to make sure that their personal study area in the home is especially conducive to study and concentration.  Here are five tips for putting together an optimal learning environment for your teen (or child).  Naturally, there are...Read More

This is going to sound ridiculously simplistic, but there is one basic way to learn how to write better:  write more.  That’s a little like saying A = A, so I perhaps need to flesh out this little gem in greater detail.  The point I’m trying to make is that you don’t learn to write...Read More

William Shakespeare is generally regarded as the greatest writer of the English language.  All too often, though, he is taught at the secondary school level in a way that does not endear this brilliant man to high school students.  I remember being bored by Shakespeare when I was in school.  What can be done to...Read More

One of the most interesting ”learning styles” that I’ve encountered over the course of my teaching is the highly-spatial ”at risk” thinker (I’ll call them “Imagers”).   These kids are often ”at risk” for being diagnosed with learning disabilities, dyslexia, and even ADHD.  However, for the most part, they simply think in a way that is...Read More

There’s an age-old concept in the field of education called ”the teachable moment.” This is when an event happens unexpectedly that provides an opportunity for students to learn something new.  So, for example, if a great statesman died, this might be the chance to learn something about his life, or to examine the traits of...Read More