Curiosity is built into the human genome.  It’s really a question of life or death. If we hadn’t been curious as a species, it’s likely that we would not have survived to pass along those curiosity genes.  Curiosity endowed our ancestors with the ability to pay close attention to the environment, especially when it underwent...Read More

About education:  here’s what I don’t understand.  On the one hand, you have the child – this incredibly wonderful organism that has had millions of years to evolve a beautifully complex brain designed to be naturally curious, playful, vital, creative, and joyful.  On the other hand, you have this amazing world:  exquisite life forms, unbelievable...Read More

Imagine that Leonardo da Vinci was a child growing up in contemporary times and school authorities had to determine whether or not he should receive an IEP (Individual Education Plan).  Here’s what it might look like. Principal:  ”Okay, I think we’re ready to start.  Who wants to get the ball rolling?”‘ School Psychologist:  ”Well, I ran...Read More

I just received in my email box a link to a video made by the kids at Yealey Elementary School, in Florence, Kentucky, reviewing my new children’s book:  Smarts! Everybody’s Got Them. Intended for kids ages 5 to 9, the book presents Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences through pictures and words.  Each of the...Read More

Let me start by telling a story based on actual classroom research.  A research psychologist gave 27 students in a high school classroom wireless pagers and told them that whenever they received a ”page” they were to write down on a form he’d given them whatever was going on in their minds at that moment. ...Read More