Category Archives: 21st Century Skills

Letting Middle Schoolers Take Risks

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

    This is a terrific piece on children entering early adolescence and how to help them take risks safely to develop their skills for school and for life. Thanks, Mrs. Frimet, for the link! http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2014/08/20/want-to-keep-your-new-middle-schooler-out-of-trouble-then-let-them-take-risks/

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Don’t dismiss the humanities… Op Ed by Nicholas Kristoff

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

For those of us who have chosen a career in education, this piece harkens back to what we are most likely to think of as our bread and butter; yes the world and our workplace is a more hospitable host … Continue reading →

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Youth Athletics: specializing too young?

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

I grew up in a household where all four of my brothers played sports from the youngest possible ages: Pop Warner Football, Little League, Parish Basketball. But each season, a new sport emerged. The idea of specializing in just one … Continue reading →

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15 Sites and Apps Teens are visiting after Facebook

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

I think Common Sense Media does a great job of helping adults (parents and educators alike) keep a finger on the pulse of teens and tweens. Having just spent a week traveling in Quebec and Montréal with some of our … Continue reading →

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Parenting Teenagers

Posted on July 16, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

“Being a teenager is hard; being the parent of a teenager is even harder…” No truer words were ever spoken about parenting. This is a realistic look at the ways parents can struggle with teens. http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/the-emotional-whiplash-of-parenting-a-teenager/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&smid=pl-share&_r=1&_cldee=a21jbmFtYXJhQHR1eGVkb3BhcmtzY2hvb2wub3Jn&

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early childhood assessment, admissions and what children need…

Posted on July 13, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

There is an interesting dichotomy between what we know about childhood development and how we assess our youngest learners! Witness these two article on child development and our work in schools. http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140707/upper-east-side/quiz-are-you-smart-enough-get-into-private-kindergarten EarlyChildhood􏰁 Reading at five: Why? By JOAN ALMON … Continue reading →

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Quality of American Universities….

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

Quality of American Universities…. An interesting and startling comparison of US universities to those in the rest of the world. Education is in the news and on everyone’s mind. Sometimes we are so focused on which colleges our children attend … Continue reading →

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The Fixed Mindset Myth, Julie Stevens

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

The Fixed Mindset Myth, Julie Stevens http://csee.org/products/334?utm_source=PMG+Newsletter+-+May+2014&utm_campaign=PMG+-+May+2014&utm_medium=email There are some great pointers here to help parents and teachers focus on a growth mindset as we ask children to work through a difficult or challenging task.  

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Reading, Writing, Arithmetic and Lately, Coding

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Kathleen McNamara Head's Up!

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/us/reading-writing-arithmetic-and-lately-coding.html?hpw&rref=technology The author examines the trend in schools to allow children to play with coding as part of an elementary curriculum. As we look for ways to have a set of technical skills embedded in school curriculum, there are some … Continue reading →

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