I asked Jonathan Winkler, a seventh grade history teacher in Newton, Massachusetts to test out a new Me First Buzzer System. At my request, he gave it to me straight and shared his Game Buzzers experience—successes and challenges. To set the scene, understand that he introduced this snazzy new b...
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I love that scholars are studying happiness and finally understanding that success does not breed happiness; rather happiness breeds success. I learned that from my dad who long ago left the corporate world to start Trainers Warehouse. Starting a new business felt financially risky, but his happines...
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“I can’t talk about that at work.” “My boss wouldn’t want to hear what I have to say.” Employees have so many reasons for not talking about meaningful topics at work. Sometimes, they’re tight-lipped simply because giving feedback is difficult. In other cases...
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I grew up in a family of three girls. Although I was fanatical about sports, I was not a sports fan. I was a doer, not a viewer. But now, living in New England with my husband and two boys, being a sports fan is not optional. So, as the Patriots fan I’ve become, I…
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I’ve been practicing yoga for just over a year now. I love it. Not only is it helping me build my core and feel healthy, but yoga’s ancient customs lend fresh perspective to another world I’ve been immersed in for over 20 years—training and learning. What can trainers learn from the practice...
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Back to School You may not remember what it’s like to be a student. I had forgotten until I went to “back-to-school nights” so I could meet my children’s teachers. I’ve been to plenty of conferences where I get to (have to?) sit and listen to presentations. Even when th...
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My mind was swimming with ideas on how to gamify work and get more done at work after reading Gamestorming by Dave Gray and Sunni Brown . Meetings continue to get a bad rap, but as we transform meetings from time-wasters to strategic imperatives, the question isn’t whether to meet, but rather ...
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I’m always on the lookout for ideas that apply knowledge of how the brain works to specific teaching and facilitation techniques. So, my interest was piqued when I came across Daniel Willingham’s article, “Unlocking the Science of How Kids Think.“* He explained that 16 years ...
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The more engaged students are in the learning process, the more they will absorb. While this makes intuitive sense, the assertion is also backed up by loads of brain research showing that when more areas of the brain are involved in an experience, the more memorable it becomes. So, to maximize learn...
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I had thought that old adage, “everything we need to learn, we learned in kindergarten” was true. Remember “show and tell,” when children are invited to share a favorite object and talk about why it is meaningful to them? Now I’m not so sure. To improve communication an...
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