By Julie Kucks Why do musicians practice their scales? Because learning music is like learning a language. Musicians practice scales so they understand the key signatures and building blocks of music, build finger agility, and develop technique. Before a musician can musically interpret a piece, they must know the building blocks of the language. Math is the same. For students to really be able to handle abstract math problems, they ...

By Julie Kucks In one of the largest student perception studies ever conducted, it was found that nearly half of American students believed their teachers did not care about them as individuals. Take that in for a minute. That means that nearly half of American students feel invisible. Care and personal connection are two of the biggest ingredients for deep learning. Studies have shown that a student’s sense of belonging ...

By Julie Kucks “I am who I am today because homework helped me build my skillsets.” – Nandini Menon, CHP Founder To homework or not to homework? That is the big question. There has been much debate about whether homework is actually beneficial for students. In the Decoding Education podcast, Ending the Homework Debate, CHP founder Nandini Menon builds a case for homework – pointing out what it is, what ...

By Julie Kucks Holistic education is a learning philosophy that believes students are people, not simply academics, and should thus be educated as a whole person. This means that developing a student’s social, emotional, and ethical wellbeing is the responsibility of a teacher, along with ensuring academic success. Holistic education has gained popularity in recent years as a response to the increased learning loss and school dropouts that have occurred ...

By Julie Kucks “I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.” – Confucius Imagine your child as a little one – they’ve just started crawling. Occasionally, they do a wobbly stand-up holding onto the coffee table. You just know in your bones that any day they’re going to take that first successful step on their own. And now imagine that you prop them ...