Students
Becoming a “Free Range Leader” for Generation Z
8shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Over the last 18 months, I’ve been collecting stories from “heroes” in the world of student work, athletics and education. These are people who stand out among their peers; they make moves that not only engage Generation Z students but equip them with skills they will need as they…
Continue ReadingThree Ways to Evaluate Students Without Using Grades
5shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Jillian is a rising junior who is obsessed with her academic scores. When I spoke to her, she admits to losing sleep over them, being preoccupied with keeping up with fellow students and even enduring an anxiety disorder because of them. Even though Jillian wants good grades, they hold…
Continue ReadingWhat We Can Learn from the Perry Preschool Project
7shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Recently, I wrote about James Heckman who evaluated the GED Program results after five decades and recorded his findings. Heckman is an economist and a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize Winner from the University of Chicago. He noticed that even young adults who earned their GED (General Education Development) were…
Continue ReadingSix Ways to Separate Your Kids from Their Phones
17shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Do you remember what life was like before we had smartphones? How about life before cell phones? I do. And while I love my iPhone today, sometimes I miss the days when we weren’t tethered to our portable devices. The New York Times recently ran an article that caught…
Continue ReadingThe Hidden Advantages of Staying in School
1shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn In 1942, the G.E.D. program was launched to enable World War II veterans return home after serving in the military to complete their high school education. By 1947, the state of New York allowed civilians to enroll to get their General Education Development (GED) and earn a high school…
Continue ReadingFive Tips to Increase Attention Spans in Young Adults
16shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn When I recently asked a teacher if her students read very much, she asked if I could explain what I meant. Hmmm. I felt like it was a fairly straightforward question. So, I proceeded to repeat my words. She later explained the reason she asked her question is that…
Continue ReadingThe Importance of Reducing Moral Hazards with Students
12shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Last year, two educators shared a similar story with me about students who learned how to work the “school system.” Each of the students purposely did poorly on their exams at the beginning of the school year. They answered questions almost randomly. By midterm, they put more thought into…
Continue ReadingAdversity May Just Be a Student’s Best Friend
7shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Last week I met someone at a student conference who inspired me. Alex is a junior in high school who has overcome several obstacles in his first sixteen years of life—an abusive, deadbeat dad who left the family; growing up in a single parent household afterward; family income that…
Continue ReadingMental Toughness Exercises for You and Your Students (Part Two)
6shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Yesterday, I offered four simple exercises for students to grow their “grit.” Today, I will offer four more, in Part Two of the Eight Ideas to Develop Mental Toughness list. Before I do—consider the day we live in. When we reflect on the realities that Generation Z grows up…
Continue ReadingHow to Solve the Problem of Student Online Relationships
9shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn When I first studied the data on Generation Z and their habits, I was surprised to see that teen sex has decreased over the last ten years. In fact, fewer teens are engaging in sexual activity than teens in my generation back in the 1970s. When I paused to…
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