Different Routes. Reading so much material on the subject matter of excellent instruction has led me to think deeply about the different routes we all take to understanding. For some it’s visual, while others might fare better through audio or tactile stimulants.  Of course, I do not have that many resources available to me in but a brief hour or half hour tutoring session.  However, I have tried to help students through creating parallel situations or metaphors. What does th

So if you are like millions of Americans, and others round the world, it may be that your most common way of “doing nothing” is to plop down on the couch, grab the remote, and veg out.  If you are like me, you might even find yourself, despite all of the action on the tube, falling asleep and waking to ask a family member, “what did I miss?” Mind Breaks. So if you are taking your mind breaks by sitting with the remote in hand, will that have the same impact as yoga or meditat

By Christine Mason. As you head toward the summer and continue to plan for next year, here are a few recommendations for you, your schools, and your teachers. These past 20 years, in addition to dedicating myself to educational research and innovations, I have also delved deeply into yoga and I am finding that sometimes my greatest insights and wisdom come from just sitting still, and doing nothing.  Doing nothing, if you have ever tried it, is not that easy. The mind wants t

The panel itself will include: NAESP Mentor Trainers: Drs. Kathleen Sciarappa (NH) and Nancy Phenis-Bourke (IN): Principal Mentoring Dr. Michele Rivers Murphy (CEI Research Associate) on the Power to Choose Heather Smith, Principal, Lilja Elementary School in Natick, MA, on Implications of Neuroscience for the Classroom Drs. Melissa Patschke, PA and Kathleen Sciarappa on Virtual Principal Simulations (a program with the University of Pennsylvania) Others-To be determined. If

By Christine Mason. Technology is an important component of 21st Century Learning. Earlier this year, to assist schools, CEI developed  a draft version of “21st Century Technology Use in Schools: Guidelines for Principals.” (After clicking on the Guideline’s link, scroll down the page to get to the guidelines.) CEI provided both a copy of the guidelines and also directions for using the guidelines.  Since then we have received positive feedback from several educators–however,

Norrell Edwards, CEI Intern. As we continue further into the 21st century, we’re seeing more and more alignment of education with technological innovation. Cyberlearning, a way of using networked computers to mediate learning. The Internet is an endless, massive resource. But where can you look for these tools? PBS’s Learning Media website (containing materials developed under a grant from the National Science Foundation) is one website to inspire you. Just watching the video

Editor’s Note: For Part I, turn to  CEI’s April 29, 2014 blog.  Both the interview on April 29 and the one today provide the perspective of Finnish citizens and parents, and may not necessarily represent the opinions of educators. The most illuminating part of our conversation related to the role that parents play in their children’s education.  ‘In Finland we have Parents’ Nights where you meet your children’s teacher maybe once or twice a year, but that’s it.  For the most