Mary-Dean Barringer
All Kinds of Minds CEO

Back to School

A few years ago, I asked my friend Evanne Berry, then 16, “What do you want in a teacher?” Her answer was powerfully simple. “I want a teacher who knows the real me — not just from class. I’m the girl that’s great at varsity soccer, loves theater and wonders why I stink at math.”

I believe every student wants the same thing, a teacher that will come to know them. Teachers mirror that need.  

Read more from Mary-Dean Barringer, All Kinds of Minds CEO

Getting to Know Your Students

Shakespeare’s Juliet asked “What’s in a name?” And the answer may be: a realistic approach to closing the achievement gap in today’s classrooms. According to research by Dr. Russ Quaglia of the Institute on Student Aspirations, a student is more likely to be involved and motivated if they feel that their teacher knows their name.  This means individualized teacher-student interactions help engage students, build positive classroom experiences, and facilitate successful learning.

Learning a student’s name, however, is just the beginning. Research also suggests that leveraging a student’s affinities and interests also helps them to relate to and become more engaged with the curriculum. In his article Understanding and Enhancing Motivation: Removing Some Myths, Dr. Carl Swartz writes “Whenever possible, for however long they need to be used, strengths and affinities should be used as a strategy for improving performance thereby enhancing self-efficacy.”

“I believe in me… do you believe in me?”

This year, 5th grader Dalton Sherman provided the captivating and poignant keynote address at the Dallas Independent School District Convocation. The charismatic 10-year-old stood in front of 20,000 teachers, parents, students and administrators at the Charles Rice Learning Center and said “I can do anything, be anything, create anything, dream anything, become anything – because you believe in me.”

Sherman illustrated throughout his energetic address the important role that teachers have in the lives of children as they navigate learning demands and school life. At All Kinds of Minds we recognize that all students deserve the hope and support that Dalton was referring to and to that end, we provide teachers with programs and resources that will help them see potential in all students.

Watch Dalton Sherman’s speech on Youtube.  

Feeling inspired? Let us know what you think.

Help Prevent Social Setbacks

The latest research in Social Cognition, which includes thinking that facilitates interpersonal interactions, may be useful during the start of this school year. Here’s a suggestion:

Social setbacks often occur outside of the classroom. Think about the social "hot spots" where school may be particularly difficult for students struggling with some aspect of Social Cognition, such as the cafeteria, the bus, or the hallways. Providing students with opportunities to practice conversational skills and helping them see that others often have different perspectives can help prevent hurt feelings and inappropriate behavior.

Learn more about Social Cognition using the Online Neurodevelopmental Framework.

Begin the year by Revealing Minds

Written by Dr. Craig Pohlman, Revealing Minds is a practical, hands-on guide to assessing learning problems based on the neurodevelopmental framework and research pioneered by All Kinds of Minds.

“[Revealing Minds] draws the essential connections between theory and practice that can enable every teacher to be ‘smart’ about assessing student learning…” writes Peter Gow, Director of College Counseling and Special Programs at Beaver County Day School. The book features real-life examples, helpful diagrams and tables, sample assessments and definitions of key terms.

Purchase your copy from Amazon.com today.

All Kinds of Minds® and Schools Attuned® are marks of All Kinds of Minds. ©1999-2008 All Kinds of Minds

This month’s Learning Landscape article dispels some of the confusion about attention problems. Read what scholars have to say about the latest thinking on neurodevelopmental concepts and issues.

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