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Stretching without Snapping: Learning in the Zone Unless you are an educator, you may not have encountered the term Zone of Proximal Development. Introduced by Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) describes the space between what a learner can do independently and what they can accomplish with guidance from a more knowledgeable other—such as a teacher, peer, or group (Vygotsky, 1978). It all starts with creating a challenge and who doesn’t

During my dissertation research on student-centered learning and teaching strategies, I discovered a profound truth: effective, memorable, and enjoyable learning experiences are remarkably similar for both children and adults. No one wants to feel as though their time is being wasted on activities that lack immediate relevance or impact, even children. I often felt a pang of disappointment when I asked my children, “What did you learn at school today?” and they simply replied

Let’s be honest—every January most of us feel a little nudge to do better—often focused on eating better, exercising more, or cutting back on indulgences—to me, and probably others, those have always felt somewhat depriving since we know that for most people these resolutions often don’t last into February. For decades, wellness was synonymous with physical health and the diet industry: counting calories, hitting the gym, and avoiding excess — the no pain, no gain mentality.

Buzzword of the Day I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the buzzword “gamification”— with individuals thinking that this will automatically mean learners will engage with the content they are teaching. And that is not necessarily the case. The past few years, the idea has been to add gamification elements to almost everything, in order to increase student engagement and with the hope of promoting learning. Often the term game-based learning is used synonymously with

Understanding the Math Achievement Gap As I noted in a prior blog, the Math Achievement Gaps has been all over the news in recent times. The Math Achievement Gap refers to persistent disparities in mathematical proficiency between different groups of students, often defined by socioeconomic status, race, or geographic location. In recent years, this gap has received heightened attention from educators, parents, and policymakers, especially as standardized test scores continue

The story begins early one morning with two woodcutters chopping away with gusto, and to see who would have the most cut at the end of...

This blog will explore these impacts, supported by reliable statistics and sources, and discuss how the use of tabletop games can help rebuild some of these skill gaps.