Funderstanding is pleased to be presenting the final article in a series of three by contributor Lori Day. The series has focused on providing tools for parents, students and educators to effectively navigate the often challenging middle school years. In case you missed the first two articles, they can be found here and here. Sometimes I don’t know what is harder—being a middle schooler, or being the parent of one.  I’ve always felt that the wounds your child receives cut you more deeply than those received personally. I sometimes say that seventh grade was the worst year of my life. Many [...]

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Funderstanding is pleased to be presenting the second article in a series of three by contributor Lori Day. The series will focus on providing tools for parents, students and educators to effectively navigate the often challenging middle school years. In case you missed the first introductory article, it can be found at: http://www.funderstanding.com/gurus/a-middle-school-survival-kit-for-students-parents-and-educators/.

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  Funderstanding is pleased to be presenting this first article in a series of three by contributor Lori Day. The series will focus on providing tools for parents, students and educators to effectively navigate the often challenging middle school years. 

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As a parent, we want to encourage our kids to think for themselves and make smart, positive decisions. But, sometimes, we get stuck on wanting things to be done to our own expectations and a helping hand is offered before the child can think or do something or themselves. And there are those moments where we become “helicopter parents” where more time is spent focusing on directing the child’s behavior instead of nurturing it. The developing brain is an amazing thing, and all these aspects play a role on how it advances.

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Once a young adult hits a certain age, several things kick into action. Not only is puberty raging, the brain is going through some amazing changes, too. The thought that the brain was finished developing in the early years is evolving as new studies are finding the teenage brain goes through one last push to keep the brain in tip-top condition, or lose certain functions forever.

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Language is a funny thing. As parents, we spend many months encouraging our little ones to utter their first words and begin their voyage through language. During the school years, teachers pound proper grammar into kids’ heads. It usually is not until children reach the middle years of their schooling that they are potentially offered the opportunity to learn a second language. But, is it too late? What is the optimal age for learning a foreign language? The Brain and Learning a Foreign Language The brain learns in amazing ways. Our brains have many compartments that are in charge of [...]

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Things are pretty quiet in the other room and you begin to wonder what your child is up to. You sneak a peak around the corner and observe her sitting with a stuffed bunny delicately wrapping its ear with a napkin. You continue to watch as she gently places the wounded stuffed bunny on a blanket and pretends makes a nice pot of hot tea to share. You may think it is just fun and games, but your child is learning through that imaginary play, expanding her vocabulary, and encouraging brain development. Imaginary Play and Learning The understanding that playing [...]

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Through the concept of constructivism, a child is encouraged to learn through determining his own path of knowledge and individual process. Each child is different and special, just like their learning, and constructivism supports the idea that we construct our own understanding of the world we live in through generating rules and ideas based on individual experiences and trial and error. With the learning theory of constructivism, there are no flash cards or standardized tests. Instead, the child is supported to follow his instinct and create his own knowledge and strategies for understanding and learning. What is Constructivism? The history [...]

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Observational learning is what it sounds like, learning through observing. The old saying, “monkey see, monkey do,” is fitting when discussing this learning theory. With the child’s internal motivation to learn and accomplish new things, observational learning is the first way of exploring her abilities. She see’s a caregiver’s smile and reciprocates it. She hears her parents’ voices and mimics the sounds. Observational learning allows the brain to tap into its inner need to excel and advance at the most basic level – watching and doing. Observational Learning and The Brain Albert Bandura, a leading researcher in the area of [...]

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