The goal of this Blog is to inspire our readers by sharing news about teaching and learning at every level from preK through college and beyond. Welcome to My Learning Springboard!
The Gap Year: An Alternative Path to College
Every year, more and more American students take a gap year as a transition into college. This concept is widely accepted in countries like England and Australia, and now Americans are embracing it too. College advisors, teachers, and even universities, notably Harvard and Princeton, are discussing the benefits of this ... Read More
Building A Strong College Application
When it comes to building a strong college application, shifting policies have upended the college admissions process causing confusion and anxiety for many of our students and families. These changes also resulted in a swell of applications, making the competition for spots even more significant. During the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school ... Read More
Boarding School: Fostering Independence
When a student attends sleep away camp, they experience a brief independence from the expectations and securities of home. Boarding school offers the opportunity to explore the independence that college will require. Surrounded by students from many different family and cultural backgrounds, boarding schools introduce young people to new communities, and a ... Read More
Developing Executive Function Skills: Shared Relevance
Developing executive function skills encompasses addressing both distractions and special interests to help students learn how to regulate impulsive thoughts, persevere with less interesting or undesirable tasks, and manage time. An important concept to understand when developing executive function skills is “shared relevance”. When we create shared relevance with another ... Read More
Enhancing Metacognition and Executive Functions
The importance of thinking about thinking cannot be understated, especially for students who learn differently or find themselves struggling to keep up. Metacognition, defined as “the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes,” builds independence and resilience among students by allowing them to recognize unhelpful habits and negative self-talk ... Read More