Gearing Up for Summer Break

Another school year is coming to a close - for some it’s the first, for some it’s the last. No matter how many school years you have achieved, we hope your school year was excellent. Pepper’s The Big Idea blog is taking the summer off. But, like many of you, “summer vacation” is more of a time for planning, preparing, and re-fueling. We will be back in the Fall with new ideas and encouragement for a new school year. Your Pepper team will be working over the summer to bring you new Courses and Workshops.
So, as you plan your summer, take some time for yourself and your family, sleep in, take a trip, indulge in a hobby, lay by the pool - or ocean or lake or river, or do nothing at all. But, just in case you have reading on your list of summer “to-do’s”, Education Closet provides a Summer Reading List for Teachers. The list of 40 books are divided into the following topics:

MINDSETS   |  CLASSROOM DESIGN  |  TEACHING RESOURCES & IDEAS  |  CLASSROOM LIBRARY  | JUST FOR FUN

No matter what your ideal summer looks likes - travel, rest, work, play, or even professional development - we hope you enjoy and come back rested and refreshed.

See you in the Fall!

Brain-Based Learning: Understanding How Students Learn

According to the Glossary of Education Reform, Brain-based learning refers to “teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development—how students learn differently as they age, grow, and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively.” 

Edutopia’s publication, “Six Tips for Brain-Based Learning” gives educators a place to start understanding brain-based teaching and learning in classrooms. When educators understand how the brain works, they are better prepared to assist students with learning in the classroom. Brain-based learning, which is based on knowledge of neurology, psychology, and technology, promises to help students “with everything from focusing attention to increasing retention.” An educator with an understanding of this information can engage learners and create deeper learning opportunities in the classroom. 

Many teachers know - and are using - brain-based learning even if they don’t realize it. When using activating strategies to stimulate prior knowledge, they are strengthening connections in the brain. Tools such as graphic organizers, songs, and rhymes, which appeal to different learning styles, also fall into the category of brain-based learning.

The “six tips” that Edutopia offers are provided to give teachers a jumping off point for utilizing brain-based learning in the classroom.

• Tip #1 - Create a Safe Climate for Learning - Making a classroom environment warm and inviting allows a child to feel safe and may relieve anxiety. This type climate encourages social and emotional learning. 
• Tip #2 - Encourage a Growth Mind-Set - Many liken the brain to a muscle that gets stronger with use. The act of ongoing learning can build brainpower. A growth mind-set means that knowledge, or IQ, isn’t set at a young age, but can be developed. Understanding this can motivate and encourage students. 
• Tip #3 - Emphasize Feedback - The use of a variety of formative assessments helps to keep student learning on track. Many consider ongoing, consistent feedback to be essential to brain-based learning.
• Tip #4 - Get Bodies and Brains in Gear - ”Exercise boosts brainpower. Cardio activity increases oxygen-rich blood flow to the brain and increases students’ ability to concentrate.”
• Tip #5 - Start Early - Early childhood education gets a student's brain active at a younger age, thus making them more ready to learn by the time they enter kindergarten. 
• Tip #6 - Embrace the Power of Novelty - “Surprise and novelty are the attention-grabbers. In the classroom, this means that changing routines, asking students to consider similarities and differences, field trips, and guest visitors all help to keep learning fresh.”

Brain-based learning isn’t a new concept, but it does help us understand how students learn. If we better understand how students learn, we can teach in a way that will help them gain new knowledge and understanding.
Our wide variety of Pepper course offerings give plenty of opportunity for teachers to apply brain-based learning concepts to their classrooms. Check out our Pepper Courses today!
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Special Interest: Teaching after a Natural Disaster

Recent floods in South Carolina bring into question the continuing of education after a natural disaster. How does one carry on with teaching and instruction in the midst of recovering from a natural disaster? South Carolina, while the most recent, is not alone in this struggle. We’ve either read about, or experienced, blizzards in the Northeast, tornadoes in the Midwest, and fires in California, just to name a few. Schools may close for a few days - or even weeks - but they will eventually reopen and teachers and students must get back to work in the classroom.

An edutopia article, posted after 2012’s Hurricane Sandy pounded the Northeast, discusses the importance of equipping students with Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. Students and teachers may be dealing with “awaiting the return of power, finding gasoline, wondering how to get to and from work [or school], worrying about parents and other family members who are stranded, dealing with displacement of a temporary or permanent nature, or some combination of these.”

Teachers and students both will come back to school after possibly suffering traumatic and devastating loss and destruction of personal property. The National Association for School Psychologists (NASP) has published Responding to Natural Disasters: Helping Children and Families: Information for School Crisis Teams, to assist teachers, students, and families. This informative article gives specific information for dealing with issues resulting from hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, and floods. Additionally, this publication provides information for School Crisis Teams, including the following points:

• Identify children and youth who are high risk and plan interventions
• Support teachers and other school staff
• Engage in post-disaster activities that facilitate healing
• Emphasize children’s resiliency
• Support all members of the crisis response team
• Secure additional mental health support

Matt Davis, freelance writer for edutopia, makes the following statement in his article, Responding to Tragedy: Resources for Educators, “When tragic events happen, it can be difficult for educators, administrators, and parents to know how to help children understand and cope. How adults manage their own reactions, as well as how they help students deal with their questions and feelings, are important factors in providing children with the support and guidance they will need. “ You can find additional resources in this article.

School and education will continue. Teachers will continue to support and guide students. We will move forward and continue to encourage one another one day at a time.

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