Educators have found over the years that decoding is not sufficient alone to develop good readers.  Reading comprehension must also incorporate background knowledge and vocabulary.  First, the child must master phonemic awareness and decoding skills, and then be exposed to a broad base of oral vocabulary, general knowledge and visual stimulation.  Building strong vocabulary and […]

In one of my last Blogs, I spoke about Spaced Repetition. Well, there is a co-technique which goes hand-in-hand with spaced practice which is merely the testing of retention shortly after learning to make sure encoding is accurate, then working longer to retrieve again, then waiting still longer for a third retrieval and so on.  The idea […]

As we all know, seeing is one of the first senses and learning tools that we use from birth.  Even at the pre-kindergarten level we realize that our tiniest learners are observing so many wonderful adventures through their view of the world.  Colors and even shades present magical moments for children as they view the […]

Ever wonder how you can remember the lyrics of a song that was popular and you sang along with maybe 20 years ago, but still forget what you may have had for breakfast? We spend a lifetime using our brains during every waking and sleeping moment to acquire knowledge.  Some refer to our brains as […]

Independent schools are often sighted for going far beyond the standard curriculum.  New Jersey independent schools in particular are noted for their breadth of offerings stretching across technology and the arts.  The goal here has always been to provide a well-rounded education.  The atmosphere is such that it is far reaching permitting the child to be engaged and […]