In a guest opinion essay for the New York Times entitled “What Most American Schools Do Wrong.” Dr. Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, writes, “Most parents see the benefit of keeping their kids with the same coaches in sports and music for more than a year. Yet the American education system fails to do this with teachers, the most important coaches of all.”
Though the American education system is failing to reap the benefits of “looping” — allowing teachers of core subjects to work with the same student for two or more years — Oak Knoll is ahead of the curve. Looping is a crucial element in all aspects of our Lower School schedule from grades one to six.
Read More
Topics:
education,
elementary school,
learners,
social and emotional learning,
building confidence,
growth mindset,
academics
With warm weather on the horizon, the popping sound of pickleballs will soon return to our neighborhoods. As an avid fan of pickleball and skills-based learning, I often think about the life skills acquired in pickleball. Combine this with my position as a history teacher, and my mind wanders to the question, can pickleball save democracy? I know it sounds like a stretch but stick with me on this for a bit.
Read More
Topics:
politiccs,
history,
growth mindset,
diversity, equity, inclusion and justice,
social justice,
Community
During a recent three-day Community Impact Symposium in Washington DC, four Oak Knoll High School students gathered with students from across the country to share ideas on how they could make more positive and systemic changes in their school and local communities.
The goal was to work in teams to identify various approaches taken to local, state, and national levels and work with their schoolmates to draft a vision statement and action strategy to take back home to Oak Knoll.
Read More
Topics:
community service,
building confidence,
growth mindset,
diversity, equity, inclusion and justice,
podcast,
social justice,
Community,
leadership
Is social media bad for teen health? It doesn’t have to be. That was the key takeaway following a talk with Upper School students by social media expert Bailey Parnell. Parnell is the founder of #SafeSocial and CEO of Skills Camp – a company that offers soft skills training to businesses and educational institutions. She presented students with some very compelling risks of social media addiction and its effects on mental health – especially with young women – but also offered advice on bringing balance to your online self by maintaining balance with your offline self.
Read More
Topics:
health,
wellness,
social and emotional learning,
success skills,
building confidence,
growth mindset,
family,
online,
safety,
executive functioning,
life lessons
"No matter what field you're in–whether you're a scientist, a philosopher, or a linguist–whoever tells the best story is going to win. When I'm competing with all the other people, if I can make my case more clearly, and more persuasively, and actually more entertaining than anybody else, then I'm going to win that argument," says Lisa Levchuck, Upper School English Teacher at Oak Knoll. She is extolling the importance of writing skills and a skilled writer's power to persuade.
In this episode of The Happy Kids Project we learn about The Writing Center at Oak Knoll–a truly distinctive peer to peer service in the Upper School. Oak Knoll's Writing Center provides a unique opportunity for middle and high school students to take on leadership roles while supporting their peers. Hear how the Writing Center increases student confidence, leadership skills, and academic excellence in a safe and supportive space.
Read More
Topics:
education,
Summit NJ,
building confidence,
growth mindset,
academics,
podcast,
leadership,
writing skills
Pre-kindergarten students at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child in Summit, New Jersey, are immersed in hands-on learning. Through our method of teaching, students actively engage in real-world projects, which leads to competent thinking, better management skills and understanding of complex problems.
Read More
Topics:
engineering,
teaching,
education,
STEM,
classroom,
elementary school,
coeducation,
kindergarten ready,
growth mindset,
pre-K,
academics
If you’re an educator or have been near an educational institution over the last few years, you’ve most likely heard the phrase ‘Growth Mindset.’ It seems to be the new buzz word as of late. But what exactly does it mean? And why is it so important? And if you don’t have one, how do you get one?
Read More
Topics:
elementary,
high school,
learners,
middle school,
success skills,
growth mindset
