Do you ever feel like life itself has turned into one big competition for our kids? As a parent, I find myself constantly pulling my kids' focus away from “who’s better at XYZ.” I work to turn their attention to others and fight off the Me! Me! Me! attitude that can creep in on occasion. [...]
If you want students to practice enough to become proficient, make practice into a game. For example, memorizing the multiplication tables or becoming quick at following an algorithm can be turned into a game by using Too Many Problems to Solve. Start with a stack of problems that follow a consistent pattern (such as two-digit [...]
Why play EnTeam Games? Because players learn to bring out the best in others. For example, Maurice Burns directed Project Respond, a program for at-risk children in north St. Louis City. Maurice tested EnTeam games by using them as activities for the middle school students in the after-school program. One afternoon, Maurice chose four students [...]
Research shows that rich people have increased their income and wealth faster than other people in recent decades. The rise in economic inequality raises important questions: Why are rich people gaining an increasing share of income and wealth? What is needed to reduce economic inequality? How could the growth in income and wealth be more [...]
Compare two problems: If you see a young child playing with a sharp knife or pulling a cat’s tail, what can you do to redirect the child? If your friend has bought into a bogus conspiracy theory, what can you do to redirect this friend to a more complete picture of the issue? In both [...]
Working with just over 100 students from Ferguson, St. Louis City, and Webster Groves, Missouri, all parties involved knew there were underlying prejudices to be addressed. I am in the business of measuring cooperation. We bring diverse groups of people together in "Higher-Order Thinking Bowls" and help them learn to effectively accomplish tasks. When hosting [...]