Roots of Action https://www.rootsofaction.com/ Youth Development in the Digital Age Sat, 31 Jan 2026 20:00:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 How to Talk to Teens About College Without Pressure https://www.rootsofaction.com/how-to-talk-to-teens-about-college/ Sun, 29 Jun 2025 23:40:51 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=8122 It’s one of the biggest challenges for parents and mentors: how to talk to teens about college without turning guidance into pressure. You want to help them think about their future, but even gentle suggestions can feel controlling to a teenager eager for independence. Research confirms this isn’t just your […]

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]]> The Self-Aware Teenager https://www.rootsofaction.com/self-aware-teenager/ Wed, 25 Jun 2025 03:45:49 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=3091 How do teens become self-aware in today’s fast-paced, hyperconnected world? According to our recent research, developing a strong sense of self-awareness may be one of the most important skills a young person can cultivate. Between the constant hum of social media, academic pressures, and evolving identities, teens are bombarded with […]

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]]> What Is Empathy? How to Cultivate It In The Classroom https://www.rootsofaction.com/what-is-empathy/ Sun, 26 Jan 2025 21:42:33 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=8071 Empathy is the ability to recognize and respond to the needs and suffering of others. It’s a complicated human emotion, studied for years. Most researchers agree there are two kinds of empathy: cognitive and affective. For classroom teachers, it’s helpful to understand the differences. Each type of empathy, for instance, […]

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]]> Student Success Develops From Inside Out https://www.rootsofaction.com/student-success/ Sun, 26 Jan 2025 10:20:05 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=5113 Student success is a deceptive term in today’s educational environment. It is also a concept being challenged by parents and teachers who want more focus on whole child development and wellbeing. Teachers who foster student achievement not only understand how to teach curriculum, but they also understand that student success […]

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]]> Best Back-to-School Articles for Parents: 2024-25 https://www.rootsofaction.com/best-back-to-school-articles-for-parents/ Thu, 22 Aug 2024 15:00:46 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/blog/?p=1343 Back-to-school is always a time when parents and teachers revisit what is important for children and how to best support their positive development. This popular list of back-to-school articles, started in 2012, has been updated for the 2024-25 school year. Most articles bring you the latest thinking and research on […]

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]]> Creative Thinking Sparks Student Engagement & Discovery https://www.rootsofaction.com/creative-thinking/ Wed, 05 Jun 2024 01:36:01 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=7993 Creative thinking is the ability to consider something in a new way – to view ideas or information through different lenses. Creative thinking involves generating new ideas, approaching problems from different angles, and thinking outside of conventional patterns. Creative ways of thinking can be applied in various fields such as […]

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]]> Teach Students to Achieve Goals https://www.rootsofaction.com/achieve-goals/ Wed, 24 Jan 2024 20:26:33 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=7958 Understanding how students achieve goals is critical knowledge for today’s teachers. This involves more than simply imparting information about goal setting. It’s about fostering skills in planning, organizing, decision-making, and problem-solving. These skills are foundational for developing resourcefulness in students, the ability to use available resources to achieve goals and […]

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]]> Skeptic or Cynic? How to Model Positive Skepticism to Children https://www.rootsofaction.com/skeptic/ Tue, 23 May 2023 09:01:03 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/blog/?p=1770 Skeptics has been given a bad rap in modern society. Why? Because skepticism is often confused with cynicism. Let’s explore the distinctions and why it’s important to teach children the art of becoming a skeptic. A cynic distrusts most information they see or hear, particularly when it challenges their own […]

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]]> Playing Sports: Is it Right for Your Child? https://www.rootsofaction.com/playing-sports/ Tue, 11 Apr 2023 02:00:01 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/blog/?p=656 Whether your child is playing sports now or considering participating in a sport, you likely have an opinion about the value of sports in children’s lives. You may have your own positive or negative experiences with sports as a child. The social, emotional, and physical benefits of playing sports in […]

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]]> Academic Integrity is Essential to Learning https://www.rootsofaction.com/academic-integrity/ Mon, 10 Apr 2023 03:22:49 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=7894 Most educators agree that academic integrity plays an essential role in learning. Will artificial intelligence (AI) destroy or facilitate academic integrity? How do teachers create a classroom culture of integrity, despite fears that AI and programs like ChatGPT (“Generative Pretrained Transformer”) can encourage plagiarism and dishonesty? While we do not […]

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]]> Metacognitive Strategies for Student Success https://www.rootsofaction.com/metacognitive-strategies/ Wed, 18 Jan 2023 23:24:24 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/?p=7875 Metacognitive strategies, when employed in the classroom and with homework, help students think about their own thinking. This type of self-assessment helps young people gain greater awareness of their life experiences and achieve at higher levels. What is Metacognition? Metacognition is an aspect of introspection and self-awareness that enables individuals […]

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]]> Family Engagement: A Two-Way Partnership https://www.rootsofaction.com/family-engagement/ Sun, 28 Aug 2022 22:30:48 +0000 https://www.rootsofaction.com/blog/?p=1218 I’ve been an advocate for family engagement in education for many years. But throughout those years, one of the most challenging tasks has been to define this two-way partnership. What is it that parents and teachers need to understand about working together? And why is this partnering so important to […]

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