The Power of Productive Struggle

The Power of Productive Struggle As teachers, we want our students to embrace 21st century learning skills like collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. We know that these skills set kids up for success in high school, college, and the workforce. We all want our students to become positive contributing members of society, but teaching […]

7 Secrets to Using Great Puzzles in the Classroom or at Home

The Power of Puzzles If you want to build students into great problem solvers, there is really no tool better than puzzles. Good puzzles engage students in productive struggle. They motivate them intrinsically. They remove the stress and anxiety that so many feel at school. Instead, they lead to feelings of wonder, inspiration, discovery, curiosity, […]

The Principles of Fun, Rigor, and Community

Silverquicken is all about fun, rigor, and community. Why are these three principles so important for our kids? Fortunately, a lot of research tells us why. Fun provides the right kind of motivation—intrinsic, not extrinsic—for sustained effort on rigorous academic and social tasks. In turn, succeeding at such tasks creates not only long-lasting learning but […]

The Importance of Community

The Importance of Community As adults, we know how important it is to be a part of a strong community. We need people to rely on when challenges arise, and people to celebrate with when big events and milestones occur. Hopefully, we’re lucky enough to be able to choose who is in our innermost circle, […]

Solving Complex Problems in Creative and Collaborative Ways

The Changing—and Unchanging—Landscape of Education In recent years, schools have changed greatly. Formative and summative assessments have enabled the creation of longitudinal data sets and detailed methods for evaluating student learning. Accountability metrics have come and gone. Meanwhile, technology continues to get smaller, faster, and more prevalent in the classroom. But what is taught and […]

Engaging Learning: Bringing Academic Games into Your Classroom

Engaging Learning: Bringing Academic Games into Your Classroom Rigorous academic standards keep school days filled with direct instruction, small group and center work, and independent practice. We want our kids to have as many opportunities to be successful as possible, and we jam pack the days of school to maximize learning time. We also know […]