Learn Smarter Podcast

Penny Williams, the host of the Parenting ADHD Podcast, joins Rachel & Steph on today’s podcast. Penny shares why labeling is a good thing, how to break cycles, not letting ADHD take over your lie and how to define success on your own. She also shares the impact of stress on family life. How labeling informs direction and prevents labeling by misinformation and labeling helps people understand...

Newsflash: there is no such thing as an academic emergency. In this episode, Rachel & Steph share:   what an academic emergency is how parents can respond to an academic emergency strategies for learners to prevent academic emergencies Keeping long-term goals in mind.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed...

Minimum Viable Product is an important idea that we are “borrowing” from product businesses. In this episode, Rachel & Steph chat about how MVP impacts both sides of the bell curve, how the 5% Challenge can be adapted and how important being imperfect is.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist web...

Picking progress over perfection is an incredibly challenging but an important part of the work educational therapists do. In this episode, Rachel & Steph chat about why we shouldn’t focus on perfection, why and how to focus on progress.  How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learnsmarter...

 In this episode, Rachel & Steph share an idea that has transformed the way they do educational therapy. They chat about what a Living Strategies Document is, how to do it, and why it is so important. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learnsmarterpodcast , @kappedtherapy , @myedtherap...

This is a very special episode that was jointly produced by The Testing Psychologist and Learn Smarter: the Educational Therapy podcast. Tune in to hear Rachel & Steph be interviewed by Dr. Jeremy Sharp discuss all things educational therapy. Dr. Sharp, Rachel & Steph chatted about what educational therapy is, the best ways to support students struggling with executive functioning, how to...

We both wanted to take a minute and thank you for listening to our podcast.  We hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learnsmarterpodcast , @kappedtherapy , @myedtherapist

Seth Perler is an executive functioning and twice exceptional coach. His passion for supporting learners who struggle is obvious and in this episode, he joins Rachel & Steph to chat about the different kinds of twice exceptionalities, executive functioning and the importance of relationships. He highlights the goal of securely attached, independent and successful adults who use their gifts and...

  Rachel & Steph dive into some of their favorite strategies to support slow processors. Tune in to hear their discussion that ranges from talking about a “thinking minute” to previewing to subvocalization and more!   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learnsmarterpodcast , @kappedther...

: In last week’s episode (episode 82), Rachel and Steph dig into just some of the reasons kids are rigid in their approach. Today, they chat about the skills and strategies they use to support kids who are rigid. They talk about the importance of flexibility, metacognition and growth mindset as well as modeling and rewarding moments of flexibility.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join...

Happy Thanksgiving, Smarties! Rachel & Steph dig into one of their most requested topics today–kids who are rigid. They chat about how often this comes up for them in their practices and why some kids are rigid. They chat about the ways rigidity can show up in the day-to-day life of learners and the two important things that are important to remember when working with kids who are rigid....

Today, Annie Mori joins Rachel & Steph to discuss occupational therapy. She talks about when it’s appropriate to make a referral to occupational therapy. She takes them through a conversation about penmanship and the overarching systems at play that can lead to poor penmanship. She digs into the difference between sensory processing & integration and sensory meltdowns & tantrums.   How...

Today’s episode is a complimentary episode to episode 64. Steph, the game guru, shares her favorite middle and high school math games. Steph breaks them all down, explains why she loves them and how she differentiates each game for each learner. Here’s the links to the games: Prime club   Proof Zero Absolute Zero Skyjo Mind your numbers Fraction Fortress   Fraction Formula Dino tracks math K...

Building a calendar can be met with a lot of obstacles. In this episode, Rachel & Steph go over the 4 excuses kids have for not calendaring. Of course, they dig deep into the objections and chat about how they respond to the excuses.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed Therapist website  @learn...

Today, Rachel & Steph dive back into a favorite topic at Learn Smarter: calendaring! They give an update on Rachel’s calendaring experiment and talk about the goals of a calendar. Then they share their favorite pro-tips for Google Calendar (their calendar of choice).   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s My Ed T...

Rachel & Steph welcome Autism expert Dr. Albert Knapp to the podcast. Dr. Knapp talks about the changes to the DSM recently. They chat about the shame associated with the diagnosis.  Dr. Knapp talks about the differences in diagnoses between boys and girls and shares what interventions he always recommends to parents. He also shares several strategies to help learners with autism learn.   Conn...

Rachel & Steph tackle metacognition today! Metacognition or “thinking about thinking” is critical to the success of educational therapy. Rachel & Steph talk about what metacognition means for educational therapists and why it’s important. They dive into how to talk about metacognition with learners of different ages. Of course, they also give some strategies for how to think about thinking...

Rachel & Steph are thrilled to welcome the first member of their cohort onto their podcast, Ezra Werb. The three of them met in graduate school when they were becoming educational therapists. Ezra is the author of a new book titled “Teach for Attention”. They chat about the book and how it can be used to support the goals of classroom teachers and parents.   www.teachforattention.com ezra@teac...

In this follow up episode, Rachel and Steph dig deeper into how to increase reading comprehension with their learners. This episode is a partner episode to episode 71 where they dig into the biggest secret of reading comprehension. In this episode, Rachel and Steph give 8 examples of how to use the strategies taught in episode 71 to your advantage. This is a meaty episode and remember what Rachel...

In this episode of the Student Success Stories series, Steph introduces us to Karen, who is a parent in her practice, My Ed Therapist in Redondo Beach, CA. Karen shares her parenting journey, what brought her family to educational therapy, and the important foundational work that Steph and Karen’s daughter, Riley, are doing together. Karen shares what she wishes she had known earlier and what she...

Rachel & Steph are excited to announce P.O.P. Academy. This new program is the newest launch from Kapp Educational Therapy Group and My Ed Therapist. Rachel & Steph discuss how and why this program came about and the impact that it will have on the lives of the learners in their practice. They discuss the “Sunday Night Struggle of Studenting” and how P.O.P. Academy helps mitigate family li...

Rachel & Steph dive into what they think is one of the biggest secrets to increasing reading comprehension. They chat about how to use books effectively and how to prepare in advance FOR reading. They also discuss that it is important to mitigate expectations of books that are assigned for school. Be sure to listen to episode 74 to learn more tips about increasing reading comprehension. APPLY...

Rachel & Steph discuss the terrible ways they’ve seen learners organize themselves over the years. They talk about all the easy ways they help modify systems so that learners can be successful. Rachel & Steph also go into specifics about physical systems–and why they have learners do certain things.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educat...

Today, Rachel & Steph coach Kylee Yates, a long-time public school teacher who is considering making a career change and expanding into educational therapy. Rachel & Steph share their pathways into the field, advise her on what to explore next, talk about licensure, and the different career options within educational therapy.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list...

Today, Rachel & Steph re-share how to best prepare for going back to school. In this episode, they talk about how to prevent “academic emergencies” by properly preparing, setting achievable goals, calendaring for success, and partnering with your child’s teacher. Rachel & Steph also do a deep dive into big academic transitions (the leaps that occur from elementary school to middle school,...