Learn Smarter Podcast

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,...

Today, Rachel and Steph  are fortunate to welcome Psychiatrist Dr. Elisa Newman to the podcast. We’ll let her explain her credentials but we were excited to have her come on and have this in depth conversation about medication and the emotional impact of a diagnosis. She also did a deep dive on what she has coined as “thoughtful parenting”, sharing anecdotes from her practice and her life.   How t...

So many of the learners Rachel & Steph work with struggle with getting started with writing. In this episode, Rachel & Steph discuss why getting started is so hard and share many strategies that they use in their sessions with their clients. They also share some unhelpful strategies that they’ve seen learners use over the years.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail l...

Today, Rachel and Steph welcome Dr. Joe Dilley, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, CA, who authored The Game is Playing Your Kid . In this wide-ranging conversation, they explore boundaries and limit-setting in the context of the modern age. Dr. Dilley explains his framework for guiding children and families towards desirable behaviors through rewards and response costs. He also explains his Tri...

Today, our game guru, Steph, gives us several of her favorite math games and apps. In this episode, she explains when, why, and how she uses each game. Rachel also chimes in with how she uses certain games and it’s always fun to hear how Rachel and Steph use games differently.   How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Join our e-mail list Rachel’s Kapp Educational Therapy Group website Steph’s M...

Dr. Ellen Braaten is a leading expert on processing speeds and today she joins Rachel & Steph to have a wide-ranging conversation about what processing speed is and how it impacts daily functioning. Her book Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up further explains what processing speed is and the effects slow processing can have on family life, school, and, social life. Dr. Braaten also shares what we c...

What’s the difference between managing your student versus consulting with your student? In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about this parenting framework and how it impacts educational therapy. Rachel & Steph spend quite a bit of time in their private practices talking to parents about how to help parents make this (not-so-smooth) transition. How to connect with us: Join our FB Group Jo...

Today, Rachel & Steph continue their local professionals series with Dr. Karen Wilson, who is a neuropsychologist in Los Angeles. She breaks down: ✅the difference between types of assessments ✅how to know when to get your learner tested ✅what makes the transition from high school to college difficult ✅what parents need to know about students heading to college ✅navigating the college acco...

This episode is a deep dive into one area of reading that can be tricky. Readers can often beautifully decode without fully comprehending what they’re reading. This episode is full of practical advice on how to figure out if your reader is understanding. Rachel and Steph talk about the importance of deeper and meaningful connections to stories and text as well. How to connect with us: Join our FB...

Rachel & Steph are thrilled to welcome longtime Smartie and their dear friend, Rachel Madel to the podcast. Rachel is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a practice in Los Angeles. She is a communication expert and today she shares her expertise with. Rachel defines what communication is and we have a conversation about limiting beliefs. How to connect with Rachel: www.rachelmadel.com Talking w...

Rachel & Steph have a conversation about resistance from learners and how difficult change can be for some of their clients. Push back forces Educational Therapists to be creative, flexible and intentional. Today, we share the framework for how we know when to introduce changes to our learners. We also share the top 5 reasons learners DON’T want to make changes (and how we collaborate with our...

Rachel & Steph are bringing you another episode in their Student Success Story Series! Today, you’ll meet Nikki, who is a client of Steph’s at My Ed Therapist in Redondo Beach, CA. Nikki has always been a high achieving student but came to Steph when her mom recommended she try different strategies to increase her efficiency and output. You’ll hear how Nikki learned to have free time, while ma...

Summer is the perfect time to start educational therapy. Today, Rachel & Steph both share their summer plans and why they love starting with new clients over the summer. Also, they chat about some of the great and creative ways educational therapy can be done over the summer and why it feels so freeing for educational therapists, learners, and parents alike. How to connect with us: Join our FB...