Learn Smarter Podcast

There is no quick fix. There is no silver bullet. There is no “magic pill” that will suddenly change everything for your child. Instant solutions simply don’t exist. This is why we, as educational therapists, work towards establishing positive, attainable and realistic goals–and why we always stress to tackle one goal at a time. We dig into all this in this episode and discuss medication for...

We get the same questions all the time from new parents calling us to begin the process of educational therapy. In this episode, we answer all your frequently asked questions about educational therapy including: How long it takes What is a typical session like Insurance Ages of students we work with and our prior experiences How educational therapy is different from tutoring How to figure out if y...

Rachel and Steph do a deep dive on motivation. Hear why they don’t believe any student is ever “lazy” and what language they use instead. Also, they talk about why motivation suddenly stops for students who struggle in school. Then they dissect the differences between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation and the parallels between growth and fixed mindset that they’ve observed. Of course, they give y...

Today, Rachel & Steph demystify memory. They talk all about short term, working (the most important for school) and long term memory.  We talk about how school is truly set up to reward those with good memory, challenges those with weaker memory and the strong link between memory and learning. Of COURSE, you’ll get to hear some of their favorite strategies as well.  Educated Other episodes men...

Understanding your learners learning profile is essential when making decisions about what school to attend or helping cultivate a relationship of understanding with your child’s teacher. The natural styles and affinities of different learners directly impact the type of instruction, strategies, tips, and tricks we give to a student. In this episode, Rachel & Steph only talk about 3 different...

All human beings–no matter who you are or your learning style or profile–struggle with time. We all feel like we don’t have enough time. In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about task initiation (which is their fancy way of saying “getting started” with a task), time management and the importance of accountability. Some of what they say may surprise you (including why instituting...

In this episode, Rachel & Steph are super excited to reveal their POP approach in this episode. They remind you of the importance of respecting all aspects of executive functioning and in this episode, they detail ways it is important to respect the POP (prioritizing, organizing and planning). They reveal the many different ways student can improve their prioritizing, organizing and planning s...

As educational therapists, Rachel & Steph also work with highly gifted students, who have a very specific academic experience and journey. The often rely on their intellect and don’t “need” to learn academic coping skills–until they suddenly do! Rachel & Steph also discuss the close connection of self-esteem and grades for highly gifted students and the specific challenges that arise...

Adding to their conversation from last week, Rachel & Steph continue their deep dive into writing strategies. In this episode, they chat about how spelling, syntax, and grammar are secondary concerns to the larger task of communicating ideas. They also talked about the importance of being prepared for writing and how to take action while reading the book (be sure to listen to Episodes 17 and 1...

Being able to express yourself in the written word is critical–in the “real world”, students need to know how to properly write an e-mail or quickly and politely express themselves on paper. As school progresses, the complexities of writing become increasingly demanding and burdensome. Today, Rachel & Steph give you some of their favorite strategies including graphic organizers, the valu...

Writing presents suggest a challenge for ALL students–it doesn’t matter if they have a learning or medical diagnosis that interferes with their ability to function in the classroom. Writing. Is. Hard. In today’s episode, Rachel & Steph do a deep dive into writing and explain why it is often the most challenging part of a child’s day. They (of course!) give a few tips and ideas on how to...

Steph is back to teach us about all her favorite games and apps for reading (decoding). Steph has really earned her nickname as the game guru over the years and in this episode, she tells us her top 5 favorite games and top 5 favorite apps for reading. Be sure to go to learnsmarterpodcast.com to get our freebie list so you can buy some games and apps for your struggling decoders (readers). Steph&#...

Reading comprehension is critical–even if your student is the most fluid out loud reader…are they really understanding what they’re reading? Reading comprehension weaknesses can be sneaky because it can be difficult to identify. In last weeks episode, Rachel & Steph dug in to why students can pretend they understand what they’re reading (when they don’t) and give you some of their...

Reading comprehension is critical–even if your student is the most fluid out loud reader…are they really understanding what they’re reading? Reading comprehension weaknesses can be sneaky because it can be difficult to identify. In this episode, Rachel & Steph dig in to why students can pretend they understand what they’re reading (when they don’t) and give you some of their favori...

  Rachel & Steph do a deep dive on backpacks in this episode. They talk about why backpacks become a black hole of papers, broken pencils and old food (yuck), what kind of backpacks actually help children NOT lose things, what should be in a backpack (and what shouldn’t) and backpack maps. They also talk about their system for “pruning the backpack” and why it is an essential component of...

What Rachel and Stephanie have to say about school supplies may shock you–they both firmly believe in a “less is more” approach. Students do not need 50 pencils hidden in different parts of their backpack or 20 erasers scattered about. In this episode, Rachel & Steph get extremely specific about what school supplies are needed–and how little students actually need to be successful....

Today, Rachel & Steph walk you through how to prepare for going back to school. It’s the beginning of August, which means you and your student are holding onto those last vestiges of summer with all your might–or you may have already started school. It also means that you may be feeling the anxiety that the unknown of a new year brings. Today, they talk about partnership with your child’...

Today, Rachel & Steph walk you through how to prepare for going back to school. It’s the end of July which means you and your student are holding onto those last vestiges of summer with all your might. It also means that you may be feeling the anxiety that the unknown of a new year brings. In this episode, Rachel & Steph talk about how to prevent “academic emergencies” by properly preparin...

We want all kids to love reading. In this episode, Stephanie does a deep dive on how she works with students who find reading challenging. She teaches us about how reading is comprised of two main components (fluency and comprehension). She gives a million ideas on how to support struggling early readers and students who struggle with reading in middle school and high school. Steph also provides a...

We know how students (and parents) feel about math. We get it and there are also some real reasons why students dislike math. This episode is full of simple and easy to implement suggestions about how to make math more manageable. Rachel gives away a ton of her math secrets. Don’t forget to visit our website www.learnsmarterpodcast.com for the freebie that lists all the suggestions and tips from t...

Rachel & Steph do a deep dive on ADHD and how ADHD and executive functioning are connected. This episode is completely applicable to parents of all students this episode is totally applicable to your child and you will absolutely learn tips, tricks, and strategies on how to partner with your child in reading, writing, and math. They also discuss how executive functioning itself can be strength...

For a lot of people, summer is the best time of year. It is a time for fun and vacations. It is also a time to catch up on those things that were avoided during the school year such as cleaning out your closet. Summer is a time to relax, slow down the pace, and build some skills. We are going to discuss what you can do with your child over the summer. We understand that summer can become difficult...

Show Notes One of the most common questions we get is “what happens in a session?” This is very difficult for us to answer because every session is so individualized and so specific to the age, gender, interests, developmental abilities and psychoeducational goals of each student. In this episode, we “sample” what a typical session is like AND we learn from each other! This is a fun one and we hop...

We are frequently asked questions regarding the difference between educational therapy and tutoring. This is a hugely important topic for us. We are going to dig into the differences between the two, how the two can work in tandem, and how sometimes tutoring can work against the goals of educational therapy. This is the second post of our educational therapy series. Be sure to go back to blog 06 w...

Homework is definitely something that is hard for a lot of families. We know how much of a burden it can be. We, as educational therapists, have to maintain clear boundaries on homework. We are not homework helpers. We are not homework coaches. We teach skills and strategies. If needed, refer back to blog 00 in order to better understand how education therapy is different from tutoring. We justify...