Publisher's Synopsis
This is very impressive and right on the mark, super informative and intriguing. This presentation and program can go a long, long way in reforming education and bringing schooling into the 21st century.
Michael Koren, National Council of Social Studies Teacher of the Year
Christopher Chan, Professor of English Studies, Marquette University Very impressive work. Solidly based with research studies yet exceptionally well-written in an easy to read, conversational style. It is an excellent book, thoughtful, thought-provoking.
Bob Sylwester, Professor Emeritus Educational Psychology, The University of Oregon Energy and commitment to this book, the research and scholarly references, as well as the fine quality of the writing style are beyond those of a single or even dual discipline author. An amazing work across disciplines (science, education, language).
Carolyn Stephens, Emeritus Professor English and Literature, Concordia University Wisconsin This is quite developed. I love the stories of success in the classroom with this innovative teaching style, followed up with basic or applied science that justifies the highlighted pedagogy. Very exciting and well-produced. It's fascinating that good learning goes hand in hand with "pleasure." All the more relevant this notion is for youth.
James Topitzes, Associate Professor Social Work, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Validate and Empower is designed to elevate attentiveness and comprehension in the classroom. Every second, an astounding one million neural connections are made through parental nurturing and the sensory world. However, children are bombarded by the digital and media-driven culture that affects their concentration in school. Neuroscientists report that television and online stimuli impact the development of executive functions, influencing the dopamine and oxytocin chemistry in the brain's memory and emotion sectors. Validate and Empower examines a spectrum of validating activities that enhance student academic focus in the Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and iPhone era. Furthermore, America needs to improve, as thirty-four percent of the 2.1 million students that took the ACT in 2016 did not meet college-readiness benchmarks in all four disciplines: English, Reading, Math, and Science! In a career encompassing urban and private venues, Brian Pack explains how arousing the brain's reward circuitry incentifies students, bolsters classroom attentiveness, amplifies recall, and fosters inquiry and analysis. He couples personal anecdotes and institutional studies to outline methods such as teacher modeling, student-led discussions, collaborations, projects, and a host of cognitive-enhancing practices that can be incorporated in every classroom.
