Welcome to the April 2018 Learning Brain News.

We are excited about the Schoolzine app. Read how this Australian innovation can help schools and their communities and how you can now get your Learning Brain News via the App.

Also, this month read about how behaviour at school predicts future career and income success. And more new information about stress, bullying and a new test that may detect autism. Plus more new free downloads for you.

Best wishes,

Devon Barnes
Learning Brain News

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5 Keys to Social & Emotional Learning Success

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Latest Research

50 Year study: School behaviour influences income more than IQ

New research shows behaviour in high school is a stronger predictor than IQ or socio-economic background of better jobs and higher income.

The research has been published by the American Psychological Association based on data collected from 346,660 U.S. high school students in 1960 and follow up research 11 and 50 years later.

The 1960 high school phase measured a variety of student behaviours and attitudes as well as personality traits, cognitive abilities, parental socioeconomic status and demographic factors. Read more.

Home maths activities boost early numeracy at school

Research with 128 kindergarten age children provides more evidence parents can help their children get a good start with maths.

Happy father helping son with math homework at table at home in kitchen-1 The research found the more parents engaged in activities such as identifying numerals, sorting objects by size, colour, or shape, or learning simple sums, and talking about money when shopping or measuring ingredients while cooking, the higher the children performed on skills like counting. Read more.

Is your Stress Changing my Brain?

In a new study in Nature Neuroscience, Jaideep Bains, PhD, and his team at the Cumming School of Medicine’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI), at the University of Calgary have discovered that stress transmitted from others can change the brain in the same way as a real stress does.

The study, in mice, also shows that the effects of stress on the brain are reversed in female mice following a social interaction. This was not true for male mice. Read more.

What's New?

New Test Can Detect Autism in Children, Scientists Say

Scientists in Britain say they have developed a blood and urine test that can detect autism in children.

Illustration with medical background having heart beat, doctor and stethoscope Researchers at the University of Warwick said the test, believed to be the first of its kind, could lead to earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children who could then be given appropriate treatment much earlier in their lives. Read more.

What's On?

Guided Reading Unpacked - Professional Development for Teachers (2 hours)

Meagan Ross MA, international ESL & reading specialist

A dive into best practices for guided reading and web-based reading instruction for struggling readers and English language learners. Including:

• Guided reading and the link with fluency & comprehension
• Research - based scaffolds toolkit for large and small group literacy instruction
• The advantages of reading aloud

Melbourne May 11, Sydney May 14,15,16 (4 locations), Northern NSW May 17

More information and to register.

The Learning Success Blog

How Do We Reduce Bullying in Our Schools? NSW Government’s 4 Criteria

A tiny minority in our community think kids who are bullied should just ‘suck it up” because it “builds character”.

That’s nonsense. It’s mid 20th century thinking. And even then it was a minority belief. We now know that bullying can have devastating impacts. Students involved in bullying can develop behavioural and emotional problems and have trouble learning, according to many academic studies.

How can schools take a stand against bullying?

Free Download

19 Classroom Management Anchor Charts

Looking for an innovative way to display your classroom rules? Take a look at these ideas.

Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia & Dyscalculia

What is the difference between Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia? Learn all about these conditions with these infographics from We are Teachers.

Book of the Month

Insider Abundance

Abundance Insider is not a book. It’s a weekly email briefing about how amazing technologies, advances in artificial intelligence, medical breakthroughs and scientific discoveries are transforming our world.
If you are wondering how to prepare your students for life in the world after school, Abundance Insider is a great way to start to discover what their world may be like.

Subscribe for free here.

App of the Month

Wizard School by Duck Duck Moose

Wizard School brings together three things kids love to do: create new things, learn about the world from watching fascinating videos, and share what they experienced with friends and family. It offers DIY projects supported by curated videos that teach kids the skills necessary to be inventive. Read more.