Game designers understand how to make games memorable and "sticky" in the sense that, even when you aren't playing the game, you're still thinking about solving its problems and puzzles. As teachers, how might we make our projects and content as sticky as games? How can we engage kids in thoughtful learning even after they leave the classroom? Here are game designers' top five secrets and some tips on using these same game dynamics to make learning in your classroom as addictive as gaming.

You want students to learn. Shall we play a game? Absolutely! But what is a game?

It's hard to imagine a single career that doesn't have a need for someone who can code. Everything that "just works" has some type of code that makes it run. Coding (a.k.a. programming) is all around us. That's why all the cool kids are coding . . . or should be. Programming is not just the province of pale twenty-somethings in skinny jeans, hunched over three monitors, swigging Red Bull. Not any more! The newest pint-sized coders have just begun elementary school.

If there's been a single educational buzzword with traction over the past few years, "student-centered learning" certainly tops the charts. From the TED stage to experimental classrooms, an increasing number of thought leaders, schools and teachers are advocating a handover of the learning experience to the students who must do the learning.

Hanging In is about making a difference in the lives of significantly challenging special needs students.  A number of mainstream teachers, who find themselves with a challenging student, have told me that their supervisor gave them Hanging In and then walked away, as if the responsibility of such arduous work was solely for that single teacher.

It's True to Some Extent. But Chances Are You're not Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck.

They key to critical thinking is the ability to pose challenging and provocative questions to yourself. To think critically is to delve deeper into those hidden layers of meaning and dissect the message in a comprehensive way. 

Classroom management for a noisy class