All posts by Casey Aubin

BS Communicative Disorders & BA Spanish from the University of Rhode Island. Master’s in International Education from the Universidad de Alcalá– Instituto Franklin. She has worked as a teacher in three different countries and is now a Translator on the Content Creation Team at Smartick and helps to adapt content for blog posts. As a native Rhode Islander she loves any activity on the water and when she’s not working you can find her traveling, kickboxing, or trying out a new recipe.

Jun14

What Is Unlearning? How Can We Fight It in Summer?

Remember that the brain is like any other muscle in our body: it needs daily training to stay in shape. If we stop nourishing knowledge, reasoning, and wisdom, the muscles begin to weaken. The effort made throughout the entire school year falls victim to forgetfulness… and the unlearning begins. Why not take advantage of […]

Jun12

Should I Reward My Children for Their Grades?

And just like that, summer is coming to put an end to another school year. Nine months of getting up early, learning, exams, grades, friendship, and laughter. But there is a question in the back of every parent’s mind… Should I give my child a gift for their grades? Remember that our children are […]

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May30

The Importance of Parents Supporting Childhood Sports

The weekly schedule of a child is very tight, sometimes even more so than the adults around them: school, extracurriculars, homework…but we should also be setting aside some time for physical activity. Practicing any sport gives them alternative and complementary learning to what they receive at school: camaraderie, integrity, effort, persistence, discipline, mental and physical […]

May24

Repetition Learning, Good Habits and Smartick

It is no question that repetition is a fundamental of learning. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”. Repetition learning in education can be traced as far back to ancient Egypt 4,400 B.C., with similar accounts from ancient China and Greece. Aristotle himself remarked that “It is frequent repetition that produces a natural tendency. The […]

May17

Shakira and Smartick Join Together to Improve Math in Colombia

The Barefoot Foundation (Fundación Pies Descalzos) was created by Shakira in 1997 to make quality public education available to Colombian children. Now, with Smartick’s help, they will bring this online mathematics learning method to five schools in the Foundation. These schools are located in the Colombian cities of Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Quibdó. Javier Arroyo, Smartick […]

Apr25

Compete to Grow: Learning Through Competition

I love to share the experiences and emotions that my students feel when they play in a chess tournament. I know that on the inside they are scared, insecure, and nervous but that they also have courage, are eager to succeed, and independent. It is at this moment, the one where they are alone in front […]

Apr11

Dyslexia: How Can We Help Our Children?

Dyslexia is a neurobiological disorder specific to phonological decoding (reading accuracy) and recognition of words (speed and reading fluidity) that interferes with the academic performance of children. Currently, since there is an estimated 40% of fraternal recurrence, genetics and inheritance are casually hypothesized as the primary causes. In addition, through neuroimaging techniques, differences were found […]

Apr05

First Results of Smartick and Smartick Brain in Schools

Our research project ”Disruptive Learning Through the Integration of Mathematics and Cognitive Training”, together with the support from the European Union through the Horizon 2020 project, is coming to an end. It has been a long process full of creativity, work with students and professors, digital devices, and a lot of paperwork in order to […]

Mar28

The Use of Money in Childhood – Allowance, yes or no?

An allowance can be a great way for our children to become conscious of the value of money and to encourage important qualities like saving, effort, and responsibility. After all, financial education begins at home. What is the best way to establish an allowance? Jean Piaget was a Swiss psychologist well known for his contributions […]

Mar22

The Importance of Repetition in Learning

Now we don’t realize, but when we learned to drive we had all 5 senses ready in each action: selecting the right gear, playing with the clutch and accelerating, or remembering to look in our rearview mirror. There comes a day when, without realizing it, we do all of these with confidence and agility, […]

Mar08

The Importance of Immediate Feedback in Learning

What is feedback We understand feedback as the answers and comments given to students after they finish a task or activity. Through this feedback, students receive information that creates an idea or belief in respect to their results. For this feedback to be more effective, it should be given immediately after the task is completed. The immediate feedback makes learning more […]

Feb28

The Value of Being a Good Example in Children’s Education

Albert Einstein made a lot of sense when he said: “Example isn’t another way to teach, it’s the only way to teach.” But, why is it so important to be role models for our little ones and to be a good example? In the 1990s, neurobiologist Giacomo Rizzolatti made one of the most important scientific discoveries for understanding […]