-BAM! Body, Mind and Child - Preparing Your Child's Body and Mind for Life!

Fighting bullying requires a collective, collaborative effort among teachers, parents and school administrators. This segment explores the barriers to effective school/home collaboration against bullying, along with strategies to overcome them. Walter B. Roberts, Jr., Ed.D. is a professor of counselor education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, whose research and advocacy are in the areas of bullying prevention, school safety, and mental health. Author, Working with Parents of Bullies & Victims Dr. Edward Dragan is the author of The Bully Action Guide: How to Help Your Child and Get Your School to Listen.

Parent-teacher conferences are notorious for being dreaded, poorly attended and adversarial when they do occur. Our guests unpack the dynamics behind parent-teacher conferences and share tips on how to make them positive, effective, collaborative opportunities that help students. Betsy Landers is the National PTA® President. Heidi Rosenberg is a senior research analyst at Harvard Family Research Project, where she focuses on promoting family engagement in education. Susan M. Heim is an author, editor and blogger, specializing in parenting issues. She is a longtime editor for the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Our guests disagree on whether teacher collaboration is new, but they all agree that teacher collaboration is becoming more important, is being done in new ways and is more important now than ever. Learn more... Ellen Meyers is author of "The Power of Teacher Networks". Carrie Leana is the George H. Love Professor of Organizations and Management at the University of Pittsburgh, where she holds appointments in the Graduate School of Business, the School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Reporter Sarah D. Sparks spent the last five years writing about federal and state education regulations. She writes a blog called "Inside School Research" for Education Week.

According to our guests, immersing your students in nature offers many benefits to both students and teachers. Find out why you should take your students outside as often as possible. This segment also offers specific outdoor lessons you can use with your class today. Laura Champe Mitchell is the Administrative and Enrollment Coordinator Discovery Woods Learning Community. Sharon Danks is an environmental planner and principal of Bay Tree Design, inc. in Berkeley, California. A frontrunner in the green schoolyards movement, Sharon's professional work has focused on schoolyard ecology and ecological design since 1999. She is the author of Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation.

Many argue that teaching penmanship is a thing of the past, but at what age should children be taught to use a computer keyboard? Some are starting as early as kindergarten, but is it developmentally appropriate? We turn to a panel of experts for guidance on when to start teaching children to hunt and peck and use proper finger placement. Cris Rowan is a pediatric occupational therapist and author of "Virtual Child - The terrifying truth about what technology is doing to children." Jacqui Murray is a Technology Teacher for K-8. She wrote a tech curriculum for kindergarten-fifth grade now used in hundreds of schools all over the country. Lisa Guernsey, Director of New America's Early Education Initiative, focuses on how to create and scale up the best learning environments for children in their early years, from toddlerhood through third grade.

Learning from mistakes is one of those notions that is easier said than done. In fact, the way teachers and parents react when children make mistakes says volumes to young children and can impact them for the rest of their lives. Our guests share insights on encouraging a willingness to make mistakes and to learn from them. Hint: It starts with you. Dr. Fernette Eide, Neurologist, and co-author of The Dyslexic Advantage and Mislabeled Child. Alina Tugend has been a journalist for more than 25 years and has written about education, environmental issues, and consumer culture for numerous publications including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Education Week, She is author of Better by Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong. Fran Simon is Chief Engagement Officer of Engagement Strategies, LLC. She has been an Early Childhood educator since 1981.

These days many parents want their children to have "advanced" academic skills. Too often these expectations are developmentally inappropriate. In this segment our guests provide guidance to teachers on how to manage inappropriate expectations from parents. Jody Martin has 25 years experience in the early childhood and is Vice President of Education and Training Creme de la Creme. Emma S. McDonald, a veteran teacher, is the author of several books on education including Survival Kit for New Teachers and Classrooms that Spark. Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. has over 20 years experience in the field of early childhood education and is the Executive Educational Director over three child care campuses.schools for over a decade. Now a contributing writer to Education Week.

Experts and advocates recommend at least 1 to 2 hours a day of physical activity for children. But how do you fit it into your daily program, when there�s so much else for you to do? And what kind of physical activity should it be? Tune in; our experts have the answers.as well as several activities you can use right away. Frank Keil is Charles C. & Dorathea S. Dilley Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist and a prominent authority on critical thinking. She is President of the Foundation for Critical Thinking and Executive Director of the Center for Critical Thinking. Maureen Kelleher covered Chicago's public schools for over a decade. Now a contributing writer to Education Week.

Experts and advocates recommend at least 1 to 2 hours a day of physical activity for children. But how do you fit it into your daily program, when there�s so much else for you to do? And what kind of physical activity should it be? Tune in; our experts have the answers.as well as several activities you can use right away. Nikki Steven, fitness expert, speaker, model and founder of Method Motivation Wellness and Personal Training Studio is Las Vegas. She is also the Founder of the Children’s Fitness Foundation. Diane H. Craft, PhD, Professor, teaches adapted physical education courses in the Physical Education Department at State University of New York at Cortland and co-author with Craig Smith Active Play: Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. has over 20 years experience in the field of early childhood education as a teacher, director, and consultant for staff training and professional development.

Many people wonder why teachers - especially early childhood teachers - would be stressed. But, often, even the teachers wonder why they are feeling stressed, when education is a field they entered out of love. There are good reasons for those feelings and solutions to getting past them. Tune in to learn more. Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner is an assistant professor in the Division of Family, Child and Consumer Sciences at Louisiana State University and Co-author of Dimensions article, "Finding More Joy in Teaching Children. Jeff Johnson is a Family Child Care Provider. He is the Author of "Keeping Your Smile and Finding Your Smile Again". Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. has over 20 years experience in the field and is the Executive Educational Director over three childcare campuses.

Not all stress is to be avoided. According to our guests there are three different types of stress. Positive stress, tolerable stress, and toxic stress. Teachers need to be able to distinguish the different types and the symptoms of stress in children to help them manage stress effectively. Learn more... Dr. Megan R. Gunnar is a Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Child Development at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. She received her Ph.D in psychology at Stanford University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in developmental psychoneuroendocrinology at Stanford Medical School. Ellen Galinsky, President and Co-Founder of Families and Work Institute (FWI), helped establish the field of work and family life at Bank Street College of Education, where she was on the faculty for twenty-five years. Her more than forty books and reports include the best-selling Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs, Ask The Children and the now classic The Six Stages of Parenthood. Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. has over 20 years experience in the field of early childhood education as a teacher, director, curriculum writer, music director, and consultant for staff training and professional development. Currently, Deborah is the Executive Educational Director over three childcare campuses.

In an era of high-stakes accountability and standardized testing, is there room for teaching beyond the test? You bet, say our guests, and here's how to do it without losing your job. Kate Beaudet is Co-founder and organizer of Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ), a community organization comprising parents, teachers, and students fighting for equity in public schools. Elena Silva, PhD., is a senior policy analyst at Education Sector, where she oversees the organization's teacher quality work. Reporter Sarah D. Sparks writes a blog called "Inside School Research" for Education Week.

Many teachers returning to school this year report a growing sense of powerlessness to effect change and do their jobs. An increasing number of teachers are expressing their disagreement with education policy in a climate that often ignores them. In this segment we talk about how you can find your voice, and impact the system without losing your job.

Despite all of the attention to the problem of bullying, much of it continues under the radar of many teachers and parents. In this segment we shine a light on the hidden side of bullying, explain why it often goes undetected and discuss strategies to deal with it.

Some educators have reported an increase in the number of twins in their classrooms. According to our guests, there are a few myths and some misguided ideas about teaching twins that need to be corrected. In this segment we discuss what every educator and parent needs to know about teaching twins.