School may be far from children’s minds in early August, but one education strategist says it’s not too early to prepare for their return. “You want to start getting the wheels turning, but you don’t want to get too, too much into the heavy, heavy stuff,” Dwayne Matthews, an educator who has studied how people learn and perform for more than 20 years, said in an interview with CTV Your Morning on Thursday. “I know a lot of people buy a ton of books … That’s fine. I don’t necessarily do that, but I think it’s a good idea to start getting back into some semblance of routine.” Part of his back-to-school strategy is setting daily intentions. Matthews said focus is important, especially in a world of social media and artificial intelligence where “there’s so much information and so many things to do digitally.” To maintain focus, Matthews recommends students ask themselves the following three questions each day: With AI becoming more dominant in everyday life, Matthews suggests using the technology to learn how to do something – such as fishing – or learn new topics – such as on animals – while also being cautious, knowing “AI is not your friend.” AI can also help kids create something, such as videos, websites and mobile applications, he added. “Just start to create something, really get the energy and the juices flowing, because that really starts to help with making connections, and connections are the most important thing when it comes to learning,” Matthews said. Preparing children to go back to school isn’t only about learning and creating, Matthews said. It’s also important to have what he calls “pioneer time” – a set period in which you unplug from technology – and allow yourself to get bored during summer. “It really is a way to consolidate the information, to bring your heart rate variability down, to really sort of max out, and to get accustomed to having that balance is extremely important,” he said. Watch the video above for the full interview
