Insights
Good help starts with a good question. Each read answers one.
Your child learns at home as well as in class. These plain-language pieces show what helps, and most take less time than a cup of tea.
Who it’s for
We write for the adults around a child.
Each read starts with a real question, answers it in plain words and ends with something to try this week.
- Parents
You want to help, without becoming the teacher
What to ask, what to look for and when to relax.
Start with: Is my child behind, or just bored?→ - Educators
You see the gaps, and you have a full class
Classroom-sized ideas on mastery, dialogue and projects.
Start with: Questions, not lectures: the case for dialogue→ - Curious about AI
You wonder what school is for now
How children can think well when the answers are free.
Start with: What AI can’t do for your child, and why that matters for school→
Start here
Start with these three reads.
AI and attention
Raising a thinker when the answers are free
When any answer is a question away, the skill that matters is knowing what to ask, and what to do with the answer.
Mastery and math
Why the first gap is never where you see it
Where your child struggles is rarely where the problem started. Finding the first gap is the fastest way forward.
AI and attention
Screens, attention and homework: a calm guide for families
Homework with a phone nearby is harder than it looks. A few calm, consistent habits help more than strict rules.
All reads
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Filter by theme or time. Every piece is in preparation; each page shows the short version now.
Showing 43 of 43 reads
- AI and attentionWhat AI can’t do for your child, and why that matters for schoolAI can answer almost any question. It can’t decide which questions matter, and that is what school should be getting your child ready to do.7 min · In preparation→
- Projects and characterWhy real projects teach what tests can’tA test shows what a child can recall. A real project, for a real audience, shows what they can do with it.6 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and math“Really gets it”: what mastery means and how to tellParents say “really gets it”. Teachers say mastery. Here’s what we mean by it, and how you can spot it at home.5 min · In preparation→
- Reading and writingHow to help a reluctant reader at homeSome children avoid reading because it’s hard; others because they haven’t found the right book yet. The help looks different for each.6 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathFractions, and why math gaps so often start thereFractions are where many children first feel that math stopped making sense. There are good reasons for that, and they can be fixed.7 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsGrammar, logic, rhetoric: an old way of learning for a new worldFor centuries, learning followed three stages: gather the knowledge, reason with it, then express it well. The idea fits a world with AI surprisingly well.8 min · In preparation→
- AI and attentionScreens, attention and homework: a calm guide for familiesHomework with a phone nearby is harder than it looks. A few calm, consistent habits help more than strict rules.6 min · In preparation→
- Projects and characterCan you teach leadership to a 10-year-old?Leadership isn’t a personality type. It’s a set of habits, and children can start practising them early.5 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathWhy the first gap is never where you see itWhere your child struggles is rarely where the problem started. Finding the first gap is the fastest way forward.6 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathWhat a mastery check is, and what it isn’tA mastery check is a short, low-stakes way to see whether your child really gets a skill. It isn’t a test to pass or fail.5 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsQuestions, not lectures: the case for dialogueChildren learn more when they do the thinking. Good questions, asked at the right moment, make that happen.6 min · In preparation→
- For familiesIs my child behind, or just bored?A child who has checked out might be struggling, or might be ready for more. The signs overlap, and the right response is very different.6 min · In preparation→
- For familiesGrade 7: the year everything gets harderMany families notice a change in Grade 7. Work becomes more abstract, more independent and more spread out. Here’s what shifts, and how to help.6 min · In preparation→
- Reading and writingReading for meaning, not just for speedFast reading isn’t always good reading. Understanding comes from slowing down at the right moments.5 min · In preparation→
- AI and attentionRaising a thinker when the answers are freeWhen any answer is a question away, the skill that matters is knowing what to ask, and what to do with the answer.6 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsWhat the House of Wisdom can teach a modern classroomOver a thousand years ago, scholars in Baghdad learned, tested and taught together. Their habits still make a good classroom.7 min · In preparation→
- For familiesFive questions to ask any learning centreBefore you choose any learning centre, including ours, these five questions will tell you a lot.6 min · In preparation→
- For familiesWhy we’re building Hikmah in OttawaA note on why Hikmah begins with one centre in Ottawa, and what we hope to build here.5 min · In preparation→
- For familiesMentors, not monitorsSoftware can keep track of every skill. That frees the adults in the room to do what only people can.5 min · In preparation→
- For familiesLight for every learner: the story of our nameHikmah means wisdom. Here’s why we chose it, and what the lamp in our name stands for.4 min · In preparation→
- Projects and characterWhat makes a good first project for a Grade 3 learnerA first project should be small enough to finish, real enough to matter and built around a skill your child is learning.5 min · In preparation→
- Projects and characterInside a project presentation: what the audience is really forWhen a child presents their work, the audience isn’t there just to clap. They’re part of the learning.5 min · In preparation→
- Projects and characterHow to read your child’s portfolioA portfolio shows how your child’s work changes over time. Here’s what to look for when you sit down with one.5 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathWhy your child’s fraction trouble might start with multiplicationWhen a child struggles with fractions, the real problem is often a step earlier, in multiplication.5 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathSpaced revisits: why we come back to old skillsComing back to a skill after a few weeks can feel like a step backwards. It’s one of the best ways to make learning last.5 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsWhat Socrates can teach a Grade 5 classroomA teacher who mostly asked questions might seem out of place in a modern classroom. Grade 5 learners suggest otherwise.5 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsThe House of Wisdom, and why we took its nameHikmah takes its name from the tradition of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Here’s that story, and what we take from it.6 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsLogic for children: spotting a weak argumentChildren can learn to spot a weak argument long before they learn the formal names for it.5 min · In preparation→
- AI and attentionShould your child use AI for homework? A parent’s guideAI can help your child learn, or it can do their learning for them. A few clear rules make the difference.7 min · In preparation→
- AI and attentionTeaching children to argue with AIAI tools sound confident even when they’re wrong. Children who learn to question them become better thinkers.6 min · In preparation→
- For familiesTwo report cards that look the sameTwo children can bring home the same marks and need completely different help. A grade doesn’t tell you why.5 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathWhy fractions trip children up, and how to help at homeFractions trip up many children. With a few everyday activities, you can help them make sense at home.6 min · In preparation→
- Reading and writingReading for meaning: what to ask after a bedtime storyA few good questions after a bedtime story build the habits of a thoughtful reader.4 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathThe math facts gap: small, common and very fixableMany children reach the later grades still working out basic facts the long way. It’s common, it matters, and it can be fixed.5 min · In preparation→
- Mastery and mathWhy integers make or break early algebraNegative numbers are where many children first meet math that doesn’t match everyday experience. How they handle integers shapes how they handle algebra.6 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsTeaching a 12-year-old to argue the other sideAsking a twelve-year-old to argue for the side they disagree with can feel strange. It’s one of the best ways to build fair, careful thinking.5 min · In preparation→
- AI and attentionHomework, AI and the middle years: a guide for parentsIn Grades 7 and 8, homework gets harder and AI tools get more tempting. Here’s how to keep the learning with your child.6 min · In preparation→
- For familiesThe Grade 9 skills hiding under Grade 11 strugglesWhen a Grade 11 student struggles, the cause is often a skill from two years earlier that never quite settled.6 min · In preparation→
- Reading and writingHow to write a lab report discussion that follows from the dataThe discussion is the part of a lab report most students find hardest. It gets easier when every claim comes from the data.5 min · In preparation→
- For familiesMore than marks: building a portfolio that shows what your teen can doMarks matter for what comes after high school. A portfolio of real work shows something marks can’t: what your teen can actually do.6 min · In preparation→
- Thinking and the classicsWhy every child should learn to argue the other sideMaking the best case for a view you don’t hold is one of the most useful habits a child can build, at any age.5 min · In preparation→
- AI and attentionTeaching children to catch AI being wrongAI tools make mistakes, sometimes confidently. Teaching children to catch them builds the judgement they’ll need for life.5 min · In preparation→
- Projects and characterEthics at the dinner table: hard questions for every ageChildren are natural philosophers. A good question at dinner can start a conversation about right and wrong that they remember.5 min · In preparation→
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Next step
Read less. See your own child.
An article tells you what’s common. A diagnostic shows what’s true for your child: where they are, and where to start.