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‘Tis the season for sparkles, snowflakes and...squirmy students? As the holiday countdown begins, classrooms can quickly turn into winter wonderlands of distractions. While many kids are anticipating downtime and holiday fun with friends and family, some may harbor hidden worries about complex family dynamics, stretched budgets and other adversities. They may also have underlying anxieties about the disrupted routines that accompany school vacations.

While educators are undoubtedly looking forward to decompression time of their own, they also have to consider the impact the upcoming break from classes will have on students’ hard-won learning progress. The great news is that there are some easy strategies you can implement today to help keep your students involved while arming them with critical skills to manage holiday stress. Since we know the kids likely have their minds on the holidays, giving these exercises some holiday dazzle is sure to get their attention and interest. 

Here are four strengths you can focus on to maintain momentum in positive and engaging ways.

The future of mental healthcare lies in digital innovation.

With over 10,000 digital mental health apps available and a global mental health apps market valued at $6.12 billion, telehealth, online therapy platforms, apps and other digital tools are becoming integral to mental healthcare.

Digital tools have the potential to improve access to mental health services, collect real world data, and deliver data-informed, personalized care. This potential has led organizations from the World Health Organization to the American Psychological Association to emphasize the benefits of digital mental healthcare.

“Digital mental healthcare helps extend access to mental health treatment and support,” says Katherine Presnell PhD, psychologist and research director at Pearson Assessments US.

Digital tools have the power to augment and reinforce concepts and techniques learned in therapy between sessions and capitalize on the unique innovations that a digital environment offers—but realizing these benefits requires overcoming challenges.

As we near the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the content we’ve shared with you throughout 2024. From thought-provoking articles to expert-led webinars, and everything in between, it’s been a year full of insights, inspiration, and impactful content that resonated with all of you.

Whether you missed a post or just want to relive some of our great content, we’ve got you covered with a round-up of everything you loved in 2024.

In the world of aviation, the margin for error is minimal, and the importance of selecting the right personnel is extremely important. Aviation roles are inherently stressful, and pilots and air traffic controllers must make quick decisions under pressure, manage complex information, and maintain composure in emergency situations. Traditional hiring methods normally focus on technical skills and experience but may not be able to capture or determine a candidate’s ability to handle stress. This makes the hiring process for these high stress/high-stakes roles vitally important. One of the most effective ways to ensure the right candidates are hired for the job is to use personality and mental health assessments that are designed to support the decision process for these specific job roles.

In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established the Pilot Fitness Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to assess pilot mental health following the Germanwings 9525 incident, where the co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane after concealing a long history of mental health issues from his employer. In response to this and other recent mental health incidents, prominent airlines are now utilizing personality and mental health assessments during the hiring process. Here’s why these assessments are indispensable in the aviation industry:

It requires a specific kind of employee to pursue security clearance work. These individuals must embrace pressure and want to make a difference in national security. The constrained talent pool of cleared employees shows how unique this population is, and, on top of that, cybersecurity and technology roles in the intelligence community and government agencies require extremely specific skill sets. The rapid advancement of AI is accelerating this trend even further.

“The recent Executive Order on AI adoption is just the latest driver of talent demand in the security-cleared space,” says Andy Gill, strategic talent acquisitions lead with MetroStar, a northern Virginia-based digital services and IT modernization company focused on Federal, Department of Defense (DoD) and national security customers at the highest security levels. “The need for technical skills and security clearances means it’s more important than ever to not only find the right candidates but also to retain the cleared folks you already have and ensure talent mobility,” he adds.

How can staffing firms and HR professionals manage talent acquisition (TA) with this employee population and keep key positions filled? By emphasizing learning and development (L&D) opportunities, recruiters and TA teams can address both sides of this coin — recruiting qualified candidates and retaining valuable employees.

London, 31 Oct. 2024 – Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the world’s lifelong learning company, today announced it has acquired the assets of Revibe Technologies, a digital therapeutics company that has developed technology to treat children with attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The landscape of mental health care is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by the integration of digital tools. Given that less than half of the 57.8 million adults diagnosed with mental illness received mental health services in the past year, the potential for digital technologies to enhance mental health care and prevention is becoming increasingly evident. Untreated mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can have profound long-term health, social and economic consequences, emphasizing the need for prioritizing preventive mental healthcare.

After many years of an arguably “hidden” status in schools, dyslexia has emerged as a critical concern in education thanks to parental advocacy and because of dyslexia’s far-reaching implications for a child’s well-being and educational success. However, while awareness and recognition have increased, dyslexia may still go unidentified or misidentified in elementary school classrooms.

As a speech-language pathologist (SLP), assessment professional, and parent, I’ve gained an acute appreciation for dyslexia and all the learning I’ve gathered over the decades from research, practice, and individuals/families. Yet, I continue to learn that many professionals still may not be comfortable identifying common symptoms which indicate the need for assessment and will open the door to effective support and growth.

As educators settle into their routines with the new school year well underway, I think daily about supporting teachers who often notice behaviors and student performance before anyone else. While I encourage all my fellow SLPs to step into the classroom and listen to teacher assessments often, I also want to encourage our classroom teacher colleagues (and the rest of the educational team). Here are some of the indicators that can help identify students who may have dyslexia so they can get the support they need to succeed in school and beyond.