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The Metacognitive Preschooler
Monday, August 25, 2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
Presented by Richard K. Cohen, Author and Chief Academic Officer for Secondary Education, Edison Township Public Schools (NJ); Katie Upshaw, Author and Preschool Special Education Teacher, Metuchen School District (NJ); Michele A. Herold, Author and Integrated Preschool Teacher, Metuchen School District (NJ); and Kelsee G. Young, Author and Special Education Preschool Teacher, Moss School (NJ)
Sponsored by Solution Tree
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This edWebinar walks preschool educators and early childhood leaders through one practical metacognitive strategy called “structured SELf-questioning” that enables all PreK-12 students to take control of their emotions, thinking, and learning. This session focuses on preschool applications throughout the preschool day and curricula.
The presenters provide an overview of the strategy’s brain, research, and evidence base while also providing a practical how-to session of the content from The Metacognitive Preschooler, which won a Silver Medal for Best Indie Book in the Education category (2025 IPPY Awards). The learning outcomes of this edWebinar are centered around how the metacognitive strategy of structured SELf-questioning can be easily used to:
- Create neural pathways and circuitry to promote executive functioning of all students, no matter how neurodiverse
- Embed SEL and executive functioning into any already existing daily routine/morning meeting/circle time to promote emotional intelligence and improve self-regulation
- Develop all students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills across academic content areas as social and emotional contexts by merely sprinkling the strategy on top of any already existing preschool curricular program
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to early childhood teachers, school leaders, curriculum directors, and instructional assistants.
About the Presenters
Richard K. Cohen is Chief Academic Officer for Secondary Education at Edison Township Public Schools in New Jersey. He is a former Assistant Superintendent and Principal of Moss School (PreK and kindergarten) in the Metuchen School District in New Jersey. He serves as faculty for Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and he is a former Principal of Red Bank Primary School in New Jersey. Rick has served as a leader of social-emotional learning (SEL) at the district, county, state, and national levels. His work infusing academic state standards and SEL skills together with evidence-based character education has won national and state of New Jersey Schools of Character Awards and a National Promising Practice Award from Character.org.
Katie Upshaw is a preschool special education teacher in the Metuchen School District in New Jersey. She fulfills roles as a teacher leader within her current school, acting as a representative for the teacher union, chairing the school leadership team, and actively participating in various district committees. Katie comes from a generational teaching family and has been involved in the classroom since her grandmother and mother were teachers. Her first formal role in special education was as a children’s program coordinator until she received her job in the Metuchen School District. Katie has provided training on social-emotional learning and metacognition at the district, national, and international levels through professional organizations. Her informal and formal experience as an educator has only fueled her focus on helping all students succeed!
Michele A. Herold has been an integrated preschool teacher in the Metuchen School District in New Jersey since 2018. She is also an active member of the School Leadership Team. Throughout her teaching career, Michele has provided training on social-emotional learning and metacognition at the district, national, and international levels through professional organizations. Overall, Michele’s educational philosophy is to create an uplifting, compassionate, and nurturing classroom that encourages her students’ confidence, kindness, and love for learning!
Kelsee G. Young has been a special education preschool teacher at Moss School in Metuchen, New Jersey, since 2020. Her educational philosophy is to create a warm and nurturing environment for her students to play, grow, and thrive, upholding compassion over compliance. Kelsee has presented about structured SELf-questioning at Rider University and is a Class Dojo mentor for her school. She is a member of the Metuchen School District’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council, the Special Education District Leadership Team, and the School Leadership Team. Kelsee was awarded the Moss School Teacher of the Year Award for the 2023–2024 school year.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
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