First Impressions Last

A great way to begin the year.

Imagine going to the theater or the movies to see a highly anticipated show. Now imagine if the first 45 minutes were filled with the director explaining his expectations and then he gives an outline of the story, when you should clap, what to look for, how to get in touch if you have questions, and when and where you can use the rest rooms. Yuck!

 I prefer an attention-grabbing opening scene that ignites my interest and has me on the edge of my seat. So why do so many teachers feel the need to begin their year with a mundane regurgitation of marginally important information? Is it habit, lack of vision, and an expected routine? Or is it time constraints, fear and apathy, or perpetuated misinformation, or something else? I believe a little of each is true, but I also believe a gentle nudge to be creative in the opening of a classroom should be contagious and encouraged. Let's make that a part of the school's opening expectations.

The first action does not have to be an icebreaker activity. I can imagine that would become tedious in a full day of middle or high school classes. I often cringe while attending a professional development session and the instructor feels the need to get me out of my seat at 8:00 a.m. to hop around or play a guessing game. I just want to ease into the day with a cup of coffee. Although, after I begrudgingly participate I usually enjoy it. Usually.

So what should teachers do?

1.  Set the tone for learning by beginning with a great lesson. It should be short, exciting, fun and challenging. It can be content specific and derived from the curriculum.
2.  Save the review of the syllabus for the middle or end of class. Or better yet, make a short screen cast and post the video for students to watch. A short quiz (online) to ensure they read the important information will suffice.
3. Make sure the lesson is student-centered. They should do the talking, interacting, and presenting.
4. Incorporate movement as often as possible, especially if you teach the younger ones.
5. Feel free to involve other teachers and classes in your wing, department, grade level or section.
6.  Be empathetic. Would you want to sit through class after class of teacher-led explanations? Kids do know how a classroom runs, trust me.
7. You CAN begin the year without going over the year first! Save the boring stuff for day two!
8. Remember, set the tone for learning, not just compliance!

Gamification, How games make us better

I was one of 12,000 educators listening to keynoter Jan McGonigal speak about how gaming makes us better. Her neurological, physical and field research gives strong support to this method of learning. I've done much reading and listened to quite a few speakers present their findings. I have to say it has me strongly leaning to this approach.

The image below is an fMRI that shows the parts of the brain during interactive and passive exposure. According to http://www.mechanicalgirl.com/post/gaming-education-and-social-change/  and perhaps contradictory to the stereotype of the gamer-as-slacker, fMRI brain imaging shows that interactive game play actually stimulates the parts of the brain - the caudate and thalamus - associated with reward and motivation, as well as the hippocampus, which is associated with learning and long-term memory.

Kids and adults alike do impressive things when you closely analyze what goes on in a complex video game. The player must fail, adapt, fail, adapt, learn, improve, increase hand/eye skills, keep a complex virtual world map in his/her memory. Many of the games are multiplayer and rely on the social interactions and help of others in order to succeed. Sound familiar? This is what we hope students are able to accomplish in the real world. One fascinating statistic shared by McGonigal was that "gamers" fail on average 80% of the time on their journey to mastery and yet are still motivated to keep at the tasks to master their game. 80%!! That is grit.

So, how to we apply that type of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, determination, grit and stick-to-itivness in formal education? One of my suggestions is to lessen the formal didactic model where students sit passively and absorb (if they're lucky) information. There is a place for that too, but it should NOT be the primary methodology. We should do more project-based learning where students tackle real, global or local issues and create solutions. The learning necessary to complete the project drives what they need to learn. If students are working on trying to bring potable water to an area that lacks it, then they need to learn about engineering, costs, transportation, communication, history and so forth.

School should be minimal on foundational courses. Kids in secondary and post-secondary schools should all work on problem-finding and problem-solving real-world, contemporary and future issues. Imagine a group of seniors who were able to feed a rural American town or provide clean drinking water to a remote Guatemalan village or improve safety equipment for healthcare workers....imagine.

The Teen Brain

“Oh, I forgot.” How many parents and teachers have heard that response from a teen after the frazzled question of “Why didn’t you make your bed?” or “Where is your assignment?” or Why didn’t you do XYZ like I asked!!? The answer is most likely, all of us. What is it with teens? Can we do something about it? They answers are complex, and yes we can do something about it, but we need to be patient.There is a reason.

courtesy of UCLA

If you look at the picture of the brain to the left, you will notice that the human brain matures from front to back. The back is where the more basic functions occur. The color purple indicates a time lapse of neural maturation from five to twenty years of age.  The last major area of the brain to develop is the prefrontal cortex (the right side of the image). This area controls higher-order functions (emotions, self-control). The adolescent brain is undergoing major changes, usually between the ages of ten and fifteen. 

According to neuroscientist Richard Restak he states “it is helpful to keep in mind that the adolescent’s failures in concentration, focus, motivation, and consistent effort result not from willfulness or laziness or God forbid, “stupidity,” but from poor integration of the frontal lobes.” 

 My advice on how to help counter this is my advice on how to improve anything you do, do it often. What the brain does best is what the brain does often. Dr. Restak's statement is not an overarching excuse for all teen behavior. We know when in fact our children are being stubborn or lazy. But there are times where the directives given by parents bounce off the child's auditory processors like a racquet ball off a wall. It never sticks. I've gently held my son's face in front of me while calmly telling him to take out the trash before we leave the house. I waited for his eye contact and verbal response of "OK Dad, I will take out the trash". As I place my arm over the car's headrest while backing out of the garage, I asked my son if he did what I requested. His clumsy and surprised look foretells his answer. "Are you kidding me?!" "Patience, patience, patience" I repeat this mantra while waiting for his hurried actions to get the task done. Sound familiar?

It gets better. It takes time, but yes, the brain matures and teens are able to better manage these tasks. Each year, as more connections are made and the rewiring of the adolescent brain starts to come to completion, you will notice a change.

One of the most important facts that runs through any literature on cognition and improving cognitive functioning is that the brain requires repeated (practice) input. If you wish for your child to improve his organization and focusing skills, then teach him. We as adults assume that youngsters innately know how to organize and plan. This is not the case. They need instruction, guidance and reinforcement. This will develop and strengthen pathways to help themselves.  Equally as important is to limit your child's extended idleness, specifically, long periods of time doing nothing but playing video games, watching TV or texting. This too will create and strengthen the areas of the brain that oversee these tasks. I'm not telling you to eliminate the activities from their lives, but as I stated before, the brain does best what the brain does often.

A final thought. It is important for teens, and anyone else for that matter, to realize that learning and practicing are not "easy". It requires concentration, frustration, repetition and motivation. Children need to understand that working hard at something does not mean they are stupid, weak or have a lack of talent, working hard is the norm and also the quickest method of improving.

Little Italy, Chinatown, and Irish Villages-Lessons to improve your classroom environment

There is a strong neurological and psychological need for people to feel at home and familiar with their environment. The neural connections created and strengthened by a cornucopia of smells, sounds, feeling, sights and tastes, as well as the energy over time has a profound affect on the immigrant in a foreign land. To alleviate this physical yearning by the brain and psyche, people who share common customs tend to gravitate to the familiar, hence the formation of micro-communities such as Chinatown, Little Italy and other urban and suburban confluences of cultures. People not only prefer to be amongst others who share similar interests but according to neuroscientists , the brain yearns for the recognizable stimulation of the senses. The absence of those stimuli are at the neurological root of homesickness. Being homesick is not an immature psychological response to an overindulged child or adult. It is a physical absence of the neural stimulation experienced by a person. When I was a young man traveling around the world, I would pack a few pillowcases that were washed in the detergent my mother used for our laundry. It was a small remedy, but comforting. It feels better to be in a place one is accustomed to. Maybe Dorothy Gale was right. There is no place like home.


The same must hold true for students who enter classrooms each fall, especially the younger ones. As a teacher, ask yourself, is this my classroom or our classroom? If your answer is the former, consider making changes. What objects are in the room that give students a sense of ownership beyond the essays stapled to the bulletin boards? Do the children feel that they are guests in their classroom or is there a sense of proprietary participation?

A good friend, who I will refer to as Mr. "C", and I started teaching fourth grade together in the 1990s. After a couple years he moved across the hall and started teaching the first grade. I visited his class the following fall. The walls, windows and students' desks were adorned with pictures and drawings of the youngsters' families, friends and scattered about were stuffed pets and objects. The instant any guest walks into their room, the visitor is greeted with a high-pitched chorus of "Welcome to rooooom one!"  Mr. C and his students spent ample time organizing the classroom environment into a place that is comforting and inviting, not only for guests, but for the students as well.

There are plenty of research articles to support and explain the connections and correlations between student performance and a healthy, organized classroom, but common sense works well too. Where would you want to spend six hours a day? Would it be in a warm, familiar environment, or a cold, sparsely-decorated room ruled by a monotonous palate for uniformity?

A few steps to make a great learning place-
1. Make the room inviting for students by having them decorate it with things from home.
2. Create a "WE" feel to the classroom whereby students are responsible for the physical condition of the space.
3. Make sure the students truly believe the room is theirs and not just yours. Ensure they take ownership. That means the teacher refers to the classroom as "ours" not "my".

The more the students feel at home, the more the brain builds synaptic connections and the better off the students will be. Students who feel safe and comfortable will allot brain functions to thinking and learning instead of stress reduction. Give it a try!

http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership.html Great

30 Best Web 2.0 Tools for Educators

http://edudemic.com/2012/10/best-web-tools-2012/

A Theory of Learning Explained-Constructivism

This is the first of a three-part series relating learning, teaching and cognition to theoretical models. The purpose is to explain how children and adults learn. I will explore the psychological and social influences as it applies to your child’s education. I will keep the jargon and acronyms to a bare minimum. My intention is to provide parents and teachers with sound, research-based suggestions for helping their child learn in a manner that best fits his strengths. Each person learns in a unique fashion. Our job as parents and teachers is to help students understand why they do what they do, and how to use specific mental tools to increase their ability to learn simple and complex concepts. 

Constructivism-Making sense of the world through connections and building knowledge upon what we know or the alternate title- If I have to sit through six hours of lectures, I will pull out my hair!

Constructivism is based on the principles that learning occurs when children are actively connected to creating their knowledge. Children do not learn best when they sit passively and listen to a teacher spew facts and figures. The students use prior and current knowledge to make sense of what they are studying. A good example of constructivism in action is reflected in a fifth grade science lesson. I asked students why manhole (or sewer pipe) covers are round. I could have explained the possible answers and moved on to a different topic, but that may or may not have allowed the students to build knowledge that will be stored in their brains. Instead I gave them cardboard, coffee cans, construction paper, tape and various other supplies to help them support their hypotheses. Through their understanding of basic shapes, geometry and rudimentary engineering, the students hypothesized (guessed) that an object that is a circular shape cannot fall in a hole of the same size. Any other shape, a square for example, could be turned on its diagonal and dropped into the hole. The second answer, one I had not anticipated, is that the cover has to be round because the pipes are cylindrical.

Over the last 16 years in the classroom I continue to observe in awe and excitement when a child finally “gets it”. There is a great satisfaction seeing new learning and connections take place.  On the flip side I witnessed many youngsters struggle with learning. I’ve seen tears, anger and frustration.

I have tried dozens of different strategies to help struggling learners. I have done the same to help gifted learners accelerate and I have worked with a mix of strategies for all of the students who traverse back and forth on the continuum of self-efficacy.  I know I stated I would not use teacher jargon, but self-efficacy is a critical term. I want all parents and students to have a solid grasp of what it means, how it works, and how understanding the psychological impact it has on learning. This term will weave its way through my first article and it is beneficial for all of us to have a clear grasp of the concept.

Self-efficacy is a term that describes how confident a student feels about his potential to succeed in a given task. Some researchers claim that the more confident a student is about a subject, say math, the better he will do.

Of all the strategies I employed with students, I found that the most successful way to get them challenge themselves intellectually is based largely on how they think about themselves and their chances of success. Teachers try to code and secretly label the various ability groups that we corral students into, but it doesn’t matter. They all know who (or think they know) the smartest and weakest students are. That in itself is enough to inhibit a love of learning. Children are consequently self-conscious about their academic ability that it restricts them from truly challenging themselves. I believe this stems from three things: The first is the incorrect assumption that failure is bad. The second is the incorrect assumption that the speed of knowledge acquisition relates to higher intelligence across all disciplines. And the third is that most, not all, of the teaching styles in our schools are delivered with the “average” child as the focus.

School Goals

There is a massive push at the federal, state and local levels to rapidly change the way teachers teach and students learn. The traditional, teacher-directed, student-passive manner that began in the industrial age has not changed much. You would be hard pressed to not find students sitting in neat rows facing a teacher who is standing in the front of the classroom. The teacher lectures and delivers information to the students who in turn show their understanding by answering mostly low-level types of questions such as recalling facts. The student who has trouble reading does not do well in this environment, nor does the student who learns rapidly, nor does the student who learns best if he can touch things, move around, ask a ton of questions, and make connections. That student is sometimes referred to as ADD, ADHD, hyper, fidgety and so on. I get fidgety if I sit quietly for more than 15 minutes too. Our district is combating poor teaching with building a strong knowledge of good teaching skills to classroom teachers. Diversifying the manner in which children are taught strengthens their ability to learn.

Parent Activity and Theory in Action

So how can your knowledge of constructivism and self-efficacy help your child in the classroom? We’ll explore this concept in two areas. The first thing you can do is help your child understand that failing does not mean he is a failure. Smart people ask many questions. The second area I want you to focus on is how people learn. There are decades of research conducted and documented by some of the world’s leading educational theorists. These researchers have painstakingly observed children to determine the myriad ways in which they learn. One such researcher is Jerome Bruner.

Jerome Bruner, who shares a birthday with my wife, just turned 97 years old on October 1^st. He is a leading educational psychologist and has developed theories on how people create and retain knowledge. Bruner (Presno, 1997) believes that children learn by building a base of knowledge and connecting new concepts. He strongly believes that learning goes beyond the school walls. That true learning can only take place when children see how everything interconnects and applies to the real world. Bruner states that teaching and learning should go beyond the curriculum and standards. It should be not be limited to basic facts and memorization. Learning should be constructed through experiences and connections. Children should build their knowledge through a rich and dynamic learning environment. I will give an example of this from my experience as new elementary teacher in the late 90s.

It was common practice for fourth-graders to study the different regions of the United States. Some of you may remember “helping” your child with their cardboard reports. The students were required to memorize the state capitals in their regions throughout the course of the school year. That’s fine. I have no real problem with that. A few years later I visited a 7^th grade social studies class. They were studying state and national capitals. What a waste of time. This is one of those things that are nice to know. Aside from trivia games, what are the intellectual benefits of knowing the capitals of Malaysia, Benin and Sao Tome? I argue that there are no benefits. Bruner, I believe would support the notion that children can learn this and other facts if they see the importance, how it applies to other things, and if they have a vested interest in learning it. If a child finds out that his grandparents emigrated from Liberia, he might develop a strong desire to learn all about that culture, the country and possibly the capital. This knowledge is not learned in isolation. It matters. Other children may learn particular capitals, but I bet they may confuse whether it is a city, state or country. That is clear evidence that they were only learning basic facts for the sake of learning basic facts.

A great way to learn about regions, states and capitals that Jerome Bruner would approve of would look similar to this: Give the student or a group of students a geographical region to study, maybe the northeast U.S. The students would select an area they are interested in. The teacher sets up events with other students across the region to interact with each other. This could be done low-tech with activities such as writing and getting pen pals, or it can be done high-tech where students Skype or video conference with other children across the country. Students could have prewritten questions and learn about locations from primary sources, not just text books. The students are actively engaged in learning that they construct. They are not simply the receptors of knowledge via a teacher’s lecture or text-based assignment.

Final thoughts

Constructivism is one example of how people learn and retain information. Learning is a complex process that is affected by many external and internal influences.  Building your knowledge of how children learn- will help you- help them. If you have any questions or feedback, post a reply or comment in my blog and I will gladly respond.

Must Have iOS Apps for Writers

http://edudemic.com/2012/09/5-must-have-ios-apps-for-writers/

The 10K Race and Taking Tests: What can we learn from the runner?

 Test taking can be extremely stressful for students of any age. To alleviate this, I advise my students to prepare for tests as they would an athletic event.  The parallels are a good way to remember how to get the most out of your brain.

Racing and Tests

An athlete preparing for a 10K race in three months does a few things in advance. He creates and follows a training schedule, establishes a personal goal, and keeps the end target in mind. On the day of the race he is relatively clear on his expected performance. You will be hard pressed to find an athlete cramming in hours of running minutes before the race in hopes of getting a little extra out of his heart and lungs.  This would only hinder his performance. The same rules hold true for studying.  Good advice from professor David Jaffee (2012) on how to study for an exam is to NOT study for an exam. Instead you should “study for learning and understanding.” Research shows that despite what many think, cramming does not help you perform better, it does the opposite. Just like that runner planning for an important race, a student should employ a similar systematic approach in preparation for an important test.

Here are six simple steps to follow when preparing for a test. The same applies to taking multiple tests or exams (think like a triathlete):

Student	Athlete
1.     Be sure to know exactly what you need to learn.	Know what to expect and set goal
2.     Check your understanding or mastery of the sub topics. Do this frequently (daily or weekly)	Monitor progress
3.     Get clarification or explanation for information that is confusing.	Modify training plans as needed to meet goal
4.     Start studying well in advance. Focus on small objectives or topics to help you get the big picture	Set a consistent schedule and routine
5.     Make a confidence list of what you know, what you do not know and what you are unsure of, then address each.	Set short-term expectations for the event. This is part of a long-term goal (the next race)
6.     Visualize yourself taking the test and doing well.	See the event in your mind, build your confidence and convince yourself of doing well.

The day before your exam, it is crucial to physically and mentally prepare your body as you would the day before a race. Eat healthy and get a good night’s rest. On the day of the test, a moderate apprehension level is fine. It helps give you a performance edge. You should be relaxed and confident in your knowledge.

Oxygen and Blood

The brain needs oxygen to work efficiently. When people are nervous their breathing tends to be shallow and restricted. It is very important to breath slowly, deeply and calmly prior to and during the test. 

Runners do not prepare for the race by sitting in a chair, nor should the test taker. If you are a teacher, have your students move around a bit and do some light movement. If you are a student, take a brisk walk or do some light stretching and movement before the test. Get the blood moving!

Gum Chewing?

Yes, but only before a test, not during. Research conducted at St. Lawrence University by (Onyper, et. al, 2011) indicates that students who chewed gum prior to, but not during a test scored higher than students who did not. Why? Onyper (2011) posits that the chewing motion activates muscles, which increase the blood and oxygen flow. The increase blood flow carries sugars that activate areas of the brain used for memory recall. So let the kids chew and have a handy trash basket to discard the gum right before the test.

References

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.05.313

David Jaffee, "Stop Telling Students to Study for Exams", Chronicle of Higher Education (27 April 2012: A35)

http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html