TM Issue 21 by Mary Hester

PROFESSIONALLY & PERSONALLY

TeachersMatter The Magazine of Spectrum Education

Principals as power agents pg. 34

Understanding student wellbeing pg. 48

Balancing work and home pg. 62

NZ$15 / AU$15

Leaders in Developing Teachers

ISSUE 21

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The alarm you’ll look forward to: iStudyAlarm The iStudyAlarm is now available from the Apple itunes store and Google Play.

tudying for a class, mid term or final exam just got easier with iStudyAlarm. Staying focused while studying can often be a challenge, and the iStudyAlarm is designed to help exam students of all ages. Research shows that studying in 20-minute intervals and taking a five-minute brain break is highly beneficial for learning and memory. Studying is supposed to get you ahead in life, not make you a nervous wreck. Plus studying for too long causes your brain to get tired and forget key information.

How the iStudyAlarm works When you are ready to study, simply tap the start button. The timer will go off after 20 minutes and prompt you to spend two minutes revising what you have just learned. Next the alarm will time your five-minute brain break.

Brain break ideas What you do during a break can be as important as when you are actually studying. This menu provides quick brain-friendly break ideas.

Exam tips Ideas of what to do before, during and after an exam. Tips include questionanswering advice, what to do if you can’t remember and hints about what examiners are looking for. Each tip can be expanded to find out more information.

Motivate me Provides quick ideas to help keep you on track and focused. There are also links to short Youtube clips about effective study techniques.

Library mode If you are working in a quiet environment, you can simply switch the alarm to vibrate mode and still stay focused without disturbing others.

Features include: Study tips:

You can download the iStudy Alarm for Apple and Android products at the Apple itunes store and Google Play.

Practical tips to keep you on track and studying in a brain friendly and effective way. Tips include setting up your study environment, memory and recall strategies, brain food and note making ideas. Each tip can be expanded to learn more.

NOW n ble o a va i l a i d Andro

CONTENTS

In this issue

12 6

Editor’s Note

Don’t get hooked

Teachers Matter Conference Review

The right recipe Three uncomfortable truths your principal won’t tell you

Kristen de deyn kirk

karen boyes

paul Ramsay

Wake up your students’ creativity

dr art costa

From fixed mindset to growth mindset

30 Responding with wonder and awe

Peter evans

alan cooper

Rochelle Ibañez Wolberg

Four ways to improve your classroom structure

32 Are you getting enough?

Bringing out the best in all students

karen stent

maggie dent

Teachers Matter

Michael Grinder

22 A counseling lesson

dr marvin marshall

Steve francis

The importance of a principal

Terry Westblade

Think...and create

Think about it

Jokes

Letter by letter: E

Designing your playground

The soft drink kid

Kate Southcombe Trudy Francis

karen boyes

therese hoyle ngahi bidois

48 Student wellbeing: A feeling or a measure

MICK WALSH

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Teachers Matter Magazine Team Publisher, Sales and Advertising: Karen Boyes Editor: Kristen De Deyn Kirk Graphic Design: Mary Hester / 2ndFloorDesign Printer Spectrum Print, Christchurch

Subscriptions Toll free (NZ) 0800 373 377 Toll free (Australia) 1800 249 727 Thanks to the educators, speakers and authors who contributed interviews, articles, photographs and letters. Teachers Matter magazine is registered with the National Library: ISSN 1178-6825 © Spectrum Education 2013 All rights reserved.

56 50

Building powerful family-school partnerships

62 Yes, there is life outside of school

robyn pearce

Quote

Do you believe in magic?

MICHAEL GROSE

Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada

52 Help yourself with incentives

KAREN BOYES

54 Are you glossophobic? JOHN SHACKleTON 56

Life lessons

GLENn CAPELLI

58 Are you depriving your students of a 21st-century life skill? jenny barrett 60 Healthy “fast food” at home and on the go karen tobich

Parts of this publication may be reproduced for use within a school environment. To reproduce any part within another publication (or in any other format) permission from the publisher must be obtained. The opinions expressed in Teachers Matter are those of the contributors and we love them!

Barbara griffith & tricia kenyon

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Spectrum Education Ltd

Never do a sit-up again

Rowena Szeszeran McEvoy

Street Address: 19 Rondane Place, Lower Hutt, New Zealand Postal Address: PO Box 30818, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

Encouraging healthy behaviour for life

Teaching the bullies

Quote

Forest Witcraft

Lioncrest Education

Developing persistent learners

Postal Address: PO Box 340 Cessnock NSW 2325, Australia

wendy sweet

bette blancE

Karen boyes

Phone: (NZ) +64 4 528 9969 Fax: (NZ) +64 4 528 0969 magazine@spectrumeducation.com www.spectrumeducation.com

Phone: 61 2 4991 2874 or 1800 249 727 info@lioncrest.com.au www.lioncrest.com.au

editor’s NOTE

ouldn’t it be great if you could quickly skim the contents of Teachers Matter a n d s u d d e n l y become the teacher of every student’s, parent’s and principal’s dreams? Not possible, right? We know that the process of becoming an exceptional teacher takes openness, research, practice and commitment – in other words, a significant investment of time.

• Let students call the shots (don’t be scared; read Simon Evans’ article) • Invest in solutions, not standards (imagine the possibilities with Barr y Musson) • Follow a GPS and map it out (Bena Kallick suggests that you take hints from technology to stay on track in the classroom)

But there is something you can do right now to at least start the process. Here are some • Freeze the positivity (tips on keeping kids quick teasers – a few words to summarise excited, compliments of Chris Kerr) 18. Teamwork and a willingness to bend, especially ssue after issue, I get the chance to read 6. Smile and act like all is perfect, what the experts in this issue are sharing – jump (in), and steptoout when it isn’t. In good and bad ways, you’re our writers’ great articles and learn so • Be the community kind (how go of the way are to spark your interest. Take a deeper look at (read: being much, especially about what I’ll call the almost always “on stage” beyond a good essential. student to a good citizen their articles later and then go even further inner workings of learning. Two concepts watched.) with advice from19. David Koutsoukis) Don’t go through life “marking it,” merely by reading more about their techniques, you’ll read about in this issue are multiple going through theofmotions 7. Things will go wrong. No one needs to taking a class, trying the techniques and • Slip, Slop, Slap (from the master catchy and not giving intelligence and Habits of Mind. Both ideas every step and move your all. Go all out, and know you had to adjust your plan. (I get to then eventually mastering them. Step by step, phrases – Glenn Capelli) had me “thinking about thinking” and enjoy it. watch five or six times; they are never you’ll be on your way to plays communicating what we learn in and out of school. I spend • Get personal with your students (Kevin exactly the same or exactly “right.”) clearly, motivating your students and helping 20. Smile in the spotlight. If it’s shining on a lot of time helping my children study, and Mayall tells you why) them develop a lifelong love ofislearning: you, you’ve earned it. 8. Acting reacting. I enjoy helping them and learning facts in • If it’s not broken, still fix it (Martz Witty the process. But I probably enjoy learning Keep your eyes – and heart – open: Teachers 9. Parenting is often NOT reacting. keeps you improving) “real life” lessons even more by being part – formal ones like you, and informal ones of their activities. My darling daughter has 10. Everyone has favourites.•You’ll survive if “view” with everyone Share your like everyone else – are everywhere. What been acting, singing and dancing in plays it’s not you this time. (Ngahi Bidois uses an analogy to show you lessons have you learned recently – or what for about 18 months now, and it’s hard to lessons can you learn by observing one of 11. Not everyone tells the truth.the Butrewards) be honest know who has learned more. Watching your activities today? How can you apply anyway. • If you’re ready, the “not-ready” child back stage (and moving sets, handing out that knowledge to your life – and share it might still grow (Maggie Dent explains props, and tracking down costumes!), I’ve 12. Not everyone has the same definition/ with someone else? Learning is growing, how the right teacher makes a difference.) learned a ton: idea of talent. However, if a few people see and growing is living. Make the most of it “it,” “it’s” probably real. 1. Get help when you need it. My darling has every day. lots of natural talent, but expert input makes 13. You will not be thanked most of the time a huge difference. for your hard work, extra work, or “brilliant”

2. Being scared about taking a risk doesn’t mean you should avoid it. (She’s much, much better at this than me.)

Teachers Matter

3. Be ready for anything – and to act like you expected that very strange thing to happen. (A light bulb just about fell on her in a recent scene with an audience – but she never flinched.)

Teachers Matter

4. Say thank you when offered advice, even if it was delivered in a mean way. (Some directors do not hold back with their “feedback.”)

5. Even if you’ve been told to do something one way nearly a million times, don’t bring that up when you’re6told to do it completely differently. Unless it’s a safety concern, go with the flow.

save. Do it all anyway. 14. Hard work doesn’t always pay off in the way you desire – but you can always learn something from your experience. 15. People will be mean because they’re jealous, because they feel excluded, because they had someone be mean to them, and because they think it’s the only way to get ahead. Be kind anyway.

Kristen De Deyn Kirk

16. People will be nice – because that’s how you should act. You will treasure those folks. 17. Be patient. Art takes time. (In other words: The rehearsal will be double the length of the play –but it will be worth it to work out all the kinks.)

Our sincere apologies to Daniel Groenewald for the typo in his name from TM issue #20. We apologise for any confusion this may have caused.

CONTRIBUTORS

Jenny Barrett

Alan Cooper Alan Cooper is an educational consultant based in New Zealnd. As a principal, he was known for his leadership role in thinking skills, including Habits of Mind, learning styles and multiple intelligences, information technology, and the development of the school as a learning community. acooper@clear.net.nz

Dr Arthur Costa Arthur is co-director of the Institute for Intelligent Behaviour and the creator of “Habits of Mind.” Actively concerned that there must be worldwide change in educational systems if we are to meet the needs of a global society, Arthur compels educators to create classrooms that are thoughtful places to learn. www.habits-of-mind.net

Barbara Griffith Barbara has been a primary school teacher for 36 years. She has specialised in the teaching of literacy for more than 20 years and recently retired from a position as a Resource Teacher: Literacy, which she had held for the last 16 years.

Bette Blance

As an educational consultant and instructor with William Glasser Institute, Bette Blance works with schools in New Zealand and Australia focusing on pedagogy and behaviour. She helps school staff, counsellors and community members who have the desire to learn more about how and why we behave the way we do.

Teachers Matter

Glenn Capelli

An author, songwriter, radio and television presenter and creator of the Dynamic Thinking course for Leadership, Glenn delivers a message of creativity, innovation and thinking smarter. He teaches people how to be a learner and thinker in today’s fastpaced and ever-changing world through the use of creative thinking, humour, enthusiasm and attitude. Glenn’s new book, Thinking Caps, is available from Spectrum. www.glenncapelli.com

Jenny is the CEO for Breathe Technology. Her enthusiasm for technology came when thrown in the deep end whilst teaching at a Taiwan high school. Jenny has since undertaken a Master’s of Education (Ed. Technology) and has supported classroom teachers to use educational technology in UK and NZ projects. www.breathetechnology.co.nz

John Shackleton With a sports psychology and sports coaching background, John now shows international business audiences techniques that exercise and improve the biggest, most powerful muscle in the body – the brain. His clients include Coca-Cola, Air New Zealand, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Sony and Renault. www.JohnShack.com

Kate Southcombe Kate’s business, EPR Training, combines her passion for horses and her educational background by supplying online products to support people with behaviour management of horses and children. This novel approach is grounded in science and draws on the principles of applied behaviour analysis. Kate is an Early Childhood Education lecturer and private tutor.

Karen Boyes Karen Boyes is a leading authority on effective learning and teaching in Australasia and is founder and CEO of Spectrum Education. A highly skilled, enthusiastic and dynamic presenter with over 18 years experience in the education profession, she works with teachers, parents, students and corporate clients internationally, unleashing their peak performance. www.spectrumeducation.com

Karen Stent Karen Stent is a certified trainer of FiSH! and has over 10 years management and consulting experience. She achieved great success with FiSH! in a company she previously worked with and played a key role in assisting them to win four awards within 12 months. In 2011, Karen was nominated by Steven Lundin (the author of FiSH!) as one of the business leaders who achieved the most using the approaches. www.gmsgroup.co.nz

Karen Tobich Karen is a food stylist who is passionate about living off the land and creating and presenting food. She believes that sharing food connects

people and fosters quality relationships in so many ways. She shows you how to transform home and locally grown seasonal foods into delicious healthy and inspiring foods to make, to give, and to share.

Maggie Dent Maggie Dent is an author, educator, speaker, and parenting and resilience expert with a special interest in the early years and adolescence. She is a passionate advocate for the healthy, commonsense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. Maggie has a broad perspective and range of experience that shapes her work, a slightly irreverent sense of humour and a depth of knowledge that she shares passionately in a commonsense way. Her finest achievements are her four adult sons, deep human connectedness and her five books. www.maggiedent.com

Dr Marvin Marshall Marvin is an international staff developer and the author of the best-selling book, Discipline Without Stress, Punishments or Rewards: How Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning. His approaches demonstrate how using internal motivation and non-coercion is far more effective and significantly less stressful than using threats, punishments, rewards, and other manipulations aimed at obedience. www.marvinmarshall.com

Michael Grinder Michael Grinder is the United States national director of NLP in Education. After teaching for 17 years on three education levels, he holds the record of having visited over 6,000 classrooms. Michael has pioneered the practice of using non-verbals to manage classrooms and create a safe learning environment based on influence instead of power.

Michael Grose Author, columnist and presenter Michael Grose currently supports over 1,100 schools in Australia, New Zealand and England in engaging and supporting their parent communities. He is also the director of Parentingideas, Australia’s leader in parenting education resources and support for schools. In 2010 Michael spoke at the prestigious Headmaster’s Conference in England, the British International Schools Conference in Madrid, and the Heads of Independent Schools Conference in Australia, showing school leadership teams how to move beyond

CONTRIBUTORS

partnership-building to create real parentschool communities. For bookings, parenting resources for schools and Michael’s famous Free Chores & Responsibilities Guide for Kids, go to www.parentingideas.com.au.

Mick Walsh Mick Walsh is the author of Australasia’s leading student wellbeing program, the Learning Curve Living, Learning and Thinking program. The program is also extensively used in International schools across the globe. He is a former college leader who now coaches schools on how to deliver the highest quality wellbeing program and he also presents at numerous conferences. Contact Mick Walsh on the website www. learningcurveplanner.com.au or via email mickwalsh54@bigpond.com .

Paul Ramsay Paul Ramsey is the principal of Waipu Primary School, a small school located in the North Island at Bream Bay. The school’s motto is “Quality is what we do around here” and this is reflected through the school. When not at school, Paul can be found on his tractor, at the rugby grounds or playing tennis.

Peter Evans Peter Evans, director of Balancing Life, is a husband, father, teacher, dog owner and a change agent for educators in the world of work-life balance. He is passionate about seeing inspiring teachers continuing to make a difference in the lives of young people, so long as their families aren’t forgotten in the process. Follow him on Twitter @ PeterEvansBLife and contact him at pete@ balancinglife.net.au.

Robyn Pearce Robyn Pearce is known around the world as the Time Queen, helping people discover new angles on time. Check the resources on her website www.gettingagrip.com, including a free report for you: How to Master Time in Only 90 Seconds. She is a CSP, a Certified Speaking Professional. This is the top speaking accreditation in the profession of speaking and held by only about 800 people around the world. www.gettingagrip.com

Rochelle Ibañez Wolberg Rochelle Ibañez Wolberg is the learning specialist and coordinator of support services at Palm Beach Day Academy. She is passionate about creating powerful learning experiences

for students and colleagues and serves on the leadership team of Collaborate South Florida, a professional learning community comprised of various schools. Rochelle holds graduate degrees in educational psychology and school psychology from Fordham University.

Rowena SzeszeranMcEvoy Rowena Szeszeran-McEvoy is the founder of The Max, a group of private, prestigious and exclusive international fitness businesses colleges in Australia and New Zealand. She is an internationally-requested speaker; is on the board of trustees of a not-for-profit medical College in New Zealand; has written 13 books, and is the editor of the MAXimum RESULTS health & fitness magazine. She ran her 14th marathon in 2012.

Steve Francis Steve Francis understands the challenges and demands of being a principal. He has led a number of Queensland State Schools from a one-teacher school through to a large metropolitan school and was previously a member of QASSP Management Committee. After 18 years of successful principalship, Steve ventured with his family to Hong Kong as the principal of an international school for four great years. He returned to Queensland to start a new business venture supporting leaders to reach their potential, write three books, A Gr8 Life…Live it now!, Time Management For Teachers and First Semester Can Make Or Break You, and develop the Gr8 People educational resources and the Happy School articles. He is conducting a one day workshop ‘Establishing a Feedback Culture’ for QASSP members. Further details are on the QASSP website and www.stevefrancis.net.au

Terry Sheffield Currently an RTLB, Greymouth, Terry is a passionate advocate of both student centred learning and teachers who make learning a collaborative strategy. Based on over 40 years teaching experience, influenced by students and colleagues he has worked, it is a combination which he believes encourages the students to start thinking about and taking responsibility for their own learning and which has positive influences on the manner in which they behave.

educator with over 30 years experience, he has been a principal for 15 years in three diverse schools where he has been dedicated to implementing whole school approaches to learning and teaching. He is an advocate for whole school approaches to learning and feels that schools are the big hope for future generations in a world that needs lots of care and attention. Reach him at www. livelifelearning.com.au

Therese Hoyle Therese Hoyle is author of 101 Playground Games and runs Positive Playtime and whole school social, emotional and behavioural skills programmes nationally and internationally. www.successpartnership.co.nz

Tricia Kenyon Tricia has been involved in the field of literacy for 17 years, firstly as a Resource Teacher:Reading, then as a Resource Teacher:Literacy. She is passionate about books and reading, and feels privileged to be in a position where she can share that passion with students, their parents, and fellow teachers.

Trudy Francis Trudy is recognised in Australasia as a leader in Curriculum Integration, HigherOrder Thinking, the Key Competencies and Habits of Mind. She is in demand as a speaker and workshop facilitator. In 2007 Trudy was appointed by four schools in the Fitzherbert Cluster to facilitate their Extending High Standards across Schools project (Ministry of Education NZ). c21learning@kol.co.nz

Wendy Sweet Wendy Sweet is a regular contributor to Teachers Matter magazine on health and lifestyle issues. She has a lengthy career in the industry and is best known for having founded personal training in NZ for the Les Mills group. Wendy lectures at the University of Waikato in the sport and leisure studies division in the faculty of education and is currently undertaking her PhD. She is a well respected seminar presenter on work-life balance and has presented at a number of professional development workshops for schools. She can be contacted on wsweet@ xtra.co.nz or wsweet@waikato.ac.nz

Terry Westblade Terry Westblade is a freelance consultant and director of Live Life Learning. A distinguished

conference review: karen boyes

Teachers Matter Conferences Learning from each other

participant from one of our three Teachers Matter Conferences in January let me know how satisfied s h e w a s : “ T h e 2 0 1 3 Te a c h e r s M a t t e r conference was like none other I have experienced – full of practical, usable techniques and thought-provoking ideas I can fine-tune my teaching with,” she wrote. That is the type of feedback I strive for. Held in Sydney, Invercargill and the Bay of Islands, the theme of each conference was “Making A Difference,” as that is what we do as educators every day. As the host and conference organiser, I believe that teachers make every other professional possible and that a teacher’s role is to ensure students are successful in school – and life. I was thrilled to share these messages with nearly the entire staff from all the schools that attended, as most brought their whole teaching team, with some bringing their administrative and support teams, too. The conference was a chance to affirm skills, learn new information and set goals, both personally and professionally, at the start of a new year. One principal said it best when she stated: “The value of coming here, together as a team, before school starts is immense. My teachers now have a common experience on which to base their year and conversations, and the support to implement the key ideas from the conference. We will be back next year.” S o m e o f t h e h i g h l i g h t s o f J a n u a r y ’s conferences included:

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• The stunning Lane Clark captivated the audience by unpacking “Real Thinking.” She discussed the strategic selection of the right thinking tool at the right time and sequencing or layering tools so that learning is advanced. • Michael Grose gave a wonderful outline on creating powerful links between home and school. • M a g g i e D e n t s h a r e d t h e s e c r e t s o f successful educators. • Steve Francis and Mick Walsh provided practical ideas to bridge the gap between teaching and learning. • Dr Judy Willis shared how to sustain students’ attentive focus and memory. • Patti Drapeau showed us tools to promote

student engagement and motivation. • David Koutsoukis entertained and energized all with his Greek philosophy “Kefi.” • John Shackleton talked about success being as simple as making a decision. • Workshop presenters Cath Vincent, Chic Foote, Giselle Gianella Gabe and Marion Miller provided excellent sessions that wowed participants.

• I joined in to show the links between developing self-directed learners and the Habits of Mind. A special feature at each conference was the “collective wisdom” section and the “meet the presenters” open table discussions. Valuing the knowledge in the room, I invited teachers to share their wisdom on creating an effective learning environment. Speakers spoke from the stage about their perspectives. Teachers were then asked to share their thoughts. Over 1,500 ideas were generated, summarised and distilled down to the key concepts. I created an e-book with the information, and it’s available as a free download at www.spectrumeducation.com.

Planning for the 2014 Conferences is underway. Please see the back cover for details and go to www.spectrumeducation.com

1.....John Shackleton & Karen Boyes 2. . .Karen Boyes in action 3.....Teachers workshopping in Sydney with Mick Walsh 4.....Presenters and teachers in the Bay Of Islands 5.....Patti Drapeau and Karen Boyes 6.....Patti, Giselle, Marion, Dr Judy Willis and Karen 7.....Marion Miller teaching the NLK Mental Fitness Exercises 8.....Chic Foote presenting Curriculum Mapping in Invercargill 9.....Presenters line up 10... Teachers discussing how Gr8 People Make a Difference through Gr8 Teams with Steve Francis 11...Giselle Gianella Gabe presenting

karen boyes

9 8 11

dr art costa

Wake up your students’ creativity A simple breakfast food makes it possible

remember an assignment long ago in school. “You’ve just come back from holiday,” my teacher said. “I want you all to sit down and write a creative story about your holiday.” I’d sit there staring at the blank page. “What is this creativity stuff?” I asked myself. “I’m not creative.” I even asked my mother: “When the teacher gives those creativity assignments, I don’t do very well.” My mother replied, “Well, you know, son, creativity runs on the other side of the family!” I grew up thinking creativity was in the genes and chromosomes and I missed out somewhere.

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Later, of course, I found that’s not true. Increasingly we are coming to realise that all human beings have the capacity to generate novel, ingenious products, solutions, and techniques—if that capacity is developed. All human beings have great reservoirs of creativity. Skillful people know how to cause the “creative juices” to flow when the situation demands it. They know how to use such strategies as brainstorming, synectics, metaphor, and mind-mapping to generate new ways of perceiving problems and solutions.

Skillful, creative people often try to conceive solutions differently, examining alternative possibilities from many angles. They tend to project themselves into different roles using analogies, starting with a vision and working backward, imagining they are the objects being considered. Creative people take risks; they “live on the end of their competence,” testing their limits. They are more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated, working on the task because of the aesthetic challenge more than the material rewards. Creative people are open to criticism. They hold up their products for others to judge and seek feedback in an everincreasing effort to refine their technique. They are uneasy with the status quo. They constantly strive for greater fluency, elaboration, novelty, simplicity, flexibility, insightfulness, craftsmanship, perfection, beauty, harmony, and balance.

Suggestions for teachers Following are some simple classroom activities to liberate students’ creative juices. The ideas are drawn from my book, The Power of the Social Brain Teaching, Learning, and Using Interdependent Thinking, edited with Pat Wilson O’Leary. You will want to add to this list. The important part of these strategies, however, is the metacognitive reflection. The intent is to have students become aware of what goes on their heads. With metacognitive awareness, it is more likely that the students will draw upon those thought processes the next time a situation presents itself in which creative thinking is warranted. Get in the habit of asking students, “What went on in your head when you thought…..?” Wo r k i n g i n g r o u p s c a u s e s g r e a t e r stimulation of ideas. Students will want to pay attention to how their ideas flow more freely when they listen to and “bounce off” other’s ideas in a freewheeling atmosphere. Build the vocabulary of creativity: insight, intuition, clever, creative, originality, fluency, inventive, divergent. Have them discuss the meaning of the old saying, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Invite them to think of times when they had to invent an original solution to a problem. What were the circumstances? Have them describe what went on in their heads when they had to think of an original idea. Have the students interview their parents— when do they have to draw on their originality, ingenuity, and creativity? Have students read stories of Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Michelangelo, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Alexander Graham Bell, Emily and Charlotte Brontë, Thomas Edison, Madame Curie, Leonardo da Vinci and other noteworthy artists, scientists, inventors, engineers, entrepreneurs, and philosophers

who a r e noted f o r t h e i r inventions and creative insights. Cheerios as a Metaphor The following activities guide students in describing the metacognition involved in three forms of creative thinking: fluency, metaphor, and personification. Give each group of four to six students a handful of Cheerios. Place the pile of cereal in the center of the table on a piece of paper. (Some students will want to eat the cereal. Tell them they may after the activity.) Ask one student to be the recorder to capture as many of the group’s ideas as possible. Tell the students that the first activity will be one in which they experience fluency. Ask them to monitor what goes on in their heads when they are thinking fluently. Their task is to think of as many uses for a Cheerio as they can in one minute (e.g., life preserver for ants, wheels for a mini car, packing material, counters, keep babies quiet, etc.).

dr art costa

Thinking metaphorically The second activity is metaphorical thinking. Explain that similes are comparisons between two unlike objects or events, introduced by “like or as.” Give some examples (e.g., “cheeks like roses”). Have students find examples of similes in short stories, advertising, speeches, and so on. Now have the students complete the following: A Cheerio is like a _____________ because ___________________. They will have one minute to think of as many similes as they can while the group recorder captures these.

After o n e minute, call time and have the recorders share the groups’ lists of uses for the Cheerios. Then, ask them what went on in their heads when they were thinking fluently. They will often describe their thinking as building on ideas of others—they listened to each other and their ideas stimulated them to generate even more ideas. Others will say something like, “I let my mind run wild to think of anything— sometimes different ideas,” or “I opened my mind to anything it could think of.” Ask students to think of and tell about situations in which they might need to think fluently. Invite them to think of jobs or careers in which people get paid to think fluently (advertising agents, artists, composers, writers). These ideas are stated by volunteers, to the whole class.

After one minute, share the similes. (A Cheerio is like a doughnut, ring, or circle because it’s round. A Cheerio is like a sponge because it soaks up liquid. A Cheerio is like a dull book because it’s dry, etc.) Invite students to describe what went on in their heads when they were thinking m e t a p h o r i c a l l y. T h e y m a y s a y t h e y searched their memory for comparisons. They may say they thought of the attributes of Cheerios: round, crunchy, spongy, tan color, puffy, and then thought of other similar objects. Again they will no doubt report that they build upon and “bounced” off others’ ideas as they were stimulated to greater creativity when listening nonjudgmentally to others. Personification The third activity is personification – to become a Cheerio. Define personification as a person or the human form taking on the qualities of a thing or abstraction. Cupid, for example, is the personification of love. The Statue of Liberty is the personification of freedom. Have students generate other examples of personification. Talk with students about personification as a way to solve problems creatively – by, for instance, imagining what it would be like to be an automobile tire or the tallest building

in the world, or what it would feel like to be a zero. This causes a person to look at a situation from a different vantage point. Discuss with them times when that would be important. Next, have them pretend to become a Cheerio. What would life be like? What is the greatest gift you could receive if you were a Cheerio? What would be the worst fate of being a Cheerio? Have students brainstorm life from a Cheerio’s perspective. Follow-up discussion Debrief by having students describe: What went on in their heads as they brainstormed? How did working in groups facilitate their creative thinking? When else in life do people succeed by working creatively in groups? Invite them to ask their parents how they must create, what are the circumstances, and how do they draw upon others to enhance their creativity. Develop indicators of creativity/insightfulness. Have students monitor their own growth of originality, fluency, and cleverness by keeping their “How am I doing?” checklist. Indicators could be “Plays with ideas and things,” “Thinks divergently,” “When talking, extends ideas,” “Uses prior skills and knowledge in new ways,” and so forth. As a teacher you will want to recognise creativity, imagination, innovation and divergent thinking in your students. Use verbal recognitions that reward the act. Instead of saying, “You’re so smart,” say “you’re creative thinking produced many ideas.” Instead of saying, “You’re such a clever boy,” say “your story showed you use your imagination.” Of course, you, as a teacher, must model the release of your creative strategies as well. Let your students in on what’s going on in your head when you are thinking creatively.

alan cooper

From fixed mindset to growth mindset Growing beliefs about our intelligence

ll teachers strive to generate belief, so that each student is confident in their ability to achieve. Key to such a belief is hard work and persistence. Yet, first students must develop their mindset. Unless that is implanted correctly, self-belief is fallible. Mindset, as defined by Carol Dweck, is all about the mental models each of us has about our intelligence. There are two opposite mindsets – the growth mindset and the fixed mindset: One leads to success, the other to failure.

Growth mindset Those who have a growth mindset see problems as challenges. This leads to a faith that they will succeed by persevering. Analysing and evaluating, they derive a certain pleasure in overcoming difficulties. A typical example: a student who was asked to prepare the programme for the school operetta. As she indicates in this metacognitive piece, she did not know what to do, so she looks for a strategy to solve the problem (analysing and evaluating a programme) and then puts in the necessary effort (expends time in making the list) to succeed: “This year Mrs R and Mr E, who I’m sure are globals, asked me to do a programme for the operetta. l wasn’t sure what they wanted, so l went home and sat down and wrote out a list of all the things that should be in a programme. Now l think l can do one.”

Fixed mindset Faced with the above problem, someone with a fixed mindset does not believe he has the intelligence or ability to succeed and this leads to some form of denial. He does admit to deficiencies and cannot remedy them. He ignores flaws ignored or covers them up. Worse, he gives alibis to excuse not just failure but lack of effort and commitment. A fixed mindset does more than just disempower: It destroys. On the other hand those who have a fixed mindset have the opposite belief. Faced with the above problem, because they believe that when faced with something they cannot immediately solve that they do not have the intelligence or ability to succeed, they give up. This leads to some form of denial where deficiencies or flaws are ignored, not admitted, or in a common worse-case

Teachers Matter

“The feedback and the vocabulary used must focus on the student’s actions and link them to effort. Avoid praising the person.”

Growth mindset people welcome feedback. If this student had not found a strategy, the teacher’s feedback of “What action can you do to find out what is required in a programme?” would have been the catalyst to success.

scenario, alibis are sought to excuse not just failure but lack of effort and commitment. A fixed mindset does more than just disempower: it destroys.

A person with a fixed mindset does not accept feedback. I remember coaching a player to pick up a ball on the run, and noticing a small fault in his foot placement. I pointed this out, being careful to focus on the action and not the person – only to overhear him telling another player, “Cooper is always picking on me!”

From fixed to growth mindset The bad news is that in any school, unless there is a deliberate policy and practice of growing growth mindset, students will be evenly split: 50 percent fixed, 50 percent growth. The good news is that a growth mindset can be taught. There are many ways of doing this, depending only on a teacher’s willingness to learn, imagine, innovate and create. The common thread is deliberate intervention to make the learning become visible. One approach is when students keep a metacognitive journal as the student above did. Such writing makes the learning visible to both student and the teacher. This writing must be completed regularly, certainly no less than once a week. Focus is crucial. To gain this focus, a four sentence paragraph makes a suitable scaffold: What I did, why, what was the result, what I learned. The learning intentions must be clear, too. At the novice stage, use a common journal heading for the class. While this will have more impact if it is student-generated and therefore student-owned, at the novice level, the teacher may need to make a command decision. A suitable heading might be: Learning is about effort. Student input could come from requiring them to ask a personal question they want to answer in the journal. This deliberate learning is not on its own sufficient. Teacher formative feedback is also necessary. The feedback and the vocabulary used must focus on the student’s actions and

photo: David Castillo Dominici

alan cooper

link them to effort. Avoid praising the person. That will result in reinforcing the fixed mindset that it is intelligence that allows the student to succeed, instead of effort. Words can have unintended consequences. An example is the word cool, a word often bandied about in the classroom. That’s a cool picture, or that’s a cool piece of writing, or that was a cool thing to do. In these instances, cool is a synonym for smart, and therein lies the problem. The message the student will be getting is that he is clever and smart. Because the focus is on the person, it reinforces that student’s mental model of his/her intelligence as something within in them, something fixed and unalterable. Beliefs lead to actions, and the actions here may well be to give up when difficulties occur. Effort is a threat to the ego. Intelligent people like them do not need effort. Effort is for losers! Believing they cannot do it, because they are not intelligent enough, is demotivating.

The fixed mindset student needs to be looked up to. If this is not coming from effortlessly succeeding, then it needs to come from somewhere else. Acting up is all too often the answer. Or the student may withdraw. Specific feedback is a must. If the problem is that the student is not writing clear topic sentences for paragraphs, the feedback could be: “You need to spend more time (effort) in checking to ensure you have one simple idea. Get your buddy to check it with you (effort) when you have finished.” Please check issues 19 and 20 of Teachers Matter for more tips on the questions and wording to use in this process. Students also need help learning about the brain’s plasticity. Many experts advocate using the metaphor that the brain is a muscle and how muscles develop and expand through use and exercise. In other words through effort. A worthwhile starting point is this three-minute TED video http://www. youtube.com/watch?v=t4np5wLAhWw

Critically examining past rituals All teachers have rituals and practices that they don’t think about. There is a danger that these practices encourage a fixed mindset. Worksheets are an example. Their very nature, a set of questions or exercises designed to fix or maintain basic learning by repetition, provides the vehicle for the fixed mindset student to profile how smart they are by gaining a high score – without any real intellectual effort. These students will do whatever they can to achieve a high score, perhaps by cheating or getting peer, sibling or even parental help to look good. Such is a typical fixed mindset response to difficulty: they are not going to use their own effort as that is for losers.

karen stent

Four ways to improve your classroom structure You can lead the way for your students.

magine an environment where students are fully present for their work and their classmates’ emotional needs, an environment where they treat peers and adults with respect, and have fun in a way that adds to the excitement of learning, and building a supportive and effective culture. When classrooms are based on strong, caring relationships, students feel more connected; they are much more likely to care about themselves and the community of which they are a part of. A study conducted by Educational Leadership found that, “Teachers who had high-quality relationships with their students had 31 percent fewer discipline problems, rule violations and related problems over a year than did teachers who did not have high-quality relationships with their students.” So how do you create such an environment? Classrooms are made up of a kaleidoscope of personalities and finding a collaborative way of working together can sometimes

prove a little challenging. One way to shift the environment is to find ways where you can offer students options, where they can choose to co-create a culture that encourages relationship building, enhances trust and increases learning. Based on research and best practises in social and emotional learning, character education, classroom management and human behaviour, FiSH! for Schools are four powerful simple practices: Be There, Play, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude - which are models for behaviours that have helped transform classrooms and organisations around the world, making them a much better place to work in. FiSH! engages students to take ownership, and be accountable. It injects energy, passion and a positive attitude in the classroom. Students act in a way that reflects a healthier self-image, and their actions positively impact others around them.

“ Find special ways to connect with everyone you encounter”

Be there Be emotionally present for people. It’s a powerful message of respect that strengthens relationships. • Be fully present. • Listen to understand, not just to reply. • Take action to meet people’s needs, based on awareness.

Play Tap into your natural way of being creative and having fun. Play allows curiosity and enthusiasm to flow in childlike wonder without being childish. • Build trust. Without it, people don’t feel safe. • Create a physical and emotional environment conducive to play. • Encourage freedom to try new approaches. • Be curious—about everything.

Find special ways to connect with everyone you encounter, for no other reason than to serve them in a meaningful way. photo: cathy yeulet

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Make their day

• Be selfless. • Be of service. • Be authentic.

karen stent

“Choosing our attitude” may not always be putting on a happy face. Sometimes we have the right to be angry or sad if the occasion calls for it; the only difference is that, we are aware of our attitude and how it may affect others. Some questions to think about: • Ask yourself: Is the attitude I’m choosing going to make a positive impact or a negative one when I speak to my classmates, friends, family? • What impact does it have on others when I am not “choosing my attitude?” • What difference will it make to me personally if I learn to “choose my attitude” better every day?

photo: Iakov Filimonov

Some goals to help you:

Choose your attitude Be responsible for consciously choosing how you want to show up in the world, no matter the situation. • Be aware of your impact. Is it the one you want? • Consciously choose your response to what life throws in your path.

You are in control of how you think and feel. No one else has this power unless you give it away. Take control of your attitude and you take control of your results.

1. Start each day with finding at least three things you are grateful for that inspire and encourage you. 2. Write down your main negative thoughts or actions that you can remember. Now re-write them and change them to positive thoughts and actions so that next time when you have that negative thought you will immediately think of the positive reaction to it and change it. 3. Write down all the things you are good at and the goals that you want to achieve in the next week. Start thinking positively about them and visualising that you will achieve them. Then put the effort into it.

W h i l e w e c a n ’t a l w a y s c o n t r o l w h a t happens to us, we can choose our reaction to a situation. There are times when it is tough to “choose our attitude,” however no situation or person can put us in a bad mood without our permission.

• Live in alignment with who you say you want to be.

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photo Brenda Carson

maggie dent

Bringing out the best in all students What I learned from neuro linguistic programming

early 1991 I attended a course about neuro linguistic p r o g r a m m i n g ( N L P. ) T h e creators of NLP, Richard Bandler and John Grinder, referred to it as “an attitude and a methodology that leaves behind a trail of techniques.” They observed people who were excellent in their field, especially those able to facilitate positive changes in people’s behaviour. By studying experts, they were able to work out the “how” and teach others to do the same. The course was the first time I learned about how important the unconscious mind is in our lives, especially in the classroom – and how to create moments of connection, reflection and suggestion that make things happen to a profound level. By now, if you haven’t turned the page, many of you will be tiring of the lack of “specifics” in this article

so far. A perfect example of poor rapport; the unconscious mind likes specifics, direction and an intention. This is why at the beginning of a lesson, teachers usually give this sense of direction: “Today we will be continuing the work from yesterday for the first half of the lesson and then we will do a mini test on the topic’s key concepts.” NLP suggests that if you have a lesson plan on the white board, the unconscious mind will get the student started on some level. Instead of waiting until everyone is present, settled and listening – using valuable moments of class time, the lesson has started.

The mind’s speed One of the NLP mind-blowing concepts was the speed of unconscious processing: Conscious versus unconscious processing: Eye-10 millions bits/40 per second(conscious processing) Ear -100,000 bits/30 per second Skin- 100,000 bits/5 per second Smell - 100,000 bits/1 per second Taste - 1,000 bits/1 per second This is why we have visual cues around rooms that help remind students of preferred behaviour, periodic tables or in early years classes, letters and numbers. The students’ unconscious mind is constantly taking in visual stimuli without the students being aware.

maggie dent

“ NLP is the modelling of excellence to find patterns of excellence so that these patterns of excellence can be duplicated.” – Gary De Rodriguez

How often have you assumed that everyone in the class has understood your directions to a task? If you know that every person filters the stimuli that they receive through their brain and their central ner vous system, as well as through their past experiences most of which are deep in the unconscious mind, you will wonder why you communicate at all. There has been a lot written about learning styles visual, auditory and kinaesthetic, however, very little in education about the power of language around non-literal language and unintended blockers to success. What happens when you read, “don’t think of a blue elephant!” This is a great example of how the unconscious mind does not take any notice of non-literal words. Count the number of ‘f’s’ in the next paragraph.

One of the changes I made in the classroom after my NLP course was to help students upgrade their language. Essentially we can use life-negating language or life-enhancing language. Remember the unconscious is constantly processing language depending on how it hears/sees/senses the words. The way we have been taught to speak or learnt to speak has a huge influence on how we think and program our unconscious mind. The continuous use of negative

Negation Language

non-conscious language prevents us from achieving many of our positive outcomes and goals. When we use generalizations instead of specifics, we disengage our emotions and the unconscious mind takes little notice and thus positive change is unlikely. Remember our unconscious mind takes notice of specifics that are emotionally charged and it takes language literally.

Life-Enhancing Language

Isn’t it a nice day?......................................................................It is a nice day. Wouldn’t you like to go?................................................. Would you like to go?

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE

Don’t you like Maths? .......................................................Do you like Maths?

SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTI

I want, I wish, I need...................................I require, I choose, My choice is…

FIC STUDY COMBINED WITH

I should, ought, have to.............................................................I choose, I will

THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS

I would....................................................................................................... I will

Many people struggle to see there are six Fs – because the non-literal words have less meaning to the unconscious mind. So often in class we tell students what we don’t want them to do rather than specifically telling what we want them to do, so we are being less effective communicators. Unconscious processing is why we can read the following sentence:

I must, I’ve got to....................................................................................... I will I might, I am supposed to.......................................................................... I will I’ll try...................................................................................... I will, I am, I can I hope..........................................................................................My choice is… Probably, perhaps.......................................................................I will, I choose It’s hard..................................................... It’s a challenge, It’s an opportunity

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Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

Many students who are underachieving will be using life-negating language both outwardly and as inner self talk. In a way it’s a form of invisible self sabotage. When I explain to a class why I was helping them to upgrade their language, there were many times they upgraded mine.

photo Brenda Carson

maggie dent

How we communicate I learned that communication is made up of seven percent of words, 55 percent of physiology and 38 percent tonality. This was another classic mind-challenging moment for me. Given I was sceptical as to how you would prove such a thing, I followed the reasoning. Now that I had an understanding of how the unconscious was working, and how students are influenced by teacher’s expectations (Pygmailian Effect 1975) and from my own prior experiences it did make sense. We communicate powerfully by who we are – how we connect nonverbally, intuitively and silently. Professor Rupert Sheldrake writes about morphogenic fields and essentially this follows the same reasoning. Have you noticed that when teachers who win awards speak of their career, they often talk of the love they have for children, their passion for making a positive difference and how much they are committed to their work? Essentially

they will be constantly communicating these messages to their students and this will create a powerful rapport, making students feel safe and valued and so maybe a large percent of their communication will be non-verbal. It is a mutually beneficial relationship and much of it is invisible and unconscious. The NLP model also encouraged the notion that failure was simply the result of a poor choice: “I did not put enough effort into my assignment, I did not train hard enough for the race or I thought I knew enough to pass – and I made a mistake.”

succeed. Many students do not have this flexibility. They fail in their eyes and do not try other ways of achieving the desired outcome. The only failure is when you give up and do not try to find another way of getting the result you desire. As a classroom teacher, a counsellor and a parent, I improved on so many levels because of that NLP course. It gave me fresh eyes with which to view others, my communication and my ability to facilitate positive change in our schools, homes and our community.

What do you do if something you chose to do did not get you the results you desired? You try something different. This is being behaviourally flexible. You then explore other options and consider the feedback that you get from your new choice. You will keep trying different ways of achieving the desired results until you

Dr marvin Marshall

A Counseling Lesson

How to have a student change attitude and behaviour

hile working with a school for three days, I was asked by the counselor to conduct a counseling session. The request was to work with a student who was a major challenge to the school. The counselor sat in the session and observed how I used noncoercion and collaboration to prompt a change in the student’s attitude and behaviour. I started the meeting by asking the student, “What was the situation that brought you to the office?” Alicia (not her real name) replied that she had called someone a bad name. I mentioned that it seemed to me that the impulse of being unkind to a fellow student controlled her behaviour. I explained that if a person cannot control an impulse then the person becomes a victim of the impulse. I asked her if she would like to be in control of her life, rather than being a victim of her impulses. She answered in the affirmative. I then asked her if she would be interested in learning how to control herself so she wouldn’t repeat the same kind of behaviour. She said, “Yes.”

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I asked what options or choices she could have chosen when she had the urge to call another student a bad name. She said that she could do nothing, say something nice, tap a toe, or draw something.

After this discussion of possible choices, I asked her to stand and take a deep gasp. I gave her an impulse card. Take a look at http://piperpress.com/impulsemanagement-cards.php. The card looks like a traffic signal with three coloured lights. I explained that the red refers to taking a deep gasp of breath to stop and take a moment to reflect. The yellow represents thinking about options, and choosing one is indicated by the green for “go” with your choice.

I explained that the only way she could avoid being a victim of her thoughts or her feelings would be to redirect her thinking. After she practised this procedure of gasping, thinking of options, and then choosing one, Alicia asked if she could keep the little impulse card. “It’s my gift to you,” I told her. (I had previously visited a math class where Alicia was sitting in the back of the room drawing cartoons. Also, an administrator had told me that she had hacked into a

be with her friends. I asked her that if this could be arranged, would she be willing to be tutored for two weeks in maths? I also asked if she would also be willing to practice impulse control during those two weeks. She said that she would. I asked her to again demonstrate how the impulse control procedure works. After she had practised the procedure, I turned to the counselor and asked him if math tutoring could be arranged. He said that since he is in

“The card looks like a traffic signal with three coloured lights. I explained that the red refers to taking a deep gasp of breath to stop and take a moment to reflect. The yellow represents thinking about options, and choosing one is indicated by the green for “go” with your choice.”

computer account, which indicated to me that she was academically capable.)

charge of the “advisory class” he could, and he would arrange for Alicia to be tutored in math.

I wanted to assess her reading, so I gave her something to read, which she read well. I complimented her on her reading skill. Since the incident happened during her maths class, I asked her if she liked math. She said that she did not. She also mentioned that she did not like the “advisory class” that she had to attend because she preferred to be with her friends during this time. (The “advisory class” is a flexible program taken by all students in the early part of the year but devoted to remedial work with students as the year progresses.)

That concluded the counseling session.

I asked her what she would like and, of course, she wanted to get out of the “advisory class” because she wanted to

Later in the day, the counselor told me that Alicia told him that she not only liked me but, far more important, that she had changed her attitude. I n s u m m a r y, t h e s e s s i o n w a s t o t a l l y noncoercive. Nothing was imposed. The session was collaborative. I worked with the errant student—sharing and asking, rather than telling. Finally, the student left with a specific procedure to control future impulses.

dr marvin marshall

photo: Mike Flippo

Michael Grinder

Don’t get hooked Managing students’ behaviour

hen I was a kid, I loved to go fishing with my dad. We’d gather up all our gear on Saturday morning and head down to the river. At times, my patience was tested, as fishing is by no means a fast-paced activity. Even so, I knew it would all be worth it by the end of the day. I’ll never forget the excitement, joy, and sense of accomplishment that came when I first felt that tug on the end of the line and knew that I had hooked a big one. When I got older, I recognized another type of “fishing,” one in which I was the fish. There are some students who come to school to “go fishing.” When they are being managed they like to bait adults into a confrontation. These students are the Calvin & Hobbes of education. They use two hooks to reel the teacher into escalation: one hook is when they can get the teacher to make eye contact, and the other hook is when they can get the teacher to talk or yell. Regarding eye contact: We make eye contact regardless of whether the interaction is positive (greeting) or negative (managing). The suggestion is:

If the interaction is negative, it is better to look at the visual display of the expectation that the student is violating.

photo: Edward Fielding

If the interaction is positive, it is OK to make eye contact.

Michael Grinder

So, to avoid the eye contact hook, the teacher looks at her desk or refers to the exit directions during management rather than looking at the student’s face. The more we focus on the task, the less the student can hook us and enjoy watching us lose it. When we manage with eye contact, the student catches a fish. Regarding being verbal: To avoid the verbal hook, the teacher says as little as possible. The less verbal the teacher is, the less the cat-student can retort. When we manage verbally, the student catches a fish. We manage inappropriate students in two situations: First, when the student is inappropriate and is seeking us. For example, when we are standing still, we avoid making eye contact and we don’t talk. In this case, you just nonverbally signal them to stop (with a traffic cop hand gesture) and go back to their seat (index finger slowly points toward their desk.) Secondly, we manage when the student is off-task and not currently paying attention to us. In this case, you might have to briefly make eye contact or say the student’s name, but once you have their attention, avoid being hooked into escalation. Avoiding the “hooks of escalation” is an essential skill for teachers of adolescents and hard-to-reach students. From Calvin’s perspective, when the teacher both looks and talks, that’s a whale of a catch. By dodging the hook, you not only save yourself the emotional stress of confrontation, but also avoid reinforcing the students’ negative behaviours.

Paul Ramsay

The right recipe All the ingredients you need for an effective learning environment

reating an effective learning environment is a bit like baking a c a k e . Yo u n e e d a l l t h e r i g h t ingredients and the right amount of each, plus time to cook a cake to perfection. A good cook will know without measuring exactly what will help their cake turn out just right. A learning environment is similar.

photo: Bernd Juergens

For me, four main ingredients help create an effective learning environment. All are important but getting the right amount and taking some time to get the mix right is what creates that effective environment. The main ingredients: environment, parents, other people, and teachers.

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Environment

While sometimes it is hard to do, as many of our schools are older or have not been kept up to standard, it is important we make the environment as attractive as possible. From the minute a child walks in the school gate they need to feel safe and comfortable. Schools with park-like surroundings have an immediate advantage here. These environments didn’t happen by chance; they need to be planned and worked on. In our school, our motto is “Quality is What We Do Around Here,” so having wellplanted grounds and nicely mown lawns are important. School grounds need to have plenty of things to do: playgrounds, trees to climb and mounds to run over and crawl under, as well as the usual sports equipment.

Even though our classrooms are old and due to be refurbished, they still look great and inviting at the start of the year due to teachers’ efforts. Mostly they have used attractive borders around coloured material to mark out various areas for curriculum displays. This only improves during the year as displays are put up and children begin to take ownership of their room. It is important to have a variety of spaces within the classroom to allow for child preference. Group desks, individual desks, kneeler tables, armchairs, cushions and the like. Some children prefer dark areas while others like light. I prefer dark so I often don’t have

lights on in my office. This has its own benefits: People think I’m not in there and go away and solve their own problems. Children need to be aware of various behaviour systems, their rewards and consequences, both within the class and playground. Consistency is important here and teachers must respond to incidents and deal with them fairly. Fairness is important to children. Children need to know how to deal with incidences they may encounter and know that they will be supported by the school’s staff and systems. Like many schools, we focus on positive behaviour. Duty teachers and

paul Ramsay

elected school leaders can give out small cards related to the key competencies to those they see doing good things. These go into a draw at assemblies that are children thoroughly looked forward to.

Others who can help Other people in my mix include the principal, support staff and the wider community. The principal can be a key, as they need to allow staff and students some

“ Four main ingredients help create an effective learning environment. All are important but getting the right amount and taking some time to get the mix right is what creates that effective environment.”

The parents’ role Parents can contribute to an effective learning environment. Well-informed and supportive parents who are willing to work with the school help to create a child that thinks learning is important. Although I have never done a survey and there is no bias by staff, the students who belong to PTA or BOT members seem to pick up a lot more awards than the general school population. These children know their parents are in and out of the school and know they think school is an important place. Parents need to be part of the learning process ensuring practice tasks are done at home, reviewing student goals and coming to three-way interviews. Through newsletters, schools need to educate children about the school environment so that the parents know the school’s expectations of them in their parent role. If we are all reading off the same page, children are the ones who will be comfortable at school and learn.

freedom to follow their passions. Enthusiastic staff will contribute significantly to a great class environment. Caretakers, cleaners, teacher aides and office staff are all important people in the school and need to be part of that school “feel” that makes the place a good one for children to feel safe and cared for. My office staff probably show more care and affection for children than a lot of their parents do. I’m sure you know the sort of person I am talking about. One of my commonly used sayings is: “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” My community is much like this — a group of people who care about the individual enough to support them outside school, even if they are not always doing the right thing This helps a child get back on track.

And you… Last of all, the main part of this mix, the person who pretty much holds the combination together and helps it bubble along until the environment is just right or alters the mix a little as various things develop in the school and class. You guessed it: The class teacher.

Sergiovanni wrote: “Children we teach will not care how much we know, until they know how much we care.” Teachers who care and can make connections with students are vital to an effective learning environment. Making connections is most important: Do you know about those little things that are important to children? Their cat’s name, their family. Do they know about you? Your family? What you are into? (within reason of course). Are you interested in what they do? Over the last couple of years, I have asked my teachers to see how many of each child’s interests they can find without asking them. It is interesting to see what they have discovered and what some students are into. Teachers need to be available before school to listen and talk about what happened at home in a non-judgmental role. Some of our homes are not always what we imagine them to be, and the opportunity to talk in a caring place is necessary for some students. I ’ v e a l r e a d y m e n t i o n e d c o n s i s t e n c y, particularly when there is an issue. Fairness is important to students. Teachers must treat all class members in the same way — no obvious favourites. By communicating clearly teachers can avoid confusion. Try getting students to repeat instructions to a partner. Know what works for different children. Are they best as an individual or work better in a group? Do you have consistent routines and are you aware of those who prefer high, low, dark, light conditions to work in? Teachers need to be encouraged to see themselves as leaders who show the way and set the standard for the class. Happy teachers who are able to follow their own interests, plus those of the student, will be more enthusiastic and pass this on to their class. If you enjoy teaching, have fun and give plenty of praise and rewards, children in your room will be in a fantastic learning environment.

Peter Evans

Three uncomfortable truths your principal won’t tell you The facts that can give you some perspective

ncomfortable truth number 1: You are not indispensable

It starts and ends with this simple fact: Your school will be fine without you. It may seem jarring and offensive to read, but it is in fact an empowering and life-giving realisation.

We can, as teachers, fall into the trap of thinking that because of our unique talents and gifts in education, our schools and the children need us. That they will not cope without us. Wrong. It seems impossible to write this next part without making it seem as though I’m intentionally out to discourage you; trust me, I’m not. You could break our leg tonight and not be able to work again and your school will continue to function. Quite ably, by the way. Sure you would be missed, and there will be a period of mourning by your students and your co-workers, but it won’t be anywhere near the length that you envisage it might. And the children you teach?

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They will not be academically ruined for life and unable to emotionally cope in your absence. It is something we have truly forgotten: Children. Are. Resilient. For the most part, if you were ever to leave, they will get on with school and life. This too shall pass.

The thing is, we can get so caught up in giving so much of ourselves as teachers that we end up enmeshed with our work, and we overinflate our importance in our job role. We are teachers. We are not leaders of countries. We should not be putting in 55-plus hours per week, working from home regularly and battling exhaustion until the next holidays arrive ... and then starting again when the new term commences. This fact is of course reversed when we talk about your family. Your students will have many teachers and mentors, while your children will only ever have one mum and dad.

Uncomfortable truth number two: Teachers are just as important as students As a country, Australia, like many in the wake of the Baby Boomers, is quickly moving toward a skills shortage. In 2008, we reached the tipping point where more full-time workers were exiting the workforce than entering it. Our boomers are retiring. Fifty percent of the Australian teaching workforce will reach retirement age by 2016. Yet we are failing at the entry level. New women are lasting a measly three years before moving on. And our men? A disgraceful 18 months is the current average we can expect to keep them. We are losing the battle to keep teachers, new and old, and something needs to be done to stem the flow of a significant teacher issue in this country. How can we compete with other better-paid and less stressful professions? It starts with you. Uncomfortable truth number three: Your boss is not a good trustee of your work-life balance If you are waiting for your school to alleviate your workload and give you the time and space to devote your energies to the people that are important (your family and loved ones), don’t hold your breath. Teachers are being asked to do more than ever before, and it will only get worse. I have just returned from a trip to Europe and had intriguing meetings there. Even the Scandinavians, who are lauded for their attitudes and behaviours toward work life balance, are being confronted with the same issues that we in Australia and New Zealand are. We’re not the only country with Baby Boomers, yet I was witness to two almost identical stories – starring a German and a Dane. It sounds like the start of a joke, but it really isn’t.

The German plied his trade successfully on Wall Street before turning to teaching. Meanwhile, the Dane worked at a high level at the National Bank before making the same decision. Both lasted a mere 12 months before deciding that the gray hair they received from their business career was not about to get any better in teaching. The moral? You are not alone if you are feeling the pinch of this wonderful, rewarding yet unbelievably demanding profession. Don’t leave. As a teacher for just over a decade, I am passionate about s e e i n g h a p p y, healthy balanced bodies, young and old, immersed in school life and all the wonderful gifts that it has to offer. Our children deserve an honest hard-working teaching effort over a prolonged period of time, not some gung-ho irresponsible approach where we are burnt out within a short number of years. Hopefully you are able to take the knowledge from my first fact – that life at your school will go on with or without you - and use it to create and sustain a manageable, long-term approach to your job. Your endeavours and sacrifices are worth honouring.

Peter evans

illustration: Liron Peer

photo: Anatoliy Samara

Rochelle Ibañez Wolberg

Responding with wonder and awe Museum field trips and Habits of Mind

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useums offer children a gateway to a world that is magical. A simple elevator ride can be used to pique young children’s curiosity, as captured during a visit to the Norton Museum of Art, which houses an eclectic collection of cultural pieces and fine art:

Senior Docent: “All right, now. We are inside a magical box that will take us to another country. We are traveling to the country of China to look at some ancient, or very old, dragons and horses that were painted on plates or formed out of clay. Now in order for this to work, we must stand against the railing, close our eyes, and cross our fingers really tight. Are you ready to be transported? Let’s close our eyes and cross our fingers. Remember, no peeking.” The docent’s initial interaction is important, given that it was the first field trip of a yearlong museum partnership. Appealing to their imagination and utilizing purposeful,

yet colorful language, created just the right entry point for engagement with various objects from the museum’s collection. Field trips are a vital component of successful museum and school collaborations. They ensure that students become personally acquainted with the collections, character, and “feel” of a given institution. These trips enable them to experience the museum as another type of classroom in which they can explore, make new discoveries, investigate, and respond with wonder. The success of a field trip is often measured by how much students recall and what they remember about it. What raises the likelihood that a museum visit is memorable and serves as a launching pad for new explorations largely depends on preparation. Preparing for the field trip can involve anything from reviewing museum etiquette to discussing what the children will see and hear.

A language for discovery and reflection The Habits of Mind approach serves as a powerful and creative strategy for facilitating conversations that result in more purposeful thinking behaviour. Museum field trips are rich with opportunities for exploring topics in more depth and allowing the children’s responses to guide the conversations. Prior to a field trip to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, known for a serene environment that literally takes you to another place and time, Palm Beach Day Academy (PBDA) first grade teachers talked with the children about ways they could approach this new setting. We focused on two Habits: Responding with wonder and awe and Gathering Data through all senses. These Habits primed the children to pay attention to anything that made them say “wow!” or “hmmm.”

Rochelle Ibañez Wolberg

“ The Habits of Mind approach serves as a powerful and creative strategy for facilitating conversations that result in more purposeful thinking behaviour.”

After the field trip, several students shared memorable experiences. For example, one student observed a Pine Cone River during his walking tour of the Japanese Gardens. He commented that he had “never seen” anything like that before. That conversation spurred a whole new discussion on who created the river and conservation. Some students suggested that the “museum people” gathered the pinecones together, while one thoughtful young man stated emphatically that “the trees” created the river. Other students remarked on seeing a deer chaser and how it was explained to them that this contraption was made to ward

off animals that might otherwise damage the gardens. They were fascinated by how water from one bamboo chute would pour into another, causing it to smack heavily onto a rock once it could no longer hold the water’s weight. While some children said the deer chaser made them say “Wow!,” others exclaimed it made them say “hmmm” because it appealed to their hearing, vision, and tactile senses. Responding with wonder and awe a n d Gathering data through all senses are useful tools that lend themselves naturally to museum visits. They provide a language that allows the children to articulate how

they feel and think when encountering something new or interesting. We are finding them particularly effective as tools for reflecting on museum field trips.

Steve francis

Are you getting enough? What leads to job satisfaction

’m not sure whether the headline grabbed your attention because it doesn’t seem to fit with the usual content of this fantastic magazine or it hit a raw nerve. It’s important that we talk about this important issue. Teaching is really demanding. Jobs that work with people can be unpredictable. At times we can feel that we are at the mercy of other people’s moods. Whether it’s students, parents or colleagues, we never quite know what is going on in their lives. People can sometimes be unreasonable, emotional and erratic. At times that person might even be us. We are constantly “on stage” in front of a demanding audience. We are expected to be engaging, entertaining, knowledgeable and effective. It’s important that we are at the top of our game, can access, on-demand, reserves of energy, good humour and wisdom in equal measures.

So back to my original question, in light of all of this, are you getting enough – job satisfaction?

Teachers Matter

Six key factors determine job satisfaction:

be partners in setting and maintaining community standards and expectations.

didn’t and how we could tinker with the lesson for it to be more effective.

Making a difference is the second key factor in job satisfaction. This factor should also be easily achieved by educators. Whilst at times we can feel frustrated that some students don’t achieve as much as we had hoped, we have the opportunity to make a difference each and every day.

Being appreciated is also a factor that contributes to our sense of job satisfaction. All of us like to be appreciated. A pat on the back or a simple note of thanks is always welcome. At times it can feel that our work in schools is not appreciated. The difficult situations that we deal with, troubled students, cranky parents, and crashed IT systems, often go unnoticed. At times we can feel that nobody cares.

There can be a LONG lead time between helping a student and seeing the difference that we made. One of the benefits of having taught for 20 years is that I often meet past students who say nice things about something that I had done for them. (Perhaps past students who wouldn’t have anything nice to say avoid running into me.) It can feel a bit like planting seeds that take a long time to shoot. At times our students’ progress can appear to plateau. Even when learning is painstakingly incremental, each and every day we make a difference to the students and adults who we work with, through listening, showing concern, and helping them. We don’t work in mindless factories, making widgets. We work with people. We have an opportunity to make a difference every single day.

People want to feel that their work is important. This should be a “no brainer” for educators. Our work is vitally important. We play a critical role in society. Most adults, when asked about what is important to them, reply that family and, in particular, their children are their highest priority. They are more valuable and important to them than their car or even their house. We are not only charged with the responsibility of looking after the safety and wellbeing of their most prized possession, we also expected to educate them and prepare them for the future.

Most teachers when asked, “Are you a good teacher?,” respond, “Yes I think so!” The vast majority of teachers receive little if any feedback. They continue to do what they have always done and presume that they are doing a good job.

Teachers also have a significant role in passing on and imposing community expectations. This aspect appears to be growing. Whilst parents are (and should be) their child’s first teacher, schools should

At times it can feel like we are operating in a void. Ninety-nine percent of teachers want to do a great job and are committed to continuous improvement. At the end of each lesson, we reflect on what worked, what

Being good at what you do is the third aspect of achieving a sense of job satisfaction. For many teachers, ticking this box can be difficult.

Whilst teachers don’t do their job for the thank you notes and small gifts that some receive at the end of the year, it can be a long time from March until the end of the year. It is important to treasure the small tokens of appreciation that we do receive. Collecting the little handwritten notes or cards in a folder can be helpful in times of despair. A sense of belonging and feeling part of a team also contributes to our job satisfaction. Connecting with colleagues, developing friendships, and offering mutual support are all important and help us feel a sense of satisfaction. It is important that we venture to the staffroom to catch up with colleagues, let steam off, share strategies and offer support, especially when we are feeling stressed. Isolating ourselves in our classrooms, eating lunch alone, and working excessive hours are all counter-productive. Schools provide an opportunity to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Engaging in school events and initiatives can lift our spirits, reenergize us and help us to see the big picture of what we are achieving. Having some autonomy about our work is the final factor contributing to job satisfaction. People don’t like to be micro-managed. Whilst there are clear boundaries about what needs to be taught and when our lessons are timetabled, staff in schools generally have a lot of flexibility about how we do our work.

Steve francis

Acclaimed author Daniel Pink, in his book Drive: The surprise truth about what m o t i v a t e s u s , h i g h l i g h t s a u t o n o m y ’s importance to engagement. Pink argues that a strong motivator is the desire to achieve mastery – the desire to get better and better at something that matters. He states, “The opposite of autonomy is control. And since they sit at different poles of the behaviour compass, they point us toward different destinations. Control leads to compliance, autonomy leads to engagement. Only engagement can produce mastery.”

“ It’s important that we are at the top of our game, can access, on-demand, reserves of energy, good humour and wisdom in equal measures.”

If you aren’t getting enough I f y o u a r e n ’t s a t i s f i e d , I h a v e t h r e e suggestions: 1. Reflect on these six factors and why you might not be feeling enough satisfaction. 2. Monitor your self-talk (that little voice inside your head) and catch yourself whenever the conversation is undermining your sense of satisfaction.

Your work takes up a large component of your waking hours and should give you a sense of satisfaction. If it doesn’t, do something for you. Teaching students is too important to have someone in front of a class who isn’t passionate and dedicated. If you aren’t, do it for them.

illustration: Güler Nazan ünel

3 If you have revisited the six factors and tried changing your self talk and are still unsatisfied, it may be time to investigate exit strategies. Explore other fields that you believe would give you more satisfaction. This may require doing some extra study or a completely different path.

Terry Westblade

Steve Smith Principal

The importance of a principal

photo: sylvie bouchard

Teachers Matter

The most powerful agents in the education chain

Terry Westblade

ave you ever contemplated why some schools do well and others don’t? Why can the school down the road be so different from the next? Principals, my friends, are the reason why such differences occur. Rightly or wrongly, schools are judged by what they offer and how they perform academically. Compliance issues and political correctness are two branches of the principal’s role that place great demand on them. The great joy, however, is the tremendous influence they have in shaping the type of learning students receive. Personal well-being needs to be at the heart of the education process. But schools and school systems continually place academic needs at the top of the pillar. Pay attention to Stephen Covey in The Leader in Me when he mentions the four basic needs of all kids: Physical – safety, food, hygiene, health.

Social / emotional – acceptance, kindness, friendship, being loved. Mental – intellectual, creativity. Spiritual – meaning, character, moral fiber. Successful academic outcomes are a result of having the other dimensions of human development in place. What should we offer in our schools? If one of the fundamental goals of education is to develop self-directed learners, then how well are we doing? We know that an effective work place, home, school or any organization is self-correcting, self-managing and self-accountable. When these qualities are missing, governance, supervision, laws or monitoring are required. Working in these environments is exhausting.

who has developed a thinking framework, the students in that school community are getting something of great value. So what is available? Guy Claxton does great work using the “Learning Muscles.” Throughout the UK and other parts of the world, BLP schools are doing a fine job educating students about the 4R’s – resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness and reciprocity. Within these four areas, subsets of habits have been refined and related to other dispositions helpful to successful learning. One of the finest resources on human intelligence is a book by Lucas and Claxton called New Kinds of Smart: How the science of learnable intelligence is changing education. The authors refer to eight types of intelligence. They give educators a language and freedom to develop the learning process with students. All educators need to be informing students about the nature of intelligence on a daily basis and helping them assess themselves as learners against a framework. Stephen Covey’s Leader in Me program has spread across the globe and builds on the seven habits of highly successful people. These are: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win – win, seek first to understand, then to be understood, synergise, and sharpen the saw. Once again each of these habits can be unpacked into smaller subsets of dispositions. Then there are the Habits of Mind developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick. The Habits describe cognitive and affective aspects of human behaviour. There are 16 Habits of Mind that stand alone without subsets of other dispositions: • Thinking flexibly

All schools should be offering a thinking framework that helps young students make sense of what it means to learn. The true nature of learning has nothing to do with being intelligent, but for so long, and still today, many young people equate being good at school as being intelligent.

• Creating, imagining, innovating

Good approaches Multiple schools throughout the world are doing great things with various frameworks. Wherever you find a passionate principal

• Applying past knowledge to new situations

• Remaining open to continuous learning • Listening with understanding and empathy • Wonderment and awe • Gathering data through all sense • Questioning and posing problems • Working interdependently

• Taking responsible risks • Striving for accuracy • Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision • Metacognition • Managing impulsivity • Finding humour A recent framework that gave educators more scope for reporting student achievement was Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences. His research suggested eight intelligences for which students could be benchmarked against. The multiple intelligences theory gave the education community an alternative way to value students’ talents and abilities. The role of teacher shifted somewhat toward coach and implied a nurturing. The eight intelligences: • Lingustic • Logical • Musical • Aesthetic • Bodily-kinaesthetic • Spatial • Interpersonal • Intrapersonal Robert Sternberg suggests three intelligences that make up successful learners: academic, creative and practical intelligences. Sternberg states that traditional education discriminates against students who may be bright, creative and practical, but who don’t shine academically. I believe the Habits of Mind give educators the language and skills to develop the dispositions of an intelligent mind that supports the work of all the frameworks mentioned. The new Australian curriculum has scope in the general capabilities section for the development of a thinking framework, but at present the quality of how well students think is left to chance. Teaching our students from a young age about the how and why of learning is critical. Imagine a society where thinking dispositions were a mandatory part of the learning environment from a young age?

• Persisting

Introducing the

Online Habits of Mind Course with Art Costa & Bena Kallick This is an online Introduction to Habits of Mind with Art Costa and Bena Kallick. Over 8 weeks join a group of other like minded educators while Art Costa and Bena Kallick share their experiences and insights about the Habits of Mind. Your learning journey is supported and guided by both Graham Watts and Karen Boyes with many years of school based experience working with the Habits of Mind to ensure you get the most out of the course. This course is self-paced and can be completed in your own time. Graham and Karen will guide you for the 8 weeks in which time you should easily be able to complete the modules. What does this online course cover: • Introduction to Habits of Mind • Get to know the 16 Habits • Why the Habits of Mind are Important • Interview with the Experts • Creating a shared Vision • Plus lots more...

The Teachers’ Learning Centre is Home to Spectrums Online Courses The Teachers’ Learning Centre brings together like minded teachers and educators from around the world who share a passion in successful, lifelong learning. Our mission is to offer high quality professional development that blends social interaction with new technologies. Additionally, our learning programmes mark the start of anongoing professional dialogue for teachers within your school, connecting teachers in other countries. Our online learning platform allows teachers anywhere in the world to discuss and co-construct their learning with leading international experts in various fields. All of our courses can be offered in your school, led by experts for those that want to go further than the courses offered online.

2013 Start Dates May 20th 2013 August 5th 2013 October 21st 2013

The Teachers’ Learning Centre is ideal for: • One person or for the whole staff training • New staff training and induction • Anytime, any place learning • Learning with teachers within and across nations • Keeping teachers in the classroom, not out on courses • Learning at your own pace • Focused, applied learning • Working alongside the experts

at the heart of teachi n g a n d lear n i n g

To learn more about this Course and the session times, contact Spectrum Education. Phone NZ on 0800 37 33 77 or +644 5289969 | Australia phone 1800 063 272 or fax 1800 068 977 Email: info@spectrumeducation.com

Your Hosts Graham Watts and Karen Boyes are dedicated to making a difference in education through teacher development. Based in the UK, Graham’s experience leading Thinking Skills and Habits of Mind programmes in a diverse range of schools around the world, gives his workshops a rich breadth and depth. From a league table topping school in New Zealand to one of the UK’s most improved secondary schools, Graham has developed highly successful students’ thinking and learning programmes. Karen is often described as Australasia’s “Mrs Education.” An expert in effective teaching, learning and living, Karen turns research into practical and simple to use techniques that create success. As the Founder of Spectrum Education, an author, publisher of the Teachers Matter magazine and the Affiliate Director of the Institute for the Habits of Mind, Karen is an expert in teaching and learning throughout the world.

Kate Southcombe

They learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and reasoning. Surely this places a firm focus on risk: If children are developing independence and enjoying spontaneous play, they will be taking risks.

PHOTO: Sergey Nivens

We learn from taking risks; we learn what we can and can’t do.

Think...and create Look for ways to promote imagination

was visiting a student on her practicum recently and she explained that she was used to play in which everything was tidy and clean. The centre she worked at believed that children should be able to go with the flow and move from one activity to the other without being interrupted. Aprons were not used, and one activity was titled “messy play,” where children could play with shaving foam and paint on tables. The student struggled with the concept of getting “stuck in,” and “in touch” with “dirt.” She felt it was the adult’s responsibility to guide the children to take care of their clothes. I could relate to the student’s background. My upbringing was fairly clean. Yet, I wanted to know more about messy play, and how it potentially might impact children’s development. I wondered if getting stuck into an activity without pausing to cover up and take precautions could foster confidence and self-belief. I also wondered about risktaking and children. Children are keen to take risks, as any early childhood educator or parent will tell you. They have no concept of fear and are willing to throw themselves into any situation. So

how do we as adults deal with this super human attitude? We may do one of several things: We yell or pull them away from impending doom, or we explain carefully in detail what might happen if they continue down that path. Or we simply use the tried and tested method of “don’t do that, because I said so!” We pass on our own cautious nature and trepidation and even instill fear into our children’s hearts. Dr Wayne Dyer says our society encourages caution and safety at the expense of curiosity and adventure. However early childhood supposedly promotes curiosity and a sense of adventure. If we look at Te Whaariki (Ministry of Education, 1996) we note that empowerment is the first principle. The explanation of the principle highlights the role of independence, taking increasing responsibility and the value of the adult inviting children to explore a range of activities. The fifth strand - exploration states two of its goals as children experience an environment where: Their play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognized.

But how do we provide opportunities for appropriate risks for children – enabling them to learn with graduated levels of risk? I have seen many centres allowing children to use real saws, nails and hammers, which seems extremely risky when these same children have to wear gloves if they want to do any gardening. But the centres have planned for this risk by providing guided instruction and safe supervision, empowering the children to make their own decisions. This sort of approach creates a wide variety of learning experiences from safety discussions, appropriate use and instruction in equipment use, and possible consequences of misuse. This is an ideal way to get the children to identify the potential risks and can lead to the topic of caring for each other and working together to use the equipment. So how can teachers and educators foster structured risk taking? Some broad starting points might include: • Provide the right environment – where limits are placed in discussion with the students. For example if you can’t climb a tree by yourself, you don’t get a lift up. • Provide guidance in using real equipment so children know how to use it, but without over-dramatizing the dangers. • Allow children to make decisions about what they want to do – and discuss how this can be achieved. The final point to consider: What is life really about? Is it about being safe, never getting dirty, never spoiling anything and only doing something when you are certain that you will achieve? Or is it about having a sense of adventure, trying something, at the risk of getting wet and getting it wrong, and maybe discovering that you are indeed capable of more than you could possibly have imagined?

Trudy Francis

Think about it

The importance of critical thinking

Critical thinking helps us detect bias and unstated assumptions, seek relevance and test for accuracy. Critcal thinkers strive to determine credibility by distinguishing between statements of fact and value judgements. As a classroom teacher I learnt about Bloom’s Taxonomy and trialled using the hierarchy of thinking to develop higher order thinking (including the ability to think critically) in my students. And, yet I knew little about the intent of the taxonomy.

Teachers Matter

Originally Blooms Taxonomy was to provide an overarching classification system for test questions for American college students. Bloom’s cognitive taxonomy is a six-tiered approach to the intellectual expectations of a college classroom. The taxonomy organises intellectual behaviours as: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. This approach to assessment required it to be connected to explicit classroom outcomes and demonstrable behaviours, which could be tested (Booker, 2008). Booker (2008) questions the validity of using the taxonomy in the K-12 years as he believes there has been a serious distortion in relation to the purpose of Blooms Taxonomy. His research (in America) suggested that teachers were teaching higher order thinking skills that were methodology rich but content light, which has led to lower, not higher achievement. He goes on to say that the belief that higher order thinking can exist in isolation from specific content is of great concern.

In our efforts to teach higher-order thinking, have we denigrated or disregarded the importance of facts and substantive knowledge? The research indicated that when basic skills are devalued, students misunderstand the true value of higher order thinking. I have been guilty of

subverting knowledge in my quest to develop higher-order thinking skills and dispositions in my students, and yet Bloom considered knowledge as the basis for all higher-order thinking. So, what might the implications be? Bloom insisted that the heirarchy formation and structure should not be ignored. What are your thoughts about this as you evaluate your practice? To be able to effectively evaluate, we would need to carefully consider various aspects of the object, idea or activity being judged; and genuine judgements need to be made with distinct criteria in mind (Booker, 2008). Therefore, as you reflect on this article, and analyse these ideas in relation to your own, what might the criteria be for you to be able to evaluate what you do (in your quest to promote and develop higher order thinking in your students)? Is it possible that you might have overlooked the importance of knowledge and comprehension? “Critical reasoning isn’t about blind disbelief any more than it is about blind belief. It requires a solid understanding of fundamental facts, and these facts cue us to patterns of assent or skeptisim… the task of instilling those beliefs is a noble one, however the roof won’t stay up without walls (Booker, 2008).”

WHY IS CRITICAL THINKING SO IMPORTANT? The Problem. “Everyone thinks; it is our nature to do so. But much of our thinking, left to itself, is biased, distorted, partial, uniformed or downright prejudiced. Yet, the quality of our life and that of what we produce, make, or build depends precisely on the quality of our thought. Shoddy thinking is costly, both in money and in quality of life. Excellence in thought, however, must be systematically cultivated (criticalthinking.org).” A Definition. “Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them (criticalthinking.org).”

Instead of providing you with a lesson plan, I have created a ‘critical thinking’ flow map for you to consider as a way to develop standards, traits and elements of critical thinking across the curriculum. I thought that each box could be used as a planning guide for you and for your students.

photo: Robert Wilson

hat do we mean by critical thinking?

trudy francis

Elements of Critical Thinking Flow Map Purpose (Goal) • What is the purpose of my thinking? • What am I trying to achieve? • Why am I doing this?

Questions - to state the problem and guide our thinking • What precise questions am I trying to answer? • What is my (your, our) purpose? • What are we trying to accomplish? • Is there anything wrong with our purpose?

Points of view • Within what point of view am I thinking? • How am I seeing it? • What am I looking at? • How am I looking at this situation? • Is there another reasonable view to look at/from? • What are you looking at and why do you see it that way? • Is the idea clear and/or fair?

Information - facts, evidence or experiences that answer the question • What information am I using? • What information do I need to answer the question? • Do I need to gather more information?

Interpretation

Concepts - the ideas we use in thinking when striving to understand what is going on

• How am I interpreting the information? • Is this information relevant? • Is it accurate?

• What is the main idea? • What main idea comes to mind when I hear... (see... think... experience...)? • Is there a problem with this idea?

Trudy Francis

Inferences the conclusions we draw as we figure things out • What conclusions am I coming to? • Is my inference logical? • Are other people’s inferences logical?

Assumptions - ideas we might take for granted • What am I taking for granted? • Am I assuming something I shouldn’t? • What assumptions are leading me to this conclusion? • What are other people’s assumptions?

Implications - things that might happen if we decide to do something, and possible consequences if I put my thought(s) into action • If I decide to / decide not to do ‘x’, what things might happen? • What are the possible consequences of...?

Intellectual Standards need to guide the development of critical thinking Standards of: • relevance, accuracy, precision, clarity, depth and breadth. Develops intellectual traits of: • intellectual humility, intellectual integrity, intellectual perseverance, intellectual empathy and intellectual discipline. Develops the elements of critical thinking (see the flow map): • the thinker must reflect on each element in relation to the standards in order to judge the effectiveness of his/her thinking. Develops the assessment capability of the learner: • routinely self-assess, self-examine and self-improve. If a student is not assessing the quality or skillfulness of his/her own thinking then the student is not thinking critically.

Teachers Matter

Has integrity of the whole system: • a range of thinking abilities, standards, and traits that the successful critical thinking student develops is interrelated, striving for wholeness and integrity as fundamental values.

Demanding and comprehensive process of thinking: • yields predictable and well-reasoned answer(s); • good thinking produces good results; and • we can depend on the results when we check our thinking as we go, are committed to doing so, and get extensive practise. Seeks and identifies weaknesses and limitations of one’s own position: • encourages enthusiastic arguments from alternative and opposing points of view; and • responsive to social and moral imperatives.

S E K O J

Q. Why have banana growers decided not to grow bananas any longer? A. Because they are long enough already. Q. What building has the most “storey’s?” A. The library. Q. How do you make a sausage roll? A. You push it.

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ABCDEFGHIJKLMN karen boyes

Letter by letter: E

How the environment, exercise, eyes and more make a difference Environment – physical

Environment - emotional

Many factors create an effective physical environment in a classroom. Here are a few: The aromas in your classroom are important. The first thing your brain notices subconsciously when you walk into a room is the temperature. The second is the smell. What do you traditionally find at the door of a classroom? The rubbish bin? Smelly shoes? Some of the best smells to enhance learning include peppermint, lemon, rosemary and basil. The ideal temperature for learning is between 19 and 21 degrees Celsius. Students are better on the cooler side rather than hot. Bright and fluorescent lighting can negatively impact many students under the age of 25. Low lighting or natural lighting has been proven to be best for most students. The noise level in a class is also an important factor to consider. Vary the use of music and silence.

How students feel in your classroom contributes hugely to their learning ability. Do they feel safe? Are they treated fairly and with respect? Is it OK to take risks and give new ideas a go without fear of ridicule? Can students express their own opinions safely? Ensure you are consistent with your actions and boundaries. Welcome students’ questions and honour them fully by taking time to listen to their contributions. Model the values that you teach and value every effort.

Teachers Matter

Exercise

Research clearly shows aerobic exercise can improve thinking and learning by increasing oxygen flow to the brain. A brisk walk for 20 minutes may be enough. Aerobic exercise also improves your short-term memory, gives you faster reaction times and fuels creativity. In your classroom, start the morning with slow stretches and breathing to increase circulation and oxygen flow to the brain. Use energisers throughout the day and ensure you plan for physical movement each lesson. Give students permission to get up, move around, and stretch to manage their own energy levels.

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NOPQRSTUVWXYZ karen boyes

Eye contact

The eyes are a powerful tool for both the teacher and the learner, yet much classroom time is spent with eyes firmly fixed on the book, the board, the floor, the window, or roaming randomly around the teaching and learning environment. Chances are you have developed ‘the look’ as part of your teaching persona. “The look” ranges from “be quiet please,” through “I’m not going to tell you again” to “don’t mess with me,” and in this respect is seen as having a disciplinary function. “The look” still works, but don’t overdo it or you will become a caricature of yourself. Eye contact is also an important component of achieving success in giving presentations and improving rapport. Make certain you talk to your learners, not to the book, the board or the screen. Encourage your lear ners to make eye contact while they are working together in pairs or groups. information to complete a task, embarrassing moments, rewards systems that threaten withdrawal, isolation from peers, and constricting deadlines, are just several. Under these conditions,

External referenced

the brain downshifts into “flight or fight,” where there is no higher-order behavioural choice being made. To “upshift” the brain, focus on creating a brain-affirming learning culture, use more personally meaningful projects, avoid threat, rewards and artificial deadlines, and allow students to self-assess with clear guidelines and criteria.

This is a learner/thinker type. These people respond primarily based of others’ thoughts, or perceived thoughts. This learner type will often ask, “what do others expect of me, how should I act or think or say?’ Students strong in this style use society’s social norms and rules as a source for their behaviour. Before responding, they will often stop to consider what others might think or say and are frequently seeking external rewards.

NOPQRSTUVWXYZ

therese hoyle

Designing your playground and enhancing playtimes Creating fun for everyone

hy is play important?

It is an essential part of every child’s life. It is vital for enjoying childhood and developing socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically. Many lunchtime supervisors worry about children’s lack of social skills and ability to play. They say, “It wasn’t like this in our day. Children knew how to play; we played street games; the roads were safe; and we didn’t have computers.” Over my years in schools as a teacher, parent and education consultant, I have heard a common cry from teachers, lunchtime supervisors and parents: “Help,” they say, “what can we do about playtimes and behaviour?” Playtime can be a tricky time. Sometimes all our energy goes into sorting out our inside learning environment and we forget about the outside. Frequently playtimes and playgrounds need re- energising. As a whole school team, we need to reflect on whether behaviour we observe on playground is bad behaviour – or just bored behaviour.

Teachers Matter

The right environment can make a difference: I have seen many a concrete jungle be transformed into a thriving, creative, active and engaging play space with just a bit of thought and imagination.

Top tip number one: Create playground activity zones Have you thought about re-vamping your playground? Conduct an audit (as described in the spring edition of Edventure catalogue) and decide how you can use the space and make playtimes a more exciting and vibrant time for your children.

Divide your playground into different activity zones and provide the appropriate resources.

Top tip number three: Craze of the week

• Ideas for zoned activity areas:

The craze of the week is a successful lunchtime strategy. As you know children love learning new crazes, from card swapping to marbles, elastics, yo-yo’s and clapping games. The “craze” is changed after one week for another new and exciting activity.

• Imaginative play zone • Traditional playground games zone • “Friendship stop” zone • Quiet zone • Craze of the week (one type of equipment is used every day of the week) • C o n s t r u c t i o n / s m a l l w o r l d p l a y equipment • Ball games – football, netball, basketball • Parachute games • Performing arts - Music and dance zone • Painted games – hopscotch, etc7

Top tip number two: Imaginative play playground equipment Look for playground equipment such as: • Road track set • Giant plastic playing cards • Colouring in books • Dressing up boxes • Tower and cube set – like polydron, however huge! • Lego and big build blocks

How to organise craze of the week: First talk with the children about activities they would love to have in the playground. Choose and buy enough equipment for that craze. Crazes can be things such as skipping ropes, French skipping ropes, bean bags, plastic stilts, whoppas, ankle skips, shuttleball, hoops, lolo ball, cats cradle, etc. There is so much equipment for children to choose from. Go through the Edventure catalogue with your children and decide on the most popular activities. You will need roughly 10 to 15 of each supply, depending on the size of your school. Create playground craze activity boxes. I always use Edventure’s great storage containers. Create a “craze of the week” notice that is alternated each week. Every week on Monday morning the craze of the week is introduced in assembly by Playground PALS.

Top Tip number four: Quiet Zone

• Small world play

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? Are there children in your school who:

Equipment like this will help younger children who are transitioning to a bigger playground with older students.

• Don’t enjoy running around at playtimes? • Would rather sit in quiet contemplation, maybe in a quiet area of the playground a garden, or more solitary space?

therese hoyle

• If you have answered yes to any of the above, then it’s time to create a quiet space and offer the choice of quieter games and activities. Educationally, it is important that we offer children a breadth of experience and playtime is no exception. We can provide children with a range of games and activity zones that cater for all our children’s varying needs: Ideas: • Teach all children the quiet games from 101 Playground Games in their PE lessons • Create a quiet zoned activity area with picnic tables, rugs and mats when the weather permits.

• Organise “Quiet games activity boxes” for the quiet zoned area. These may include: cat’s cradle, wooden dominoes, Jamanga, giant noughts and crosses, pick up sticks, tiddlywinks, board games, Lego, cards, colouring in, bricks, and more. • Create a secret garden or quiet space away from the busy playground. If you have access to a green area or garden then this is perfect. • Develop a gardening club; many children like to connect with nature at playtime. There are so many ideas, but not enough space to write about them. If you would like to learn more, please look at 101 Playground Games and 101 Wet playtime games books or email me at therese@successpartnership.com

photo: cathy yeulet

• Would prefer to read a book or play a quiet game or activity?

ngahi bidois

The soft drink kid Getting what you want

photo: Oleksiy Mark

few months ago I received an outstanding lesson in acquisition, not from a sales seminar or corporate gathering or even a sales person with many years of experience, but from a 7-year-old boy. I was at a youth camp whakatau (informal welcome) held at the beautiful Tui Ridge in Rotorua. More precisely, I was eating my kai during the hakari meal, and there was a spare seat and therefore a spare soft drink next to me. I had almost finished my meal when out of nowhere the boy who I will call Tama turned up with a huge cheesy smile on his face, sat in the spare seat, and said, “I know you aye. We got a photo of you at home.” He had my attention. “Is that right Tama, why would you have a photo of me at your home?” He kept smiling and said, “You know my mum aye?” Now he really had my attention. He continued, “Yeah you know her. She took a photo of you, me and my little brother at the last camp and that’s the one we got at home.” “Who’s your mum, Tama?”

Teachers Matter

He pointed to her and I was pleased to recognise her as one of my relatives and recalled the photo shoot with her tamariki at the last camp whakatau.

He was looking earnestly at me, and I replied, “Oh yeah I know you now. Your mum took photos of us aye. How are you?” “I’m good, thank you. My brother and I are on holiday now.” The conversation continued for a few more minutes before he moved in for the kill.

He looked at the soft drink as he asked me, “Is anyone sitting here?” “Nah Tama, no one is sitting there.” I couldn’t believe it when he deliberately paused and waited for me to speak again. He didn’t touch the soft drink, but looked at me and then looked back at the soft drink. I turned to the adult sitting next to me who had been listening to our conversation, and he and I both smiled as we realized what was happening. After a very long pause I asked him, “Do you want that soft drink, Tama?” “Yes, please,” he replied quickly before grabbing it and sliding down from his seat. Clutching his soft drink he stood and looked at me with that cheesy smile again before saying, “Thank you, now I got three drinks!” Then he was off like a shot and I thought that would be the last we would see of him as he had claimed his prize. But like every good sales or purchasing person should do, he came back to show that the person is more important than the prize. We spoke for a few more minutes before my relative came over and said, “Sorry Matua, he will talk all day if you let him. Haere mai Tama leave Matua alone cause others want to talk to him too you know.” I replied that he was fine, and the man next to me echoed that. However, before we knew it, he was saying, “ka kite ano” and disappeared. The man next to me and I both agreed that we had just received a firsthand lesson in acquisition and laughed again.

So what had he done? The young Tama had got my attention and maintained it while he developed rapport with me before asking his leading question and waited patiently for me to ask if he wanted the drink. He then claimed his prize before telling me that he had already secured two previous drinks and what an excellent acquisition agent he was. That’s called branding. He then thanked me for the drink, before returning to continue the relationship in case we should meet at the next whakatau. I can’t wait to sit at a table with a spare seat next to me if he is at the next whakatau. What’s the bet he will have developed his acquisition targets and go for five drinks next time. The things our tamariki teach us aye. Good on him.

“ I turned to the adult sitting next to me who had been listening to our conversation, and he and I both smiled as we realized what was happening.”

An INSPIRATIONAL school, with an INSPIRATIONAL story. And we helped them tell it.

Matt Bateman - Principal, Burnside Primary School

Burnside Primary School was facing closure as part of the government restructuring of Christchurch schools. School Branding Matters along with COBi Digital created a school promotional video in support of their submission to the ministry to remain open. Like John Campbell, we believed that Burnside Primary was a school with “a compelling identity, a true sense of community, and a real place in it.”* Your school has an inspirational story to tell. I call the process that I use to help schools discover and tell their story an ‘inspiring journey in school branding’. It is only when you understand your school’s unique character that appropriate themes and imagery can be created to effectively brand such things as your personalised school website, promotional video, prospectus, and classroom values graphics.

When you discover what your story is, amazing things happen: You have a vision for the future! You understand who you are - your Inspirational Dream (Vision), your Inspirational Purpose (Mission), and your Inspirational Outcomes (Values and Learner Qualities). Everything begins to make sense!

You want to tell the world about it!

School Branding Matters is an Educational Branding Consultancy that provides inspiring, innovative and eye catching branding solutions for New Zealand schools. It has been exciting and rewarding to bring my twenty years commercial experience to the world of education with a ‘one stop shop’ approach to school branding. Warm Regards, Craig Burton - Managing Director

You have a description about the way your school approaches effective education. It gives your school community a sense of pride, purpose and passion.

Staff, students and parents become energized! Everyone understands their role in the school. This helps build positive perceptions, closer relationships, and the school develops a great reputation in the community.

* Campbell Live, 18th February, 2013.

school branding matters

INSPIRING JOURNEYS IN SCHOOL BRANDING

Watch the video that helped save a school here or visit www.schoolbrandingmatters.co.nz/education/promotional-video

Please contact me for more information Phone 03 360 2959 Email info@schoolbrandingmatters.co.nz Facebook www.facebook.com/schoolbrandingmatters

www.schoolbrandingmatters.co.nz

PHOTO: Anatoliy Samara

MICK WALSH

Student wellbeing: A feeling or a measure Designing a program that works

Teachers Matter

tudent wellbeing is not an exact science, but it is at the core of what schools are all about. Yet what is it exactly?

a growing number of them dumping their pastoral care programs because their staff don’t feel confident or capable of teaching them.

In my four decades in education the term “student wellbeing” has been used extensively, so much so it has probably been used to cover almost everything that a student does at school.

While there is always a February honeymoon when it all goes well, the inevitable busyness of competing demands in schools takes over, priorities change, and the programs at best are delivered in a mediocre manner and at worst not at all.

A number of education departments have mandated that schools have a student wellbeing program. Yet, in my travels assisting schools across Australasia, I saw

With these realities in play, well over a decade ago I began a journey to support teachers and schools. If schools are to be successful in making a positive difference to students’ wellbeing, their focus needs to be narrowed. After researching, I decided to use the following definition for student wellbeing: The degree to which a student is functioning effectively in the school community. (from Julian Fraillon, Measuring Student Well-Being in the Australian Schooling: Discussion Paper).

MICK WALSH

In writing my Learning Curve Wellbeing program, the definition enabled me to focus on desirable student behaviours and dispositions. This, in turn, led to categorising them under three main areas: Living - nurturing in students positive growth mindsets for life through cultivating social emotional intelligences involving self awareness, self control, self motivation, empathy and managing relationships. Learning – explicitly teaching students how to learn through the building of an array of learning approaches, study skills, multiple intelligences and arousing curiosity and a love of learning. Thinking – explicitly teaching students how to think creatively and critically through Habits of Mind and using higher-order thinking strategies and tools.

The next step Once I settled on a definition, the second vexing issue with student wellbeing was assessing how well a student was functioning effectively. How could these desirable student behaviours be accurately measured? Schools often consider a plethora of indicators, including: • Attendance and punctuality • Behaviour tracking records • Contribution to school life • Participation in learning • Submitting assignments • Completing home learning • Academic progress

“ If schools are to be successful in making a positive difference to students’ wellbeing, their focus needs to be narrowed. ”

Teachers had their own perspectives on indicators and gave each different weights. This led to teachers arriving anecdotally at a “feeling” about a student’s wellbeing. The reality was and still is that assessing student wellbeing comes from an individual gut feeling rather than through looking at qualitative and quantitative data. It was important to create student wellbeing measurement tools so that students and teachers could actually measure wellbeing. Schools needed to know if their wellbeing program was making a difference. I created tools for teachers and students. I created the components of student wellbeing necessary for a student to function effectively: • Self-management and direction • Self-belief and resilience

For each component, I created four behaviour descriptors: excellent, good, fair, and in need of attention. These levels were then allocated a numerical score 4, 3, 2 or 1. Teachers could then use the descriptors for each component to rate a student numerically and then tally up the scores. The student’s wellbeing could be categorized as very healthy, healthy, OK, fair, need to focus and time to concentrate. I provide growth strategies for each component. Looking at the overall score, schools can gauge how well their wellbeing program is performing and what components are in need of attention.

• Social emotional intelligence • Relationships and acceptance • Communication and expression • Engagement and curiosity • Learning, thinking and study • Note taking and presentation • Manners and courtesy • Citizenship and purpose

MICHAEL GROSE

Building powerful family-school partnerships Focus on student learning

Tw o k e y s c o n c e p t s c r e a t e p o w e r f u l partnerships. First, all staff need to focus on building great relationships with parents, and develop trust among all members of the school community. This takes time and energy and is best done with face-to-face activities. Second, focus parent and community involvement on student learning so that parents understand their roles in their children’s learning, so they feel more confident and more capable to assist children to learn. By linking parents to learning in these ways, the family-school partnership will have a potent impact on student learning.

Teachers Matter

Use high-impact engagement strategies

Many teachers, and indeed many schools, waste their resources on low-impact strategies to engage their parents. These are strategies that are easy to do, but they have low impact as they make few changes. For instance, sending a welcome note to new parents in the school newsletter is an example of a low-impact communication strategy. A phone call to new parents to the school is an example of a high-impact strategy. It takes more work, but it’s far more effective. Schools that are serious about building powerful family-school partnership focus on a few high-impact strategies rather than having lots of ineffective low-impact strategies.

photo: numax3d

ll school leaders want to build strong links with their students’ parents, but they can easily get bogged down in minutiae. Knowing what to focus on can be a challenge.

When you sit down to plan your parent engagement program for the coming year, make sure you include a high proportion of high impact strategies. It’s the only way to be outstanding. Here are some examples to get you thinking: • H o l d a “ r o l e c o n s t r u c t i o n ” w o r k s h o p f o r p a r e n t s . Put new parents in small groups with butcher’s paper and ask them to construct their role in their child’s learning. Get the talk going and then get some feedback from all the groups. Better still, get some agreement about their role in their child’s learning. • Conduct a “language of school” workshop for secondar y school parents. Make secondary school easier for parents by demystifying some of the jargon. It’s a great workshop for first-time parents. • Have outdoor dismissals. Make it easy for parents to speak to you, by dismissing the class in the open air. This is a highimpact strategy best suited to primary schools. • Phone every parent to welcome them to your class or to the year level. An introductory welcoming phone

call is a fantastic way to build goodwill with parents. This is an obvious strategy for primary schools. Secondary schools may need to do a little pooling to get this done. There is one reason why you should do it – because few schools do it. High energy, massive impact. • New teacher orientation to the community, or at least a walk around the community. It’s great to see many schools now include information about their families in their new staff orientation programs. It’s also useful for new staff to do a neighbourhood walk. Not only do they learn a lot about the community firsthand, but it’s fantastic public relations as well. • C o n d u c t “ g o o d t e a c h i n g ” workshops. Help parents understand what good teaching and learning looks like by conducting workshops about the latest teaching strategies. You can engage parents in the life of the school in many ways. Focus on relationshipbuilding and activities that link parents to their children’s learning, and spend your time and precious resources on activities that have the maximum impact. This will help you build truly powerful family-school partnerships.

If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.

photo: subbotina

– Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Estrada

photo: auremar

KAREN BOYES

Help yourself with incentives Easy ways to get the job done

Teachers Matter

ometimes it is just hard to get started. It is easy to put the study off with what feel like legitimate excuses, such as highlighting the notes, organising folders, cleaning out the school bag or tidying the house.

Human science tells us that we either will work toward something we want or move away from something we don’t want. This is known as the carrot and stick approach. Imagine a cart driver dangling a carrot in front of a donkey and holding a stick behind it. The donkey would move toward the carrot because it wants the reward of food, while also moving away from the stick behind it, since it does not want the punishment of pain, and as a result pulling the cart. What motivates you more – the thought of a reward or the threat of pain? Some people need tight deadlines, as this gets them motivated to get going, as the closer the deadline the more they get motivated. However some like to get a job over and done with, so they can get on with what they would prefer to be doing.

Here are some ideas to create incentives when studying: Start with something simple or your favourite subject. Spend the first 10 to 20 minutes on this and then switch to a notso-favourite subject. Often you do need to spend slightly more time on your weaker subjects when studying. You get better at what you focus on. Use whatever you would rather be doing as an incentive. If you have a favourite TV show to watch, or game to play, set a time that you will watch it and study up until that time. If you need to go back to the study after the program/ game – just turn it off to avoid distraction. Use positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you can do this – learn the information. Affirm your learning ability by telling yourself affirmations such as “I can do this,” “I learn quickly and easily,” “I have a fantastic memory” or “I love study!” Sit up straight when you study. This may sound strange, however, when you sit up tall, with a straight back, feet flat on the floor,

oxygenated blood gets to your brain faster and more efficiently and therefore helps with memory, thinking, and making connections. Break your study into achievable steps or chunks. I have recently discovered “Jellybean” study. If you have lots of reading to do, place a jellybean (lolly, sweetie or candy) at intervals on your page. When you have read, summerised and understood that section, you get to eat the jellybean. It is a quick reward that might keep you motivated to get to the next section. Know that the hard work now does pay off later. I know this is a cliché, yet there is some major truth in this for life. I often hear students say, “I’ll be different when I have a job,” however for most people this is just denial. I’m reminded of the powerful and wise saying by Lao Tzu, a 6th century Chinese philosopher: “Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

From the 2013 Teachers Matter Conferences At the three 2013 Teachers Matter January conferences held in Sydney, Invercargill and the Bay of Islands, I asked teachers to share their wisdom. The topic was Creating An Effective Learning Environment and speakers spoke from the stage about their perspectives. Teachers were then invited to share their thoughts. This book is a collection of those ideas, summarised and distilled down to the key concepts. If you were one of the teachers at the conference — thanks for your wisdom. If not, you too will benefit from the ideas. Whichever category you fit into, if you gain some ideas from this e-book, or can add to it, please share these ideas with your colleagues. Teachers make every other profession possible —our job is to prepare students not just for tests, but for the test of life. The environment you create within your classroom and school is vital. Please download the book with my compliments and share it with others. :-)

“Use inclusive language”

- Karen Boyes

“Model the values you teach”

“Children should have more questions at the end of a unit than at the start”

“Allow students to share ideas”

Go to www.SpectrumEducation.com to download the book.

JOHN SHACKleTON

Are you

photo: Zhang Xiangyang

Teachers Matter

glossophobic?

JOHN SHACKleTON

Take a stand and speak up. It’s the only way to overcome your fear.

id you know that public speaking ranks second only to snakes in the top 10 of things that people fear? Even Margaret Thatcher, known as the Iron Lady, said “I am nervous every time I get up to make a major speech. I am nervous every time I enter the House of Commons.” Like most fears though, this is emotional, not rational. Let’s look at some of the misconceptions held about speaking in public.

Other people don’t get nervous In reality most people do get nervous. Even those who enjoy speaking to an audience get nervous. This can enhance their performance. Mark Twain said, “There are two types of speaker: those that are nervous and those that are liars.

I’ll start to speak when I conquer my nerves Time does not cure anxiety; it just allows you to avoid it. Only action cures anxiety.

Watching others will help me You may pick up a few ideas but has watching hours of test matches made you an All Black? If you want to improve then you need to practise. Preparation is the key to reducing stress and speaking successfully. As a teacher, most of your public speaking will probably take the form of speaking in front of assembly, or at annual prize giving. If you have a tendency to become nervous at these occasions, then decide a month out what your speech

will be about, and draft a first copy. Then practise – in front of the mirror initially, and then in front of friends or family that you trust to offer advice and praise as necessary. Have cue cards ready for the actual speech, and practise with them beforehand so you are confident with the order and flow of your presentation. Knowing exactly what you are going to say will reduce stress and nerves greatly.

audience. By this I don’t mean include jokes where they aren’t necessary or appropriate, instead convey a sense of fun in your manner and tone. I believe public speaking is one of the most important skills we can learn for ourselves and teach to our children. The impact on their self-esteem of the delivery of a successful speech is huge. As teachers, though, we also need to recognise that young children are at a vulnerable stage in terms of peer approval, and so the class needs to be made aware that they sit quietly and listen to their classmates’ speeches; they applaud when they finish; and they make positive comments. Having attended and judged school speech days, I can always spot the child that will refuse to speak at all the next year because of the reaction they have just received to a speech they have worked hard on. We need to ensure that they view speech day as a positive experience and encourage them to develop their speaking skills in the classroom throughout the year, to reduce the chance of stage fright on competition day.

“ If you have a tendency to become nervous at these occasions, then decide a month out what your speech will be about, and draft a first copy. Then practise.”

If public speaking is something you struggle with and genuinely want to improve then you could look at joining your local Toastmasters group, where you will be able to constantly challenge yourself in the public speaking arena in the company of like-minded and supportive peers who will both encourage you and provide genuine feedback. Take all remarks positively. You might see some comments as negative, but they are the ones you can learn and grow from. You may be a perfectionist. Don’t be. You don’t need to have the perfect speech to be a good speaker. Speak from the heart, be genuine, and be passionate about your subject, and you will give a presentation that your audience will appreciate and learn from. Don’t take speaking too seriously. If it is fun for you, then it will be fun for your

Remember the words of Sydney Smith: “A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage.” Make sure the world gets to hear your message soon.

GLENN CAPELLI

Life lessons

Check for the truth – and then face it

spent many years travelling the world with a backpack. In an old market place somewhere in the Middle East I came across what was to become one of my favourite slogans. It was on a t-shirt: Denial is not a river in Egypt.” I know you have probably seen this slogan on bumper bar stickers, walled graffiti and Facebook posts, but it is worthy of a re-visit no matter how many times you have seen it and smiled. Swiss psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, in her 1969 work, On Death and Dying, outlined five stages of grief for people facing death or the death of a loved one. She proposed that often the first stage was denial. I recently received a sharp reminder about this. In my early years as a high school teacher, I had the joy of working with a colleague named Gary Finch. “Finchy” taught science and was popular. He was one of the fittest and most sporty blokes I have ever met, and his moviestar looks caused heads to turn everywhere. A few years into my backpacking period I managed to have Finchy employed as one of my staff running a teen village at Blue Star Camp in North Carolina. Again, he was a hit with everyone: a great summer camp counsellor, great jock and all round great bloke.

Teachers Matter

After summer camp in 1987, Finchy travelled onto Canada where he met his future wife. A decade later my wife and I visited the Finches and their two children in Toronto. He was still the larger-than-life athletic bloke living life with a smile.

Recently I was presenting at a conference on the Gold Coast in Australia and I received a message from a mutual friend that Finchy had died. There were no details at that stage, just that he was dead. My first and sudden response was one of disbelief. I just couldn’t comprehend it. My brain, heart, and tear ducts all said the same thing, “It must be a mistake.” How could Finchy possibly be dead?

With a few calls and emails and lots of shaking my head, I learned some details. When it emerged that his death had not been by a car accident or such, my disbelief/ denial bells rang loud. How could such a fit, athletic, superman like Finchy have died? It didn’t ring true. The death notices started to appear on a funeral web site and it became evident that his death was due to a brain tumour. Another layer of disbelief/denial then kicked in. Finchy was a man of sharp mind, how on Earth could that happen?

To deny/accept without checking and researching may be part of our brain’s way of making quick binary decisions: • Good/Bad • Right/Wrong • Agree/Disagree • Black/white • Yes/No • All/Nothing • On/Off

As I called mutual friends and mates of Finchy’s, each person responded with the same sense of disbelief/denial. “Can’t be. I was only talking on the phone with him a month ago. Are you sure?”

• Always/Never

Gradually I recalled my Middle Eastern market t-shirt and the work of Kubler-Ross. Denial wasn’t a river in Egypt; it was a first reaction to devastating news.

My mate’s marriage broke up, and he said, “I didn’t see it coming” where as all onlookers thought it obvious.

Maybe the Disbelief/Denial Response is one that is meant to be. On hearing news we might need to disbelieve before we seek further information – confirmation. When Jon Bon Jovi was reported dead on Facebook posts, it was kind of smart to read with a sense of disbelief and then go and seek further information before confirmation (or not). The “formula” may be: • Hear news • Check source(s) • Seek more information • Confirm • Or deny However, it seems that a lot of times we don’t do the clarifying. We deny and leave it at that. Or accept without checking and then spread the gossip.

We do this rather than thinking in a spectrum of possibilities and nuances. Perhaps this explains the following:

I didn’t do it, it wasn’t me; I did not have sexual relations with that woman. A CEO facing a culture of mismanagement and deceit said he failed to notice any signs. Two characters in Ernest Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises having a conversation. One character asks “How did you go bankrupt?” The other answers “Gradually, then suddenly.” Being smart – traveling to wisdom – means being aware that sometimes our default brain pattern, our default emotional position, can be denial. It doesn’t have to become the river we always swim in, it might just be the river we dip in and then swim through. There is another shore to stand on and look at things from a different perspective.

GLENn CAPELLI

jenny barrett

ProBot

Are you depriving your students of a 21st-century life skill? Meet the robots

BeeBot

only recently discovered the definition of a robot. I came across it in instructions for an educational robot used in workshop given by Tanya Greig. For a device to be a robot there are four things needed: • Sensors – to gather information about its area • Power – for energy • Motors – to give it movement • Control systems – to give it commands Send your students off to find robots in their environment — cars, fridges, industry, school — and identify their sensors, power source, motors, and how they are controlled.

Teachers Matter

Why use robots in education?

Robots provide a myriad of educational benefits due to their versatility. They foster cooperation, and encourage children to take turns, assume different roles within a team and manage themselves. They promote problem solving – how can we get the robot to do this? why didn’t that work? what do we need to do differently? Personally I have always valued robots as a wonderfully kinaesthetic way to introduce children to

Tami

programming (and as a spin off grammar and syntax generally). In this day and age programming is an essential skill. Don’t you want your students to be able to download an app and have the ability to change it to do what they want? This quote sums it for me: “For all their [Microsoft/Apple/government] education initiatives like the $100 laptop, they seem bent on providing information consumption devices, not tools that teach creative thinking and technological mastery. Web access for the poor would be great. But machines that kids out there can understand and program themselves? To those who shape our technical world, the notion remains not just inaccessible, but strangely inconceivable.” (See Why Johnny can’t code by David B r i n p u b l i s h e d i n S A L O N w w w. s a l o n . com/2006/09/14/basic_2/)] By focusing on programming and robotics, students get an important 21 st century life skill and also explore creativity in a kinaesthetic way. Those budding engineers, architects and designers (which we are desperately short of) can reveal themselves, just as school radio stations are uncovering our future singers, journalists and DJs.

Robots provide a hidden benefit: They can help manage behaviour. It is amazing what a child will do if they know that their turn with the robots depends on it. Robots stimulate immense motivation and interest. Robot activities are easy to differentiate to support multi-level teaching and learning. They are fantastic tools for increasing oral language, putting the importance of grammar into context and for extending vocabulary.

What robots are used in education? Today robots are relatively cheap and are owned by schools. Some of the cheaper ones are available in every class. Some schools encourage their use across the curriculum; others have robot units. For early years and junior, there are robots like the BeeBot. This robot can remember up to 40 simple directional commands and is programmed by using arrows. Students then move onto a ProBot that supports from using arrows to using a programming language, Logo. This robot also has a pen holder so students begin to use the logo programming language to control degrees rotated and distance travelled to draw shapes or letters.

jenny barrett

of a scene from The Hungry Caterpillar and then put the pictures under the transparent mat. They can then recount the story by programming the BeeBot to move around the pictures in the correct order. Students led the introduction of the robots into the school curriculum. A group of year six boys were given the task learning how to use them and creating educational tasks for other classes. They then trained all the teachers and also ran workshops for five other schools at a kid’s conference. Sandy Bornholdt, the ICT facilitator, says of the integration: “The ownership over the learning process and engagement shown by students are just two of the many benefits of using robots to explore concepts within the curriculum. The students are almost magically drawn into learning through the practical / hands-on process of problem solving or trial and error, which in turn encourages them to rework their ideas and persevere to get not just a result, but the best result possible. In finding solutions, students are encouraged to collaborate with each other, to think both logically and creatively as well as use the specific language, symbols and texts within many of the different learning areas.” Later at the ICT Cluster Group’s Conference “Kids Rewired,” students were encouraged to share their learning. One of the guests reported back, “I could not believe how passionate the students were about what they were doing. I was completely knocked back by the degree of understanding the students had of measurement and geometry (angles) concepts in mathematics.”

At this stage students usually want to move on to build their own robots, and there are many options available such as Lego or the Tamis (pictured). You may then see some students move from the hands-on robots to the programming side of things with Scratch, MicroWorlds or Minecraft, whilst others just keep building bigger and better robots. Competitions such as the Robocup are available.

Greerton Village School’s Kids Rewired Programme

The programme was met with such enthusiasm by the children and parents that the school was able to buy more Bots, with some parents offering to sponsor a Bot each.

Greerton Village School bought a starter pack of BeeBots that included six robots and a variety of mats: an alphabet mat (for letter recognition, phonics and spelling), a race track mat (for numeracy / time), a treasure island mat (for grid references and storytelling), a street mat (for recounts and great for ESOL) and a transparent mat that acts as an overlay so the students could create their own activities for the BeeBot. For example students each make a picture

jenny barrett

Ideas for Use Ideas courtesy of Greerton Village School

Teachers Matter

Geometry with the Bee-Bot

Programming with the ProBot One group of students designed, built and painted a route and another group had to programme the Pro-Bot to navigate it, stopping, turning, sensing darkness in a tunnel and putting its lights on and even tooting its horn. This involves using basic Logo programming to select the degree rotation and the distance travelled, as well as an understanding of how to programme the sensors.

Creating with the Tami Robot The Tami robots include step-by-step instructions to design an array of different robots such as a car, a windmill, a lighting display, a crab, a turtle and a bug. You can also build “avoiders” who sense an approaching object and veer away or do whatever you ask it to do (so can be quickly morphed into a fighting robot!). Once these are mastered, students will be able

to use the kits to design and programme their own robots, and the world is their oyster. And it really will be, as your students will not just be consumers of technology, but may discover a passion to become the architects, designers and inventors of the future.

karen tobich

So here is a step-by-step guide:

Healthy “fast food” at home and on the go Go healthy, jar by jar

re you sick of the same school lunch day after day, week after week? Do you want to eat healthier, but you simply don’t have the time or energy to even think about it, let alone plan it? Do you come home at the end of the day and the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen? In the upcoming issues, you will find healthy, quick, fast and fun solutions for you to eat healthier on the go or when you’re just too tired to prepare a healthy meal.

The Secret: Preserving jars

1. Collect your jars; make sure they are clean and that they all have lids. Store them in your kitchen where they are easy to access. 2. Buy the ingredients for your favourite salads and fruit and veggie snacks for the week. Use a variety and colour. Remember eat the rainbow and eat five-plus a day.

restrict yourself. Collect as many different types of jars as you can, and I can guarantee you’ll find a use for them all.

3. D o a l l t h e p r e p a r a t i o n i n o n e g o . Experiment; try new recipes; and most of all have fun.

Storing your ready-to-eat food in preserving jars makes healthy food real tempting, even to those in the family who are not dedicated to healthy eating.

4. Dressing and dips go in first.

Here is what I do after my trip to the local farmer’s market: I prepare salads for our evening meals, plus some healthy, on-thego options for my busy work week. My philosophy when it comes to fruit and veggies: • Eat plenty • Eat the rainbow • Eat it every day • Have it ready to go

5. On top of your dressing, use rather “hearty” vegetables, such as shredded cabbage, pea pods, or julienne carrot matchsticks, celery or onion. They can withstand the acidity of the dressing, and actually get better. 6. Last add the lettuce. You do not want your lettuce touching the dressing or it will go soggy. 7. Screw on the lids and label your jars and store them in your fridge. Your salads will last six to seven days. In the next issue, I will give you some yummy recipes that are a bit more substantial and include healthy grains and protein options.

Glass is a non-toxic way to prepare and store your food for easy, fast and healthy eating. It is the best and simplest way to avoid dangerous plastics and the toxins they contain. Plastics usually include toxic chemicals that leach out into our food and water particularly if they are heated. Preserving jars are sturdy, come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes and if you don’t already have a stockpile, you will be able to find them inexpensively in opportunity shops and at garage sales and flea markets. You can also ask you auntie, your neighbours and friends. In my experience, every variation on size, shape and style is useful in some way. Don’t

robyn pearce

Yes, there is life outside of school Protecting your time and sanity

or many educationalists the job is a vocation. We don’t just go the extra mile, but the extra 10 miles, for the sake of the students and the satisfaction of a job well-done. This wonderful commitment is well and good, but if we’ve also got children at home, how do we find reserves for our own loved ones?

“ How can you lift your flagging energy, keep up with everything and still feel even half-way sane by the time you collapse into bed?”

If you’ve got young children, you know the routine. You’ve had a hectic day with everyone else’s kids; you’re looking forward to being home with your nearest and dearest, but you know there’s a battle zone to hack through before you sink tiredly down with your slippers. The wee darlings can’t wait to share their day’s stories – their trials and tribulations, their joys and successes with Mum and Dad.

So, no matter how tired you are, no matter how bad your day’s been, you’re bombarded with an onslaught of noise as soon as you open your door. How can you lift your flagging energy, keep up with everything and still feel even half-way sane by the time you collapse into bed?

Teachers Matter

Try these parent sanity strategies:

At first there was a lot of giggling, noses pressed up against the glass door of the lounge and curiosity about what they were

1. The 10-minute quiet zone This strategy was told to me by a two-parent family, but it could easily be adapted for a single-parent one. Even if you don’t have kids, the logic behind the system is great. As soon as the second parent walked in the door, both parents retired to the lounge with a cup of tea or a drink and spent 10 minutes

actually doing in there (nothing too risqué). Within a matter of days, however, it became “the way we do things round here.” Now no notice is taken of the homecoming until both parents have spent those few winddown minutes together and are ready to face the beloved troops. And an unexpected by-product this family experienced was the continued calmness once everyone was together. What started as a buffer zone of calm expanded into the rest of the evening. 2. Get a school girl to help When my six kids were little I had several bouts of burnout and ill-health. (They all arrived in a nine-year period, including an intellectually handicapped foster son, so it was a busy world.) My wise doctor advised me to get a school girl in after school to help with the “hell hour.” We had little money, but for a small wage Leonie used to bath

photo: nyul

Time out for teachers who are parents

relaxing together and quietly catching up on the day. No children were allowed in the room and parent-child dialogue had to wait.

kids, pick up toys, peel the spuds, get in the washing, and whatever else I needed. It was some of the best money I ever spent. 3. Beware of multi-tasking Don’t try to multi-task when your kids haven’t seen you for a while. Give them concentrated attention for a time, and then you’ll be able to claim some quiet time once they’re either in bed or engaged

robyn pearce

5. The 80/20 Rule: Housework style Let go of the unimportant things; work the 80/20 rule. Twenty percent of your precious time spent doing a surface tidy-up will generate 80 percent of the impact. Don’t be a perfectionist. When my kids were young, the house was almost always messy. I was constantly grateful for the four minutes warning of approaching visitors afforded by our long drive. I can’t tell you how many times baking dishes and pots were hidden in the oven as a car slowly ground up the hill. One day I even had to use the washing machine to stow the kitchen mess. It constantly amazed me how much better the bombsite masquerading as our home looked with dirty dishes out of sight, the sofa throw-over pulled up tidily and the worst of the toy mess picked up off the floor. Perhaps that’s where I learnt to move quickly and deal with the most important things first. However, remember that visitors come to see you, not the house. If that’s not so, either don’t encourage the picky ones to come, or give them a broom and tea towel.

in other activities. Trying to answer email, make phone calls, do the dinner, clean the house and give the kids some quality attention will only frustrate all of you. 4. If you’re a two-parent family, take turns having a “do-nothing” day. How’s this for a delicious scenario? The “onduty” parent gives the resting one breakfast in bed and then takes the little darlings out

for as much of the day as possible. Or the off-duty one heads off to do whatever they want, but not work. Luxury! And there are many variations on this theme, depending on your family and parenting situation. The basic principle: “me” time is important, necessary and wonderfully re-energising. Don’t leave it to chance. Plan it into your regular schedule.

6. Are you trying to do too much? Keep life simple Before you take on another commitment, ask yourself, “Does this fit with the life I want to live?” If life is up to full capacity, think ver y carefully before taking on anything else. And maybe there are some things you could drop.

Barbara griffith & tricia kenyon

The Great Orlando Author Illustrator Publisher ISBN

Ben Brown Helen Taylor Scholastic NZ 978-1-77543-087-2

Do you believe in magic? The story of one boy who did

unday Jones, who thinks of himself as the Great Orlando, lives with his cruel and miserable father in a rough broken-down house. His mother, who cared for him and tried to protect him, has died. His mother told him wonderful bedtime stories about the Great Orlando, a boy magician, and fired up his imagination.

Characters

The school principal announces that there will be an end-of-year concert at the school, and Sunday decides he will be a great magician, like the Great Orlando, and he uses this concert, in a most unexpected way, to find freedom from his father and his miserable life.

Appearance

This story is suitable for all ages, but does offer some sophisticated ideas to explore with older children.

Illustrations Three recurring symbols/motifs in the illustrations include:

Using this diagram or a similar one, add words below each heading that tell us about Sunday Jones before the concert. EGs

Home

Family

School

Place of fear

Mum is dead

Feels safe

Sunday Jones

unkept

Personality

Ambitions

Accepting of fate

Likes Bedtime stories

Dislikes How Dad treats him

There are two parts to this activity, we suggest that the email from task A is given to a different person for a response, then pair shared and class shared. Before undertaking this activity, explain advice columns to your students: a) Sunday Jones has written an email to an advice column in a magazine, wanting some help with his situation. What would he write, in your words please? b) If you were the person who wrote the answers for the advice column, what advice would you give him?

Teachers Matter

• Blue butterfly

• Cards

Complete the Venn diagrams showing the similarities and differences between you and Sunday Jones, and between Sunday’s dad and your dad.

• Doves Explain what each symbol/motif symbolises, eg. freedom, chance. Explain how the each symbol/motif has been used to add more information to the overall storyline.

Sunday Jones

You

Sunday’s Dad

your Dad

Barbara griffith & tricia kenyon

Storyline Create a timeline of the story that shows how Sunday feels as the story progresses. Identify the main events, and use words and sketches on the timeline.Discuss with a partner what you think happened after the end of year concert.

Feels Positive

Mother alive Mother dead

Feels Negative

Themes Several themes that are developed throughout the storyline: A) Can you identify at least two? Eg Abuse, hope, revenge, freedom, domination B) Which do you think is the major theme and why?

Art Produce a concert programme highlighting those performing. Include time and place and any costs.

Open Questions

Vocabulary

• What do you think Sunday believes in, and why?

Explain what these phrases from the story mean in your own words:

• Why didn’t Sunday run away? • Why was Sunday’s Dad so mean? • What has happened to Sunday and why do you think that?

…a kind of sadness that faded her away to nothing. .. and otherwise made his own way in the world. …his everyday name of Sunday Jones Jones made Sunday’s life a misery.

• Do you believe in magic?

..practised card trick sleight of hand

• What do you believe in?

A loud crack split the air……

Rowena Szeszeran-McEvoy

Never do a sit-up again How to really have a flat stomach

flat, tight, toned tummy does not come from doing crunches, sit-ups, planks, bridges or any other isolated “tummy” exercise. Your abdominal muscles function in the upright position, to hold you upright. If you want to make your abdominals stronger, you must overload them, in the upright position, with an exercise that works your whole body, such as big compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and chin-ups. Your abdominals are then working the way they function in everyday life to hold you upright. They are all hard exercises that work.

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Strong abdominals protect your lower back and give you great posture. But most people are thinking about getting rid of the flabby bits – fat – off of their abdominals. Keep in mind that a muscle is never flabby or fat, it is just weak or strong. And a sit-up, crunch, or plank burns no fat off your tummy. We

only burn fat out of our fat cells when we move in big movements, in the upright position, doing huffy puffy exercise, using, all of our big muscles. When we are fitter, we burn fat out of our fat cells faster. Ly i n g o n t h e f l o o r d o i n g a b d o m i n a l exercises or holding your body just off the floor in a plank will give you a burning sensation in your tummy area. This is not a sign of exploding fat cells or fat being burnt. That burning sensation is lactic acid, pushing up against your nerve endings causing a “burn,” commonly mistaken as fat exploding, but it is the exact opposite. Lactic acid means no fat is being burnt because lactic acid is not produced in your aerobic, fat-burning system.

How to be lean, fit, strong and energetic • Get your heart pumping fast every day so you get fit and burn fat. Fit peopleburn fat faster than an unfit person, even when they are resting. • Drink water regularly, enough so that your tinkle is clear. • Eat real food that still looks like it came out of the ground. • Eat for your energy expenditure: If you move little, eat little. If you move more, eat more.

We all make the excuse that we have so little time to exercise. When you do invest the time, please do not invest it in silly exercises.

photo: Chris Dorney

Rowena Szeszeran-McEvoy

photo: Rui Santos

“ If you want to make your abdominals stronger, you must overload them, in the upright position, with an exercise that works your whole body”

wendy sweet

Encouraging healthy behaviour for life Teachers can make a difference.

ot on the heels of Sport New Zealand’s survey of young people’s activity choices (released in October 2012) comes the Ministry of Health’s report on children’ health (released in December 2012). The report highlights a number of salient issues. Whilst the link between low socio-economic level and poor health has been widely documented, the recent health sur vey acknowledges that asthma, obesity and emotional/behavioural problems are increasing for New Zealand children. Regardless of gender, ethnicity and age, children in the most deprived areas suffer most from these health conditions the most. In tr ying to determine why, the health survey followed on from the previous 2006/2007 health survey and presented several health behaviours and risk indicators that are known influences on children’s health. These indicators included: the introduction of solid food to infants at four months (rather than the recommended six months), skipping breakfast, the amount of time viewing television, and changes to obesity status.

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Since the last health survey, the obesity rate in children has increased eight percent. The rise in obesity in both Maori and Pacifica (one in four for both groups) children has increased.

Public health messages about obesity management after the 2006/2007 health survey focused on eating breakfast and daily physical activity. On the whole, the breakfast message is working: Nine out of 10 children eat breakfast at home every day. However, 78 percent of girls aged 10 -14 years were less likely to eat breakfast compared with boys of the same age. Nutritionists throughout the country know that the consumption of fizzy drinks has a huge influence on caloric intake. High in sugar and low in nutrients, fizzy drinks have been denigrated by nutritionists and dental practitioners. The health survey reports that older children’s consumption of fizzy drinks, hasn’t changed since the last survey in 2006/2007.

Neither has the amount of time watching television, which averaged two to three hours per day in all age-groups. Fifty-nine percent of Pacific children were watching two or more hours per day. This was a higher rate than for non-Pacific children.

up what is known in health behaviour as “an ecological model” of obesity. As all teachers know, changes to lifestyle are not easy, even more so when the majority of children rely on parents and care-givers for a healthy lifestyle.

The recent health survey did not report on physical activity participation, only active transport to school, i.e. walking, biking and skate boarding. For an overview of physical activity participation, one has to turn to Sport New Zealand’s (previously SPARC) Young People’s survey results from September 2012. In contrast to the doom and gloom of the health survey, it reports that most Kiwi kids are actively engaged in sports. Interestingly, most young people from different ethnic backgrounds said that they liked playing sport a lot.

The United States National Weight Control Registry places nutrition above exercise for starting to manage obesity. This makes sense because it’s difficult for an obese person to exercise in an intense way. In the early stages of obesity management, the purpose of physical activity is not just for energy expenditure. The idea is for the individual to consistently allocate time for exercising so that it becomes a daily habit. As obese children exercise daily as well as increase their energy from changing their diet, we hope they gain more energy to partake in a preferred activity.

More challenges

Supporting children to develop healthful daily habits is a constant challenge for teachers. The teacher becomes the motivator and moderator of behaviour change strategies. Knowledge of behaviour change strategies is therefore an important tool in a teacher’s tool box. Systematic reviews of behaviour change techniques indicate that a number of strategies are necessary. Some of these strategies include: self-monitoring by the obese individual, i.e., keeping an activity and/ or eating diary or log-book and having a health professional check up on the recorded information, making adjustments and offering advice as required) and motivational interviewing, i.e., asking questions in such a way as to empower the person to make their own decisions about their daily habits). Perhaps the most salient technique for enabling behaviour change: Ensure that the obese child is surrounded by the right support people. They are known to have a positive and long-lasting effect. It is the motivational and educational support that each teacher provides that will have the most impact on a child’ ability to sustain the discipline and motivation necessary to undertake and stay engaged in healthful behaviours “for life.”

However, a conundrum emerges when the definition of “enjoyable sport” meant different things to different genders and ethnicities. For example, young Maori boys (11-14 years) enjoyed skate-boarding and rugby league more than the average boy. Rugby league and walking were more popular with Pacific boys, and badminton and walking were more popular with Asian boys. Activity preferences also differed in girls. Touch and Maori activities (e.g. kapa-haka) were more popular with Maori girls, compared with basketball, touch and volleyball being more popular for Pacific girls. Badminton was most popular with Asian girls. Kids of all ages also stated that they enjoyed swimming, athletics, rugby, football, running/jogging and cycling. Obesity is a complex health problem. Most health behaviour researchers acknowledge that obesity is caused by environment (e.g. availability of healthy food; access to safe activity areas within a community etc.), behaviour (e.g. daily activity or sedentary habits, emotional status, discipline and food-triggers) and biology (e.g. genetic links such as hormonal status) components. These three components interact and make

photo: hjillchen

wendy sweet

photo: Mandy Godbehear

bette blancE

Teaching the bullies

Life lessons can lessen the conflict

Teachers Matter

atching the recently screened TV program Bullied to Death: The Tragedy of Phoebe Prince several thoughts came to mind.

This scenario is no doubt played over and over throughout the schools in many countries: New female student arrives at a school, leaving behind friends at a previous school. At first the student is popular, perhaps because of a novelty factor. Then the girl is seen as a competitor for the popular boys of the school. The perpetrators join forces to threaten and punish the victim. Without intervention this can be an ongoing barrage - deliberate, calculated, purposeful. Phoebe Prince hung herself, after the ongoing verbal assault over many months became intolerable.

A similar scenario occurred at the school when I was deputy principal. The new 11-year-old girl arrived – very attractive and bubbly – and at first was welcomed into the group of popular girls. The friendship and the subsequent behaviour of all of the girls deteriorated to what could only be called a cat fight with physical abuse escalating. The teacher was unable to resolve the issue and parents became involved. I used an intervention called the Solving C i r c l e f r o m D r G l a s s e r ’s b o o k C h o i c e Theor y: A New Psychology for Personal Freedom. First negotiating with the girls individually to invite their commitment to work it out, we then met as a group to talk about whose behaviour we can control and change. Agreeing that it was up to each individual to manage their own behaviour, they each agreed to do two things to improve the friendship.

The long-term results of the intervention: The girls involved in the whole situation at school are still friends. The Solving Circle had lasting impact. In the TV program, there was blaming, criticism and calls for punishment of the bullies and of the education staff. Legislation was introduced involving the mandatory reporting of bullying. Nowhere in the article was there any thought given to the system and how a school can help students learn to resolve differences. Until schools change their system to one where issues like this are worked out, bullying will continue and unhappy students may take the ultimate choice of taking their own lives.

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“Sorry:” the world’s rewind button

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Students sign on for confidence

Identify key areas for an effective, fulfilling and sustainable teaching career.

Humour and the Habits of Mind

Scrapbooking: Just like Facebooking?

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Connect with a blog

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Think your way out of stress

THE ULTIMATE FRAMEWORK FOR LEARNING AND LIFE

How to Really Say “Goodnight”

Friendly vs. Approachable

Being a hero to your students

IS THERE A TIGER IN YOUR CLASSROOM? Managing the stress of flight-or-fight

Use predicting to improve attention

KEEPING THINKING FRONT AND CENTRE Students need to think about how they are thinking.

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Using Portfolios

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A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank... but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.

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– Forest Witcraft

the last word: Karen Boyes

Developing persistent learners Help your students stretch and keep on going

ersistence is the ability to stick to a task, especially when the going gets tough. It is being able to hang in there and keep going when a task becomes challenging, never giving up and keeping on going.

3. As a teacher you may hear yourself saying, “who has another way to solve this?” or “What’s another way?” Develop a bank of different strategies and ways to approach a task. 4. Allow children to be proud of and display their draft work along side the finished piece of work to show the development and persistence that took place. A fantastic book that shows the persistence of an author is Dr Seuss’ Hooray For Diffendoofer Day. It shows Dr Seuss’ workings and changes, as well as his developing thought processes in writing the book.

photo: lightwise

Do your students say often say, “It’s too hard,” so they don’t have to think any further? Do they crumple up their paper and say, “I can’t do this,” meaning so I don’t have to do this? These show lack of

2.Teach your students to find at least three ways to solve a problem so they have a backup if one strategy doesn’t work. The more ways you have to solve a problem, the more likely you are to keep going.

persistence. Dr Art Costa, the co-founder of the Habits of Mind, says “teaching persistence is a matter of teaching strategy. Persistence does not just mean working to get it right. Persistence means knowing that getting stuck is a cue to ‘try something else.’” Here are some ideas you might model or adapt to develop persistence in your classroom: 1 . Give your students a repertoire of problem-solving strategies. Invite students to make a plan before solving a problem and if plan A does not work, use plan B, C, D or E.

5. A great activity to introduce persistence is to teach your students to juggle, and it’s even better if you don’t know how. Find a book on juggling and all start together. You will be learning at the same. Great role modeling.

6. Use a simple sticker reward chart to reward ever y time you catch someone persisting. It can simply say “We are persistent,” with names ticked underneath. 7. Persistence awards or ribbons may be given out at assembly. 8. When displaying students’ work that they have persisted at, create a sign that says, “We have been persistent” to show case the development for this Habit of Mind. 9. Assign reflection writing or journaling after a task, activity or day with the question: How did I show I’m persistent today?

10. Parallels may be drawn between a character in a book and a student. For instance, after reading The Tortoise and The Hare, discuss how the tortoise was persistent and how the student shows persistence in other settings, such as home. 11. It is often said, “Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure.” Study people such as Sir Edmund Hillary, first to climb to the top to Mt Everest, sporting heroes, para Olympians or entrepreneurs. Meet with successful people in your community and have students ask questions about the tough times and how they kept going. Gold medalists will often talk about 10 years of training to get to the top. As Margaret Carty says, “Be like the postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.” However, there are also times students need to know when to stop, when to say enough is enough. Some students want to rework their ideas over and over again, in a search for perfection. Teach these students to strive for excellence rather than perfection, which is unattainable. Most important: If your students are not developing persistence in your classroom, possibly the work they are being given is not stretching them. You will see the need for persistence when students, and adult for that matter, are stuck, when they don’t know what to do. In order to persist, students must feel safe in their classroom environment to take risks, make mistakes, think flexibly and even undertake something they have not done before. Create a culture in your classroom and school where it is OK to be different, to give new ideas a whirl and where persistence is celebrated.

Finally a book for parents that explains and demonstrates the Habits of Mind in the home ... Raising Caring, Capable Kids with Habits of Mind is all about ensuring that children leave home with the wider skills they will need to thrive throughout their lives. The Habits of Mind movement created by Art Costa and Bena Kallick in the US is tried and tested in schools. But this book breaks new ground in taking the Habits of Mind out of the classroom and into the home. Clearly explained theory and research is complemented by really practical and useful examples for parents to try out. This book offers wonderful support for parents across the world who want to help their children succeed and thrive. Parents who adopt these methods can help their children become powerful learners, well-equipped for the 21st century world in which we are raising them. Raising Caring, Capable Kids with Habits of Mind provides many engaging stories and examples for parents to their help children succeed and thrive in school as well as in life. There are practical tips that apply to daily life with children _ for issues big and small _ everything from managing homework to resolving arguments between siblings to encouraging the reluctant child. This is essential reading for every parent and a must on every schools resource library shelf...

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