Teachers Matter Magazine issue 31 by Karen Tui Boyes

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Why schools need to be learning ecosystems p7

6 simple steps for successful collaboration p10

The stress response in a nutshell p20

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EDITOR’S NOTE

I hope you have all returned to work after having a relaxing break. I have spent a wonderful few weeks in the Coromandel with my family and I am confident 2016 will be a fantastic year for all involved in the educational sector. This issue of Teachers Matter is a great way to kick the year off. We have some exciting new contributors including Anna Meuli, Jo Lunn, Simon Ashby and Kathryn Berkett (among others) who have written about ways to encourage your students to engage in more complex thought, collaborative learning environments, utilising your students’ passions through Genius Hour, and why children react to stress in different ways. Educational practices are ever-changing and evolving, and I have been following with great interest the ‘rise’ of modern learning environments and the ‘comeback’ of collaborative learning environments in many schools. Cheryl Doig likens the education system to an ecosystem, and says that while you can’t fix the existing system, you can create new structures and migrate to them. I believe it is imperative that before a school, or syndicate of teachers embarks on adopting a new practice, they develop a clear understanding of exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. In her article Jo Lunn discusses how developing a shared vision for learner outcomes is vital and that it is through talking that these visions can be developed and strengthened. If you are lucky enough to be involved in the development of a new practice or structure in your school or classroom have fun, but make sure you truly understand the ‘why’ behind why you are making the change. If you were lucky enough to attend the 2016 Teachers Matter Conference I know you will have had a fantastic time, and come away with many practical ideas to put in place this term!

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CONTENTS

In this issue COVER ILLUSTRATION BY ALPHASIRIT

p14 - Managing some difficult behaviour

p27 - TThe trouble with punishment

Editor’s note

How to help children experience the rewards of full engagement

6 simple steps for successful collaboration

SARAH LINEHAN

Show caution when implementing change MAGGIE DENT

Managing some difficult behaviour MEGAN GALLAGHER

Teachers Matter

Utilising your students’ passions through ‘Genius Hour’

Who are you selling as role models?

Building a thriving collaborative learning environment Tips to help enjoy yourself on duty ANDREW MURRAY

The trouble with punishment...

KATE SOUTHCOMBE

SIMON ASHBY

Fair boundaries to support your administration staff

Demystifying depth and complexity ANNA MEULI

Voices for positive schools: an Australian perspective DR HELEN STREET, FENNY MULIADI & NEIL PORTER

Quote

5 minute brain exercises

EVER GARRISON

KIM CHAMBERLAIN

ROBYN PEARCE

Tips to encourage student accountability in the classroom LAUREN RIVERS

TRACEY EZARD

Setting yourself up for study success KAREN BOYES

STEPHEN LETHBRIDGE

JO LUNN

The stress response in a nutshell KATHRYN BERKETT

DR LAURA MARKHAM

p39 - Voices for positive schools: an Australian perspective

Becoming multi-lingual In thinking and feeling KATE MASON

Learning to write an argument ALAN COOPER

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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 Â© Spectrum Education 2016 All rights reserved.

p60 - The power of the mini-energy break 51

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A to Z of effective teaching

Nature-deficit disorder

How using set routines can help you increase your effectiveness

OLIVER WENDELL HOLMS JR. KAREN BOYES

MAGGIE HOS-MCGRANE

MICHAEL GROSE

Nature is great for your brain TERRY SMALL

The power of the mini-energy break

KARA-LEAH GRANT

p62 - Why outdoor play is so important 62

Why outdoor play is so important THERESE HOYLE

66 68

73 75

The value of transferrable skills for school leavers

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!

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Presentations for Teachers: • Living & Learning with the Habits of Mind • Creating An Effective Learning Environment • The Many Ways the Brain Learns and Remembers • Developing Independent Learners & Thinkers

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CHERYL DOIG

Why schools need to be learning ecosystems Prevent your school from becoming irrelevant

In my work as a leadership futurist I have the pleasure of supporting schools and organisations that are committed to extending their thinking and taking action towards a preferred future. This is not always easy in conservative communities, but the openness of a leader’s mindset is crucial. Adaptive leaders understand that schools are #learningecosystems and that the status quo will ultimately lead to the death of the organisation. When I hear a school leader saying that they don’t need to change because they are already top of the league table and have a waiting list… I wonder how long they will survive. I use #learningecosystem deliberately – no acronym! A #learningecosystem is a living organisation, constantly adjusting to be fit for purpose. It acknowledges and learns

“ You can’t fix the existing system. You need to create new structures and migrate to them.”

from the past but changes constantly. These changes will become increasingly disruptive. Technology is a key driver of change, a disrupter that will have an exponential effect on all organisations, and schools are not exempt. Salim Ismail describes this well in his latest book, Exponential Organizations. Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to Salim talk about the Exponential Organization in more depth. Here are my key ideas relevant to schools (and just as relevant to other organisations): • Update curriculum in real time in order to keep up with the pace of change. This means constantly creating and interpreting curriculum based on feedback loops from students, scanning the environment and spotting signals early. Exponential change starts off looking incremental but as it doubles… whoosh. • Use digital technologies to augment the human experience. This means intentionally designing high order thinking processes to create powerful learning. Without this digital technologies are an add-on for doing today’s work – functional but not connected. • Move from scarcity to abundance. This means teachers and schools working collaboratively and passionately for the common good. • Be open to ideas, to information, to structures, to sharing, to community. This means continually testing your own assumptions and flexing the muscles of an outwards mindset.

PHOTO: KIKKERDIRK

chools are moving to new models of learning and becoming more aware of the need to scan the environment, to think beyond their current paradigms of schooling, and to consider what is needed for the future success of learners. At least some schools are…

• Find your Massive Transformational Purpose (MTP). This means identifying your aspirational purpose and living it in heart and mind. • Pull don’t push. This means co-designing with users of the system so they want to be part of the movement. Meaningful and connected involvement is irresistible. Grow the tribe. You can’t fix the existing system. You need to create new structures and migrate to them. My twitter feed has been alive with people who are disrupting education, who are not (and will not be irrelevant). I am sensing a sea change in education in New Zealand, and particularly in Christchurch. As change makers at the edge it is important to keep bringing from the outside in. Share bold ideas with others. Help them connect. Listen. Stretch. Act.

PHOTO: MICHAEL LE ROI

DR LAURA MARKHAM

How to help children experience the rewards of full engagement And why engagement is so important

nthusiasm. Engagement. It’s almost the definition of childhood. A jaded, withdrawn child is a red flag that something is very wrong. But what happens as they grow up, and modern life gets in the way? “If I were able to give my children any gift to sustain them in life, I believe I might give them passion for what they do. For if they can live from the heart, they will surely touch the sky.” -Steve Goodier

Teachers Matter

We all recognise that feeling of full engagement that gives meaning to our lives; when we apply ourselves so completely to the task at hand that we tap into all our resources and then some we never knew we had.

Abraham Maslow described these as “peak moments,” sports stars call it “being in the zone”, Zen masters express it as being fully present. Somehow, we bring ourselves so completely to the moment that we seem to step out of time, even out of ourselves. For all of us, it is when we are most fully alive. Zen masters, of course, can experience this ecstatic state while doing the laundry or stirring the oatmeal, and such experiences, at least occasionally, are one of the many benefits of a regular meditation practice or athletic

regimen. Small children actually live in this state much of the time. Most humans, however, are more likely to experience peak moments while striving t o war ds a go a l . D op am i n e , a h i g h l y pleasurable neurotransmitter released in the brain in response to alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, cocaine and other mood altering drugs, is naturally present in the brain when we wholeheartedly pursue a goal. Study after study exploring happiness indicates that humans are happiest when they are fully engaged in a challenging activity. In our culture, the satisfaction and pleasure humans get from achieving goals has become warped by the emphasis on money and possessions. Although many of us continue to pursue more material things, including higher salaries, their attainment is less satisfying the more we have. Unfortunately, this is true for kids as well. Studies show that affluent children are more likely to be bored, less enthusiastic, and less likely to report deriving pleasure from their activities. Engagement is protective for children. Kids who are passionate about

something -- basketball, chess, collecting comic books, playing the trumpet – tend to protect their passion. Smoking compromises the trumpet player’s wind, late nights carousing throw off the ball player’s game, and the serious student knows she wants her mind clear for tomorrow’s test. So how can we help our children to experience the rewards of full engagement? 1. Remember that happiness results more from the fully engaged pursuit of a meaningful goal than from its attainment. As hard as it is for you, don’t be too quick to satisfy all their desires. Help your children set meaningful goals and work towards them. In our age of instant gratification, this is a lost art form. 2. Help kids find something meaningful to them to strive for. Most kids today don’t have to work and save for that new bike; we buy it for them as soon as they outgrow their old one. But if you’re buying him the bike for his birthday, what other goal would matter for him? Shooting a certain number of baskets

DR LAURA MARKHAM in a row? Landing a part in the school play? Reading the collected works of Shakespeare? Coaxing a smile from the dour old lady at the corner store? Organising the other kids to ask the city council for a new soccer field? 3. Support their passions; don’t try to give them yours. Your fourteen year old spends every spare moment practicing with his band, when you wish he would study more? It’s fine to uphold family standards (“Homework comes first!”) but recognise how lucky you are that your son has found himself the passion of making music. Remember that it’s fine for you to come up with suggestions, but if you have to provide the momentum, it isn’t their passion. Usually kids develop passions one step at a time, when they get encouragement and support from parents about a new interest.

PHOTO: KUZMICHSTUDIO

4. Emphasise pursuit of what really matters. In a culture that glorifies wealth and celebrity, it takes clarity and intention to pose a meaningful alternative, but we owe our children the reassurance that life is more than glittering emptiness. Share your heroes and sheroes with your kids. It may not be as cool to have a picture of Martin Luther King or Ghandi on their walls as Michael Jordan or JLo, but kids need to know they can strive to make the world a better place – and accomplish it. 5. Be aware of addictions that undermine engagement. The siren call of the computer game, for instance, can easily trump the budding passion of the jazz buff. Writing a story takes more work and self-management than watching TV, as is true for all great passions. But that engagement and the sense of accomplishment that results is why we grow from pursuing our dreams. 6. Remember that grand aspirations become reality one step at a time. “Dad, it’s so cold, I wish these homeless people had a place to go!” and “Mum, I wish I could learn Italian!” are opportunities to help your child grow. Yes, these are big challenges, but you WANT her to think big. The trick in tackling a big goal is breaking it into small pieces: “Let’s go home and get a blanket to give that homeless man,” or “Let’s start learning a few Italian phrases by buying a tape to listen to together while we’re driving to Grandma’s this weekend.”

7. Remember to model rewarding ourselves ...for each step we make in the right direction. Often this reward is as simple as self praise, but every bit of progress deserves celebration. And of course, reward effort as well as results. “I know you can’t actually speak Italian yet, but you’ve been working so hard on learning new words! Let’s celebrate with an Italian dessert tonight.” 8. If your child’s passion is making the world a better place... ...what a wonderful passion that is. Be aware that both of you will be likely to confront feelings of hopelessness as you really engage with the problems of the world. Giving one blanket to a homeless man is likely to make her feel temporarily better, but also to drive home for her just how entrenched injustice is in our society. It helps if you can remind yourself and her that every positive thing we do matters, even when we can’t see how. Remember the starfish story:

A man walking along a beach came upon a little boy running frantically along the sand, picking up starfish and tossing them gently into the water. “What are you doing?” he asked. “The tide is going out, and these starfish will die here on the shore,” the boy answered, barely looking up. The man studied the beach for a minute. There were hundreds of starfish lying in the hot sun. “But you can’t possibly save them all,” he said. “It isn’t worth it.” The boy looked up. “It’s worth it to this one!” he cried, as he tossed another starfish into the ocean.

L a u r a i s t h e f o u n d e r o f w w w. AhaParenting.com and author of Peaceful parent, happy Kids: How to stop yelling and start connecting. Laura trained as a psychologist, but she’s also a Mum, so she translates proven science into practical solutions.

JO LUNN

6 simple steps for successful collaboration Start with your school vision and work from there.

hile no collaboration of personnel and learners is ever the same, follow these six simple steps and you will be well on your way to establishing a collaborative learning space at your school.

1: TALK The first, and probably the most important aspect of successful collaboration, is talk. Making sure that you and your colleagues are on the same page is critical. Start with your school’s vision. Unpacking what it means for learners and the implications this has for your teaching, is the key to how your collaboration will work, and what it will look like for both the learners and the teachers. While the teachers might have different personalities and teaching styles, their vision for the outcomes for their learners MUST be the same. Having the same goals for your learners will help minimise conflict between the teaching team.

your shared vision. By not having a ‘boss’, everyone feels equally valued and all ideas are able to be negotiated.

throughout the week and ensures learners aren’t stuck in rotations for the three core subjects, for most of the day.

2: CREATE A TIMETABLE

3: GET DIGITAL

Next you will need to think about timetabling. I’ve lost count of how many tweaks we have made to our timetable! We started with one teacher’s timetable – like you would in a single cell class, and then we ran the other teacher’s timetable alongside it. Initially we started in the purest form of collaboration, where one teacher was responsible for teaching each of the curriculum areas, but it wasn’t long before we saw opportunities for providing more valuable learning e x p e r i e n c e s . We minimised any time a teacher was sitting ‘watching’ another teacher teach. For example, when one teacher is modelling Writing, the other teacher is taking a Writing Workshop with a group of children who opt in.

Teachers Matter

“Collaboration is a mind-set… and not about a fancy new classroom.”

Having said that, issues may come up that unless dealt with appropriately, could lead to conflict. It’s important to get them sorted as soon as they arise. Once again, the key to conflict is talk. Keep going back to the agreed upon vision as this will often guide you as to what is the ‘right’ answer. At Riverdale School, we have weekly ‘formal’ meetings in which we discuss the learners, the programme and make any tweaks we need to. The teachers involved in each learning space brainstorm ideas, build on these, and come to an agreed course of action. I suggest you listen to everyone’s thoughts and opinions, negotiate and collaboratively come up with a solution that will benefit the learners and help reach

We have found Google Docs and Sheets invaluable; all our planning is done online. We have set up tabs in our Google Sheets so that the term’s planning in a particular curriculum area is in one place. This is a quick as easy way to make sure everyone has immediate, up to date access to all planning and anecdotal notes on the lear ners’ achievement. We use Google Sheets to track progress too.

4: ESTABLISH INDEPENDENCE LEVELS FOR YOUR LEARNERS I tea c h Ye a r O n es a n d Two s a nd the thought of providing a Modern Learning Environment where the children would be free to choose where they sit and what

The key to timetabling is to change, change, and change it until it works for you and your learners. Remember you have the luxury of TWO or more teachers. Utilise all the teaching personnel you have to the fullest. We swap who teaches what every four weeks. We use our team Data-Monitoring and Target-Setting meetings as ‘hand-over’. Be creative with the timetable. You can afford to be – you have two teachers! Maybe more! We introduced STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) and Genius Hour, which have provided amazing learning and fun opportunities for our learners. Having multiple teachers allows you to offer a richer curriculum

Learners independently timetabling

JO LUNN they do was initially scary. So I introduced the ‘Press Pass’ – where the learners earn the right to be freelance workers. This ‘independence system’ meant I had control as to who was ready to be more responsible for their own learning. The whole system is a bit tricky to explain, but basically, there is a set of criteria that each child must fulfil to earn the ‘Press Pass’. One of the criteria is linked to the Writing Levels and this has had a positive effect on our learners’ writing (particularly our boys), as they strive to achieve the privileges that go with the next level of independence. Learners are introduced to Must Do’s and Can Do’s which are then scaffolded into their independent timetable. We have a large group of learners who have completed all the set criteria and are able to complete their own timetable and then work independently in our breakout spaces. All activities in our MLE have a task card which helps to reduce the Learners’ dependence on the teachers as they are able to follow the instructions and complete the activity independently.

5: MAKE LEARNING VISABLE Visible Learning is a new approach we have embraced this year. We have established workshops for Mathematics and Writing and these workshops are on display for the children to see. The idea of having the children’s names up where everyone can see them can be a bit daunting at first, but we have trained the learners (and parents) that it’s about celebrating progress, persistence and hard work - not achievement.

Learners self assessing their writing against a rubric

Learners know EXACTLY what they are working on and what their next step is. We are big on visible learning intentions, matrices, rubrics and success criteria. Children are self and peer assessing and are able to provide feedback and feed-forward to their peers.

6: SET UP WORKSHOPS Our Mathematics workshops have probably been our biggest success of the year. Based on Junior Assessment in Mathematics (JAM), our workshops focus on the key areas of Numeracy such as Numeral ID, Forward Sequences, Grouping and Place Value and Basic Facts etc. We have adjusted our timetable (once again) to let one teacher teach Strategy while the other covers Knowledge. We have created sets of activities for the Knowledge area. We begin each lesson with a Knowledge ‘hotspot’ and then I take the Stage 4 and 5s for a Strategy workshop, while my colleague takes the Stage 2 &3s for a Knowledge workshop. Half way through the lesson we swap groups. To minimise us both needing the same child to attend our workshop we have decided that the Strategy workshop has precedence. What is taught one day may be different the next, and since the Knowledge workshops are based on the same concept for two weeks, the child can complete the activity the next day. Learners have two instructional Maths lessons a day. What a ‘single cell’ teacher would cover in a year, we can cover in two terms. As a direct result, we are seeing accelerated progress in our learners’ achievement. Workshops are a great way to develop Learner Agency. In Physical Education, we have Workshops operating too. Learners are able to choose which workshop they want to attend. Most recently our focus has been on throwing and catching. The children were able to choose whether they wanted to work with large or small balls. Interestingly, all boys came to my small balls Workshop. One of the learners told my colleague he went because he can already throw and catch a large ball but he needs to learn how to catch a small ball. We have 5 and 6 year olds, able to identify their own learning needs.

IN CONCLUSION: Collaboration has enabled us to provide richer opportunities for learners to be leaders, to work co-operatively to be creative and problem-solve. We have made all learning outcomes visible to the children and are providing them with opportunities for specific target teaching that meets their diverse learning needs. Our learners have told us how they see us as a family, and that we all help each other learn. Our learners are making accelerated progress which would not be possible if they were in a single teacher classroom. Collaborating with colleagues is the way education is headed globally. I hope these six simple steps will help you make a good start. Good Luck!

Visible Learning enables learners to monitor their learning

Jo is the Lead Teacher of a Year One and Two collaboration at Riverdale School in Palmerston North. Her team currently occupies two single cell classrooms with an adjoining cloakbay. This year has proved to us that collaboration is a mind-set… and not about a fancy new classroom.

11 11

Teachers Matter

MAGGIE DENT

Show caution when implementing change Change for change’s sake

my travels I chat to school leaders and teachers in schools and early childhood education centres (ECECs) and ask about the challenges and common concerns as well as the best practice and things that are working well. Since I graduated in 1977 I have seen many changes come and go. Even though I am an enormous optimist I am now wary about ‘change’ and how it can become so quickly adopted in schools – often too quickly. Sometimes the downside or negative consequences of that change take a few years to appear and even more years before those concerns are addressed. Then another change takes place. In Australia, the introduction of NAPLAN was initially seen as great step forward for education as previously there had been no national testing of consequence and it was a way to gain valuable data to improve school performance and hopefully the educational outcomes of students. This change was one that was largely politically driven as very little consultation took place within educational circles of influence (i.e. teachers and academics) and over time this largely statistically invalid test – meaning it doesn’t really test what it purports to test – has had some serious negative impacts of students, teachers and even parents. The My School site that shares these results has created a whole new dynamic where schools are compared based on only this one parameter, which can be misleading and unhelpful. There is no doubt that NAPLAN has given a lot of schools an opportunity to address significant poor results and it does provide valuable data. Unfortunately, while it can identify the need for improvement, it provides no insight as to what are the best

ways to improve a school’s performance. And in a way this has lead to an increase in innovations and fads that can be seen as possible solutions to low benchmarks. Over 100 Australian educational academics have signed a document stating that NAPLAN will not improve the educational outcomes of students and schools and that the funding could be better spent addressing key areas of inadequacy more directly. However, it will continue because it is now a massive ugly giant that is difficult to change. Explicit instruction or direct instruction (DI) is flavour of the month in parts of Australian education at the moment as a way to lift literacy and numeracy results. While there are some statistically significant positive impacts in remote schools with predominantly Aboriginal students and in schools where there are large numbers of students from low socio-economic backgrounds, explicit instruction can be a challenging experience to students who have had healthy levels of language saturation, autonomous and engaging play experiences, and few health and wellbeing challenges. Even our best qualified academics have valid concerns about DI’s long-term educational benefits for students.

I hear from ECE teachers all the time about how boring and repetitious it is and how it can turn brighter students off learning. When DI is combined with a push back from play-based learning in our ECECs we need to be very concerned as many children are arriving at school with more delays than previous generations and this includes poorer emotional and social competence. Indeed I have many primary principals tell me they have found DI quite damaging due to increases in disengagement – another example of one-size-fits-all change choice.

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MAGGIE DENT

Teachers Matter

These supposed innovations can become fads if schools follow them without due consideration and consultation with their staff.

No ‘one-size-fits-all’ in ter ms of the implementation of programmes and imposing a new innovation without the possibility of assessing, reviewing and making additional changes can make for more problems. Every teacher knows that each student is a unique individual and meeting individual learning needs is what we are trained to do, however this professional autonomy is often seriously compromised when a whole school innovation is introduced without allowing for flexibility and respect for teacher experience.

Many ECEs, for example, with years of excellent results have been told to adopt a more formalised learning approach that encompasses DI-like instruction. The saying: ‘if it ain’t broke why fix it?’ comes to mind!

Having a choice of learning opportunities for the students who need movement is probably preferable as this allows students to choose to stand, sit or use a desk with visual barriers to help reduce distraction and support concentration.

Fads come and go in our schools. A lack of movement has been identified as a contributor to poor attention and concentration for many students particularly boys. Standing desks can make an enormous difference and many schools are moving to full classrooms of standing desks. For kinaesthetic learners they can be wonderful to keep them engaged and focused, however for visual or auditory learners they can be the opposite – exhausting and distracting.

Managed learning environments (MLEs) or open classrooms and having multiple learning spaces is another new trend that is being explored to improve student engagement. The ‘blended learning model’ sees students learning with a project-based rather than traditional ‘chalk and talk’ model of learning. While students have massive freedom on the ‘how’ they learn, they also have advisory teachers who keep tabs on how students are progressing and to ensure they meet their deadlines.

MAGGIE DENT

“ We must be cautious of change, innovations or fads in education: They may not be all they seem to be.”

I began as a passionate teacher always on the search for new things that would enhance my ability to support my students’ learning outcomes and my style of teaching was suited to cooperative learning.

Often what happens is that while the environment changes the process to help students change from teacher-directed to self-directed responsible learners is assumed to happen by itself.

There is one particularly hopeful new trend that sees a shift of direction around student wellbeing, which has seen an excellent move from a total reliance on punitive measures to improve student behaviour.

Back in the ‘old’ days in secondary schools we could teach by units that allowed students to pursue a topic across the curriculum which increased autonomy and relevance.

Karen Boyes has written an excellent blog that explores the steps needed to ensure a successful transition to MLEs, which would be worth checking out online if you’re interested in this area.

Schools increasingly are dropping the ‘behaviour management’ term along with automatic detentions, time outs and exclusions to punish students for poor behaviour.

Interestingly, both of these approaches seem to be a part of the new trends of education with MLEs. So after almost 40 years are we back to where we were or have we simply rediscovered what we already knew?

Birdwood High School in the Adelaide Hills has been trialling this new approach and have found they have a 97% reduction in behaviour management. The approach aims to address student wellbeing, as well as improved academic outcomes, and this means that respectful relationships are valued and seen as an important part of the new shift in direction.

Rather they are using increased counselling and the intention to build positive relationships that can help address the underlying issues that are often driven by low emotional and social capacity, learning disabilities, adolescent angst, mental illness issues including anxiety and self-regulation concerns.

Flexibility is important when creating lear ning environments that help all students succeed however so often having highly competent passionate teachers, an engaging and relevant curriculum, and positive parental involvement are still the main drivers for excellence in student outcomes at any age level. Embracing change for change’s sake without considering each school’s unique set of circumstances and staffing or allowing for a significant change in pedagogy, can mean some change can be less successful than intended. Too much change can quite simply create chaos which in turn creates stress and fear – not conducive to excellent school culture or outstanding results!

This is one wide sweeping change that I am confident will make a positive difference for many students however again the positive psychology beneath it needs to be understood. Being mindful of exploring the challenges and benefits of bringing change into our schools is the key to enabling successful change. Recognising that some people thrive on change and the possibility of ‘new’ to keep them motivated and that some people like to avoid change due to its sense of uncertainty and unpredictability is really helpful. Enforced change, especially from afar can create much dissonance as it can be seen to be disrespectful to the educators at the coalface.

Maggie Dent is an author, educator, and parenting and resilience specialist with a particular interest in the early years and adolescence. She is the author of seven books including Saving Our Adolescents. www.maggiedent.com

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MEGAN GALLAGHER

Managing some difficult behaviour Part two: Some ideas for the classroom Part One of this article (see Issue 30 of Teachers Matter) discussed how children who have suffered significant, chronic trauma have neurological pathway differences due to an interruption in normal attachment development. Part Two gives some practical ideas for the classroom.

Helping your students understand how their brain works. I have had several sessions in my class where we have worked through some ideas about our brains. What I believe is that if our students have an awareness of how their brain might be working, then they are better able to manage themselves, and if nothing else be more aware of their own behaviours so in time be better self managers.

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Now if you haven’t seen the uTube video “Just Breathe” by JulieBayer Salzman and Josh Salzman, I recommend it, it doesn’t take long and is useful for ourselves if nothing else. After watching this I spoke to my Year 7 class about how it felt when our glitter jar of emotions were all shaken up and how we can help to calm them down. I then used this analogy of the glitter jar and teamed it with Glenn Capelli’s Magic Brain concept.

Initially I drew this on the board as we talked about it and then later made the visual as a reminder for us going forward. There are three rooms in our Magic Brain: 1. The blue thinking room - a place where we have a lot of choices and where most of our learning happens. 2. The multicoloured, or glitter room – a place where our feelings are. When we are feeling big emotions or lots of emotions it can get pretty messy in here. This makes it hard to the get to the door for the thinking room, so we need to calm the colours/glitter down. 3. The red room of limited choices often when we are afraid or angry we end up in the red room where we really only have 2-3 choices... fight, flight or freeze. When we are in the red room we can’t get to the thinking room very well at all (this relates back to Judith’s work discussed in Issue 30 around when the brain stem is engaged then the cerebral cortex is offline). We need strategies to help us get out of the red room, through the glitter room, and up to the thinking room to allow ourselves more choices.

It impressed me how my students seemed to understand this concept, so we moved on and, using the Just Breathe video as inspiration, created this simple strategy for the class (please note: this is for all students in the class but as stated in Part One - it doesn’t necessarily work for all)

This is in our classroom, and serves as a reminder for when we get stuck in the glitter room of emotions and the red room of limited choices. It gives us a visual cue. The stop button is really helpful when things are getting out of control. The first thing to do is stop, and if we can do that earlier rather than later then everyone benefits. For our dysregulated students there needs to be an extra step and that is finding a safe ‘place’ to calm the adrenalin and cortisol down. The next steps are breathing and thinking before deciding on a course of action to remedy the situation. Remember though, that learning to use these steps effectively takes time! So far these simple tools have had some positive effect for a few of the children in my class and as a teacher I need to model this more obviously as well - it isn’t only the children that feel like their glitter jar is a bit shaken up from time to time. Below are some poems I have written and shared with my class when talking about the brain:

MEGAN GALLAGHER

My Growing Magic Brain

Growing and Changing

Guess what I have between my ears

Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly

That changes and grows all the time

Changing and growing fast

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my magical wonderful brain

My brain changes when I try

And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all mine, all mine, all mine

I practice to make it last

Trying things that are hard or tough

A seed becomes a plant or tree

Helps connections grow

Branches grow like brain connections in me

The more I try, the better I learn And the more I get to know

When I try and have a go My brain connections will grow and grow

So I will help my magic brain Make links and learn and grow

I keep trying and what do you know

By being kind and trying hard

I change and grow and change and grow

And giving new things a go!

Growing and Changing 2 A baby changes and learns a lot because they try and try again, An egg becomes a butterfly by changing and then flying. A seed becomes a giant tree by growing a little every day, And I grow and change as well by trying when I learn and play.

Megan is a committed learner. She has been a teacher and an educational leader who has specialised in health education for a number of years. She is an avid promoter of building resilience in our students and selves.

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SIMON ASHBY

Utilising your students’ passions through ‘Genius Hour’ Help your school to become a more impactful place

lbert Einstein said, ‘The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.’ Genius Hour is a way of incorporating student passions as leverage for building imagination and problem solving in the modern classroom. Students at Hampden Street School in Nelson have the opportunity to spend over an hour a week on any project they choose. The model is based loosely around Google’s 20% time where employees are able to use 20% of their time to work on any project they are motivated to, as long as it advances the company. Schools across the globe are embracing Genius Hour as a way to utilise student passions to help school become a more creative and impactful place. At Hampden Street we have four rules for Genius Hour:

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It must be framed as a driving question (Am I able to...? Can I learn more about…?)

There has to be an element of research involved. It must have a purpose (Who will your project impact?) You must share it (to your school community, or better still - with the world!)

Recent examples of projects include: students who are building a miniature version of the Endeavour, a documentary film about ‘What is creativity?’, a dance that blends Vietnamese and modern pop culture together, mural painting, creating recycled clothing and building a dog shelter for the SPCA. The projects students undertake are always surprising and varied. Genius Hour promotes the need to use self, and time management skills. It encourages creativity, student reflection and accountability, as they are required to share at the end. It also promotes ‘big picture thinking’ because students are encouraged to think ‘globally’ with their project outcomes. I find that boys especially love the hands-on nature of Genius Hour. Genius Hour is big, often loud, messy, and can appear chaotic. Some students struggle during the ideation stage of Genius Hour. A surprising number often find it difficult to realise their own passions and strengths so it’s important to give the students time to come up with ideas and even change their minds a few times. I encourage students to take risks with the topics they choose however this can mean that some are setting themselves up to fail. Learn to celebrate failure as something that can be celebrated and learned from for the next time.

What is the role of the teacher when the students are working independently of you? Your role is to motivate, to celebrate, to question and to challenge. Most importantly, know when to step in and help and when to leave students alone. Teachers can have an impactful role by driving the whole process along, almost like a cheerleader; motivating, celebrating and pushing students to take risks. Generally we take a whole term for our projects. One or two weeks for ideation and planning, another week or two for research, and seven(ish) weeks for making/doing. I also provide 30 minutes a week for the students to work on their Google slideshow which is a place for them to document their progress. I encourage them to take photos of their projects week by week. It can also be a place to put in their research and bibliography. We always plan a date in advance for sharing with our parents and classes within the school. It’s important to set an end date that the students work towards as this helps accountability and prevents the projects from ‘drifting’ too much. In the past students have also reached out to local journalists to promote their projects and goals of having an impact that is beyond the school.

SIMON ASHBY

Here are my top tips for making Genius Hour work in your classroom: • Put a lot of time into the planning stages • Work hard to motivate/drive enthusiasm among the students • Explain clearly to your parent community what you are doing • Steer clear of fundraisers/projects involving money • Let students fail • Celebrate risk taking • Don’t let your lack of expertise get in the way of student lead learning - they can do it without you! • Take time to share/reflect at the end of each session • Create a deadline and stick to it • Take time to celebrate at the end and share success

Furthermore, take the time to read up about Genius Hour-as it really is a global phenomenon supported by a plethora of resources on the internet. The hashtag #geniushour on Pinterest and Twitter for example are full of great examples of schools across the world using Genius Hour. The Genius Hour live binder is full to the brim with information and examples from around the world. Australian teachers have recently launched geniushourfair. com which is a way to celebrate your best projects in a competition with other classes from around the world. I have set up a Google doc for NZ teachers to share their amazing projects with each other, so please feel free to put your details on, add to it. and get sharing. http://bit.ly/geniushournz Genius Hour is the best thing you will do for your class this year, get on board - you won’t regret it!

“ Genius Hour is a way of incorporating student passions as leverage for building imagination and problem solving in the modern classroom.”

Simon is a Year 5/6 Teacher in sunny Nelson. He is interested in the potential for schools to make education more relevant for students. He is a Google Certified Teacher (Innovator) and works in a collaborative learning environment supported by amazing colleagues.

KATHRYN BERKETT

The stress response in a nutshell And why children react to stress in different ways

Teachers Matter

uestion: Do you have children in your class that seem to lose the plot really quickly? Their temper goes from calm to ‘The Hulk’ seemingly instantly? Often there is no obvious trigger for this behaviour, and sometimes they can stay in that stressed state for such a long time. Most are difficult to help calm down.

Before I begin my nutshell explanation though, please let me caution you that this is a very brief article. Full understanding of the stress response and how we can help children get better at calming down will need a lot more exploration. Feel free to use the resources in this magazine, and links to my website if you want further information.

If this sounds familiar, one of the things you will definitely want to begin to understand is the ‘Stress Response’. Understanding how the stress response gets activated, what keeps it activated, and how to de-activate it, may well be the most informative thing you learn. It underlies almost every theory of behaviour and learning. It will make sense to you for working with children in your class, but also for us in our relationships, in work environments and with our own kids. Would you like to know more? Good, then read on…..

One really important fact to understand about our brain is that the primary objective for the brain is survival. It is therefore, highly focussed on recognising and responding instantly when survival is threatened. Activating the stress response will activate the Flight, Fight or Freeze response. Our heart rate increases, we become more able to lift heavy things, fight off the threat etc (individual physical reactions are hugely diverse). This is fantastic for when there is truly a threat in our environment. It is certainly reassuring to know that our brain will activate the stress response when there is something in our environment that is likely to harm us.

The catch here is that although our brain is brilliant at ensuring survival through activation of this stress response, what it is not so good at is differentiating between a risk that could harm us, and a risk that is simply making us nervous, sad, scared, annoyed etc. So it may be a case of a door slamming, another child getting too close, or being asked to finish their work in five minutes. The brain reacts to these situations the same way it would react if it saw a lion coming. There is a risk in the environment, so the brain kicks off the stress response, igniting flight, fight or freeze behaviours, to increase the likelihood of surviving that risk. This is why the child may scream, hit, run or hide when they can’t find the red crayon they need to complete their flower picture. Now not all children will fight, flee or freeze when small risks are introduced into their environment. The reason why some children react more actively than others is a combination of genetics and environment. The simple way to explain it is to understand

ILLUSTRATION: RETROSTAR

KATHRYN BERKETT

that learning to get stressed happens the same way we learn to do anything. The more times we practice, the more efficient the brain gets at activating that behaviour. We know this when we teach mathematics, spelling etc. It is the same thing when we learn to get stressed. Those children who have, for whatever reason, become stressed more often, and not had the advantage of a supportive adult around them to help calm down, can have a brain that activates the stress response much more efficiently. Therefore, it just takes an incredibly small risk to enter their environment to ignite the stress response. This helps explain why some children react to stress differently to others. They have learnt to react more efficiently to stress. However, the bigger question is “What we can do to help them?” To answer this, I will have to use an even smaller nutshell, to summarise an even larger nut.

Basically, to get better at staying calm, we need to practice staying calm. This means we need to introduce our children to small levels of stress, and then support them to calm down. We then slowly increase that level of stress in a manageable way, ensuring this always happens in the presence of a supportive, attuned adult. There is obviously so much more to this answer. The process of learning to stay calm takes a long time and a high level of consideration. If we can help our children learn to be calmer, we are doing so much for them; not only for their learning, but also for their engagement in the world that continues to happen around them.

“ To get better at staying calm, we need to practice staying calm.”

Kathryn is an expert in using neuroscience and physiology to assist us to better regulate ourselves. She is committed to helping teachers and parents to work better with children, youth, colleagues and clients. Kathryn runs sessions around this subject, supporting teachers to understand different ways to assist children to get better at staying calm. www. KBKonsulting.co.nz

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STEPHEN LETHBRIDGE

Who are you selling as role models?

Remember to include the extraordinary lives of ordinary people

e are firmly in the age of the “I”. It is a time of the individual, with rhetoric that anyone can be the next leader of their country, make millions of dollars and have the house, nice car and a boat thrown in for good measure. The secret is that you just have to work hard. Where did this myth eventuate? I am surrounded by lots of hard working people who are not the Prime Minister, CEO of a major corporation, or get away on their launch for a jaunt around the harbour. Yet we hear stories of people who have risen from challenging backgrounds and situations, overcome huge obstacles and achieved at the highest levels. But aren’t these the exceptions to the rule? Isn’t the norm absolute mediocrity or are we missing the point on what constitutes success?

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I have no doubt that the ‘success stories’ have worked hard for their achievements, but when we use these figures as role models for our kids are we leaving out a crucial part of the story, that of blind luck or chance? Are we omitting the impact of significant others in an individual’s success? Do we underplay the idea of right time right place?

Schools are very good at determining and teaching the skills for success but do we oversell the ‘the world will be your oyster’ tag line? I was at conference where the speaker said that one of us in the audience could be teaching a future Prime Minister. That sort of rhetoric at that time in my career did give me a boost. But looking back would it have been more inspiring if the speaker had said, “You are teaching the mothers and fathers of our future.” Our kids have a lot to learn from the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. How are we including these role models in our efforts to instil key competencies, values and civics in today’s classrooms?

“ Do teachers oversell the ‘the world will be your oyster’ tag line?”

PHOTO: SAPSIWAI

STEPHEN LETHBRIDGE

Stephen is a Dad, Husband, Principal, sport mad, gadget man. He is all about learning and growing leaders of the future. He is moving into his ninth year of school principalship at Taupaki School and believes in growing leadership capacity at all levels in school. He has value his involvement in the OUR Education Network for the past seven years, learning from amazing leaders from around the world.

TRACEY EZARD

Building a thriving collaborative learning environment The 3 key elements to getting ‘The Buzz’ in your school

hriving staff learning cultures have a certain feel to them – there is an energy to them – a buzz that is occurring. The talk is about the work, the people are connected and it is an exciting place to learn and collaborative as professionals. Focusing on building a thriving collaborative learning environment will help you keep momentum - out of the danger zones of corrosion and complacency and into committed collaboration. Helping each other engage in the purpose and intent of the school through meaningful activities aimed at moving up towards the buzz will provide the momentum for growth and transformation. In essence, staff in thriving collaborative school environments are passionate about the need for a co-created vision and set of beliefs that help align staff with purpose. They use strong debate to shape strategic actions. These things together create an environment where people can work effectively together. The end game is the students – the individual and the collective – receiving the best education possible. The best education is at the core of these visions, and the strategies and culture that fall out of them.

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KEY ELEMENTS OF THE BUZZ: MINDSET, ENVIRONMENT, DIALOGUE

Element #1: Build a Growth Mindset At its base the culture of a lear ning organisation springs from the beliefs held by the individuals within; most importantly by those of influence. Clarifying what growth really looks like and the internal approach

we need to take to tackle challenges, obstacles and change is key to developing culture. Growth behaviours come from growth beliefs. Growth beliefs are about forward action and internal responsibility to learning. When we move to action, we attempt new things, tackle obstacles and persist with challenges. Growth beliefs help people see obstacles and challenges as opportunities to be flexible and adaptable. As a team, setting clear outcomes and purpose allows us to collaborate on finding the way forward. In terms of mindset, articulating where we are heading can give certainty. When we set our intention and the outcomes we are looking for, we seed the movement towards it. It gives us internal clarity. We can start to co-create and collaborate, or simply experiment, learning along the way, gaining momentum through commitment towards it happening. It also gives us the opportunity to really see if we have alignment between what we are

thinking and how we believe we are going to achieve it.

Element # 2: Create a Compelling Environment A connectedness happens in an environment when people are learning together. It is not visible, yet it can be felt if we have our radars out. This connectedness contributes to the buzz. It’s based on trust and a willingness to collaborate and grow together. We need to create compelling spaces in schools for learning, collaboration and exploration. This space takes in not only the physical set-up of rooms and meetings, but also the energy that is created.

TRACEY EZARD

Creating a compelling environment is also about strategically using processes that enable exploration of the challenges, strengths, context and possibilities. As leaders we need to lead, facilitate and contribute to these discussions skilfully, ensuring we are not afraid of divergence of opinion. Divergence of opinion is a vital part of robust problem solving and a thriving learning environment. Carefully chosen processes and tools can move this divergent discussion into convergence around options, proposed strategies and actions. Rich debate about our school requires us to get over seeing feedback as conflict. A compelling environment is all about being able to have these conversations in a positive and exploratory frame – one of inquiry rather than right and wrong. A thriving environment for learning is also about using a variety of ways to activate adult learning. We do this for students but not so much for ourselves. We tend to use too much auditory – one person speaking, everyone else listening. Yawn...

Element # 3: Have Authentic Dialogue Dialogue that is rich and fruitful is the third foundational element to creating the buzz. In buzzy environments, robust conversations about teaching and learning are the norm. People feel supported to state their opinions and these opinions are valued. Diversity of opinion is seen as a core element to finding the right path. Authentic dialogue is essentially about building trust and connection – then the real work and collaboration can begin.

“ Authentic dialogue is essentially about building trust and connection – then the real work and collaboration can begin.”

Dialogue that is authentically about the work, about learning and about continually improving, is dependent on the work we have done in setting up a growth mindset and the environment. These elements create the recipe for purposeful and fruitful discussion. They create THE BUZZ!

Great learning cultures don’t spend precious time talking at people. To gain traction and engage people in the forward direction of the school, we need to provide opportunities for learning through a whole range of strategies.

Tracey is a speaker, author, educator and strategic facilitator who works with schools and systems of all sectors helps to give educational leaders and teachers the tools to drive momentum and value within their schools. w w w. t r a c e y e z a r d . c o m

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ANDREW MURRAY

Tips to help enjoy yourself on duty Show the students you’re human!

love doing lunch duty. I love doing gate duty. I love doing crossing duty, both morning and afternoon. Interval duty - not so much. Don’t get me wrong, please don’t give me more, but I do love it. Actually I must fess up, I allocate the duty roster but I don’t mind doing extra. I think duty it is a great time to engage and interact with students outside of the classroom environment. It’s a great way to establish relationships and to be a role model. Indeed, to show that you’re human. It’s a really good opportunity to catch up with students and ask them things about how school is going and so on. Like taking extra curricula activities, it is a great time to observe and find out what the real narrative is.

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The thing I like the most is that duty often shows the school off at its best. The hustle. The bustle. The jostle. The students talking. Singing. The students telling their many stories on their faces. Indeed the teachers as they drive out of the car park. The stark contrast from Monday to Friday. This is the breathing life, heart and soul of my school.

As teachers, we are in the business of building relationships. Duty allows us the time to chat with students and catch up in a way that is impossible to do during class time. One of my enduring images of duty was when I saw some Year 13 students helping out some ‘new-to-the-school’ Year 7s who couldn’t find their next class. It was sensational. If you don’t love duty like I do; here are some tips I found that I do to make the time a bit more endearing. Think positive. It’s difficult being a teenager or younger pupil. You might just make someone’s day by giving them a smile. On my tough days it’s a student’s smile back that makes my day.

PHOTO: GLENDA POWERS

Do rubbish duty. Ask them if they’ve got any litter. This is often a conversation starter about sustainability. A teaching moment. Be seen. Ok it’s pretty hard to miss me in my orange vest. Go to the students. If they’re not where your spot is, chances are they may well be nearby doing something that you should probably be keeping an eye on. Have fun with it. Ask students what their day has been like. Ask pupils how their weekend was. I tell you the best part of my week is Friday on the crossing seeing all those happy faces. What are your best tips when you’re on duty?

“ Duty is a great time to observe and find out what the real narrative is.”

Andrew is the Deputy Principal and Principals Nominee at Sacred Heart Girls College in New Plymouth. In Term 2 and 3, 2015 was on secondment t o N C R S wo r k i n g w i t h C a t h o l i c secondary schools.

KATE SOUTHCOMBE

The trouble with punishment...

Don’t let physical punishment become your default

PHOTO: POTALIA

saw a post on Facebook yesterday that reminded me that accurate information about behaviour and the correct application of behavioural principles is so lacking in our society. There have been many posts like the one I saw stating parents have the right to smack their children. As Iwata states, unfortunately for the people making these statements the research fails to provide evidence that this type of treatment is effective in reducing problem behaviour long term. To the contrary it may lead to many side effects that are often over looked. I was saddened by what I saw, but I firmly believe that people do the best they can with the resources and knowledge available to them. Although challenging people’s beliefs may be useful, generally I believe people respond more willingly to someone

who appreciates their point of view, but offers alternative solutions without being judgmental. So, you may ask, why is it that for hundreds if not thousands of years the human race has felt it perfectly acceptable to use physical punishment on children? My reply would be simple – we didn’t know then what we know now. Just because something has been done that way forever and ever doesn’t make it right. At one stage people believed the world was flat, and that butter healed burns. Although this may seem a far cry from smacking your child for being rude, it demonstrates how thinking changes over time with the acquisition of more accurate information. Thanks to science, we have moved forward in our understanding of

behaviour and how to alter it - the challenge is to disseminate this information within a climate of suspicion, in a way that is nonthreatening and useful. With any strongly debated subject that is laden with emotive language, we may instinctively feel threatened when our very core beliefs are challenged, and especially when the challenge is made by scientists of all people! Yet science may provide us with a rationale for moving beyond the emotional arguments of anti-smacking, towards planning how we tackle the behaviour. If we can see more clearly without the emotional baggage of our own upbringing, maybe the answers are there in front of us. There’s a common occurrence when you mature and have children, that

KATE SOUTHCOMBE you either rebel against your upbringing or you embrace it. You hear people say, oh my parents gave me a good whack never harmed me, or alternatively they may say, I will never treat my children like I was treated. This tends to suggest that our decision making is not based on evidence, but rather on what we know and understand. All decision making is value clarification according to Tony Robbins - again suggesting that during the decision making process we may be drawing on what we believe is right, and this may have very little to do with what works or not.

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To counter the argument ‘it never did me any harm’, I often used the following scenario in my ethics class with students. I was aware many of the cultures represented in the classes often used physical punishment more openly. The students would say to me what is wrong with a light slap to stop a child touching a stove or moving towards a busy road? First I would say set your child up for success by limiting these sorts of opportunities, be vigilant and think ahead, however life throws curve balls and dangers may occur. In extreme cases you take action to prevent harm or death and do whatever it takes to protect your child. However, consider this… you have someone weighing 100kgs and someone weighing 50kgs - who would you rather be slapped by? I have trained in martial arts and often had to ask my heavier training partner to lighten up on their attacks or grips as they had no idea they were physically hurting me. People don’t realise their own strength and when you add in anger or frustration, you have a recipe for disaster.

To counter the argument that it is our right as parents to hit our children – consider how children learn – through modelling, watching and taking in everything we do. Hitting your child may inadvertently teach them the exact opposite of what you want. I have seen a vivid depiction of this in a picture of a mother with a child across her knee

KATE SOUTHCOMBE

“ The irony of considering the science behind behaviour is it makes us far more compassionate about why people do what they do. ” saying, “I told you not to hit Johnny” as she slaps his behind. Children are soaking up that it is okay to hit someone smaller than you and it is okay to hit someone when they don’t do as you told them to do. Now for some science to back it all up! Our society revolves around punishment, the need for retribution, the need to feel that someone has paid for their crimes or that justice has been served. The irony of considering the science behind behaviour is it makes us far more compassionate about why people do what they do. We know that all behaviour is the outcome of preceding events or what occurred previously in the learning history of the individual. This may be either reinforcement for appropriate behaviour or punishment of inappropriate behaviour. Unfortunately people may be reinforced by unlikely events, and equally, punished by other unlikely events. For example some people find social contact highly aversive and will avoid it at all costs – to be forced to attend a function and to talk with people may be extremely punishing. People may also be reinforced inadvertently for undesirable behaviour, for example bullying and violence often elevates children or adults to a high ranking status where they are feared, but revered. Our increasing awareness of the principles of behaviour, and in particular the behavioural technologies at our disposal, is largely due to the experimental analysis of behaviour (EAB). The application of these techniques in the applied setting or in the real world is done by Applied Behaviour Analysts. The overarching philosophy driving these fields is Radical Behaviourism, so called because at the core is the idea that all behaviour is causally determined by preceding events. This basic premise coupled with evidence-based practice and basic behavioural principles enables behaviour analysts to plan for and implement behaviour change programmes. An important element of all behaviour change is adhering to a strict code of ethical conduct. Client responsibilities include using the least intrusive technology and protecting the client from harm, therefore punishment, or the use of any aversive stimuli as it is referred to, is to

be considered with caution. As Iwata stated, the main concern is that default technologies such as physical punishment may become the first port of call and this means the client may well be denied the right to a less intrusive intervention that works as well, if not better. Another point to clarify is terminology – the behavioural definition for punishment is any stimuli that reduces the occurrence of a behaviour. Punishment is defined by its effect on behaviour – if a stimulus (an event or behaviour by someone else) reduces a behaviour then it is a punisher. A punisher is NOT defined by the person administering it. However we seem to think that we can readily identify things that will punish children or adults. Applied behaviour analysts use punishment with extreme caution, as a last resort when all else has failed and then, usually in conjunction with another treatment such as positive reinforcement for appropriate behaviour. There are several key factors that are essential to consider before using punishers and these include the following; • Note that the word punishment is used in its colloquial sense • Punishment DOESN’T teach the child or adult what they SHOULD do. • Punishment can have severe lasting side effects such as aggressive behaviour • Punishment may temporarily reduce the behaviour and may reinforce the behaviour of the person administering it • Punishment should be administered quickly and calmly, and not at a low level and gradually increased (for example not a light slap that is intensified if it fails to stop the child immediately) (Azrin, 1960) • Punishment should be used as a last resort after other treatments have been tried To be used correctly the punisher must follow the behaviour immediately – this explains why many of our state systems fail miserably because the temporal delay between the ‘crime’ and the ‘punishment’ is too great So what is the answer? Well for a start we need to be thinking about how we can inform parents and teachers and the general

population about alternatives to hitting children rather than simply telling them what they can’t do. In a sense we are not practicing what we preach – we are punishing them and look at the result – aggressive, angry people who feel their rights are being threatened. If we want to change any behaviour we need to find out what the reinforcers are for the behaviour and either remove them and teach a new behaviour using the same reinforcer, or provide them contingent on the behaviour we wish to see happening more often. A simple example is inappropriate attention seeking behaviour such as calling out. The teacher frequently provides inadvertent reinforcement by talking to the child, telling them off or drawing attention to them in class. Remove the reinforcement for the inappropriate behaviour and instead provide attention for any little thing that is appropriate such as sitting at a desk, getting their work out or simply smiling at them as they come into the room. Try it with any child and notice how many opportunities there are to provide attention for appropriate behaviour – we frequently don’t notice it because we don’t look for it. Yes, another simple answer that may be very difficult to implement in the real world when time, stress, work and life get in the way. However if we are constantly pitching for this, we will make more good choices than not so good and we will provide a model of how to deal with difficult situations or adversity or wrongs. After all our children watch and observe what we do all the time – not just when we are on our best behaviour! They don’t see our anger and frustration at the behaviour, they see the anger and frustration directed at them and this is the real issue. Someone quite well known in histor y once said something along the lines of – lead by example….never a truer word was spoken…

Kate provides individually tailored professional development for Early C h i l d h o o d C e n t re s a n d s ch o o l s on evidence-based behaviour management. She also consults for parents of children with specific behaviour concerns. kate@eprtraining.co.nz

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ROBYN PEARCE

Fair boundaries to support your administration staff Who’s been sitting in my chair?

o p e , i t ’s n o t D a d d y B e a r singing this song – it’s the poor school secretary!

Big schools staff their school offices for long hours and therefore tend not to have this problem – there’s usually a secretary in the office. Many smaller schools, however, have part-time secretaries and administrators. (At least the pay-slip says it’s part-time, despite the many unsung and unpaid hours they put in.) As a consequence, it’s very common for a secretary to come in to work and hear him or herself say with some frustration, “Who left that rubbish all over my desk?” as they look at the new town tip that’s sprouted overnight in their formerly pristine environment.

Teachers Matter

There’s a mistaken belief in many teachers’ minds that the school office is public territor y. Wrong. I t ’s s o m e b o d y ’s w o r k s p a c e . H o w would teachers like it if any other staff members wandered into their classrooms, used the tools, and left their rubbish or unwanted papers strewn all round their desk or workspace?

It’s a bit like the ongoing debate in some countries (including New Zealand) about public access to private farmland. The most vociferous proponents of ‘it’s our right to walk across a farmer’s land’ would have the police on anyone who sat on their front lawn, had a picnic, picked their flowers and left piles of ugly rubbish behind. What’s fair here, people? Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

If you haven’t already done it, can your school set up a separate work area for people using the fax, photocopier, phone, organising mail

“ Some adults are kids in bigger shoes: they need boundaries just like the students they teach. "

or whatever other task has them in the school office taking space, nicking the secretary’s supplies and leaving clutter? And an extension of that point – where do the teaching staff make their personal calls? Most large schools have a staff phone in or near the staffroom. But what about smaller schools? Office staff are generally the receivers of messages for teachers, but it’s not fair on either office staff or teachers that outgoing personal teachers’ calls should be returned in the school office. Assertiveness is ok – some teachers need teaching too! It’s not uncommon to hear of people taking advantage of the kind hearts of support staff.

Let’s hear how Wendy turned the tables. “One of our teachers was on the Board of Trustees. Every month he had to present a report which would then be given to the Board Secretary for inclusion in the minutes. Mario wasn’t a good typist and didn’t have a computer, so he asked me to type up his report. I didn’t mind doing it for him but what I did mind was that every month at about 1.30 or 2 o’clock on the day of the meeting, he’d come racing into my office, scrappy notes in hand, and expect me to whip it up for him before I left for home. He never seemed to consider that I might be working on someone else’s equally important work which had been delivered in a timely way; he was only thinking of his own needs. I work part-time, supposedly leaving work at 2.30. However, this meant that every time Mario wanted his report done I’d be late for my own kids because of his last-minuting. This went on for some months, until finally I realised I had to take a stand. As he stood expectantly in my office on this particular day I said, “Mario, I’m happy to do this report for you,

Robyn is known around the world as the Time Queen, helping people discover new angles on time. Her website, www.gettingagrip.com, offers many resources. She is a CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)

ROBYN PEARCE

but from now on you must get it to me before lunch or I can’t do it. Your lateness is causing me all kinds of problems.”

PHOTO: HIGHWAYSTARZ

He apologised profusely and promised in future to mind my appeal. The next month I was delighted to receive his notes before lunch, as requested. But

– the second month, guess what?! He slipped right back into his old habits. At 2 o’clock he dashed in, apologising profusely, and stood hopefully in front of me clutching his report. I felt really mean doing it, but I stiffened my backbone and said firmly, “Sorry Mario, but you know the rules. I don’t have time.”

That night he had to hand in his scruffy badly-presented report. He never missed my deadline again!” Some adults are kids in bigger shoes: they need boundaries just like the students they teach.

ANNA MEULI

Demystifying depth and complexity Getting your students to think harder

you want your students to go deeper, or to engage in more complex thought? How do we really get our students to think that little bit harder? Depth and Complexity are terms that teachers often struggle to be clear about. We do have familiarity and knowledge around such taxonomies as Bloom’s and SOLO, but what else is there that can help educators and students achieve such lofty aspirations? At the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education we have built up expertise around ensuring depth and complexity is present in learning for gifted students. Drawing upon the Depth and Complexity Framework developed from the original work of Dr Sandra Kaplan and Bette Gould, we have crafted a set of practices that enrich the practices of our educators, as well as the outcome of learning for our students. Naturally we have found this can also add great value to mainstream classroom content.

Teachers Matter

“Before I started using these tools, I had a ‘sense’ of what depth of thinking looked like, felt like, sounded like ... it was something I knew when I saw, but not something that I could articulate the meaning of, or actually specifically TEACH!” Madelaine ArmstrongWillcocks, NZCGE Lead Teacher

There are five key aspects of the Depth and Complexity Framework with the Depth and Complexity Iconic Prompts being just one tool. These icons were developed by Dr Sandra Kaplan and Bette Gould under the auspices of OERI, Javits Curriculum Project T.W.O., 1996, and in response to the question, “What content or knowledge distinguishes individuals who are expert in a field of study?” They discovered that expert knowledge is both deep and complex and is built up over time. They noted indepth knowledge extends beyond having a mastery of the specialist language of a

discipline and an array of factual detail to include knowledge of rules, patterns and trends, ethical issues, unanswered questions, and big ideas. Complex knowledge consists of knowledge about relationships and connections e.g. how things have changed over time, what different perspectives are held, as well as how one discipline connects to others. These findings have been converted in to a set of 11 iconic prompts that can be used with students to help build greater depth and complexity in both knowledge and thinking. “Learning about and using the Depth and Complexity framework has created a real sense of student agency in my class. In particular, the use of the icons helps learners to think like an ‘expert’ within a topic. The icons allow students to broaden their thinking, creating deeper understanding of a topic that before may have just scraped the surface of one or two ideas.” Hannah Steel, Brooklyn School teacher. These 11 tools are considered essential elements needed to master a subject. For example, chemists need to understand the language of a chemist, the different perspectives in chemistry, the rules that govern chemistry, the ethical decisions chemists face, etc. Likewise, a chess master would be an expert in the language and rules of chess, the patterns of chess games, and how the game has changed over time. When students think using these tools, they learn to approach subjects as an expert would, and come to understand concepts in a deeper and more complex way. Historically, when students have attempted to “go deeper”; they have tended to include more and more detail.

“It is all very well to want depth and complexity, but when you empower the students to understand those concepts in a practical way for themselves, you are much more likely to achieve them!” Sue Bufton, NZCGE Lead Teacher. The icons can be used in all curriculum learning areas and across all sectors of education. Educators have found them to be transformative in both their teaching practice and the outcomes of student learning. “The students use the icons in all areas of their learning. They complement and enhance my teaching and create structure and connectedness in the classroom.” Hannah Steel, Brooklyn School teacher. So, no more wondering. Using these tools, along with other aspects of the Depth and Complexity Framework, will definitely allow for engagement that goes beyond the surface. It will allow opportunities for every learner to really push and demonstrate their understanding and help them delve deeply into content, make connections, and differentiate for themselves, resulting in learning which is both effective and transformational.

Anna is the Consultancy Manager for the New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education (NZCGE), specialising in both curriculum development for gifted learners and professional learning and development for s ch o o l s a n d e d u c a t o r s . N Z C G E offers professional learning and development support in a range of areas including the use of the Depth and Complexity Framework. http:// nzcge.co.nz/Consultancy+Services or contact anna.meuli@nzcge.co.nz.

ANNA MEULI

KAREN BOYES

Setting yourself up for study success In class and at home

t’s the beginning of the year and exams might feel a long way away. However it is what you do consistently in Term One, Two and Three that set you up for success. Here are a few ideas to help get you started this year…

1.Draw pictures and diagrams Neuroscientists have discovered 97% of people’s brains see pictures before words. Give this activity a go (or ask someone else to…) Close your eyes and imagine an apple, car or the beach. Be aware of what you see in your mind. Most people see these items as images rather than the word a.p.p.l.e etc. If your brain saw pictures have a look at your notes from school. How many pictures are there (relevant to the text!)? For most people the answer is none. The phrase ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is very true for your note taking. Draw pictures to reinforce the ideas you are learning. Create symbols, arrows, connectors, figures and frames to make your notes more memorable. Many students also create a special symbol to highlight what is important or a key concept. It may be an exclamation mark !, a big red dot or a key symbol, to simply make important information stand out. If you are a doodler, then doodle pictures relevant to the learning or doodle frames around important information. Research shows by framing key ideas, you are more likely to recall the idea later. If you can’t draw – you should! The more memorable/ funny the picture, the easier it is to recall. Pictures and diagrams do not need to be works of art; they are just simple brain friendly memory tools.

Teachers Matter

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2.Talk about what you are learning Have you ever asked someone to remind you to do task later in the day? If you have said, “Can you please remind me to…” chances are they didn’t need to remind you. The

simple act of speaking out loud reinforces the words in your brain and causes you to remember. When studying, learning or revising information, share the ideas with either a study buddy or simply tell someone else. It may be Mum, Dad, a brother or sister, your cat or your teddy bear! The interest level of the other person is not as important as the fact you have verbalised the information out loud. Another great way to reinforce information is to teach someone else. Explaining concepts helps clarify the content in your own mind and make it make more sense.

3.Movement is important In class finding acceptable ways to move may be challenging. Many students have been reprimanded for swinging on chairs, getting up to sharpen their pencil or simply moving around the class room. There is hope! Mike Rutherford’s research showed by simply nodding your head in class, marks can go up by ten percent! This is for two reasons: Firstly when your head is nodding, you look interested in your teacher’s class. The suggestion is to nod and appear interested in your teacher’s lesson; they will give more positive attention towards you. Teachers are more likely to give better explanations, extra help and even extensions if they believe you are interested in their topic. This is human nature, as we all enjoy it when others like what we like. Secondly, when you nod, the fluid in your inner ear keeps moving, raising your attention and understanding of what is being thought as well as calming your brain down. When a baby is crying, the automatic action to calm it down is to rock the baby. This causes the fluid in the inner ear to move calming the baby. The same is true for you. If you are stressed one of the worst things you can do is to sit still. To calm the brain, walk, run, swim, dance, and move. In class nodding helps with this calming and also increases your attention.

4.Avoid distractions As clever as your brain is, its ability to multitask (focus on several tasks at once) is nonexistent. What the brain can do is serial task. For example, you can focus on task A, then B, then flick to C, back to A, C then B. Whilst you are focusing on task C, your brain can not be actively aware of what is happening with A and B. Many people can flick between tasks quickly; however, according to brain expert Dr John Medina, it is significantly slower to flick between tasks than simply focus on one task at a time. When studying, learning or revising, it is important to be free of distractions. Turn off your social media and check it during the breaks. If this is challenging there are apps, such as Self Control, you can activate to block your use of social media for a set amount of time. Some people may also find music distracting. It is ok to have music playing while you work, provided you do not get distracted. If you find yourself singing away to the music, you are not concentrating on the learning. If this is the case, you either need to turn the music off or use classical or instrumental music without words. Study Smart & Pass. Get your FREE Study Tips e-poster by emailing info@spectrumeducation.com

Karen is an expert in effective teaching and learning, study skills, motivation a n d p o s i t i v e t h i n k i n g. S h e wa s awarded the NSANZ Educator of the Year 2014 award and works in schools throughout Australasia teaching students how to Study Smart and teachers how to raise achievement. www.karentuiboyes.com

PHOTO: MONKEY BUSINESS

KAREN BOYES

PHOTO:JOVANNIG

LAUREN RIVERS

Tips to encourage student accountability in the classroom Don’t raise your hand

Teachers Matter

ver look out at your class and see a sea of blank stares? Somehow the last 15 minutes of the lesson, you have modelled the skill, called on various students for a response to which they have answered correctly, and you have listed the criteria for a successful assignment. However, when you turn around and ask, “Are there any questions?” the class just looks at you. Blankly. “Are there any questions?” you ask again. In unison, they say, “No,” and then seemingly start the assignment. Taking a stroll around the class, you see that everyone appears to be working diligently so you sit down, but then you feel a presence. There stands Margaret

and she asks, “What do you want me to do?” A few minutes later, Reginald has his hand up, “I don’t understand.” Now you start to question if the other students have it and you walk around the classroom. This time you see about one fourth of your students not quite getting the skill. What just happened? It’s like a whole new set of kids came in and replaced the class that understood the lesson. Please do not become frustrated with the class. It is normal. Repetition is good, but it is even better when you start using a few strategies to help individual students experience cognitive connections to the classroom learning environment:

1. Tap the desk, make eye contact, and point to the assignment A quick and easy redirection may be needed if you notice a student has stopped working, is looking off into space, or otherwise seems unengaged. Instead of getting frustrated, a quick light tap on the desk could do the trick. Even making eye contact and using nonverbal cuing such as pointing to the assignment may be the only thing needed to gain the student’s attention.

2. Ask students to repeat back the steps or directions Instead of asking are there any questions, comments or concerns, it may be wise to ask that multiple students repeat back to you the directions, steps or skill you just went over. The lesson may have had plenty of repetition and tiered instruction, but that’s no guarantee that the attention span of all members of the class was held for the entire lesson. Hearing other students repeat back and clarify the steps can help everyone stay on the same page and focused.

3. Make it okay for students to repeat a peer’s idea, answer or response Just like the repetition of directions or the steps in the skill by peers can be helpful, so can the repetition of ideas by other students. Instead of chastising or showing annoyance with a student who repeats what was just stated; thank him or her for the opportunity for other people in class to hear that idea again. Repetition can help overall retention and it can also help students to identify “big” ideas that are relevant to the content area.

4. Encourage students to identify the criteria to achieve the top score Rubrics are amazing scoring tools for teachers. On-line you can find rubrics to score almost any type of assignment, but those rubrics are representative of generic tasks. Next time your students are working on a graded assignment, have the class come up with the criteria for scoring in a teacher directed discussion. This is a “win win” situation: the students get to set the criteria while the teacher is reassured that all members of the class truly understand the standard or rigor required by the assigned task.

5. Allow students to call on their peers Are you standing or sitting at the front of your class calling on the same 2-7 students on a daily basis? Why? Your classroom is

full of students who know the answers, but have been lulled into a false sense of security – if they let other people answer, then they eliminate any risk. Life has many risks and a classroom should be a safe place to take a few small steps. Let the first student you call on select the next person to speak, and so on. This “popcorning” technique helps students take a leadership role in class, but also helps them to show confidence in a peer’s ability to answer questions correctly. Also, kids that do not raise their hands for you may raise their hand for a peer.

6. Build a confidence level where students realise that you or anyone in the room can call on them at any time After you have gotten accustomed to “popcorning” to call on the next person to volunteer their answer or comment, it’s easy to take it to the next level. Make it commonplace that the person selecting the next classmate does not have to call on someone who is not raising their hand. It may be scary at first but it teaches students to become accountable to having their work completed and producing quality responses. Not knowing when you will be asked to share can be daunting. Set the stage for this slowly with coaching and encouragement. It also teaches students “wait time” as they let their classmates collect their thoughts and teaches respect.

7. Give them permission to ‘talk it out’ Another way to give those quieter students a chance to talk about their ideas is to allow productive small group talk in your classroom. Yes, a quiet classroom can seem productive, but it’s just a façade if you have individuals in the room who are struggling and too shy to ask for help from the teacher. I always loved, “See 3 before me,” as a classroom rule. Students were allowed to ask 3 peers for help before coming to me for help. This gives students in the room a higher sense of purpose especially when they know that a friend may come to them for help or clarification. They all tune in a little bit more and every little bit counts.

LAUREN RIVERS

8. Refer them to a peer who just asked for clarification from you to give them assistance Imagine. About 5 minutes ago Jesse came up to your desk and asked for the steps to questions 3. It is a question with a detailed response and he is able to repeat it back to you, then goes off to complete it confidently. Two minutes later Josephine comes up to you with the same question. You have 2 choices, you can repeat it for her or you can refer her to Jesse. By giving her permission to ask Jesse for help, you have set them both up for success – Jesse gets to be an expert and reteach what he just learned; and Josephine gets to collaborate with a peer.

9. Invite them to learn by letting them teach “I’m done. Now what?” At some point in your career as an educator, you will have a bright collection of sunshine filled faces at your desk asking you this question. There are a plethora of sponge activities and early finish games or enrichment drills that you may have on hand. However, what if you gave your students the opportunity to teach a new skill or short extension topic to their peers? How powerful is it to empower the students within your classroom to model their work to the class? It brings accountability up and creates an environment in the classroom where both students and teachers are valued thinkers.

Lauren is a veteran teacher. Having studied Elementary Education at the University of Maryland and completed her Master’s Degree in Administration at McDaniel College, she has a true passion for providing students with instruction that is up to date and pushes them to the next level. Currently, Lauren teaches English Language Arts to 8th graders in the state of Maryland. She has 2 children, a husband, a Chihuahua named Bernie and is also an artist.

Teachers Matter

DR HELEN STREET, FENNY MULIADI & NEIL PORTER

Voices for positive schools: an Australian perspective Defining positive education

2000, Professors Martin Seligman and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi formally defined positive psychology as “a science of positive subjective experience, positive individual traits, and positive institutions.” Although sometimes called the scientific study of happiness, positive psychology is concerned with more than hedonic enjoyment or being continually in a good mood. Rather it is about flourishing and being socially and mentally well. As such it is as much about how we successfully manage life’s challenges as it is about how we embrace positive experience. I n 2 0 0 5 , D r Tr e n t B a r r y, a p a r e n t , introduced his children’s school to the idea of positive psychology. The school was Geelong Grammar School (GGS) in Victoria, Australia. Following a visit from Martin Seligman in 2006, the GGS staff members decided to pursue the idea of applying the concepts and practice of positive psychology to the school community. In 2008, this idea became a reality and positive education was born. Today, in 2015, thousands of schools have embraced concepts of positive education in their pursuit to better student wellbeing and engagement in learning. Consequently, myriad wellbeing programs and initiatives have been adopted by schools worldwide in an attempt to foster student wellbeing with a solution-focused and positive approach to mental health. However, despite findings demonstrating the significant impact of many aspects of positive psychology to improve student wellbeing and mental health, several barriers to effective progress are becoming increasingly evident. First, the lack of consensus about the key elements required to support youth wellbeing have led to a series of schoolbased wellbeing trends, rather than a

unified view of positive education. The self-esteem movement of the 1970s and 1980s gave way to a focus on resiliency, which has now been put aside in favour of mindfulness programmes and initiatives in many schools. These changeable and often heavily resourced programmes have led to some scepticism over the overall effectiveness; and much confusion over the essential ingredients of effective school based practice. The second major concern is the alarming prevalence of mental health issues in young people. The Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing suggested that 14% of young Australians experience significant mental health problems. In 2014, Professor Patrick McGorry stated: “mental ill health is now the most important health issue facing young people worldwide. It is the leading cause of disability in people aged 10–24 years, contributing 45% of the overall burden of disease in this age group.” Mindframe, the Australian national media initiative, reported that 12% of 13-17 yearold adolescents with mental health problem have thought about suicide, and 4.2% had actually made a suicide attempt. Many young people with mental health problems also reported engaging in substance use, with 23.1% reported smoking, 36.7% reported drinking, and 18% reported marijuana use. Both researchers and clinicians have suggested that this high prevalence of mental disorder is not only alarming, it is increasing. These figures both challenge the impact of current in-school approaches to wellbeing and argue for a greater provision of services. No doubt schools are in a prime position to nurture positive mental health in young people, however how they can effectively do this remains a contentious issue.

In recent years educational research has turned its attentions to the student voice in an attempt to better understand the factors that impact the students’ experience of school life and a positive school environment. As suggested by Dr Julia Flutter from The University of Cambridge, students’ perception of the environment may be more influential than factors identified through more objective means. Here in Australia, several schools pioneering whole-school positive education programs, such as Geelong Grammar School, St Peters College in South Australia and Knox Grammar School in Sydney, have all spent considerable time gathering student views and perceptions of the specific positive education programmes within their individual schools. Although these schools are still in the early stages of examining their data, the results are promising with a sense that overall, students value positive education as a whole-school approach to learning. None-the-less, there appears to be a lack of studies or initiatives that have asked students from a wide range of Australian schools to define positive education in succinct terms. It also remains unclear whether students and teachers have similar ideas about positive education and how best to pursue a cohesive classroom. The Voices for Living project provided an opportunity to explore these gaps in knowledge and understanding. In particular, the project aimed to gather succinct students’ and teachers’ perceptions about factors that make education positive and classroom enjoyable, in addition to providing an opportunity to showcase student and teacher voices at the 2015 Positive Schools Australia conference series.

DR HELEN STREET, FENNY MULIADI & NEIL PORTER

The Voices for Living project was introduced to schools and communities across Australia in early 2015. Students and teachers from schools across Queensland, Western Australia, Victoria and New South Wales, as well as members of the community, who were interested in the project, were invited to present a combination of image and video answers to a series of pre-set questions about their thoughts on positive education and their school experience. Image responses consisted of photos of participants holding their brief (one to three word) answers on A4+ pieces of paper. Video responses consisted of 10-20 second videos of participants presenting a response verbally and/or visually. All responses were captured using smart phones or iPad. We received over 1000 responses, with a large majority (92%) of responses coming from students and teachers. The enthusiasm shown by the students and teachers in participating in the project further affirmed the need for the school community to be involved in assessing and shaping schoolbased wellbeing and education delivery.

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Following presentation of the responses at the conferences, we decided to further explore student and teacher responses to three key questions set out in the project. A total of 458 responses to our selected three questions were received from 21 schools across Australia. The majority of these responses were from students (80%). Primary school students (age between 5- to 12-year) made up 57% of all the students’ responses, secondary school students (age between 13to 17- year) 33%, and the remaining 16% preferred to stay anonymous.

The first question we explored was: ‘What is the most important thing you learn(t) at school? Responses indicated that the majority (54%) of students believe that basic literacy skills are the most important thing they learn at school. In contrast, the majority (56%) of teachers reported higher level needs such as resilience as their most preferred answer. Love/belonging needs and safety needs were reported as the third and fourth most important categories for this question by both the teachers and students.

Secondly, we chose to look at the question: ‘What makes a class fun to be in?’ The responses demonstrated that the majority (more than 50%) of both students and teachers believe it is the people who make a class fun to be in. While students indicated the activities they engaged in as the second most reported factor in making a class fun followed by their emotional engagement, teachers reported vice versa. The physical environment was reported as the least important factor in making a class fun to be in by both the teachers and students. Finally we explored answers to the question: ‘W h a t m a k e s e d u c a t i o n p o s i t i v e education?’ The responses showed that once again, the majority of students and teachers reported that a combination of the people and higher level need or emotion engagement make education positive education. 42% of students and 53% of teachers indicated relationships as the most important ingredient a positive educational experience. In contrast, the physical environment and the content or subject topic were rarely reported as factors contributing to positive education. Overall, we found that the teachers and students participating in the project believe that positive school-based relationships (be they between students, teachers, principals or other school staff members) are imperative in making a class fun to be in. Moreover positive relationships are believed to be fundamental for defining education in positive terms. This suggests that, although students associate schools with academic achievements, their relationships with their friends, teachers and other school staff members play the most important role in determining the emotional quality of their schooling experience. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of school social networks in nurturing positive education and students’ wellbeing.

It is undoubtedly naïve to expect any one facet of social and emotional functioning to hold the answer to the issues Australia faces with poor youth mental health. However, the findings from this project highlight the vital role that school based social cohesion and classroom relationships play in promoting wellbeing and a love of learning in young people. Ta k i n g t h e t i m e t o b u i l d a c o h e s i v e classroom with positive relationships may well be the most important factor in building a sustainable and effective education program, and in nurturing mental health effectively in all Australian schools. Further information on references can be requested from Fenny Muliadi at fenny@ positiveschools.com.au Voices for Living project responses can be viewed at The Positive Times blog www. positivetimes.com.au. Voices for Living is supported by members of the National Australian Positive Schools Initiative, including Positive Schools partners Geelong Grammar School Institute of Positive Education. Dr Helen Street and Neil Porter are co-founders and convenors of Positive Schools. Fenny Muliadi is a provisional psychologist, Doctor of Clinical Neuropsychology candidate and Positive Schools administrator. www.positiveschools. com.au

Helen is an applied social psychologist with a passion for education. She presents her work in books, articles and in seminars and workshops for schools. Helen is also passionately involved in the ongoing development of The Positive Schools conferences running in four cities across Australia and now open for registrations. www.positiveschools.com.au

Mental Health & Wellbeing ConferenceFor All Primary & Secondary Schools

GETTING TO KNOW YOU Positive Schools 2016 building relationships with cohesion, communication & community

â&#x20AC;&#x153;a teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge and wisdom in the pupilsâ&#x20AC;? - ever garrison

Learn how to effectively talk to kids and teens so that they listen; and listen to them so that they talk. Technology And Mental Health Revisiting Motivation Stronger, Smarter Education For Indigenous Students Secrets To Successful Teaching Engaging Disruptive Students Positive Relationships In Action Nurturing Staff Wellbeing Building Resiliency Teaching Mindfulness & MORE

www.PositiveSchools.com.au

HOSTED BY Ita Buttrose

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As a form of Professional Learning and Development, these qualifications have been well received by Primary and Secondary teachers, as well as being recognised at a national level; Open Polytechnic staff received the 2014 DEANZ eLearning Excellence Award and were also named finalists at the 2015 Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards. The qualifications are delivered entirely online but with a human touch; study via distance in your own time and from home, without interrupting your teaching career. The courses are designed to make science and mathematics fun, offer practical tips and explore classroom ready resources. Teachers also have access to an Open Polytechnic mentor/ tutor for extra support. Since 2012 over 150 primary schools have had at least one teacher enrol in the courses, impacting on the learning of approximately 10,000 school children. Michael Fenton, programme leader and principal writer for the qualifications says “We’ve had excellent feedback from teachers and Principals saying that Open Polytechnic’s science

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5 minute brain exercises

KIM CHAMBERLAIN

eep your brain active with these short word exercises. Game or puzzle? A puzzle has a definite answer, while a game will have a number of suitable answers and can be done more than once.

Puzzles give you the discipline of working out the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;correctâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; answer, while you can develop your creativity by finding a several answers for a game.

Answers on page 45

Teachers Matter

KIM CHAMBERLAIN

Kim is an author and speaker on a range of personal and professional development topics. She is a beliver that a lot can be achieved by undertaking activities that take a short amount of time, and she has produced several brain training books for adults and children. These puzzles are taken from her latest book The Five Minute workout for Kids. Illustrations by Jon Chamberlain. Details of her books, e-books and free e-booklets can be found on kimchamberlain.com

KATE MASON

Becoming multi-lingual In thinking and feeling

can all think and we can all feel, however when talking about our innate preferences, the terms Thinking and Feeling describe the 2 different rational processes that people use to make decisions. Thinking and feeling people also have different ways of articulating the thought processes that help them to make decisions. We can all use both ways but we feel more comfortable teaching or learning when we can use our own preferred decision making style. Thinking decision makers use logic, analysis and reason. They are energised when critiquing and evaluating problems. They tend to follow their ‘head’ over their heart and truth is more important than tact. As a result, they can appear uncaring of others feelings. They have strongly held ideals and value fairness above all else. My family all share the Thinking preference and my preference is for Feeling. The differences in our conversational styles are very interesting.

Teachers Matter

We witnessed a young child attempting to climb on a piece of play equipment that was too high for him. In the end he slipped and fell down. When he got up, the initial reaction from my ‘Thinkers’ was a logical comment, “Silly child, he should not have climbed so high”. Whereas my initial reaction was the opposite, “Oh poor thing. I hope he hasn’t hurt himself”.

This is the logical thought process of the Thinker! In the classroom ensure that student / teacher feedback gives the ‘Thinking’ learner specific and objective outcomes. Debate, challenge and affirm their ideas and their competence Share your feelings but don’t become overly emotional. They expect to be treated with respect in a fair, objective manner by those who teach them.

Feeling decision makers use personal values to make their decisions. They focus on people and relationships, using empathy and compassion and they take into consideration the impact that their decisions have on people. ‘Feelers’ strive to create harmony, enjoy helping others and are distressed by interpersonal friction. Avoid discussion that is too logical and critiquing and removed from their desire for personal warmth and harmony. Anna was on a plane trip with her ‘thinking’ father, but sitting separately. The flight became very turbulent and sensing her fear, he glanced over. “Don’t worry,” he said, “If we go down, we go down together!”

“ Change your language to build great relationships!” A wonderfully logical thought, but for a Feeling person, “It will be OK. I am here with you” would have been so much more comforting. Anna spent the rest of the rocky flight in tears.

KATE MASON In the classroom Feeling types look for personal connection not only with the work they are doing but also with the teacher and fellow students. They are energised when helping others and responding to people’s needs. They need to develop a special rapport with their teachers and receive warm friendly feedback and encouragement that is not impersonal or detached.

How can you change your language to build great relationships?

A ‘Feeling’ friend of my daughter’s was very upset because she believed that her science teacher was picking on her. I asked her to spend the next couple of days listening to his language and to tell me whether he was being personally malicious and mean, or whether his words were more impersonal, rational and analytically objective. She came back smiling as she realised he was not picking on her, he was just not ‘speaking her language’. Once she understood this she was able to cope with his thinking preference and in fact even use ‘his language’ so that she could get her own message across more effectively.

Recognising our own preferences for Thinking and Feeling and those of the students and staff that we work with will help build better relationships and increase learning.

With such a different thought processes affecting the way we verbalise our decisions the ‘right’ language becomes imperative in communication.

Educating you to speak the opposite types language is important in order to avoid, misunderstandings, hurt feelings and friction between people. To do so you will have to listen carefully to the way people express themselves. My husband and son use the word ‘think’ constantly. “You would think that they would know what to do!” I use the word ‘feel’. “I feel really sorry for that person”. Clues like this are easy to hear once you are aware of them.

Thinkers will often say to me, “I don’t need to change; if they don’t get me they really need to man up”. My answer is this “Do you want to be the sharpest tool in the shed or the blunt one that just doesn’t cut?” Most thinkers want to be sharp! “Oh dear” is the first reaction of my ‘Thinker’ daughter as she receives a beautifully emotional text from a ‘Feeling’ friend. Her natural thought is to send back “Great, thanks”! However, she will say to me, “I know I need to respond in her ‘language’, but just give me a while to think about it”. She returns after 20 mins and reads out an equally caring text which she does mean but would never normally think was necessary to put into words, and sends it to her friend, knowing what a positive impact this will have on her friendship. One of the most important things about understanding the philosophy of type is understanding and valuing our differences and making the appropriate changes so that you can build successful relationships with the people in your life. Life is all about people! On a final note, my ‘Thinking’ son has just told me that he is going to do a post graduate degree in teaching! When I asked him why, he said, “I have 5 reasons.’ 1. It’s in my top 5 choices 2. I like the campus. 3. There is only one exam 4. The course is only 18 months long 5. They need male teachers! My ‘Feeling’ preference was bursting out of control. “But more importantly - do you like children?” I asked. “Oh them, yes I guess so” was the response I got. I’m sure he will make a wonderful teacher, no better no worse, just different from me! So who are you?

ILLUSTRATION: BALUCHIS

Let’s find out!

Based in Adelaide, Kate has been a successful businesswoman for over 25 years. She has experience of diverse sectors such as teaching, food and fitness. Kate is trained in personality profiling, specialising in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. She is highly experienced in the relationship b e t w e e n p e r s o n a l i t y, p e o p l e and performance.

ALAN COOPER

Learning to write an argument

ILLUSTRATION QUEIDEA

Teachers Matter

A fundamental skill

ILLUSTRATION QUEIDEA

ALAN COOPER

ur students are not being taught the essay writing skills they need. Feedback from students I taught in Years 7 and 8 constantly refers to this. One reflects. “I don’t remember being taught essay writing in secondary school - but do remember getting top marks in NCEA papers because I used the expository writing method you taught us in Year 7. I didn’t realise that others had not been taught this method... Did I have an unfair advantage then?” Yet another, “I was told in Year 13 that my style was too simple, but achieved Scholarship for Bursary using the style you taught us. This skill was hugely beneficial when it came to the herculean task of writing up theses.” That this is not isolated is evidenced by the essay writing instruction many universities and other tertiary institutions now feel they have to give their incoming students to rectify the deficit. Nor is this just for the elite. A teacher writes, “The Year 4-6 kids that I use this with are low decile, mainly Maori and they can get it! It is a simple scaffold that helps them organise their point of view/argument. It teaches them quite simply to state their point of view with three or four clear reasons/points which they then expand on in paragraphs....and then round up in a closing statement. I have also found it amazingly helpful in teaching the skill of paragraphing.” The method referred to above and successfully practiced by three decades of my students, is simply expository essay writing closely aligned to inquiry learning. It is outlined below:

The First paragraph Search for ideas The first or introductory paragraph is the engine that drives the finished essay. A brainstorm session starts the process and is aimed at providing many ideas so that even as the essay planning starts, there is opportunity to problem solve specifically by using the thinking skills of analysing, evaluating and finally, the creation of the thesis sentence. (see diagram below). By this process, relevant content is discovered.

Thesis sentence The first activity is to write a simple sentence. That is, a sentence with only a simple subject (what is being talked about) and a simple predicate (what is being said about it.) This is called the thesis sentence. It is a condensed summary of the claim the essay is making, clearly indicating what the writer’s point of view is. When initially teaching this process it is wise to use something familiar to all students regardless of their individual ability. Their view of their school is ideal for this. Thus: St George’s is a good school. The technical name for this is the thesis sentence. Writing this thesis sentence is not as easy as it may appear. There may well be some unlearning needed - especially where the idea of stint and the importance of quantity is embedded. Quality not quantity is the requirement as is summed up in the KISS technique – keep it short and simple.

Analytical thesis sentence Once this thesis sentence is constructed, a conjunction is added as the link between the thesis sentence, and the longer analytical thesis sentence, where a series of clauses outline the evidence to be used to prove the thinking is correct. Because is a good preposition to use especially when starting out. Three or four clauses will be ample. This completed analytical thesis sentence would look like this. St George’s is a good school because it provides for sport, it provides for cultural activities, it provides for up to date teaching techniques, and it provides a safe environment. Note that this opening paragraph is just one sentence. It is still raw. Editorial proofreading is still needed. This means an improving of the writing, and includes everything from vocabulary and syntax to anything that adds to the calibre of the text. It is a creative

proofread quite distinct from what I call an editorial proofread to make sure that grammar, spelling, and punctuation are technically correct. An important aspect in this is a need for order. The order of importance is simply, what is it that the writer views as the most important to the least important or the other way round to arrive at the killer point? Where sequence is important, logical order is needed as in an instruction about how to do something like a recipe, painting a fence or describing the plot. Spatial order is where it is logical to follow the layout such as the geography of an area. Logical order is such as the sequence used in doing a science experiment, solving a math’s problem or recounting a plot sequence. Finally is random order, where there is no particular requirement for order at all. This then becomes the order of the individual paragraphs in the completed essay. Second is grammatical parallelism. Grammatical parallelism is repetition of the wording at the start of each of your phrases in order to stitch it together. In the example here it is already done, note the repetition it provides. Often this won’t happen with the first draft and will need to be consciously worked in after the sequencing/order is in place. The process is simple, but moving it into long term memor y and inducing a familiarity with the process requires rehearsal, and that means repetition. It is not a one off activity. Instead, in the first week after the introduction, as much as one opening paragraph a day need to be written. The teacher can assess this through on-going formative assessment – no marking and grading as such. Selfassessment can be incorporated too with the students self-selecting their work to go on the wall, or preferably in this digital age, the class blog or equivalent. Variety adds to engagement so a third assessment method can be used with collaborative assessment where either in pairs or in a small group, the students analyse and evaluate each other’s efforts seeking improvement. This is again using those higher level thinking skills.

ALAN COOPER

It is important that what is going on here is lifted by the teacher to the consciousness level. The diagram illustrates this. The students need to know that they are indeed working at a higher level of thinking when they do this. At the end of the week, or at regular intervals, this thinking about their thinking (metacognitive reflection) needs to be formalised in their own words. When this happens the students are working right at the top end of Maslow’s’ hierarchy: self-actualisation. Teachers need to be aware of this and likewise give themselves 5 to 15 minutes at the end of the week to do their own reflection: their own self-actualisation. Doing this is a crucial part of professional development, but is seldom done. It has taken a while to get here, but the thinking processes and the time taken to get that organisation of the first paragraph exactly right provides an essential foundation to superior essay writing while at the same time incorporating problem solving techniques.

Writing the essay Each of the main points is now used as the topic sentence of a paragraph following the order given in the opening paragraph. Whether a further brainstorm is required for each of these individual clauses will depend on circumstances, but in most cases the original brainstorm will prove sufficient. Although a topic sentence can come anywhere in a paragraph, the advantage of it being the first sentence and clearly showing the paragraph’s main idea is by far the best. Keep each topic sentence simple and straight forward: the KISS technique. The topic sentence from the paragraph about sport could thus be:

Teachers Matter

St George’s provides for sport in many codes for all its pupils.

Some like to do all the topic sentences at this stage but others find that it is easier to do the full paragraph as they go, before considering the next. If differentiation is being practised a choice can be given. Having got the topic sentence down the rest of the paragraph is about presenting evidence that the topic sentence statement is correct. Thus each of those sentences must support the topic sentence.

St George’s provides for sport in many codes for all its pupils. In winter there are the usual team sports such as rugby, hockey and soccer for boys, and while netball, and hockey are the girls choices. In summer the choices are cricket and touch for both boys and girls. However, it does not stop with team sports as there are many who play individual sports like tennis, table tennis and swimming. That these sports are well coached and have a high standard is highlighted by tennis where many of the Wanganui rep teams within this age group have a majority of St George’s players. Other codes all have St George’s pupils in their rep teams too. There is no need to write the full essay at his stage. By picking just one clause from their introductory paragraph students will get the practice they need. The same process as for

the first paragraph, formative assessment, self-assessment, and pair and group collaboration ensure assessment without the teacher being loaded down with marking. Publishing on the class blog or wall again gives purpose.

Conclusion The final act is a concluding paragraph. This is one sentence, but much shorter than the analytical thesis sentence at the start: just a very brief summary. The variety of activities highlighted above clearly shows that St George’s is a good school. It’s all very well to have the ideas, but learning how to frame and argue these effectively is the key. Expository essays as detailed above provide this key.

Alan 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

“man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions”

ILLUSTRATION: ALIASCHING

oliver wendell holmes jr.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMN KAREN BOYES

A to Z of effective teaching A by-the-letter guide Questioning

Rapport

Recall

There are many studies that show questioning to seek information from students will heighten their thinking ability. Of course the quality of the questions is of paramount importance. Asking closed, simple recall or one answer questions does little to deepen thinking, knowledge or understanding. More complex and provocative questions are the key. Professor Art Costa explains that processing questions include asking students to compare, s e q u e n c e , i n f e r, c l a s s i f y a n d contrast whilst application questions ask students to apply, generalise, speculate, modify, invent etc.

Building rapport is essential to being an effective teacher. Rapport is described as a distinct physiological state of positive responsiveness. It is when you know your students are ‘with you’. Students do not have to like you to be in rapport; rather rapport is about responsiveness, not affection. Much of the time rapport is established unconsciously. Being interested rather than interesting is a key. It is the ability to enter a student’s world and to see, hear or feel it the way they do. To build rapport greet your students each day at the door with a smile or a handshake. Give war m, sincere and authentic greetings. Continually work on building caring and genuine relationships with students’ every day.

The ability to bring back to memor y something that has already occurred is recall. Student’s ability to recall previous information is crucial for learning new content, as most learning requires a foundation of prior knowledge.

Teachers Matter

Another way to make your questions more complex is to add plurals. Instead of asking for one idea; “What is your idea?” ask, “What are some of your ideas?” This will lead to deeper thought and discussion.

Ideas to increase recall include: * attach a strong emotion to new learning * provide concrete reminders such as artefacts or tokens * act out information to activate muscle memory * personalise the lesson * create summaries * make up stories to boost recall * discuss information frequently * apply the learning in an authentic task or application

ABCDEFGHIJKLMN

NOPQRSTUVWXYZ KAREN BOYES

Reptilian Brain

Repetition

Also referred to as the lower brain, the reptilian brain includes the brain stem and the cerebellum. This area of the brain is responsible for maintenance and survival. It behaves very similarly to cold-blooded reptiles, hence the name, and under threat will go into fight, flight or freeze. As the survival centre of the brain, when faced with negative stress, the reptilian brain acts with instinct and can induce learned helplessness. When this part of the brain is in action (when the brain feels under threat) it will over-ride pattern detection and problem solving, meaning higher order thinking and learning are not possible. The reptilian brain is responsible for social conformity and mating rituals, is territorial, enjoys hierarchies and social rituals, such as repetitive and predictable daily tasks.

Repetition is the action of repeating something over and over again. For the majority of new skills, the brain requires repetition. Examples of this include learning to walk, read, write and recall your multiplication tables.

To maintain recall for an exam, researchers suggest repeating the information, skill or ability within twenty-four hours of learning it. This may include reading it, summarising, talking about it, practicing etc. To keep recall of information it is recommended to repeat and go over the content a week later, then one month and every 6 months. Obviously the more often the skill or information is correctly repeated or practiced, the more it will be reinforced within the brain and the faster the recall will be.

NOPQRSTUV

PHOTO: KEVIN CONOR KELLER VIA COMPFIGHT CC

MAGGIE HOS-MCGRANE

Nature-deficit disorder Get your students outside!

Teachers Matter

he term “nature-deficit disorder” is not an official term, but one that has been coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods. Louv looks at the correlation between the drive in the USA since the year 2000 for higher test scores, and the resulting elimination or curtailment of recess times in elementary schools. At the same time he observes that while the number of hours at school has risen, the number of students who do PE at school has fallen and these trends also correspond with a huge increase in childhood obesity. He also notes the rising number of children diagnosed with mental disorders, in particular boys with ADD or ADHD - who are put on stimulant medication. Some of this increase may simply be because ADD or ADHD is now better recognised and diagnosed, some may be because of the availability of medication, but a large part of this is surely that parents and teachers are noticing an increase in children unable to pay attention for prolonged periods of time.

When our son was in Primary school we worried that there was a huge mismatch between his ability and his performance. We did have him tested by an educational psychologist and were told he had ADD. We were offered medication, but decided to try a different approach. Over the past couple of days I’ve been talking to him about this and he now believes that he was mis-diagnosed in elementary school. One of his teachers at that time agreed with our decision not to medicate him. She was Canadian and she talked about the fact that when she was growing up the behaviours that she noticed in our son were normal. Coming from an agricultural background, she told us that energetic boys were actually seen as beneficial to the farming community and that had he been born a generation earlier

“ The children who have never seen nature except through the rear windows of cars will then be the adults responsible for preserving nature”

in Canada he would have spent a couple of hours each day before school working on the family farm, and after school doing chores and generally letting off steam in nature. When we asked our son about our decision not to medicate him as a child he has told us he is glad we made the decision we did and that it helped him to discover strategies for coping that led to his longterm success both socially and academically. Research from the University of Illinois has found a link between a child’s view of greenery - even greenery through a window - and a reduction in the symptoms of ADD. The research focused on play in paved outdoor or indoor areas, concluding “activities in natural, green settings were far more likely to leave ADD children better able to focus, concentrate.” Louv questions if the reverse may also be true: that the symptoms of ADD may be aggravated by a lack of exposure to nature. I think it is fair to say that decisions parents make about their children are generally done with the best of intentions. This is also true of teachers, doctors, psychologists and so on. As parents we could have made different decisions that led to different results - we had no way at the time, or for many years later, of knowing whether what

we did was for the best or not, yet I would say looking back now we are happy we made the decisions that we did and that we had a school that supported them. In a similar way, around the world many communities are making decisions to remove free-play areas and to replace them with sports fields and manicured green spaces in suburban areas - decisions made in the best interests of the community. When my parents moved us to the edge of London we had lots of these green spaces around us for playing, now in the same green spaces there are signs prohibiting the playing of ball game, and the woods where we once roamed freely have had wood chip paths laid out through them and ponds and streams fenced off for safety. As a child and teenager in the UK there was little opportunity for me to engage in organised sports outside of school PE lessons. When my own children were growing up in Holland, there were many more opportunities for playing sports in the community. Despite this dramatic availability of organised sports, there has been a huge increase in childhood obesity in recent years. Another change I have noticed is that these days children have very full schedules. At Primary school my schedule involved going to school and very little outside of it (no homework for example),

MAGGIE HOS-MCGRANE

with friends they often dropped them off and collected them by car too. Studies from Yale have shown a dramatic decrease in the spatial range, where parents are happy for children to play unsupervised - and also a decrease in the opportunities for students to make their own decisions involving critical thinking, problem solving, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Reasons for this mostly involve parents’ fears - of traffic, strangers, and of accidents that can happen in nature itself if children are unsupervised. Project another generation into the future. The children who have never seen nature except through the rear windows of cars will then be the adults responsible for preserving nature - yet they will have had very little direct contact or firsthand experience out in that nature itself. Will this be a problem, and if so what can we do about it? Have a read of Last Child in the Woods to see what solutions Louv offers.

M a g g i e H o s - M c G ra n e h a s b e e n teaching for 30 years, 24 of these in international schools. Originally from the UK, Maggie is currently the Elementary Tech Coordinator at the American School of Bombay and is a member of ASB’s Research and Development Core Team. Maggie is a Google Certified Teacher and has presented at conferences in Europe, Asia, North and South America. www.maggiehosmcgrane.com

PHOTO: DUBOVA

which left a lot of time for free play. My own children had quite a lot of homework to do when they were in Primary school, and we also scheduled other activities for them such as music lessons and sports. They also spent more time watching television than I ever did (we didn’t have a television when I was young, in fact we had to watch TV at a friend’s house). Another difference was that I was responsible at a very early age for getting myself to school whereas my children were always taken to school in the car. While visiting my mother a few summers ago, I happened to be walking past the local Primary school at the end of the day. A huge number of mothers were parked outside in cars waiting for their children, despite the fact that in most cases it wouldn’t have taken the children more than 10 minutes to walk home. Friends of mine in the UK told me that they always collected their children because of the “dangers” of letting them come home by themselves and that when their children went over to play

MICHAEL GROSE

How using set routines can help you increase your effectiveness Professionals have processes

or a solitary working mode to a meeting mode that requires different skill sets such as questioning, listening, mediating and problem solving.

A set routine such as clearing your desk, preparing files or data, checking seating and even going to the staff room or a quiet space for a few minutes to clear your head is the sort of process that will help put you in the right state for meeting with parents. It’s best to go through the routine before every meeting, not just those you anticipate as being challenging. My experience is that when I don’t follow my set processes my effectiveness drops.

hen people find out that I’m a presenter the first question they ask is, “Do I get nervous speaking in front of people?” I do get some nerves but my pre-presentation routine helps me keep my emotions under control. I have a list of activities that I go through every time to make sure I’m fully prepared for my presentation. Is the seating ok? Check. Is the PowerPoint working? Check. Is the sound okay? Check.

Teachers Matter

And so it goes on until five minutes before the presentation when I sit by myself, gather my thoughts and check my self-talk.

My pre-presentation routine not only reduces nerves but also ensures I get into presentation mode so I’m ready to do my best. Elite sportspeople, stage actors and live performers usually all have their personal preparation routines to help get them in the best possible state for high-level performance. In fact, professionals in any area of endeavor have usually developed their own processes to help them prepare mentally as well as physically for the task ahead. As an educator you too can benefit from having a personal set of processes to help you prepare for meetings with parents. It can be challenging moving from teaching

It’s also useful to identify processes for all sorts of interactions with parents. For instance, what process do you have for handling parent complaints? Do you wing it, or do you have a set process that you can rely on?

Instead, she responded expertly. Here’s what she did: She acknowledged the frustration. “I am sorry to hear of your frustration regarding……………….” S h e a p p r e c i a t e d t h e f e e d b a c k . “ We do take feedback seriously and continually make changes to improve our site.” Then she acted to fix the problem: “It sounds like you have a problem with...I’ll work you through the issue.”

Professionals have processes This 3-step process is simple, yet powerful. It’s one that you can use when parents approach you either in person, by phone, or by email with a legitimate concern or query. Here’s how it works:

Step #1, acknowledging the emotion is essential. You’ll get nowhere until you acknowledge or address a parents’ emotions whether annoyance, frustration or anger.

MICHAEL GROSE

Step #2, appreciating the feedback shows that you are willing to learn and want to improve using the parent’s experiences to help make adjustments. Step #3, involves some type of action to fix an issue or improve a situation. It may not be possible to always fix a problem to a parent’s satisfaction, but it’s important to initiate some type of action to improve the situation, even if it’s simply along the lines of “I’ll monitor the situation and get back to you in two weeks to see if there is an improvement.” How do you typically respond to parent complaints and frustrations? Do you have a process you can rely on when parent emotions fly high? If not, you run the risk of inflaming a situation by becoming either aggressive or even worse, becoming defensive when you are on the receiving end of a complaint. As a professional you need a process for handling complaints just like you need a process for preparing for meetings as well as running great meetings, and for the other interactions you have with parents..

The 3 BIG points: 1.Follow a set routine to help you prepare fully for meetings with parents. 2.Identify set responses to assist you to manage queries, complaints or challenging situations. 3.Go to a quiet space to help you transition from one mode to another.

Author, columnist and presenter Michael currently supports nearly 1500 schools in Australia and New Zealand in engaging and supporting their parent communities. He is also the director of Parentingideas, A u s t r a l i a ’s l e a d e r i n p a r e n t i n g education resources and support for schools. Michael’s regular speaking engagements show school leadership teams how to move beyond partnershipbuilding to create real parent-school PHOTO: ALDECASTUDIO

A frustrated principal contacted our office recently outlining a difficulty he had logging in to our Parentingideas Schools website to get our latest articles for parents. Annoyed that he couldn’t access them, he gave quite a critique of our website! Marg, Parentingideas’ online manager, didn’t become defensive or take the criticism personally when she communicated with this principal.

communities. Teachers and school leaders can get more information at www.parentingideasschool.com.au

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TERRY SMALL

Nature is great for your brain Mental meandering can restore function

ow much time do you spend outdoors?

Directed attention depletes. Involuntary attention restores.

John Burroughs once said, "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." Good advice.

The Japanese have a name for this: Shinrinyoku - the natural therapy of forest bathing.

Spending time in nature is good for your brain. Consider this: Why would similar hospital patients just a few rooms apart recover at different rates? It turned out that some rooms faced a brick wall, while others faced a small stand of deciduous trees. Other than that, the rooms were identical. When the researcher at Paoli Memorial Hospital looked at patient recovery charts, he was struck by how much better the patients fared when their rooms looked out on to a natural setting. Those who faced a brick wall needed a full extra day of recovery time. They were also more depressed, and experience more pain. Plenty of studies show similar results. And the effects are large. It seems that grass and trees are good for your brain. Why?

Teachers Matter

Many of us love urban environments. Architecture has is its own beauty. Nature though, seems to have a unique restorative affect on our brains.

William James noted that there are two types of human attention: directed attention and involuntary attention. Your brain is engaged in directed attention when you are driving your car, reading a book, writing, negotiating a crowded sidewalk, etc.Involuntary attention is what happens when your brain is in nature. You attention wanders freely in a non-directed way. This mental meandering seems to restore mental function.

A great book to read on the brain benefits of being in nature is "This is Your Brain on Nature" by Eva Selhub. Also, "The Nature Principle" by Richard Louv. I love setting my office up outside, going for walks, cycling, gardening and hiking. I always seem to do my best thinking outdoors. How about you? Spending time outside gives your brain a chance to "carry out the neural trash", dial down stress, and recover. Try to find the time. Yes, you are busy, but don't be like the wood-cutter who wouldn't take time to take a break and sharpen the axe. Here's a suggestion: Maybe set a goal of 20 minutes a day to be in a natural setting. Call it your "20 Minute Vacation". Leave your Smartphone at home. Your brain will thank you by being happier, and more relaxed. Research says you may even lower your blood pressure, pulse rate, and cortisol levels. One more thing: When you engage in involuntar y attention, your directed attention gets better.

TERRY SMALL

Spending time outside gives your brain a chance to â&#x20AC;&#x153;carry out the neural trashâ&#x20AC;?.

PHOTO: FYLE

Te r r y i s a m a s t e r t e a c h e r a n d learning skills specialist. He has presented on the brain for over 30 years and has a wealth of teaching experience and extensive involvement in applied neuroscience. www.terrysmall.com

KARA-LEAH GRANT

The power of the mini-energy break 3 techniques to try

ack in high school, I remember clearly one afternoon my English Teacher, Mrs. Webb, stopped the entire class. It was close to exam time and we were frazzled and tense. She instructed us to turn around and pair up; giving each other a shoulder massage (it was an all girls’ school). It was such an unexpected break from the toil of learning that the moment has stayed with me since. I will never forget Mrs. Webb and the sense that she didn’t just care about our learning; that she also cared about us. While it may feel like there is never enough time in the classroom as it is, taking minienergy breaks can radically improve both your own quality of presence and teaching, and the quality of the students’ attention and learning. A mini-energy break is simply one or two minutes spent doing something that balances the energy according to the needs of the class. Mrs. Webb chose massage as a way of calming our tense energy. Here are three different techniques for working with energy in your classroom. As you lead students through each technique you are also enacting it, which means you get the full benefit too. The following descriptions are written as if you were instructing the class.

Teachers Matter

Distracted and Airy Energy

If you’ve been doing a lot of concentrated thinking work, the energy in the room can start to feel airy or flighty, which leads to distraction. You want to calm the mind and bring clarity back to what you’re doing. Technique: Sit on your chair, with both feet on the ground and one hand on each thigh. Bring your awareness to your breath - notice your inhale and notice your exhale. Allow your breath to lengthen and deepen until it fills not just your lungs, but your whole body. Keep that awareness on your

breath and imagine you are pushing the ground away from yourself through your feet. As you push the ground away, press your hands firmly down on your thighs. Stay aware of your breathing as you take these actions. Play with exhaling through your feet, and through your hands. Now, imagine plugging your tailbone into the ground while lengthening the crown of your head up to the sky. Use your exhale to plug your tailbone in and your inhale to lengthen the crown of your head. Keep breathing through your body, cycling through the movements, feet pressing, spine lengthening, hands pressing, spine lengthening, tailbone plugging in, spine lengthening.

Tense and Agitated Energy If the mood in the room is irritated, tense, agitated or anxious, use this technique to loosen up and let go. Technique: Stand up and roll your shoulders a few times. Stand with your feet hip width apart and your arms extended down beside your hips. Lift your palms up so your wrists are at a right angle and your palms are parallel to the ground. Keep your elbows straight. Inhale and lift your shoulders as high as you can. On the exhale, drop them as forcefully as you can, keeping the arms rigid and straight, as if you were pressing through your wrists into the earth. Again, inhale - raise the shoulders, exhale - drop them. Inhale rise, exhale drop. Start slowly and powerfully. Begin to speed up, still matching the breath with the movement. The focus is on a strong exhale. Go faster and faster and faster and faster and faster until it seems impossible for your shoulders and the breath to keep up. Stop. Take a few slow breaths and roll the shoulders forward and back again. Repeat one more time.

Hyperactive and Explosive Energy

KARA-LEAH GRANT

Some days the room feels like it’s going to explode and everyone is bouncing off the walls. It’s almost impossible to get students to sit still and focus. This is when you need the Flashdance Run! Technique: Stand up and make fists of your hands, bending your arms at the elbows. Start to softly and slowly do a little pitter patter run on the spot, pumping your arms as you run. Make the run bigger and faster, lowering your body downward and lifting your knees higher as you do. Go as fast and hard as you can, pumping your feet, legs, arms and feet. Run, run, run, run, run, run, run! Run it all out. There are many mini-energy breaks that you can take to shift the energy in the classroom. Use these three techniques, and develop techniques of your own. Not only will your students learn better, but you will get the benefit of the energy break too. And that is gold!

Kara-Leah lives a life of outrageous joy - not because her life is perfect or because she doesn’t have difficult times but because she knows how to access joy in all moments. She helps other people do the same thing in their lives, through her books, articles, speaking presentations, retreats and workshops. You’ll find her at karaleah.co.nz and Facebook.com/ karaleahgrant

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THERESE HOYLE

Why outdoor play is so important Playing outside in the summer months

here is a current movement that is keen to get children playing outside which involved organisations such as ‘Playing Out’, a Bristol based organisation that provides a range of advice and support to residents to help children play out more, and David Bond’s ‘Project Wildthing’, a documentary calling for more outdoor play. In schools I have seen the rise in Forest Schools, Learning Outside the Classroom programmes and in general, a greater awareness of the importance of Positive Playtimes for children’s wellbeing and learning. As parents, educators and responsible citizens we know how important playing outside is. Research shows that: 1 in 4 primary school children claim to have experienced bullying in the school playground. Children are four times more likely to be bullied in the school playground than online according to new research (February 2015) by Immediate Media Co in conjunction with the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA).

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By 2050, 90 per cent of Britons will be overweight.

Learning through landscapes My work involves running positive playground programmes nationally, and in February I joined a group of like-minded individuals on a two day Professional Accreditation Training Programme with Learning through Landscapes. The group

comprised of two groups of people; one i n v o l v e d i n ‘ Tr a n s f o r m i n g S p a c e s ’ – designers and landscape architects and the other ‘Transforming Practice’ – teachers, facilitators, advisors and consultants. One attendee was Cathy Prisk, former Director of Play England, with whom I had a lot of contact when writing my books. I came away from this course inspired and reconnected to the importance of outdoor learning environments, and the benefits of choosing healthy lifestyles, being physically active and how the outdoors nurtures our hearts and souls.

So where do we start when thinking about playing outside during summer months? Firstly, look at the outdoor space available. It’s often a huge relief to schools to see muddy fields transformed back into playground spaces. Assess the space - think about risk benefits and plan the development of Zoned Activity Areas.

Design your space I would suggest drawing a rough diagram on a piece of A1 paper of your school and school grounds. Then think through how you are using the space currently and potentially how you could improve playtimes and the development of these areas.

Zoning As there is greater space available in the summer months, it is important to think through the zoning of your play spaces. At Kimpton, Thruxton and Fyfield C of E Primary School, Pam Simpson the Head Teacher and Jane Rimmingtom who linemanages the Lunchtime Super visors, transformed their playground after working with me for a day. They say after purchasing equipment from Edventure: “We have now put together ‘Craze Boxes’ which come out at lunchtime on a weekly basis with a different box every week. Playground PALS are in charge of the Craze Boxes and teach others how to use the equipment in it. Boxes have titles such as: Time Trials, Music, Balancing Skills, etc. The playground and field are now dissected into zones with different areas – Quiet Zone, Parachute Games, Craze Box, Games Area, Free Play and so on. I have to say that it has transformed lunchtimes with the benefits of more structured and cohesive play, and the children and Lunchtime Supervisors are a much happier bunch!” In a survey of schools that improved their grounds, 73 per cent reported that behaviour had improved, 64 per cent claimed reduced bullying and 84 per cent observed improved social interaction.

Playground Games’ Playground games create a lot of fun and can involve large groups of children gathered together on the fields or playgrounds in the summer months. Traditional playground

THERESE HOYLE

games have often been handed down from generation to generation. Sadly many of our children do not play on the streets today due to parental concerns of stranger danger and busy roads. I believe it is our responsibility to pass on the legacy of our old traditional games and this can be done by teachers in PE lessons and by Lunchtime Supervisors and Play Leaders at playtimes.

Physical Activity The drive to get children more physically active is a national concern. Obligatory PE may help, but if children are to choose healthy lifestyles into adulthood this needs to be part of their daily lives as children. For many children the school grounds are the only place they have the freedom to play together actively every day. The school playground can be an inspiring informal gym. In a survey of schools that improved their playgrounds, 85 per cent reported increased active play and games. Simply providing more games equipment for children at break time can increase physical activity by a quarter. Small bits of kit such as hoops and skipping ropes inspire exercise and playground markings promote running games. Resources to encourage activity such as climbing, jumping and swinging help children become much fitter without even realising it. Physical activity is so much more appealing when thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a playground full of playmates to play with and activities to enjoy.

Therese is bestselling author of 101 Playground Games and 101 Wet Playtime Games and Activities. She runs Positive Playtime and whole school social, emotional and behavioural skills programmes nationally and internationally.If you wish to develop her ideas further please read her books, available from Spectrum Education, or contact her direct for in depth advice on designing and developing your playground. w w w. s u c c e s s p a r t n e r s h i p . c o m therese@successpartnership.com

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YVONNE GODFREY

The value of transferrable skills for school leavers (written to school leavers)

he world is changing at a faster pace than we have ever known and this will only become faster as the acquisition of knowledge speeds up along with the competition to use it. Uber, Alibaba, Air Bnb and Face Book, are examples of ‘virtual business’. These are just a few examples of the way things are changing. There’s no doubt that young people need to be competitive in a world that is looking for innovation and skills. My guess is that in the future there will be fewer employees and more contractors. Businesses are looking for ways to not have employees that cost a lot and are hard to get rid of if they don’t work out. Based on my estimation that people will compete for contracts versus jobs, the most important skills to master are ‘transferrable skills’ which are valuable in any role. 1. Self-Management The ability to pitch a proposal for a contract, correctly understand the brief, offer the right skills and realistically estimate the length of time it will take to deliver what you have promised. You must know your capacity around skill and time and energy management.

Teachers Matter

It’s a confusing world because at University they don’t care if you are late or even if you turn up? They have your money – the rest is up to you – they expect you to figure yourself out.

But, if you work at a job – they want you to be on time, even five minutes late is unacceptable. So it all comes down to self-management. How can you organise yourself to arrive on time and be ready to engage in your work? 2. Capacity and Work Ethic You need to know your capacity regarding what you can take on, or promise, and then deliver. Some university students don’t realise how much harder the work is than school work. They try to do their degrees too quickly and burn out. Or they use substances to cope with

depression or anxiety and end up quitting. What a shame and a waste if this ‘failure’ robs the person of their future. Too many bright and talented people end up doing dead end jobs because they lost their self worth and confidence. Maybe they just needed to regroup and have another go by taking a more realistic approach. On the other hand, work ethic is a vital ingredient to build capacity. Some people who are bright and get good results easily at school struggle at University because they don’t know how to stretch themselves. 3. Humility While young people are brimming over with great ideas to bring value to the world, they still have to be humble. Laslo Bock, the head of ‘People Operations’ at Google, said he is more interested in a person’s willingness to learn and to submit to another person’s leadership than in fleeting moments of intellectual brilliance. So, ‘good values and old fashioned virtues’ are still important if you want to be noticed and taken seriously by those who have the power to employ you and promote you. 4. Team Player The humble and smart person understands what it means to be a ‘team player’. They recognise the value of bringing their talents and skills to the team, in order to grow other people and the organisation, and not just their own career. It’s tempting to be the ‘rock star’ by putting yourself out there and showing off your talents; and you should do your very best, with an attitude of excellence. The defining thing is your motivation. If it’s purely ambition at all costs, it will be short lived. Being a lone ranger will wear you out while stepping over other people to get what you want will cost you dearly in relationships. Either way, you will end up isolated and unhappy. This is not success!

5. Problem solver Self-reflection is a great character trait to develop. Take the time to work out what’s working and what’s not so that you can come up with ideas or solutions to the problem. What may you have done to contribute and what you could do to make it right? Most people would rather find someone to blame for the problem than take responsibility or fix it. 6. Get along with others Once again – the lone ranger isn’t a happy camper. Around a third of your life will be spent at work, so understanding others and having great people skills will not only make life fun at work but will set you up for opportunities. When employers interview, they look to see if you will fit into the culture (personality) of the organisation as much if not more than they are looking for your skills. They want to know if you will fit in with the people who already work there. Let’s face it – you may not have much experience when you first leave school or university so at least be easy to get along with! The only exception to this might be if you are in IT where they keep you in a back room and throw a piece of raw meat under the door every 3 days to keep you going! 7. Share working space Just as Mum goes nuts when you are a slob at home, the work environment is no different. You use it – you put it back! These days many office work environments are completely open plan. No one has a set desk and it’s first in each day has the best choice of where you sit with your laptop each day. With less and less paper it is getting easier to be tidier but still requires some focus. To summarise – you will be a small fish in a much bigger pond than you are used to, so dedicate yourself to mastering transferrable skills and you will find be at the top of the opportunity queue.

ILLUSTRATION: MAXMITZU

YVONNE GODFREY

Yvonne is the author of Parenting Yadults ‘How to Set up your Young Adult for Independence and Success in Life’ (parentingyadults.com) and the founder of Miomo - the life Skills and Leadership programme for young adults (miomo.com)

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IRMA COOKE

Superfood muffins

for when you are tired of those staffroom biscuits! Carrot Cake Muffins Makes 12 muffins These muffins are really moist, sweet but without much added sugar, and contain lots of nutritional power from the wholemeal flour, walnuts, raisins, carrots, and applesauce.

Wet 1 & 1/2 C applesauce (homemade or store bought) 1 C shredded carrot 1 egg Walnut crumble 1 cup walnuts 4 T honey

Cream cheese icing 250g cream cheese 2T icing sugar 1T lemon juice Zest from 1 lemon Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees. In two separate bowls, mix dry, then wet, and then combine, adding wet to dry and stirring gently until the mixture has combined. Spoon the mixture a sprayed or lined muffin pan. Bake 25 minutes. Make the walnut crunch by toasting the walnuts in a frypan on high heat. Drizzle the honey into the pan and toss. Cool on a plate. Mix together the cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and icing sugar and place the mix into a piping bag and decorate the muffins topped with the walnut crunch.

mango and coconut muffins

Teachers Matter

Carrot Cake Muffins

Ingredients Dry 1 & 1/2 C whole meal flour 1/2 C brown sugar 1/4 C raisins 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt

PHOTO: ANNA PRATT

rhubarb, honey and chia muffins

IRMA COOKE

Makes 12 muffins These muffins freeze well, I make a double batch and pull out a muffin for morning tea just before I leave home. Ingredients 1 ½ cups self-raising flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons black chia seeds 1 ½ cups rolled oats 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1/3 cup honey 1 teaspoon vanilla paste 100g Olivio spread, melted 1 cup buttermilk 2 medium sized stalks of rhubarb Zest of one lemon or orange PHOTO: ANNA PRATT

Mango and coconut muffins Makes 12 muffins

rhubarb, honey and chia muffins

Moist and crunchy muffins that are lower in fat. Made with mango, banana, yoghurt and toasted coconut Ingredients 1 and ½ cups white whole wheat flour (may use all purpose flour instead) ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon of salt 1/3 cup dark brown sugar ¼ cup honey 2 ripe bananas 1 and ½ cups of mango chunks (frozen or fresh) ¼ cup coconut oil, melted ¼ cup non-fat Greek yogurt 1 large egg, room temperature ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted ¼ cup chia seeds Topping ¼ cup of finely diced mango chunks for topping ¼ cup of shredded unsweetened coconut, toasted

Method Preheat oven 180 C. Line a 12 hole, medium sized muffin tin with paper cases. Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir through oats and chia seeds. Whisk egg, zest, honey, vanilla, Olivio and buttermilk in another large bowl. Add to dry ingredients and stir (do not over-mix). Divide mixture in the patty cases. Combine 2T of oats, 1T of chia with 2T of brown sugar and sprinkle over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Spray or line a 12 muffin hole tin. In a food processor, add the banana, mango chunks, Greek yogurt, melted coconut oil, brown sugar, honey and egg. Pulse together until pureed. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together until combined. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently folding everything together. Fold in the shredded coconut and chia seeds being careful not to overmix. Fill muffin 3/4 of the way. Top with finely diced mango chunks and a sprinkle of coconut. Bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely.

Irma, a former Chef and now puts to good use her skills and passion for food as the Food Technology teacher for Rototuna Junior High School. When she isn’t judging Waikato’s restaurants or working with students teachers for Waikato University, she’s having fun planning her next project for her middle school students at Berkley Normal Middle School.

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BARBARA GRIFFITH & TRICIA KENYON

Promoting picture books

The Mysteries of Harris Burdick Author Illustrator

Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg

We were fascinated by these story starters, as the pictures show a relatively realistic world, but where maybe, things are not always as they seem. We saw a potential to spark the imaginations of young writers with this wonderful resource book.

he first page of this captivating and unusual book explains the book’s origins with an introductory letter from Van Allsburg himself. “I first saw the drawings in this book a year ago, in the home of a man named Peter Wenders,” Van Allsburg begins. When Harris Burdick visited Peter Wender, who selected stories and pictures to be published as children’s books, he brought fourteen mysterious drawings, with their captions, as samples of stories he had written. Peter was captivated by them and asked Harris to return with his stories as soon as possible. Harris never came back.

Teachers Matter

Much later, while visiting Peter, Chris Van Allsburg saw the pictures left behind, and read some of the amazing stories that Peter’s children and their friends had been inspired to write.

Chris Van Allsburg reproduced the pictures and their captions in this book in the hope that other children would be inspired to write too.

Activities 1. The Pictures Look at the picture and read the caption, in terms of the setting, characters and possible story lines. A. What do I observe, wonder and infer from the picture? e.g. - Uninvited guests.

Observe

Steps, doorway, skates, rafters, small window

Wonder

Whose house is this? Why is the door so small?

Infer

Basement, daytime, cold climate

B. What questions are evoked by each picture? e.g. - Under the rug. Did this happen in this room before? Is he angry or is he afraid? Why did he choose the chair? What is under the rug?

2.Building vocabulary. Brainstorm vocabulary you might use in your writing. e.g. - Another place, another time. misty, hazy, becalmed, rolling clouds, ominous, mast, sail, rigging, cumulous

BARBARA GRIFFITH & TRICIA KENYON

3. Imagery Create and use similes, metaphors, personification etc. e.g. - The house on Maple Street …rose like a high powered rocket. ...the mist swirled like dry ice.

4. Captions A. Could begin or end your story. e.g. - Oscar and Alphonse ‘She knew it was time to send them back. The caterpillars softly wiggled in her hand, spelling out “goodbye”.’ B. Create a new caption for the picture. This could lead to alternative story options. e.g. - Archie Smith, Boy Wonder They crept in to wake him. The eyes peered at him.

5. Character development Who is the main character in the picture? Develop a background and description for this character. Consider: clothing, appearance, demeanor, attitude, actions, etc e.g. - Captain Tory Sailor but not in the navy Not poor, well dressed for cold night. Threatening, possible child kidnapping.

6. Music Search the internet music sites and select a piece of music that would enhance the atmosphere of the selected picture.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick Complied by

Chris Van Allsburg

Publisher

Andersen Press

ISBN

978-1-89439-408-6

Fourteen amazing authors have written their stories of the mysterious pictures from “The Mysteries of Harris Burdick”.

7. Debate Is it possible that the introduction to this book is true? Argue for and against.

8. So what did happen to Harris Burdick? Think of a possible reason why Harris did not return to share the stories he had written. This could become another story.

An excellent resource to share with your students, as inspiration, or to just delight the imagination.

A few of the many websites you could visit for further activities and ideas.

http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/mysteriesharris-burdick-using-30606.html

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 a position as a Resource Teacher: Literacy, which she held for the last 16 years. 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.

THE LAST WORD: KAREN BOYES

Enhancing thought-full classroom dialogue 6 practical ideas

reating an environment within your classroom where every student actively participates in their education is a major goal and a key challenge for educators. An effective way to promote active participation is through classroom dialogue. Unfortunately, many of our students have been educated out of being actively engaged in their education through a fear of making mistakes, years of passive learning, and extreme reluctance to enter into dialogue. Here are 6 ideas and practical ways you can use to enhance thought-full classroom dialogue:

what they are being asked. Go further up the school and into a Secondary classroom, and most teachers are struggling to have students answer a question – no hands go up. Dr David Sousa, a leading brain expert, asserts, “Students who laugh more learn more.” He is advocating (and I agree) for a safe classroom where making mistakes is ok and giving something new a go is celebrated.

“ An effective way to promote active participation is through classroom dialogue.”

calling upon a student to answer, answering the question themselves, or asking a new question. Neuroscientists know that one second is not enough time for deep thinking to occur. It takes time for processing to occur. Here are some ideas to give students time to So how can you lower the risk factor that is think. attached to speaking in front of your peers? • Use wait time. After asking a • Value every response. Avoid judgemental question, wait for 7 – 10 seconds before words such as good, awesome, nice and speaking. This is harder than it sounds. well done when a student shares and Say nothing - be quiet and still. The first instead value the fact they took a risk to time you do this your students may look share in front of their peers by saying, at you strangely, as they are not used to a “Thank you.” Whether students are correct teacher being silent. This pause however, or not, acknowledge them for giving it a go. gives them time to process, make connections and decide. It causes them to • Stop playing ‘guess the answer in the think. A colleague suggests to wait until it teachers head.’ Unless a student has seen hurts and then wait some more. Use wait your lesson plan or can read your mind, time after you have asked a question and this is a win/lose game. You will always when a student asks you a question. win and they lose. If you are wanting a specific answer either just tell them it, or • Think/Pair Share. Once you have given brainstorm many ideas, not stopping at the students time to think, invite them to talk correct answer. Once you have the ideas, to a partner to clarify their own thinking. choose the one you wished to discuss. When they have had time to process and clarify their ideas the risk of being able to • Develop a culture in your classroom where share with the class is lowered. mistakes are celebrated, not punished or ignored.

1. Pay attention to your classroom environment. Encouraging students to speak and share requires a look at the emotional condition of your classroom. Speaking out in front of your peers (at any age!) is a high risk activity. You might be wrong and ridiculed or worse, you might be right and still ridiculed - “teacher’s pet – you always know the answer!” The fear of failure and fear of success is real in the classroom. If you are not sure about this, go into a new entrant class. Those children want to learn so much, the teacher only has to say, “Who wants...?”, “Who knows...?” and most hands go up, before they know

• Play music when students come into the classroom. Notice your personal ‘risk factor feeling’ between going into a silent room and one filled with music. Music can soften the tone and lower the risk factor.

2. Use teacher techniques to encourage thinking If you want students to share ideas, you as the teacher may need to learn and monitor your methods of instruction. Mary Budd Rowe says that the average teacher, when posing a question to the class, waits one second before responding in one of 3 different ways:

• Have a no hands up policy. If you give students time to process, simply call upon any child to answer. I often hear myself saying to students, “I’m not interested in who is the first to answer. I’m looking for who has taken time to think about their answer.”

3. Model and explicitly teach students listening skills. Professor Art Costa states: “We spend 55% of our lives listening, however most of us are not taught how.” He goes on to say that when most people are listening, they are really rehearsing what they want to

say, or thinking about how they can ‘score more points’ with a better story. The art of listening with understanding requires explicit teaching. Have discussions about listening in your classroom and include some or all of these ideas. • Explain the listening sequence – pause, paraphrase and probe. Pause is the ability to put your own thoughts aside and hear what someone has to say. It is about using wait time before responding. Paraphrasing is the art of letting others know you are understanding, or attempting to understand, by restating the essence of what they have been saying in your own words. Probing includes asking inquiring and clarifying questions to ensure you understand clearly. • Discuss the subtleties of body language in relation to listening. These may include eye contact, (depending on culture & learning styles), appropriate facial expressions, non-verbal feedback and being in rapport. • If students have a question or wish to find out more while in active listening, discuss ways they may mentally record ideas, points and questions and still stay actively listening. Some may have a checklist inside their head, a visual picture, be relating what is being said to prior knowledge or experience, be repeating the information inside their head, have a movie playing and so on. • Te a c h s t u d e n t s h o w t o d e a l w i t h distractions. How do you listen when the room is noisy? What if someone is moving around and you notice?

4. Watch your language. Language and thinking are connected. You cannot have one without the other. If your goal is to cause thinking to happen, be mindful of your own language. Over the past few decades language has been dumbed down and simplified, causing lack of clarity. There is a very big difference in the way the brain processes and understands these two phrases: “Let’s look at these two pictures” and “Let’s compare these two pictures.” The second gives precision and intelligibility to the thought process. In your classroom; Check your curriculum documents for the thinking verbs that are used. I have copied a chart of many of these. These are the words and terms your students are required to know and understand.

KAREN BOYES

Challenge yourself to avoid the word ‘think’. When you catch yourself saying this, pause and decide on the actual thinking verb you wish students to use.

5. Ensure metacognition is at the centre of all you do in the classroom. Being able to think about your own thinking (metacognition) is what makes us uniquely human. To improve at any skill, you must be able to take a balcony look (from above) at your own behaviour and be able to be conscious of your thoughts, beliefs, actions and intentions and their perceived effects on others and the environment. In your classroom; • Ensure students understand that intelligence and ability are mutable capable of change and growth. • Teach students problem solving strategies and ways to sort and filter their thinking. • Encourage Think Aloud Problem Solving (TAPS). This will allow students to be more consciously aware of what is happening internally. • Have students explain their thinking and process, not just the finished product. • Teach planning and goal setting. • Give students ample opportunities to practice monitoring their learning and adapting as necessary

6. Develop your questioning skills. To encourage depth of thinking, practice questioning with intention. Ensure you are using questions at different cognitive levels, using positive assumptions, and encourage reflection. Try these ideas to start. • Use plurals. Instead of asking, “What is your goal?” ask, “What are some of your goals?” This broadens the possibilities of

answers and thinking and opens up the discussion to many different directions. • Add tentative language into your questions. Use words such as might, could, w o u l d , m a y. T h e s e words lower the risk of having to be correct and open up the options for discussion. • Start a question with an invitational stem such as, as you recall, given what you know about, as you anticipate, etc. These stems invite the brain to head in the direction of thinking. As with any new skill, it takes time to implement and practice. I recommend you choose one idea at a time and mindfully take a couple of weeks to integrate it into your instruction until you add the next idea. Here’s to having great classroom dialogue.

** Karen regularly presents this topic at conferences, teacher PL meetings and via webinars. For more information about how Karen can enhance your teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom, please email the Spectrum Team at info@spectrumeducation.com **

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