Teachers Matter Magazine Issue 39

PROFESSIONALLY & PERSONALLY

TeachersMatter The Magazine of Spectrum Education

Working Together as a Team Smartphones in Schools Teacher Compassion Building a Metacognitive Classroom NZ$19 / AU$19

Leaders in Developing Teachers

ISSUE 39

EDITOR’S NOTE

The middle of the school year is so often the most difficult time for teachers. On occasion, perhaps even on many occasions, we find ourselves struggling to drag ourselves out from underneath our warm covers to even mentally prepare for our day, let alone make it to school to face our room full of eager students. You see, in the middle, the newness of the school year has worn off, and the end of the year is still not in sight. Students are tired. Teachers are tired.

And yet, we must press on. Our students need us at our best. They need engaging lessons that minimise distractions and behaviours. In order to continue on as that creative person we know we are, we must first look within ourselves, and care for ourselves. John Shackleton’s article, “Finding Happiness,” gives us quality reminders to look in our current circumstances and find happiness with where we’re at each and every day.

I know often times, the middle of the year is when we see behaviours arise, even in our best students. Some of those behaviours may surface due to anxiety in our students. As one who does not suffer from anxiety, it is difficult to know what may or may not trigger a response in those who do. Michael Grose provides practical advice on how to put those students at ease in his article, “7 Phrases to Avoid When Someone is Anxious.”

Karen Tui Boyes delivers in this issue as usual. Trying to create time for all the work that must be accomplished over the middle of the year is always a challenge, and Karen provides six detailed avenues to be more effective and intentional with our time. Likewise, we can also teach our students these habits to aide in their ability to manage time effectively as well.

Lastly, don’t miss Dan Vollrath’s article, “Executive Function Infused with the Habits of Mind.” Knowing more and more about how the incredible brain works and functions is at the heart of this informative article. When we as teachers are able to better understand what might be physically happening in the brain of our students, we are better able to plan activities that engage the minds of our students the best.

As always, thank you so much to our contributors and our readers who make this effort possible! We appreciate each one of you! Enjoy this issue - it is packed with intriguing information and perspective at every turn!

Yours in Education,

Jessica Youmans Editors Note: Karen and the team would like to thank Barbara Griffith & Tricia Kenyon for being amazing contributors to the magazine for 37 issues. You are our longest contributors who never missed an issue. Thanks for your dedication and willingness to share and inspire so many of us to use Picture Books more thoughtfully in the classroom.

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CONTENTS

In this issue COVER PHOTO BY AFRICA STUDIO

p10 - Growth Mindset

6

Executive Function Infused with the Habits of Mind

22

8

5 Ways to Reimagine Your School’s Vision Statement

26 Quote

10

Growth Mindset

ANDREI VOLCOV

28

Growing Empathy in Our Kids

12

DAN VOLLRATH

DAVID FRANKLIN ALAN COOPER

Saying What You Want Without Causing Conflict DR. KATHY MURRAY

15 Quote 16

Teachers Matter

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p12 - Saying What You Want Without Causing Conflict

20

Learning to Master Time

Students Learning Through the Arts KEITH MASON

27 Improving Student Leadership

32

ROBYN HARWOOD

Building a Culture of Empathy in the Classroom MADELEINE TAYLOR

KAREN TUI BOYES

36 Mindfulness

Inspiring Global Competence in 21st Century Classrooms

LIANE BENEDICT

38

It’s Story Time!

SARAH EVANS

LAURA MANNI

p27 - Improving Student Leadership 40

Emotional Regulation KATE SOUTHCOMBE

43 Quote 44

Memory Hacks for Study Success KAREN TUI BOYES

47 VoCAPulary

GLENN CAPELLI

48

The Art of Teaching

50

Nurturing Positive Attitudes Toward our Health and Safety

53

Finding Happiness

CALEB WESCO

CAROLYN DARBY

JOHN SHACKLETON

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MAGAZINE CONTACTS

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Teachers Matter Magazine Team Publisher, Sales and Advertising Karen Tui Boyes Editor Jessica Youmans Art Director Brenda Mihalko Printer Spectrum Print, Christchurch

Subscriptions Toll free (NZ) 0800 373 377 Toll free (Australia) 1800 249 727 Thanks to the educators, speakers and authors who contributed interviews, articles, photographs and letters.

Teachers Matter magazine is registered with the National Library: ISSN 1178-6825 © Spectrum Education 2018 All rights reserved.

p60 - Smart Kids and Smart Phones 54

Why You’re Not Saving Money (And How to Start!)

LAUREL MAKOWEM

56 Overcoming the Overwhelming

LAUREN PARSONS

59

7 Phrases to Avoid When Someone is Anxious

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Smart Kids and Smart Phones

p70 - Qualities of Apologies

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.

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Meeting the Literacy Challenges of a Multi-Cultural Classroom LESLEY JOHNSON

The opinions expressed in Teachers Matter are those of the contributors and we love them!

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Can we Really Work Less Yet Achieve More?

All Enquiries

ROBYN PEARCE

Spectrum Education Ltd Street Address: 19 Rondane Place, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

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Improving Staff Recruitment and Retention THERESE HOYLE

Postal Address: PO Box 30818, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

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How to Give and Receive an Apology

Phone: (NZ) +64 4 528 9969

PATRICIA BUONCRISTIANI

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Punching Above Your Weight

75 Quote

63

Respecting Others’ Point of View

MICHAEL GROSE

RYAN MARTIN

DONNA WILSON & MARCUS CONYERS

KAREN TUI BOYES

magazine@spectrumeducation.com www.spectrumeducation.com Lioncrest Education Postal Address: PO Box 340 Cessnock NSW 2325, Australia Phone: 61 2 4991 2874 or 1800 249 727 info@lioncrest.com.au www.lioncrest.com.au

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DAN VOLLRATH

Executive Function Infused with the Habits of Mind Utilise Both to Improve Chances for Success

Some days the classroom depicts and feels like the picture above. What is the teacher to do? May we suggest working on Executive Functioning?

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What is Executive Functioning?

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Executive Functioning (EF) is an umbrella term for the processes that serve as a supervisory role in thinking and behaviour.

Serving as an overseer to oneself in any task or assignment is critical for success. Take for example the role of a project manager.

This individual must be able to analyse, plan, develop, adjust, organise and prepare, all while maintaining the responsibility of others to accomplish the goals for the job. As educators, we have a similar role to ensure that we engage students in purposeful, goaldirected and future oriented behaviours.

We are the project managers, guiding our students toward developing the EF skills they need to successfully navigate and complete tasks with success. In order for this to occur, it is important to understand the

core executive functioning skills beneath this umbrella: Planning and Organising: Breaking down a task into smaller steps in order to reach a goal.

Working Memory: Holding onto relevant information long enough, in order to remember and use it.

Initiation: Beginning a task and generating ideas without procrastination.

Task Monitoring: Monitoring performance toward a goal.

Self-Monitoring: Observing behaviour in relation to behavioural expectations.

DAN VOLLRATH

Inhibition: Monitoring your impulsivity.

Emotional Control: Understanding and reflecting on your feelings.

Shifting Thinking and Behaviours: Transitioning from one activity to another.

Habits of Mind Connection Imagine a long-term project that requires reading a 300-page novel, producing a poster on thematic ideas, writing a two page analysis, and presenting in front of the class. You have three weeks to complete it. What executive skills above do you feel are important? If you said all of them, you are right! Now, throw in the Habits of Mind.

What habits do you believe successfully combine with EF skills to enhance this process? Here are two that come to mind: Managing Impulsivity: Think before acting, remain calm and thoughtful. As stress, anxiety and procrastination play a role in many things we do in life, it is imperative to place yourself in a positive state of mind and focus, while eliminating negative actions that deplete thinking.

Persisting: Persevere through the task, remain focused a n d d o n ’t g i v e u p . P u s h i n g t h r o u g h distractions and obstacles is key here.

It is easy to set a schedule and say you are going to follow it, but actually going through with those actions is another piece.

Classroom Strategies It is important to bring EF skills and Habits of Mind together in order for students to grasp the super visor y role of their thinking and behaviours in connection to the mindfulness of habits that reinforce productive actions they should be putting into practice. So, try these two simple strategies in your classroom: 4-Corner Focus Groups Within the first five minutes of class students will select a corner of the room that best fits their needs for supervising their thinking and behaviours in reference to a writing assignment. One corner will focus on questions they have about the assignment, another corner for getting organised for the writing assignment, another corner for sharing ideas and suggestions with peers, and another corner for students who are confused with what needs to be completed. In addition, students will be able to engage in these Habits of Mind: thinking interdependently, questioning and problem p o si ng and t h i n ki n g a b o ut t hi n k i ng (metacognition).

Three Minute Build-In When all students are in their seats, a build-in statement may sound like this: “Within the next three minutes, be mindful of how you are going to persist in building initiation with activities in class today, how you are going to plan and organise yourself in order to manage your impulsivity, and be metacognitive in the transitions we make from one activity to another.” A simple statement like this sets the tone, builds common language, and models the connection between the habits and EF skills.

With consistency and daily practice with EF skills and Habits of Mind within the classroom, you can transform behaviours and develop the structure desired for success.

With consistency and daily practice with EF skills and Habits of Mind within the classroom, you can transform behaviours and develop the structure desired for success.

Daniel Vollrath, Ed.D. is a special educator and United States Professional Development Trainer for the Institute for Habits of Mind. A current educational leader within the classroom, Daniel’s best practices strategies and interactions with students with a learning disability are centered around Habits of Mind.

He can be contacted via email at danvollrath44@gmail.com.

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DAVID FRANKLIN

5 Ways to Reimagine Your School’s Vision Statement

Making the Vision Statement Worthwhile Again

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school’s vision statement is often overlooked, hidden or in-explicitly non-existent. It can be found on most school’s websites, hidden among bells schedules, lunch options, teacher websites and PTA pages. Teachers and senior leaders often don’t know what is written in their school’s vision statement. Parents don’t either. Students… well, you get the picture. However, shouldn’t we all know the ideological foundation of the institution that we send our children to or that we work at each and every day?

A s c h o o l ’s v i s i o n s t a t e m e n t s h o u l d be dynamic, specific and forward thinking. Statements should no longer make simple, generic claims like: 1. We are preparing students for the future.

2. We believe all students can learn.

3. Together, we are making our community strong.

Remember, a vision statement is like a road map. It tells a story of where you are going and how you are going to get there. Here are five ways to craft and communicate a dynamic vision statement that can and should be shared with all stakeholders:

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Start From Scratch Many teachers and senior leaders inherit generic school visions when they get hired. Individuals who are no longer connected with the school created these forgettable statements decades ago. These statements were also created when educational practices, expectations and tools were different. Do yourself and your school community a favour and start over with fresh thinking.

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DAVID FRANKLIN

Bring All Stakeholders to the Table The best statements are created by a diverse group of stakeholders that include teachers, senior leaders, parents, community members and students. Make sure that you are including them in the creation of the school’s vision statement. This way, buy-in from these groups in their entirety will be easier to gain.

Make The Vision Breathable Too many school vision statements are stale, lifeless creations that don’t mean anything in the real world. They only exist in the vacuum of the page, not in the collective consciousness of the school. When someone steps onto your campus they should be able to see, hear and feel the vision in action. This notion takes place at all levels of the school from the front office to the cafeteria, from the classrooms to the hallways and even on the playgrounds.

The Elevator Pitch Men and women in sales perfect their elevator pitch every day. Pretend you are riding up an elevator with another person.

As the doors are closing, they ask you to explain what makes your school special or different than other schools. You have until the elevator stops at their floor to answer them, which is about 30 seconds. Could you do it? Could your staff do it? Parents?

Students?

School leaders, teachers, parents and students grow based on empathetic feedback.

Make It Public A school’s vision statement needs to be publicised and should be front and center in every communication. Give it a central location on the school’s website.

It should be a part of the header of paper communications and included in the email signatures of staff members. Furthermore, the school’s vision should be consulted when making programme, budget and personnel decisions. You will want the decisionmaking process and outcomes to match the collectively created school vision that makes the school unique.

Dr. David Franklin, CEO of The Principal’s Desk, is an experienced school senior leader, education professor, curriculum designer and presenter. Dr. Franklin has presented at national and international education conferences and is available for school or district professional development sessions. He can be reached at david@theprincipalsdesk.org or at http://www.principalsdesk.org.

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ALAN COOPER

Growth Mindset

How Even the Small Things Can Matter the Most

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a t t i e ’s r e s e a r c h p l a c e s e a c h approach to teaching and learning on a continuum. His hinge point is .40. Those above will have more effective results. Those below will have less effective results. Mindset, with an effect size of .19, is way below the hinge point. However, Hattie believes that the problem is not in the theory, but in the teachers having a fixed mindset and it is this that needs changing.

Thus, teachers have a major responsibility to ensure that they cultivate a growth mindset.

Teachers Matter

Unless teachers change their practices, becoming aware of their own mindset and the effect this has on their students, mindset will quickly become yesterday’s failure, still not faded as the next fad pushes in.

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It is naïve to believe that setting out to produce a growth mindset in each student can be achieved by the simple action of praising the student’s actions, rather than praising him or her as a person. Likewise, it is equally naive that mindset can be restricted to a constant growth mindset. It is much like the weather: it is changeable and determined by the climate in the area.

While there are many aspects of climate, in the classroom, teacher mood and behaviour are one of the strongest influences in any given classroom.

Mindset Movers is a term coined by James Anderson. The term highlights the day to day influences, intended or unintended, that push one toward a fixed mindset or a growth mindset. The most important group of these Mindset Movers in a school are the teacher’s classroom practices and reactions.

Moreover, if Hattie is correct about the predominant teacher mindset, the Mover is likely to be a fixed mindset.

A year 12 Pakeha student has this to say: “After two weeks of a lesson a day, he still didn’t know my name. Maybe trivial, but to me, infuriating and insulting.” Media reports that other ethnic groups, particularly, but not exclusively Maori and Pacifica, are disrespected by mispronunciation of their names. This is the

Mindset development is not just what the teacher says or does not say. Robert Fulghum wrote this warning for teachers: “Worry that they are always watching you.”

This is not something that is grown out of as age increases in students. They, whoever they are, will be watching.

That of course means your facial actions or reactions are also Mindset Movers, which will be noted by your students. Do you smile at the girls and have a set face for the boys?

Most teachers won’t be able to answer this because you will never have been aware of it, but if you are aware, are you sending growth mindset signals to some students and fixed mindset signals to others? Most teachers will have some automatic actions like this, perhaps not based on gender,

Teachers have a major responsibility to ensure that they cultivate a growth mindset. teacher’s fixed mindset asserting itself, and in the process, sabotaging any other teacher action. Thus, the Mindset Mover mentioned here, getting names of students wrong, has the unintended effect of developing a fixed mindset.

but on other differences. Another example of this automaticity depends on who you feel most comfortable with, or most uncomfortable with in the classroom? This will show and be interpreted by students, too.

ALAN COOPER

There are many other Mindset Movers in the everyday teacher actions in the classroom, such as the procedure for asking and answering questions. According to Bill Gates, “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”

Formative assessment will do this best, but it needs to be ongoing and timely. Fortunately, the resource to do this is at hand: the students.

The procedure for feedback is something for individual teachers to work out according to their circumstance. If there is high trust in the classroom, post-it notes could be placed publicly on the wall. If not, post-it notes put privately on the teacher’s desk would suffice.

All that is needed is a summary of what the Mindset Mover was, and a few bullet points

to describe how it can be enhanced and grown if it was a growth mindset moment.

If the situation caused fixed mindset, a statement of how to avoid and substitute in the future. If the examples can then be discussed in class, that most important part of assessment is being played out for the teacher and students. Where do we go to next?

The poem below by the Englishman Richard Whitfield has had a profound influence on me. The students providing feedback to the teacher is one way of achieving what the poem eludes.

Swimming Lessons The teacher gave passionate megaphone instructions, From his side of the river bank to his class on the other.

Neither could feel a current of mutual concern; That demanded they get in the stream together, A matter of mutual confidence, and trust.

Many lessons fail to capture the current, Let alone the thrill of the rapids, Bound to the same driftwood, Logged-on together.

Alan Cooper is an educational consultant based in New Zealand. As a principal, he was known for his leadership role in thinking skills, including Habits of Mind, learning styles and multiple intelligences, i n f o r m a t i o n t e c h n o l o g y, a n d t h e development of the school as a learning community.

So, Father Duck, even sometimes Mother Duck, Do not try to teach unless you enjoy swimming with ducklings.

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DR. KATHY MURRAY

Saying What You Want Without Causing Conflict How to be a Team Player When we work together toward common goals with a common vision and philosophy, groups of people evolve into teams of people but only under effective leadership.

“I

do so much more than her and yet we get the same pay!”

“How do some people just cruise and still get by while the rest of us cover for them?”

All of us have probably been in a similar situation and have thought or said comments like these when working closely with other people. The conditions have been ripe for conflict and arguments possibly due to differing opinions, personality differences, inequity in roles or power, misunderstanding of meaning or a range of other factors. It may have been as simple as being tired, hungry or unwell. Conflict can occur at any time and be caused by a number of reasons. We are all guilty of saying what we think and then wishing we hadn’t said it!

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Often, in the education sector, part of the position criteria is to be a team player to work toward common goals. This common goal is the children, their education and the support of families and the community in general. So, it follows that if a common goal has been established, then team work is important. As we know, when working in a busy school environment, individuals have to support each other and at times, need to step in and back up a colleague who may be busy dealing with an issue that needs immediate attention.

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There are differences between a group and a team, each serving different purposes. A ‘group’ is individuals who work together but have their own tasks. Each person’s task contributes to the end product, but they’re working independently. Think of people on an assembly line, each completing their own task but contributing to an end product.

A ‘team’ is individuals who look at the big picture. Each person is working independently but collaboratively toward a joint outcome. The team understands that they have personal and team goals, and they support each other to get to that end point. Teams are a group of people cooperating with each other to work toward achieving a set of aims, objectives or goals, while considering the personal needs and interests of individuals. Think of a sporting team where all players are aiming for their personal best and overall success for everyone involved.

When we work together toward common goals with a common vision and philosophy, groups of people evolve into teams of people but only under effective leadership. Leadership style is an important part of developing a successful team. It needs to be a holistic approach. Leadership that acknowledges strengths, values individual contributions, demonstrates trust and doesn’t micromanage builds confident teams.

There are six distinct stages of group development that also apply to team development. Google can supply many different labels for the stages of group and team development, but I tend to like the following ones. I have seen these stages in schools, classrooms, leadership ‘teams,’ business organisations and sporting ‘teams.’ You may have heard of them: forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning, mourning. They look a little like this:

DR. KATHY MURRAY

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DR. KATHY MURRAY

Forming is when people first get together in a group and swap phone numbers, names: basically, a general meet-and-greet.

Everything is pleasant, everything is great, there is enthusiasm and everyone becomes friends!

Performing is evident when the outcome is reached, and the product is demonstrated, or the project is completed. The hierarchy within the team is of little importance, because everybody has contributed and worked together toward a common goal.

Storming occurs when that honeymoon period of forming wears off and people start to say what they really think without filtering it first. They are still thinking of themselves as an individual, and they start to put their own ideas forward with varying levels of acceptance from others. There may be resistance, or there may be two leaders in the group who both want to lead. This can lead to conflict within the group.

Adjourning happens when a project is finalised. After working on it for a period of time the team members finally realise that the project is finished and suddenly it is all over.

Teachers Matter

Norming develops as people get past that conflict and they go into a state of normalcy. Individuals start to feel as though they are part of a cohesive unit. It starts to feel a bit more like a team with a common goal and trust is beginning to develop. The realisation that if other people’s viewpoints are accepted and an effort is made to work with people, rather than trying to clash with them, (as they were doing in the storming) then the goal can be reached in a much more effective and efficient method.

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Mourning behaviours and feelings of loss arise because the weekly or daily team meetings and working toward a common goal has come to an end. The sense of belonging begins to dissipate and a sense of loss replaces it. Potentially, it is quite a difficult period for the team members after the project has finished.

The collaborative nature of working in a team satisfies many of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, such as the sense of belonging, security, sense of worth, respect, creativity and intellectual stimulation to name a few.

Teamwork can be a fulfilling experience once we understand the natural flow and go with it rather than against it.

Nurturing teams in the workplace is time well spent in any organisation.

Understanding the value and importance of acknowledging the efforts and abilities of colleagues and staff builds respect, confidence and loyalty. It’s in everyone’s best interests to be a team player to build strong, calm, productive and happy work places where we don’t hear, “I do so much more than her and yet we get the same pay!”

Dr Kathy Murray has been in education for 34 years and is the founder of Training and Education Services, a consultancy business that ser ves teachers, educators and parents to extend knowledge and skills to support the growth and learning opportunities.

Kathy also works with leaders to support the development of skills in emotional intelligence, leadership, communication and team building. She speaks locally to internationally on a range of topics.

She can be contacted at: kathy@trainingandedservices.com.au

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KAREN TUI BOYES

Learning to Master Time Making the Most of Each Minute

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earning to master time, rather than being its victim, is one of the eight cultural forces discussed by Project Zero’s senior researcher, Ron Ritchhart. He writes about six areas of time which can be harnessed and mastered to create a thinking culture in your classroom.

1. Recognise Time as a Statement of Your Values What you give time to in the classroom (and life) is a reflection of what you value. If someone was to shadow you for a day in your classroom, what would they observe about your priorities and v a l u e s ? Wo u l d i t b e a b o u t b u i l d i n g relationships, giving students a voice through discussion, ensuring instructions are understood, building thinking capacity or merely getting the work completed?

Ritchhart provides some reflective questions to ask yourself about your choices around time: • Do I allow discussion to continue?

• Do I move on because I have three more points to make?

• Do I take time to review the material students are supposed to read?

• Do I allow students to experiment, raise questions and get confused, or do I just give them the information?

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• Do I entertain the thought provoking question, which is slightly off topic?

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Whilst sometimes it feels, as a teacher, there is time pressure to ‘get through’ the curriculum, the important concept here is the messages you are sending students about what is and what isn’t important in your classroom. It comes back to our values. If you believe a quiet class and getting through the curriculum are the most important priorities, then you will spend more time and effort ensuring these happen. However, if you believe that a class who makes more noise by participating in quality discussions is important, you will spend the time to create those opportunities for students.

2. Learning to Prioritise and Always Prioritising Learning If learning is the primary function of schools, how are you demonstrating this? Ask your students what they think is important to you as the teacher in your classroom. This question can be very revealing!

Do you focus on what has been learned, or the completion of the work/task? A great question to ask yourself is, “If you only had 6 weeks with your students, what would you want them to understand?” Stephen Covey popularised the ‘Big Rocks’ story.

The metaphor involves rocks and sand, and is about priorities: if your start with the sand and pebbles, there is no room for the rocks. So, you should be putting in the big rocks (the most important concepts/ideas/ understandings) into the jar first, before adding the smaller pebbles and then the sand. When you prioritise learning, there must be an understanding that learning is a consequence of thinking. Providing coaching and feedback is a key part of this. Students must also be challenged and stretched to ensure they are growing and learning.

Prioritising learning means keeping teacher talk to eight minutes or less (let’s face it, when you are talking, students are not learning. Learning happens in the reflection time) and reducing transition times. Conducting an audit on learning time is both a revealing and brave undertaking in most classrooms. I was recently involved in an audit of this type and there were 47 minutes a day used just in packing up time!

In another, the teacher would personally hand out the writing books to each student, taking time away from the learning process.

In what ways might you redesign, practice and streamline the transition times in your classroom?

KAREN TUI BOYES

3. Give Thinking Time Mary Budd Rowe’s iconic wait time research shows that increasing the time between asking a question and a student answering it, leads to a dramatic improvement in learning and inference. Her research showed that the average teacher, after asking a question, waited one second before doing one of three things: calling upon a student to answer, answering the question themselves or asking a new question. This is not enough time for deep thinking to occur.

The recommended wait time is between 7 - 10 seconds. This feels like a lifetime to a teacher, however it is time for students to make decisions, evaluate and problem solve. In short, it gives them time to think. A colleague of mine says, “Wait until it hurts, and then wait some more!”

When giving instructions, students are often impulsive and only hear the first instruction. Thousands of teachers have had tremendous success with the phrase: “In a moment, but not quite yet…” This signals the brain to stop and wait and listen to all the instructions before moving or taking action. In addition you might also use this phrase after giving a set of instructions. “If you were following these instructions correctly, what would you do doing?” This allows a learner to take a moment and do some mental rehearsal of what they are about to do, thus being more likely to follow the directions precisely.

Another phrase I hear myself saying regularly when I am conducting model lessons in the classroom is, “What I am interested in is not that you are the first to answer, but that you have taken the time to think about your answer.” Many times teachers have reinforced the notion of being first, by calling upon the first to raise their hand, or the student who is sitting up straight. I recommend no hands up and giving think time to learners and then you can call upon any student.

4. Investing Time to Make Time Can you make more time? No, however we can invest time in streamlining routines and procedures so there is more time available for learning priorities. Investing time to teach students how to transition between activities, pack up and settle into the next activity is critical. This initially takes time out of a few lessons, however the long term benefits are huge. I saw this done as an action research in a classroom. The teachers and students brainstormed the behaviour and structure of the desired outcome (eg: transitioning to the next activity and starting it quickly). Then, they practiced the transition. As soon as someone deviated from the desired outcome, the teacher would stop everyone and a discussion about what happened would ensue. Problems were identified, feedback given, solutions discussed and then the practice would happen again. Over the course of the next week, with continued feedback and discussions, students progressively got better at the routine until it was performed with the desired outcome. Investing this time at the beginning will give you more time in the long term.

What you give time to in the classroom is a reflection of what you value.

5. Rethinking Time Rethinking time can be challenging, especially in a school where a timetable and bells dictate the learning. In saying this, however, many schools internationally are testing out different ways to deliver content and maximise the learning in classrooms.

These ideas include using approaches such as Flipped Learning, Blended Learning, Genius Hour or Passion Projects, Slow Learning and Block Scheduling. All of these practices are worth exploring with a clear focus on learning and educational outcomes for the students.

Investing time to make time also includes teaching students to be more independent in their learning. This means ensuring students are clear of their goals, and know what to do when they are stuck, or the answer is not immediately apparent.

Empowering students to problem solve, without teacher input, to be able to take a responsible risk and give something a go, even when they are not sure, will free up the teacher time. Again, this requires explicit teaching, practice and feedback.

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KAREN TUI BOYES

6. Managing Energy & Not Time Have you noticed the more stressed you are, the less time you feel you have? Of course time is a fixed commodity, however energy is not. Energy is a renewable resource. Lowering your stress levels by managing your energy levels might just help you feel more in control and ‘on top’ of the workload; therefore, perhaps giving the illusion of more time. Managing your energy levels comprises of some of the basics, such as eating nutrient rich food and drinking water. Fitting in daily exercise does not have to take hours. Lauren Parsons promotes the ideas of snacking on exercise by completing one minute of huffy puffy, blood pumping activity, four times a day, which can make a marked difference to your health and energy levels. Another idea is to surround yourself with positive people.

People who add to your energy levels, rather than deplete them. Laughter, support, love and connection all fuel your energy.

Of course, it is important to take time to rest, relax and rejuvenate, and to take opportunities for downtime, breathing deeply in order to recharge. Day dreaming and periods of silence can also be revitalising. Dr Libby, a holistic nutrition specialist, cautions that many people are waking themselves up with coffee and cooling themselves down at night with alcohol, both of which are sapping energy.

Kirsty Spraggon talks about, “when you numb pain (discomfort, fear, etc), you numb joy.” Our emotions are not discerning. This message aligns with Dr Libby’s.

One practice that many people find to be energy giving is a daily gratitude habit. Journaling or sharing three things a day that you are grateful for can simply change your perspective on life and lower stressed feelings. I started a gratitude group online and it is gaining momentum every day. The feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Even on the hard, bad and painful days, there is always something that you can find gratitude in within your life. You are welcome to join by searching Facebook for Gratitude 2018.

Ideas for Implementation: • Conduct a time audit in your classroom to find out how much time is spent in instructional time versus learning time.

• Practice increasing your wait time.

• Make a list of ways you spend time with your class and gather student perspectives.

• Ask students what they think you value in your classroom.

• Identify which transitions, routines and procedures you can spend time on now to increase learning time later.

• Empower students to take responsible risks and solve their own problems, rather than always asking the teacher.

• Identify the BIG rocks and ensure you give time to these.

• Try out a ‘new’ (for you) way of teaching such as Flipped Learning or Genius Hour.

• Create energy renewal rituals.

Teachers Matter

** This article is the third in a series of 8, focusing on the 8 Cultural Forces and Cultures of Thinking. Previous articles can be found at www.karentuiboyes.com

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Karen is an expert in effective teaching and learning, study skills, motivation and positive thinking. She was recognised with the NSANZ Educator of the Year award in 2014 and 2017, and works in schools throughout Australasia teaching students how to Study Smart and teachers how to raise achievement. www.karentuiboyes.com

Source: Creating Cultures of Thinking - Ron Ritchhart Infographic © SpectrumEducation 2018

8 Cultural Forces that Define our Classrooms

Learning is a consequence of thinking.

Coaching and providing feedback propels learning forward and creates momentum.

Learning to be its master rather than its victim

Time

Flipped learning Blended learning Genius hour Slow learning Fedex days Block scheduling

Practice increasing wait time

Conduct an audit on your time

- Margaret Peters

“Time has a wonderful way to show us what really matters.”

How do I spend my energy? Moaning and complaining or excited and looking for opportuni�es?

Managing Energy, not Time

Conduct ‘engaged time ‘ audit on students

• • • • • •

Rethink Time

Give �me to talk and small group discussions.

Recognising Time as a Statement of your Values

8 minutes �me for Teacher talk - never go beyond this.

• minimise disrup�ons "How will I use • reduce transi�on �me my class �me • establish rou�nes to maximise • facilitate ac�ve student learning?" responses • focus on explicit goals Put the BIG • providing feedback rocks in first.

• encouraging independence

Learning to Prioritise and always Prioritise Learning

Provide wait �me and think �me.

Give Thinking Time

The greatest gift you can give someone is your time, because when you give your time you are giving a portion of your life that you will never get back.

Mul�tasking: divided a�en�on has severe effect on memory. Take �me to teach students to be more independent, set goals, take greater risks and learn to self-assess.

Investing Time to Make Time

KAREN TUI BOYES

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SARAH EVANS

Inspiring Global Competence in 21st Century Classrooms Helping Students Become Change Makers

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s educators, we have a responsibility to perit in our efforts to offer opportunities for children to practice global competence. Only then can we empower them to be change makers. To inspire global competence in our children, we must be intentional. You can achieve this by embracing the ’17 Sustainable Global Goals’ as an opportunity to connect your already existing curriculum to learning experiences that teach global competence.

In my third grade classroom, I have intentionally placed the four global c o m p e t e n c i e s , I n v e s t i g a t e t h e Wo r l d , Understand Perspectives, Communicate Ideas, and Take Action, at the cornerstone of all that we do. With that, year after year, my students are inspired to make a difference in the world, both locally and at a global level.

Because of the way they are empowered with opportunities to make a difference, my third graders have provided meals for

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the hungry, fundraised to provide livestock, planted fruit bearing trees, concrete homes and water wells for the destitute people of Haiti, designed and built raised garden bed prototypes for orphaned children, held craft fairs to provide shoes for tsunami victims, organized annual walks and funded children’s education.

To instill global competence, consider creating a culture of empathetic problem solvers beginning the first day of school.

One way to do this is to engage your students in a collaborative problem solving activity that begins upon entry into their new classroom. Any task that requires the students to think and collaborate will help to build a sense that they are a community of problem solvers. For example, each morning during the first week of school, my students are given a problem or task to complete to help them determine in which seat each will sit that day. One example task invites the students to seat themselves

If your students feel they are part of a class culture that embraces the global competencies, they will feel as though they are able to make a difference. chronologically by their birthdates. They are not allowed to skip seats, so as each new student arrives, some students have to move to a new seat, depending on the birthdate of the arriving student. Another task on another day invites the children to seat themselves alphabetically by their first name. Of course, in both tasks, the children collaborate by discussing the evidence necessary for determining where they will sit. With experiences such as these, your students will learn that their class is a place where problems are solved through collaboration.

SARAH EVANS

Once the children are seated on the first day of school, before explaining class rules and procedures, I continue to model an appreciation for global competence through thoughtfully selected literature. I share the book, Have you Filled a Bucket Today, by Carol McCloud. In this story, readers learn the power of kindness. We then, as a class, determine that our only class rule is to, “fill people’s buckets,” and our class culture is intentionally established as a community who believes in the power of kindness and taking action to make a difference in the lives of others.

Another way to inspire global competence is to engage students in opportunities to listen with understanding and empathy. Museumstyle partnership with international relief organizations such as Food for the Poor, are a tangible way for students to investigate countries and cultures where adults and children live in destitution. The following thought lines guide the integration of our museum partnership: What stories lie beneath the surface of a photograph or artifact? How can understanding other’s stories encourage empathy? How do we inspire in others the desire to make a difference? Using these questions, students can investigate photographs and artifacts that tell stories that will move them. The Circle of View Points thinking routine from Harvard’s Project Zero and the Library of

Congress’ protocol, Observe, Reflect, Question are two valuable routines students can use to document thinking.

Photographs, videos and artifacts help young students begin to understand the world beyond their immediate environment and thinking routines help children to consider others’ perspectives. By empowering your students in this way, they will begin to feel inspired to take action.

If your students are not sure how they can help or they need support from adults to bring their ideas to fruition, this becomes a perfect opportunity to work together as a class community to solve authentic issues. If your students feel they are part of a class culture that embraces the global competencies, they will feel as though they are able to make a difference. However, it is vital that the students know and trust that their teachers believe in their ability to be change makers. We can change the world by intentionally creating opportunities to practice global competence and supporting our students when they feel inspired to change the world.

Sarah Evans has been a third grade teacher for 17 years. She is now beginning a new chapter as an Assistant Principal. Evans is a National Board Certified teacher and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education as well as a Master’s degree in Literacy K-12.

Evans is also a Thinking Maps Trainer and Writing Project consultant.

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KEITH MASON

Students Learning Through the Arts Using Musicals on Stage to Support Curriculum

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usicals on stage or screen can be powerful tools for educators at all grade levels, in many subjects.

I maintained a curriculum integration programme for musicals for eight years at the high school level. Students stand to benefit greatly by exposure to school musicals as powerful sources for enrichment projects and activities.

I directed projects tied to musicals such as: Carousel, Bye Bye Birdie, The Boys from Syracuse, The Music Man, Hello, Dolly!, Anything Goes, Into the Woods, and The Boy Friend. The musicals exposed students to the music of famous composers and lyricists ranging from Rodgers and Hammerstein to Adams and Strouse. Many other musicals and composers exist, representing the full spectrum of possibilities.

Teachers Matter

Students stand to benefit greatly by exposure to school musicals as powerful sources for enrichment projects and activities.

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Curricular Considerations Teachers in various subject areas can tie a musical into their curriculum by focusing on themes, characters, plots, song lyrics, historical events, and artistic components.

This promotes the musical as an effective educational tool, not only for students in the production, but also for students in their regular classes. School projects invite the opportunity for concentration on deeper content focus for activities when based on a musical.

The integration of musicals is especially effective when using a project approach.

For example, in her 1997 book Creating and Assessing Performance-Based Curriculum Projects: A Teacher’s Guide to Project-Based Learning and Performance Assessment, Janet Banks offers a number of project ideas for learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners) including reports, calendars, posters, pamphlets and recordings. Many of these projects can be undertaken using themes, concepts and songs from musicals. Projects were designed to incorporate the characters, themes, settings, songs and time periods of each musical. Students produced handson projects that met curriculum standards and were then displayed for others to view.

Try adapting a tried and true project that you have already used before so that it encourages students to learn at least one aspect of a musical.

Students completed projects in my Spanish and Italian classes tied to the musicals staged in school. Later integrations involved more faculty and students in other subject areas. I started small the first year for Carousel by having student groups in one class translate four songs from the musical score into Spanish and accompany the translations with ink drawings. A special student committee created a large painted mural of a carnival scene for Carousel that was featured in the front school lobby. The following year, I did a more comprehensive approach by having students in all my classes do musical-based projects.

The learning objectives of musical projects were as follows: 1. E n c o u r a g e c r e a t i v i t y a n d a r t i s t i c expression.

2. Strive toward having students do their best work by knowing projects would be displayed in the school lobby or cafeteria and entered in the Rising Star Awards competition.

3. Promote the Multiple Intelligences, especially linguistic and musical intelligences.

4. Expose students to musicals, a part of the arts and popular culture.

5. Include students in regular classes, not only cast and crew members.

6. Highlight interdisciplinary and thematic learning.

7. Expose students to show music and Broadway composers and lyricists.

8. Integrate standards-based learning in several school subjects including world languages, music, theatre, art, mathematics, science, social studies and language arts.

Although I had students write text in the target language (Spanish or Italian) text can also be written in the student’s native language to practice writing skills.

Assignments were devised to be at the level of ability of each group. Students used a variety of media to complete projects including paper, markers and computers with various print capabilities, fabric, fabric markers, paints and artist paper. Students in classes also had access to study guide materials to help complete their projects.

Successful teachers design projects that engage students, encourage their natural talents and creativity, and activate their love of learning. Consider various curricular frameworks in project design including the Multiple Intelligences, Habits of Mind, varying learning styles as well as authenticity, creativity and 21st century

KEITH MASON

standards. Crystal clear directions and scoring rubrics will also set the stage for successful projects. I also present the history of each musical to the cast members for six of the musicals and created comprehensive study guides for students to understand the background of the musical they would be staging. Teacher’s guides were also created for colleagues interested in using musicals to foster learning.

Project Types Inspired

by Musicals Throughout the eight years of musical integration, there was a project outline utilised. With all outlines, keep in mind the following: 1. Use best practices for your subject and grade level.

2. Incorporate high profile curricular frameworks in project designs.

3. Personalize projects whenever possible.

4. Have students work individually or in groups depending on the project.

5. Strive toward authentic tasks and assessments.

6. Analyse musicals as part of the arts and cultural literacy.

Project Types With Descriptions Paper Dolls: Students create paper dolls of characters within a musical. For a school musical, they can create dolls that look like the actual cast members. An interview of the cast member can yield a biographical sketch promoting interpersonal skills and linguistic intelligence.

Commemorative Stamps: Postage stamps devoted to images and the creators of a specific music can be created by individuals or groups. Text accompanying the stamps can promote research and linguistic skills.

Commemorative Plates: Plates devoted to images and the creators of a specific musical can be created by individuals or groups. Text accompanying the plates can promote research and linguistic skills.

Collector plates are actual memorabilia available for a number of musicals.

Trading cards: Similar to baseball cards, cast members or actors from a specific

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Teachers Matter KEITH MASON

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KEITH MASON

musical can be created with biographical stats provided to promote digital photography, research and linguistic skills.

Calendars: Students create a calendar with drawings and text. For Into the Woods, one Italian class created fairy tale drawings with text in Italian. For The Boys from Syracuse, an Italian class created a Comedy of Art calendar highlighting an Italian form of theatre and the regional characters found in Commedia dell’arte.

Storybooks: Students collectively tell the main story of a musical and illustrate it with color or black and white drawings.

Instrumental Portraits: Students explore one musical instrument, have a cast member pose with that instrument and write a history of the instrument based on research. A biographical sketch of the cast member can promote linguistic and interpersonal skills.

Victorian Garden: Students explore various flowers, research them and then have cast members pose with the flowers.

This was inspired by the musical Hello, Dolly! because Victorians revered flowers so much.

Cameos: Students create jewelry in the likeness of cast members and write biographies. This was completed within an intermediate Italian class for Hello, Dolly!

The Victorians revered cameos and the originals derive from Italian culture when the Campania region citizens first carved cameos from the volcanic rock of Mount Vesuvius of Naples, Italy.

Stained Glass: Students create jewelry in the likeness of cast members and write biographies. This was completed within an intermediate Italian class for Hello, Dolly! The Victorians revered stained glass, original stained glass being derived from the Romans. For Into the Woods, four cafeteria windows were decorated with a stain glass panel featuring four different fairy tales: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Fabric Arts: Students create fabric projects inspired by themes and songs in musicals.

My students created quilt panels using fabric and fabric markers. For Into the Woods, an Italian class created Little Red Riding Hood’s cloak with fairy tale panels and text in Italian. For Anything Goes, students created

panels for the main character Reno Sweeney in a fabric scarf project. Themes used included the Cole Porter music and nautical topics tied to a ship, the main setting of the musical.

You’re the Top: Inspired by the Cole Porter song, “You’re the Top” from Anything Goes, students wrote about references within the lyrics in one Spanish class and in one Italian class. They had cast members pose with images from the lyrics (for example, the Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum) and also wrote a biographical sketch of the cast member in Italian or Spanish.

Passports: Inspired by the ship theme in Anything Goes, students created passports for the cast members with black and white photos and text.

Folktale Unit: In an intermediate level Italian class, students lear ned about folktales and fairy tales inspired by the musical Into the Woods. Students watched Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola (Cinderella), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s TV musical Cinderella, read fairy tales in Italian and completed a fabric Little Red Riding Hood cloak project.

History and Musical Montages: Two U.S. history classes did 22 musical montages highlighting how musicals can teach history. They created a combination of images and text for musicals such as Annie Get Your Gun, Evita, Fiorello!, My Fair Lady, 1776 and West Side Story.

Show Programmes: Students created a Playbill of a musical for Carousel, LIST with artwork, digital photos and text in the target language French, Italian and Spanish.

Italian Riviera Booklet: Inspired by the French Riviera setting of The Boy Friend, students in an intermediate level Italian course created a tour booklet of the Italian Riviera. This promoted history, geography and linguistic ability in Italian.

State Pride Booklets: Inspired by the musical The Music Man, students created booklets that highlighted the communities of their county in the United States. Students created one artistic drawing for the assigned community, did research and wrote about the historical richness of the community in Spanish. Similar projects could focus on regional, provincial, or national pride topics.

Observations On days when we worked on projects, students were industrious and engaged.

Student-to-student interaction was positive and the more artistic students stepped in to help others in need. This encouraged cooperative learning, peer teaching and interpersonal intelligence. The atmosphere of the class was that of a learning workshop and was a joy to witness. The subsequent completion of projects gave students a sense of accomplishment and many enjoyed seeing their projects on public display and being recognized with awards. Remember that the themes, characters, settings and songs of a given musical will inspire projects like the ones described here.

Summary Musicals serve as excellent resources for curriculum projects. I invite readers to try out one or more projects with their own students. Using school musicals to inspire projects involves students not normally participating in staging the musical. Curricular integration and class involvement of students result in having classic and newer musicals encourage curriculum projects.

Keith has been a world language educator and linguistics specialist for 35 years. He is based in New Jersey, USA. Keith’s teaching and research areas include musicals in the curriculum, foreign language pedagogy, romance linguistics and curriculum. He received eight Rising Star Awards from the Paper Mill Playhouse for integrating musicals in the high school curriculum. He is currently writing a book, Musicals Across the Curriculum. He can be contacted at: kmason369@hotmail.com

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ANDREI VOLCOV

Improving Student Leadership Building a Leadership Council with Student Input

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s soon as I became more involved in Service Learning at American International School of Johannesburg, I often observed the need for better leadership training amongst student leaders and mentees (deputy leaders) in different service projects, and in leadership positions such as in Student Council. I started to think about how and when students receive training for these positions, and how I could further develop our programmes to support and improve leadership.

I recently participated in a Global Issues Network (GIN) affiliated conference that focused on sharing successful ser vice learning stories from schools all over Africa.

It was truly an amazing experience. As a team, we could present a workshop on any service learning project that our school facilitates.

We decided that building leadership skills and traits to improve all programs and activities was our focus. We wanted student choice in what they wanted to learn and develop. Our survey provided data on which we could build our workshop based on students’ needs and wants. We built a student leadership handbook where we were able to provide tools and resources to our leaders and mentees in a workshop to ‘implement’ our leadership training prior to presenting at the summit. The feedback we received from participants in both workshops in Kenya and South Africa, reflected that the tools and resources were indeed helpful in developing student leadership. Participants were able to grow as leaders and share some of the tools with their teams to delegate leadership responsibilities.

My learning is that the development of leadership skills and traits is not ever done. We must continually develop our skills, dispositions and traits and share the responsibilities of leadership with our peers. At times, this can be quite frustrating, especially when you have delegated and the tasks are not completed to the standard to which you would like them to be achieved.

Leadership requires empathy and patience to help mentor up and coming leaders to be

able to successfully lead in projects. When delegating, one must know the skill sets and traits of team members. This helps with ensuring the right job is assigned to the right skill sets.

We must continually develop our skills, dispositions and traits and share the responsibilities of leadership with our peers.

We h a v e d e v e l o p e d j o b d e s c r i p t i o n s as well as roles and responsibilities for specific positions within our leadership council. In being visible at assemblies, conducting a recognition assembly, service lear ning celebration, workshops and democratic election, we were able to put service learning leadership as sought after responsibility. How does your school develop student leadership?

Andrei Volcov became involved and passionate about service learning when he moved to South Africa in 2016. Since then he has participated in the Global Issues Service Summit conferences in both South Africa and in Kenya where he led American International School of Johannesburg’s delegation. Andrei is originally from Romania, but he considers South Africa as his home. He is currently a sophomore at the American International School of Johannesburg.

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ROBYN HARWOOD

Growing Empathy in Our Kids Rewarding Kindness Over Achievement

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was recently staying home from school with my daughter who was recovering from one of those fun viruses that seven year olds love to share with each other, and I was using the time to catch up on some reading homework. My colleague and I were running a parent book club on the book, Unselfie, by Michele Borba, Ed.D. One of the author’s very astute messages is that we adults have encouraged our kids to be self-absorbed, therefore, less empathetic, by placing too much value on achieving high grades, and less importance on empathising with and being kind to others. I was reading this wonderful book with a mix of inspiration at what has been proven, and embarrassment at the fact that our society is at the point that this author has to prove the fact that teaching empathy is so important with a laundry list of research studies. I can’t decide if I’m feeling hopeful or completely discouraged about the state of things.

I should explain that the rational part of me feels that as an elementary school counselor, I have a shared responsibility to help children learn to be kind to each other in hopes of a better world for the next generation. I understand that their brains are still developing, especially the part that regulates empathy and impulse control, and so the kindness thing is a work in progress.

Somedays, I feel like an anthropologist who is lucky enough to observe her subjects in their natural habitat and figure out what makes them tick. I’m learning more about our amazing species everyday, making me better equipped to help them learn and grow. However, the insecure part of me feels like I have failed at my job every time a child is mean to another.

Just as I’m eagerly reading about clever and practical ways of teaching children to be empathetic, my seven year old comes up to me and asks me what I’m reading. I tell her I’m reading a book about how to teach children to be kind. Then I ask her what she

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thinks is the best way to teach children to be kind. To be honest, I was secretly hoping for her to say something like, “Mommy, you taught me how to be kind by being you.” She didn’t say that. Instead, she put her hand over her heart and said, “I learned it from here.” My first reaction was to be annoyed.

I was hoping for her to enlighten me on her species by sharing with me the secret, the key to unlocking the kid kindness code.

Then I could just do that thing in my job and everyone would be happy, especially me.

The hope is that we all go back to the playground feeling empowered, restored and ready to try again at this complicated friendship thing.

When I got over my disappointment of not being handed the golden key, I realized that her answer was quite wise. Of course, all children possess the gift of empathy, to instinctively take care of one another.

It’s why when a child falls down on the playground, at least three other children fight for the job of escorting him to the nurse: because it feels so good to help someone else.

It’s why when I ask for volunteers to help make kindness posters for our school, or to deliver small teacher appreciation gifts during their recess, a mass of kids crowd around me asking how they can help. What was I worried about? These kids are going to be fine. Upon closer scrutiny, I think my real fear is that our generation of child rearing

adults are not best equipped to nurture and encourage this innate ability that our little super humans possess. I truly believe that as parents, we all want the best for our children and are doing what we think is right in order to grow them into independent and successful adults. But what does kindness have to do with success? Actually, a lot. “It turns out that kids schooled in feelings are smarter, nicer, happier and more resilient than children who are less literate in their emotional ABCs.” Most of us can probably remember those award ceremonies in grade school where a small number of students were acknowledged and praised for getting high grades on test scores. Maybe there were one or two kids who got the mysterious “good citizen” award. We all sat through those assemblies on the hard bleachers or uncomfortable metal folding chairs soaking up what we were meant to value, and it wasn’t kindness or empathy. I would say we got the message: in order to be successful, you should focus on getting better grades, rising to the top, achieving more than your classmates. If we were lucky enough to be one of the few who brought home one of those coveted awards, we were praised and rewarded by our parents.

ROBYN HARWOOD

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ROBYN HARWOOD

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ROBYN HARWOOD

Now here we are, trying our best to do right by our own children and asking ourselves if we’re doing it wrong. I mean, we know that kindness is important and all, but not as important as getting those awards, right? I know this from my own parental impulses to praise my children for their good test scores or high reading levels and then having to check my values at the door and ask myself what do I want my kids to work hard for?

The joy of learning, or the fleeting rush that comes when receiving praise from your superiors? When I remember to slow down and ask this question, the answer is always clear.

In addition to the here’s a cookie for a good job trap we often fall into, I think we often miss out on a golden opportunity to teach our kids genuine empathy by the way we react when another child is mean to them. There is a huge culture of fear that has been created by too many stories of children having their lives ruined by being bullied, which is defined as a person or group of people doing targeted, repeated and purposeful mean or hurtful acts towards another person. I don’t mean to diminish the true sadness of those stories, but I do mean to suggest that maybe we aren’t looking at the whole story from different angles in order to learn how to stop these atrocities from happening. Are we making it worse by misguidedly, albeit innocently, trying to make it better?

I’ve talked to countless adults who are victims of this culture of fear of the other, the bully, the mean kid. It doesn’t matter what you call it, the only way we can imagine to truly protect our children from a terrible fate is to protect them from other kids being mean to them, by any means necessary. I have felt this very real parental impulse myself and I can attest to its primal strength. I dare say this impulse might inhibit us from thinking clearly and seeing multiple perspectives on the same problem. Because the truth is, a strong empathy muscle is good for both the victim and the aggressor. The victim is better equipped to not only identify and express her emotions but also recognize that the

aggressor is also having emotions that lead her to be mean; therefore realizing that the mean behavior isn’t really about them at all and not falling into victim mentality.

Likewise, with a strong empathy skill set, an aggressor is more likely to imagine what it feels like to have these hurtful things done to them and either back off on the mean behavior or at least show remorse and regret.

When a child asks for help because a friend has hurt their feelings, as a school counselor, I generally follow a version of these step 1. Validate the feelings of the hurt child.

Acknowledge their bravery in asking for help.

1. Ask them if they felt like they could tell their friend what they did that hurt their feelings. If not, ask them if they’d like to do that with my support. (They almost always say yes.)

1. Get the children face to face and allow them to share their perspectives with e a c h o t h e r. C o m e u p w i t h a p l a n together about how to make sure feelings don’t get hurt in the future.

The hope is that we all go back to the playground feeling empowered, restored and ready to try again at this complicated friendship thing. Remember, their brains aren’t fully formed yet. Most of the time, these kinds of conversations with children end with each of us learning something about the other and becoming better for it.

But often, I get the message from parents that this is not enough. In various ways, the common theme from worried parents is, “The bad children should be separated from the good children,” or at least the bad children should be punished and/or shamed, and it should somehow be public knowledge so the parents can be sure the punishment fit the crime. In our culture of fear, this reaction makes sense. As educators, we often have the difficult job of educating the parent on the importance of maintaining empathy and reminding them that children are much like characters in

a well written novel. They are neither bad nor good, but sometimes misguided by their experiences or circumstances. I’m putting all my money on the idea that keeping this in mind will help all children come out of interpersonal conflicts stronger, kinder and more self confident.

This is why our parent book club on Unselfie is such a joyful confirmation of our ability to abandon the previously held mantra of achievement above all. Every week, a group of brave parents sit together sipping tea and coffee with eager looks on their faces, alternating between professions of excitement and gratitude about what they are learning, and commiserations about not only the near impossibility of getting this parenting thing right, but the joy of trying. There is also a shared sentiment of, “Duh, how did we not think of this before?

We must start placing a higher value on empathy with our kids right away!” One of everyone’s favorites in the group is the weekly homework, which is usually some kind of action that connects them with their children in a meaningful way. I leave those sessions once again feeling inspired, hopeful for the next generation.

Robyn Harwood lives and works in Accra, Ghana, with her husband and two children. She combines her fervent interest of mindfulness and positive p s y ch o l o g y t o c re a t e m e a n i n g f u l classroom and school engagements that foster a healthy, safe and inclusive environment for students and teachers.

Robyn is a Clinical School Social Worker, certified Yoga teacher, and International School Counselor who tries her best to contribute to a happier world. For more information, visit actionforhappiness.org

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MADELEINE TAYLOR

Building a Culture of Empathy in the Classroom elping Teachers Help Students to be Others Centred

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was visiting a school community at the end of last term and came head to head with a young person charging out the door. There was no stepping aside, no acknowledgment that I existed. It was the perfect demonstration of the concerns that the school wanted to address. How could they build a school community with empathy at its core?

The damage to children, who are unable to demonstrate empathy of others is troubling:

The ability for our children to practice empathy is all around us and yet society tells us to be more and more ego centric and self-serving in the world. Examples of this abound, such as increased problems with children’s behaviour with other students, impacts on teachers, mental health concerns and unresolved conflicts. Teachers experience parents who are unwilling to listen, take comments personally and behave badly. Systemic funding problems impact teachers as well. Sports coaches are abused by students and parents alike…the list goes on and on.

4. Not know how much is enough: food, drink, recreation, fun, work

It is clear from the research that these children face the following risks: 1. Immediate gratification 2. Centre of the universe 3. Disrespectful of people and property

5. Helpless 6. Confusing needs and wants 7. Overblown sense of entitlement 8. Poor boundaries 9. Irresponsible 10. Lacks skills 11. Poor self-control 12. Life goals are wealth, fame and image 13. Relationship problems

Research tells us that enhanced empathy skills lead to increased happiness and scholastic achievement.

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Clearly we don’t wish this list of issues on any member of our community. The good thing is that we can take action to do something different.

What is Empathy?

According to Daniel Goleman, “Empathy means having the ability to sense others’ feelings and how they see things. You take an active interest in their concerns.

You pick up cues to what's being felt and thought. With empathy, you sense unspoken emotions. You listen attentively to understand the other person's point of view, the terms in which they think about what's going on.” He goes on to discuss three kinds of empathy.

1. Cognitive Empathy: This is the ability to see the world through another’s eyes and being able to understand how another person might think, which allows us to understand how to best communicate with someone. It helps us to work with those who are different to us.

2. Emotional Empathy: This allows us to feel as if we were the other person. We need to tune into our own feelings and notice our body’s reaction. It is how we notice if we are in rapport and building a relationship or damaging it.

3. Empathetic Concern: This is the demonstration of a person’s concern of the other. In the classroom, this is about creating a safe learning space where students are supported to take risks and admit mistakes.

Goleman asks, “Which kind of empathy should a leader, a teacher or a parent have?

All three.” A teacher who possesses all three has the opportunity to model these skills for our children to learn.

MADELEINE TAYLOR

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BETTE BLANCE MADELEINE TAYLOR

I respect the needs and thoughts of others.

Why is empathy important?

1. As social beings, humans need each other to survive, thus the importance of gaining the ability to read each other, truly understand each other and to understand how others might see you.

2. Empathy is good for being a team player in sports, for working together in the classroom, for being in a family. It is vital to have the ability to put yourself into another’s shoes.

Emotional Sharing

Perspective Taking

3. It helps you to better understand the nonverbal cues of communication.

4. It helps you to understand conflict and different ways of thinking.

5. It helps you to be able to influence and negotiate with others.

Empathetic Concern

6. It makes you think more broadly about what is possible.

Fundamentally, empathy makes us human.

Research tells us that enhanced empathy skills lead to increased happiness and scholastic achievement.

Building Empathy: Three Processes 1. Emotional Sharing: Recognising emotion and having language to name emotions.

Parent Community

Board

2. Empathic Concern: The demonstration of concern for another person.

Empathetic School Community

3. Perspective Taking: Being able to step outside one’s own life and imagine what it is like for another.

Teachers

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Students

MADELEINE TAYLOR

Support Across the School

Strategies for the Classroom

Classroom behaviour at many levels can be driven from expectations of the wider school community. If we want to drive a greater demonstration of empathy, it is useful to consider the school as a system, including the hardware of the school, such as organisational structure, finances, infrastructure, buildings and spaces as well as the software of the school system, such as the mission, values, policies, practices and soft skills of people in the system.

• F e e l i n g o f t h e We e k : D e v e l o p t h e language of feelings.

• The Board: Direction is always led from the behaviour and expectations of those who lead. Leaders decide what is measured and what is reported on. How do the values of the school community become imbedded in all the policies and practices of the Board? How does what is funded and supported reflect the mission and values of the board? We want to be playing the long game of building competent and resilient citizens. What are the unintended consequences of the drive for excellence as the top value, the podium finish? We know that it results in pressure to exceed the last achievement and the ensuring impact of anxiety and growing mental health concerns in teachers and students alike.

• S u p p o r t c h i l d r e n a n d t h e p a r e n t community to find what they have in common amongst all that is different.

• Teachers: As leaders in the classroom, what the great teachers do is to role model empathy for themselves, their colleagues and their students. Observing the daily practice of self-care, concern for others and managing vulnerability is the practical way children will learn.

• Parents: How parents raise concerns and interact with the school is also an opportunity to influence within the school. Being able to support them to step into the teacher’s shoes for a moment is a challenge. Arrange opportunities for parents to do this.

• School Community: From the bus driver to the senior leaders, sports coaches to librarians, a consistent modelling of empathy (along-side boundary setting) is the way to build an empathetic culture.

• Students: Supporting children to grow their empathy skills is an every day, every moment teaching opportunity.

• Expecting children to notice and name empathy when demonstrated by others.

• Developing games that build skills to read faces and body postures.

• Fostering cognitive empathy through literature and role playing.

• Foster multiculturalism.

• Have jobs for children to carry out in the classroom.

• Have rules of expected behaviour and politeness.

• Teach non-verbal cues.

• Report on empathy, persistence and delayed gratification in school reports.

Ideas for Changing Old Behaviours and Attitudes

• Describe your new attitude or behaviour by turning around the old one in words that make sense to you. “I allow my students to get away with things,” might become, “I do not allow my student to get away with things,” or, “I hold my students responsible for their behaviour.”

Say it aloud five times morning and night. Post it on the mirror, on the front of your computer screen and even in your wallet.

• In the morning, think of one little way to act on your new attitude, or decide on one small way to behave in a new way throughout the day. Be sure to do it!

• When you are ready, choose one big way to act on it each week and do it. Get help if you need it.

• If you fall back, congratulate yourself for being on the journey. No beating yourself up.

• When you notice a positive shift in the attitude and behaviour of yourself or a student, celebrate, but don’t overindulge.

• Go back over the list and notice how many other ways things have changed in a positive way. Celebrate!

Below are some practical ways that we can attempt to create new attitudes and behaviours in ourselves or others.

• Pick one attitude or behaviour to change at a time. Only one. Stay underwhelmed.

• List all the ways life would be better for this student, the classroom and for you, if you were to change that attitude or behaviour.

• List the disadvantages to changing.

Everything from, “This student will throw more tantrums,” to, “This student may not like me,” to, “I’ve not a clue what to do instead.”

• Make a decision to change.

Madeleine Taylor is a parent of three grown sons and works as a People Skills Consultant. Madeleine is an accomplished workshop facilitator and long-time trainer of negotiation, influencing skills and managing difficult conversations.

Madeleine is a parent educator exploring how to grow resilient children in this complex world. More information can be found at www.peopleskillsconsulting. co.nz ww.peopleskillsconsulting.co.nz

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LIANE BENEDICT

Mindfulness

Calming Our Students as we Calm Ourselves

I

n h i s b o o k , The Courage To Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life, Parker Palmer offers the notion that, “We teach who we are.” As educators enter the learning space with students and collaboration spaces with colleagues, they carry with them the inner condition of their soul. This is inevitably communicated and has lasting impact, even more so than the information taught or the outcomes of the projects on which they collaborate.

Teachers Matter

Adults play a vital role in providing a stable, centred, self-regulated anchor and model for the students we support as their brains continue to develop. Given this, educators must consider the degree to which they prioritise the quality of their attention and presence. Mindfulness offers a pathway to improved presence and attunement, not only in learning and collaboration spaces but also in our personal lives. The results include improved attention, self-control, emotional resilience and well-being, memory, relationships and even physical health.

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According to Mindful Schools, mindfulness is a moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, emotions, sensations and surrounding environment. Through consistent and intentional practice, we can cultivate this awareness and strengthen our mindfulness “muscles.” This might seem easier said than done! We live in a time of significant distraction, resulting in our minds being somewhere in the past or future and rarely right here in the moment.

However, beginning to bring a mindfulness practice into our daily lives does not have to be daunting or time consuming.

Adults play a vital role in providing a stable, centred, self-regulated anchor and model for the students we support as their brains continue to develop.

A simple way to begin is to bring small moments of pause to our day and attention to the breath. While breathing in and out, notice where you feel the breath in your body. Notice if you are breathing fast, slow, shallow, deep. Even one minute of noticing the breath and intentionally breathing in deeply and breathing out fully can offer enough stillness and awareness to calm the noise in your mind and body. Once you become comfortable with this, you can begin to shift your attention to noticing in other ways. Ask, “What sensations are present? What emotions are right here?

What is happening right here around me?”

Cultivating this practice takes time and consistency. Release any discouragement or self-judgment about the distractions that continue to arise and simply begin again, over and over.

What about offering mindfulness to students? First, simply practicing mindfulness in our own lives and increasing our presence and attunement with students is in and of itself an intervention with tremendous potential for positive impact.

We can also offer tools and strategies to students!

Using simple tools such as pinwheels, feathers, bubbles and “breathing balls” can be playful ways to help students begin to bring their attention to their breath while allowing them to experience the benefits this provides to their mind and body. Teaching students playful breathing techniques such as dragon breath, beach ball breath, ocean breath, firecracker breath and others, is also a way of bringing attention to their breath while having fun.

MindfulArtsSF is one of many resources that offers engaging techniques and breathing cards to support educators with this.

As students become comfortable with noticing their breath, we can help them bring attention to the present moment through their senses, such as: Ringing a chime and asking them to focus their ears on the sound, raising their hand once they no longer hear the sound.

Mindfully eating a raisin, guiding them through investigating the experience through all of their senses.

Rice and beans in a bag: Students are asked to still their body, close their eyes and use their sense of touch to separate out the rice from the beans.

S e n s e s Aw a r e n e s s / G r o u n d i n g i n t h e moment: Students are asked to notice five things they see, four things they feel, three things they hear, two things they smell and one thing they taste.

Two mobile device applications that educators may find supportive are Insight Timer and Calm. These applications offer mindful music, guided meditations and other supportive functions to guide the development of a mindfulness practice.

Engaging in mindfulness activities and playful games is a start to this journey. Over time and with practice, educators can move from playing mindfulness and experiencing it as a temporary state, to mindfulness as a way of being.

LIANE BENEDICT

Liane Benedict is in her 25th year as an educator. She has found her passion in the work of mindfulness for students, teachers, leaders and certainly in her own life. She serves as a mindfulness coach, presenter and facilitator.

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LAURA MANNI

It’s Story Time!

Why Teachers Should Latch onto the Powerful Art of Storytelling A Story to Begin

M

any years ago, an anthropologist travelled to a ver y remote and isolated village in southern Africa, hoping to learn about the customs and traditions of the people living there. He met with an elder and asked if could stay for some time.

The elder, curious about the man, and trusting of his intentions, invited the anthropologist to stay. As time passed, the anthropologist learned some of the language. He fished, hunted and ate with the people. He walked with them to collect water. He celebrated with them and he grieved with them.

Several months later, it was time for the anthropologist to return to his own home and family. The day before he was due to leave, he called all the children from the village to gather with him in a clearing in the woods. He had a theory he wanted to test.

When the children arrived to the meeting place they found the anthropologist waiting with a large basket filled with fruits and sweets. Wide-eyed, they listened as the anthropologist spoke. He asked the children to stand side-by-side and explained, “Do you see that tree way over there? I am going to put this by the tree. Once I set the basket down, I will count down from three. When I say go, each of you will run as quickly as you can towards the basket. The child who touches the basket first, will get everything inside. Does everyone understand?”

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We created a culture of listening closely, creating and savouring the moment.

The children look at each other and nodded.

The anthropologist walked to tree and set down the basket. Then he looked up at the children, and said, “3, 2, 1...GO!” What happened next may surprise you. The children grabbed each other’s hands and they ran towards the tree, together.

The anthropologist looked from one child to the next and held back a smile. He then asked, “Why did you do that when one of you could have had the whole basket all to yourself?”

A little girl in the group stood up and said, “How can one of us be happy, if the rest of us are sad?” This is Ubuntu. “I am because we are.”

We Are All Storytellers It was not until my sixteenth year of teaching that I realised just how powerful a tool storytelling can be. I was teaching prekindergarten at the International School of Luxembourg. As part of the school day, there was a 45-minute rest time, where the children would enter the classroom, find their comfy cot, and in theory lay down to rest (perchance to dream!). It turned out, I had a fidgety group who were not prone to napping. I tried everything legally allowed to get them to rest, including the Youtube classic, “This will put you to sleep, guaranteed!” (There’s no recourse for this defective video.)

After more than a month of attempts, it was clear these kids were not the resting type and I refused to spend such a long period of time every day giving ineffective sleep therapy to four and five year olds. So, I had to come with something new. Eliminating rest time was not an option. The cots had to come out, the lights and blinds had to go down and the children needed to stay put, so to speak. So, I started to tell stories.

LAURA MANNI

With no pictures to see, I eliminated the whole, “I can’t see!” comment that so often interrupts the flow of a picture book reading. Everyone could stay exactly where they were because all they needed were their ears. What happened next still amazes me, especially considering that these were digital natives. They were practically born with iPhones in their hands. They were accustomed to Dolby sound and Technicolor-rapid moving images. How in the world did the stories I told, with only the sounds I could produce with my mouth, capture their undivided attention?

At first, I thought it was the absence of anything else to do, and to some extent that was true. They were ‘confined’ to their cots in a darkened room. I was the most exciting thing available. But when the oral storytelling moved from rest time to circle time or playtime or math time, I noticed the same level of undivided attention and interest, regardless of the content of the story.

Why was this happening? I believe all of us in that room knew that these shared moments, moments that could never be exactly replicated, belonged to us. It was like a secret society and it brought us closer to one another. Children crave real human connection and when I was telling them stories, I was one hundred percent present and connected. The other beautiful outcome was that the children could see that everything I needed to captivate and entertain was already inside me and that I got better every time. For these young learners, I was doing something they could see themselves doing. They might not yet be able to read, but this concept of telling stories with words and voices and actions was something they, too, could do. And soon, that was exactly what they did, What happened in that classroom over the course of the school year was magical.

We created a culture of listening closely, creating and savouring the moment.

Laura Manni is an early years’ enthusiast. She is currently living in New York City where she is the Senior Manager of Community Engagement and Communications at a non-profit organization. Laura also works as an early childhood consultant, running interactive workshops around the world.

Her most treasured experience is setting up Mukwashi Trust School in Zambia, where she has served as the volunteer director since 2006. She can be reached at mannideya@gmail.com

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KATE SOUTHCOMBE

Emotional Regulation

Anger Management is a Team Effort

R

ecently I began to notice how often I hear professionals say that a child needs to lear n to regulate their emotions when they are angr y. Once again, I found myself thinking about our unrealistic expectations of children in regard to their behaviour during difficult situations. Professionally and personally I struggle with the idea that somehow a child, in a heightened state, can suddenly regulate their emotions and “pull themselves together,” so to speak. I am regularly challenged myself as I drive down the motorway, and notice that many adults around me fail to regulate their emotions!

Driving around South Auckland negotiating traffic at some highly undesirable times of day in order to visit clients can be a real eye opener! These drives are punctuated frequently with some sort of experience that leaves me feeling I’m in a real rat race. I see angry faces, hear blasting horns and agitated maneuvers that demonstrate, possibly, that we as adults have a way to go yet to regulating our own emotions.

I have challenged myself to apply some behavioural strategies to these situations in order to train myself to become focused on desired driving behavours! If someone lets me in the line of traffic, I acknowledge it with a wave. I slow down to let people make awkward turns or to allow a person to make a right hand turn across traffic. I refer to this example for two reasons. First, because I find it has helped me to remain calm and to enjoy the experience as I work to look for and promote good behaviour. Second, it demonstrates that I have the power to change the interpretation of any situation and possibly model appropriate behaviour for others. If I expect others to regulate their emotions, I am going to have a pretty frustrating experience and undeniably fail in the moment. If I choose to act as I suggested while driving, at the very least I will refrain from becoming angry and frustrated.

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Behaviour analysts are often accused of disregarding emotions and even ignoring them; however, this is an unfair criticism and has grown out of a misunderstanding of the focus in any behaviour intervention planning process. Our key objective is to define a behaviour and understand the function the behaviour serves the individual before we begin to consider any interventions. It is no longer enough to simply change a behaviour using the strategies and technologies at our disposal.

Ethical considerations in regard to client welfare and identifying socially important behaviours for that individual are also a priority. By focusing on emotions and the need to regulate them, however, we may be missing some key elements that would enable us to work toward increasing desirable behaviours and in the process help manage emotions.

F o r e x a m p l e , l e t ’s c o n s i d e r a n g e r, a common emotion that has teachers and parents requesting anger management classes and other therapies. The angry child may attempt to hit others, throw furniture or leave the classroom in order to escape a demand or situation that is uncomfortable.

The behavioural approach would be to consider the following: • Possible triggers and precursor behaviours that occur before any full blown anger erupts.

• What environmental changes may reduce or even eliminate the behaviour.

• Clear definition of the behaviours that indicate anger: How do we know the student is angry? This may be different from student to student.

• What is the outcome for the student?

What do they gain access to, escape from or experience as a result of the behaviour?

KATE LEANNE SOUTHCOMBE SENINOLI

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KATE SOUTHCOMBE

Teachers Matter

The student needs support not to control their anger, but to express their anger in more socially acceptable way.

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Once we have this information we then ask under what conditions does this behaviour occur or not occur? When are things okay?

Can we use this information to change the outcome for this child to prevent outbursts? A common, less understood reason for outbursts is that the child has a history of failure. Due to that history, any pressure to complete work, or even start some work, results in an outburst or escape behaviours. Children become highly avoidant of any pressured situation, even if it seems insignificant to us. By adapting the curriculum, breaking down instruction, providing access to reinforcement for smaller successes, we may bypass the need to implement a full blown behavioural intervention. We often fail to recognise the smallest step to starting work, such as following or listening to instructions.

We need to jump on this and reinforce it adequately in order to build a strong history of positive outcomes associated with work.

By the way, a timely reminder: all behaviour requires reinforcement of some degree or it will eventually cease! This is a scientific fact!

If we simply send the student off to anger management classes, we are failing to accept that feeling angry is part of their experience within their current environment. The student needs support not to control their anger, but to express their anger in more socially acceptable way.

By supporting their efforts either through environmental changes or by changing our responses, we may also teach them to communicate their anger in a more socially acceptable way to get appropriate response from others. Anger management implies the changes need to come from the student alone and this requires a huge variety of situations to be trained for in order for generalisation to occur. Behavioural change processes acknowledge that the student needs to be taught different responses within their current environment. The behavioural training allows for generalisation and maintenance to be monitored, whereas

a course in management relies on lasting change coming from the student alone. I encourage teachers and parents to run their own anger management discussions and to consider the following: • Discuss how you as an adult deal with anger.

• Model “anger management” in your own life.

• Use daily examples from TV shows, life experiences in the supermarket or on the road, to talk about appropriate and inappropriate ways to deal with feelings of anger.

Once we can accept that behavior change is a dynamic event that involves environmental change, as well as those working with the student, to adapt and change what they do and how they respond, we are halfway there. As I have said before, if we lay all the responsibility on the student to regulate their emotions, we leave ourselves wide open for disappointment.

We can only control our own behaviour and by taking charge of what we do, we are active agents of change. We are on the road to lasting change for the better of the individual, their family and for the greater good of all.

u

Kate Southcombe provides individually tailored professional development for Early Childhood Centres and schools on evidence-based behaviour management.

She also consults for parents of children with specific behaviour concerns.

She can be contacted at: kate@eprtraining.co.nz

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KAREN TUI BOYES

Memory Hacks for Study Success Repetition and Practice

“R

epetition is the mother of learning.” This Latin proverb holds some great truth when it comes to studying and passing exams.

From a brain perspective, repetition transfers skills and knowledge from your conscious to subconscious brain. One practical example is learning to drive. When you start, you have to think about every little step: the clutch, first gear, hand brake, mirrors, accelerator and so on... After learning and practicing for a period of time, these skills become somewhat automatic. You no longer have to consciously think about what you are doing to move the car forward, you just do it subconsciously. At this subconscious level, your brain is still doing the steps and the thinking. You are just not aware of it.

Teachers Matter

Practice and repetition alone are not enough. It is the quality of the practice that is important. Maybe you have heard the phrase, ‘practice makes perfect.’ If you repeatedly practice something incorrectly, the bad habit, skill or knowledge will be ingrained as repetition strengthens the connections in the brain. A better way to view practice is, ‘practice makes permanent.’

The quality of the practice is paramount.

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Practice and repetition alone are not enough.

It is the quality of the practice that is important.

There is also a difference between rote learning and deliberate repetition. Rote learning is simply repeating the task over and over, while deliberate repetition is giving conscious attention to the information and skill through rehearsal and practice, with the intention of improving your performance. Just copying your notes from one page to another does not guarantee you are learning the information as this process can be mundane and boring for the brain.

However, intentionally reading through your notes and summarising the key points engages your brain at a more conscious level, causing deeper learning and better memory recall.

Here are some ways you might use deliberate repetition and active practice to increase understanding, memory and skill levels: • Spaced Repetition: The interval in which you repeat learning is as important as the repetition itself, especially if you wish to commit the infor mation to memory. The night before a test or exam is too late for deep learning to occur. Over time, information is forgotten without repetition. Brain researchers suggest going over information within 24 hours (1 day) of learning it to keep recall at up to 90%. The recommended spacing of the repetition then is 1 week, 1 month and every 6 months. This will, of course, depend on the complexity of what you are learning. Shorten the intervals as required.

• Summary Notebooks: Purchase a small notebook for each subject you are taking and each day (as your one-day review) summarise the key ideas onto one page.

Restricting yourself to one page will force you to summarise, rather than copy the information mindlessly. The next day, read your summary of each subject.

KAREN TUI BOYES

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KAREN TUI BOYES

• Flash Cards: This might sound old fashioned, but they work! Create flashcards for the information you are required to know. It could be the chemical formula on one side of the card and the colour of its precipitate on the other, or the English word on one side and the German word on the other. Now, test yourself or ask someone to test you. Create two piles of cards: one you know and the other that you don’t know. Practice and concentrate on learning the pile you don’t know. The next day, mix both piles together and repeat the process.

• Say it Out Loud: Talking about your information can be a powerful way to repeat information. Join a discussion group, find a study buddy or simply talk about what you are learning with the people you live with at home. Even if they don’t understand the information, talking about what you need to learn and remember can increase your recall up to 90%. In most cases, it doesn’t really matter who you tell! Tell your cat, dog or teddy bear!

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• Read-Cover-Write-Check: Read or look at the information you wish to learn. Then cover it and see if you can reproduce (on a blank sheet of paper) the key ideas, diagram or mind map from memory. Check how much you can recall and focus on the parts you didn’t recall.

Repeat as often as necessary.

• Teach It: If you are unsure of any parts of learning and want to clarify it, explain or teach the information to someone else. This is a great way to not only clarify it, but also to reinforce your own understanding.

• Google It: If the information you are trying to learn is confusing, and you do not understand it from your teacher, google another teacher on YouTube teaching the same lesson. You can also google, ‘study notes’ for the subjects you are learning. There are hundreds of sites on the Internet to help. Best of all, they are FREE, which means you have no excuse!

• Move: For some learners, sitting still is the worst way for great learning to occur. If this is you, get up and walk while reciting information, bounce a ball against a wall while recalling formulas or make a 3-D model explaining the concepts you are learning.

The key to all this repetition is to choose new, original and interesting ways to repeat your information in order to learn it. This may be by reading over your notes, summarising, telling someone about them and using the information in a meaningful way.

Study smart & pass!

Karen is an expert in effective teaching and learning, study skills, motivation and positive thinking. She was recognised with the NSANZ Educator of the Year award in 2014 and 2017, and works in schools throughout Australasia teaching students how to Study Smart and teachers how to raise achievement. www.karentuiboyes.com

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CALEB WESCO

The Art of Teaching

What Masterpieces Will You Create This Year?

T

ake a moment and think of a painting that you consider a masterpiece. Do you have that masterpiece in your mind? What you are seeing in your mind is the result, not the process of what it took to put that magnificent work on an empty canvas. Understand that the artist didn’t have many tools to create this masterpiece, but stepped up with talent, inspiration, some paint, and a blank canvas.

With confidence in their talent, the artist began to dip into the paint and stroke back and forth.

The blank canvas, now marked with paint, begins to take form with the guide of inspiration to keep the artist focused with each stroke of the brush. Onlookers may look confused, unable to track the progress of this work, but as time goes on the picture becomes a little clearer each time more paint is added. Finally, the vision in the artist’s mind is now staring the audience right in the face. This feeling is euphoric because the artist no longer has the idea of the painting, but the idea has now become a reality and they can walk away from their work saying, “I did that!”

It’s a fact some of us have come to realise that we all may not be able to paint masterpieces on the level of some of history’s greatest artists. But did you know that not all art requires a paint brush? Did you know that teaching is an art? To some that look from afar, they may think, “Teachers have the easiest jobs in the world. They’re just glorified babysitters.” Now, we know that’s not the case. The teacher is probably the

best artist that the world has ever seen.

Teachers around the world are faced with blank canvases everyday: their students.

Students come into classrooms as a blank canvas. To someone who may not possess the art of teaching, they may see a hopeless case in some students. But the teacher looks at a student void of knowledge in a specific subject and sees potential. Teachers may

not have many materials but remember, an artist doesn’t need much to create a masterpiece. Approaching the students, just as an artist approaches the canvas, the teacher has an inspired lesson and new knowledge that’s ready to be shared.

Sometimes, it may look like a mess or feel like a mess, because all the students may not understand right away. So, the teacher reaches in the bag of tricks and pulls out patience and then breaks the material

down further so all can grasp it. As more students begin to experience the light bulb effect, where they begin to understand, the teacher sees right before their eyes a masterpiece coming into view. Now students that were once oblivious to knowledge on a specific subject, begin to repeat back their learnings. The kindergartener that didn’t know the ABC’s, struggles, but finishes this 26-letter sequence, and the teacher sits back and looks at their masterpiece. The middle school student that felt that they weren’t good in math, after the art of teaching, can now repeat the Pythagorean Theorem and use it to solve a mathematical equation. The high school student that felt that graduating was an impossible task, now walks across stage and looks into their teacher’s eyes saying, “I did it,” and the teacher looks back at their masterpiece.

The art of teaching lives through educators around the world and is the cause to why we have such an advanced world today. If it weren’t for the art of teaching, we wouldn’t have half the things in this world because all things must first be taught. So, to the teacher that is reading this, you are an artist and you create masterpieces every day. The journey isn’t always easy, but your inspiration and gift to teach is what turns some of the toughest cases into works of art. The success in the world we live in can be pointed back to one thing, and that one thing is the art of teaching.

The journey isn’t always easy, but your inspiration and gift to teach is what turns some of the toughest cases into works of art.

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CALEB WESCO

Caleb Wesco is a motivational speaker from West Palm Beach, Florida. Caleb has spoken in over 45 states in the U.S. as well as London, Canada, and Zimbabwe, focused on unlocking potential in others and how to make inspired ideas become actions to help individuals live their best life. You can find Caleb on Instagram, Twitter, and FaceBook @CalebWesco and by using #LetsGetMotivated.

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CAROLYN DARBY

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CAROLYN DARBY

Nurturing Positive Attitudes Toward our Health and Safety

How Integrating Health and Safety Education Early may Help Growing up with positive attitudes to health and safety Values and attitudes are nurtured from childhood, when learning about the world is new and exciting and when neurological development is at its most active point. As parents and as teachers, we give time to nurturing a plethora of values that support children to grow into happy, healthy, responsible citizens that contribute to our workforce. Should childhood be the time when we pay attention to nurturing positive attitudes to being healthy and safe, when the mind is so open, the body so active and when enthusiasm is abound?

the children’s garden. This is a place where we nurture life long learning and there are few things more important than nurturing a healthy attitude to one’s own health as well as to the well-being of others. Wellbeing is at the heart of Worksafe’s vision to ensure that all people, “return home safe from work,” an admirable and heartfelt vision by New Zealand’s workplace health and safety regulator, which sadly, has not been realised by all. The hard work is being done to address unacceptable statistics regarding injury and death and we are all experiencing the changes in health and safety reforms in our workplaces. Yet, the work on our societal attitude toward health and safety could and perhaps should start much earlier.

A child’s brain is more active than an adult’s

Can you imagine a work space where health and safety is exciting? This is not a natural reaction for most people. Workers in all industries can see and appreciate that issues around health and safety are necessary, but in a work space full of three and four year olds, health and safety is an exciting topic. It’s a place where risk taking occurs all day, everyday and where adults have to think creatively about how to respond and be proactive in ensuring the balance of risk taking and risk awareness is nurtured.

I work in a natural bush setting, a builder’s yard, a construction site, an artist’s studio, a science lab and a library all cocooned into one place known as a kindergarten:

There are references to safety in New Zealand’s early childhood and primary school curriculum, but these are largely about providing a safe environment. There are also many references to “risk-taking” as a means to learning. Currently however, teaching “safety” in our education system typically starts at high school. Whilst this is a time when young people are beginning to consider their work options, it is also a time when many neurological pathways have already been established. Some of the most important brain development has already occurred much earlier in life and some attitudes have been set. Research from the Brainwave trust on neuroscience tells us that a baby’s brain is only 15% formed at birth with the majority of the remaining 85% formed in the first three years of life. A child’s brain is actually more active than an adult’s and experiences in the early years have a direct impact on how a child’s brain develops.

Attitudes towards health and safety are variable T h e re i s n o c o m p re h e n si v e and well established approach, consistent across all education sectors, with regards to teaching and learning of health and safety in New Zealand. Teachers recognise that health and safety is ultimately about well-being, but because teachers in the early and primary years are not explicitly instructed in the curriculum to teach health and safety, then attitudes toward it vary. Health and safety is sometimes viewed as a compliance issue designated to be managed by those with a specific health and safety role. In addition, health and safety requirements can appear to be at odds with the “risk taking” that is encouraged and viewed as a key role in learning.

Risk taking is enormously important and can traverse a huge range of learning areas, from daring to speak out loud in a group to finding the confidence to take on a physical challenge. Teachers also know that to be risk averse can hinder learning, but perhaps we should be exercising some caution when viewing risk taking as a dominant learning tool and consider more thoughtfully how we balance risk taking with risk awareness.

The Royal Society for the Prevention o f A c c i d e n t s ( R o S PA ) , a c h a r i t a b l e organisation providing schools in the UK with the skills and knowledge to prevent serious accidents, emphasise the need to integrate risk and safety education into the curriculum to create the “risk aware” but not “risk averse” citizens of tomorrow and to make schools as safe as “necessary,” not as safe as “possible.”

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CAROLYN DARBY

Integrating risk and safety education in an action based learning environment Kindergarten is the perfect place to nurture these citizens of tomorrow and to integrate risk and safety education. Action based or play based learning is the foundation of kindergarten and is a growing approach in primary schools, as ever increasing research teaches us that children learn more effectively when they are actively engaged.

The environment that we nurture so well in kindergarten naturally encourages risk at a developmentally appropriate level and if we can cleverly layer this with direct instruction and techniques on how to be safe during activity, we have the ability to embed healthy attitudes toward safety. Children are so responsive to instruction around how to use a particular tool for example, or how many people should properly lift that log and how to ensure a ladder is secure before climbing. In my experience, teachers can see and hear directly from children’s actions and words and the impact they are having on their growing attitudes around safety.

They can see the growing empathy that children develop toward their peers and the leadership they start to take on surrounding safety responsibility.

Measuring progress in the early years is very much to do with children’s growing attitudes and dispositions and how these are reflected in what teachers see and hear. After leading a project in our playground I recently heard a four year old saying, “That’s a two man job,” when attempting to move a sleeper. If teachers apply a considered and intentional approach to risk and safety education, then it is enormously rewarding to hear and see the direct impact of that teaching. Children at a young age take such pride in being leaders, stewards and ambassadors. I’m sure

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The hard work is being done to address unacceptable statistics regarding injury and death and we are all experiencing the changes in health and safety reforms in our workplaces. Yet, the work on our societal attitude toward health and safety could and perhaps should start much earlier.

we can all appreciate this from our school days of having the responsibility of being a “monitor” of some kind. Things haven’t changed that much. It’s simply that words are different and the areas of responsibility are not restricted to playground watch or milk duty. We can now see, for example, how children become effective environmental ambassadors, how they proudly teach their parents new behaviours and take on rather righteous attitudes. As annoying as that may seem at times, it is proof that attitudes, values and responsibility can be developed early in life.

Joining the dots Given all that we know about how young children lear n and seeing the huge movement in New Zealand toward progressing action based learning, should we not be joining more dots and exploring the connection between health and safety education and improved attitudes towards health and safety in the workplace? This would ultimately ensure that we all, “return home from work healthy and safe.” As a teacher with a particular interest in this area, I believe that there is work to be done here and that Worksafe New Zealand and the Ministry of Education could begin to make more connections on health and safety education. I believe that we can be excited about this topic, that it can be rewarding for teachers and meaningful to children, if naturally integrated into action based learning.

Caroline Darby has been a teacher for over 20 years. She is a passionate advocate in the field of environmental e d u c a t i o n . H e r d e d i c a t i o n t o sustainability has developed into an interest in health and safety in education as a social justice issue.

JOHN SHACKLETON

Finding Happiness

Being Mindful on the Quest to Happiness

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his coaster displays one of my favourite phrases, which led me to use these as my business cards for a few months now.

I see so many people chasing success, thinking that it will bring them happiness.

I ’m sure you’ve met pe op l e w ho ar e constantly striving to create happiness in their lives through the achievement of their goals.

Some become obsessed with making more money, buying a bigger car, creating a fitter or healthier body, producing more sales or even attempting to get more friends on Facebook. Unfortunately, goal achievement only brings fleeting happiness. We are happy for a week or two after we’ve bought the new car but then it gets dirty, needs serviced and filled up with petrol. Then, it becomes pretty much the same as the old car. We only derive fleeting glimpses of happiness from the achievement of our goals: it’s never long lasting.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the race to have more, be more, do more, create more or acquire more. This approach usually leads us to being stressed, constantly struggling and striving. Except for those brief glimpses of happiness just after we’ve achieved our goal, we still feel empty inside.

Buddhists have a name for this: Samsara, which translates as, ‘endless wandering.’

When we live in Samsara, we constantly search outside ourselves for possessions, love, validation, belonging or fulfillment to make us happy. We’re forever striving to re-arrange the circumstances of our lives to achieve something. Our time is spent trying to ‘get somewhere’ rather than enjoying being where we are.

I watched a video the other day which is the best illustration of this that I’ve ever seen. Search on YouTube for Steve Cutts’ short, animated film called, ‘Happiness.’ It powerfully illustrates this rat race of chasing after happiness and fulfillment in all the wrong places.

Although we tend to go looking for happiness in ‘things’ outside ourselves, it is actually already inside us and can be

found right here, right now in this present moment. Happiness is right under our noses, in our current circumstances. Mindfulness is the practice that allows us to wake up to this, and start actually experiencing that happiness we are all seeking.

The latest research from Harvard University on what makes human beings most happy concurs with this ancient wisdom. Matt

Happiness is right under our noses, in our current circumstances.

Killingsworth’s research shows that human beings are at their most ‘happy’ when they’re fully in the present moment, when they are being mindful.

Now I know mindfulness is a bit of a buzz word these days and it seems everyone is jumping on the band wagon and trying to sell us mindful colouring books, or suggesting we experience mindful eating. However, in my experience, if we practice mindfulness we can learn to create happiness whenever we want.

How do we practice mindfulness? To get the full benefit, you will need to learn to meditate, but you can start the process with just a few minutes per day of paying attention to your senses: what you feel, see, smell, taste and hear. I know it sounds simple but don’t dismiss this as insignificant. This practice is extremely powerful and will lead you to experience more happiness in your life than you can imagine. My Gran used to put it this way: ‘Slow down and smell the roses.’ You know what? She was right!

By learning to become more mindful you will learn to slow down, tune into yourself and touch the deeper dimensions of who you really are. You’ll develop greater selfawareness and tap into the wellspring of wholeness and peace at the very centre of yourself. The more you practice, the more that sense of fulfillment will gradually flow into your life and the happier you will become. Mindfulness is not a switch: you can’t be mindful for a few minutes and this will make you happy for the rest of your life!

You need to develop this as a new thinking habit if we want to create lasting happiness.

Remember, happiness is the key to success and it comes to us when we are being mindful.

John Shackleton is one of Australasia’s leading motivational speakers. With a background in Sports Psychology, he helps people improve performance in both business and personal lives. His humorous, no nonsense style won him the prestigious NSA Speaker of the Year award. He has also worked with a number of NZ Olympic athletes over the last few years.

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LAUREL MAKOWEM

Harness the power of your mind and thoughts and you’ll be well on your way to smashing your savings goals.

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LAUREL MAKOWEM

Why You’re Not Saving Money (And How to Start!)

Mothers Teaching Money

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ou desperately want to save, so why can’t you do it? You read the recommended books. You follow the savviest personal finance bloggers. You download the checklists and cheat sheets.

You even attend in-person workshops, but no matter how hard you try, it still seems impossible to save more than a pittance.

You see, so much of the advice we get from books and bloggers is aimed at telling us how to save, when really, the missing piece is the why.

Get your why sorted, and your how falls into place much more easily.

What is this why?

Your Mindset Adjusting your mindset to understand why the concept of saving money feels so hard will have a massive impact on your ability to save.

How You Got Your Why Your why is the innate belief system you have about yourself, and shapes your feelings around your place in the world, your perceived value and worthiness.

It influences the way you think and act. These belief systems are generally formed in childhood and come from those closest to us: Mum, Dad, and any other significant role models. Some belief systems set us up for success while others hold us back and keep us stuck.

For example, if you grew up in a household where money was tight, you may now hold a belief system around scarcity or deprivation. Right now, that belief could manifest in a harmful spending pattern, such as binge spending, hoarding or believing you must always purchase cheap items or things on special, even if you don’t need them. You could also feel uncomfortable and unworthy about earning more than others, and downplay your value to subconsciously keep yourself in a position of scarcity.

On the other hand, if your family was well-off and you were indulged materially, you may feel entitled to continue with an extravagant lifestyle, even though it is misaligned with your current income. This type of unbalanced spending can lead to feelings of shame, guilt and crushing personal debt.

Reset Your Why You may be surprised to know it’s quite simple to reset your why. Consciously choosing to substitute the thoughts and words, “I can’t save,” with, “I can save,” will start your shift from little or no savings to actual savings. Our thoughts influence our feelings, which influence our actions and behaviours.

Here are five steps to help you activate the shift: 1. Reorder the flow. Most of us have been conditioned to direct our money in the flow of, “Earn, Spend, Save.” This is a universal saving mindset, and it’s time to break the mould and reorder the flow!

Make saving an automatic response, straight after earning, so your new flow is, “Earn, Save, Spend.”

2. Change your internal dialogue.

Listen closely and you’ll likely notice a little voice inside that says, ‘I can’t save,’ whenever you think about embarking on a savings plan. It’s time to get bossy with that voice and firmly change these words to, ‘I can save.’ Repeat, ‘I can save,’ to yourself as often as you can, and certainly every time you notice the old, unhelpful words crop up. Then back up these new, possibility-infused thoughts with appropriate action, such as finding ways to spend less or even earn extra money earmarked for saving.

3. Replace scarcity with possibility. A scarcity mindset is the belief that there will never be enough and causes us to think, feel and behave in ways that reinforce this negative belief. Instead of automatically assuming, “I can’t afford it,” try replacing the thought with, “How

can I afford it?” Similarly, change, “I don’t have the money,” to, “How can I make the money?” or, “I don’t have the money yet.” Give your brain the opportunity to look for solutions as opposed to shutting it down.

4. Know your cash flow. Pay close attention to how money flows into and out of your life and make conscious decisions around how you are going to save, spend and earn. Remember, there is significant power in knowledge and knowledge is power Choose to spend at least five minutes a day with your money so you know it better.

5. Mindful spending. Whenever you are spending money, adopt a curious attitude, and ask yourself questions like: Am I spending because I am bored? Am I stressed and feel I need a treat? Am I trying to keep up with The Joneses?

Become aware of any emotions you may be trying to activate by spending.

A healthy saving mindset is a step by step process, and one that you can start today.

Harness the power of your mind and thoughts and you’ll be well on your way to smashing your savings goals. Changing long-held belief systems and behaviours may be difficult at first, but stick with it. You CAN save money!

Laurel is a mum and small business owner, passionate about giving her son a financial education at home. Her business, Mothers Teaching Money, stems from this passion and is about helping mums feel confident in their own ability to teach their children about finances. For more information, visit: mothersteachingmoney.com

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LAUREN PARSONS

Overcoming the Overwhelming Finding Your Way to Thrive

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o you ever feel stretched, rushed or overwhelmed by everything that’s expected of you? As a teacher you are in such a vital role and while you love connecting with your students and seeing them thrive and achieve, sometimes it can feel like the work is never ending.

Wi t h d e m a n d s r a n g i n g f r o m l e s s o n planning and creating resources to attending meetings, from marking and reporting to communicating with parents, and from completing paperwork and creating a tidy, visually appealing environment and to actually delivering your lessons themselves, there is so much to juggle! Then there is your overall life balance, having time for yourself, for fun, for family and to make the most of life.

With so much going on, how can you regain control, restore calm and experience more joy in teaching?

The following five steps are some of the most important foundations I share with individuals and groups to help people overcome stress and the feeling of overwhelm and move toward feeling more relaxed, productive and organised.

1. Prioritise the Important Over the Urgent The biggest mistake people make that massively reduces their productivity is to get caught up in things that appear ‘URGENT,’ using up their precious time, rather than focusing on the things that are important.

It would seem logical that we would focus on the important things, but it wasn’t until I discovered the Eisenhower Matrix that I learnt how to easily distinguish between the two and why this is so vital.

President Eisenhower came up with this matrix comparing urgent and important things with less urgent and less important things.

Urgent and Important: Do now! These are the vital tasks like report deadlines,

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difficult yet important conversations or key decision making that must be done now.

Less Urgent and Important: Schedule!

These are often the most beneficial tasks such as personal development, relationship building, effective planning and maintaining our health and wellbeing.

They need to be scheduled in, otherwise they tend to get missed until they cause urgent problems.

Less Important and Urgent: Delegate or Systemise! These things can take up a lot of our time if we’re not careful. They can include being called into meetings where our presence is not needed, nonessential phone calls and emails or social conversations that aren’t real work.

Less Important and Less Urgent: Eliminate! There are time wasters which are best avoided. Sometimes they are things we like to tick off our list to give a false sense of achievement. They can be quick and easy to complete but don’t add any real value and are often a form of procrastination.

Understanding this powerful model and applying it to your daily decision making can transform your life. It allows you to quickly assess items on your to-do list, interruptions and requests from others and effortlessly know whether to do it now, schedule it for later, delegate it or avoid it.

Picture how your day is spent. If you manage to prioritise scheduling regular blocks of time for the less urgent, yet important things, you will enjoy a better quality of life. It’s never urgent to eat a carrot or go for a run, to have a date with your spouse or child, to creatively problem-solve a long-term issue or plan ahead, yet these activities make such the difference. I’ve had clients that have said this one concept has transformed how they approach their days and totally reduced the overwhelm they used to feel when looking at their to-do list.

When you have clearly defined your goals, pictured how you would like life to be and how you would like your classroom to be, you will have a clearer idea of where you

really want to head, making it easier to assess what’s important and make decisions in line with that. Next time you write a todo list, picture which of the four quadrants the items fit into and be sure to focus on the important things first. Focus on the top priorities and don’t allow yourself to get distracted until they are complete for the day. Schedule the less urgent important things and delegate the things that you can.

2. Prioritise You First (Guilt Free) Often people associate taking time out for themselves as selfish and feel guilty when they do so. I invite you to flip this attitude on its head and consider what it would be like if you never took time out to do the things that charge you up and make you feel great.

How can you ever have the energy, attention and love to give out to others around you if you’re not refilling your own cup? You can only perform as your best self and give out to others if you’re taking care of yourself first. Whether it’s hiking in nature, having a massage, practising a hobby you love, learning, reading, creating or whatever best grounds you, schedule time for it regularly.

I firmly believe that not doing so is actually highly selfish. If you allow yourself to become tired, frustrated and worn out, that leaves your students, friends and family with a version of yourself they don’t deserve.

It starts with switching the way you frame it in your own mind to believe that, “Me time is essential,” rather than, “Me time is selfish.” Recently, a client shared how amazing it is to finish a hot cup of tea, read her book uninterrupted and feel totally guilt free for doing so. As a busy mum, this one, small, regular practice helps her keep everything else in balance.

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3. Start Right The way you start your day largely determines the course of your entire day.

The most successful people in the world have regular morning rituals and routines that set them up to perform at their best.

Brainstorm a list of the things you’d like to do to start your day right and try them out to create your own ideal morning routine. This could include listening to uplifting music, practising mindful movement, getting outdoors or getting sunlight into the retina of your eyes, focusing on a positive intention for the day, thinking of one thing you’re

grateful for, breathing diaphragmatically or having a nutritious breakfast. Many of these things can be done simultaneously. It is ideal to wake and get up at the same time each day. This helps your body’s endocrine system to regular your hormones to make you feel most alert and refreshed upon waking.

I recommend setting an alarm across the room so you are forced to get out of bed immediately. Get in the habit of opening the blinds or putting the lights on straight away. Perhaps turn on your favourite music shortly after waking (rather than hitting the snooze button, which leaves

you feeling more groggy). You can treat your routine like an accordion: depending on the time you have, you might consider adding more in or shortening things down.

My own routine is generally four minutes long, about the length of a song and I then go down for my nutritious breakfast before I wake my children. It has transformed our mornings from what used to routinely descend into shouting and tears from everyone, including me. Instead, I feel calm, centred and upbeat, which sets the tone and

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IRMA COOKE LAUREN PARSONS

You will discover that even with the same workload and demands, you can sail through your days and truly thrive. flows onto everyone around me. I encourage you to try it out for yourself and see how powerful this is!

4. Set Boundaries People will always treat you the way that you allow them to treat you. Often setting up clear boundaries and expectations is the biggest key to maintaining balance in our lives. Saying no to tasks that are not important to you is one of the best time management strategies available. As a teacher you will know that what might appear quicker and easier to do yourself, is in the long term, better to train others to do, even if it takes them a little longer. You have likely created routines that your students follow. Maintain those expectations so they don’t dump their responsibilities onto you.

With students, parents, colleagues and in fact, virtually everyone you interact with, it’s helpful to learn to use assertive communication to clearly express what you want or need in a positive and firm manner.

If something is an ongoing problem and needs to be discussed, prior to having a difficult conversation, consider things from the other person’s point of view and what their wants and needs are. Look for the benefit for them in what you are asking.

Then explain clearly, stating exactly what you want or need, including the when, where, how and most of all, the why: what the benefit will be both for you and them. I call this ‘complete communication,’ where you don’t assume they will understand your motives and desires but you clearly spell them out, which will result in much more positive outcomes for ever yone.

When you are clear and consistent in your communication, it will transform the way people treat you.

5. Declutter When your physical environment is cluttered, not only does it hinder you on a practical level, it weighs you down with mental clutter as well. Every unfinished task, every piece of paperwork and each

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item that is left lying around calls out to you, drawing your attention, overwhelming your brain. So many people have told me that nagging pile of ‘stuff’ in the corner of the kitchen weighs them down. They have told me how they avoid the spare room because it’s turned into a general dumping ground. They have told me how they can’t stand seeing the ever growing number of emails in their inbox.

Setting aside time periodically to declutter spaces both at home and work, as well as your digital files and emails is time well spent.

These tips are a general catch-all to help you get things back into good shape: • Before you start, rather than picturing the task itself, first picture what I call ‘the satisfied feeling of completion.’ Imagine how great it will be once the space is clear and clutter free and how energising that will feel!

• Plan sufficient time ahead and gather everything you will need, whether that is help from others, snacks, boxes or new storage items. Have it all on hand so you are not hindered in your task.

• Remove everything for the area you plan to clear. For example, put all the files or paperwork out on desks or in piles on the floor, put all your clothes onto your bed, empty the entire pantry, remove everything from the shed or get all the boxes down from the storage space.

• Thoroughly clean the area and let it air out.

• Do an initial sort without going into detail. Have fast paced music on, set a timer and focus on quick decisions, sorting things into key piles. Label the piles ‘Definitely Keep,’ ‘Maybe Keep’ and ‘Definitely Discard.’ Having the ‘Maybe’ pile allows you to work quickly in this initial sort.

• Immediately remove the items you plan to discard by moving them to their new location or bagging them up and putting them in the car to donate.

• Next go through the ‘Maybe’ pile, being as ruthless as you can and let go of things that don’t bring you joy or aren’t of real use.

• Once you’ve got everything you want to keep laid out, you can now put things back in a logical order, labelling everything as you go. If you require extra storage items such as vertical files, holders or stackable storage containers, go out and purchase them as soon as possible and get the job complete.

• Lastly, step back and reflect on how you feel with the finished product. Set up systems to keep it clutter free so you can make the most of your time and space.

These five points have given you just a quick overview of some strategies to use to regain control. Most of all, the key is not just to read about them but to pick one and try it out for yourself this week. If you need further assistance, get a coach or an accountability buddy to help you make these strategies a permanent part of your routine.

As you get clearer about your goals, more focused on what’s important, firmer in saying no to things that aren’t necessary, you’ll create more clarity and space. As you start your day right, have spaces and systems that support you, and perhaps most of all, schedule time for things that refill your own cup. You will discover that even with the same workload and demands, you can sail through your days and truly thrive.

Lauren Parsons is an award winning Wellbeing Specialist, Author and Speaker who helps organisations enhance their staff’s health and wellbeing; creating vibrant, energised, high performing teams. With 17 years’ experience, as founder of Get Fit Feel Fabulous and the Snack on Exercise movement, Lauren regularly speaks at conferences and in-house on how to boost performance, happiness and success. Get a free copy of Lauren’s eBook Live Well Work Well at www.bit.ly/LPLiveWell

MICHAEL GROSE

7 Phrases to Avoid When Someone is Anxious And, What You Should Say Instead

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alking with kids can be hard work for parents and teachers. Sometimes just one word out of place or the wrong tone of voice can get a child’s guard up, upset them or make them uncooperative. But perhaps the biggest challenge for many adults is to say the right thing when their kids are worried, fearful or anxious. It’s so easy to make a mash of it so that your child gets even more upset.

Here’s a list of seven inappropriate phrases I’ve used, or I’ve heard others use which don’t meet the emotional needs of a fearful, anxious or worried child or young person. Just as importantly, I’ve provided alternative ideas to use instead.

1. “Build a bridge and get over it!”

The, “Come on. Get on with it,” approach works with some kids only some of the time.

We often say this in exasperation. But if a child or teen is genuinely anxious about a coming event, going into a new situation or is worried about a looming change, then they need someone to understand their worries and fears. “Ahh! I can see you are worried about this,” is a far more effective response.

2. “This is not worth worrying about.

Stop being so silly!”

Similarly, not taking a child’s fears seriously, or even worse, making light of them, just doesn’t help. Kids need to know somebody understands how they feel, and that their feelings are important.

3. “It’ll be right in the morning.”

The ‘get a good night’s sleep’ approach has some has merit, particularly when a child is ‘catastrophising,’ or continually revisiting the same worries. There are times when a child’s worries will seem better after a good night’s sleep. However, for children and young people who truly experience anxiety, a new day simply offers a new opportunity for feeling overwhelmed by worry and anxiousness. The source of the anxiety needs to be recognised and strategies created for management.

4. “Calm down! Will you?”

Anxiety can often show itself through high emotion and distress. The natural reaction of many well-meaning adults is to quietly ask an emotional child to calm down.

However, a distraught child is likely to misinterpret your calmness for not caring.

The source of the anxiety needs to be recognised and strategies created for management.

Adult calmness in the face of a child’s upset usually leads to more emotional outburst.

It’s more effective to match your level or intensity with your child’s level of emotion if you intend to calm them down. Saying, “Yep, I can see you're upset. That’s understandable,” at the same intensity and volume that your child uses is likely to be far more effective in bringing down his or her emotions.

5. “OMG! That is horrible!”

It’s easy for a parent or teacher to take on a child’s anxieties and worries as their own, particularly if an injustice has occurred.

Better to take a breath, stand back and be as objective as possible, rather than be drawn into the vortex of a child or young person’s worries.

6. “You should be worried about that!”

Sometimes we can feed children’s anxieties and worries or even create worries that aren’t there. Be careful not to foist your own anxieties and fears on children and young people.

7. “Stop being so naughty. Behave yourself.”

Many children and young people act out when they are anxious and nervous, which is easily interpreted as misbehaving, particularly if you view all interactions

through a behavioural lens. Instead of reacting to the behaviour, step back and consider what may be going on emotionally for a child or young person. When you know the triggers for a child’s anxiety, then you are better placed to recognise anxiousness and respond appropriately.

Parents and teachers are in the best positions to support children and young people when they are anxious. They need to know that you take their concerns seriously, and that you are willing to support them in their efforts to manage their anxiousness, and in doing so, achieve what’s important to them as well.

Author, columnist and presenter, Michael Grose currently supports over 1,100 schools in Australia, New Zealand and England in engaging and supporting their parent communities. He is also the director of Parentingideas, Australia’s leader in parenting education resources and support for schools.

For more information, see www.parentingideas.com.au

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PATRICIA BUONCRISTIANI

Smart Kids and Smart Phones Helping Students Communicate Smarter

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ou’re sitting in front of TV one evening and someone asks, “Where is Kazakhstan?” What do you do if you don’t immediately know the answer?

Ask Google?

If you just ask Google you will be missing out on so much. Most worryingly, you will be missing out on giving your plastic brain an opportunity to improve itself, to develop new neuronal pathways and to strengthen the ones it already has. If, before saying, “Ok, Google,” you try and think about it for a while, you will be giving your brain the food and exercise it needs to thrive.

You will call on memory to remind you of all the things you have heard and read about Kazakhstan in the past, in newspapers, on TV or on the internet. You will sift through those memories, comparing them and discriminating between the ones that help

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and those that don’t. You might try and visualise a map of Europe and the Middle East and see if you can associate the placement of Kazakhstan with the placement of other countries that you do know about.

Perhaps you will remember the old atlas on the shelf under the coffee table and you will pull it out and search for Kazakhstan. While you are looking in the atlas, you may well notice where numbers of other countries, as well as Kazakhstan, are located. You will see the names of major cities, and if the map is a relief map, you discover Kazakhstan is largely made up of desert areas.

Someone else in the room might know a little more than you and together you might be able to come up with an answer. There are so many good things you can do for your brain before asking Google. Yes, Google will probably post a map with a little red marker

for Kazakhstan and it might feel like a great shortcut way to what you found in the atlas.

But look at all the things your brain missed out on doing: remembering, comparing, associating, filtering, connecting, visualising, browsing and thinking interdependently with others.

Just as eating a diet of mushy ‘pre-chewed’ food would risk the health of your teeth, a regime of fast facts and information via Google risks the health and development of your brain.

Google is great. But don’t let it replace your brain!

Kids are very social beings. They love to chat, gossip, tease, conspire and share the highs and the lows of their lives. With the ubiquitous presence of the smart phone, they can continue to do this no matter where they might be, and even if they are on their

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own. The latest scuttlebutt about school can be shared and chatted about by youngsters alone in their bedrooms or together in the school yard.

Noticing an unnerving silence and stillness in playgrounds and worried about distraction in classrooms, some schools have banned the smartphone on the playground, in the classroom or in the school altogether. When this happened, conversations and games reappeared on playgrounds and kids started paying more attention in class.

Have you ever talked to your students about the benefits and pitfalls of texting as a form of communication? If not, it’s time.

Too many of our kids are hurt as a result of misinterpreted text and chat messages.

Friendships are fractured, rumours are started and spread, and misunderstandings can take off like forest fires when we don’t understand the nature of texting.

Just recently I saw a magnificent production of Tosca by the Australian Opera. If you had asked me in a text message what I thought of it, I would probably have responded with, “great,” and I might have added a thumbs up emoji. What you would not have seen was the way my hand punctuated the air as I wrote, “great.” You would not have heard the awe in my tone, the gasp that preceded my word, nor would you have seen the look of admiration and delight that flooded my face as I recalled the evening.

Research suggests that when we are communicating attitudes or emotions, approximately 7% is communicated by the words and 93% by the nonverbal aspects of communication – facial expression, tone of voice, gestures and the like. In my text response to your question about the opera, you missed 93% of the message.

It seems our youngsters are giving up on spoken telephone conversations. They much prefer to text. They have lightning thumbs, and the messages fly back and forth at an amazing speed. These text conversations can be short or sometimes very, very long. And the longer the conversation, the more likely it is

Help your students understand that if they want to talk about something that involves the exchange of attitudes and the expression of feelings, subjects that have some depth and nuance, it is better to call one another and speak on their smartphone.

Or better still, talk face to face. that misunderstandings, misinterpretations and false impressions will be built and expanded upon. Why? Because every time a message is sent, 93% of its meaning is missing! Imagine trying to read a novel or a letter with 93% of the letters missing.

In an attempt to overcome this paucity of information, we insert emojis and gifs.

They help a little, but not much. Perhaps you send me a text letting me know you passed a very hard exam, one you had worried yourself sick about. I may send back a message that says, “Well done,” and includes a thumbs up emoji and a heart. But if you were here with me, you would have seen the expression on my face that showed I understood your relief, one that expressed the pride I felt. And you would have known the confidence I felt in you as I gave you a bear hug of appreciation. Instead? Just a couple of words and two small symbols.

It’s a frequently used exercise in drama classes to say the word “yes” in as many ways as possible, implying as many different meanings as possible. The range is amazing.

But in a text, there is only the word. You work out the meaning for yourself, and with no nonverbal cues to help you, there is every chance you will get it wrong.

Why is this so important? Understanding language usage is part of every English class.

This form of language is in common usage and is growing. We have a responsibility to include an understanding of texting language when we discuss language usage in class. Our students need to understand the weaknesses that exist in text conversations.

We can encourage them to save the text chat for the factual, the trivial and for what it was designed: short messages and quick chats.

Help your students understand that if they want to talk about something that involves the exchange of attitudes and the expression of feelings, subjects that have some depth and nuance, it is better to call one another and speak on their smartphone. Or better still, talk face to face. If the conversation is worth having, it deserves 100% of the communication process, not just 7%.

Patricia Calton Buoncristiani has a wealth of classroom experience in the UK, Australia and the USA. For twelve years, she ser ved as a teacher at Melbourne Teacher's College in Australia, and more recently, as an elementary school principal in both Australia and the USA. She has provided professional development to schools in behaviour management, teaching strategies and Habits of Mind. Patricia is the co-author of two books examining the role of thinking in the education of children.

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RYAN MARTIN

Punching Above Your Weight

What Great Teachers Do, and Why it Must be Shared “The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.”

—Alexandra Trenfor

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few weeks ago, as part of a series of teacher meetings I was facilitating, I observed something that has often intrigued me and it isn’t an observation in isolation. Two teachers were teaching side by side, same year level with similar kids, yet their results were so far apart it could only be put down to one thing: teacher efficacy. Now these two teachers work under incredibly challenging circumstances in a socially disadvantaged school, both care about the students they teach and each have over 10 years teaching experience.

So how can the results they are achieving with these students look so different? It got me thinking, so I took some time out of the meetings to do some teacher observations and what I am about to share with you is not intended to shock, but hopefully give you a chance to reflect on your own practice.

A great deal of research points to the student to teacher relationship outweighing the teacher’s subject knowledge or teaching approach when considering student achievement.

The big difference that stood out as soon as I walked into the classroom was the student to teacher relationships that had been established. Both had a nice rapport with the students, but the teacher that was

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having all the success very clearly operated from the firm and fair position. Interestingly, a great deal of research points to the student to teacher relationship outweighing the teacher’s subject knowledge or teaching approach when considering student achievement. As I sat and watched this skilled teacher leverage the relationships that they had developed, to cultivate great learning opportunities across the room, I watched a little longer and this is what I observed in regard to relationship: 1. Positive engagement with students that was focused on reinforcing expected behaviours and ‘catching’ students doing things right.

2. Preparedness that indicated a deep understanding of the students. It was clear that this allowed the teacher to attend to early signs of poor behaviour and pull students back into line.

3. Sense of humour that broke the ice and helped students relax, encouraging them to take risks and have fun as they learnt.

4. H i g h e x p e c t a t i o n s t h a t p r o v i d e d boundaries for students, yet pushed students to do their best. These students were clearly proud of their efforts.

5. Forgiveness that was evident in the ability to start each day fresh. This was articulated clearly to students.

My observations are not intended to be a comprehensive list of the ingredients that make the perfect teacher, rather, a reminder that good teaching is not that far away from even the most challenging classrooms.

Where do you stack up against this list?

When things get tough, what goes missing from your teaching approach? What would your students say about you as a teacher?

What are your teaching strengths and how do you share them?

Ryan Martin, recently awarded with the Northern Territory Principal of the Year, is an experienced school leader with a proven track record in behaviour management, leadership and coaching.

He has a sharp focus on changing the trajectory of students from highly complex and disadvantaged backgrounds. Ryan has a passion for education but you might also find him surfing, skating or tinkering around with old cars.

DONNA WILSON & MARCUS CONYERS

Respecting Others’ Point of View Education Week’s Blog: Classroom Q & A

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he ability to understand and respect other individuals’ points of view is a vital skill that students of all ages should learn. That was the theme that Marcus and I stressed in responding to a question posed

by Education Week, a part of the popular Classroom Q & A with Larry Ferlazzo.

The question for th is b l o g p o s t w as : “When two or more students are having a conflict, what are the most effective ways teachers can respond to the situation?”

As we pointed out, students can be taught two valuable skills that will pay

significant dividends throughout their lives. These are: to identify, respect and seek to understand points of view that differ from their own and to tailor their communications to their intended audience.

With the guidance of a passionate, effective teacher, classroom conflict can be used to help students develop the necessary skills they need for academic, personal and future professional success. We recommend that teachers use the following strategies to help students achieve those skills:

The ability to understand and respect other individuals› points of view is a vital skill that students of all ages should learn.

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DONNA WILSON & MARCUS CONYERS

Model listening actively to students, paraphrasing what they say to verify understanding.

Highlight examples of different points of view that are relevant in lessons and to students’ lives.

Encourage all students to share their thoughts and viewpoints and to listen objectively to others’ perspectives.

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Teach students the impact of point of view in literary, historical and political writing To learn more about the importance of respecting other points of view, we invite you to read the entire post at the Education Week blog.

D r. D o n n a W i l s o n a n d D r. M a rc u s Conyers are the Founders of BrainSMART, Inc. and are international consultants on improving teaching, l e a d i n g a n d l e a r n i n g t h r o u g h innovative applications of brain science and psychology. They are the authors of over 75 professional articles and 20 books, including Introduction to BrainSMART®: Science, Structures, and Strategies for Increasing Student Learning (Hawker Brownlow Education, 2018).

LESLEY JOHNSON

Meeting the Literacy Challenges of a Multi-Cultural Classroom Reaching All Learners

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s our society becomes more cosmopolitan, our classroom teaching needs to reflect our understanding and support of EFL/ ESL learners.

Down the Back of the Chair and The New Zealand Pacific Picture Book Collection are great resources for Pacifica students.

Jill MacGregor’s ‘Children of the Pacific,’ books are widely used in schools to support ESL learners. She has just released a new series ‘Children of Asia.’

Unite for Literacy is a wonderful site with online readers and narration tools that allow the reader to flip narration between English or try any of the available 38 other languages.

This is My Town 1. Use a Venn Diagram to compare the town in the book with the place where you live.

My Town

Book Town

Both

2. Create a brace map of the town.

3. Rank the places in the book from your most favourite to your least favourite.

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LESLEY JOHNSON 4. Complete the ranking ladder for your favourite places in your hometown.

5. Think-Pair-Share your reasons for placements on both ranking ladders.

6. What features could you add to your town to make it a more interesting place to live?

Give your reasons for your suggestions.

Opposites 1. Work with a buddy.

Match the pairs of opposites.

Use the book to help you.

Join with another pair. Combine your cards and play ‘Snap.’

2. Ask someone who knows you well to share three different words they think describe you.

Write them down and talk about what the opposites would be.

3. Working with a buddy, use your bodies to show another set of opposites that are NOT in the book. Have a photo taken and create a class board of opposites.

up

down

back

front

sad

happy

over

under

young

old

straight

curly

open

closed

sit

stand

awake

asleep

Many of the activities above can be adapted and used with the picture book, ‘Greedy Goat.’

1. Draw a large Venn Diagram with chalk on a concrete area.

Holding up labels, ask the children to decide where they should stand in the Venn Diagram: Often, Never, or Sometimes.

Ride on a boda boda Help hang out the washing

Relp in the garden Go to a market

Ride in a taxi Drink milk

2. Keep a week’s diary. Write or draw what you enjoyed most and what you least liked every day.

OR Keep a week’s diary sharing what Greedy Goat might do in his new home.

How might his behaviour be managed by his new family?

3. True or False:

• Greedy goat ran away every day. • Mr Damba wanted to buy a pig.

• Greedy goat drank all the milk.

• The Market was in Kangulumira.

• Greedy goat ate clothes.

• The taxi driver wanted to take the goat.

• Greedy goat belonged to Emanuel. • Mr Damba took Greedy goat to market.

• Mr Damba and his family didn’t like Greedy goat on his boda boda.

4. Were there any sentences that you didn’t agree with on the True/False statements?

Debate your reasons.

5. Write the False sentences as a negative or positive to make them true.

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Lesley Johnson has taught for 30 years.

The facilitation of an ICTPD cluster nurtured her three passions: Literacy, ICT tools and Thinking Strategies. She now runs her online business, Read Think Learn, providing online literacy resources that promote higher order thinking.

ROBYN PEARCE

Can we Really Work Less Yet Achieve More?

Maximising Our Working Hours

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erpetual Guardian’s decision to try a shorter working week has created some interesting discussion. I congratulate Andrew Barnes for his bold experiment. From my 26 years of global experience on the topic of productivity, I believe they’re onto something really good.

Perhaps you’re wondering whether to follow their example? Or, maybe you’d keep a five-day week but would like to stop work earlier each day? The problem is, if you create a culture of working long hours, the work expands to fit the time available. It can seem insurmountable. The trick is to say, “How can we do it?” rather than, “Can we do it?’ With the right starting point, the answer will appear.

Less Hours One of my clients changed the culture of his company from, “We’ve got SO much to do that we have to work long hours,” to “We manage our load effectively and profitably within reasonable hours.” He was the owner of a very busy printing business and until two years before our conversation, had regularly worked to about 8 pm, due to the work load. His staff of ten also worked similar long hours. Just before his first baby was due, he had an epiphany. It struck him that if he was ever to see his child, he needed to change his ways. He was also a keen sailor, but frustrated with how seldom he got out on the water. Instead, his boat languished on the marina, growing weeds and barnacles. He then realised that if he, the owner, was feeling frustrated, his staff were almost certainly feeling the same.

With considerable anxiety about a possible loss of income, he decided to put a stop to the long hours. “From now on, we all leave the premises by 6 pm, me included,” he announced to the team. “It doesn’t matter if we haven’t finished the task we’re working on. Unless it’s life-threatening, leave it until tomorrow.”

The result was startling. Not only did people get the same amount of work completed by 6 pm that had previously taken up nearly two hours more per day, but the profitability of the firm increased. When they had less

hours in which to get the work done, they were more focused and efficient instead of allowing the work to fill the time available.

Also, because everyone had more free time, they came into work rested and fresh.

Less Days For the last two years I’ve cut back my hours.

I’m now only available to clients two or three days a week. I often have three or fourday weekends, when I sail, cycle, visit family or friends or just relax. I’m more rested and effective, and the requests for work have not diminished. In fact, it’s the opposite.

Reduced availability creates more demand.

I’ve eliminated much of the deadline-driven busy work that used to keep my nose to the grindstone and now focus on the core activities that make the most money. As a result, in the last twelve months, it has been relatively easy to find the time to write my first historical novel, whilst still generating a satisfactory income.

The Power of Our Words There’s a further element to this discussion: What comes out of our mouth and how it influences our thinking and our behaviour.

Think how many people, when you ask how work is going, say things like, “I’m flat out,” “Too much to do,” or, “Not enough time.” At first, these ‘busy’ conversations sound positive. For many, an abundance of work equals job security and, in some businesses, more income. But what is the long-term impact of this kind of conversation?

Our language is powerful. When we tell these stories to ourselves and everyone around us, that message becomes a loop between our subconscious and our results.

The trusty subconscious says, “You’ve got too much to do? OK, I’ll organise that for you. Coming right up.” And sure enough, we get the results we’ve spoken into existence. It sounds simplistic, but to change your results, you must first change your language. For example, the printing company people had said, “We have to work late. There’s so much to do that long hours are the only way to keep on top of

When they had less hours in which to get the work done, they were more focused and efficient instead of allowing the work to fill the time available.

it.” The new language became, “We do our work within an eight-to-nine-hour work day, efficiently and profitably. We leave work by 6 pm at the latest, knowing that we’ve done our best.”

James Allen, in his classic little essay, ‘As a Man Thinketh,’ written in 1902, has devoted his whole essay to the topic. Here’s just one quote: “The outer world of circumstance shapes itself to the inner world of thought.”

Here’s to less work, better results and using language that supports our desired results!

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

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THERESE HOYLE

Improving Staff Recruitment and Retention Making Teachers’ Wellbeing a Priority Introduction Wi t h h i g h s t r e s s l e v e l s f u e l l i n g t h e recruitment and retention crisis, schools need to prioritise maximising teachers’ wellbeing. The five tips presented here are from the conversation I had with Baz from Teacher Booker, who also shares my passion around wellbeing. We decided to co-create an article to encourage schools to empower their staff, celebrate their achievements (no matter how small) and dissolve the barriers to open discussions about mental health.

Still East of Eden In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes made a bold prediction about the 21st century. Reflecting on the speed march of progress in technology and infrastructure he forecast that, by the turn of the century, most people would only work a 15-hour week.

Sadly, Keynes’ augury has proved false.

Surveys report that the working hours of most have remained static over the past 30 years, and indeed increased in many cases, with self-reported stress levels being significantly higher. Nowhere is this worrying trend more visible than in the profession of teaching. It’s common knowledge at this point that teachers regularly work 60 hours or more per week, clocking in the most unpaid overtime in the country. Concordant with these figures are reports that teachers feel overworked, disempowered by new managerial structures and saddled with a lack of self-efficacy to do their job properly. Such stressors make teachers especially vulnerable to professional burnout and mental health issues, with recent reports showing a dramatic increase in the number of teachers being signed off work for such reasons.

Analysing and explicating the causes of the stress epidemic in teaching has been a preoccupation of Teacher Booker. In our anthology on the subject, we gestured at the exponentially increasing expectations of teachers, and the abrasion of optimism that comes from dealing with challenging

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behaviour. The purpose of all this dissection is simple: to understand how we can make the profession less stressful and improve net teacher wellbeing.

Teacher Booker is fortunate to have friends and fellow travellers on this journey who want to help. That’s why we sought out educational consultant and teacher wellbeing advocate, Therese Hoyle, to get her input on what schools can do to help improve the wellbeing of their staff. Below are five practicable steps distilled from our conversation and other research.

1) Appreciate that low wellbeing is a push factor out of your school.

Job satisfaction in the public sector has historically tended to be quite high, despite low pay and challenging work conditions.

This trend resulted in the managerial (and ministerial) mantra that public sector workers could be treated however you want; whatever happens, they won’t leave the job.

But yesterday’s mantra quickly becomes today’s myth, and in this case, a stubbornly persistent one. One needs only to glance briefly at the news to see how high rates of attrition are in teaching, coupled with historically low rates of recruitment. Exiting teachers repeatedly report ‘stress,’ ‘pressure,’ and ‘a lack of work-life balance,’ as the factors that pushed them out the profession.

Conscientiousness about staff wellbeing can no longer be dismissed as a luxury for prospering schools. It needs to be a priority for any school that wants to recruit new staff and retain its present faculty. Of course, we’re all loathe to think about the wellbeing of fellow humans in such instrumental terms. But linking wellbeing to performance measures may be the fulcrum needed for substantial improvements in working conditions for teachers. Plus, it can help everyone appreciate that staff wellbeing is strongly linked to student wellbeing and performance.

2) Ask staff about their wellbeing.

Lost in the vaulting cathedral of the education system, it’s easy for teachers to feel like their voices go unheard. This imbues a lack of self-efficacy in the

profession, leaving teachers to feel at the mercy of the cruel and indifferent machine of progress.

Consulting staff about issues in school management that are relevant to their professional expertise should be routine in any school. But asking about their wellbeing is of equal importance. Every staff room has teachers already having these discussions about what’s generating stress and angst within their school and how things could be done better. One may as well formalise this process and channel the information towards school improvement.

Naturally, formalising discussions about staff wellbeing (in the form of a working group or staff consultation) will involve asking hard questions and hearing hard truths. Senior leaders may suddenly see a very different side to their school and their staff that they had otherwise been shielded from by their professional distance. These difficulties, however, can be drivers of real change, bringing the whole school into sync on what issues are present and what needs to be done to resolve them in favour of higher staff wellbeing.

3) Promote a higher sense of egalitarianism.

In their landmark book, The Spirit Level, Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett present reams of evidence that inequality in income and social capability is positively related to a range of health measures, including stress and wellbeing. School leaders should be conscious of how much such effects might pervade their own institutions.

School leaders earn several orders more than teaching assistants and early career teachers. The pronounced hierarchy of the school structure, theoretically for pedagogical purposes, typically ends up affecting the working conditions of teachers as well. Indeed, belief that one is being paid or treated unfairly is a powerful predictor of wellbeing in any job.

This isn’t to suggest that your school should convert into a kibbutz but school leaders can benefit from appreciating that teachers have a set of skills that allow them

THERESE HOYLE

It’s important to appreciate that staff wellbeing should be a priority for all school leaders and is intrinsically linked to recruitment, retention and student performance. to do things they often cannot. A teacher remarked to me recently that teachers returning from absences to find that they have been covered by SLT often have to repeat those lessons because they’ve been taught so poorly. A more collegial atmosphere in which teachers are valued as having a different, but equally valuable, set of skills will help mitigate the effects of school hierarchy to the benefit of all.

Evangelism for equity cuts both ways: as well as elevating teachers, it’s also about humanising leadership teams. As Stephen Drew points out in his recent post on leaving headship, “It is too easy to slate headteachers and the wider senior leadership teams in schools. The job is incredibly difficult to get right… Perhaps we could all remind them of how good they are every once in a while.” When Leaders are doing their jobs well, they desire and deserve praise the same as anyone else. Teachers should feel comfortable to share this praise openly with them.

4) Finding reasons to celebrate.

“Every day is a festival somewhere,” goes the aphorism and schools can harness this fact to great effect in promoting wellbeing.

Putting on special weeks and coordinating activities associated with them can be great, from Eurovision to Wimbledon, religious festivals and world international days.

Finding volunteers in the staff body who

would like to lead by organising these, with the appropriate support and allowance, can empower staff while facilitating them to pursue a passion project. By shifting the climate of a school to one of celebration, however arbitrarily, wellbeing of students and staff alike is improved.

There need not be a big reason to celebrate either. Getting through a long week during Winter term or exam season can be just as worthy of festivity. Being imaginative and creative in finding things to celebrate can yield a list of great opportunities for making staff feel valued and special. Putting on afternoon teas, staff sports events, giving out tokens of gratitude: all of these can be deployed to mark such celebrations. As with students, adults don’t need much to feel valued!

5) Talk about Mental Health.

A failure of many organisations is that they assume only optimal outcomes when planning. This means they fail to prepare what to do when things go wrong. Clearly something has gone very wrong in an organisation when a teacher has such a catastrophically low wellbeing that they have to leave. Schools need to take this seriously as a possibility and plan for it.

Once they appreciate that there are systemic features of the profession that result in teachers getting burned out and suffering mental health issues, schools need to

provide literature and guidance to help teachers and middle-management identify these issues in their embryonic stages. A particularly powerful intervention here is to have a staff member with a history of mental health issues speak openly about this in a staff meeting. It demands great courage, but many who have suffered with mental health issues are keen to help steer others away from having the same experience they’ve had. Schools can also be mindful of circumstances where particular challenges are likely to be present. Schools know in advance from transition data and other sources whether a cohort is going to be challenging and can plan appropriately.

At a more local scale, school leaders can make themselves aware that a particularly challenging class is being given to a relatively inexperienced teacher and make efforts in advance to offer their support. All of this can be readily planned for with a more practical and prescient mindset.

Conclusion – A coda for burnout?

Some schools do an excellent job of managing and promoting staff wellbeing.

Other schools struggle in this area. Wherever your institution falls on this continuum, it’s important to appreciate that staff wellbeing should be a priority for all school leaders and is intrinsically linked to recruitment, retention and student performance. We have no doubt that in schools with the right orientation and culture towards wellbeing, staff may feel like they’re only actually working 15 hours a week. Let’s prove Keynes right!

Therese is the 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 Edventure, or contact her directly for in depth advice on designing and developing your playground. info@theresehoyle.com

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KAREN TUI BOYES

Teachers Matter

Remember that apologising doesn’t always mean that you were wrong or the other person was right. It means that you value your relationship more than your ego.

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KAREN TUI BOYES

How to Give and Receive an Apology A Step by Step Guide

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et’s face it. None of us are perfect and there are times when we make mistakes, mess up and hurt the feelings of others. We all have our limits and when we overstep the mark, an apology is required. As a parent, teacher, leader, friend and wife, I have given many apologies.

However, it wasn’t always pretty.

4. “I appreciate your apology.” This acknowledges that it may have been difficult for the other person to give the apology and conveys your gratitude that the person has made the effort to make amends.

Giving an apology is a complex social skill and like all other social skills, it requires modelling, practice and feedback. Just as equally, there is skill in being able to accept an apology as well.

A good apology has three parts: 1. “I’m sorr y.” Speaking these words can be the hardest part and it must be genuine, rather than forced. Forcing someone to apologise rarely has the desired effect of the person learning the lesson and changing their behaviour. A genuine apology comes with being able to understand the consequences of your actions, how it is perceived by the other person and a degree of empathy.

2. “It was my fault.” The second step is taking ownership for your actions, admitting you were at fault and taking responsibility. At this stage, it is important not to make excuses or blame the other person, as this negates the first step.

3. “ W h a t c a n I d o t o m a k e i t right?” The last step is to be accountable for your actions and ask what you can do to fix the situation. Of course, if a suggestion is given, then you need to follow up on it and do what you can to correct the situation.

Remember that apologising doesn’t always mean that you were wrong or the other person was right. It means that you value your relationship more than your ego. Of course, the apology does not mean anything if you continue to do the thing that you have since apologised for previously.

Being on the receiving end of an apology also requires skill. You must be able to accept it gracefully, while also not letting the person ‘off the hook.’ Often, the default response is, “It’s okay,” however, it was not okay or an apology would not be required.

“It’s okay,” minimises and trivialises the apology. So, how do you accept an apology?

Again, a good acceptance of an apology has three parts.

5. “ M y f e e l i n g s w e r e h u r t because…” Step two is to be honest about your emotions and show you are not being casual or flippant about the situation. Be clear and direct about how you felt when the other person behaved poorly.

6. “I accept your apology.” The final step is to accept the apology. You might choose to comment on how you understand why they did what they did and forgive the person. Tell the person you want to continue a positive relationship and move on.

Accepting an apology in no way means your hurt feelings suddenly stop or that you are now best buddies again. It is, however, a step towards healing and moving forward.

I love this quote from an unknown source: “The first to apologise is the bravest.

The first to forgive is the strongest.

The first to forget is the happiest.”

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 recognised with the NSANZ Educator of the Year award in 2014 and 2017, and works in schools throughout Australasia teaching students how to Study Smart and teachers how to raise achievement. www.karentuiboyes.com

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The Study Smart Board Game is in production and is available from May 2016

Order your copy before April 30th and receive the 27 Study Tips poster FREE!

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“So often teachers ask students to go home and study, yet do not teach them how.” says Karen. “This game teaches the essentials of learning to learn, study skills, memory techniques, exam strategies plus motivation tips, and watch out for the Uh-­‐Oh cards!”

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❏ Yes, please send ____ copy/s of the Study Smart Board Game for $79 +p&p ($8.50 in NZ and Australia)

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Helping schools with their image.

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