Reducing the gender-power imbalance in our schools p24
An attitude of gratitude p48 Is work/life balance a myth? p66
Karen Boyes, NZ Educator of the Year
Hello and welcome to Term 2,
I hope you’re back and feeling refreshed after the holiday break. There are some interesting articles in this issue about work / life balance which is a concern pertinent to teachers throughout the world today as workloads increase and time seems like a limited commodity. This concern is particularly relevant to new teachers, and Maggie Hos-McGrane discusses this in her article which questions whether it is sustainable for education to continue to rely on the goodwill of teachers. We also have many tips for beginning teachers, and the people who support them, to help ensure they continue in teaching.
Michael Grose and Kathryn Berkett’s articles contain great ideas about how to encourage students to be persistent in the face of disappointment and ‘courageous problem-solvers’. These are but a few of the marvellous thoughts we have to share with you in this issue of Teacher’s Matter Magazine.
Congratulations to Spectrum Education’s Karen Boyes for winning Educational Speaker of the Year at the National Speaker’s Association awards! Have a fantastic term!!
COVER PHOTO BY SASHA MACARTHUR
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Who are you partnering your beginning teachers with?
The expertise gap
Have you ever observed in another classroom and thought that there is absolutely no way I’ll ever be able to replicate that? Do you remember watching a talented mentor pick the perfect moment to ask just the right question of a student? Did you then think, how on earth did they do that?
I remember watching my Tutor Teacher Mrs Jane Mackie with a sense of wonderment and awe. She seemed to be able to know exactly what each student needed by simply looking at the whites of their eyes. I knew there must have been more to it than that. She must have been so well prepared - planned to the hilt. She must have anticipated every possible situation in her head and then planned a suitable response. She was an expert teacher. When I asked her how she did what she did, I was surprised to hear that she hadn’t spent 4 hours planning that lesson. When I pushed further she really couldn’t help me step through the process or provide me with a recipe.
The advanced beginner or proficient people know what it is like being in the novice’s shoes
I was a bit slow on the uptake, and I really only understood the reason for Jane saying ‘I just know, it’s hard to explain’ when John Edwards and Bill Martin of the OUREducation Network introduced me to the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition. There was a light bulb moment. I was an absolute novice and she was an expert.
Jane had developed Personal Practical Knowledge that allowed her to make decisions based upon the context and the situation. As a new teacher, I was reliant on rules to govern my decisions
The Dreyfus Model
and actions. I needed lots of – if this then that – thinking.
We all experience being a novice when we do something new or start in a new place or position. When I was a novice principal, I relied on rules and regulations to drive my work. I was always consulting what the policy said. Again I had an expert mentor principal who had left me scratching my head thinking how does she do that? Right now I would say I am pretty proficient but I know that if I got another principal’s position I would be an absolute novice in that position.
Knowing this, why do we pair novice teachers with expert mentors? Are we setting them up for the “I can’t possibly do all those things” moment that causes nagging doubts about their aptitude for the job? The Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition is the reason we tried to (within the constraints of a small school) partner teachers with 3 – 4 years of experience with those who are beginning their career. The advanced beginner or proficient people know
what it is like being in the novice’s shoes. They make great tutor teachers as they have recent memory of things that the experts have long since forgotten.
Stephen is a Dad, Husband, Principal, sport mad, gadget man. He is all about learning and growing leaders of the future. He is moving into his tenth year of school principalship at Taupaki School and believes in growing leadership capacity at all levels in school. He has value his involvement in the OUR Education Network for the past eight years, learning from amazing leaders from around the world.
Novice Beginner Competent Proficient Expert
Dreyfus model of skill acquisition. Image from John Edwards, Bill Martin OUREducation Newtork
Reframing ‘Fear of Failure’
Learning to try again
In my work supporting behaviour development around the country, I often hear comments like “He/She has a fear of failure”; “They just cannot bear to be wrong”; “They won’t ever try anything new”. Concerningly, this is becoming an increasingly common theme.
What is not so common is a true understanding of where this trend is coming from. Continuing to bemoan the inability of our children to accept failure is not helping us move towards a solution. So let’s do just that, let us work towards a solution…
A good way to start when we are thinking of working with behaviour, is to first ask: What is it we actually want our children to be able to do? What is the skill, or the set of skills, that would be supportive in this space? When we do this, we are identifying the goal we want to set.
Just quickly, before we continue to talk about the specific behaviour, lets do a quick neuroscience lesson. This lesson is a very summarised and simplified one. For more information please visit my website, or link into more detailed articles on this subject.
In the brain, when we learn something, the brain is physically activating connections between cells. When we continue to activate between the same cells, we trigger a process called myelination. Myelination is the brain applying a coating on the connections between cells. Simplistically, the more myelin that is layered on the connection, the faster the connection will activate. We know this from when we have learnt things such as driving, guitar playing etc. The more we repeat something, the more automatic it becomes.
So the first point to know, is that the brain myelinates connections between cells due to repeated activation. What we also need to understand is what the brain doesn’t do.
The brain does not get rid of connections because you ask it to. So when you say to a child “stop swearing” – the brain cannot go into that network of connections that activate swearing and get rid of it. You get that this explanation is being slightly tongue-in-cheek, but the basic information is correct. The brain does not exterminate connections because we ask it to stop a behaviour. So if we want to make a change to the brain, physically, we have to activate and repeat cell connections that work towards the goal we want to produce. This is clear in theories such as strength based practice, reflective practice and many others. Identifying the goal we want to aim towards, developing steps towards it, then reflecting and continuing practice; this is how we learn a new skill, or improve on an existing one. Brain science supports this via cell connection and myelination.
Now we will return to the specific topic of failure, and how to help our children become better at coping with it.
As with all behavioural situations, the answer is more complicated than simple. So please appreciate that the scope of this article requires simplification which will always lend towards generalisation. Always respect that every child is an individual, so consider their specific personality traits, current conditions, historical experience etc. if you are thinking of implementing this with a student.
KATHRYN BERKETT
Neuroscience tells us that we need to identify what we want the child to be able to do, what is it we want them to learn? Breaking ‘fear of failure’ down so we can see it can look different for different situations. For this generalised purpose
cells connecting, repeating and therefore myelinating. This requires you to scaffold, support and continue to model in required moments.
The final step is to REINFORCE. This is a huge part of learning something
The inability of many children to accept failure is often due to a lack of practice.
we will consider the goal as ‘Being able to try again when we get something wrong.’
‘Being able to try again when we get something wrong’ is a statement we can see. So now we can begin the first step of supporting the new learning, that is to MODEL the desired behaviour. Ensure you start the process at a level that is respectful to the individual.
The second step is for them to DO IT. Learning something new will only happen through success. So lots of repetition of them DOING IT right will get those
new, and one we can sometimes neglect. When we consider that repetition of cells strengthens connections, it is obvious that if we repeat that learning – even through us explaining how well they did when they tried again - this will enhance learning.
So, if we MODEL, then give them a supported chance to DO IT and then REINFORCE that learning, we can support learning the new skill. In this case, getting better at trying again. Once the child realises that when they try again, they can be successful, they will get more confident at it. Only through identifying the actual goal we wish to achieve, modelling, supporting them to do it, then reinforce their progress will a new behaviour be learnt. It will not be learnt by just telling the student to stop, or by protecting them from failure, as we often do in cases such as this. It is counterintuitive when we understand brain science.
The last point we will discuss on this topic might be slightly contentious, so please
keep reading but read with an open mind. It becomes obvious once you realise what has been discussed above, that perfect practice makes perfect…
In our modern environment, our children are very seldom in a space where adults are not close by. This means adults often regulate situations for children. Adults often jump in and stop fights; or limit the exploration to levels the child will be successful; or soothe the disappointment of a child by saying “it’s not your fault”. These are all driven by our desire as an adult to limit the pain for our children. But if you expand this concept to consider what learning is happening in each of those scenarios, we can see there is limited moments for the child to get it wrong, hence lack of opportunity to practice ‘trying again’. So you see, as adults, if we continue to wrap children too much, we are essentially limiting their own learning around failure. And if we don’t practice something, cells don’t connect and we don’t achieve learning.
Again, please respect the limited scope of this article. Full exploration of this concept takes hours of training and interactive conversations. This is an article aimed at beginning a conversation around fear of failure. It translates to all learning of course, but this inability of many children to accept failure is often due to a lack of practice. So creating moments where failure will be experienced, linked with respectful, supported, and repeated practice of ‘trying again’ will be one giant step towards increasing this very essential capacity in our children.
Kathryn is an expert in using neuroscience and physiology to assist us to better regulate ourselves. She is committed to helping teachers and parents to work better with children, youth, colleagues and clients. Kathryn runs sessions around this subject, supporting teachers to understand different ways to assist children to get better at staying calm.
www.KBKonsulting.co.nz
ALAN COOPER
Providing a classroom culture for thinking and learning
Part one: From good to great without getting noses out of joint!
This is the first of a two-part series.
By adapting the management theory of Jim Collins in Good to Great and Philip Lundin in Fish a classroom culture can be provided that gives freedom for both teachers and students to be on the leading edge of teaching and learning.
The school is the sea. The students are the fish. If the sea is not kept at the right temperature the fish will die!
The right temperature is a school and classroom culture that gives both teachers and students the freedom to learn. Such a culture must not only be a nurturing one but also an adaptive culture able to adapt rather than adopt principles of greatness and excellence both from outside and inside the educational environment. All this is within the context of a disciplined approach to persisting and keeping on keeping on with the desired principles of greatness.
First is focus. To use a business concept, the core business of a school is to create an environment, which is able to grow learning. To do this it must not only be
student focussed but also one that generates efficacious energy. Thus dreams - dreams that push the boundary - are needed to provide a catalyst which arouses the passion that gives the energy and enthusiasm. So our dream, which became our focus, was to be a leading edge school.
This dream could apply to every subject, every activity from the academic, to the cultural, to the social and more. Further to be on the leading edge suggests to be continually improving, to be taking responsible risks by trying new ways to accomplish things, to be seeking excellence, and overall invoking an overall positive suggestibility. In this way our focus empowered the teachers, the students, and perhaps surprisingly the larger school community especially the parents. Difficulties were a challenge to be remedied. A can do efficacious practicality, engendered positive expectations.
Dreams, to be realised, require what Jim Collins calls a ‘resource engine’: the practical actions and concepts that make things happen: the practical actions and
The
school is the sea. The students are the fish. If the sea is not kept at the right temperature the fish will die!
concepts that in this case did make us a leading edge school. The Fish! philosophy gave this four-cylinder engine for us to adapt and use: attitude, play, make their day, and be present. To this basic model, customised extras were added: Learning Styles, Multiple Intelligences, Habits of Mind, and Emotional intelligence.
School wide a corporate discipline ensured that these aspects were constantly in the collective conscience of the school community.
A warning! Despite unpacking the resource engine in this way, it is always modular, being the sum of the parts and the synergy that brings.
Attitude
Change, or an attitude to be better than before, starts with the individual teacher. They must develop a personal attitude that, “Change begins with me.” If the school is to be the nurturing environment needed for the students, the fish, to flourish, the teacher’s role must be a mentoring one. To ‘do with’ students, not ‘to them’ is not just necessary it is crucial. This is an essential aspect of being student focused.
Central to this mentoring approach is the need to bring whatever is happening to the consciousness level. Dialogue between student and teacher and ongoing formative assessment that points the way are two ways of achieving this.
Words are metaphors, given subtly complicated emotional meaning which is constantly being framed by our experiences. “Get on with your work,” evokes a frame of something that is assigned, that is a duty, that is associated with loss of freedom, that is associated with difficult, that is associated with loss of pleasure, and other joyless terms. These are all negatives, compounding one on the other. On the other hand, “Here is your thinking and learning,” or “Here is your home thinking and learning,” has an opposite
emotional meaning: succeeding, making a difference, doing better, and even fun. All these are positives: all potentially joyous.
When Pat from a school in Westchester County, New York made this change, she observed – “the children are responding to my change of the word ‘work’ during class time. I am now using the phrase ‘you have learning to do’ instead, and I can see their reactions. It’s interesting to think of the shift in their attitude, but not surprising. ‘You have work to do’ sounds so heavy and dismal; ‘you have learning to do’ sounds interesting, engaging and fun.” This is a tiny change in language but a huge mind shift in attitude.
If we want students to have the right attitude it is necessary to teach what skills they require so that they really do know and understand – the fi ner tuning of the resource engine. Attitude is a personal thing. No one else can choose an attitude for another person, so it was essential that they were not restricted by inadequate skills or lack knowing.
We can only know what we know. As I go out the door to the gym wearing my backpack, my niece’s four-year-old daughter stares at me “Are you going to school?” she asks in a surprised tone. She knows her older brother goes off to school each morning with his books and lunch in his back pack, so she relates what she knows about back packs to me. All she knows about a backpack is that they are worn when you go to school, so she “knows” that because I’m wearing a backpack I’m off to school!
ALAN COOPER
This is where emotional intelligence came in with its two basic aspects – self management and managing others. These matched our desire to promote a can do efficacious attitude. Starting where the students were at, using authentic meaningful experiences, and consolidating at each sequential step before moving on, meant that it was a year long process.
ALAN COOPER
A Likert line was used to begin this process. On a scale of one to 10 students had to line up with one being mad, five being sad, and ten being glad. As the days and weeks went by the vocabulary was increased and modified, using the teachable moment wherever possible.
Once the Likert line sequence had provided a more relaxed attitude to publicly admitting emotions, and the vocabulary had begun to be developed, role play was introduced. This used simple authentic or near authentic examples that students could relate to, and that would be fun. Thus emotional energy was created here too. One of these role plays was in pairs where one student had spilled juice on another’s home learning project. One participant blurted out, “You’ve juiced my assignment,” accompanied by much mirth. Later more complex situations were introduced. Things like your best friend has been chosen for a sports team, or a trip, or a cultural event and you have been left out. This could also be complicated by adding in a bystander, or a third or fourth friend.
Metaphor was the next addition to the mix. This was to develop more elaborated language, but still keeping to the simple and at least the near authentic. A secondary purpose was to allow more abstract ideas to be conceptualized. When a McDonald’s hamburger was given as the comparison, one student came up with, “I feel like a cold fry that has been dropped on the floor.” Another, in a more positive mood when a roast potato was the comparison stated, “I feel like a hot roast potato, crisp, salty and mouth-watering.”
An interesting sidelight here was that in sharing these likes and dislikes a common ground was developed. This not only meant an insight into the opinions and feelings of others but also gave a measure for their own situation. Often when these sessions were run after others had shared; students revised upward their own situation.
The above is a practical example of how the synergy of interdependent thinking morphs into the higher level thinking skills of Lorin Anderson’s New Bloom as the students analyse, evaluate and create.
Finally came as a practice field the use of secret squirrel.
Metacognition at the end of the year from both parents and students was unanimously enthusiastic. One boy who had been a troubled at risk student stated, “I have more positive feelings about self, school, and family. I never thought I was any good at school work but now I have changed my mind.”
A parent stated, “She is much better at turning her frustrations away from the negative to the positive.”
What had resulted was a growth mindset with a can do practical efficaciousness. Carol Dweck’s concept of mindset to describe how students think about their intelligence is well displayed here.
Those with a fixed mindset believe that they have unchangeable internal characteristic. To them effort simply does not count. This means they shy away from academic, or indeed any challenge to the extent of not even attempting simple challenging tasks that require problem solving effort. Worse they may develop disruptive behaviour patterns to mask their perceived inadequacies.
Those with a growth mindset see intelligence as malleable and therefore effort and persistence are seen as positives to confront challenges and solve problems. They focus on the strategies that they can use rather than worrying about how competent they are. Moreover, the mindset can be changed through perceptive teaching, just as the at risk student mentioned above had his mindset changed through the emotional intelligence knowledge he gained.
Play
The brain is biologically programmed to attend first to information that has strong emotional content. When used thoughtfully the emotion inherent in play, to quote Bob Sylwester, drives attention and attention drives learning.
Georgette’s chocolate cake maths is an example of this. She wanted to break down built up emotional barriers to maths, specifically fractions, and decided to use chocolate as the catalyst. It was a visual, tactile, and tastebud way (senses) of teaching fractional numbers through play started with a cake (bar) of chocolate. When she opened it up, the kids were glued.
The serious business was that she was discussing fractional numbers and began with the naming of parts in the space on a number line between zero and one. The visual hook was ONE bar of chocolate, yet it was divided up equally into 80 pieces. The bar was then broken in half and – she looked for the vocabulary relating to fractional numbers: 50%, 1⁄2, and 0.5 of one whole. She then looked at other common fractions relating it back to numbers being less than one.
For the next lesson she brought a chocolate cake to school and revised last week’s lesson with extras added. Students had remembered the previous lesson and yet were still very enthusiastic to go over it again, this time using a different food.
Chocolate cake maths was intended to last for a few periods as part of the fractions unit, but when she stopped, the students carried on and sometimes she would arrive to class with several chocolate cakes on her table. So the students then had to help plan the lesson and she moved into problem solving, measurement, statistics etc. It is amazing how these now grown kids still remember those lessons.
Pauline’s play with ice cream was specifically designed for developing and remembering the appropriate math language for 3 dimensional shapes; cone, conical, sphere, spherical, rectangular flat. She decided a novel lesson may help as the brain programmed to pay attention to novelty. The students 7 and 8 year olds had to choose the most suitable tool to create a sphere of ice cream and place it on a cone using an ice cream scoop or a tablespoon to move the ice cream onto the two varieties of wafers - cones and flat. If they got it correct and named the shapes they got to eat their creation.
The golden rule is that play is to support the teaching and learning required to achieve the educational objectives.
Very often students need to have what they are doing raised to the consciousness level. From time to time Barry would see an example of a Habit of Mind occurring in his classroom. He would then hum, like Pooh Bear, Hommmmmmm .... At that signal the whole class would join in. When the hum concluded the class was invited to state what the Habit of Mind that the teacher had seen being practiced was. The
ALAN COOPER
Hum had created a teachable moment. Students also inaugurated the hum when appropriate.
As the year went on variations were used to keep the idea fresh Sometimes the Hommmmmmm would be made longer or shorter, the class were not allowed to Hommmmmm until the teacher cut the conducting and must again Hommmmmm for as long as the teacher held the ‘note’ or Hommmmmm. Even the conducting could be varied by conducting with just fingers rather than arms.
At one level all this is just a bit of fun – play. However, at another level, by involving the emotions it makes the point powerfully.
Role play is also play – We used this a lot when I was in the New Zealand regular army, often making points through humour. When soldiers came up on charge in a commanding officer’s orderly room the conventional court procedures applied. The soldier was to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Thus a role play in which the officer stated to his sergeant to “March the guilty in!” invariably brought laughter but the juxtaposition with what should happen also made sure the point was well made.
Perhaps this a good point to reinforce that although we are unpacking the four major attributes of the resource engine individually one by one, the resource engine is modular with the parts overlapping and acting in concert as often as not. Thus role play can be considered as play, or as attitude, or perhaps both at the same time!
Alan Cooper is an educational consultant based in New Zealnd. As a principal, he was known for his leadership role in thinking skills, including Habits of Mind, learning styles and multiple intelligences, information technology, and the development of the school as a learning community.
How Applied Behaviour Analysis can help teachers get to know their students
Don’t assume you know the reason behind a behaviour.
Iwas presenting on a webinar recently with regards to equine training using ABA principles and techniques, and was once again inspired to mainstream this work. The beauty of behavioural principles is they apply to all species and as much as we don’t like to be compared to our fellow creatures, the same laws of behaviour govern us all. The laws of behaviour are as true and as basic as the law of gravity. Once we understand the basic principles we may begin to understand others, change our own behaviour, and work effectively with qualified ABA practitioners to bring about ethical behaviour change.
Applied Behaviour Analysis is the science of behaviour change. A great website to check out is www.behaviourbabe.com which provides a great overview of ABA and has a page on the characteristics of ABA that underpin behaviour change.
There is no such thing as random behaviour as all behaviour serves a purpose for the individual.
ABA characteristics:
• Applied – the behaviour must be of social significance to the individual and society
• Behavioural – it must be a measurable observable behaviour
• Analytical – an objective demonstration that the intervention caused the behaviour change
• Technological – processes described precisely enough that a trained person can replicate the procedure
• Conceptually systematic – uses basic behaviour principles and technologies such as positive reinforcement
• Effective – intervention produces results that last and that are socially significant
• Generalize – behaviour change lasts across time, settings, and people.
These characteristics are entwined with some key scientific attitudes that include:
• a parsimonious view of behavioral problems - making as few assumptions as possible about the behaviour, the individual and the circumstances.
• a deterministic view of all behaviour –because all behaviour has a reason or function for each individual.
Behaviour analysts view behaviour as something that is not inherent within an individual be it a dog, horse or person. There is no such thing as random behaviour as all behaviour serves a purpose for the individual. Histories of reinforcement, environmental conditions (antecedents) and experiences (such as consequences or outcomes) have carefully come together to shape the current behavioral repertoire of the individual. This view helps us to be
optimistic; if environment and experiences have shaped unwanted behaviour, in turn we can apply this information to help shape a new, desirable behaviour. ABA considers socially valid behaviours that support the individual in living a fulfilled and meaningful life. It may support and assist those around them but at the heart of any behaviour change plan is the welfare and wellbeing of the individual themselves. We consider interventions based on behavioural principles, with evidence based practice at the heart of what we do – described and carried out in such a way that interventions can be replicated.
Unfortunately for ABA there is cynicism and misunderstandings galore out there. I have been shocked and amazed by people’s interpretation of what ABA is all about. They observe snippets of discrete trail teaching on YouTube and denounce ABA. It is quite scary to know that many people would appear to prefer that children ‘fail’ with traditional teaching than give them the chance to learn with something they themselves don’t fully understand! We must accept that maybe science can provide an answer for many of our children who are falling through the net. We are failing them if we deny them this support for their learning. There is no discussion as to the
KATARZYNA BIAŁASIEWICZ
success surrounding ABA – it is simply about whether people are willing to accept that structured, systematic teaching may work!
For example, an understanding of the control that antecedents exert over behaviour, as well as the function of a behaviour, can enable a more responsive rather than reactive approach to behaviour within the school environment. Antecedent interventions are not well understood or utilized within mainstream behavior change interventions outside of ABA. Some common antecedents that impact on behaviour include classroom seating arrangements, and lack of resources or instructions or even the skill set required. As teachers we have perhaps become accustomed to making assumptions about the reasons behind behaviors, and we focus on dealing with consequences. If we transfer our attention to preventing the behaviour, by looking at and altering these antecedent events for example, we may drastically reduce unwanted behaviours. By looking at antecedents or events that occur prior to the behaviour as well as the consequences that follow a behaviour, we may also gain important information about the function of that behaviour.
What methods do you employ to prevent unwanted behaviour?
Some key points to consider are
• Work differentiation (I am genuinely horrified at how little this is considered when children’s behaviour is an issue)
• Work challenge level not high enough or too high
• Ability to perform the task both physically and academically
• Class seating arrangements
• Resources available and easy to access
• Clear systems in place
• Clear simple instructions
• Clear simple expectations
Once again the message is - all behaviour serves the individual in some wayfunctionality of behaviour is not generally explored systematically outside of ABA and we need to begin to question this in our classrooms. Children do what they do to gain what they want or avoid what they don’t want, yes it is that simple! Let’s ask more questions about the function of behaviour, be more pragmatic and parsimonious in our attitude towards behavioural problems, and in the process learn more about our children and what makes them tick.
Kate provides individually tailored professional development for Early Childhood Centres and schools on evidence-based behaviour management. She also consults for par ents of children with specific behaviour concerns. kate@eprtraining.co.nz
The four attributes with Habits of Mind
Voice, co-creation, social construction, and self-discovery.
How can we encourage student reflection and growth in each of the four attributes? We have found that it is helpful to pay attention to key Habits of Mind associated with voice, co-creation, social construction, and self-discovery. If you want to take a look back at each habit, go to Bena and Art Costa’s page on Learning Personalized.
This post explores how modelling and growing certain habits in conjunction with the attributes nurtures the learning partnership between teacher and student: one grounded on trust, increased autonomy, shared responsibility, and thoughtful actions.
Voice
Habits of Mind to Pay Attention To: listening with understanding and empathy; thinking and communicating with clarity and precision, questioning and problem posing. Typically, students are driven by the school’s curriculum agenda. They become passengers in the journey adults have mapped out. As a result, students have grown accustomed to being told what to do; what to read, what to think, etc.
In personalised learning, every student is seen as a respected and valued participant. Empowerment comes from an environment in which students recognise the power of their own ideas and recognise the shift that can happen by being exposed to others’ ideas.
When developing voice, it is as important to listen to what others have to say as it is to learn how to voice your own thoughts. Often, when we are listening closely to another, we begin to seek greater clarity about what the other is trying to express.
We raise questions that help to clarify our understanding and we pay attention to what the other person is thinking and feeling. At the same time, as we establish our own voice, we try hard to choose words that help express our thoughts with specificity. So, for example, instead of saying “everyone thinks that is the case,” we might say, “when I was at the meeting the other day, I heard at least three people say that this is the case.”
Growing student voice through building the habits that focus on both expressing yourself and thinking clearly about what it is you really are trying to say is an essential key to the sense of empowerment we want all students to experience as they engage with the world.
VOICE
Related Dispositions
• Listening with understanding and empathy
• Questioning and problem posing
• Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision
REFLECTIVE PROMPTS
• In what ways to you invite students to express their thoughts and opinions?
• In what ways do you create an environment of safety for students to respectfully disagree with one another (and you)?
• In what ways do you give students the opportunity to advocate for a position?
• In what ways do you encourage students to raise questions that are skeptical or out of the box?
BENA KALLICK AND ALLISON ZMUDA
CO-CREATION
Related Dispositions
• Creating, imagining and innovating
• Thinking flexibly
• Persisting
Co-Creation
REFLECTIVE PROMPTS
• To what extent do you provide choice for students in WHAT they can pursue?
• To what extent do you provide choice for students in HOW they can pursue it?
• To what extent do you provide choice to students for HOW they demonstrate learning?
• To what extent do you provide the opportunity for students to develop checkpoints and monitor progress in relation to their goal?
• To what extent do you create exhibitions for student performances or products that focus on what they learned - about the topic and about themselves?
Habits of Mind to Pay Attention To: creating, imagining and innovating; thinking flexibly; persisting.
Students assume a significant design role in the development of the idea, challenge, problem, or inquiry. They are being invited to the design table to co-create a personalized plan using “backward design” principles.
The student works with the teacher to:
• develop a challenge, problem, or idea
• clarify what is being measured (learning goals)
• envision the product or performance (assessment)
• outline an action plan to be successful on that performance to achieve the desired results (learning actions)
When we invite students to become co-creators of their own learning, we want them to persist as they consider many new and innovative possibilities for learning. We want students to realise that the first idea may not be the best idea.
They need to be willing to let go of ideas that they predict may not work and to come up with another idea that leads them in a new direction. They must open their minds to what others think and say as they shape the actions they might take. They need to learn that creativity is often an interactive process of thinking collaboratively as well as individually.
Students begin to discover their passions, interests, dreams as they experience the adrenaline that flows from what they have accomplished.
BENA KALLICK AND ALLISON ZMUDA
Social Construction
Habits of Mind to Pay Attention To: thinking interdependently, taking responsible risks, gathering data.
Students build ideas through relationships with others as they theorise, investigate, and develop in pursuit of a common goal. There is real power in feeling that you are not alone, a sense of camaraderie when you are working to cause a change, create a performance, or build a prototype.
As Riley indicated based on his own observations of many schools: “The experiences that have most inspired me have shared one singular feature: They have involved rich conversations among a community of scholars. The most compelling classrooms are ones in which learning goals are shared, and knowledge is fostered through social interactions.”
When students are in a conversation with others, they need to be open to the influence of other people’s thinking. They must be able to hear what others are saying and remain open to the continuous refinement of ideas as they deepen their understanding of what is at hand. They might need to reach out to experts in the field they are studying.
Although this is taking a risk, it also often leads to enormous rewards. Students learn which risks are most likely to give them greater clarity in their thinking. Developing the habits for social construction broaden the students’ experiences beyond the walls of the classroom or school.
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
Related Dispositions
• Taking responsible risks
• Gathering data
• Thinking independently
REFLECTIVE PROMPTS
• In what ways do you encourage students to seek others to help give their work more meaning?
• In what ways do you offer opportunities for students to seek outside of the expertise that is within the classroom?
• In what ways to you provide students with the opportunities to test their ideas and see whether they hold up to the security of other's perspectives?
SELFDISCOVERY
Related Dispositions
• Applying past knowledge to new situations
• Thinking about you thinking
• Responding with wonderment and awe
Self Discovery
REFLECTIVE PROMPTS
• In what ways do you provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their learning and how it affects who they are becoming as a learner?
• In what ways do you provide the opportunity for students to know more about the ways that they learn best?
• In what ways do you provide the opportunity for students to see the growth of their work over time?
• To what extent do you create exhibitions for student performances or products that focus on what they learned - about the topic and about
Habits of Mind to Pay Attention To: thinking about your thinking, responding with wonderment and awe, applying past knowledge to new situations.
Students need to know enough about themselves to be able to make wise decisions as they navigate through the turbulence of a rapidly changing environment. Being educated is more than being knowledgeable about a series of topics and fluent in key skills; it also is having students come to understand themselves as learners and know more about what they want to do both in the world as well as in future learning.
Our ultimate aim is for students to become self-directed learners who know how to manage themselves in a variety of situations.
When students build the habit of reflecting on their learning, they are becoming more selfdirected. They are able to consider what they learned from a given study and celebrate their successes as well as paying attention to what did not work. They are able to distinguish what is important so that they can transfer that learning to new situations.
They begin to discover their passions, interests, dreams as they experience the adrenaline that flows from what they have accomplished. They stand back and gaze with wonderment and awe!
To or der a copy of Students at the Center: Personalized Learning with Habits of Mind go to http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/ Overview/Students-at-the-Center.aspx
Reducing the gender-power imbalance in our schools
12 tips to model gender equality in your classroom.
Use gender-neutral language when referring to children, e.g. instead of saying, ‘Choose a boy to go with you’; say, ‘Choose a friend to go with you’. Similarly, avoid organising children according to gender, e.g. ‘Boys line up here and girls here.’ This only reinforces gender segregation.
Avoid stereotyping children, e.g. boys are noisy and loud, girls are calm and sweet; boys show less emotion and girls cry more readily. Note that these often-subconscious assumptions will affect your behaviour and expectations towards the children.
Self-regulate your own interaction with the children. We tend to comfort girls more and send boys on their way earlier. Encourage all children to share feelings and emotions equally. 1 2 3 4 5
Jumble together all the dressups, toys, games, blocks, etc. so all genders have an equal opportunity to use the equipment rather than the girls traditionally drifting towards the dress-ups and the boys towards the blocks.
Provide a wide range of diverse stories about the genders in nonstereotyped roles. If such books are limited, change ‘he’ to ‘she’ in some books so the girls have a leadership role.
When reading books where typically the tiger or bear is a ‘him’ and the butterfly or bird is a ‘she’, change the gender around. Alternatively, use the gender-neutral term, ‘shim’ or ‘hen’.
7
Try not to assign classroom tasks that traditionally relate to a specific gender, e.g. boys moving desks or taking out the bins, while girls are asked to tidy up the dress-up corner.
8
Some children will come to school with preconceived ideas about gender. If a child says, for example, ‘Marnie can’t play because it’s a boy’s game.’ Use that as a ‘teachable moment’ and unpack how the comment made Marnie feel, and why you don’t have any gender-specific tasks in the classroom.
9 6
Ask children to draw their idea of a fire-fighter, police officer and nurse. Then invite a female fire fighter and police officer, and a male nurse into the classroom. Invite them to talk about their jobs and unpack the children’s drawings and expectations about the visitors. Always use non-gender specific terms when referring to occupations, e.g. chairperson, flight attendant.
JAY SANDERS
As teachers we have an amazing opportunity to model gender equality in our classrooms.
Encourage the school staff to devise a gender-equality policy that promotes gender-neutral language and encourages non-traditional gender roles and activities.
Hold a parent night to unpack your classroom/school’s policy on gender equality and the use of gender-neutral language. Many parents will find this challenging so it is best to explain the reason behind the decision, i.e. all genders have the right to equal opportunities.
10 11 12
Be inclusive of a child/children who identifies as another gender to the one they were assigned at birth. Refer to the child in the gender they prefer. Your modelling of how this child is included and referred to will be paramount to the attitudes of the other children and their families.
Finally, as teachers we have an amazing opportunity to model gender equality in our classrooms. We are preparing children for a changing world where traditional ways of thinking about male and female roles will no longer exist. The use of genderspecific language is most often bias towards masculine words, which only reinforces gender stereotyping and a gender-power imbalance. Therefore, the language the children hear in our classrooms and the opportunities they are presented with will affect their interests, activities and eventually careers. In years to come, I hope that ensuring we have a classroom where gender equality is promoted is no longer needed—simply because gender inequality no longer exists!
Jayneen (aka Jay Dale) is a teacher, author, mother of three daughters and an active advocate for sexual abuse prevention education, gender equality and respectful relationships both in the home and in schools. For more information on this topic and Jay’s children’s books including ‘Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept’, ‘My Body! What I say Goes!’, and her parents’ guide ‘Body Safety Education’ go to www.e2epublishing.info. All books are also available on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2cC7QNb
15 things educators can do to improve their well-being
Stopping, prioritising, playing
Teachers and leaders in schools deal on a daily basis with parents’ greatest hopes and deepest fears: the lives and potential futures of their children. It is no wonder working in schools can be so stressful.
The work of teachers and school leaders is intensifying as the impact of social change manifests in the behaviour of students and their parents. The following strategies are intended to help the staff who work in schools to improve their well-being.
Take responsibility for your own personal well-being
Many educators put themselves last! They work long hours and tirelessly try to be all things, to all people. Looking after your own well-being needs to be a priority. People rely on you. You can’t help others and be there for them if you are burnt out and exhausted.
Undertake a thorough health appraisal every year
Early detection is often better than pursuing a cure. It is important to commit to a full health appraisal on an annual basis. Don’t wait for the alarm bells to ring. Take a proactive approach and undertake a full health appraisal, including blood screening on an annual basis. Check out the tremendous programme at www. healthappraisals.com.au
Replace the term work-life balance with work-life satisfaction
‘Balance’ can be very difficult to achieve. Our work in schools takes up a significant amount of our awake hours. It is important that we get satisfaction from our work as well as the other aspects of our lives. Instead of aspiring for work-life balance, aim to get satisfaction from your work as well as the other roles that make up your life.
Set boundaries on your work hours
There is always more that can be done. Our IN tray is never empty, our IN box refills with emails, there are lessons to be prepared, work to be assessed, reports that need to be written and research that should be read. No matter how many hours you work there is always more that could be done. It is vital to set boundaries to stop work overtaking and having an impact on the other aspects of your life. Which day of the week could you leave school at 3.30 pm and do something for you?
Monitor your self-talk
It is vital that we monitor that little voice inside our heads and ensure that our expectations of ourselves are fair and realistic.
Clearly communicate that harassment and violence are NOT tolerated
It is a sad reflection on our society that many public hospitals now display “Zero Tolerance to Abuse” signs clearly communicating that harassment and violence towards staff will not be tolerated. This message can also be communicated through newsletters.
Ensure that your expectations of yourself are realistic
At times educators can be our own harshest critic. At the end of each day we should reflect on what we have achieved and not be too harsh on ourselves if there are tasks that are still left to do on our TO DO list. We don’t get to sit, uninterrupted in an office, working our way through a TO DO list. Our days in school are unpredictable. Unexpected events happen often, requiring us to adjust our priorities.
STEVE FRANCIS
Seek expert help if feeling over-whelmed
Working in schools is challenging and demanding. We deal with all sorts of people, confront many stressful situations that occur within our society and are relied upon by so many. If you are feeling overwhelmed, seek professional support. It is not a sign of weakness but a recognition of the real complexity of the role we play.
Book a holidayevery break
School terms are intense and draining. It is vital that we take some time each school holidays to rest and recharge. A holiday doesn’t have to be extravagant. Even if you only go away for a night or two, the change of scenery and break from the demands of our role are worthwhile. The anticipation of the holiday can be almost as good as the holiday itself. Where would you like to go next break? Book a holiday now and gain the benefits throughout the term.
Establish and commit to an exercise routine
We know the benefits of exercise on both our physical and mental health. Establishing an exercise routine is one of the most powerful actions you can take. Choose an exercise that works for you – walking the dog, gym, playing sport, cycling, yoga, swimming etc. Establish regular exercise as part of your routine. When can you schedule it in? Make it a priority and you’ll find the time! Commit to the program for three weeks and it starts to become a habit.
Often when we get busy and stressed, the first thing many people who work in schools stop doing is exercising. Yet exercising is the best thing they could do for their well-being. Don’t make that mistake.
The work of teachers and school leaders
is intensifying as the impact of social change manifests in the behaviour of students and their parents.
Be ruthless at prioritising and playing gate keeper
Time is one of the most precious resources we have. It is vital that we use it well. Ask yourself often, “Is this the most important thing I could be doing with the time I have available?”
A good way to feel that you are moving ahead and gaining traction is to identify at the beginning of each day, one task, activity or conversation that we need to make sure is completed that day, for the day to feel successful.
Playing gate keeper by learning to say NO and being ruthless about the number of priorities we take on is essential to being effective. It is better to have three priorities and do them well, than have many priorities and doing them poorly.
If looking after your well-being and improving your productivity are important to you check out www.HappySchool.com. au/well-productivity/
STEVE FRANCIS
Stop for lunch
We know eating well is important to looking after our health but we often skip lunch, eat on the run or at our desk. Take at least 15 minutes away from your desk to stop and eat lunch. If you get energy from mixing with people, then go to the staffroom. If you need quiet time away from people to re-energise, then find a quiet space (away from your desk).
Drink more water
We should drink at least 2 litres of water per day. This equates to about 8 glasses of water. Take regular breaks, stretch and drink at least two water bottles per day.
Spend more time interacting with students in classrooms and the school grounds
Spending time interacting with students allows us to reconnect with why we chose this career. Whether it is taking on students at handball during the lunch break, sharing a joke or coaching a sporting team, interacting with students adds energy to our day.
Steve is an expert in the complexities of leading effective schools. He works with schools to enhance the skills of their leadership team and with staff to be genuinely and absolutely engaged, energised and enthused to REALLY create the difference that sets schools apart. He has been the Principal of a number of schools from a one-teacher school through to a large metropolitan school in Queensland and an international school in Hong Kong. www.SteveFrancis.NET.au
KATARZYNA
Building connectedness in your classroom
How relationships bring belonging
When you are meeting a new class for the first time, both you and the students are hoping that this new relationship will be positive and mutually beneficial. First impressions and authenticity count when it comes to building connectedness.
If you could imagine that your classroom is an island amongst other islands surrounded by sea, you may be able to grasp how important it is within the whole context of a busy school to create a safe harbour for students. Classroom safety and enhancement is a key element of good teaching.
First impressions are powerful and many students decide in the first 10 minutes what to expect from your classroom. They are making decisions based on how they perceive you dress, walk, speak and engage with them individually.
The shy students are hoping you don’t notice them and the outgoing extroverts want to be noticed as soon as possible. Each student’s unconscious mind is absorbing invisible messages from their five senses at a very rapid rate. You need to ensure you have lots of signs that this place is safe and interesting. In my classrooms, I liked to have a small vase of fresh flowers, bright cheery motivational posters, and a saying of the week that was uplifting and inspirational.
healthy dose of enthusiasm can be sensed by students very quickly. To be perfectly honest both you and your students are hoping that this new relationship will be positive and mutually beneficial. Your opening address to them needs to be carefully planned and well executed if you are to open a door to building connectedness.
Intention is Paramount
My suggestion is to be clear on your intention as their teacher — I always made a commitment to support everyone to achieve, to learn to grow and to enjoy sharing time together. I made it clear that everyone has different gifts and talents, and that the classroom was going to be a safe place to explore, to take learning risks and to work on improving any areas of weakness that emerged. I always mentioned that any grade they received from me was never a reflection of my relationship to them, or any indication of their character or humanity; it was simply a mark indicating how they had performed at their given assessment.
I also made it clear that once inside my classroom I would not accept put downs, or inappropriate behaviour that caused pain or suffering to anyone or anyone’s belongings. Finally, I made a commitment to treat them with respect and would aim to never shout, shame or embarrass any student.
As a presenter (which is really what you are) you must behave in complete alignment with who you really are. Inauthenticity is quickly detected by students and will certainly hinder their ability to trust you and respect you.
Building rapport is a key skill of good teaching and many do this without being aware they do it. Smiling, healthy eye contact, warm welcoming stance and a
My next step would be to have them work in pairs of their own choice, and write what guidelines they wanted in our classroom, which would help us manage any inappropriate behaviour. Then a class discussion would follow and these guidelines would become formalised and a copy sent home to parents, as well as a copy posted on the wall.
BETTE BLANCE
These guidelines seldom changed over the 18 years I worked in the classroom. Students want the same as teachers — a safe place to learn, where they are treated with fairness, respect, compassion and great enthusiasm for learning about themselves, life and knowledge that will help them realise their full potential.
No wonder students value fairness so highly in their rating of exceptional educators. In his research into social cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Matthew Lieberman has discovered via neural mapping that the same part of the brain lights up when we are treated fairly as when we eat chocolate.
He also found the opposite is true: that when a person is socially excluded it can feel like a physical pain — this is a primitive response as being excluded from the tribe would mean death in primitive times. This validates again the importance of relationships, culture and environments within our schools.
Kindness and Fairness Really Matter
Kindness is the capacity of an individual to act from a place of genuine concern for oneself and others and includes the qualities of empathy, compassion, generosity and consideration with the intention of making a positive difference in our world. Being kind is a choice made from the belief that every action influences others and it honours our deepest, invisible motivation to have value and worthiness in our lives.
Being fair and kind are essential for building healthy, happy relationships from childhood to adulthood.
Why Kindness?
The effects of being treated fairly and with kindness have been shown in studies in neuroscience to make a significant difference in the way the brain integrates, and subsequently how individuals feel and behave. When we are treated with kindness, it allows our nervous system to relax and the pleasant sensations of endorphins, often serotonin and sometimes oxytocin, to flood our body. It makes us feel safe, valued and connected. Stress and distress have significant effects on how children and adults interact with the world.
When we are kind, we don’t take advantage of our power or of other people’s vulnerabilities. Instead, we seek to comfort, encourage and strengthen those around us. The strong sense of belonging that comes with being treated with kindness, is tangible and powerful. It removes the distance between individuals from “them” and “us”
to “we”. Treating others as we would like to be treated is an ancient way of building character and human understanding.
Daniel Goleman wrote of the power of “emotional contagion”. By this, he meant that collectively we are influenced by how others feel and behave. The modern world has somehow grown a culture of individualism, insensitivity, selfishness and even cruelty. As social beings a primary need of all humans is human intimacy and connection and I believe so much of the social ills of our world — increasing violence, bullying, alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness and suicide — come from a place of disturbing alienation and separateness. If we can build a strong culture of caring based on kindness and fairness our children may find the world a different place when they become adults. This culture needs to start in our homes and then flow into our schools so that every child can be influenced and shaped by it.
The best-kept secret to exceptional education is relationship. It doesn’t matter what age of students you teach, without building a relationship either individually or collectively, the journey with that class will simply be less than it could be.
Dr. William Glasser has been writing about basic human needs in our families and schools for over 30 years. Essentially he argues that without first having our five basic needs met, we will struggle to flourish and realise our full potential. The code of kindness embraces and meets all the following five needs. Simple.
1. Survival
2. Love and belonging 3. Power or recognition 4. Freedom 5. Fun
Our world has become less civilized in many ways. Teachers are complaining about children with poor manners, selfish and self-centred behaviour, poor social skills and an inability to play well. This makes it very hard to teach groups of children because so much time is wasted on behaviour management rather than actual learning.
It is parents’ responsibility to teach these basics in the home. Children learn most of what they know by modelling on the significant adults in their world. This is why the future of our communities lies in how today’s children are being treated — to build compassion and a caring world we must start with how we care for our precious children in the first years of life. Then if we were to continue this through primary and secondary schools — not only would students learn better and achieve more — surely we would have less violence, crime and broken relationships. I believe educators need to have visions that support the highest expression possible for humanity.
Communicating with Fairness and Kindness in Mind
Just because we talk does not mean we communicate! So much of our communication is subtle, non-verbal and built on cues and nuances. Too much talking overloads many boys and they “freeze up” and can’t work out what is required.
As teachers, we might find the notion of “Suggestopedia” useful.
Essentially being asked to do things or having something “suggested” can avoid the possible threat that comes from being told or demanded.
For example, we can ask: “Do you want to work in a group or by yourself?” instead of saying “Get into groups”. We can say to noisy students: “You don’t have to speak now”. We can tell the class we are going to have a brain break soon, let them choose which order they want to do questions in, ask if a due date suits them for a particular assessment.
The opposite to fairness or kindness is shaming and that is destructive on so many levels. Examples of shaming include:
• Deliberately ignoring a child
• Being sarcastic
• Walking away as though a child does not exist
• Rolling one’s eyes
• Glaring at a child with disgust
• Shouting, yelling and swearing at a child Examples of shaming language (used often with boys especially) include:
• You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
• You naughty boy!
• You are acting like a selfish brat.
• You’re hopeless.
• You’re not even trying.
Shaming language helps students to create mindsets that inhibit learning and creates a reluctance to attend school, let alone participate. It creates social exclusion instead of connectedness and safety and this means the primitive centre of the brain will have to remain in flight-fight mode.
Remember again the words of Daniel Goleman: “happy, calm students learn best”.
It takes time to build trust and connectedness, and the benefits are enormous. Truly charismatic adults who support children and adolescents have been able to develop that strong connection based on respect and trust.
In adolescence it is maybe even more important to create this connection due to the confusion and emotional chaos and uncertainty of the hormonally driven stage of change. It is also often much more difficult to build and our best high school teachers who can do this with ease literally save lives and shape human destiny.
Research has shown that unless children have had many positive pleasurable experiences, the pleasure-seeking part of the brain does not develop neurons that later help adolescents and adults to anticipate pleasure in life. With the rapidly increasing number of people and children struggling with depression this is a valuable mental health and wellbeing initiative that can take place in our schools.
Relationship brings belonging, and belonging allows our primitive brain to relax and open our higher brain where our best thinking and behavior comes from. This simple secret makes sense on so many levels.
This article was first published at www.positivetimes.com.au and is an extract from her book/e-book, Dare to Be An Exceptional Teacher.
Maggie is an author, parenting educator and resilience specialist with a particular interest in the early years and adolescence. A former teacher and counsellor, Maggie is now an indemand speaker and writer. She is the author of nine books and a prolific creator of resources for parents, adolescents, teachers and early childhood educators.
www.maggiedent.com
BETTE BLANCE
William Glasser’s principles at work in Tokoroa North School
The message of the room.
Irecently met with Stephen Blair, a long serving principal at Tokoroa North School, to see what he and his staff are doing differently. This school is achieving outcomes that others are not. It is a decile 3 school in South Waikato with 469 students, which not only has a very high percentage of students achieving at or above standard academically, there have been no suspensions, exclusions or stand-downs for the last 16 years. The students are outperforming National and South Waikato results in all areas apart from a very small difference in national reading results. All these things in themselves are stories worth telling. I visited the school looking for the reasons for these great results.
The principal told me that William Glasser’s work on the differences between a Boss Manager and a Lead Manager had been a significant influence on his whole way of being, in the school. A Lead Manager works on continually improving relationships within the school or workplace. A Lead Manager uses non-coercive practices, where maintaining relationships are paramount. It is about being a Lead Manager rather than doing Lead Management.
In visiting this school, I witnessed a good example of a school in which Glasser’s Lead Management principles are being implemented. This has created the conditions for a school to not only build constructive social relationships but also to achieve excellent academic results as measured by the National Standards.
The principal of Tokoroa North School stated that “If the adult relationships are not right in the school amongst teaching staff, then the relationships between teacher and children and children and children will suffer.”
This school is truly a great example of what Choice Theory and Lead Management in action can achieve.
He believes that people watch him intently (as principal) to see that he models what he believes in - all the time. He says that it is about modelling the behaviour you want to see in your school.
Our western society is deeply ingrained in crime and punishment and it is easy to fall back on that approach when things get difficult. It is not a case of moving to Boss Management to suit yourself as good relationships can quickly be destroyed.
The message of the room for me when I entered Stephen’s office was one of collaboration and team work. The arrangement of his office spoke volumes as it modelled a place where all ideas were valued and could be shared in a relaxed and open way. The comfortable chairs were around a large low table as opposed to a work table. To me this demonstrated the shared beliefs of the school in building trust, sharing decision making and using a noncoercive management style.
Choice was also a feature for staff in the school. Learning about the work of the Brazilian Ricardo Semler early in his career, the principal recognised the alignment Semler’s work had with Glasser’s Choice
Theory. Staff meetings at Tokoroa North are not compulsory. Believing in personal responsibility, Stephen trusts that people will make choices about attendance and that they will be accountable for finding out the information if they choose not to go to the meetings.
The school has been involved in significant training in William Glasser’s Choice Theory and Lead Management both from visiting consultants and from respected staff within the school. The evidence of the application of the internal control psychology concepts of non-coercion, selfmanagement and the pursuit of quality work that was learnt in this training, is seen in the work of members of staff; the principal, the teachers, the students and parents. This school is truly a great example of what Choice Theory and Lead Management in action can achieve.
Bette is the president of the William Glasser Institute - New Zealand. As a past member of the William Glasser International Board, Bette continues her involvement in the international Choice Theory School project team which is charged with revamping the existing processes of helping schools to improve learning outcomes as well as improving student’s ability to get along together. She can be contacted on bette@choiceconnections.nz. www.choice-connection.com
Curiosity means getting comfortable with doing less so you can see and learn more as a teacher.
This year I have returned to full time teaching and what a wonderfully challenging, invigorating time it has been so far! It has given me the opportunity to reflect on my practice and what I see that makes a difference for both my learners and myself. Something that has come up in my reflections is the role that curiosity plays in the classroom and my within teaching practice.
Curiosity is one of the foundations of lifelong learning. Without a desire to know, to keep pulling at the string to see what is at the other end, our motivation for learning is diminished. If nothing else curiosity makes learning more joyful; it becomes a process of discovery, rather than a chore to be undertaken. This is not only for the learners we teach, curiosity is for everyone.
Curiosity for me as a teacher means letting go of the predetermination that sometimes features in classrooms especially when our planning is too tight, too rigid. It means letting go of the tension built from trying to squeeze every last educational drop out of every minute for every learner in your room. It means not constantly anticipating and predicting learner’s responses. Instead, ask provoking questions and then be quiet, let them think and allow yourself to be surprised by their responses. It also means getting comfortable with doing less so you can
Curiosity in the classroom How to use curiosity to change your teaching practice
see and learn more as a teacher. I see it as mindfulness embedded in teaching practice.
In my opinion you cannot be curious and rushing at the same time, you cannot be curious and furious at the same time, you cannot be curious and absent minded or otherwise occupied at the same time. To be fully curious you have to be present, immersed and engaged in what you are doing.
When I am teaching from a place of curiosity I see more, I hear more and I understand more about my learners. I notice their strengths and needs. I get surprises and give myself permission to unpack what has surprised me. When I am teaching from a place of curiosity I am also a lot more attuned to my own intuition and make better use of the time I have. When I am teaching from a place of curiosity I walk alongside my learners and we delve deeper into the learning opportunity happening at the time. And the funny thing is when I teach from a place of curiosity I achieve more as a teacher, my time is better spent and I give more to the learners that I am working with than I ever do when I am rushing, pushing, trying to do more and be more.
Curiosity is intense. It is not for the fainthearted. It means that you are using all of your senses to teach and learn from. It takes
practice and energy. And I am still learning; still working on avoiding distractions, being still and listening with my whole body and mind. Being right here, right now is a challenge but magic happens when I am right here, right now with the learners in my care. I am working on giving myself permission to continue to be curious more often because I know it makes a positive difference when I do.
For further information about curiosity in practice I suggest you go for a walk with a three year old and examine rocks, bugs, weeds, clouds along the way. Our world is incredibly fascinating and our little ones are masters at immersing themselves in the wonder that surrounds us.
Megan is a committed learner. She has been a teacher and an educational leader who has specialised in health education for a number of years. She is an avid promoter of building resilience in our students and selves.
OLEKSANDR PEKUR
Empowering new teachers
5 strategies for beginning teachers to use
Ahollow feeling fuelled by self-doubt often fills beginning teachers as they step in front of a class for the first time. The first years of teaching are a struggle for teachers as they discover and develop their practice as a professional, unearthing a variety of unthought-of of issues and difficulties.
This article provides some suggestions for teachers to not only survive the first year, but to thrive and develop confidence. Divided into five headings, the article aims to provide strategies for teachers to stay healthy; develop successful networks; be prepared for all that comes their way; mark their mark at a professional; and manage students.
Looking after Yourself
If you don’t look after yourself, no-one will. Teachers become so dedicated at their profession, that they over dedicate themselves to lesson preparation, chasing down resources, and marking, that they leave too little time for themselves.
In the early years of teaching, rest is one of the most valuable resources a teacher can have. You need to make rest a priority, without it you will not be able to teach to your potential, letting down yourself and your students.
In addition to sleep, take the advice to eat well and exercise. As the first-year progresses, fatigue rolls in with all the sicknesses that students bring. Don’t wait until you get the flu to commit to taking care of yourself, start from the beginning.
Occasionally you need to take some time off, to regenerate. You will need the school holidays in your first year, just to recover from teaching. Don’t plan huge holidays, but refreshing breaks.
As important as a social life is, you need to ensure that you don’t over indulge yourself outside of school. By limiting outside activities to one or two activities, you can ensure balance in life, as well as staying connected with the community, while ensuring you look after yourself.
Take time to do something for yourself. Join a club, read a book, get some exercise. Something away from school, to energise you, while giving you a mental break.
Building Networks
There is an image in the profession that teachers are an island, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Collaboration can help new teachers avoid isolation and find sources of support. Mentors can share their wisdom and expertise, to help you navigate the politics and difficulties of teaching.
When looking for a mentor, avoid teachers that are sad or jaded, rather look for hopeful
HEATH HENWOOD
Fall in love with teaching, with making a change in the lives of students, and the people around you.
DIANA PYZHOVA
HEATH HENWOOD
and positive mentors. Stay away from negative people, as they will drag you down. Through observing effective teachers, you will learn many pedagogical skills, routines and procedures.
A mentor can help you know expectations of the school, and procedures for daily routines, such as how to organise a sick day, how the school deals with behavioural issues, weather policies. If in doubt, ask.
Do not be afraid to ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness, but rather a recognition that you still have much to learn in the journey of being a professional educator. Don’t compare yourself to other teachers, they are at different points of a journey, rather learn
how to become better communicators, more effective in your student management, and an excellent teacher.
Get to know the administrative staff, cleaners and aides. These people have influence in the school, and may be called on at times for help or to clean up a mess. Show your appreciation for them.
Young teachers, filled with self-doubt, often have difficulties going to the principal. There are sometimes feelings of guilt for sending difficult students to the office. Principals generally want to support teachers, and are normally available to share their expertise.
Get Organised
Plan, Plan, Plan. There is so much happening in a classroom and a school, that you will need an effective and flexible plan. Things will change, problems arise, technology will fail, some lessons will take much longer, while others will leave you trying to fill in time. The way around is to have an effective plan.
Through developing relationships with staff, you are building community in the school, that will support you when difficulties arise. Take the time, to make connections with others, knock on their doors, and invite them into your classroom. Catch up with staff after school. Share a cup of coffee.
Use term, weekly and daily plans, to layout school events, your curriculum plans. Allow time for changes due to things that jump up. Involve experienced teachers in your planning.
Time is the one commodity that teachers need to manage well. The mindset that teachers have plenty of time, is false. Teachers have limited time to plan, mark, teacher and everything else in life that everyone has. Ensure that you manage your time better, else you will be buried in work.
Beginning teachers face a flood of deadlines and due dates. From requests for paperwork, to marking assignments, staying on top of it all can be a constant battle. Assign time for marking and completing paperwork. I found that planning time to complete paperwork after school one or two afternoons a week a very effective process.
Through networking with other teachers, you will be presented with many ideas. Steal ideas for others. There is a breath of curriculum, quizzes, and worksheets available, you do not need to create your own. The key here is to steal the best ideas from the best.
Teachers can be buried in paperwork. It is important to know what paperwork is required, what needs to be documented. Ensure that you get a copy of paperwork. Take time each day to document everything, and complete necessary paperwork. A good strategy for teachers is to reflect on a regular basis, what worked well, and what could be improved. Again, if you are unsure what documentation to fill in, ask.
Get Involved
There are any things happening within a school. From social clubs, sporting teams, musicals, camps. It is good to be involved, learn the skills involved in organising and running events. This needs to be balanced though.
A beginning teacher has their plate full of planning, organising and surviving. It is okay to say “NO” to some things. Be selective with your time and energy about what you will invest in. Be sure that you can complete well, what you commit too.
Do get involved in staff meetings, and good professional development. Every school has a budget for PD, with many schools having an additional budget for beginning teachers. Do not be afraid to ask to attend PD, and if there are funds available for your learning and development.
and their Parents
Set aside time to talk with your students. Through building meaningful relationships with students, you can tailor your teaching to their needs, and reduce behavioural issues. There are opportunities to interact with students across a variety of topics, in playground, on excursions, as well as during extra curricula activities. You’ll learn much about the students from the jokes and stories.
Remember that students do not leave their home and social lives at the door. They may come to class burdened with issues from home and personal problems. As teachers, we need to be constantly considering this.
We need therefore to be proactive when it comes to student problems. Instead of dealing with the immediate issue, take the time to explore deeper what is happening and why.
HEATH HENWOOD
Parents can be frightening for new teachers. Teachers need to be aware, that most parents are just afraid of teachers. Make your classroom a welcoming place for parents. Communicate regularly and in a variety of ways to teachers.
Parents are just as interested in their children as you are, and generally have high hopes and dreams for them. It is easiest to build relationships with parents at the beginning of the school year. Hold an information afternoon, to get to know parents. Send out emails or notes to parents regularly, letting them know what students are doing in the classroom.
Your first few years of teaching doesn’t have to be hard. Rather build relationships and strategies to develop the resilience that you will need for the many challenges that lay ahead.
Fall in love with teaching, with making a change in the lives of students, and the people around you. Take the situations and events, turn them around to make it relevant to your students and daily life.
Enjoy the journey of teaching. It is a wonderful journey of ups and downs. It is the journey that we take that counts, not the unknown destination at the end.
Have fun, make mistakes and learn from them, rest and recover, and have an excellent year.
Heath is an educator and community leader. Currently teaching at Yeppoon State School, He mentors teachers and provides professional development on pedagogical practices and curriculum. Heath is a regular speaker at conferences, speaking at the 2016 Teaching and Learning Conference; parent workshops, and recently spoke at TEDx. He regularly contributes educational articles and is writing a book on pedagogical practices.
MARK ENGSTROM
Why I love to google while I grade!
Learning from your students
Grading…not most teachers’ favourite component of the job. Lessons have been given, engaging discussions from the unit have ceased, and sparkles in students’ eyes as they learn new ideas have long since faded. Now the class sits passively, staring at the pile of papers sitting on the teacher’s desk, simply waiting to find out their grade.
That was my life for fifteen years as a classroom teacher, and my guess is that’s still the reality for many educators today.
Now, I love to grade.
I’ve been through a renaissance in my teaching over the last five years and now I’m in a position where I LOVE TO GRADE! I look forward to grading because that is when my students teach me more than I ever thought possible.
It’s the result of my recent dive into giving my students digital learning experiences. I’ve been able to use online tools to transform learning into an organic and student driven experience, and the result is I learn while I grade assessments. Rather than deciding what knowledge is important, imparting said knowledge to students, and expecting students to regurgitate the information (I provided) back to me, I now facilitate a learning journey for students. Rather than controlling students’ learning, I empower them to learn and explore. The incredible student work I get back is all the affirmation I need to recognise the power of digital learning.
I now face a stack of papers (yes, they are still physical papers) at the end of a unit, and I simply don’t know all of the information that the students have used
I look forward to grading because that is when my students teach me more than I ever thought possible.
to demonstrate mastery in the class. In the same stack I’ll have statistics about how many tonnes of goods pass through the Panama Canal, the Richter scale of a Japanese earthquake, and the average winter temperature for a remote Canadian province. I google and google for hours to look up the facts and figures that my students have used to demonstrate their knowledge and analytical skills.
The initial surge of enjoyment comes from the fact that I am learning while I am grading. The more enduring sensation however, comes from the overwhelming feeling that I am giving my students a great gift--the gift of choice and ownership over their learning.
At the core of all of this is who I want my students to be as learners. I want them to be curious, energetic and resourceful owners of a learning experience that was organic and true. I couldn’t be happier with the fact that I get confirmation that that is who they are becoming… when I google each and every time I grade.
Mark is an Educational Consultant, Blended Learning Designer and the Head of MS/US at Allen Academy in Bryan, Texas. He has presented on digital learning through Independent School Management, Association of American Schools in South America and Association of International Schools in Africa. He has helped teachers from all over the world make learning more engaging for their students. Feel free to connect through Twitter @markaengstrom or or emailmarkaengstrom@hotmail.com.
DANIEL VILLENEUVE
Is it sustainable for education to continue to rely on the goodwill of teachers? A house of straw?
It was my birthday recently, and I went out for breakfast to a large hotel with some of my colleagues. After breakfast, while I went down to the pool to relax, the other 3 went off to work on reports. Several hours later, they re-emerged for an hour or so. I thought about these dedicated colleagues, how they work from 7.40 am to 4 pm every day at school, then spend several hours preparing and marking student work in the evenings, and then at weekends they are still spending hours on work-related tasks. When I got home I found that someone had shared a LinkedIn article with me entitled A Sustainable Future in Education. It was written by Lesley Murrihy, a principal at a school in New Zealand, who was basically asking the same questions that I was thinking about that day - she was asking is it sustainable for education to continue to rely on the goodwill of teachers? At what point are teachers going to say “enough” and vote with their feet?
Lesley points out that it’s not simply that the amount of “stuff” that teachers do has increased, it’s also that teachers are now called upon to function at higher cognitive levels. She gives examples of having to spend hours collaborating with colleagues and differentiating the curriculum for students - and of course she agrees that these things are completely necessary because conscientious teachers want to ensure that they are meeting the needs of each and every student. However, she also writes about something that I recognise in myself: that being so conscientious and sacrificing my personal life, health and wellbeing is in fact contributing to the problem we are now facing - and those entering the profession are simply not prepared to sacrifice in the same way. They
are demanding more of a work-life balance, and if they can’t get it in teaching they are choosing other jobs. Lesley writes:
Our current education system has been built on the goodwill and the sacrifice of educators like me; and what we have created is nothing but the illusion of change because what we have created is not sustainable in the long term.
Teachers are now called upon to function at higher cognitive levels.
Like Lesley, I realise that in a few years I will retire, and even though I recently read on the BBC website that there are plans to increase the retirement age to 70 in the UK, I’m thinking that even if I’m forced to work up to that age, I won’t be able to do this as a primary school teacher. Once our “baby boomer” generation of teachers retires, the new generation of teachers appear to be less willing than we were to live lives the way we did. If we are told that young people today could have as many as 20 jobs before the age of 40 - then clearly they are not going to be sticking around very long in a profession that doesn’t give them the opportunity for work-life balance. Lesley writes:
We have built a house of straw that will fall down when it is no longer propped up by the goodwill and sacrifice of the workers .... teachers should be able to work a 45-hour week, and not feel duty-bound to work all the hours under the sun.
The last time I taught 12th Graders was in 2009 - those students are now all aged 26 which means many of them have been working for 4-5 years. Interestingly many of these young people, who are still at the start of their careers, are earning as much as teachers get at the top of the pay scale. And these Millennials are working 5-6 hours a day, often with large bonuses and other benefits. One of my son’s friends who left university with him and trained as a teacher, taught for 2 years and has already left the profession. It doesn’t meet his criteria for a “good job”. Lesley writes that education must reinvent itself as a “sustainable undertaking”. She asks, what are we going to do to keep Millennials in teaching?
Maggie Hos-McGrane has been teaching for 30 years, 24 of these in international schools. Originally from the UK, Maggie is currently the Elementary Tech Coordinator at the American School of Bombay and is a member of ASB’s Research and Development Core Team. Maggie is a Google Certified Teacher and has presented at conferences in Europe, Asia, North and South America. www.maggiehosmcgrane.com
GROSE
We need to be careful that we don’t sabotage children’s efforts to be independent problemsolvers with our comments.
MICHAEL
MICHAEL GROSE
6 tips to help kids avoid anxiety, develop positive self-esteem and not be scared of making mistakes
When parents solve all children’s problems we not only increase their dependency on adults but we teach kids to be afraid of making mistakes and to blame themselves for not being good enough. That’s fertile ground for anxiety and depressive illness.
So, how can we raise kids to be courageous problem-solvers rather than self-critical scaredy cats? Here are six practical ideas to get you started.
1. Turn requests into problems for kids to solve
Kids get used to bringing their problems to parents to solve. If you keeping solving them, they’ll keep bringing them. ‘Mum, my sister is annoying me!’ ‘Dad, can you ask my teacher to pick me for the team?’ ‘Hey, I can’t find my socks!’ It’s tempting if you are in a time-poor family to simply jump in and help kids out. Alternatively, you can take a problem-solving approach, cueing them to resolve their own problems and take responsibility for their concerns. ‘What can you do to make her stop annoying you?’ ‘What’s the best approach to take with your teacher?’ ‘Socks, smocks! Where might they be?’
2. Ask good questions to prompt problem-solving
A problem-solving approach relies on asking good questions, which can be challenging if you are used to solving your child’s problems. The first question when a child brings you a problem should be: ‘Can you handle this on your own?’ Next should be, ‘What do you want me to do to help you solve the problem?’ These questions are not meant to deter children from coming to you; rather, to encourage and teach them to start working through their own concerns themselves.
3. Coach them through problems and concerns
So, your child feels she was unfairly left out of a school sports team by a teacher and asks you get involved. The easiest
solution may be to meet with the teacher and find out what’s going on. You may or not resolve the problem but in doing so you are teaching a child to become dependent on you. Alternatively, you could coach your child to speak to the teacher herself and find out why she was left out. Obviously, there are times when children need their parents to be advocates for them such as when they are being bullied, but we need to make the most of the opportunities for children to speak for themselves. Better to help your child find the right words to use and discuss the best way to approach another person when they have problems. These are great skills to take into adulthood.
4. Prepare kids for problems and contingencies
You may coach your child to be independent – walk to school, spend some time alone at home (when old enough), catch a train with friends – but does he know what to do in an emergency? What happens if he comes home after school and the house is locked? Who should he go to? Discuss different scenarios with children whenever they enter new or potentially risky situations so that they won’t fall apart when things don’t go their way. Remember the Boy Scouts motto – be prepared!
5. Show a little faith
Sometimes you’ve got to show faith in children. We can easily trip them up with our negative expectations, such as by saying ‘Don’t spill it!’ to a child who is carrying a glass filled with water. Of course, your child doesn’t want to spill it but you’ve just conveyed your expectations with that statement. We need to be careful that we don’t sabotage children’s efforts to be independent problem-solvers with comments such as, ‘Now don’t stuff it up!’ ‘You’ll be okay … won’t you?’ ‘You’re not very good at looking after yourself!’
6. Applaud mistakes and stuff-ups
Would a child who accidentally breaks a plate in your family while emptying the dishwasher be met with a ‘That’s really
annoying, you can be clumsy sometimes’ response or an ‘It doesn’t matter, thanks for your help’ type of response? Hopefully it won’t be the first response, because nothing shuts a child’s natural tendencies to extend themselves down quicker than an adult who can’t abide mistakes. If you have a low-risktaking, perfectionist, consider throwing a little party rather than making a fuss when they make errors so they can learn that mistakes don’t reflect on them personally, and that the sun will still shine even if they break a plate, tell a joke that falls flat or don’t get a perfect examination score.
This is an extract from Michael Grose’s new book Spoonfed Generation: How to raise independent kids. You can get your copy now at parentingideas.com.au.
Author, columnist and presenter Michael Grose currently supports over 1,100 schools in Australia, New Zealand and England in engaging and supporting their parent communities. He is also the director of Parentingideas, Australia’s leader in parenting education resources and support for schools. In 2010 Michael spoke at the prestigious Headmaster’s Conference in England, the British International Schools Conference in Madrid, and the Heads of Independent Schools Conference in Australia, showing school leadership teams how to move beyond partnership-building to create real parent-school communities. For bookings, parenting resources for schools and Michael’s famous Free Chores & Responsibilities Guide for Kids, go to www.parentingideas.com.au.
KAREN BOYES
A to Z of effective teaching
A by-the-letter guide Team
Working as part of a team is an important skill for students to develop. Teamwork introduces a variety of skills that will be valuable for students later in the workforce, such as communication, compromise and collective effort. Through teamwork students also learn their strengths and weaknesses, the different roles played within a team, co-operation and being able to give and receive constructive feedback.
Temperature
According to the research of Rita and Kenneth Dunn the room temperature can affect students learning. A classroom which is too hot or too cold lowers concentration and memory attention. Ideal temperature seems to be approximately 19 degrees Celsius. There also seems to be gender difference, with girls preferring a learning environment two degrees warmer than boys.
Thinking
The dictionary definition of thinking is the process of considering or reasoning about something and using thought or rational judgement. Whilst the brain is designed to think, whether taught or not, the finesse of thinking comes with guidance, reflection and practice. Teaching the process of thinking includes making an abstract process more concrete (visible) with the use of thinking maps and thinking routines.
Time management
The ability to manage your time is one of the best indicators of productivity. On many levels every teacher is teaching students how to manage their time wisely – from organisational skills, planning, study techniques and handing work in on time. Often time management is left to students to simply ‘work out’ themselves. Teach ideas explicitly and practise and reinforce regularly.
KAREN BOYES
Tri-une Brain
The three (tri) in one (une) brain is a model of brain development and behaviour, first cited by American physician and neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean. It comprises the reptilian, limbic and neo-cortex, and explains the evolution of the brain. Understanding the Tri-une brain allows for recognition of students’ behaviours especially whilst they are under stress. Higher order, logic thinking happens within the neo cortex and when under duress, the brain downshifts to the limbic (emotional) or reptilian (survival) part, rendering logical processing unsuccessful. Reducing stress, both inside and outside the classroom allows for better thinking for all learners.
Taxonomy
Defined as classification or ordering into groups, learning and thinking taxonomies assist students to broaden and deepen their thinking. Mostly a taxonomy has an hierarchical nature, meaning that each level, as a general rule, must be mastered before the next.
Examples of this include Bloom’s taxonomy which is a set of three hierarchical models used to classify educational learning objectives into levels of complexity and specificity. SOLO taxonomy is the structure of observed learning outcomes that describe levels of increasing complexity in student’s understanding of subjects.
Transfer
The ability to apply knowledge and skills learned in one area to another context or problem is known as transfer. There are several different transfers of learning; from one problem to another within a subject, from one year in school to another, between school and home, and from school to workplace.
Check your students understanding giving them problems to solve using the information you have taught. Encourage them to draw on past knowledge when planning and problem solving. Transferring knowledge and skills takes practice, time and reflection.
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
LAUREN PARSONS
An attitude of gratitude How positive thoughts affect your life
Gratitude. It’s the ultimate cure for a bad mood, stress and worry. Thankfulness moves a person from pessimistic, depressive thoughts to feelings of happiness, joy and contentment. We all want more of that in life, right?
Every action we take is the result of a thought. Our thoughts are incredibly powerful; they shape our lives. Age-old wisdom tells us to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The way we look at the world determines how we feel. When we choose to lead our thoughts, we can create a fulfilling life.
The reason gratitude is so powerful is this unchanging principle: What we focus on increases.
self-talk, we can catch ourselves when using “don’t” phrases and replace them with what we do want. This transforms our thought processes, our words and our actions.
As a wellbeing coach, I have had many clients over the years who, when asked to tell me what they want, automatically answer with a story about their current problems and a long list of what they don’t want. The trouble is that our subconscious brain doesn’t hear the word “don’t,” and we tend to get stuck wherever our focus is.
Rather than saying I don’t want to feel so tired and flat we can instead say I want to feel happy and energised. By watching our
While you can’t always control the thoughts that pop into your head, the great thing is that you can choose what to focus on. Your brain isn’t able to focus on two things at once, so if you are feeling down and you then practice gratitude, your perspective shifts and everything changes. Stress hormones decrease, growth hormones increase and your muscles relax. It even transforms the way you move, breathe and interact with others.
Imagine what a difference that could make to your day, your classroom, and your student or parent interactions?
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Even in the most challenging times it is possible to be grateful for our blessings. We may not be able to change the facts of a situation, but we always have the power to choose how we perceive them and in turn how we respond.
An example of someone who epitomises this is W Mitchell, an inspiring man who was nearly killed in a blazing motorcycle accident that left him with burns on 65 percent of his body. Years later he was paralysed in a plane crash and is now confined to a wheel chair with a disfigured face and tiny stumps in the place of fingers. Yet he has chosen to embrace the positives of his situation and use it as a platform to inspire others.
Now an international speaker, Mitchell passionately spreads the message of his book “It’s Not What Happens To You, It’s What You Do About It.” He encourages us all by saying “Before I was paralysed there were 10,000 things I could do. Now there are 9,000. I can either dwell on the 1,000 I’ve lost or focus on the 9,000 I have left.”
Gratitude is an essential precursor to happiness. Psychologist Shawn Achor’s worldwide studies have shown that writing down three things daily that you are grateful for can permanently adapt neural pathways in just 21 days, transforming genetically pre-disposed pessimists into long-term optimists. It all starts by focusing on gratitude, which re-programs our brains to scan the world for the positive rather than the negative. When our brain in is positive we are 31 percent more productive, 23 percent less stressed and 39 percent more likely to live to the age of 94.
Gratitude shifts our focus from the things we lack to what we already have.
Saint Francis of Assisi famously said, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
An attitude of gratitude allows us to move forward positively in any situation.
Sometimes we need a reality check as we take the smallest things in life for granted. Did you know that if you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75 percent of the people in this world and that if you can read this article, you are more blessed than more than 775 million people that cannot read at all?
How many other things can you be thankful for today?
An attitude of gratitude allows us to move forward positively in any situation. It is like rising up to your full height, lifting your chin and looking up rather than hanging your head and forlornly following your gaze down in a negative spiral.
Four practical ways to embrace an attitude of gratitude today:
1. Cast grateful thoughts backward and forward
PARSONS
3. Share grateful words
Set aside a specific time to tell someone what you are most grateful for each day. This could be a family member at the dinner table or a friend who becomes your gratitude partner. Take turns describing in detail the best thing about your day and explaining how it made you feel, and why. This allows your brain to replay the scene and doubles your happiness factor. The brain doesn’t distinguish between the real and replayed version so you reap the all physiological benefits twice over.
4. End the day by writing
Before going to sleep, write down some key things you are thankful for. Aim for three to five but don’t put a limit on it. As mentioned above, journaling has a profound effect on happiness because it replays the positives, keeps you focused on what you want and gives you a reference to look back on, which can be handy in challenging times. Once you start, you will often find that your list is longer than you first imagined. It may also initiate ideas for future speech topics which you can share, creating a positive ripple of gratitude.
I invite you to choose the strategy that most appeals to you. Start using it every day for a week and I guarantee you will see immediate and significant changes in how you feel. This will change how your life unfolds and create a positive spiral leading to even more gratitude!
First thing in the morning as part of your daily routine (e.g. while showering, eating breakfast or brushing your teeth) take the time to focus on these two thoughts: Think about one specific thing you are thankful for from yesterday and replay it in your mind, then think ahead to one thing you are looking forward to today. The key is to be intentional with this practice and tie it into a daily task so you remember to do it. A laminated reminder card on the shower wall or beside the bathroom mirror can help.
2. Say thanks
Make a point of thanking at least one person every day. This could be by email, in a card, in person or on the phone. You could praise a colleague, your boss or even a client. Specific immediate feedback is one of the best management tools because people do more of what they are thanked for. This works in personal relationships too. When was the last time you thanked your partner, a colleague or a friend. It will not only make their day, it will also boost your own mood. Think of the positive effect that could have on your relationship long-term.
Remember that you choose how you perceive your world. One grateful thought at a time, you can boost your happiness, improve your health and be more successful.
specialist with 16 years’ experience.
Lauren is an award winning wellbeing specialist with 16 years’ experience.
For more on mindful eating, overcoming cravings and a practical ways to plan, cook and eat well, check out Lauren’s new book: Real Food Less Fuss – The ultimate time-saving guide to simplify your life and feel amazing every day. www.realfoodlessfuss.com
For more on mindful eating, overcoming cravings and a practical ways to plan, cook and eat well, check out Lauren’s new book: Real Food Less Fuss – The ultimate time-saving guide to simplify your life and feel amazing every day. www.realfoodlessfuss.com
DR. LAURA MARKHAM
It’s as simple as breathing Letting go of tension
We all know that it’s those times when we’re stressed that we’re more likely to snap at our child. It’s impossible to be emotionally generous when we’re tense. That’s because we’re already half-way to fight, flight or freeze, so any childish behaviour pushes us over the edge. But life with children will always include childish behaviour, and life in the modern age is full of triggers that make us stressed.
“Make a habit of bringing your awareness to your breathing frequently throughout your day. Our breath connects us to feelings of peace and contentment. Take a minute to deepen your breath from shallow, tense chest breathing to relaxed, deep belly breathing. When you feel totally overwhelmed, stop whatever you’re doing, close your eyes if possible, take three deep breaths, and let your body and mind relax.”
— Jan Marie Dore
Of course, those triggers, be they tantrums or traffic jams, don’t actually make us tense. We make ourselves tense in response to them. It’s a choice. It may be hard to believe, but it’s entirely possible to breathe deeply and feel at peace during a traffic jam - or even a tantrum.
The easiest way to remind yourself to let go of tension is to breathe. Just breathe. Noticing our breathing brings us back into our body, back into the present moment, back into balance. Wise teachers through the ages have observed that the moment between perception and action is where we have the choice not to get hijacked by our automatic emotional response. That pause to breathe gives us a choice about how we respond.
In fact, if you want to change your relationship with your child, this is one of the most powerful levers you can pull. When you start to lash out, for any reason, just Stop. Drop your agenda (just for the moment.) Breathe. If you can calm yourself down before you respond to your child, you’ll find that the entire interaction is different. Soon, you’ll find that your relationship with your child has been completely transformed.
Today, I encourage you to stop and breathe throughout your day. Every time you’re upset. When you find yourself in traffic. When anyone in your house begins a meltdown. (Especially you.)
Sometimes when we bring more mindfulness to our bodies, we begin to release stored-up tears. If this happens for you, welcome those tears. You’re bringing more spaciousness to your life by healing those old hurt places.
Breathing seems so simple that you may find it hard to believe its power. But as Sam I Am said about Green Eggs and Ham, “Try it, try it, and you may!”
Laura is the founder of www.AhaParenting.com and author of Peaceful parent, happy Kids: How to stop yelling and start connecting. Laura trained as a psychologist, but she’s also a Mum, so she translates proven science into practical solutions.
Food technology meets Social Science
Integrated learning at Rototuna Junior High School
When this semester began, Kendyl Morris and I had an idea that an end goal in the form of an exhibition day with street-style food stalls, run by the learners, for the learners, which by the way would raise money towards World Poverty could be a rich and powerful context. And it was! 12 street stalls were busily selling their outcomes at the end of the Semester, all while sharing the links between their food, their country and the greater global community with the rest of the school.
The issue and the brief was to choose one of the 12 poorest countries in the world and develop a prototype that represented the foods of their chosen country. The understanding behind their chosen country would be the driving force behind the prototype that they would develop over the course of the semester. This seamless integration of social science and technology has allowed learners to have a deep understanding of the Nature of Technology and to work collaboratively during their inquiry.
One of the countries, Madagascar, has been proudly represented by groups of four Year 7-8 learners. Their journey began by first understanding the climate of their country in great depth. This meant researching the food that was plentiful in their country, the culture, the government, the natural resources and the economy. This research allowed students to spark ideas, and then to move throughout the learning process.
Smoked Kahawai and Mussels with Garlic Aioli
Ingredients
2 egg yolks
1 cup oil
Garlic cloves crushed
Mustard (we found out this stabilises the aioli so it doesn’t split)
Lemon juice from half a lemon (our stakeholder wanted this for extra flavour)
Method
Mix crushed garlic, salt and egg yolks in a medium bowl until well combined.
Whisking constantly, slowly add oil to form a thick mayonnaise.
Stir in lemon juice and mustard.
Add water according to taste or warm water to fix a split aioli.
MADAGASCAR
By Ethan, Riley, Adam and Cameron
We researched our country and found out that in Madagascar a wide variety of food crops are grown. Madagascar is the world’s major natural vanilla producer!
Rice is the staple of the Malagasy diet, but in 1990 a cyclone damaged rice crops. Cassava, bananas, and sweet potatoes are also important. Other important food crops include cassava, sugarcane, sweet potatoes, corn, bananas, and potatoes.
Beheloke, a rural fishing community in Southwest Madagascar’s lunch or dinner will be white sticky rice, with a side of fried, dried or smoked fish; octopus; squid. Nothing is wasted. Fishing has been the only way to get by. We researched fish suitable for smoking in New Zealand and Kahawai was the most popular.
We dug a hole so we could actually smoke our fish, just like we imagined the people of Madagascar to smoke it. So then we smoked our Kahawai in a pit that we created at our school with leaves around the outsides of the bottom of the smoker so the grass and dirt wouldn’t catch fire. We used meth so we could start the fire at the bottom of the smoker, and wondered if this would be available in Madagascar. Together we problem solved and researched how to fillet a fish and learnt about the process of smoking a fish. We put rock salt on a Kahawai and sprinkled it with brown sugar. Then we put it in the smoker for 30 minutes. For the mussels, we put them in the smoker as well, but for not as long — just so they could cook until they had opened a little bit. We put them in the hole, covered it and waited just like we do here in Aotearoa when we prepare a Hangi.
Our big learning was, feedback from stakeholders can be very important to develop an outcome fit for purpose. We also learnt that we can never take food for granted. We learnt about countries in poverty, living conditions and our earth’s resources.
Nasi Goreng
Ingredients
4 tablespoons canola oil
2 eggs, poached
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried cumin seeds, whole
1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped
Indonesia is the world’s largest importer of it’s staple food, rice.
Nasi Goreng is a traditional fried rice that is served throughout Indonesia. Cooked over high heat, you can adapt all versions of Nasi Goreng to suit your tastes. My version is mild, with fish and has a poached egg opposed to fried egg.
1 teaspoon dried coriander, ground
1 to 3 teaspoons sambal olek or minced
Thai chili peppers
1 cup boneless, skinless white fish, cut into strips
1 1/2 cups shrimp, thawed and peeled
4 cups cooked white or brown rice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Method
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1/2 cup sweet red peppers, sliced
3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 teaspoons white sugar
water
salt
1 cup telegraph cucumber, sliced
dried shallots
mung bean sprouts - enough to garnish
In a pot, fill the pot up ¾ of the way with water, boil and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Swirl the water around in a circular motion with a spoon. Gently crack two eggs into the centre of the water. Poach for 3 minutes. Set aside.
In a wok or large frypan, cook the ginger for 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, the garlic, the cumin seeds and the chopped white onion to the wok and cook until the onion is translucent (no colour, see through).
Stir the ground coriander and the sambal olek or chopped chilies into the pan ingredients, and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and fish to the pan, cooking until almost just cooked, roughly 2 minutes.
Pop the shrimp, fish and aromatics aside in a separate bowl. Raise the heat to high and add the final 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add the rice when the oil begins smoking. Flatten the rice so the entire base of the pan is covered
Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sliced green onions, grated carrot and sliced red peppers to the rice, tossing to mix thoroughly. Add the egg, fish, chopped spinach and seafood to the rice, and season with salt and sugar to taste.
Cook until the spinach has wilted and turned dark green. Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes before serving immediately with several cucumber slices on the side of the bowl.
Place on top the egg, some bean sprouts and dried shallots. Crack sea salt onto the egg.
Change it up a bit?
For vegetarian nasi goreng, substitute the shrimp and fish for firm or extra-firm tofu. For a contrast in textures, use chunks of deep fried and fresh tofu. You can also increase the variety and amount of vegetables used.
Ethiopia
We found out that Ethiopians use leaves to hold their food when they eat meals. We researched cooking and eating with leaves and we found banana leaves are used a lot in Asia and the Islands. We used them to wrap around our prototype and it was easy to assemble and transport for our United Nations day stall.
Created by Ella, Rachel, Mia, Emily and Emma.
Tortilla recipe:Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
Directions
3 tablespoons olive oil
In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10-12 times, adding a little flour or water if needed to achieve a smooth dough. Let rest for 10 minutes. Divide dough into eight portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. circle. In a large frypan coated with cooking spray, cook tortillas over medium heat for 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Keep warm. These made 8 tortillas.
With World Poverty Day fast approaching, it has become clear to Kendyl and I that the integration of two subject areas has allowed learners to decide on their own learning pathways and make deep links between both Social Science and Technology. We believe that the integration of two subject areas has allowed deep learning to occur for every learner.
Irma, a former Chef who now puts to good use her skills and passion for food as a Specialist Food Technology leader. When she isn’t judging Waikato’s restaurants, she is busy collaborating with the team of teachers at Hamilton’s newest school, Rototuna Junior High School.
Musicals foster Habits of Mind
Students will benefi t by bridging the two.
The Habits of Mind offer much to teachers because the Habits are so versatile and can potentially impact learning in so many subject areas. The Habits of Mind framework is a series of 16 problem-solving strategies and dispositions that can help an individual throughout life. In January 2017, Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda published Students at the Center: Personalized Learning with Habits of Mind . If we picture our classrooms as stages or movie screens, we can allow the curtain to rise by exposing our students to musical plays and musical films while fostering the Habits of Mind.
Author
Musicals by composers and lyricists such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Lerner and Loewe, Stephen Sondheim, Frank Loesser, the Sherman Brothers, and others can be powerful resources for student learning. Dozens of musicals are available to utilise with students. I consider each musical a gem that can potentially impact student learning through its themes and musical score. Audio tracks from cast albums and soundtracks and video clips and full films are rich resources for reinforcing the Habits of Mind. Classic Broadway and film musicals such as The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Hello, Dolly! and Oklahoma! as well as more recent musicals like Hamilton, La La Land, and Moana can enrich student learning. Because musicals include a blend of arts, the reinforcement of Habits of Mind can focus on music, dance, visual art, language arts, and drama as well as other subjects depending on the particular musical.
Musicals tied to the 16 Habits of Mind
The following discussion presents the 16 Habits of Mind with examples of how songs or concepts from musicals can clearly foster them. This represents only a fraction of possibilities with the numerous musicals available and their rich musical scores. Below summarises each habit of mind and how the study of musicals can foster these problem-solving strategies.
1)Persisting:
Two main questions can frame lessons and units:
How can Habits of Mind be fostered using musicals?
How is using Habits of Mind for musicals similar to using them for literature?
Musicals can serve as stimuli similar to literary works because of the dialog, sung dialog, and song lyrics. Instrumental songs can also be included in analysis. Even without lyrics, names of instrumental songs evoke meaning, emotions, and even character development.
Students can complete a musical project and see it to its completion. Students create a series of storyboards that depict the main scenes in The Sound of Music and present them to the rest of the class. Students learn about Alexander Hamilton through the musical Hamilton and learn how he demonstrated the Habit “persisting” in major contributions to the formation of the United States as a Founding Father. Other possible examples of persisting include creating multiple takes of a song to get it right or filming a scene in a musical over and over until it is right. The analysis of a main or secondary character›s perseverance in the face of adversity could also foster this Habit.
2) Managing impulsivity
A student focuses on the main plot of Carousel and decides whether he or she likes the ending of the musical or not. Other ways to foster this Habit include practicing the dialog or song from Carousel or another musical or reviewing the dialog or song again.
3) Listening with understanding and empathy
While students are having a class or group discussion about the conflicts in West Side Story, they listen to what other classmates have to offer regarding the gang wars and the conflicts between the Jets and the Sharks. With follow ups activities tied to
Keith Mason as Curly in Oklahoma! Role play of a musical character can be an ideal way to bring Habits of Mind alive in the classroom. Photo courtesy of the author.
DR. KEITH MASON
I consider each musical a gem that can potentially impact student learning through its themes and musical score.
Julie Andrews as Maria in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Photo courtesy of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
musicals, students listen to their classmates and teacher and focus on comprehension and relating to the content with feeling.
4) Thinking flexibly:
In a group project about the musical Carnival , students come up with various options for their project before deciding on the best option. How else could the song lyric from “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round” be used to convey the message? How could the musical begin or end in an alternate way? Could the songs occur in a different order without negatively affecting the storyline?
5) Thinking about thinking (metacognition):
As students watch the “Broadway Melody” scene in Singin’ in the Rain, they think about what the creative team intended with this huge, musical spectacular. Students work individually first and then in groups to come to a consensus regarding the main message of the “Broadway Melody.”
6) Striving for accuracy:
When writing an essay describing the main conflicts in Guys and Dolls, students reread and revise their essays for accuracy and persuasiveness. Students can learn to sing or play through a song from the Guys and Dolls score or another musical without stopping.
7) Questioning and posing problems: When students watch the musical Grease, they come up with questions that may have made the school year go differently. How could the musical have ended differently? Why does the musical present the conflict that it does? What are the main conflicts in the musical that need resolution by the end? Why do they like the musical Grease?
8) Applying past knowledge to new situations:
When watching Oklahoma! , students determine what the characters had to accomplish in order for the Native American territory to become the state of Oklahoma.
How were earlier states entered into the union? What historical knowledge would help future states become part of the United States? How does this musical compare to ones that they have already seen? How can they stage this musical using ones that they have seen in the past?
9) Thinking and communicating with clarity and precision: In watching The Wizard of Oz, what clear messages are conveyed in the musical? Students can give an oral presentation or
write an essay on why Dorothy wanted to return home so much. They could also give the motivation for the Scarecrow wanting a brain, the Tin Man wanting a heart, and the Cowardly Lion wanting courage. Why did the Wicked Witch of the West want the ruby slippers so much? What makes The Wizard of Oz appealing? What makes the music memorable?
10) Gathering data through all senses: While students watch a scene from My Fair Lady , they focus on what they are seeing,
DR. KEITH MASON
hearing, and feeling emotionally. In the flower gathering scene, what do the flowers smell like? How does Eliza enjoy the taste of “lots of chocolate for me to eat” from the song "Wouldn›t It Be Loverly?"
11) Creating, imagining, innovating:
After students view the musical South Pacific, they devise a different ending using their own creativity and imagination. How would they stage a scene in a musical in a different way? Each student could select a different musical and create alternate characters, a different outcome within the plot, or a different ending.
12) Responding with wonderment and awe:
After students watch the title number from The Sound of Music including the aerial footage of Julie Andrews and the Alps, students imagine what it was like for the actress to film in such a beautiful locale and how the music and scenery create one of the biggest entrances of an actress in film history. In addition, students can find out about musicals they have never seen, explore new musical genres, or love the production process of creating musicals and describe it in words.
13) Taking responsible risks:
After students listen to the entire score from The Music Man, they decide that one song should be deleted. Which song would they forego and what song of their own creation would replace the deleted song? Students could try performing a song from a musical with an alternate arrangement, tempo, musical style, or cappella. Students could try delivering dialog with a different intonation pattern or accent and see what effect it creates.
14) Finding humor:
After watching the marbles scene in My Fair Lady, what do students find so funny about the scene? How would they have felt if they were Eliza Doolittle? What do students find funny in The Sound of Music scene when Maria sits on a pine cone? Students can explore YouTube for other funny scenes from musicals and explain what makes these scenes so humorous.
15) Thinking interdependently:
After students view the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! they come up with an additional fantasy scene in groups. How would this fantasy scene fit into what is already there?
Which characters would be involved and would this include a musical selection? Other possibilities for fostering this habit include asking others about their experience with musicals; favorites, least favorites, and something they have learned from a musical. They can learn the scores and premises of new musicals, read an article, book, or web site about musicals, learn about the Broadway theatre district in New York City, or explore the history of musical theatre and film.
16) Remaining open to continuous learning:
After students listen to selections from the Hamilton cast album, they reveal what they learned about Alexander Hamilton and his time period that they did not know before. Students could explore several musicals and learn about life values and the world by means of these musicals. What main message or lesson is learned? What Habits of Mind are apparent? How does the musical give student’s insights about themselves?
Scene from the original 1943 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Photo courtesy of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
Approaches to using Habits of Mind with musicals
How can musicals be utilised to promote the Habits of Mind? Consider the following five approaches:
The Clip Approach
Choose one scene from a musical film or captured stage production. For example, you could show students the opening scene of The Sound of Music beginning from the first view of the mountains up through the song “The Sound of Music.” The breathtaking aerial footage of the Alps could be used to illustrate the Habit Responding with Wonderment and Awe.
The Song Approach
Select one song to play for students. Lyrics could be included on the screen by selecting DVD subtitles or by choosing a YouTube version with lyrics on the screen. Before you play the song, you can ask students to identify examples of Habits of Mind revealed in the song lyrics.
The Entire Musical Approach
Choose one musical and have students identify examples of the 16 Habits of Mind as the film unfolds. Follow up class or group discussions could be guided by teacher questions that refer to specific scenes or songs and asking which Habits of Mind come to mind. Students can collaborate to discover what their classmates observe and have a discussion.
The Research Approach
Each student chooses one musical. Using the Internet and book resources selected by the teacher, students come up with a detailed description of which Habits of Mind can be found in their musical. The culmination of the research can be represented by a report, chart, poster, collage, or PowerPoint that can be presented to the rest of the class. Students could share their findings on a class blog so that they would benefit from all students’ research efforts.
The Performance Approach
To get students actively involved, they can perform one or more songs or scenes from a musical or musicals. After students perform their song or scene, classmates can identify which Habits of Mind are illustrated. Acting out a scene instead of a song may be more appropriate for students who are less comfortable singing.
The Project Approach
Students choose one musical and closely analyse it with the 16 Habits as the focus. Once students choose a musical with the instructor’s approval, they write a traditional essay or an illustrated magazine article, create a poster, make a video, or create a PowerPoint explaining how the musical fosters the 16 Habits of Mind. All students present their findings to the class to stimulate discussion and to foster the third Habit of Mind “Listening with understanding and empathy.”
Habits of Mind has impacted the way we approach a number of school subjects. The 16 Habits can be fostered in numerous ways using the songs and concepts from musical plays and films. The Habits of Mind can bring the musical to the forefront in student learning while concomitantly reinforcing the 16 valuable Habits of Mind.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, legendary composer and lyricist of eleven musicals, have a lot to offer teachers who wish to use their works to foster Habits of Mind. Photo courtesy of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
Keith has been a world language educator and linguistics specialist for 35 years. He is based in New Jersey, U.S.A. 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 in New Jersey, U.S.A. for integrating musicals in the high school curriculum. He is currently writing a book Musicals across the Curriculum. kmason369@hotmail.com
DR. KEITH MASON
Bringing rainbows and sunshine to wet play days
Making playtime a whole school issue
Over the years of working in schools as both a teacher and education consultant, I have heard a common cry from both teachers and lunchtime supervisors “Help! What can we do about wet play?” It seems that every educator across the country dreads the sound of rain pouring down outside!
You see we know there isn’t enough space and that often there is little for children to do which in turn leads to bored and disruptive behaviour. Teachers also dread it because they know that when children have been cooped up indoors all day with little chance to burn off any energy, afternoon lessons often don’t go as well, due to wilder and less attentive children!
Playtime is the topic that most frequently raises it head when we get into discussions about managing behaviour and this time in the day can be made or broken according to the playtime programme in place.
In my book 101 Playtime Games I laid out the fundamental ideas for running successful playtimes and in my book 101 Wet Playtime Games and Activities I built on those ideas whilst specifically looking at wet playtimes and lunchtimes.
In this short article I include some simple steps that schools and organisations can take to create a happy, calm, fun, stimulating and socially enjoyable wet playtime; however, there is so much I could share with you and not enough space, so please refer to my book for further, more in depth information.
Making Playtime a Whole School Issue
Firstly, let’s remember that playtime is a whole school issue and one that everyone needs to be involved in, not just the lunchtime supervisors.
Initially when looking at your playtimes and wet play days, consult with everyone in the school. Get everyone together - lunchtime supervisors, children, teachers, teaching assistants and Principals and do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis or PMI (positive, minus, interesting). The SWOT analysis is often used in business and leadership and is intended to improve strengths, remove weaknesses, grasp opportunities and reduce threats. The PMI strategy is a graphic organiser and frequently used in the thinking curriculum and inquiry learning.
So firstly list out all the strengths/positives - everything that works well on wet play days. Lunchtime supervisors have a wealth of experience and insight into this time in the school day; many have worked as supervisors for numerous years. They will have seen games come and go and are good sources of information and inspiration.
For example:
Strengths/Positives
• Video time
• Whole classroom activities, like a disco
• Wet Play Leaders
Celebrate these strengths � they may also be indicators that help inform future wet play planning.
Then make a list of all the weaknesses / problems /minus’s that occur on wet play days � this list is usually longer!
For example:
Weaknesses/Minus’s
• Lack of space
• Noise
• Lack of equipment or activities for children to do
• Children not allowed to use classroom equipment
• Wet play boxes not up to date
• Children often floating around the school and not in their classroom
THERESE HOYLE
Let’s remember that playtime is a whole school issue and one that everyone needs to be involved in.
Opportunities
• Money available from PTA for wet play resources
• A gala which includes raising funds for wet play boxes
Threats
• Children loitering in the toilets or concealed areas
• Lack of staffing in some classrooms
Once you have composed these lists, think of solutions and remove or reduce the weaknesses/minus’s and threats. Some solutions will be easy to solve � others may need time, funding, resources, etc. Capitalise and improve on your strengths and grasp any opportunities!
Consult your pupils
Start by talking with them about activities that they enjoy doing or would like to do at wet playtime. You may find that they have numerous suggestions. If you adopt the PMI strategy, they will also be able to tell you what currently works and what doesn’t. Alternatively, some schools organise circle times and others do questionnaires using web surveys to get their input.
Budget
Children need things to play with at wet playtime and it is important that adequate resources are provided, so make sure that a budget is set each year to provide for establishing and then updating wet play activities. Many local authorities will supply funding for playtimes and there is money available in the ‘Primary Sport Premium’ for resources and lunchtime supervisor training, so do remember to allocate some of the budget to wet play and training.
Wet Play Class RulesDo’s and Don’ts
School staff can get upset when children get out all the precious toys and equipment during wet play.
It is wise to have specific activities just for wet play and create a wet play box or cupboard.
I suggest teachers write up the things children can and can’t do at wet play and the equipment they can use - then everyone is happy! This can be laminated and stuck onto the wet play box or cupboard.
Wet Play Boxes or Cupboards
Your play boxes or cupboards should be filled with games, activities, word searches, dot to dots, colouring in, etc. 101 Wet Playtimes Games and Activities is packed with photocopiable resources in the book and on its CD Rom.
In addition to traditional games such as those available from Edventure, I would suggest that you include a selection of age appropriate activities, which may include some of the following:
• 2-3 music and story CD’s
• A selection of DVD’s
• Jigsaws
• Knitting
• Mazes
• Plasticine or Playdough
• Construction kits
• Lego, etc.
• Crayons, pencils, paper
• Dressing up clothes
• Imaginative play
• Books and Comics
• Boxes/recycled materials for creative activities/box modelling, etc.
Remember that even though it is wet, this is children’s playtime and an important time in their day to let off steam, connect with their friends and have some fun. It is also the time in the day where social, emotional and behavioural skills are learnt.
Therese is bestselling author of 101 Playground Games and 101 Wet Playtime Games and Activities. She runs Positive Playtime and whole school social, emotional and behavioural skills programmes nationally and internationally. If you wish to develop her ideas further please read her books, available from Edventure, or contact her direct for in depth advice on designing and developing your playground. Email: info@theresehoyle.com
Study Smarter
Note taking success with Mind Mapping TM
Mind mapping is a simple and essential skill for learning faster and retaining information. It’s a creative, brain- friendly way of taking notes. It uses both the left (logical) side and the right (creative) side of the brain. This technique of note taking was first developed in the early 1970s by Tony Buzan and is based on research on how your brain actually works.
Follow the simple steps to make your first mind map.
Step One
First, close your eyes and see the TV screen of your mind. What shape is it? Lengthways (portrait) or sideways (landscape)? Yes, it’s landscape. Take a piece of blank A4 paper and turn it sideways. The paper is now imitating or copying the way your mind works. Even if you take your notes in the traditional way in class, it’s more brain- friendly to use blank paper and turn it sideways than to take notes on ordinary lined refill.
Step Two
Close your eyes again. Picture a red car on your TV screen. Where have you put it? Picture an ice cream. Where does it feature on the page? Most people will put these images in the centre which is where your brain naturally starts. This is where you start your mind map. Using three colours, start with a picture or visual image that takes up about 2 cm in the centre of your page.
Mind mapping uses both the left (logical) side and the right (creative) side of the brain.
Step Three
Add the main themes like chapter headings in a book. These are printed on branches out from the central image. All the branches are always curved. All the lines on mind maps are curved because there are no straight lines in nature, so this is more ‘organic’ or ‘brain friendly’. The theme branches are thick at the start and get thinner so the eye naturally follows the branch.
Write these key words clearly in capital letters so that they stand out. Place the words on top of lines that are the same length as the word. (See diagram below and imitate the shape.) This shape mirrors the shape of a brain cell. Write each separate branch in the same colour so that the theme and the words are all one colour. Make the lines the same colour as the words.
Step Four
Add a second level of thought like subheadings in a book. These words should link to the main branch that trigger them. Avoid using sentences. Mind maps are about using key words that will act as triggers for more information when you recall your map.
Step Five
Keep adding information. Use pictures and images where you can. Allow your thoughts to come freely so that you hop between ideas and themes.
Step Six
Add dimension to your map. Highlight words, use arrows, codes and pictures. Make your mind map beautiful, colourful, artistic and imaginative. One of the benefits to using mind maps is that you can add to them at any time. Unlike taking normal notes, you can add in extra bits and pieces of information if and where you want.
Did you know? Using mind maps you can take your notes into an exam without cheating.
How in the world do you do this? It’s as easy as a mind map! When you’re studying, make mind maps for as many of your topics as possible. Practice reproducing your mind map as part of your studying. Using just one colour because it’s quicker, reproduce your mind map as quickly as possible, within about two minutes. This process shouldn’t be a neat and tidy process, it should be fast and messy. As long as you can read and understand the information, that is all that matters. Then check it against your original map. Using a different coloured pen, write in all the information you missed, which
KAREN BOYES
is the information you need to learn. Then practice reproducing the mind map again from your memory. It should only take you three or four times to be able to repeat your whole mind map from memory. Sometimes you only have to write one word and you’ll remember the whole branch. When you go into the exam and the examiner says you can start, you turn over your paper and as quickly as possible reproduce your mind map. All of your notes are then in your exam and you haven’t cheated. It’s very, very simple.
Recently I met up with one of the students who had been through my study workshop. He had completed Spectrum’s two-day workshop about three months earlier and he said, “You know that mind mapping stuff? I mind mapped my chemistry and I got 93% in my test.” His teachers couldn’t believe it. All he did was mind map everything, learn the mind map and then in the exam, he wrote his mind map over the back of his exam paper. Bingo, all the information was there.
Mind mapping does take practice. Just when you learned to ride a bike, you fell off, you cried, maybe you even said I’m not going to do that for a while. Eventually you got back on. Likewise, mind mapping takes practice, and the more you do, the easier it gets. I find I’m now thinking in mind maps, rather than lists. This is called mental mind mapping which is the next step. One good way to practice mind mapping is while you are on the phone. Turn your doodling into a mind map of what the other person is saying. Have you ever hung up the phone and when asked, “What was their news? What did they have to say?”, you can’t remember any of the conversation? Doing a very quick mind map while you’re talking is a fast easy way to practice this skill.
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
Is work / life balance a myth? Life balance does not happen by accident.
Work/life balance is given a lot of lip service in the corporate world – but what does that really mean, and how is it played out in the business world?
There are three distinct stages of a person’s working life:
1. The single person’s or young married phase of hard-out, long hours, ‘I must build my career’. These folk are striving to carve their niche and prepared to be virtually married to the job.
2. The mid years when a person typically has family responsibilities and a mortgage. They’re beginning to realise that in order to have a life outside of work they have to take responsibility for it; it’s a very rare employer who will mandate that their staff must have sufficient time away from work. The employee (or business owner in many cases) might not yet have worked out the balance issue, but they’re becoming more aware of the importance of it and looking for ways to build it into their lives. They come back from holidays saying, ‘I’m not going to work those horrible hours again. This time I will change things.’ Sometimes they succeed; other times the same conversation is repeated the next year.
3. And then there are the mature years, when a person tends to be confident in their particular expertise. They may shift from one company to another, but with the grey hairs comes the commonsense that says ‘I’ll give work my all when I’m here, and my other interests and family will dictate the hours I’ll do and the level of commitment I’ll give the firm.’ They’ve shifted the priority order from ‘work first’ to ‘self and family first’. It’s not selfish. Actually, the person who’s married to the job is selfish – firstly to their loved ones and secondly to the firm, for they’re creating a dependency that can’t be sustained long-term.
Is it necessary to wait until you’re in the wrinkly brigade before you start to get a life?
I don’t believe so. Is it the responsibility of the company? Or ourselves?
I was greatly impressed some years ago to come across Daniel Petre’s book Father Time: Making Time for Your Children. In earlier years he has been Managing Director of Microsoft Australia, then a VP at Microsoft HQ in Seattle, and later was sent back to Sydney to run the Asia-Pacific division of Microsoft, finishing there in 1996. Since then he’s started a number of technology companies and is also an investor and philanthropist.
Is it necessary to wait until you’re in the wrinkly brigade before you start to get a life?
In his early career he was a classic workaholic but once children started to come along he began to take a deeper look at what fathering really is about. It dawned on him that modern corporations are, with a few exceptions, dysfunctional in what they expect from their staff, and especially their senior managers. As a result, he changed his way of working dramatically – and yet was still able to hold down very senior executive positions.
He became very concerned about the way so many men have abdicated their fathering roles, some consciously but many because they don’t see any other way. As a result, he began to observe and study the whole issue of what work/life balance really means, initially in the context of fathers who miss out on so much of their children’s developmental years. These days, with so many working mothers, his concerns apply to both genders.
ROBYN PEARCE
Following are a few quotes from his book ‘Father Time’:
• Long hours are wrong hours.
• A rested worker is a better worker.
• Long hours invoke the law of diminishing returns and a shorter life.
• We reward people for the wrong things when we applaud and reward them for long hours. Instead, reward them for doing the job quickly and efficiently, and for leaving work at a sensible hour.
• The job is never done – accept it.
• Work obsession. Men (and women) have, over the last 50 years, created business infrastructures that are anti-children, antifamily, anti-spouse, anti-community, and anti-social responsibility. They work so long they have nothing left to give.
• To use profit as the only measure of success is a very narrow perspective.
I really recommend the book if you’ve ever wondered whether there is a less crazy way to ‘do’ life and also create a good living. He not only shares a great many thoughtprovoking facts but also comes up with solutions.
It is possible to work hard, hold down a good job AND have a life – but you have to plan for it. Life balance does not happen by accident.
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
TERRY SMALL
Stand up for your brain
If you do too much sitting, your brain will suffer
It turns out that scientists and medical experts believe that sitting is not great for your body, or your brain.
So many of us sit for long stretches at work and at school. We sit on the commute. And when we get home we sit some more. Prolonged sitting is bad for your health.
It’s not alarmist to say that all this sitting may be killing us. Research shows that long bouts of sitting causes serious physiological responses related to chronic disease, and a shortened life span. The University of Queensland found that people who stood up frequently had lower levels of C-reactive protein (a marker for blood fat). They also had smaller waistlines. It was the frequency of standing not the duration that counted.
One study found that a woman’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome increased 26% for every extra hour of sitting. Prolonged sitting in an upright position can strain your back resulting in chronic pain. Blood clots are another risk of being inactive. None of this is good for your brain.
Periods of standing throughout the day can improve circulation, muscle tone, and vitality. Standing up benefits the lean and overweight alike. Standing up frequently keeps blood flowing freely to your head.
I’ve been telling people in my live presentations for years that standing up is important for brain health. It is also important for for your heart. Remember....what’s good for your heart is good for your brain.
It seems that when you sit down your body pretty much stops working. You and your brain were meant to move. Consider:
• Taking more short breaks to stand up and stretch (or to walk). Maybe set a timer.
• Have your meetings standing up (you will save lots of time on this one).
• Stand up when talking on the telephone (studies show you will be perceived as having a better attitude).
• Consider a standing desk (or just raise your old one).
You and your brain were meant to move.
• Set you office up so things aren’t within arm’s reach.
• Read standing up (I do a lot of this). Plus, you will remember more.
Standing for just 2 hours during an average workday can burn an extra 280 calories. In a year, that might provide a weight loss of 20 pounds. Standing while you work improves concentration by increasing blood flow to the brain. Many who stand state that their thinking is clearer and they have an increased ability to pay attention and focus.
I think the key here is to be mindful and make standing up a habit. It just becomes what you do.
Terry is a master teacher and learning skills specialist. He has presented on the brain for over 30 years and has a wealth of teaching experience and extensive involvement in applied neuroscience.
www.terrysmall.com
Teachers
Edstays.com is a home swap and stay website exclusively for educators to get affordable breaks during the school holidays, so they can get the relaxation they need to do their jobs well during the term.
We verify your employment and address to make sure all our members are educators with a house to swap. Members have their pick of locations ranging from a luxurious Gold Coast waterfront home with a swimming pool, to an apartment minutes from Tokyo Disneyland by train, homes at the top of the North Island to southern resort towns such as Te Anau and Cromwell.
Who are the team behind edstays.com?
Emma Sherie, Founder, is a primary school teacher with more than 10 years experience both in New Zealand and internationally. Emma’s sister, Jayne Nakata teaches English in Japan where she has lived for the last 15 years. Together they lead the team at edstays.com who are passionate about providing a cost effective, safe and relaxing experience for their community.
Who uses edstays.com?
The Thompson family from Auckland recently enjoyed a trip away for just the cost of the petrol for the return trip to Wellington. Penelope, her husband and three young boys needed to be in Wellington for a week during term break. “The cost of a hotel in Wellington in the school holidays was just insane. Staying in a cramped hotel room with three busy kids would also have been pretty challenging. We found a great family on edstays.com who agreed to swap with us”, said Thompson. “We had a whole house, a garden and toys for the kids to use, it was just fantastic”.
So how does edstays.com work exactly?
Once you have filled out our membership form for your ad, we go to work verifying your employment and address. When we have your verification confirmed, we will give you access to our Members’ Area and closed Facebook group where you can get to know other members and look for swaps or stays. You will also be able to contact members directly, too. We had lots of families who had relaxing and fun swaps or stays last Christmas and New Year, we hope your family will take part in educators helping educators to have fun and adventure living like a local this year Join now and get setup to start swapping and staying! Go to www.edstays.com for details.
Finding your confi dence and assertiveness
Supporting students, walking your talk.
Sometimes you loose it!
How does this happen? One day you are so sure of yourself and the next day or week you wonder if you are able to keep doing what you do – a relationship changes, a challenge by someone or a situation undoes you - and in the next moment, you are again able to be all you want to be. It is normal for people to have changing levels of confidence and assertiveness. Being able to accept this and know that you will be ok is helpful. Allow yourself to notice the uncomfortable feelings; name them, think about what has caused them and why, as doing this will allow the emotions power over you. These emotions will pass.
The challenge to confidence and assertiveness can come from anywhere. I will look at 3 types of typical unhelpful responses and provide strategies and tools that may help.
You can be powerful and ask for help at the same time.
1. Fear of failure or inadequacy.
Usual ways of coping are to numb it, perfect it, or pretend, but these things really don’t work to solve the problem in the long run. What does work is:
• Letting yourself be seen- that means that you need to show your vulnerable side – so be really open to stating what the problem is – if you cannot acknowledge to yourself what the true issue is, then you cannot find the correct solution.
• Practice gratitude and joy - choose your response to your world every single day. Once it becomes a habit, the choice becomes more automatic.
• Love with your whole heart – each moment of each day.
• Believe that you are enough - name your competencies and attributes.
2. Pushy or aggressive personalities.
Frequent ways of coping are avoidance, retaliation, moaning to others, or accommodating and becoming resentful, but these things really don’t help to resolve the issue.
What does work is:
• Being assertive – standing up for yourself in such a way as the rights of others are not violated.
• Here are two assertiveness tools for you to try:
Use the LADDER tool.
• Look at your rights and goal in the situation
• Arrange a time and place to discuss the situation
• Define the problem specifically
• Describe your feelings
• Express your request simply and firmly
• Reinforce the other person to give you what you want.
Use the STATE tool.
3. Unreasonable demands
Unhelpful ways of coping are: avoidance, , accommodating and eventually choosing to leave the situation. Once again, none of these helps to resolve the problem. What does work is:
• Clarifying and agreeing the process of how you work together – what are your agreements around behavioural standards?
• Knowing criteria that is fair to help you make decisions
• Managing your boundaries and setting limits
• Learning about the drama triangle.
Each of these tools will enable you to explore and support your development of your confidence.
Ma deleine is a parent of three children, in their early 20’s and late teens and works as a People Skills Consultant. Madeleine is an accomplished workshop facilitator and long-time trainer of negotiation and influencing skills and managing difficult conversations. She has been teaching assertiveness, resilience and stress management all her professional life.
Locate French Pass on a map of New Zealand for perspective.
Discuss the effects of tidal rips and stormy weather in this area and of any personal experiences of this phenomenon your students may have had elsewhere.
Brainstorm any other sea and/or tidal conditions that are dangerous, e.g. crossing the bar. Whirl pools. Ask students to share any experiences they have had.
3. Herbert
• What information can you locate, from throughout the book, about the dog. E.g. age, breed, fitness.
This is the true story of Herbert, a young boy’s much loved dog and his real life adventure. Herbert falls overboard from a small wooden boat, which is negotiating the treacherous French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand, during an unexpected storm. Tim never gives up hope that his little dog, Herbert, will be found.
1. Connections
The link below to Stuff.co.nz gives some background to the storyline and would be useful for the teacher to read in advance. Robyn Belton, the author, meets with an adult Tim and the fisherman who saved Herbert after the book is finally finished. We recommend that the students are given the opportunity read this article after the book has been read to them.
There are photos of artefacts, including photos, letters, telegraphs and newspaper articles in the rear end pages of the book.
Students can be encouraged to note the connections between the participants in the adventure and also between the author/illustrator and publisher. http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/667390/Brave-dog-Herbert-lives-again-in-book
• A double page of the book shows Herbert dog paddling with a dolphin nearby. Could this really have happened or is this the author suggesting that dolphins may have helped Herbert survive as there are many recorded incidents of dolphins protecting both animals and people and helping them to survive in the water. (There are YouTube videos available).
4. Choices
Why did the men choose to take Herbert on the boat but not Tim?
Should they have taken Herbert, Tim and Herbert or neither?
When they realised the dog was missing, they chose to continue their journey and not go back to look for Herbert, was this the right choice at that time?
What would have possibly happened if the fisherman had chosen not to listen to Tim and go out to the outer sounds one more time?
BARBARA GRIFFITH & TRICIA KENYON
5. The Boat
With reference to recreational boats, complete the following.
Boat and equipment
Location / maps
Safety
Steering
Communication
Weather reports
6. Illustrations
Then 1986
Compass, maps
The illustrations are line drawings with water colour added to create mood and emotion. Do you agree with this style of illustration or do you think another style would have been better, e.g. photographic, realistic with detail, cartoonish?
7. Vocabulary
Locate similes or metaphors e.g. The waves were like mountains.
The wind dropped.
What do these sentences/ phrases mean to you, within the storyline?
• With heavy hearts,….
• This will be the worst or the best day of my life.
• The boat began to pitch and toss.
8. The award
Discuss, decide and design an appropriate award and medal for Herbert other than the Iron Dog Award.
Why was Herbert’s award called the Iron Dog Award?
Now 2017
GPS, radar,
Mobile phones, radio
9. The blurb
Discuss and re-write, in a group, the blurb on the back of the book.
• What would you add or remove?
• What’s missing?
• Who’s missing?
• Should it be more factual?
• Should emotions be conveyed more?
as a Resource Teacher: Literacy, which
BARBARA has been a primary school teacher for 36 years. She has specialised in the teaching of literacy for more than 20 years and recently retired a position as a Resource Teacher: Literacy, which she held for the last 16 years.
TRICIA has been involved in the field of literacy for 17 years, firstly as a Resource Teacher: Reading, then as a Resource Teacher: Literacy. She is passionate about books and reading and feels privileged to be in a position where she can share that passion with students, their parents, and fellow teachers.
JOHN SHACKLETON
Using mindfulness in the workplace
The S word!
The World Health Organisation have stated that STRESS will be the 2nd biggest financial burden on our world by 2020 and it’s currently costing US companies over $300billion a year in absenteeism, turnover and productivity. The American Institute of Stress recently wrote that 75% of all doctors visits are for stress related ailments, and that stress increases the risk of heart disease by 40% and the risk of a stroke by 50%. Even if you don’t personally suffer yourself, stress is already a massive problem in our society and it’s not getting any better. Stress occurs when the frantic pace of the world we live in overloads us.
neither of which require much in the form of physical ac9vity. Unfortunately, that nasty look or comment makes us produce the adrenaline but it’s not used up as it was in stone-age times, and so we remain in the state of stress and anxiety for much longer than we need to be. Have you ever experienced the situation where your mind can’t seem to let go of a negative situation
Combining this hectic pace with the fact we can rarely get away from work or other people because we are readily accessible 24/7 on our smartphones, means that overload is happening all too frequently and this situation isn’t going to improve any time soon! Way back in time when our biggest problem was whether or not we were going to be eaten by a sabre-toothed tiger, our stress response was extremely useful, helping us to run, literally, for our lives when the tiger came round the corner. Our adrenal glands produced a quick burst of adrenaline and cortisol, and allowed us to switch to flight mode immediately. Then, once we had taken the action and the danger had passed, adrenaline stopped being produced and we calmed down again.
Whilst we have evolved and moved on in many ways over the last few thousand years it seems our adrenal glands have yet to adapt to the lack of life threatening circumstances we generally find ourselves in now. For most of us the worst we can expect these days is a threatening look from a colleague or nasty comment from a client,
Rather than helping people to manage their stress we should be helping them make less of it inside their heads!
disorders dramatically increase in individuals who are stressed. In the workplace a stressed employee is not a productive employee. They cannot concentrate on the task at hand and they are more likely to be taking sick days, and that all comes at a cost to the business. Clearly, it will be wise for employers to consider the sources of stress within their business and work to reduce or eliminate them so that the working environment is more productive and harmonious.
However, let’s not run away from the individual’s own responsibility here. In truth we all create our own stress and we need to take measures to stop ourselves doing that. It’s not what happens to us that stresses us, but how we chose to interpret the situation. Some people are terrified of getting up in front of an audience to speak, while others live for the spotlight. One person may thrive under pressure and perform better with tight deadlines, while their co-worker shuts down when work demands escalate. Some of us don’t hesitate to send food back or complain about bad service, while others find it much too stressful to complain. But in a toxic working environment it’s easier for our minds to latch onto the negative things around us and therefore we produce high levels of stress.
that occurred and you find yourself mulling over it again and again for hours, or even days, later? Every time you go over it in your mind you get another rush of fight or flight juice (adrenaline and cortisol) which adds to our feelings of stress.
Stress and anxiety lead to all manner of further problems, none of which are conducive to good health – sleep deprivation, weight gain, anxiety, depression and other mental
It’s quite easy to put in place training sessions to help people reduce their stress levels, but be careful as there are several approaches that promote ‘stress management’ rather than stress reduction. These approaches usually suggest changing your diet, taking up exercise, becoming more sociable and getting more sleep, all of which may help but they are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. I feel a better
JOHN SHACKLETON
approach is to build a fence at the top of the cliff to stop them falling off!
Rather than helping people to manage their stress we should be helping them make less of it inside their heads! The only successful way I have found to do this is to use Mindfulness techniques. One definition of Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. When we focus our attention on the present moment, we aren’t thinking of our past mistakes or the potential threats of our future so we don’t create any stress.
Aside from the potential legislative benefits of implementing mindfulness practices in the workplace, there are numerous scientifically proven and documented benefits to the individual. These include:
• Improved attention spans
• Better mental focus and memory
• Improved decision making
• Better creativity
• Increased levels of tolerance towards others
• Better sleep patterns and an increased ability to relax
• The potential to slow the heart rate and reverse heart disease
• An increase in energy levels
• A reduction in stress levels
• A strengthening of the immune system
• Assistance in overcoming drug and alcohol addictions
• Reduced feelings of depression and anxiety
• Greater potential for happiness.
If your organisation could provide all these benefits for your employees wouldn’t you consider putting a mindfulness programme into practice for them? The long term cost benefits for your organisation would be huge, and, in the wider sense, for the economy too. This article isn’t designed to give you the details of mindfulness training but to convince you to have a pragmatic and scientific examination of the facts and benefits of using this approach. You can get more information and download a free eBook on Mindfulness at www.johnshack. com/pause.
With a sports psychology and sports coaching background, John now shows international business audiences techniques that exercise and improve the biggest, most powerful muscle in the body – the brain. His clients include Coca-Cola, Air New Zealand, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Sony and Renault. www.JohnShack.com
THE LAST WORD: KAREN BOYES
Success, winning and growth
Iwas honoured recently by my National Speakers Association colleagues as NZ’s Educator of the Year 2017. Prev iously I have won NZ Speaker of the Year (2013) and Educator of the Year (2014). It is always wonderful to have your work acknowledged by your colleagues and the hundreds of congratulatory emails, posts and messages are always lovely to receive.
Interestingly, living in New Zealand, we have this unspoken cultural condition going on – The Tall Poppy Syndrome. Once all the congrats have died down – here is what I am often asked… “Why do you go for these awards – is it ego?” or “You have won so many awards – why don’t you let others have a turn?” or “What do you have to prove?” These interesting questions have forced me to ponder over the years – why?
The phrase “Work for a cause not the applause” resonates with me. I truly believe this – and while putting myself up for awards may seem like a need for applause to others (and yes let’s face it who doesn’t like acknowledgement for the work we do) for me there is a bigger reason.
Before I reveal my reason, I do highly recommend the process of applying for awards. It is a wonderful opportunity to take some time out of your busy life and reflect on where you have been, your successes and learnings, a chance to focus forward, to articulately restate your mission and purpose, your drive and your commitment to moving forward. There seem to be so few opportunities for this in life. The old adage that we will often do more for others than we do for ourselves rings true here, and as this is a self inflicted yearly review with a deadline it ensures it gets done.
So why else do I do it? What is the reason? The pressure! When people look at me receiving the award and think, “I wish that was me,” or tell me how inspiring I am, or I send the information out via social media and I perceive people thinking; “Oh look there she goes again” or “Really her?” – it simply adds more pressure on me to live up to the expectations of others. The award is about pushing myself to greater heights.
“Work for a cause not the applause.”
The pressure is immense and perhaps why many people do not go for such awards. Or maybe it is the fear of failing which truly stops them. Perhaps they are scared of success – as this does take you outside your comfort zone.
Please don’t get me wrong – I love my comfort zone – I am really attached to it. It is warm, safe and comfy inside. Yet I know that being in a state of comfort stops me (and you) from growing. My ideal is to work on expanding my comfort zone slowly –to take tiny risks and give new ideas and opportunities a go. I read recently the idea that as your comfort zone expands, so does your definition of yourself.
Furthermore, as Ilya Prigogene and his law of irreversible Thermodynamics states, the more pressure, the greater the change (or
KAREN BOYES
growth.) That’s why I enter for the awards - to grow, to stretch myself and to scare myself. If I don’t win (as often happens), I am thankful for the reflection process and am keen to learn from the winner.
I want to be a Tall Poppy – someone others aspire to, and with this comes the pressure. It is about unmasking and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and real. Brene Brown states, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of connection and the path to the feeling of worthiness. If is doesn’t feel vulnerable, the sharing is probably not constructive.” To grow we need to stretch that comfort zone, risk failure and be vulnerable.
So when was the last time you were vulnerable consciously? Have you said to Universe/God/Spirit – give me pressure that will stretch me and cause me to grow? I believe you can consciously welcome this in, or Universe/God/Spirit will send it unannounced and packaged in a way that might cause alarm.
Which awards could you apply for to stretch your practice, profession and self definition?
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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