Monday Motivator #5 2023-24

 

Transforming the Way Students See Themselves

By Mari Jones

“I hate my life.” Valeria had written these words on her art journal when tasked with designing the cover. This reflected her perception of school, her life, and herself when she entered my class two years ago. Truth be told, her life was hard. She had been living in a homeless shelter in second grade when she came to High Tech Elementary Explorer, a project-based, social-emotional charter school in San Diego. When she came to my class in fourth grade, she and her family had found a home, but she still had to take two buses and a trolley to get to school, and she struggled with depression and a learning disability. She was always sleepy, and never wanted to participate in the learning in our classroom. She often lay her head on the table saying, “I can’t do it.” She did not see herself as a learner. I knew that my work lay in helping her rewrite the narrative she had written for herself.

My interventions for Valeria came in the form of supports for her academic, as well as social-emotional, development. Mostly, I wanted to change her negative self-talk, and convince her that she was a learner whose work mattered to others. Regular exhibitions throughout the year gave Valeria the opportunity to share her learning with a larger audience of peers, family, and the community. Knowing she would publicly present her work provided the motivation to produce high quality work. Continuous reflection throughout the process allowed her to notice the ways in which she was growing as a learner and as a person. One of her artist statements revealed the beginnings of her transformation, “I think I have grown as an artist, because I know how to handle more responsibility.” In doing work that mattered, Valeria was beginning to see that she mattered too.

As Valeria’s negative self-talk began to subside, it was replaced by an enthusiasm for presenting her work to the public. For our Ideas that Change the World project, we had the opportunity to present our work as an exhibit at the San Diego History Center. They were commemorating the centennial of the World’s Fair in San Diego, and our World’s Fair exhibition fit in seamlessly. I could see Valeria’s growing confidence as she presented her invention to retirees visiting the center. Her invention, the R-Cart, was a robotic shopping cart that would aid blind shoppers. She fielded questions, demonstrated how it worked, and explained the invention process to her audience. “I wish I could have one now!” commented a guest. A far cry from the sullen girl who lay her head on the table, Valeria was bubbly and energetic, smiling and almost dancing as she shared her work.

Fast forward to the end of the year at her fifth grade presentation of learning. Valeria is standing confidently in front of a panel of her peers, family, and teacher, sharing her growth as a learner. She talks about the American Dream project, which she is most proud of, because it allowed her to face her fears and stand up in front of a live audience at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park, and perform her original spoken word poetry. She goes on to say that reading and writing have been challenging for her, but that she has been able to complete her work this year. As I look over at her mother and sister, I can see the pride in their eyes–they can tell that Valeria sees herself as a learner.

When students have the chance to do work that matters, and to present that work to people who matter to them, it makes students believe that they matter. Valeria did not transform overnight. But her story is the story of many of our kids, who need us to see them. Exhibiting her work to a real audience and sharing her reflections on her growth as a learner throughout the year allowed Valeria to shine.

https://www.edweek.org/education/opinion-transforming-the-way-students-see-themselves/2017/08 
https://www.gettingsmart.com/2017/12/16/transforming-the-way-students-see-themselves/ 

Monday Motivator #4 2023-24

 

How To Respond To A Sudden Increase In Misbehavior

September 14, 2023 by Michael Linsin

Once in a great while, especially in the first few weeks of the school year, your students may test you to see if you really, really do mean what you say.
Or sometimes there is bad luck involved . . .
              A fire drill.
              Arrival of new students.
              Wi-Fi outage.
              Hard rain against the windows.
Anything unexpected can stir up excitability and incite an increase misbehavior. And you can’t run away scared. No matter what, you still must follow through calmly.
Fulfilling your promises will go a long way toward limiting any surprise disruption and getting back to work. The worst thing you can do is show frustration, lecture your class, or bypass your classroom management plan.
Still, your class—or a portion of your class—may have showed a lack of maturity. Maybe they spontaneously ran to the windows or they started yelling and getting out of their seats in reaction to the fire alarm.
Even if it’s a momentary disruption, you can’t just let it go. Not only do you want to avoid something similar from happening again, but it’s an opportunity to get better.
So what follows are three steps that do just that.
1. Review
Review what happened like a small town newspaper reporter. Don’t mention any names. Just stick to the facts and recap in detail, leaving nothing out.
It’s most critical that you don’t show displeasure. You can even be matter of fact. Modeling is okay too. The key to this step is for students to see what happened objectively and through your eyes.
2. State
Step two is to simply state that such behavior isn’t okay and will never be accepted. Even though you’ve already taught your classroom management plan, and have followed through consistently, they need to hear you say it.
Then pause. Let your words hang in the air. Though you won’t show irritation or annoyance, your class must see your seriousness and commitment to high standards.
3. Practice
Now have your class show you how they should have behaved. Depending on your grade level, you may have to first model what you expect.
Give your ‘go’ signal and allow 30 seconds to a minute of correct, mature behavior. Yes, it may just be sitting in their seats quietly. It may be lining up to leave the classroom. No matter, let them prove they understand.
Good News
In most cases, the three steps should take about five minutes. But even if it takes longer, it’s worth it.
Again, it’s an opportunity to push the maturity envelop. It raises the bar on overall classroom behavior and personal discipline. You can even view bad moments and sudden increases in misbehavior as good news.
It’s important to mention, however, that it’s best not to complete the three steps right away. Allow for at least a couple of hours. The next day is often best.
This allows students to view the situation and their role in it with a calm heart and fresh set of eyes.
After step three, praise them for doing it right and then move on to the next lesson or activity as if nothing happened. It’s fixed and the burden has now shifted in total to your students to handle similar situations better the next time.
And they will.
https://smartclassroommanagement.com/2023/09/14/how-to-respond-to-a-sudden-increase-in-misbehavior/

Monday Motivator #3 2023-24

 

Smile File
Heather Fisher

Smiling makes people feel good and positive, conveying a sense of goodwill, rapport and trust. Dr. T. P. Chia

“Everyone needs a smile file!” I heard the radio deejay exclaim on my commute to work one morning. A smile file, as the deejay described, is a place to turn for inspiration, reassurance, and encouragement. Whether you hold the file physically in your hands or click on an icon to view it, the contents of a smile file are there for the sole purpose of making you smile. I remember thinking to myself, What a simple yet powerful tool to have! Since a smile can elevate your mood, relieve stress, and increase positivity, I knew a smile file was something I just had to try with teachers.
Before trying it out with teachers, I made sure to add a smile file to my world. In the weeks that followed, I began building my very own smile file. A note I have held on to from my very first teaching job was the first item to go in. It was from a person who believed in me and celebrated how I continued to grow. A letter from a previous student was next. She reminded me how I had made a difference in her life and, after all those years, what she still remembers about learning in my class. And a quote discovered while shopping: A good coach sees in you what you can’t see in yourself. Shopping and my purpose as a coach—both make me smile!
With the increasing demands of life, both professionally and personally, teachers need positive reminders. Introducing the smile file to a handful of teachers this past year brought this reminder into existence. In my daily exchanges with these classroom teachers, I make it a priority to open a window into the world of what makes them smile. I started by listening intently, noticing their facial expressions during our daily exchanges. Finding what brings happiness and joy to their everyday practice became part of my ever-growing coaching practice.

Inviting Smiles

The introduction of the smile file isn’t something I send through an email to teachers or place in their mailboxes. It is an invitation that presents itself, in person, at just the right moment. For one teacher, who had recently transitioned from another role, the moment came when she began questioning herself during a weekly coaching session. Am I doing this right? Should I be doing it differently? Am I even making a difference? I sensed her anxiety and saw the need. “Find one thing that makes you smile this week, capture it, and begin your own smile file,” I told her.
“Smile file?” she repeated, with a smile on her face. I proceeded to give her a glimpse into the contents of my smile file by sharing what I had chosen to file and why. I was careful not to share too much, however, because each smile file is unique to the individual. She left our meeting with a mission.
Later that same week, the teacher stopped me in the hallway, excited to share word of an appreciative email she had received from a colleague. As she shared with me, her eyes lit up and her voice had a happy tone. Noticing the effect that this one email had on her, I responded, “Thank you for sharing! Remember to add that to your smile file.”
In the weeks that followed, the smile file became a touchstone for the two of us. As we engaged in reflection during our weekly meetings, we began identifying snippets of the day that made a difference in her outlook. Positivity entered her world as she looked to find what made her smile even in some of the toughest situations. Sentences such as That should go in the smile file and Put that in the smile file became part of our collaborative practice.
Smile files are becoming contagious in my school, just like smiles! From starting with a single teacher, I continued to spread the idea with teachers one by one. We find plenty of evidence of learning that makes teachers smile—sticky notes, reading responses, and revised writing, to name a few things. During before- and after-school chats about life, we celebrate family and friends. Photographs and special moments are added to smile files. Colleagues’ positive feedback to each other from a professional development session brings smiles and is included. This unique reminder to smile is spreading happiness and joy, creating a more positive, inviting learning environment for teachers and students.
Just like the radio deejay spread the word about a smile file over the air that day, I aspire to continue spreading the word at my school. Finding the time to reflect and celebrate accomplishments while wrapped up in the increasing demands of life is what I hope to instill in our building’s culture. The term smile file has become an everyday term, heard throughout our hallways, within our classrooms, and even in our collaboration meetings.
https://choiceliteracy.com/article/smile-file/

Monday Motivator #2 2023-24

 

Encouragement vs Praise for Teachers
https://www.positivediscipline.com/articles/encouragement-vs-praise-teachers

So, what is the difference between encouragement and praise? Praise teaches dependency on external feedback (I'm “okay” if you like what I do, and I feel badly if you don't like what I do), while encouragement teaches internal validation, (I use self-evaluation to determine how I feel about what I do). When you praise students you put the spotlight on the student and when you walk away you take the spotlight with you. When you encourage students, your words go much deeper and hopefully stir up internal motivation that is long lasting.

 

The challenge is that many students like praise—especially if they have not experienced the differences. Recently in an Early Childhood and Development course for high school seniors, the concept of encouragement vs. praise was introduced, and the students immediately piped in with how much they loved praise from their parents and teachers. Who wouldn’t? It feels good to be validated by others. But like too much candy, too much praise can be unhealthy by creating dependence on others and lack of faith in one's self. 

 

Praise can also create a sense of competition among students. A preschool teacher just last week shared an example that illustrates how praise promotes comparisons (and competition), rather than working hard because it feels good. Her students were working on puzzles around the room, and when one student finished he brought the puzzle to her to show his work. She fell into the trap we all do so easily and said, “Wow, great job!”  Immediately, she had three other Pre-K students around her asking her if she liked their work. 

 

Unlike Praise, Encouragement helps students focus on effort, progress, and specifics of the job at hand. In the puzzle example, encouraging words might be: “I can see on your face you enjoy puzzle work,” or “I noticed you really working hard on your puzzle.” These encouraging statements help promote enjoyment in doing the work or putting forth effort rather than seeking adult approval.

 

Many teachers find just a simple tweak of words can make a huge difference in their students’ perseverance when things get tough. Changing “I like” to “I notice” is one easy shift from praise to encouragement. You can also encourage self-evaluation by saying, "I would like to hear what you think first." 

 

Encouragement places the focus on effort and process, rather than adult approval or appraisal. The long term effect of encouragement is that your students will be more independent, motivated, and self-evaluative. Here are some more examples of how you can use encouragement in your classroom:

 

• You figured out how to do that.
• You did it.
• You are learning how to tie those shoelaces. Last week you had trouble getting them tied, but this week you did it without a problem.
• Tell me how you did it.
• I see that you are working hard.
• This is hard for you, but you are sticking with it.
• You searched your mind and came up with something new.

We don't mean to make you feel paranoid about praise, but encourage you to notice this week how often you use praise statements and then think of alternative encouraging statements. Understanding the difference between praise and encouragement can make a big difference in the classroom.

 

Carol Dweck’s research provides support for this important Positive Discipline Tool for Teachers. In Dweck’s studies she shows how praise can have a negative impact on motivation and learning. At Columbia University, and now at Stanford, Dweck has systematically studied praise across many developmental age groups (preschool to graduate school).  Dweck reports that students who were praised for being smart when they accomplished a task later chose easier tasks. These students did not want to risk making mistakes. On the other hand, children who were encouraged for their efforts chose more challenging tasks when given choices.  Focusing on effort and the process rather than outcome or teacher approval is key. Watch an example of this with 5th graders and learn more about Dweck’s research.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXrV0_3UjY