Mystery Science

About a month ago a colleague told me about a website called Mystery Science. The site has great lessons with hands-on activities. You can search for topics or browse by grade level. Best of all, it’s free!

Earlier this week I used a lesson with my students to explore how sound travels. They used paper cups, string, and paperclips to make telephones. Students “talked” through the phones to learn about sound waves. It was an engaging, hands-on activity that really helped them understand how sound travels.

If you teach elementary school, you should definitely check out this website.

Teachers as Leaders

A few years ago my district started a leadership workshop. These were monthly meetings on a range of topics. Leadership has always been an interest of mine, so I signed up for the workshop.

At the first meeting, I looked around the room and immediately felt like a fraud. Most of the people in the room were in leadership roles in the district. I was “just” a fourth grade teacher.

Over the next few months I attended the workshops and eventually got my principal certification. During that time, I thought a lot about those initials concerns. What was I, a teacher, doing in a room full of “leaders” in my district. These were people who were running transportation programs, various buildings, curriculum departments, and other aspects of the school district.

Then a thought occurred to me: I am running a classroom with 26 students. I am running a small company everyday. This requires communication with students from a range of ability and their families. There is daily planning and adjustments as situations arise. I’m responsible for the safety and security of the students in my class. All of this takes leadership.

There are many definitions of leadership and even more characteristics of a great leader. Here are a few qualities from a Forbes article:

  • Sincere enthusiasm
  • Integrity
  • Great communications skills
  • Loyalty
  • Decisiveness
  • Managerial competence
  • Empowerment
  • Charisma

These are all qualities good teachers posses. They are enthusiastic about their subject area and students. They do what is right for all students and guide their classroom with integrity. They communicate with students, families, colleagues, and other stakeholders. They passionately advocate for their students and show an unwavering loyalty in the process. They make as many as 1,500 decisions during a school day. They know and understand the curriculum, the systems in the district, and the other structures necessary to be successful – managerial competency. They empower their students to rise to their greatest potential. They get buy-in from students who, often, are not enthusiastic about school. That takes charisma.

Teachers should never feel inadequate sitting in a leadership workshop because to be a great teacher means you need to be a great leader.

When You Know Better, Do Better

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is, without a doubt, one of the most important writers or our lifetime. Her words and poetry are unbelievably powerful and have impacted so many people in all walks of life. This is my favorite quote from her.

It is what life should be about. Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know something is better, do that instead of what you were doing. This can apply to almost every aspect of life: relationships, nutrition and fitness, parenting, or work.

When I started teaching, literacy was an area where I needed to grow. So, I got a master’s degree in language and literacy. Throughout the coursework, I learned of research and pedagogy that, at times, ran counter to what I was doing in my classroom.

At this point, one of two things could have happened. One, I could have ignored what I learned and kept doing what I was doing, or I could do better now that I knew better. I chose the latter.

This also happened with a behavior system I used in my classroom. Early in my career I had a color coded behavior chart. Every student started the day on green. If there was a behavior issue throughout the day, they’d move to yellow. A second disruptive or off-task behavior and they would have to move to red. There were different consequences for yellow and red. At the time I was thought this was a good practice.

Then I started to reflect on the behavior system, and two things struck me. First, this system didn’t really seem to have any impact on behaviors. The students who were usually on yellow or red, were always the same students. So, moving to yellow or red was not creating the desired behavioral outcomes.

The second thing that changed my mind about my behavior chart was a thought I had during a faculty meeting. What if faculty meetings were structured like our classrooms? What if there was a behavior chart in the faculty meeting? A teacher talks to another teacher… Go clip down to yellow. Not taking notes on what was just said… Clip down to red. I imagined myself getting up, in front of the entire “class” and moving my clothes pin to yellow or red. My stomach churned just thinking about it.

How was a student going to trust me and feel emotionally safe in my classroom if I was making them move to yellow or red in front of their peers? At that point I knew better, so I did better. I never used a color coded behavior chart again.

Teaching is a hard profession. Whether you are a first year teacher or a 25-year veteran, there is always more to learn and ways to improve. I try to learn one new thing each day. This is sometimes a tip I pick up from a colleague, something I read in a book or online, and sometimes the most important lesson I learn are from my students. I’m always trying to learn, so that when I know better, I can do better.

Who I Follow

There are some amazing people on social media. We live in a wonderful time where it is possible to learn from so many wonderful educators, policy makers, and other thought leaders. Here are a few of the people I follow on Twitter. The descriptions are taken directly from their Twitter profile. Information in parentheses I added for further context.

Jo Boaler – Stanford Professor, British Maths Revolutionary, Author: Limitless Mind, Online course experimenter, co-founder: http://youcubed.org & avid Baggies Fan!

Marilyn Burns – Working to make the world better for children through mathematics. I blog at http://marilynburnsmathblog.com

George Couros – The best educators change the trajectories of those they serve. Through learning, teaching, writing, & speaking, I continue to aspire to this. I also love dogs.

Malcolm Gladwell – Skinny Canadian (Journalist and author or books such as The Tipping Point, David and Goliath, Blink, Outliers, and Talking to Strangers.)

Jon Gordon – Best-selling author of 20 books including Energy Bus, Power of Positive Leadership, The Carpenter. Clients: Rams, Clemson FB, Dodgers, Dell, Snap, Heat, Pacers

Adam Grant – Organizational psychologist @Wharton. Books: GIVE AND TAKE, ORIGINALS, OPTION B. Podcast: WorkLife @TEDTalks. Diver. Success is helping others succeed.

John Maxwell – Bestselling author & speaker on leadership. Christian. Blogger. Trainer. Coach. Everything rises & falls on leadership.

Pedro Noguera – Professor of Education, founder @ctschoolsucla. Primary interests: urban education, race and policy, changing the world.

Daniel Pink – Author of 6 books. Father of 3 kids. Husband of 1 wife.

Michael Pollan – Author of How to Change Your Mind; Cooked; Food Rules; In Defense of Food; The Omnivore’s Dilemma; The Botany of Desire and Second Nature.

Kristen Souers – I am a licensed mental health counselor, author, professor and consultant who has dedicated over 25 years to advocating for those impacted by trauma.

Greg Tang – Speaker, Educator, Writer and Online Game Developer. My goal is simple. Help kids become smart, well-rounded people who love to learn!

Todd Whitaker – Focus on Leadership, Teaching, Motivation. Written 50 books inc What Great Teachers Do Differently, Shifting The Monkey, Your First Year, School Culture Rewired

Presidential Thoughts on Education

Since today is President’s Day, I thought it would be interesting to see what some of our country’s presidents have said about education over the years. Here are a few interesting quotes.

The best means of forming a manly, virtuous, and happy people will be found in the right education of youth. Without this foundation, every other means, in my opinion, must fail.

George Washington

Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.

Lyndon Johnson

Think about every problem, every challenge, we face. The solution to each starts with education.

George H. W. Bush

 Knowledge -— that is, education in its true sense -— is our best protection against unreasoning prejudice and panic-making fear, whether engendered by special interest, illiberal minorities, or panic-stricken leaders.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

If you think education is expensive, wait until you see how much ignorance costs in the 21st century.

Barack Obama

Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people may be engaged in. That everyone may receive at least a moderate education appears to be an objective of vital importance.

Abraham Lincoln

Improving Through Systems

Changing a habit is not an easy task. It often involves changing a routine which is all but engrained in our DNA. So what is the best way to make a change stick? One article suggests that creating systems will help you make lasting changes.

According to the article, “A system is a set of steps you take consistently to increases your odds of success regardless of the immediate outcome. A working system allows you to reduce your tasks and actions to a manageable set of inputs and outputs, and establish some predictability.”

If you want to read more, then you should set aside time each day to read. Create a system that works for you. Maybe it is reading 15 minutes before bed each night. Creating that system, where specific time is identified to read, will help ensure that you read more.

Namaste

A few years ago I was having some pretty significant hip pain. It was to the point where I could barely walk, and my orthopedic surgeon was talking about a hip replacement – in my mid-30s. There was rest (I didn’t run for almost three years), physical therapy, pain medication, and even cortisone shots under X-ray, but nothing would ease the pain.

Then I tried yoga. Within a months, my symptoms decreased exponentially. About six months later, I felt almost 100% again. At first, I was doing a half-hour yoga routine on a DVD I purchased. I liked the convenience of doing this in my living room.

Here are a couple of my takeaways from my experience with yoga. First, it is not as easy as it looks. When I watch videos online, most of the yogis make it look so easy and effortless. When I first started practicing yoga, I spent most of my time trying to catch my balance. That improve over time. Second, it does get easier. The first time I tried the half-hour routine, I made it through about five minutes. The next time I made it a few minutes more. Eventually, I was able to complete the entire 30 minute routine. Finally, this is one of the best workouts I’ve ever done. It is a great full-body workout and helps release mental stress. I was very reluctant to try it at first because it was way out of my comfort zone. I grew up playing basketball, baseball, and soccer. This wasn’t macho enough for me. I was completely wrong. This is a real workout.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, a healthy teacher is better able to take care of students. My Friday posts have, accidentally, become centered on health and wellness. Today I had to drive about three hours away. My muscles were extremely stiff when I got out of the car, and the only thing I wanted to do was a couple yoga poses. If you’re limited on time, I think the best yoga pose for the time is Downward Dog. It helps stretch out your hamstrings and strengthen your core. Here’s a quick video of how it works. Hope it helps!

The Valentine’s Day Lesson

One year I had a fourth grader, Jessica, who was noticeably upset the day before our Valentine’s exchange. (I change the names of students in posts for privacy reasons.) When I was able to talk to her privately, Jessica told me she was worried about our exchange. This stopped me in my tracks.

When I was in elementary school, I always looked forward to any holiday party. I vividly remember my dad taking me to the grocery store the night before my fourth grade Christmas part to buy materials to make an ornament. My family still has that ornament. So I couldn’t imagine why Jessica was so worried about what was intended to be a fun time.

She was reluctant at first to tell me what was bothering her. Then I thought about the next day and asked how she felt about our Valentine’s exchange. Her eyes shot down to the ground to avoid making eye contact with me. That’s when I knew what was bothering her.

Jessica was a sweet kid. She had some challenges in life, but still seemed excited to be in class every day until that point in the year. Her parents were not together, and I knew from conversations with dad, that money was tight at the house. On top of this, dad worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.

This was something new to me. I was fortunate to grow up in a middle class house. There was never a time when I didn’t have what I needed for school or a social event in the classroom. It was something I took for granted, even into my adult life. Jessica taught me an important lesson that day. Not all students grow up in the same world and with the same opportunities. Yes, I’d read about this and listened to lectures about it, but having a child dealing with it directly in front of me made it real.

Jessica loved art and showed an interest in crafts, so I decided to use that to our advantage. At recess that day I told her she could invite a friend into our classroom to make Valentines’ cards out of construction paper, markers, tissue paper, and other items we had in the classroom. She created some amazing cards.

The next day in class, as all the students were getting their Valentine’s cards out of their backpacks, Jessica pulled out her handmade cards. She walked around very proud of the cards she made, and she should have been proud of them. They were really well done. At dismissal that day, she walked out of our classroom with an enormous smile on her face. Quite a difference in the last 24 hours.

I think about Jessica whenever we have a classroom party, students are dressing up for a school-wide spirit day, or have to complete an assignment at home. Not all students have the same opportunities. This can create a great deal of stress and anxiety. School should be an environment where students feel comfortable but still have fun.

Today we had our Valentine’s Day exchange in my classroom. I checked with all my students to make sure they had something to distribute. This is supposed to be a fun activity, but one outstanding child taught me that we have to think about all the students and what they can and cannot provide. We have to make sure that we are creating a safe environment for all of our students. We need to make sure that economics or a parent’s schedule does not prevent a student from participating in activities and loving school. Thank you, Jessica, for teaching me this valuable lesson.

Every Kid Needs a Champion

There are times when you just need some motivation to get you through the day or week. When those moments hit me, I usually go to a couple Ted Talks to get me thinking and rejuvenated. Here is one of my favorite Ted Talks about education. This is guaranteed to get you motivated.

The speech, by Rita Pierson, is titled “Every Kid Needs a Champion.” It is a powerful talk and well worth the entire 7 minutes, 30 seconds. Pierson shares a great story about a student who got a 2/20 on an assessment. Instead of marking it “-18” she wrote “+2” to show the student that they got some material correct rather than highlight how much they didn’t know.

My favorite part of the entire speech, maybe my favorite part of any Ted Talk, is the end of Pierson’s speech. “Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be. Is this job tough? You betcha. Oh God, you betcha. But it’s not impossible. We can do this. We’re educators. We’re born to make a difference.”

Amen, Rita Pierson. Amen!

The Power of Positivity

You are teaching in a third grade classroom. Most of the students are on-task except for Benjamin and Emily. Benjamin is talking to anybody and everybody in his immediate vicinity and missing most of the instruction.

Emily is quiet during instruction but starts talking during every transition and is often the last one to get her materials ready for the next part of the day.

There are a couple ways a teacher could address each of these students. One is to give them some form or negative consequence (move down on a color-coded chart, address their negative behavior in the middle of a lesson, take away part of recess). Another option is to use positive reinforcement (acknowledging the positive behavior of the students who are meeting the desired expectations, give some form of positive reward).

This year my school placed an emphasis on school-wide PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports). One of the big shifts focuses on, and rewards, the positive behavior in the building instead of handing out consequences for negative behavior. We give students “money” they can use to buy rewards at a school store. (It’s called Cougar Cash in our building because of our District mascot.)

There are some tangible objects in the store students can buy, like pencils, stress balls, etc. What they really enjoy are the experiences with teachers and staff – sit in the teacher’s desk for the day, help with the morning announcements, or bring a stuffed animal to school. Teachers have also been encouraged to create experiences. For example, I offer lunch with me and three friends, and I provide ice cream. (Side note, I’ve had to run a lot more this school year to work off all the ice cream lunches I’ve had with students.)

New research has found that positive praise is closely correlated to on-task behavior. The study focused on teachers from kindergarten through sixth grade. Researchers observed classes for 20-minute periods and recorded praise, reprimands, and “student on-task behavior.”

When researchers looked at positive praise and on-task behavior, they found a linear relationship. The more praise students received, the more they were on-task. According to the study, “any increase of teachers’ PRR (praise-to-reprimand ratio) appears to lead to increased students’ on-task behaviour in elementary school classrooms.”

Teachers are usually encouraged to have a praise-to-reprimand ratio of 3:1 or 4:1. This research, however, suggests that teachers can praise students at a ratio greater than 4:1 and will continue to see an increase on-task behavior.

I’ve seen this work first-hand. There are two primary students in our building who walk past my room every day to go to intervention. Actually, it was more like skipping past my room. The first time I saw the two students, I told them how important it was to slow down, so they wouldn’t get hurt. The next day, they were skipping again. We had a similar conversation, but this time I told them I was hoping to catch them walking the right way the next day, so I could give them some Cougar cash. What do you think happened the next day? The two boys were the textbook example of how you should walk in the hall. They were quiet, in a straight line, and, most importantly, walking. I gave them each some Cougar Cash, and told them how proud I was to see them walking in the hallway. The next day the intervention teacher stopped to tell me how pleased the two children were to receive the positive reinforcement.

Let’s revisit that third grade classroom and think of how to address Benjamin and Emily. The research shows that highlighting the positive behaviors in the classroom will go much farther than pointing out Benjamin and Emily’s negative behavior. Instead of reprimanding them, let’s give students around them praise and reward. It will help the entire classroom, the teacher, and Benjamin and Emily.