We teach students not just content

Over the past few weeks these two posts have popped up several times in my social media feeds:

And I'm reminded once again that we don't just teach subjects, we don't just teach content, we teach students.

I can have the best lesson plans, and the newest resources, and the fanciest technology but if I can't connect with kids, then it's all for naught.

So as the pressure builds to 'cover all the curriculum' before the end of the school year, take a moment to remember what's really important - the relationships that you are building with your students. Years from now, they may not remember every lesson you taught, but they will remember that you cared.

Beyond Behaviour Charts

In my work as a consultant, I wish I had thought of using a behaviour chart like this with educators.  What better way for them to see and feel the impact that this approach can have on student engagement and motivation. Imagine if at your next staff meeting your administrator called you out in front of all of your colleagues and made you move your clip for scrolling through email on your cell phone, digging through your purse, or talking to the educator seated next to you.  And imagine how much more upset you'd be if your transgressions were actually work related - checking email for a field trip confirmation, looking for a pen to write notes during the meeting, talking to your colleague about the meeting content!

Behaviour charts do not help educators to determine the underlying causes of behaviour.  Instead of dealing with the problem, we are only reacting to the symptom.  If we don't address the cause, the 'problem behaviour' is most likely going to continue to happen.  So the child who is rummaging through their desk when the teacher is teaching a lesson - maybe they are looking for a pencil because it helps them to remember instructions if they write them down, maybe they need a fidget toy in their hands to help them listen - we'll never know if we don't ask.

And while behaviour charts may shame students into compliance, they do not help students to develop skills they need to be successful in school and life, like self-regulation.  Often, instead of focusing on the behaviour, the use of behaviour charts focuses on the child. The child who is frequently moving their stick into yellow or red is seen by their classmates and, often in their own mind, as 'the bad kid.'  

See Aviva Dunsiger's great blog post on this idea: When and How Do Perceptions Matter?

For the child who is seldom asked to move their clip, having to do so can impact their learning for the rest of the day.

So what can educators do instead of using behaviour charts?

• when thinking about student behaviour, ask 'why and why now?'  All behaviour is communication, so what is the student telling us with this behaviour? 
• reframe behaviour: Is this stress behaviour or misbehaviour?
• keep conversations about behaviours private, when possible
• build community in the classroom rather than compliance. A great resource for this is Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Community by Alfie Kohn or the articles listed below
• help students to develop skills of self-regulation in age appropriate ways. What does calm feel like? How does being calm help them learn? What helps them to feel calm? What are classroom appropriate ways that they can use to manage their energy states, emotions, behaviour and attention in ways that are socially acceptable in the school and classroom context?
• read and reflect on our own practice.  

Here are some articles that discuss why to remove behaviour charts as well some alternatives to use instead. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments or to send them to me in a DM. 

Tear Down Your Behaviour Chart by L. Jung and D. Smith, Educational Leadership, September 2018

Hey Teachers, Stop Using Behaviour Charts. Here's Why from PBS

Death to the Behaviour Chart! 3 Reasons to Resist the Lure of Punishments and Rewards - Education Week Teacher

5 Reasons I'm Against Behaviour Charts (What I Do Instead) from WeAreTeachers.com

When Behaviour Charts Don't Work, Throw Them Out from Edutopia

Step Away From The Stickers - a previous blog post I wrote for the MEHRIT Centre

NOTE: Jon's original tweet generated a lot of discussion on Twitter and, if you follow him, you can see the responses he posted to clarify his Tweet.  His post, and my blog, are not meant to blame and shame teachers but to prompt educators to reflect on what we do, why we do it, and the impact our actions may have on our students. 

Most read posts of 2018

The three most read blogs from Opening Doors for Learning in 2018 were:

Why Do People Come To Work When They Are Sick?: my own wonderings about why people who wouldn't send their child to school when they are sick come to work when they are so sick that they should be home.  Why????  This post generated lots of discussion on social media and I posted a reflection on some of the responses in a later blog post.

Class Lists - Reframing That Child:  a reflection the discussions that often ensue in June as class lists are being created for the coming school year, and a reminder to view all children with 'soft eyes', even the child who hits, or kicks, or misses so much school that their learning is fragmented.  

Resources for World Down Syndrome Day: a list of resources for educators for World Down Syndrome Day which is held each year on March 21. 

I think it's very positive that two of the three most read posts were about creating schools and classrooms that are inclusive for all students, while the other challenges us to rethink our beliefs about ourselves and our role in the classroom.

The Importance of Risky Play for All Students

"Bravery is learned, and like anything learned, it needs to be practiced."
                 Caroline Paul


I saw this brief video clip of Caroline Paul, former firefighter and now best-selling author, on Facebook recently and was thinking about another post I had seen about the importance of risky play for children.

(Text of this sign: 

Risk & Play: When you take a risk, your brain changes. Do you remember climbing to the top of a tree? Or swinging as fast as you could until you felt like you might fall off? These risks are more than fun - they help brains develop. Risky play combines fun and stress - turbo-charging brain development.

It can be stressful to climb to the top of the tower if you haven't done it before but learning to handle that stress will make you more resilient under future pressures.

Risky play develops your executive function, the parts of your brain in charge of decision-making. Deciding whether or not to jump off something tests the limits of your judgement. The only way to learn to make good decisions is by practicing making decisions.

Bumps and scares are the vivid feedback you need to improve your judgement. Thankfully, you'll get better and your brain will have developed from the experience).

Risky play does not mean that we are putting children in danger. It means we are allowing them to push themselves and feel a bit of fear, and then overcome that fear. To climb, to jump, to hang upside down, to run so fast it feels like you might fall over, to swing so high that it feels like you just might go right over the top of the swing set!

Do we socialize our girls to avoid risk while encouraging boys to engage in risky play? What lessons are our students taking from our messages around risky play?

The full video of Caroline's TED Talk can be viewed below:

As educators, we need to be mindful - do we provide opportunities for girls and boys to engage in risky, physical play?  We want to ensure that all students will be resilient, confident risk-takers.

For more research on this topic, check out these online books and articles:

The Overprotected Kid - The Atlantic

No Fear - Growing up in a risk aversive society by Tim Gill

Is it our fears that are stopping kids? - Aviva Dunsiger

Online Learning Communities

There are many advantages to online learning and to online teaching. As an online student, I have the flexibility to engage in learning whenever and wherever I want. I have had the opportunity to learn together with people from across the globe in a range of contexts - private schools, international schools, small rural schools in Northern communities and schools in large urban centres. I have been able to learn from some of the top experts in the field from around the world.

But the sense of community and connection in online classes varies, and I've experienced this both in online classes that I've taught and online classes where I participated as a student.

Recently, I completed two long-term online classes as a student - a three year online doctoral program from Western University and the Self-Regulation Facilitators course from The MEHRIT Centre which took about 18 months. In both classes, a range of strategies helped us to build community and connections, even though we never met in person.

At the #BIT2018 conference in Niagara Falls this November, I am facilitating a Learning Spaces conversation around the topic of Building Community in Online Classrooms. I'm looking for ideas from both the perspective of the teacher and the participants about How do you build a sense of community in an online classroom?

Some strategies from my own experience:

1. Small group size. At Western, our cohort of 13 students remained together during the entire three years so it was easy to get to know one another.  At the MEHRIT Centre, when I teach the Foundations Courses, I typically have an average of 15 students. Even though the courses are only 6 weeks long, I still have time to get to know each student.

2. Online video classes. In addition to our online discussion boards, readings and assignments, our courses at Western included several video conferences each semester using Blackboard Collaborate.  Timing these was problematic, as we had students in China, Qatar, Tanzania, Alberta, and Mexico.  If the video conference was at 8 pm, then it was 3 am for the student in Tanzania and 8 am in China. But these video conferences allowed us to chat with our instructors and one another in small groups.

3. Group Work.  When I saw that we were required to do some group assignments in our courses at Western, I was hesitant.  But the group work assignments were really helpful. Even though we had to deal with time differences and technology challenges, we got to know one another.  One of our assignments was to read a section of each person's major paper, and give them feedback. My partner and I had two Skype meetings; we spent more time talking about the program and the course assignments in general than giving feedback, but that it was good to be able to have that conversation. However, not all group work assignments build community. One of our group assignments for Western had us working in a group of 7.  There were 6 questions so each of us took one question, and posted our answer on a google doc.  The last person to pick was assigned the task of editing for clarity and continuity, and then presenting our group's work to the class.  I didn't really get to know anyone in my group during that assignment.

4. Social Media. Both the Western EdD group and the MEHRIT Centre facilitators group have a Facebook page. Not everyone has joined, but those who have are able to connect informally on Facebook to share resources, ask questions and stay in touch. I also follow online colleagues on Twitter and Instagram, and share ideas there as well.

What other strategies for building an online community have you experienced, either as a student or as an instructor?

How do we build a collaborative learning community in an online environment?

Please share your ideas!  


Update:
Doug Peterson and Stephen Hurley had a very interesting conversation about this blog post on This Week In Ontario Edublogs, which you can listen to at the archives on VoicEd.ca


Their conversation prompted me to think more deeply and write another blog post on this topic.

Stuck in First Gear

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

Robert Burns

In a recent blog post, The Slow Horse Out of the Gate, Eva Thompson shared her reflections on the start of the school year.  As you may guess from her title, it's not off to the start she had hoped for despite careful planning and preparation. And it's not going as well as she remembers Septembers past. She reflects on why that may be and then decides that she must shake off September and move forward into October with positivity.

Her post brought back memories of my first year teaching a Grade 2/3 combined class.  I had been teaching kindergarten for nine years and, for a range of reasons, wanted a change.  I ended up with a new assignment at a new school. New colleagues, new community and lots of new curriculum to learn. That same fall I started my masters degree.

I spent the summer planning and as the new school year started, I felt confident and prepared.  That feeling lasted only a few days.  The Language Arts and Math lessons I had planned were not at my students' level.  I had to quickly adjust and readjust as I began to get to know my students' strengths and areas for growth.

My carefully developed classroom set up was disrupted when new desks arrived.  I had no idea they had been ordered, and while grateful for the shiny new furniture, they were significantly larger than the previous desks.  The desks took up classroom space I had already dedicated to other learning centres.

Like Eva, I had to shake off my September struggles and forge ahead into October with new desks and new long range plans.  I signed up for professional learning sessions for teaching math and writing, and found a grade 3 teaching mentor who supported me throughout that year.  I was a year of remarkable growth and learning, for the students and for me as a teacher.

What strategies have you used when rebounding from a less than satisfying start to the school year?

Note: I found Eva' blog from Doug Peterson's post: This Week In Ontario Edublogs.  Thanks Doug!

Despite seeing this image many places online, I cannot find
a citation for it. Let me know if you have one!

Self-Regulation and Play-based Learning

Enter any kindergarten classroom and you will see children engaged in different types of play – painting at the easel, sculpting play dough, splashing at the water table, playing house in the dramatic play centre.  Some children stay for long periods at one centre, while others move from place to place. The teachers circulate through the room, talking with the children and supporting their play.

Why a play-based program? Children are naturally curious and play allows them to explore, create, build, wonder and ask questions. In kindergarten, educators set up the classroom so that children are actively learning language, math, science and more through play.

How does a play-based kindergarten program help children to develop self-regulation? Just as play is a natural way for young children to learn language and math, it is a natural way for them to deal with and recover from stress.  Kindergarten educators provide many different materials and play spaces in the classroom, and allow the children to decide where they want to play and for how long. With support from the adults in the classroom, children learn which play materials help them to feel calm and which energize them.

The children at the block centre use lots of energy as they carry the blocks and move around in the zoo they have created. Their teacher knows that this will help them to be calm when it’s time to sit for lunch, as they will have released so much energy during play.

The young boy sitting quietly in the book centre is learning to self-regulate.  He has found a place in the classroom where he feels safe and calm. A recent arrival to Canada from Syria and just beginning to learn English, he isn’t ready to play just yet. 

By playing with different materials in the classroom, children learn to self-regulate.  They learn to recognize when they feel stressed and which activities will help them to feel calm. They move away from play areas that they find too loud or stressful, and choose play that meets their needs. Each student is unique, and what is calming for one student may not be calming for another student. One child may find working with play dough calming, while another child may prefer to pour sand at the sand table. With so many materials to choose from in a play-based kindergarten program, each child can find what works best for them!

(Revised -original version can be found in Self-Reg Parenting, Volume 1; Issue 3)

Make It Happen

Doug Peterson's recent blog post pointed me in the direction of a blog by George Couros in which George shared a flow chart for making initiatives happen:

He proposes four steps to make things happen:
1. Identify what you want to do
2. Find someone else who is doing it and learn from them.
3. If number two doesn't work, figure out how to make it happen yourself.
And most importantly:
4. Want to make it happen.


Doug proposed an even simpler flow chart:

I'm sure that there are people who will say, "Yes but......"

I get that this flow chart is perhaps an oversimplification.  But that's a good thing! If we want to make things happen, then we may have to stop making them overcomplicated.  Not every change requires a task force, a committee, a feasibility study.  Sometimes, to make things happen, you just need a person or a group of people who are 100% committed to making it happen. 

Yes, we need to think about barriers and issues, and there may be policies and procedures that we have to follow, but we don't always have to wait until an idea has been examined from every possible angle, with every 't' crossed and every 'i' dotted, before proceeding. 

Here's one small example:

A grade 6 teacher had a class with many students who seemed to have great difficulty in paying attention in class. They were fidgeting, with a myriad of excuses for getting up - sharpening their pencils, getting a drink, borrowing an eraser from a friend, etc.  After checking with her principal, she used some classroom funds to purchase three large yoga balls for alternate seating.  She discussed the purpose of the yoga balls with the class - they were to help them learn, not for playing. The teacher and the students devised a schedule - the day was divided into three 100 minute blocks so every 100 minutes, three different students could have a turn using the yoga ball as a seat. Students were free to pass, if they didn't want a turn.

The impact on student learning was immediate. Students who were formerly 'wanderers' were now able to stay focused. And students who had been quiet and not participating began to participate when they were sitting on the yoga balls.  It seemed the yoga ball seats helped down-regulate some students and up-regulate others.

After about six weeks, the students wrote to the principal, advocating for funds for more yoga balls and explaining how the yoga balls had impacted their ability to learn. 

This teacher saw a need, she figured out what she thought would be best for her learners, and she made it happen.

The First Follower

Often when people learn about self-regulation, they begin this journey with a goal of helping others – students in their class, their own children – but what ends up happening is that self-reg impacts their own life as well. When we start to see others with soft eyes, we turn that same lens on ourselves.  Instead of chastising our own lack of self-control and willpower, we ask ourselves “Why this behaviour and why now?”

And once we realize what a profound impact self-regulation is having on our lives and our relationships with others, we want to share self-reg with everyone!!! Principals want to share it with their staff, teachers want to share it with colleagues and parents want to share it with other parents.

At the Self-Regulation Summer Symposium, Catherin Lethbridge spoke about this during her presentation: “From a single tweet to system-wide implementation….lessons learned.”  In her work as a school administrator, she fundamentally believed that the well-being of students is directly linked to the well-being of the adults in the building. She knew that if self-regulation was to take hold in her school (and later across the entire district) that she had to begin with the adults. Adults are the ones who help students by co-regulating, and you can’t help someone else if you are dysregulated yourself.

But she also knew that to shift the paradigm from behaviour management to self-regulation, she had to issue an invitation, not a demand. She believed that this type of paradigm shift would occur, not as the result of a top-down mandate, but by creating a group of people who willing to join in the learning.

Catherin shared this video of The First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy to illustrate her point:

As a leader who is looking to share a vision, whether that vision is self-regulation, inquiry based learning, or some other shift in thinking and practice, we don’t need management to mandate everyone on board.  Mandates often lead to superficial implementation, not long-lasting, deep implementation. We need to create invitations and find those first followers, who will then help to create a space where others feel safe to join.

When our board introduced Interactive White Boards many years ago, we began with four primary teachers who didn't have a lot of technology experience but who accepted an invitation to be part of this project. Initially they received support from Doug Peterson, myself and other members of our program department, but quickly they took ownership of their own professional learning. Just like the self-reg learners, these four teachers, our first followers, became advocates and started offering workshops in our board and across the region to share their enthusiasm about IWBs as a powerful teaching and learning tool.

Think about your vision for change. Who are the people inside and outside of your school, your community or your organization?  How are they engaged in the work? Might some of them be your first followers?