Thanksgiving

This week’s article summary is School's Private Pop-up Shops Lets Underserved Students Buy Basics With Dignity.

As we all head off for our week-longThanksgiving Break, this article is both inspiring and sobering.

I think we all know that many students in America rely on their schools not only for an education but for the necessities of life, in particular meals.

To think that many kids might not have access to food when schools are closed for Thanksgiving Vacation is a tragic reality in America.

While I was inspired by this particular school’s solution in providing essentials to some of its students, I also shudder at the contrast between these students’ and my life-long advantages and privileges.

I take for granted that I can eat when and what I want. I can afford to eat healthy. (An extra dollar for ‘organically grown' cherry tomatoes? Sure.) I can eat at a restaurant pretty much whenever I want. (Maybe not $$$$ restaurants, but even them on special occasions.)

I know it’s cliché at Thanksgiving to bring up the topic of helping others, but I hope the article below gives us pause to assess our societal obligation to support others who are not as fortunate as we are (for whatever reasons and in whatever ways). The fact the the article is about kids makes me even more both melancholy and militant.

The quote below—from author J. Robert Moskin--was too heavy to read at this morning's assembly (and aimed at adults, not kids), but to me it captures the universality of the human condition and the need to as often as possible take stock of what we are grateful for. (Behind the dark imagery is optimism and hope the vast majority of us around the world and throughout history embrace):

Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness,

Universal to all ages and all faiths.

At whatever straws we must grasp,

There is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings

Enough preaching.  I want to publicly thank all of you for your part in making Trinity the wonderful school it is! I feel very fortunate to be a part of the Trinity community and to have the opportunity to work with all of you. I am awed daily by your talents, energy, selflessness, and kindness!

Enjoy Thanksgiving Break, and, if you happen to be traveling, do so safely!

Joe

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Students require more than just books to succeed in school, and this innovative resource is helping teens in need build confidence both in and out of the classroom.

Administrators and the student government at Washington High School, in Washington, North Carolina, have created an anonymous, in-house shopping experience that provides underprivileged students with basic resources like food, hygienic products, school supplies and clothing.

To eliminate stigma or judgment, students are able to discreetly approach a school administrator to privately take what they need from the shelves, where all items are targeted specifically to teenagers.

“If we want academics to improve, we have to make certain we’re meeting our students’ basic needs,” Misty Walker, the school principal, told The Huffington Post. “We want to strengthen our community, and schooling is just one aspect of that.”

The idea for the pantry came about when Walker realized her students' needs were constantly growing. Though Washington High offers free and reduced meals, some students would not eat their next meal until they were back at school the next day, Walker explained. Students even began coming up to her personally, asking for items like toothpaste and toothbrushes.

As more of these needs began to surface, Walker consulted with Washington High School partner Bright Futures -- an organization focused on school and community development. With the group, school administrators and the student leaders first developed a hygiene closet, and when that was successful, local donors helped expand the service into a school supply closet, food pantry and clothing shop.

“It’s a slightly different concept because we focused really on trying to help our high schoolers, versus the experience of preparing a whole box of food for a family,” Walker said.

To gain access to these resources, students simply speak in confidence with a teacher, counselor or administrator about their needs. A member of the school staff will then take them to shop in the pantries, all of which are located inside the school. This system both provides teens in need with basic resources, and strengthens the school community.

Over the past six weeks the program has been up and running, Walker estimates about 15% of the total student body has utilized the resources. With Thanksgiving approaching, the school is making sure they are fully stocked to ensure students don't have to go without during the long weekend.

“For our students who have a lot of needs, sometimes they’re hesitant to let someone know what their needs are,” Walker explained. “But once they develop a relationship [with a guidance counselor or teacher] and you treat them in a professional, genuine caring manner, it helps build their self esteem”.

Supporting Introverts in the Classroom

This week’s article summary is Engaging the Quiet Kids: Brain Science and the Teaching of Introverts. 

A few weeks ago I sent out an article on introversion, which resonated for many of you.

This article provides some practical advice for how to honor introverted students in your classroom. 

Although the recommendations aren’t all that provocative, the key to me is that we as teachers don’t succumb to the idea that we are striving to develop extroversion in all our students. Remembering we have introverts and ensuring we include some classroom practices for them are part of a comprehensive classroom pedagogy.

Joe

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Why do so many introverts look back on high school as the worst time of their lives – and why do we accept this reality as normal and ‘OK’?

Do teachers have a full understanding of how tough a place an American school can be for introverts?

Do we realize what an extroverted act it is, in the first place, to go to school all day long in a classroom full of people, with constant stimulation, precious few breaks, and almost no quiet time or alone time?

Even for introverted kids who like school, it’s still an over-stimulating environment – not unlike an all-day cocktail party for an introverted adult (but without the alcohol).

Researchers have found that between one-third and one-half of students are introverts, but most teachers think the “ideal” student is an extrovert.

A number of introverts have achieved great success – among them Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, George Orwell, Steven Spielberg, Larry Page, Steve Wozniak, and J.K. Rowling – but their success may have been in spite of their schools.

Introverts differ from extroverts in the way their dopamine-based reward network reacts to external rewards – it’s less activated. Social situations that are energizing for extroverts are exhausting and unrewarding for introverts, who need to be alone to recharge their batteries after stimulating interpersonal interactions.

And while extroverts and introverts are equally warm and loving (dispelling the myth that introverts are somehow antisocial), extroverts are more likely to respond to the reward value of a social situation. As a consequence, they tend to seek positive social attention.

School is tailor-made for them: From grading students for participation (almost exclusively defined as raising one’s hand and speaking, rather than engaging quietly with the material), to an emphasis on cooperative learning and group discussion, to subtle and informal but powerful incentives for being well liked and socially active, schools reward outgoing students and penalize quiet ones.

Below are several ways for schools to right the imbalance:

Rethink grading for participation. The point of grades is to accurately assess students’ learning, not how much they talk in class. We encourage teachers to separate grades for learning from grades for participation. Why not give one grade for mastery of the material and a separate grade for character? The second grade would measure meaningful intellectual contributions, empathy, courage, persistence, listening, and respect for others.

Change classroom dynamics. Teachers should think about orchestrating classroom engagement, defined as how absorbed students are in a variety of tasks. Instead of whole-group discussions, this might involve “think, pair, share” with students reflecting, writing, and then discussing with one other classmate. This is also helpful for extroverts, who benefit from slowing down their thinking and putting a filter between their brains and their mouths. The best classroom structures push both introverts and extroverts out of their comfort zones. Another approach is posting several quotes around the classroom and asking students to engage in a “silent dialogue” about them, rotating from sheet to sheet “conversing” with classmates through their written comments and questions.

 Wait five or ten seconds before calling on students. This gives all students more time to think and shy students a chance to gather their courage.

Use social media in the classroom. Quiet students may have an easier time sharing their thoughts in an online response or blog, which will make them more confident in all-class discussions.

Rethink recess. The notion that all students should restore themselves, each and every day, by running out into a big noisy yard is very limiting, and frankly unimaginative. Students should have the option to play board games or chill by themselves.

Some quiet, please! Extroverts perform better academically in a lively environment while introverts do better when it’s quiet, so there is no one-size-fits-all formula for schools. In order to flourish, quiet students need to have the ability, for at least part of the day, to have some control over the amount of stimulation that is right for them to optimally learn.”

What's Missing in Problem-Based Learning

This week’s article summary is Schools for Wisdom.

This article is a nice counterbalance to last week’s article that lauded the importance of schools developing students' emotional intelligence development, especially in light of technology replacing manual skill work.

To the NewYork Times article's author, David Brooks, when schools overly focus on ‘life skills', they can neglect knowledge content (which, even in our technological age, remains important). He uses project-based learning in a San Diego school as an example of focusing too much on process and not enough on product. (Ironically, at this week’s GISA conference, keynote speaker Tony Wagner in illustrating the importance of the process of learning and student creativity and innovation showed a clip of the documentary, while Brooks below uses the same documentary  to warn about the dangers of too much below student freedom and not enough knowledge content.)

At our opening faculty meeting at pre-planning, I spoke about the importance of schools providing time and attention to both knowledge acquisition and student empowerment. 

Certainly schools need to develop emotional intelligence in their students but they also need to make sure students are proficient in core content and skills. After all, as Robert Sternberg stresses, a solid knowledge base is a prerequisite for intelligence and ultimately wisdom. While Brooks and Wagner may be extreme in their views, best practice, as most of us know, is in the pragmatic middle ground. 

Joe

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Friends of mine have been raving about the documentary “Most Likely to Succeed,” and it’s easy to see what the excitement is about. The film is a bold indictment of the entire K-12 educational system. 

Greg Whiteley’s documentary argues that the American school system is ultimately built on a Prussian model designed over 100 years ago. Its main activity is downloading content into students’ minds, with success or failure measured by standardized tests. This lecture and textbook method leaves many children bored and listless.

Worse, it is unsuited for the modern workplace. 

Information is now ubiquitous. You can look up any fact on your phone. A computer can destroy Ken Jennings, the world’s best “Jeopardy!” contestant, at a game of information retrieval. Our test-driven schools are training kids for exactly the rote tasks that can be done much more effectively by computers.

The better approach, the film argues, is to take content off center stage and to emphasize the relational skills future workers will actually need: being able to motivate, collaborate, persevere and navigate through a complex buffet of freelance gigs.

Whiteley highlights one school he believes is training students well. This is High Tech High, a celebrated school in San Diego that was started by San Diego business and tech leaders. This school takes an old idea, project-based learning, and updates it in tech clothing.

There are no textbooks, no bells marking the end of one period or start of the next. Students are given group projects built around a driving question. One group studied why civilizations rise and fall and then built a giant wooden model, with moving gears and gizmos, to illustrate the students’ theory.

Another group studied diseases transmitted through blood, and made a film.

“Most Likely to Succeed” doesn’t let us see what students think causes civilizational decline, but it devotes a lot of time to how skilled they are at working in teams, demonstrating grit, and developing self-confidence. There are some great emotional moments. A shy girl blossoms as a theater director. A smart but struggling boy eventually solves the problem that has stumped him all year.

The documentary is about relationships, not subject matter. In the school, too, teachers cover about half as much content as in a regular school. Long stretches of history and other subject curriculums are effectively skipped. Students do not develop conventional study habits.

The big question is whether such a shift from content to life skills is the proper response to a high-tech economy. I’d say it’s at best a partial response.

Ultimately, what matters is not only how well you can collaborate in groups, but the quality of the mind you bring to the group. In rightly playing up soft skills the movie underemphasizes intellectual virtues. For example, it ignores the distinction between information processing, which computers are good at, and knowledge, which they are not.

If we want to produce wise people, what are the stages that produce it? First, there is basic factual acquisition. You have to know what a neutron or a gene is, that the Civil War came before the Progressive Era. Research shows that students with a concrete level of core knowledge are better at remembering advanced facts and concepts as they go along.

Second, there is pattern formation, linking facts together in meaningful ways. This can be done by a good lecturer, through class discussion, through unconscious processing or by going over and over a challenging text until it clicks in your head.

Third, there is mental reformation. At some point while studying a field, the student realizes she has learned a new language and way of seeing — how to think like a mathematician or a poet or a physicist.

At this point information has become knowledge. It is alive. It can be manipulated and rearranged. At this point a student has the mental content and architecture to innovate, to come up with new theses, challenge others’ theses and be challenged in turn.

Finally after living with this sort of knowledge for years, exposing it to the rigors of reality, wisdom dawns. Wisdom is a hard-earned intuitive awareness of how things will flow. Wisdom is playful. The wise person loves to share, and cajole and guide and wonder at what she doesn’t know.

The cathedrals of knowledge and wisdom are based on the foundations of factual acquisition and cultural literacy. You can’t overleap that, which is what High Tech High is in danger of doing.

“Most Likely to Succeed” is inspiring because it reminds us that the new technology demands new schools. But somehow relational skills have to be taught alongside factual literacy. The stairway from information to knowledge to wisdom has not changed. The rules have to be learned before they can be played with and broken.