Children learn good character behavior first and foremost by observing how trusted adults behave, such as when a store clerk accidentally gives them too much change and they give back the excess, or when the adult fulfills an obligation when they'd rather be doing something else.
There's an education effort afoot (see Time magazine article) to help students develop character and prepare to be good citizens. Spearheaded by former Clinton White House official and author Eric Liu, the budding movement seeks to enhance academics by teaching students the value of "working hard, sticking with it, respecting others, and finding solutions during conflict."
The goal is to get parents and schools working together to develop character and maximize student success.
This article references other studies that show the importance of character, such as articles in Psychological Science and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that report that self-discipline and perseverance have major impact--as much as double the impact of IQ--on grade point average.
As James Baldwin has said, "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders but have never failed to imitate them." I have long been an advocate of character education. Unfortunately, attention to this movement seems to wax and wane, so I am happy to see that it is again receiving the attention it deserves. Let's give students role models worth imitating.
What key unlocks innovation? For many people, the arts provide an uncanny ability to illustrate abstract concepts and open the mental doors to new ways of looking at problems. Education Week recently reported on experts who are making a case for adding the Arts to STEM--creating STEAM.
The NSF-funded project Art of Science Learning explores how to fortify STEM learning by using the arts. Director Harvey Seifter says, "We believe there is a powerful opportunity here to use the arts and arts-based learning to spark transformational change in science education." He mentions a 2008 study which revealed that Nobel laureates in the sciences were 22 times more likely than scientists in general to be involved in the performing arts--think of Einstein and his violin. Others point to Leonardo da Vinci who, in addition to creating some of the world's most enduring art, also created plans for a wide assortment of innovative machines.
Some schools integrating the sciences with art include projects from elementary grades through high schools such as:
Not all educators are "sold" on STEAM, and early results are mixed. However, I wonder if the integration of the arts in the sciences may help our visually attuned generation of students retain more information and stay interested in attending classes.
"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things." - Steve Jobs
I have met countless students over the years with similar anxieties about math and science.
Sian Beilock, associate psychiatry professor at the University of Chicago and author of the book Choke, has done several studies on performance pressures. Her most recent research measures the brain's reaction when a person is faced with math problems to solve.
"We know that anxiety or fear of math can lead people to perform worse than what they know," said Beilock.
College students' brains were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Beilock determined that students with high math anxiety who were able to access the frontal and parietal portions of the brain--those linked to cognitive control, focus, and regulating negative emotions, were able to perform nearly as well as student with low math anxiety.
Basically, students' performance had less to do with fear than how they dealt with the fear. Interestingly, the portions of the brain in charge of cognitive and emotional control don't fully develop until a person reaches the mid-20s, so the results are even more important for younger students--and perhaps this is why my colleague was able to enjoy and use math more effectively as an adult.
Many teachers know that techniques for addressing anxiety, such as test anxiety, can be taught. I know many who teach their students deep breathing, or to finger-trace a spiral to help them focus.
Beilock says, "Math interventions that address anxiety may be more helpful than those that remediate math skills alone."
In other words, if you know that your students know the material but freeze under pressure, teach them how to handle the stress.
Sian Beilock interview about her book Choke. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcr4ZD-Vrsg
Boston, Dedham, and Dorchester challenge Rehoboth for this honor.
The facts:
Rehoboth - In 1643, a church in Rehoboth voted to support a teacher through taxes. At that time, church and state were one; however, some do not believe that can be considered public support.
Boston - Boston Latin School vehemently asserts that it is the nation's oldest public school, founded in 1635. However, students' education was paid for by donations and rental revenue until 1649.
Dedham - Residents voted to have a tax to support public education in 1644.
Dorchester - In 1639, Dorchester residents voted for rent from a specific property to support a school. Some say the rent is a "proportional property tax."
While I wouldn't dare to take sides in this debate, I am very pleased that towns and cities made public education a priority within 20 years of landing at Plymouth Rock.
News articles:
What impressed me most was that, even though the teacher lacked the tools enjoyed by teachers in the U.S., the students were engaged, attentive, and responsive. They were extremely respectful of visitors like me as well as their teachers and classmates. There were no disruptions or disciplinary issues distracting the teacher from the task of delivering the lesson. Students dressed alike in school uniforms and came to school neat and well groomed. Students always greeted me with "Hello, sir" and sent me off with "Goodbye, sir."
I fear that we often blame teachers and even lack of money for the lack of progress in some of our classrooms. While good teaching and classroom management are key ingredients to successful learning, one should never underestimate the importance of having respectful students who enter the classroom with enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn. These learner attributes greatly assist in overcoming the lack of proper instructional tools and challenging class size. We need to consider the factor of student attitude when we look to explain the poor performance of U.S. students against other countries. Teachers can place high demands on students in terms of school behavior and learning goals, but parents must do their part by sending their children to school eager to learn and understanding the value of knowledge and respect as much as they understand the value of prowess in the arena of athletics.
Click here for photos.
It could be that they are victims of bullying. Bullying has become such a serious issue that the U.S. government now has a website called Stop Bullying.
Children who are being bullied may have trouble sleeping; come home with damaged or missing books, clothing, or other items; or lose interest in schoolwork and other activities. Children who bully others may get sent to the principal's office frequently; have extra money or new belongings they can't explain; or refuse to accept responsibility for their actions.
This excellent site has sections for kids, teens, young adults, parents, and educators. It has a special section on cyberbullying and a dozen cartoon Webisodes (roughly two minutes each) depicting various bullying scenarios, including one in which a mother recognizes that her child is a victim of bullying.
Finally, you can Test Your Knowledge with facts and myths about bullying.
Each year, the company selects one hundred finalists to receive $2,000. The top three receive additional grants of $25,000, $10,000, and $5,000.
This year, Tucson high school math teacher David Kukla is one of the hundred finalists. Kukla is asking students in his algebra, pre-calculus, trigonometry, and AP calculus classes to design (and future classes to implement) a green energy plan to reduce school resource and energy costs.
Previous winners include special education teacher Penelope Singleton, who developed "M.O.S.T.: Meeting Our Standards Together," a program that has general education students helping to adapt standard curriculum resources for the learning impaired; Amanda L. Ratiff,whose project "Do What? - How Safe Is My Water?" teaches students in her rural Kentucky classroom to analyze water safety by testing the dissolved oxygen (DO) content of local streams and water sources; and Robert Ostmann whose tireless work to keep at-risk students in schools includes "LifeWorks Studios," a student-run company that, among other things, produces professional-quality DVDs of school plays, concerts, and other events.
ING will accept applications for the 2012 awards through April 30, 2012.
At Learning A-Z, we believe that children in elementary school need to learn about 9/11 and understand what happened on that dark September day in U.S. history. For this reason, we have developed three separate books on the topic of 9/11: Heroes of 9/11 (Level J), September 11: Always Remember (Level R), and 9/11: A Dark Day (Level Y). Each book has support resources including a lesson plan, a graphic organizer, activity sheets, discussions cards, and a quiz. The mid-level book is free to anyone who visits our Reading A-Z website.
We hope that you will find these books and accompanying resources helpful as you teach your students about this very troubling event. Let others know these resources are available so they, too, have the support materials needed to teach about 9/11.
This data shows that parents, including lower-income parents, are reading with their children, playing with them, and eating dinner with them more frequently than was reported in the previous census. Educators are encouraged by this news, as parent involvement is crucial to success in school.
Reading to and with children is one of the most influential factors in their future reading success. At Learning A-Z, one of our most important goals is to provide affordable and developmentally appropriate reading materials for children to take home and read with their parents.
The census report's finding is heartening news. I hope that in some small way, we at Learning A-Z are contributing to the high-quality interactions between parents and children.
It's also an economic reality that many students have no access to computers in the home, and there are still many schools that have few computers available in the classroom. So how do teachers fulfill the mandate to integrate technology into their lesson plans?
Just in time for the new school year, blogger Jennifer Barnett, who is part of the Teacher Leaders Network, shares some useful ideas in her blog High-Tech Teaching in a Low-Tech Classroom.
She gives specific, concrete examples of how students can share limited resources and still learn how to use technology to complete assignments, including:
"Pass it on" Buddy Method--Students prepare their assignments on paper (such as writing text for a blog entry). The teacher teaches student "A" how to translate the assignment to a digital product, student A teaches B, student B teaches C, and so on.
Group Consensus Method--Small groups of students discuss a topic, and then a member of the group uses a digital tool to report on the group's consensus.
Rotating Scribe Method--Each day, one student uses technology to record the lesson for other students.
Whole Class Method--Large group of students gather around the computer for a group lesson.
She also includes tips and tricks as well as links to tools such as Blabberize, Pirate Pad, iMovie, Brain Pop, and many others.
The Learning A-Z family of websites, including Reading A-Z, RAZ-Kids, Writing A-Z, Vocabulary A-Z, and Science A-Z, also offers proven ways to enhance student learning in high-tech/low-tech ways. If you haven't already tried us, I invite you to visit each website and click on the free samples offered.
David Ginsburg of "Coach G's Teaching Tips" makes a similar point in a recent blogpost. He shares tidbits about two successful adults, each of whom had a humiliating moment at the hands of a teacher when they were young.
Ronald's teacher exposed him to public ridicule when he was 6. Now some 65 years later, Ronald still recalls the incident with pain. Conversely, after Scott's teacher hurt his feelings, the teacher apologized. Scott remembers his teacher with admiration.
Ginsburg makes the point that teachers are human and therefore are likely to make a mistake from time to time. It makes a big difference when the teacher is able to acknowledge the error and make amends.
Now I read about two instances where middle- and high-school students have created fake accounts for their principals on sites such as MySpace. The accounts, to say the least, are not flattering. One portrays a principal as a drunk, the other as a pedophile. Once the parents learned about these "satires," they disciplined their children. The schools went further, and the students were suspended.
Civil liberties lawyers got involved, and the Philadelphia-based appellate court determined that the satires, while mean-spirited, were not created on school property and did not make it more difficult for the principals to do their jobs. The 8-6 vote determined that the suspensions undermined the students' right to free speech.
Eight votes to six. That's a fairly slim margin. Judge Michael Fisher wrote for the dissent: "...The majority misconstrues the facts. In doing so, it allows a student to target a school official and his family with malicious and unfounded accusations about their character in vulgar, obscene, and personal language."
Interestingly, if the students who created these pages were adults, they could be sued for slander. But they aren't. They are children whose thoughtless actions are perhaps even typical for their age group.
But that doesn't mean I have to like it.
Below are links to several articles covering the story:
Time Magazine: Why Students Have a Right to Mock Teachers Online
Education Week Teacher: Mocking Teachers Online: A Student's Right?
Digital Journal: Op-Ed: First Amendment vs. Schools--Students mock principals online
This is a very prestigious award that is highly coveted by all companies that publish educational resources. I am proud of my entire staff and want to salute in particular those in editorial, production, and engineering who were directly responsible for creating such wonderful products.
We have come a long way in the past ten years. This award is wonderful validation that we deliver resources that truly benefit teachers and children.
"The CODiE™ Awards recognize excellence in the business software, digital content, and education technology industries. Through a thorough review of products and services by people who know the industry, the CODiE™ Awards allow companies to validate their products against the competition."
Check Your Head, a six-week program designed by Mental Health America of Colorado (MHAC), is offered as an after-school program at some Colorado high schools, an elective in some charter schools, and a required course for seventh graders at others.
The students explore deejaying, hip-hop, dance, and poetry while developing strategies to cope with stress, identifying positive role models, and making friends with people they might not otherwise have met. Students also explore the "myths and realities of mental health."
"The curriculum is based on factors that have really been demonstrated to help protect students from things like suicide, bullying, [and] substance abuse," said Richard Evaleigh, vice president of programs for MHAC. "By building on those protective factors, we're helping students to protect themselves from negative influences."
The MHAC website describes the program Check Your Head as "a school-based program that encourages young people to explore issues such as self-identity, conflict resolution, depression, and tolerance. The program helps young people identify their mental health needs, communicate their needs to others and find constructive resolutions to the problems they face."
But what about younger students? How do you approach this kind of news? Wall Street Journal blogger Rachel Emma Silverman talked with parents who either struggled with the discussion or shielded their children from the news.
I believe that with younger children, you should follow their lead. If they are curious about bin Laden's death or want to discuss it, you should make time for it. Young people may not know about the 9/11 tragedy but may want to know why people are celebrating this death. Teachable moments for younger students might include the concepts of justice versus revenge and, of course, reassuring them that they are safe.