A “Bubble” Called School

Our students live in a bubble called school.  They are sheltered, protected, and innocent.  While our IB MYP and bubblesDiploma Program strive to develop internationalism in our students and strengthen their learner profile attributes, our students are sheltered from so many realities of the world.  I am worried.

There is a war against ISIS, a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, Boko Haram steals “our girls” in Nigeria, Egypt is struggling as democracy has slipped away, the intractable Israeli/Palestinian problem persists, Ebola devastates parts of West Africa, climate change threatens the globe.  Wars, beheadings, kidnappings, disease, and natural disasters: where do you start with generating understanding?  It struck me the other day that there are probably students of mine who are viewing some of the graphic videos posted on youtube coming out of the middle east.  How do they make sense of this violence?  I am worried.

What do our students know (and care) about these challenges in the world?  As we develop and nurture our students as critical thinkers, problem solvers, and inquirers who are compassionate and empathetic, how are we helping them learn about and make sense of current events, current news stories, and the state of the world?

My hunch is that some of our students have an idea about the events around the world.  However, most middle and high school students are so caught up in their own worlds of social engagement with peers that dismissing the news is easy to do.  Most are probably innocently naïve about events in the world.  Frankly, and in my Continue reading

“Learning for All” Includes Parents!

Everyone in a school community is learning.  That’s the bottom line.  Clearly students are learning (we hope!) and, in my schools where I am determined to lead, teachers are learners.  If they aren’t learning, they aren’t on the essential path of continuous improvement.   As well, and equally important, parents should be learning.  Parents should be engaged as learners and much of this ongoing learning can, and should, be focused upon their children.  The art and science of parenting is often described as the most difficult job one will ever love.  For non-parents, it might be hard to get one’s head around that last sentence!

So, if parents need to be learners where do they learn about their kids and parenting?  I do remember when my kids were young (they’re now in their 20’s) and our bedside tables were loaded with parenting books.  They were of some use, some of the time.  For me, the best learning came from conversations.  Conversations with my wife, conversations with friends with kids, and conversations among other adults who concurrently shared the challenge of parenting. It didn’t matter if we were good friends or shared similar values, expectations, or approaches to parenting.  What mattered in those conversations was that we shared the love of parenting. You learn alot from listening to others talk about the challenges they face as parents.  In my experience as a school Principal, just about all parents care deeply about what lies ahead for their kids and how best to respond as parents.  Many are open and eager to engage in conversations to explore ideas and hear about the approaches from others.

I have facilitated numerous parent discussions in workshops and evening presentations over the past 15 years.  I believe schools have an obligation to support parents in their learning.  Promoting evening workshops facilitated by administrators, teachers or counselors is always appreciated and always provides strong support for parent learning.  Moreover, it builds bridges between the school and the parent community. It is important!

Last week, our counselors facilitated another such evening (I contributed to a degree).  Below is a .pdf of the presentation. It’s worth reviewing.

ParentingTeens-LCSNov2013 pdf

As well, I believe in trying to provide solid resources to parents.  There is so much online for parents to review.  Here’s an absolutely terrific site for parents.  So much is addressed within this site and this organization.  It is rich with potential.   Here’s the Common Sense link:

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents

This web site is a truly excellent site!  As well, check out the links on my blog for parents and students. There are many resources that I have tried to identify for parents and students.

Finally, another site that I found through my twitter feed in recent days is this:

http://dreamweavelearn.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/the-question-of-when/

This has little to do with direct parenting, but it is a really interesting site, very provocative!  I’ve been passing it along to teachers and colleagues in recent days.

Stay connected and continue to communicate with your friends, your school, and, most importantly, your children.  Communication, honesty, trust, integrity are the essential ingredients. Ensuring there is a communicative relationship is the most important advice and the most essential skill in the tough job description of parenting!

Finally, yet another link to a brilliant article that every parent should read is this one:

Passion of Parenting 

If you take anything from this blog post as a parent, take this article!

What do you do to grow your knowledge and understanding of parenting? Who are your resources?  If you are an administrator, are you connecting and supporting parents in their challenging roles? If you are a parent, with whom are you exploring ideas and approaches?  How are you learning and making those connections?

Motivation, Self Directed Learning & Resilience

In two weeks our Grade 12 students will participate in a special workshop led by Mr Lance King (www.taolearn.com).  The title of the workshop is Building Exam Confidence. Mr King is known for his provocative thinking around teaching and learning.  He focuses an audience on supporting students in becoming lifelong learners who regulate their own learning and learn independently. In a workshop for teachers last year, he challenged educators to clarify the “real purpose, the overall aim of school”.   Is it about getting into a good college? Is it about finding a good job? Is it about producing life long learners?  How do we help students become intrinsically motivated for learning?  What’s the role of teachers in supporting students in becoming independent, self directed learners?

In his faculty presentation he highlighted three important areas for students to really develop.  These were self belief (also known as self-efficacy), strategies for learning how to learn (learning how to reflect on strengths and chart an individual learning path), and learning how to “fail well” (learning to be resilient and reflective).

How do you develop the self-belief that you are capable of achieving success?  For some it’s about seeing role models around them, someone who helps establish aspirations.  Supporting the development of self-confidence and self-worth in students is an essential part of the work of a parent and a teacher.

As an individual, how do you respond to learning challenges?  How do you learn best?  How do you respond to the challenge of learning something new?  How do you react to challenges?

  • What is the hardest thing you have ever done?
  • What is your strategy to do something hard?
  • How did you get yourself to do that hard thing?
  • Can you analyze your strategy and break it down?

Thinking about how you learn best is part of becoming an independent learner.

How motivated to learn are you? How do you respond when you aren’t successful?  Do you want to overcome obstacles? How resilient are you?  Do you  FAIL WELL when you don’t achieve the goal you set for yourself?  In his research, he found students who “fail well”:

  1. acknowledged they had some failure,
  2. looked back at their failure,
  3. analyzed results,
  4. analyzed strategy,
  5. put in place a new strategy and had another go.

They did not blame the school, or the system, or others.  They moved forward without getting caught up in the drama of failure.

In his upcoming workshop for students, the focus will be upon developing confidence, specific strategies for learning, and resilience in the face of challenges to cope with the academic workload and demands of the IB.  Challenging yourself and overcoming obstacles in your learning journey is important.  Schools must create safe places in order to allow students to accept challenge, fail with challenge, and recover to learn from setbacks.  Very few people find success in life without feeling “knocked back” at some point or other.

The timing of challenges for Grade 12 students is ripe for a focused workshop experience that will give students an opportunity to reflect and consider what lies ahead in the very near future!  The first semester of Grade 12 is a notorious time during which layers of challenge are placed upon already weighted shoulders.  How you respond and manage provides multiple opportunities for learning.

 

 

 

Mentors Matter

I’ve been thinking about mentors lately.   At the outset of every school year I stress the importance of building relationships around the school.  Relationships need to be nurtured with students, colleagues, parents, and so on.  In particular I stress the imperative that students must feel cared for and guided by their teachers, and valued by their classmates.  This is essential.  I want every student to feel that there is an adult in their world that they can seek out for a conversation, for advice, for a moment of listening.   I don’t often use the word mentor when I think about these relationships.

Building relationships and being a good listener are foundational to mentoring but mentorship is far more.

It’s not about friendship.  Mentors teach.  Whether it is through role modeling, offering advice, or challenging one’s beliefs and thinking it is about teaching and learning.  It is about being pushed to consider alternatives or future directions. From learning a specific skill to mapping out future choices, mentors engage in significant and potentially life changing experiences for their mentees.  While that sounds pretty “heady” and serious, it’s not something that happens overnight or without an amount of relationship building to begin with.

I’ve been thinking about mentors as I watch my two sons, both in their 20’s, navigate their worlds.  My oldest son graduated from college, took a low paying volunteer type job with AmericCorps and ended up working in an office surrounded by interesting people.  He ended up working closely with an individual who grew into his mentor.  Over the course of the year, he Continue reading

Ten Tasks of Adolescense

Over the years one collects various expressions, articles, and handouts that are timeless for their value.  The print may fade over the years but their place on my bulletin board above my desk remains.  One such article/handout has been with me for about 10 years, always on my bulletin board.  The “Ten Tasks of Adolescense” is a great reminder of the challenges middle and high school kids face on a daily basis.    Just as a parent watches the growth of their own child over the years, teachers gain levels of satisfaction in watching the development of their students over time.   When you think of the challenges that kids face in

Building Relationships over Lunch!!

Building Relationships over Lunch!!

navigating day to day, week to week, year to year experiences as their minds and bodies are changing so rapidly, the role of schools and of teachers becomes so special.  To be a great teacher, you must be tuned into these adolescent tasks.  To be a great teacher you must be focused upon the relationships you are nurturing with students.  Adolescent life is full of challenge and opportunity, great teachers maximize both.

Have a read of the 10 Tasks of Adolescents.  At the bottom is an interesting extract focusing upon the importance of relationships between adults and students in schools.

The Ten Tasks of Adolescence

From Raising Teens, A Synthesis of Research and a Foundation for Action, a. Rae Simpson, Harvard School of Public Health 

Adjust to sexually maturing bodies and feelings Teens are faced with adjusting to bodies that as much as double in size and that acquire sexual characteristics, as well as learning to manage the accompanying biological changes and sexual feelings and to engage in healthy sexual behaviors. Their task also includes establishing sexual identity and developing the skills for romantic relationships.
Develop and apply abstract thinking skills. Teens typically undergo profound changes in their way of thinking during adolescence, allowing them more effectively to understand and coordinate abstract ideas, to think about possibilities, to try out hypotheses, to think ahead, to think about thinking, and to construct philosophies.
Develop and apply a more complex level of perspective taking. Teens typically acquire a powerful new ability to understand human relationships in which, having learned to “put themselves in another person’s shoes, they learn to take into account both their perspective and another person’s at the same time, and to use this new ability in resolving problems and conflicts in relationships.
Develop and apply new coping skills in areas such as decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Related to all these dramatic shifts, teens are involved in acquiring new abilities to think about and plan for the future, to engage in more sophisticated strategies for decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution, and to moderate their risk taking to serve goals rather than jeopardize them.
Identify meaningful moral standards, values, and belief systems. Building on these changes and resulting skills, teens typically develop a more complex understanding of moral behavior and underlying principles of justice and care, questioning beliefs from childhood and adopting more personally meaningful values, religious views, and belief systems to guide their decisions and behavior.
Understand and express more complex emotional experiences. Also related to these changes are shifts for teens toward an ability to identify and communicate more complex emotions, to understand the emotions of others in more sophisticated ways, and to think about emotions in abstract ways.
Form friendships that are mutually close and supportive Although youngsters typically have friends throughout childhood, teens generally develop peer relationships that play much more powerful roles in providing support and connection in their lives. They tend to shift from friendships based largely on the sharing of interests and activities to those based on the sharing of ideas and feelings, with the development of mutual trust and understanding.
Establish key aspects of identity Identity formation is in a sense a lifelong process, but crucial aspects of identity are typically forged at adolescence, including developing an identity that reflects a sense of individuality as well as connection to valued people and groups. Another part of this task is developing a positive identity around gender, physical attributes, sexuality, and ethnicity, and as well sensitivity to the diversity of groups that make up society.
Meet the demands of increasingly mature roles and responsibilities Teens gradually take on the roles that will be expected of them in adulthood, learning to acquire the skills and manage the multiple demands that will allow them to move into the labor market, as well as to meet expectations regarding commitment to family, community, and citizenship.
Renegotiate relationships with adults in parenting  (and other) roles Although the tasks of adolescence has sometimes been described as “separating” from parents and other caregivers, it is more widely seen now as adults and teens working together to negotiate a change in the relationship that accommodates a balance of autonomy and ongoing connection, with the emphasis on each depending in part on the family’s ethnic background.

The Relationships Gap

Looking closer at students’ perspectives has shown us that strong relationships with teachers are crucial. The quality of teacher relationships seems to be correlated to how much effort students put forth in their school work, and indeed, research indicates that effort is more important than innate ability when it comes to achievement (Dweck, 2006). As both the number of standardized tests and the stakes related to passing them increase, student effort must keep pace.

Our survey results imply that building relationships with students help increase their effort, which is consistent with research showing that the relationships students have with teachers is one of the best predictors of hard work and engagement in school (Osterman, 2000). When comparing responses of students who agreed with the statement, “ I put forth my best effort at school” with those who did not, we saw dramatically different perspectives on student-teacher relationships. Students who said they put forth their best effort were twice as likely as students who said they did not to agree with the statement, “Teachers care about me as a individual.” Similarly, students who said they put forth their best effort were twice as likely to agree that “Teachers respect students.”

Another telling survey finding was that 56 percent of students who reported that they put forth their best effort also said they have a teacher they can talk with if they experience a problem, whereas only 32 percent of the students who did not put forth their best effort agreed with this statement.

Some survey results indicated that many students lack a solid, trusting relationship with a teacher. For example, only 45 percent of students surveyed agreed that “Teachers care if I am absent from school.” How is it that more than half of the almost 500,000 students surveyed do not believe teachers care if they show up? Teachers must work harder to develop relationships with students and change these kinds of perceptions. Doing so will foster students’ connectedness at school — an undeniable catalyst for increasing students’ investment in learning.

Schools can — and should — implement practices that lead to strong teacher-student relationships.

Excerpted from Got Opportunity?

Russell J. Quaglia, Kristine M. Fox and Michael J. Corso; Middleweb, Norton@middleweb.com

Another School Year Ends….an important assembly

Congratulations to all of us for getting to the end of another school year.  The end is always a busy time with lots of activity.  From the activities with the Grade 12 students that culminated with graduation on May 24 to final exams a week later to sports day to the final couple of assemblies and then……it’s good-byes all around, some permanent and some temporary until August.   It is an emotional time.  It is important to feel emotion when a good friend is leaving or a teacher you respect is moving on, that means the relationship has value in your life.

I appreciated the last few days of school.  In particular I appreciated the final assembly.  The final assembly allowed us to acknowledge and send off all of our Grade 6-11 students who are leaving LCS.  Every year students leave…..and it is emotional.  We also farewelled 12 teachers.  Students did a great job in farewelling the teachers.  Students, through their claps and cheers and expressions of “we will miss you” created an atmosphere of appreciation that sent a powerful message to their teachers.  These relationships matter.  All students should know that these relationships matter to all of the teachers as well.  Teachers care deeply about their students.

A school is just an empty set of classrooms until students and teachers show up.  Then relationships are built, connections are made.  It is in the power of the learning amongst teachers and students in schools that real change happens.

I hope and trust students have finished the school year in strong fashion and that you are prepared to enjoy the next couple of months and, most importantly to me, that you are well rested to begin again in August. There will be many new students, new courses, and new ways to explore options and interests.  For right now, on a Sunday night at the close of the first weekend of summer vacation, enjoy the horizon of time that stretches in front of you.  I will be sending periodic posts in the coming weeks. I want you to read my posts!!! Maybe, if you are so motivated, you will even leave a comment!

Leaning Forward with Technology at LCS

Technology is integral to learning at LCS.  Students have regular access to technology at school while developing competent users of, and learners with, technology is a high priority.  We strive to support students as they develop their digital citizenship and learn how to manage the multitude of technology tools at their disposal. It is an essential aspect of learning at LCS.

Elementary students regularly access the computer lab through scheduled classes and during specific projects.  All elementary classrooms have a desktop computer to share and a SmartBoard for students and teachers to use.  In addition, a classroom set of laptops and I-pads are available and shared amongst elementary classrooms for additional learning experiences.

In the secondary school each scheduled block of the day (4 blocks in total) sees the collection of 60 laptops in the library borrowed by students for classroom work.  Our laptops are checked out from the library and each block they are fully utilized. In addition, students learn with technology through various classes.  For example, science labs utilize science probes (in conjunction with laptops), Film Art classes use editing software, and Art classes exploit our classroom set of I-pads.   Technology is in demand.

Many secondary students bring their own laptops or I-pads to school on a daily basis.  Over 80% of our secondary students own a laptop and over 60% bring them to school daily.  More older students bring personal laptops than younger students.  If students take care of their belongings at school, then their belongings, no matter how valuable, are safe.  We have had very little theft this year and two cases of disappearing laptops have occurred in the middle school and were the result of students leaving their items unattended overnight.

All students and parents (Grades 4-12) are required to acknowledge and sign our Responsible User Policy.  This document details expectations around use of technology at LCS.  Students in Grade 6-12 also sign a Laptop Borrowing agreement which Continue reading

Transitions…It’s that time of year!

Schools have a unique rhythm and we are heading into what is the most sensitive, stressful, and emotional collection of experiences within that rhythm.

In the coming weeks many members of the LCS community will be in the midst of transitioning away from LCS and Accra. Students will be bidding farewell to friends and contemplating the uncertainty of next steps. Parents will also be experiencing similar transition steps. It can be challenging.

During this process, students will also be immersed in activities at school including pushing forward with academic projects including final exams for high school students. The stressors grow in the coming weeks.

Graduation is the penultimate ceremony and most significant and memorable transitional event. The pomp and circumstance of graduation are greatly symbolic of the multiple layers of transition that our high school graduates will experience.

Generally we think about the impact on those students who are leaving and we do our best to ease their challenges for departure. However, years ago it became very apparent to me that transitions are also about those who are not leaving. Those remaining Continue reading

Transitioning from Grade 5 to Middle School

The move from Grade 5 to Grade 6 is a big deal.  Having said that, witnessing this transition for students for the past 20 years it is also fairly predictable.  It is exciting and challenging for the average student.  It is extremely difficult for kids who struggle with organization.  It is a joy ride for students who thrive on multiple notebooks, organized pencil cases,and  multi-colored highlighters. By and large, it is an opportunity that most kids embrace to experience growing privileges, added responsibilities, multiple workloads to balance, and a fast paced collage of social interactions that include complex friendship groups, online exposure and interactions, “by the lockers” gossip. Make no mistake, the social world of a Grade 6 student is a not so subtle challenge.

Add social challenges to the academic workload to the new found freedom to moving between classes to exposure to older students and older ideas and you have a stew that brews for weeks and months and leads to a myriad of challenges along the way.  It is not easy being a grade 6 student.

But…..all is not lost!  Good teachers who are sensitive to the needs of this age group, structured opportunities to interact, ongoing and specific attention to challenged students, and a general openness of grade 6 students to discuss and consider right and wrong choices  provides a mix for supporting, guiding, and teaching.

I’ve always considered Grade 6 students as the “morality police”.  They really do insist upon “fairness”.  As they move through grade 6 at different paces, they are Continue reading

TedXTeen – Role Models and Inspiration

Role Models.…Students need role models.  Role models they can identify with.  They need examples of young people doing extraordinary things – and being ordinary people along the way!  They need mentors to support and encourage.

I recently came across TedXTeen.  Here’s a collection of really interesting young people.  It is worth exploring the links from TedXTeen. I’m sure it will prove interesting.  Here’s the link.  Navigate yourself to the talks by participants!  Here’s the link below:

TedXTeen Talks March 2013