Think about learned dependency…

With the best of intentions, we sometimes for our kids what our kids could do on their own.

Learned dependency is the unfortunate result. I was thinking  about that as I was walking the beach every morning while I was on vacation in Florida. Every day I would see this bird and I am quite sure that it was the very same bird hanging around a local “fisherperson.” The fisherperson  changed daily but the bird remained the same. The routine never changed. Once the fishing pole began to jiggle, the bird would flap her wings and the fisherperson would throw her a fish.  One for you and one for me! The bird had learned that there was no reason for her to fish for herself. She was a happy camper! She was trained to be dependent on that fisherperson. Do you know a few kids who may have something in common with that bird. We need to be careful not to do too much…

photo credit: cletch

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I have always had two class room rules:

1. No Put Downs

2. No sarcasm

Put downs diminish self-worth, discourage participation and build resentment. Put downs quell growth, learning and curiosity. Sarcasm is equally destructive in the classroom. Sarcasm stings. It is a personal attack that ridicules personal traits, qualities or choices. It is never funny for the recipient, no matter how much that person may laugh or seem to enjoy the attention. Joining in the laughter is often seen as the best way to bring to minimize the embarrassment and end the negative attention.

Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Every day. Every classroom. Every school. Everywhere. Treating each other with respect creates a classroom climate where students feel safe taking risks, expressing opinions, doing something that is different from what other classmates may be doing.

There are many ways to build student to student respect. Of course the first and most important way for the teacher and all adults in the school to model respect toward each other as well as toward students. When students do not know each other well, mistrust and fear can sometimes be a cause of disrespect. The more we know our neighbors, colleagues and classmates, the more likely it is that we will see our similarities and find qualities that we like in another person. An enjoyable way for students to find out some interesting things about classmates is to use Mystery Student from The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction – 700 Strategies, Tips, Tools and Techniques.  These pieces of information can become the basis for finding commonalities and opening the door to conversation and friendship.

Mystery Student takes less than a minute and is a quick way to help students get to know each other. On a note card, each student lists three statements such as hobbies, interests, sports, or other information. For primary students, the card is sent home for a parent to fill in. Older students select two fun facts and one fib to write on the card.

All of the cards are dropped into the Mystery Student Bag. Periodically or as a transition between activities, a Mystery Student card is drawn and read but no name is provided. Classmates guess the identity of the student and guess the fib. Students of all grade levels will ask, “Do we have time for Mystery Student?”

Co-teachers can include themselves in the mix and create Mystery Student cards themselves as a way for students to get to know them better. Learning about each other others builds camaraderie and acceptance. Abraham Lincoln said it so well, “I don’t like that fellow. Maybe I ought to get to know him better.”

Try this same strategy at the beginning of a faculty meeting but instead of putting cards in a bag, have each person write three facts and one additional statement that is not true in any order. Ask everyone to tape the note cards to their shoulders and walk around inviting colleagues to guess which “fact” is the fib. Expect laughter and exclamations as people discover that they the person who has taught next door for five years grew up twenty miles from their home town, had a hobby no on knew about or a colleague lists a new pregnancy as a “fact” and it’s true! The camaraderie continues log after the faculty meeting ends.

photo credit: J_O_I_D

Differentiating Instruction happens in a myriad of ways! It offers countless opportunities to celebrate our students’ strengths. Often there is more than one right answer in how we teach and in how our students show what they know. We say that “One size does fit all” but putting that into daily practice is complicated. What does it take to make it all work? Successful differentiated classrooms are made up of learning communities that share three critical keys to success:

• Each individual is valued and respected
• Each individual assumes personal responsibility for learning and managing tasks
• Celebrating success motivates and energizes every learner

Let me share a practical classroom strategy that supports  these keys.

Valuing the Individual

The Photo Bulletin Board is one way to truly see each individual! Let me explain. During a high school classroom visit, I noticed that students rushed in and gathered around a bulletin board. They were laughing, talking and seemed very excited. The teacher explained that he had just changed his photo display. He frequently took candid pictures of his students in a variety of situations such as working in groups, talking, entering or leaving class or just being kids.

The teacher invited me to take a look at his own desk. Like many teachers, he displayed photographs of his wife and two small children, a trip they can taken to Mount Rushmore and even a great picture of good ol’ Riley, the golden retriever. He loved surrounding himself with not only his personal photos but also with pictures of his students. The message to each student was simple: You are important. In fact, he explained to his students that they were his family, too!

“When I am sitting at my desk before or after school, I like nothing better than to look up and see your faces! You are why I am here!”

The sense of community in that classroom was palpable!

Celebrating the Individual in the Classroom by Linda Tilton

One of the best ways that I have found to contain paper is the accordion file. Sturdy plastic expandable files are available at discount stores and come with a variety of divisions. Six pockets are handy. The concept is simple and easy to implement. Encourage students to label pockets in the same order as the student attends class during the day. Every paper has a “home.” Think about math. Every math paper, worksheet, assignment list, review page, anything related to math goes into that math pocket. Retrieval is easy later when students know where to look.

Many accordion files have zipper pockets in front to hold supplies. It is important for students to go through the folder periodically. Many students need guidance in deciding what to keep, what to throw out, when and where to store papers that will be needed later.

One parent told me that her children, both of whom had significant learning disabilities, found this tool to be the single most effective organizational strategy all the way through high school. Both successfully managed their classes by always carrying their accordion files with them wherever they went.

An accordion file with twelve pockets is an excellent tool for parents to use in creating a school file for each child in the family. It becomes the designated place to save report cards, portfolio summaries, awards and standardized test scores. Everything is arranged by grade level from first through high school graduation. Parents may also want to file a photo of each child at each grade as well as include copies of birth certificates and other important papers.

At home, if a student is doing homework at the kitchen table, move everything else to the far side or, if possible, clear the table completely. Reducing clutter reduces stress making the immediate task seem more manageable. It also puts the student in control of the task at hand rather than feeling overwhelmed by too much at once. Some students like to create a personal study carrel by using a three-sided box or by setting up two manila folders to eliminate all visual distractions. When that assignment is finished, encourage the student to put it where it goes immediately whether it in the accordion folder, a three ring binder or the backpack.

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Math: I can think of no other subject area that carries with it such strong feelings for parents as they talk about helping with homework.

Among parents during my parent seminars, math is the subject that generates memories and current beliefs- whether accurate or not- about lack of ability, lack of aptitude, and the assumption that this has been passed on to offspring.

“I was never any good at math.”

“I can’t help my child at home in math. It was always my worst subject.”

” She’s just like her father. Being good in math does not run in our family…”

“Math? Forget it!”

Of course not all parents feel this way but enough do to cause concern. When parents voice their perceptions, their child can adopt the same view. Despite my suggestions that parents never tell their children that they ” were never any good in math,” some do. The subject of math evokes memories of failure in many parents second only to their memories of reading aloud in class.

Students themselves express fear and lack of self-confidence about this subject more than any other when I talk to them about school success.

“I never get it.”

“It’s too hard.”

” The teacher goes too fast.”

“It’s my worst subject.”

There are also many students who love math and just can’t seem to get enough of it. Why do so many other students have such negative feelings? The more important questions is, how can we turn these feelings around? How can we help all students see math in a positive light?

I suspect that for some middle and high school students, some of the negative feelings are caused by significant gaps in their learning along the way. They are missing key steps in the sequential process that are essential building blocks to understanding new concepts. For these students, math is difficult because pieces of the puzzle are missing. Filling in the gaps is critical.

Setting the stage for success is as important as teaching and reinforcing the concepts.  Attitude about math makes an enormous difference. Parents can do much to  increase successful learning by conveying an upbeat, positive attitude themselves.  It may seem obvious but kids are quick to pick up on subtle negative feelings. When parents imply or tell children directly that math was always hard for them or that they never any good in math, it becomes a self-fulling prophecy for their children.

One of the best ways parents can help their children in math is to convey a positive attitude. From an early age, children can hear and discover how much fun math is and  how useful it is in everyday life.  As temping as it may be to make negative comments about math or to downplay the value of a particular math assignment, avoid it. For any parent who may have already expressed those negative attitudes, it would be helpful to consciously express  more of a “can-do” approach. In later blogs, I’ll suggest games and activities from The Teacher’s Toolbox for Differentiating Instruction- 700 Strategies, Tips, Tools and Techniques that parents can use at home to promote math skills.