The Forces of Perversity

You are surrounded!  Hundreds of students pour through your doors each day, you meet with many colleagues regularly, and you often interact with parents and community members.  Inevitably, when dealing with this many people, you are going to find yourself in times of disagreement and even conflict.

It shouldn't be unexpected, but conflict often catches us by surprise.  It might come in the middle of a class discussion, it might arrive in the form of an unpleasant and vitriolic email or poorly timed phone call, or it could occur at the check-out counter at Kroger or while on a walk through your neighborhood.

For years, my father has used the term “Forces of Perversity” to describe the way these things happen.  The confrontations tend to come when we least expect them and may catch us when we are tired or emotionally drained.  Maintaining professionalism when the Forces of Perversity strike is not an easy task.  For most of us, the first and most natural response is “Talk and Defend.” We think we can quickly make difficulties go away if we take charge of the conversation and talk fast enough.  While understandable and perhaps even immediately satisfying, this approach can cause more problems than it solves. 

It may be counterintuitive, but putting in time up front to really listen, will inevitably save you time in the long run.  The reason is simple: the real issues often are not apparent—or even mentioned—in the first interactions.  It takes work to get to the heart of the matter, and it takes time.  Until we understand the underlying issues, our comments and responses may well be superficial and unproductive at best.  And at worst, our comments may come across as combative or alienating.

Find Time and Space

When you find yourself caught off guard, the first step is to buy the time and find the space you need to really listen.  “I want to understand more.  Let’s set up a time to talk.”    These words are magic.  Use them when others are around, especially students.  For some reason this concept of finding time and space is easy to forget in the heat of the moment, so memorize these words and have them readily available.

Once you have the time to talk, Dan Rockwell, a leadership consultant, gives several ideas on how to approach combative situations. 

• Stay Calm: Monitor your calmness level while listening. Imagine yourself watching yourself. Self-awareness usually does the trick, and calmness is an invitation that says people matter.
• Body Language: Open your hands and hold your palms up, or sit with your arms open.  Your body should reflect the openness of your mind.
• Ask Questions: Ask at least three questions before making one statement. Assume you don’t understand the point being made.  Use clarifying questions to get to the real issues.
• Explore Options: Forget your answer.  Test and explore theirs, rather than defend.   See if you can get to the heart of the matter, and assume the other person has a large piece of the puzzle you are putting together.

Together is the key word.  Together you can start resolving the conflict, and together you can begin to address the issues.  Real solutions require listening, clarifying and co-creating responses.

Rockwell adds a “bonus” suggestion:  express gratitude.  We should be thankful that students or parents have opened doors to conversation and problem solving.  True, these doors aren’t always opened in the time, place, or manner we would prefer, but it does begin an important process.

Expect the unexpected, HSE.  Have a plan for when you are bushwhacked.  Arm yourself ahead of time with a strategy to battle the Forces of Perversity.  The odds are good they are hanging around waiting for just the wrong moment. 

Have a great week!

Phil

Kudos this week to Natalie, Paula, Jacquie, and all of you who helped make Homecoming Week so much fun for the students.  From hall decorating on Sunday night to the Saturday dance, it was a great week to be a Royal.

Blending, Modeling, and Jimmy Buffett

One of the terms you are starting to see and hear much more often in education is “Blended Classes.”  This references courses that are neither fully online nor fully in the classroom.  Rather, they “blend” components of both.  Early research indicates this approach can have a significant positive impact on student participation and learning.

Last week some of you attended a training session on the use of Blackboard Discussion Boards.  Using these discussion boards can be one way of blending classes.  Students are required to access the discussion board, post several comments, and/or respond to other students in the class.  These discussions can deepen student understanding, provide a safe forum for students reluctant to speak out in class, and give great feedback to teachers to help plan future lessons.

False Assumptions

One obstacle to implementing this strategy is that many, if not most, of our students lack a good working knowledge of online protocols.  Our assumption is that our students are all digital natives and know how to handle this task.  Certainly some will be able to do very well, but Twitter and Facebook are the norm for our students, and the protocols appropriate to social media are not necessarily appropriate for a course-based online discussion. 

We do a disservice if we don’t teach and model what we want to see from our students.

Caitlin Tucker, writing in a recent edition of Principal Leadership, suggests in her book Blended Learning in Grades 4-12, gives the following sentence starters to use as models on discussion boards:

• Rebecca’s comment made me think about ______________.
• Although Rio made a strong point that _______________, I think _____________.
• I respectfully disagree with Zach’s assertion that ____________ because __________.
• I had not thought about Leigh’s point that ______________.
• Even through Dalia’s point is valid, I tend to ________________.
• In contrast to Michelle’s point, ________________.
• Bradley highlighted some key ideas when he said _____________.
• Lulu, can you clarify your statement that ______________?
• Carmen, your posting reminded me of ______________.
• Nadya’s observation that ______________ reflects _______________.
• Marcella, why do you agree (or disagree) with _____________?
• Robin, how would you define _______________?
• Like Amaya, I also connected _____________ to _______________.

Notice how nicely many of these fit indicators of our Teacher Effectiveness Rubric.  For example: Students asking higher-level questions of each other, students making and supporting arguments, and students applying knowledge in new ways.  Modeling your expectations is an excellent instructional strategy and immediately raises the bar for online discussions

Tucker further suggests this list of Do’s and Don’ts for student participation on discussion boards:

• Do address peers by name to create a friendly online tone.
• Do avoid slang and jargon; it may be familiar to you but not to others.
• Don’t use all capitals and avoid emotional punctuation like exclamation points unless you’re complimenting someone’s idea.
• Do read questions and conversation postings carefully (don’t skim), listen to all ideas presented, and ask questions if something is unclear.
• Do compliment peers when they post strong responses or contribute original ideas.
• Do be respectful and considerate; remember that your peers can’t see your body language or hear your tone of voice.
• Do critique the content, not the person. Focus on what’s said, not the person who said it.
• Do respond rather than reacting. Don’t write a response if you are angry. Read over your posts before sending: are your ideas clear and supported?
• Do avoid sarcasm, which can lead to tensions and hurt feelings.
• Don’t present your personal opinions as fact. Back up ideas with details, evidence, and examples.
• Do use “I statements” and present ideas in a constructive manner that encourages further dialogue.
• Do remember that there are no right or wrong answers in a discussion; a variety of perspectives is helpful.

The Essential Role of the Teacher in Blended Classes

Blended learning and discussion boards have real potential to help our students, but Tucker gives us a good reminder that a teacher who directs and models the learning is an irreplaceable component of good instruction. 

Phil

Kudos this week to all of the men and women keeping HSHS clean and functioning.  This building gets incredibly heavy use, and yet it always looks great.  Thanks for all you do, HSE Custodians and Maintenance Crews!

All this talk of Blending reminded me of Jimmy Buffet, so I’ll end with few quotes from the man who penned such immortal hits as “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

• It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad.
• Is it ignorance or apathy?  Hey, I don’t know and I don’t care.
• We are the people our parents warned us about.
• I just want to live happily ever after, every now and then.

Remember When....

Radio Memories

Several weeks ago while running errands, I heard a NPR piece about false and constructed memories.  It was fascinating listening.  One of the background conversations was with a research scientist who had studied the differences between making a good or bad memory. 

This is what I remember (which ironically, may not be accurate according to his research):

• We don’t really remember whole events.  Instead, we remember only “peak moments” of events.  Later, as we recall an experience, we reconstruct the missing pieces.
• Over time, both the peak moments and the reconstructed parts inevitably change.  This is not intentional.  It is just the way our brains work.
• The ending is the most important factor in determining whether a memory is a good or bad one, regardless of what happened before. 

The End Result

The end is the key.  For example, a painful experience that ends well can be remembered fondly.  (Think of running a marathon or perhaps child birth.) On the other hand, a great experience can be ruined by one moment near the end.  The researcher gave the example of a friend who once said, “The concert was good, but the evening was spoiled by a missed note near the end.”   Is this right?  Sixty minutes of a pleasurable experience can be ruined by one squeaky saxophone in the final seconds of a concert?

He went on to tell an interesting personal story.  He and his wife took a long-planned vacation.  It turned out to be one of those magical events where everything was perfect: the weather, the food, the interaction with friends and family.  On the last day of their vacation, they had the unexpected option of extending their stay for one more day.

He intentionally chose to leave as planned precisely because it had been a perfect vacation.

It may seem crazy, but keep in mind that this man has spent years studying how memory works.  He is convinced that he made the right decision.  He did not want to take the chance of ruining the memory of a great time with his wife.  If the rain would have started falling, if he had a negative interaction with friends or family, or if he had a bad meal, the memory he would take with him for the rest of his life may have been very different.  He didn’t want to gamble with his memory. 

My first reaction: You have got to be kidding!  He wasn’t.

So What Does This Mean for Us?

If his research is right, the way we end is really, really important.  It has plenty of applications to school.  Three examples:

• What students remember most is what happens at the end of class; therefore, we need to make the end of class sessions particularly meaningful or end with positive interactions.  The same can be said of end of the semester or the end of the year.  These will be the most remembered interactions our students have in the years to come.
• Parents and students are most likely to remember what was said and done at the end of a conversation; therefore, we need to make every attempt to end conversations on a positive note.  This may be the difference between a good and bad memory of the conversation.
• What athletes will remember most is what happens at the end of a game or the season (and almost all seasons end with a loss); therefore, the final interaction from the coach should be intentionally positive.

Start with the End in Mind

This year you will hear lots about Understanding by Design.  One of the tenets of UbD is start with the end in mind.  This certainly applies to course content, but I think it might also have applications to relationship building and memory-making with our students.

I encourage you to think about your own memories of school, of those special teachers, and of events you remember the most fondly.  Are there ways to ensure that many years from now, your current students will remember their interactions with you with the same fondness?  The answer may well depend on how you end your daily interaction with students this week.

I hope your week is great and that it ends well.

Phil

Kudos this week to all our club sponsors.  Walk down any hallway and look at the posters inviting kids to get involved.  One way we can make our huge school still feel personal is to do all we can to find ways for students to connect.  Clubs and service organizations do this every day at HSE.  Thanks to all of you going the extra mile in this way! 

A few quotes to end:

• “Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today’s events.”  --Albert Einstein
• “Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going”  --Tennessee Williams
• “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”  --Charles Swindoll

Guaranteed and Viable

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”

--William Arthur Ward

Two competing Truths teachers deal with daily:

1. The pace of learning varies from student-to-student. 
2. A semester contains a limited number of class periods.

Walking the fine line between Learning and Coverage is both challenging and frustrating.  We are less than a month into the school year, yet I’m willing to wager you have already experienced the struggle between these competing needs.  You know some students have misconceptions or weak understanding of certain topics, but you also know you need to have curriculum covered before December 20.

Grant Wiggins, half of the Understanding by Design team, recently wrote about this very problem.  UbD is a lesson planning framework, which at its heart makes sure students learn those things deemed most important by the teacher.  A good descriptive term for what Wiggins is talking about in the article is this: A Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum.  The “guarantee” is that all students will learn the most important concepts and skills.  The “viable” means it is limited to what you can actually accomplish in your limited time with students.

White Space

In “Avoid Coverage and Make Time for Learning,” Wiggins gives a very practical approach to creating a guaranteed and viable curriculum and lessen the stress between learning and coverage:

Build in and identify in your map/syllabus/unit/lesson plan what we call white space. White space is a placeholder for any results that are likely to occur that require slowing down or re-teaching or re-practicing. Practically speaking, each week has a half-period or a whole-period built into the week's plan for such adjustment.

• Devise 1-2 quick exit slips or informal formative assessments related to unit goals, and use those results to inform use of white space.
• Identify the parts of the unit that can be skipped or shortened, if need be, to ensure that unit goals are fully addressed. Putting an asterisk by those activities alerts you to the possibility. (It also has the virtue of helping you identify relative priorities in a unit: not everything is equally important in a lesson plan).
• Use the decisions about priorities from Steps 2 and 3, as needed, to accomplish unit goals.

The Main Thing is the Main Thing

You know from personal experience that the first time through a topic may not be enough.  Be a realist, and plan in white space.  Wiggins’s suggestions keep the focus on what is really important: student learning.  Use formative assessments, give feedback to students, and be responsive to student needs.   At one time or another, all students will have misconceptions or misunderstanding, so give yourself permission to accept this reality—and to do something about it. 

If necessary, jettison the non-essentials first while still guaranteeing students understand the most important concepts and learn the key skills.

A Simple Proposal

As you plan your next unit, give it a try.  Build in some white space and develop several quick assessments to inform your decision of what to do during this time.  Keep the main thing the main thing.  Make sure the assessments are about the key concepts or skills of the unit.  At the end of the unit ask yourself two simple questions: Did all students learn the key concepts and skills?  Did the students and I feel less stress from the competing demands of learning and coverage?

I can’t guarantee your week will be great, but I hope it is a viable option.

Phil

Kudos this week to the risk-takers, to those of you out there experimenting with instructional practice.  Last week I saw a great app called “Socrative” being used to make quick formative assessments, I talked to a teacher assigning differentiated homework which met individual student needs, and I heard about a guest speaker who shared his story of taking a product from idea to production.  The journey we are on consists of small steps just like these, each one moving us forward on our journey to redefine excellence at HSHS.

Two more quotes on being a realist:

•  “Why are we born?  We’re born eventually to die, of course.  But what happens between the time we’re born and we die?  We’re born to live.  One is a realist if one hopes.”  --Studs Terkel
• “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”  --Mahatma Gandhi