1. taking away the distractions the student self-generates, in order to assume focus on the primary lesson of the class.
or
2. finding out if the student's self-distraction helps that student process the primary lesson of the class.
or
3. determining whether a compromise of some sort between no distraction vs. some distraction is better for that student than either of the first two options.
I hope that everyone enjoyed a nice weekend. We had a nice time as a family - get together with friends, enjoying the Holliston Spring Festival on Saturday, and sports games with the kids. With the beautiful weather, we were able to get some much needed gardening done on Sunday and had family dinner before we started the week. I want to thank and recognize the staff who chaperoned the dance (Emily Alland, Matt Marenghi, Kelly Campbell, Kelly Ruminski, Erin Kearney, Elise Malone, Cynthia McClelland, Patty Graham, and Kayla Armstrong) on Friday evening - I so appreciate the cross-section of volunteers who helped to provide a safe and positive experience for our students.
This morning we are heading down to New York City and then on to Washington, D.C. with the 8th grade students - this adventure is a definite benchmark that we are approaching the end of the academic year. As May begins to unwind and June approaches (hard to believe that June is near), much of our work for the end of this year and the beginning of next year begins to meld. Our Teamworks meeting this past week, reflections about student recognition, discussions with parents and staff about the standards-based grading pilot, evaluations of staff, research and development is planned, and coordination of events are merging together and I enjoy thinking about how we can begin to bridge our efforts to provide a sense of continuity and flow into next year.
Each of these endeavors are grounded with an understanding of providing a sound educational experience for our students. One of the ongoing debates/discussions in education is 'motivation' - what motivates students? Which is more valuable - intrinsic or extrinsic motivation? How do we foster intrinsic motivation? Can motivation be taught? These questions are ones that we have certainly discussed at Blake and will continue to explore in the coming months and years. This past week I had a surprise visit from one of my former math students who had recently graduated from college. It was so great to catch up and hear about her plans for the coming year. The excitement that was in her voice as she shared what had inspired her along the way was contagious. As I keep thinking about our visit, a hope I have is that we continue having conversations and planning our work with the goal of maximizing the interests of students and staff to foster motivation. This week I am sharing two posts - the first directly relates to motivation, and the second post about online behavior emphasizes the importance of focusing on the influences on behavior.
The Problem With Grit
by Jal Mehta in Education Week
Mehta puts forth a critical view on the concept of grit and the implications for schools. Generalizations are certainly made and do not apply to all students/situations, but the concept of 'self-determination theory' is one we should explore. I also like Mehta's acknowledgement that some components of learning may be 'tedious or dull' and that is ok - the key is that these components are part of a greater picture.
"And that is that a focus on grit is taking a heavily impoverished view of human motivation; in the long run, most people do not persevere at things because they are good at persevering, they persevere because they find things that are worth investing in. The implication for schools is that they should spend less time trying to boost students' grit, and more time trying to think about how their offerings could help students develop purpose and passion.'"
"The places where many of these schools seem most alive are actually in their extracurriculars--in plays, musical performances, student newspapers--where students have the opportunity to connect to a real domain, where there are opportunities for repetition and practice, but where it is linked to an adult world that students want to emulate and join. The best disciplinary classes have the same characteristics--students are learning how to be historians, thinking like mathematicians, doing real world projects--but these are relatively few and far between. There are two ways to see this situation: 1) that students in most contemporary classes should increase their grit and perseverance; or 2) that many classes need to be made more interesting and engaging places that are more connected to authentic purposes. While some might subscribe to the eat-your-broccoli theory of school reform, I tend to think that, in the long run, schools will be more successful if they are places that students would actually want to attend."
"While grit gets all the play in school reform circles, it is not actually the leading theory of motivation among psychologists. The most well-known scholarship on motivation is actually Edward Deci and Richard Ryan's "self-determination theory," which synthesized decades of research to argue that people are fundamentally seeking autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and that they thrive in environments that enable them to maximize these qualities. Research on (and experience with) adolescents also suggests that they are particularly developmentally primed to explore their individual identities (autonomy), take on roles where they can assume responsibility (competence), and have opportunities to connect and work with others (relatedness)."
"Young people show grit all the time - they pick themselves up after losses on the playing field, retake the stage after flubbing their lines, continue to search for love after having their hearts broken. What these experiences have in common is that there is something they are seeking, something that they are hoping to attain. Our goal should be to organize schooling in ways that similarly promote the kind of purpose and meaning that will sustain students' commitment when the going gets tough."
What's Behind Bad Behavior on the Web?
by Elizabeth Englander in Educational Leadership
Dr. Englander shares the information they have gained that most teens and youth understand the lack of privacy on the Internet. More important, Dr. Englander explores the factors that affect teens and the 'perceptional changes that happen when people use digital communication tools' and the influences that impact behavior...Inward Focus and Trolling, Escalating Emotions, False Sense of Privacy, Opportunity for Impulsivity. The distinction between knowledge and behavior is critical for us to understand for our work to have a sustaining impact.
"Most kids are very much aware that the Internet isn't, by and large, a private space. In fact, most teens have been hearing that message since elementary school. But despite being educated about these issues, many teens continue to engage in digital behaviors that imply that they really don't understand how public and permanent the Internet really is. This stark contradiction between knowledge and behavior can be baffling."
"It's not enough to say, if you wouldn't say it to their face, don't say it online; we need to educate children about why people might actually say things online that they typically would not say in person. Users today need to understand how using digital devices affects their perceptions and how those perceptual changes can be exaggerated with the ubiquitous use of mobile devices, especially cell phones. Knowing the cognitive and perceptual pitfalls ahead of time could help head off problematic social behaviors. Until education of children includes this type of understanding, we should expect our warnings to be only moderately successful."
Though they are writing about different topics, both Mehta and Englander argue that the focus of our collective energy should be on the behaviors and skills that students need for their classes. A thematic approach to our work is critical and that theme should be driven by our mission: Blake Middle School believes in a living mission statement, based on the concept that our community seeks and respects knowledge, integrity, character, wisdom, and the willingness to adapt to a continually evolving world. I am looking forward to the week that lies ahead.
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Take care.
Nat Vaughn