bryan-harris

Why Multi-Tasking is Killing Your Productivity & Increasing Your Stress

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 13:56:32 GMT

Multi-tasking (the ability to do more than one thing at a time) is an appealing and intuitive idea. The problem is that it’s not possible. Well, it’s mostly not possibly. Let me elaborate.

The truth is that you can do more than one thing at a time. You can walk and chew gum, you can eat dinner while watching your favorite TV show, and you think about planning a lesson while doing laundry. But in each of those examples, only one of the things actually requires you to think, process, or comprehend something.

When we discuss the perils of multi-tasking, we are referring to those situations where we attempt to do more than one thing that requires attention, thinking, or cognitive processing.

Without going into great lengths about the role of attention and the brain, suffice it to say that you can only pay attention to one thing at a time. More specifically, you can only consciously process and focus on one thing at a time.

When we attempt to multi-task, what our brains really do is called task-switching. Since our brains can only consciously process one thing at a time, when we attempt to multi-task, what our brain actually does is switch between tasks or areas of focus. Some of us can do this task-switching very rapidly. So, you might say, “That sounds fine to me, what’s the problem? ” While some of us are adept at task-switching rapidly, there is always a cognitive loss or a “switch cost” as some researchers refer to it (Altman, 2017).

That “switch cost” ends up impacting our productivity and our stress levels. In the short run, it seems like we get more done but in the long run, what we get “done” ends up being less than our best.

Here is the real definition of multi-tasking: screwing up several things simultaneously.

Imagine this: you are grading papers while at the same time preparing dinner for your family. You might think you are multi-tasking when in reality you are switching (perhaps quickly) between two different things that require your attention. For example, you are in the middle of grading a paper when a timer goes off. You stop grading the paper and take the meal out of the oven. Since your attention has been split (albeit for a short period of time), when you go back to grading the paper, you will need to take a moment to remember where you left off. In essence, there is a loss of “flow” and an impact on short-term memory. When we do this often, the brain becomes fatigued and we make more mistakes. That's very stressful and frustrating.

If you need more convincing, a Stanford University study found that attempting to use electronic devices to multi-task negatively impacts memory (Uncapher & Wagner, 2018). And, other research suggests that there can be up to a 40% decrease in productivity when we attempt to rapidly switch between tasks that require attention and focus (Rubinstein et al., 2001).

But, can't multi-tasking make you more productive? That’s a tricky question. If by “productive” you mean to get lots of things done or checked off your to-do list, maybe. But, not everything that gets “done” is going to get done well. So, consider those tasks in front of you and think about those things that require your focus, attention, and thought. When something needs your complete attention and focus, put yourself in a situation where you can devote your attention to it – set aside the electronic devices, close out all the other programs running on your computer, and shut off other competing sensory inputs such as the radio and TV.

Bottom-line, we are better off focusing on just one thing at a time. For efficiency and accuracy, avoid doing those things that split your attention. For a deeper dive into this phenomenon, read John Medina’s book Brain Rules (2014). In that book, he devotes an entire chapter to the role of attention in the brain, and he addresses the damage done when we attempt to multi-task.

Free Trauma Ready Guide

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 17:56:52 GMT

Click here for a free guide to assist schools and teachers in responding to trauma.

The Thing About Feedback No One Talks About

Mon, 20 Jan 2020 23:57:28 GMT

Feedback is essential. Not too many informed educators will argue that fact. The importance of quality feedback to support student learning is ubiquitous.

But there is one thing that is often overlooked when it comes to feedback – how to prepare students to receive it. Quite simply, giving effective feedback is only half the equation. We must also prepare students to receive, process, wrestle with, and consider how the feedback will be used.

Before we dig deeper, if you’d like a quick overview of how to give feedback and why it works, click here , here , or here . In fact, feedback is one of John Hattie’s top 10 methods to increase student achievement.

For our discussion here, we’ll adopt Grant Wiggins’ definition of feedback – actionable or useful information about how we are doing in our efforts to reach a goal ( Wiggins, 2012 ). More specifically, feedback is information about the gap between our performance and that desired goal (Wiliam, 2019).

As educators, we know that we need to provide students with feedback in order to enhance their learning. The importance of providing feedback to students is well established. And, there are also tons of blogs, resources, and books available that outline effective strategies for providing feedback to students (shameless plug – my 2017 book titled Battling Boredom Part 2 has a great section describing more than 10 effective feedback strategies).

With that as our background, let’s not lose sight of the fact that giving feedback is pointless unless students are in a position to grapple with it. So, here are 5 keys to helping students act upon feedback:

Acknowledge that receiving feedback can be emotional . Those emotions might range from pride to disappointment, from confusion to outright rejection. The truth is that when we have to deal with information about our status or growth, it can elicit a range of emotions that must be dealt with. Teach students that its OK to have an emotional reaction to feedback, particularly when that information/feedback conflicts with their own beliefs or opinions. Think about this way – if a student puts forth a decent amount of effort towards mastering a skill or completing a task and then they don’t quite meet the expectations set forth by the teacher, it can be devastating. In essence, it’s normal to be disappointed when you fail to meet expectations. It’s also normal to feel pride and relief when you do well. So, teach students not only to tackle the feedback, teach them to appropriately handle to emotions that are likely to result from the feedback.

Help students to understand that feedback is about the task or progress, not the person. As we provide feedback and information to students about their growth, help them to understand that the focus is on their progress, not on their identity. This is a fine line of course and it’s easy to understand from a purely logical point of view. It’s much more difficult, of course, to put into practice when you are on the receiving end of feedback that might elicit an emotional response. But, the more we help students understand that feedback is less about the person and more about growth, the more likely they’ll be to truly tackle the actions required to process and think about the feedback.

Concede that feedback is often subjective . As much as we might utilize rubrics, standards, and clear models or examples, the fact is that teacher feedback is frequently subjective in nature. As teachers, we sometimes make mistakes or misunderstand what students are trying to communicate or what they are demonstrating. When getting students to process feedback, give them permission to question the outcomes or determinations. Teach students to advocate for themselves in order to better understand how the feedback was determined and what they might do about it.

Speaking of advocating, teach students to ask questions about the feedback. Recall that feedback is defined as actionable information about a person’s progress, efforts, or skill development. If there is nothing that students can act upon, it’s not feedback. It’s this simple – if a student cannot do something with the feedback/information, it’s not feedback. The information might be valid and relevant, but if there is nothing students can do with that information, it doesn’t meet the criteria of feedback. This, by the way, is the primary reason that grades are not synonymous with feedback. Most of the time, when students receive a grade on an assignment, there is nothing they can do with the information. Can grades be a source of feedback? Yes, but only when students do something or act upon the grades. So, provide students with the time, questions, and structures (examples: written reflections, partner discussions, teacher-student conferences, test corrections) to ask questions of themselves and the feedback they are receiving.

Speaking of time, heed the advice of Dylan Wiliam - Don’t give feedback unless you allocate time for students to use it. Feedback requires action on the part of the individual receiving it. Action requires commitment and time. As a result, dedicate time for students think about, process, and take action on the feedback. This allocation (and this commitment) should be considered when planning lessons and activities for students. When we plan for something ahead of time, we are much more likely to actually follow through.

As a bonus idea , model the use of actionable information/feedback for your students. In other words, don’t just expect that students respond appropriately to feedback; we should do it as well. Click here for a great strategy that elicits feedback from students (and shows them that you can also follow the 5 keys outline above.

The Power of "No"

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 20:10:44 GMT

Saying "no" to certain things is one of the healthiest things you can do. Intrigued? Click here to read more.

The Power of Reframing

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 16:27:23 GMT

Reframing is great way to practice resilienc y .

But first, a quick review. When it comes to the concept of resiliency, here's the main message: taking care of yourself is not selfish. In fact, it's essential. Because the job is stressful, we need to take time to develop and refine our own ability to cope during challenging times. If you are to become the superstar educator you were meant to be, you have to take care of yourself. A great starting point is practicing gratitude.

Even when gratitude is a regular part of our thinking process, there are still times when the situation or events in the classroom require us to do a few more mental gymnastics. When times get stressful or difficult, reframing the situation is a great tool .

In a nutshell, reframing is the practice of taming that internal voice. It's about talking to yourself and telling yourself the truth when times are difficult. It's about choosing to think differently (and talk to yourself differently) when faced with a challenging situation.

On a recent trip to the San Francisco, I got stuck in traffic. Really horrendous traffic. Finding myself getting frustrated at the lack of progress (and the confusing lay out of streets and freeways in the Bay Area), I started to grumble. I wasn't pounding the steering wheel in anger, mind you. But I was annoyed and the charm of a beautiful city was quickly wearing off.

In the midst of that traffic-induced frustration, I reframed the experience. I chose to look at my current situation from a different perspective. That's all reframing is; choosing to view a situation, a relationship, an environment, or a context from a different point of view. While it's not necessarily easy, it's extremely powerful.

Here is what I said to myself, "At least you get to spend some more time in this new rental car. When you get home, you drive a 6-year-old Honda that is overdue for an oil change and a tire rotation. And, at the end of the day you don't have to get this car washed. Someone else will do that."

Reframing is all about looking at something differently. Because I chose to think about the San Francisco traffic differently, I was able to lower my levels of stress. Resilience consists of two things: how we think and what we do. It consists of our thinking patterns (including that voice inside our heads that we talk to) and the coping mechanisms we use when things begin to be challenging.

When I told myself that the traffic delay was an opportunity to enjoy a new car, it changed the way I thought about the situation. I didn't paint a false picture that it was a great experience or that I was lucky to get caught in traffic. I didn't tell myself that it was equivalent to a pleasant stroll along the beach. But that simple little change – electing to focus on the positives of my current situation – lowered my stress, re-oriented my thinking, and allowed me to relax a bit.

In school settings, when we practice the art of reframing, we begin to view challenging students, difficult colleagues, un-communicative leadership, or inadequate resources differently. Although a bit cliché-ish, reframing is telling yourself that the cup is indeed half-full. It's not actually changing the situation; it's merely choosing to focus on the positives of the experience.

In full disclosure, reframing is not always easy. It takes effort to find the positive in the midst of an ugly or uncomfortable state of affairs. And, it takes practice. Here are two great tools you can use to help instill a habit of reframing:

Go from "have to" to "get to" – When you think of some of the duties and tasks that you are responsible for, adopt the mindset of "I get to..." rather than "I have to...". For example, you may need to return a phone call to a parent that you anticipate will be challenging. Rather than say, "I have to call this parent", say to yourself, "I get to call this parent". That one small change may be enough to shift thinking in order to help see the phone call as an opportunity rather than an obligation. Plus, when we view things as opportunities, we are less likely to procrastinate or avoid them altogether.
Repeat the phrases, "Nothing lasts forever" and "This too shall pass". A variation of those statements is the question, "Will this matter in 1 week?" Much of the time, the answer is, "No, not really". Why get upset, bothered, or stressed out about things that, in the big scheme of life, don't matter all that much.

Dr. Steven Wolin, an expert on the development of resilience says this, "Reframing is at the heart of resilience". Resilience is not about ignoring or downplaying the challenges in front of us (or the past traumas we are overcoming), it's about looking at them differently. Reframing is especially important as we strive to meet the needs of students who may have behavioral and/or learning difficulties.

Application Point : Follow the advice of Dr. Kenneth Ginsberg (a physician who works with children overcoming serious medical issues). He reminds us that in order to thrive, we must view the people around us as individuals with strengths, hopes, dreams, and assets. The people around us (although they might be a source of frustration or confusion at times) are not broken people who need to be fixed. For some of us, that is a significant shift in thinking right there – even the "problem" kids and the difficult colleagues have strengths. When we focus on those strengths, great things happen.

Take a moment and think about a student who is currently struggling in your class. They might be struggling because of an academic gap or they might be demonstrating negative or unproductive behaviors. List that child's strengths. Is that child passionate? Caring? Do they have great attendance? Do they stick up for their friends? Are they an athlete or cook or artist or dancer?

When we begin to view others as unique individuals with discernible strengths, we can begin to reframe our interactions with them.

As a super-extra bonus idea, try this: after you've made that list of a student's strengths share it with that student and their family. Tell the child all the good you see in them. Tell the parents as well. The simple act of identifying and communicating those strengths will do wonders for both teacher and student.

The Power of Gratitude to Build Resilency

Tue, 17 Sep 2019 14:40:22 GMT

The new school year is well under way and most of us are focused on how to help our kids learn and achieve at the highest levels possible. That’s our job, after all – doing our very best to ensure student success.

But when was the last time you thought about building, refining, and reflecting upon your own resilience as an educator? Self-care is all the rage right now (and for good reason). Do a quick web search and you’ll find a lot of people talking about the importance of taking care of yourself so that can take care of others. Here’s the main message: taking care of yourself is not selfish. In fact, it’s essential.

If you are to become the superstar educator you were meant to be, you have to take care of yourself. You have to develop, refine, and practice resilience. I’ll repeat the main message: taking care of yourself is not selfish; it’s essential. I’ll show you how to get started.

Teaching is hard. It’s awesome, but hard. As educators, our days are filled with highs and lows, triumphs and challenges, joys and sorrows. Quite simply, teaching is an emotionally taxing, tremendously rewarding roller-coaster-of-a-job.

For those of us who have dedicated our lives to the education of young people, we know this essential truth – while teaching is the most rewarding job on the planet, it’s also exhausting. It’s not like other jobs. Make no mistake, there are lots of other professions that are both rewarding and challenging but teaching is unique. Shaping the lives of children is unlike any other job in existence.

Because of the uniquely demanding and taxing nature of the profession, we need to develop, refine, and practice the art of resiliency. In order to be the very best teachers we can be, we must be resilient. Nearly every teacher knows this; we know the importance of taking care of ourselves, but we often put our own personal development on the back burner because we are so busy taking care of others. But here is the good news. Developing resilience (and taking care of yourself) is easier than you think. I’ll show you how.

So, what is resilience? Words and concepts most commonly associated with resilience include: persistence, the ability to “bounce back” after a setback, and the ability to cope during times of adversity. At its most basic, resilience is made up of those mindsets/beliefs/internal values we possess along with a set of specific strategies we employ during the tough times. Resiliency is two things: how we think and what we do (Ungar, 2017).

So, where should we start? Lean in and hang on – I’ll show you a powerful place to begin.

First, start by practicing gratitude . Lots and lots of it. Gratitude isn’t about ignoring the challenges in life, it’s about recognizing the blessings. It’s about taking time to realize that there are good things in life – specific things - that surround you on a daily basis.

Expressing thankfulness, appreciation, and gratitude shouldn’t be something we save for Thanksgiving dinner or the kumbaya campfire moments when we are away at a retreat. When gratitude becomes a daily habit, amazing things happen. For example, focusing on gratitude stimulates the hypothalamus in the brain (which helps to regulate stress) and the ventral tegmental (part of the brain’s reward and pleasure system) (Zahn, et al, 2009). In other words, gratitude helps you manage stress and makes you feel better.

Consider some other things we know about the power of gratitude:

When compared to times of stress, worry, and anxiety, the brain is more efficient and reflective when we focus on gratitude (Amen, 2016).
Expressing gratitude produces mental health benefits (Wong & Brown, 2017).
Grateful people are physically healthier and sleep better (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
Demonstrating gratitude reduces negative thoughts and feelings (DeWall, 2011).

Hopefully I’ve convinced you. Gratitude matters. It matters because gratitude helps to re-orient our thinking and empower us during times of stress. Expressing gratitude is a great way to take care of yourself.

So, where might we start? It can be as simple as taking the time to write a thank-you note or sending a quick email of appreciation. It can be as simple as picking up the phone and telling someone how much they mean to you. It can be as simple as meditation, prayer, or a positive personal reflection on your drive home after work. The key idea is that we take time to express specific things in our life we are grateful for; that’s where the power comes in.

And, as a bonus idea, consider how you might bring the practice of gratitude into the classroom. I’m following some amazing teachers on Twitter who do things like “3 Things Thursdays” where they ask their students to brainstorm and write 3 things they are grateful for (and they model it, of course). Other teachers do Bucket Fillers or have students place secret notes of encouragement around the school.

So go get started - what are you grateful for?

Free 2-Page Guide to Offering & Accepting an Apology

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 14:38:29 GMT

Click here to download the free guide to offering and accepting an apology.

Special Report - Cleaning Out the Toolbox

Sun, 16 Jun 2019 18:00:56 GMT

Engagement Strategies that Don't Work

Click here for the special report.

The Best Summer Self-Reflection Tool I Know

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Sun, 16 Jun 2019 17:53:31 GMT

School's out for Summer! (cue Alice Cooper)

The school year is over (or almost over) for students and teachers all over the country.

When summer arrives, one of first things we do is catch our breath - take a couple weeks to rest and recoup. That's necessary and important. Teaching is an emotionally-taxing job and it is essential to take some time to focus on self.

After that much-needed break, just about every teacher I know spends some time over the summer reflecting on the past year. They deliberate, plan, celebrate, consider changes for the coming school year, and probably do a little bit of shopping.

As you consider changes for the coming school year, there is a super-simple and extremely powerful tool at your disposal that can help bring clarity to the planning process. It's called the Keep-Start-Stop process.

Here's how it works. Take a blank sheet of paper and divide it into 3 columns. Above left column, write the word Keep , above the middle column write the word Start , and above the right column write the word Stop .

The process itself is fairly straightforward. As you begin planning for next school year, list those things you'll keep doing; those things that have proven successful and that you have evidence to support continued use.

You'll also want to give some consideration to strategies, approaches, programs, or techniques that you want to start doing. No doubt there are some things you've always wanted to try...some projects, strategies, or content that you've said to yourself, " I need to give that a shot ". Well, if we don't plan for it, it's not likely to happen. Let's be honest, once the new school year starts, we go 100mph for 180+ school days and it can be a real challenge to try new approaches after the school year begins.

Finally, there are no doubt some practices that should be taken out of the rotation. Maybe they are strategies or units or resources that at one time seemed useful but just are not quite connecting with your students anymore. To make room for trying some new things, we've got to clean out the toolbox of things that are not getting us the results we want. Put bluntly, there are probably some practices that need to be stopped and replaced with better ones.

If that last part got your attention (there may be some practices that just are not working anymore), you might be interested in a free report titled Cleaning Out the Toolbox - Student Engagement Strategies that Don't Work . Intrigued? Send me an email and it's all yours. Trust me, you'll want to see what it says. You might even be a bit surprised at the some of the "tried and true" strategies that actually stop student engagement.

Why "fun" matters more than you may realize

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 19:13:29 GMT

To start off, I realize that not everything can be fun in school.

Classrooms are places with often competing priorities – testing, schedules, curricular demands, and the like are not always within the direct control of classroom teachers. I get that.

While not everything can be fun, its important to know that when classroom activities are fun, enjoyable, and pleasurable some amazing things happen. Most notably, when activities are perceived as fun the brain responds with a release of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Why does dopamine matter? It’s the chemical most commonly associated with pleasure and reward. When we experience something enjoyable, our brains reward us with good feelings as if to say, “Hey, that felt good. Remember to do that again.” Not only does dopamine make us feel good, it helps with attention, motivation, and memory.

That’s an important message: dopamine levels are associated with memory, attention, and motivation! Aren’t those the big three (along with getting kids to behave better) that teachers are always striving to improve in their students? If students are disengaged and bored, there will be lower levels of dopamine. If they are engaged and having fun, dopamine levels increase.

Bottom-line – dopamine is a classroom teacher's best friend.

There is also some interesting research that suggests that merely labeling something as “fun” helps our most underachieving students the most (Hart and Albarracin, 2009).

So, where do we start? Certainly, giving some consideration to highly-engaging and fun activities is worth the time. I’ve got tons of resources and ideas in two books and for free on my website .

But the easiest place to begin is by simply asking your students. As this school year winds down, take the time to simply ask students what they perceive to be fun and enjoyable classroom learning experiences. Do some informal surveying of your students with questions like, “What was the most fun thing we did this year?” and “What changes could I make next year in order to make the lessons more fun and engaging?”

For a quick and simple Course Evaluation tool, click here .

Course Evaluation

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 18:20:29 GMT

What better way to improve your classroom than by getting feedback directly from your students.

Students, particularly challenging ones, can serve as a valuable source of feedback and information about the effectiveness of the classroom instruction and learning environment. In many classrooms, the feedback about growth, progress, and effectiveness flows only from the teacher to the student. This intervention asks for students to complete a Course Evaluation for the purpose of providing feedback to the teacher.

Putting It All Together
Although this intervention is often used with all students, it can be particularly powerful with students who challenge authority or have difficult, overt behaviors. Before using the intervention, it is helpful to create a worksheet or handout that lists questions or comments to rank on a Likert-type scale. Talk with the student and use an Engaging Frame such as “Becky, my goal is to become a better teacher, and I couldn’t think of anyone better than you to give me some
feedback about how I teach.” Ask the student to provide feedback on questions or statements such as the following:

My teacher provides clear directions. 1 2 3 4 5
My teacher cares about me. 1 2 3 4 5
The lessons and activities are fun. 1 2 3 4 5
Students are treated fairly in class. 1 2 3 4 5
My teacher is organized. 1 2 3 4 5
Grades are fair and accurate. 1 2 3 4 5

Tips and Variations
● Depending on the student, consider including some open-ended questions, such as “One thing I would change about this class is _____.”
● Course Evaluations are powerful because they can open a line of communication, but the feedback should never be used as a punishment or as a way to make the child feel guilty if he or she provided negative ratings or comments.

Stress is Contagious - and what that means for state testing

Thu, 28 Mar 2019 17:13:55 GMT

It seems like the terms stress and teacher are almost synonymous. Is teaching a stressful job? Uh, yeah! Have you ever tried to teach a group of 5 year olds to line up? It's not for the faint of heart.

The topic of stress is a popular one among educators. And rightfully so - our jobs are filled with demands, unknowns, and new challenges around every corner. This is partly what makes the job so rewarding but it can also greatly increase our stress levels.

Stress, we know, comes partly from those unknowns. When we feel that we lack control over something, it can increase our feelings of stress. I wrote a bit about stress in the February Battling Boredom newsletter which can be found at this link .

As educators, one of the many reasons that we want to manage our own stress levels is because our moods, anxieties, and stress levels impact our kids in a direct way. The bottom line is this: stress is contagious. One landmark stud y conducted with teachers and students found a direct link between levels of teacher burnout and stress (as measured by levels of the stress hormone Cortisol) and the levels of stress among students. It turns out that when teachers are stressed, so are kids.

So what does this have to do with state/standardized testing? It is during this time of the year that we often get anxious, worried, and stressed about how are kids are going to perform on high-stakes tests. And we all understand why - they are called "high-stakes" for a reason. Judgments are made, school/district ratings rely on test results, public opinion is formed, and in some cases merit pay is based on the results. It's no wonder that educators are stressed about the tests.

Well, when we get stressed it has a negative impact on our kids. The most obvious impact is that kids will not do as well on the assessments when their stress level is high (of course, we don't want extremely low levels of stress but that's a topic for another time).

So, what should we do? Here are some suggestions as we head into testing season:

Manage your own stress levels. Get adequate sleep, exercise, and lead as balanced a life as possible.
Speak to your kids about the tests in a balanced way. Are the tests important? Of course. We want our kids to do their very best. But don't exaggerate, "catastrophize", or worry the kids unnecessarily. The fact is that most kids will be plenty worried on their own.
Provide time for your students to practice in the testing environment. If they will be testing in a location other than your classroom, take a "field trip" to the testing location. Allow them to get comfortable with the testing location and environment. Going in to a new, unknown environment can be stressful. Reduce that stress by helping kids get to know the location, timing, and format of the test.
The day of the test - smile and make the kids feel comfortable. All too often, educators roam and hover over kids with a threatening stance that communicates, "If you even think about getting out of line, you'll be in serious trouble". Kids know the tests are important and most kids behave appropriately.
Provide some "in the moment" stress relievers for kids. Allow for physical movement, remind them to breath deeply, and allow for water breaks.
Give kids an opportunity to do a "Brain Dump" quick write activity right before the test begins. Sian Bielock, in the book Choke , suggests that this type of activity not only frees up working memory and cognitive capacity but can actually increase test scores. This approach works because it allows students an opportunity to express any worries and anxieties. When students have expressed and "gotten it out", their brains are freed up to concentrate on the test.

Do this ONE thing now to help your students deal with stress

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 00:09:05 GMT

One Simple Strategy to Deal with Stress

It seems that we can’t complete a school day without the ugly effects of stress weighing us down.

As educators we face seemingly endless sources of stress – grading, challenging student behaviors, parent demands, evaluations, testing, new initiatives…the list goes on and on.

But what if one simple act, one effective action could help mediate the effects of stress? What if we could better cope with stress if we did one thing more consistently? What if that one simple thing not only helped us but helped our students as well?

Before I explain more, let’s take a moment to remember what stress is…and why it is so damaging when it goes unchecked. Stress, according to PsychologyToday.com, is “… a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium.” Stress messes with our minds and bodies. It sets up a condition of mental and emotional uncertainty that can cause us to function in less than optimal ways. Our bodies and brains typically produce a stress response when we have a perception of a lack of control over a person or situation.

Unchecked stress has been linked to a host of medical and cognitive problems such as shrinkage in the brain (Duman, 2012), variations in the ability to make decisions (Mather & Lighthall, 2012), and impaired memory (Yuen et al, 2012). Not all stress is bad, of course, but perhaps that is a topic for another time.

Now that I’ve stressed you out about stress, let’s get to the action point!

Since stress and perception of control are closely related, we can help ourselves and our students by consistently doing things that are helpful. In an interesting study, researchers from UCLA and Yale found that prosocial behaviors help to mediate the harmful effects of stress. When we are feeling stressed most of us go internal and focus on our own wants and needs. We get a little selfish. However, during times of stress, the researchers found that helping others has an extremely positive effect on us . It seems that helping others really is helping yourself.

In the classroom, prosocial behaviors include things like helping someone with a task, holding open a door, or giving someone a compliment. These seemingly “little” things can have a big impact in our classrooms.

Source : Raposa, E., Laws, H., Ansell, E., Prosocial Behavior Mitigates the Negative Effects of Stress in Everyday Life , 2015.

Why you don't want a good presenter

Thu, 21 Feb 2019 23:48:48 GMT

Listen, there are tons of really good trainers and presenters out there. I know and work with lots of them. Take a look at their websites and you’ll find them filled with glowing testimonials about how great of a presenter they are. Heck, I have those same testimonials on my website. They say things like, “Best presenter ever!” and “The sessions were filled with great ideas that were presented in an engaging way”…blah, blah, blah. If you want a good presenter - someone who will inspire your staff and give you some good ideas, you’ve got lots of great options. I consider myself one of those options. But, we all know that good presentations don’t always result in a change. And that is our ultimate goal – a change in practice, a transfer of ideas – in order to improve learning for our students.

Asking, “Is this person a good presenter?” is a decent start, but it doesn’t tell you the whole story. You really don’t want a good presenter. More directly – you don’t want someone who is only a good presenter.

We should be asking “Are they a good presenter and will they help to transform teaching and learning at my school?” Sitting through an engaging presentation is awesome. But if it doesn’t result in a change in classroom practice, what’s the point? If we don’t do anything differently, the training is a waste of time and money.

A better question is, “What can we expect to do differently after we spend time with this “great” presenter? So, let me tell you first – I am a darn good presenter. Better than average and I have a 15+ year history of getting rave reviews from educators who attend my sessions because they are engaging, relevant, and inspiring.

Not all that long ago, I used to think that was enough. Come to one of my sessions, get inspired with great ideas, and then go change the world. Now I know better. Attending an inspirational session will make us feel good, but rarely does it result in a long-term change in practice. What does result in a long-term change in practice? Lean in and keep reading – I’ll get there.

So, rather than me telling you how good I am, allow me to highlight what schools and districts are doing differently after I’ve spent time with them. What we do differently is the real measure of success for any professional learning endeavor. Here are some examples of some changes in practice I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with over the last year:

A school in Northern Arizona is using the Looks Like/ Sounds Like process to create concrete examples of appropriate behavior for students with learning disabilities.
Schools in California, Tennessee, and Arizona are using the Classroom Walkthrough Protocol to learn from each other by visiting and observing classroom practice.
Schools in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arizona, and California are improving student engagement and seeing a reduction in misbehavior by making 5 Positive Phone Calls Home each week.
Schools in Ohio, Florida, California, and Tennessee are using data collected from Student and Parent Focus Groups to improve everything from their homework policies to school culture.

The list could go on, but you get the point. What we do differently as a result of any professional learning experience is the real measure of success. So, let me ask you a question – Are you getting the results you want? Are you seeing a change in practice for yourself and your colleagues? If not, it’s time to consider a different approach.

Part of my success – my secret sauce, if you will – is the fact that all the professional learning experiences I lead are presented in an engaging way that is full of relevant ideas based on solid research. But we also focus on how to transfer those powerful ideas into the classroom . We spend a lot of time learning (or re-learning) research-based ideas but we also spend a lot of time considering how those ideas are going to manifest once we get back into our classrooms. That makes my sessions relevant, meaningful, and more likely to result in something different.

Does it sound like I am I looking for a job – kinda, yes . And you and your school might be a great candidate. Do you want something different? Do you want to finally see the results you’ve been searching for? Contact me and let’s get the ball rolling. I simply get really, really excited when I get a chance to work with a staff and make a long-term changes that result in great outcomes for kids.

You should know this also – the examples I listed above come from my long-term work with schools and districts. One-time professional development has its place and can be a powerful thing. I still cringe when I hear the term “drive-by professional development” because it has such a negative connotation. The fact is that one-time professional learning can work given the right circumstances and I do lots of one-time sessions as well. You know this is true – many of you attend national conferences and come back and do amazing things with what you learn. But getting the whole staff on board and making changes together – that’s where I specialize.

Final note - would I love the chance to work with you and your school? Absolutely! If you think we might be a good fit, contact me and we’ll start the conversation.

Why do students forget?

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 04:56:54 GMT

We create dynamic lessons, state the objective in student‐friendly terms, have students socially interact to share information, but they still seem to forget much of what we teach. Every teacher has experienced the frustration of having to reteach content because students forgot important information. Likewise, students often experience similar frustration at not being able to remember. So, why do students (or any of us for that matter) forget?

Daniel Schlacter, in his book The Seven Sins of Memory – How the Mind Forgets and Remembers, offers reasons the brain forgets information.

Inattention – when we don’t pay attention or only give partial attention to something, the information isn’t encoded fully or accurately in the brain. For example, we forget where we placed our car keys because we only partially paid attention when we put them down.
Suggestion – we become influenced by someone else’s comments, the environment, or what is emphasized or de‐emphasized. For example, a person who accurately witnesses a car accident between a blue car and a red car but is later corrected by someone else that both cars were blue will eventually remember two blue cars.
Misattribution – this happens when we make assumptions about what belongs in an event, group, or context. For example, a fellow teacher often gives staff training on the topic of Six Traits of Writing and is widely considered the school expert in writing instruction. However, a writing training is conducted by another individual. Later, teachers swear that the training was conducted by the school expert. This happens because it would make sense, based on previous experience, that the school expert conducted the training.
Subject Bias –individuals can be predjudiced by false beliefs about a person, organization, or event. Both a positive and a negative bias can influence memory. Have you ever heard someone deny inappropriate behavior by another even though there was proof? “That can’t be true. I know it looks bad but he’d never do that!”

In order to help overcome each of these reasons, here are some suggestions and ideas for classroom implementation:

Teach students about memory and what they can do to sharpen it. The process of learning and memory should not be kept a secret. I have found that students have a natural, intrinsic interest in learning about their brain and how it functions.
Focus student attention on important, key ideas. Say things like, “This is important, you’ll definitely want to remember this.” or “Here is something that you’ll want to pay close attention to, it could be on a test.” Be careful not to use these types of statements too often or it could backfire.
Add emotional connections to the content. The amygdala (the brain’s emotional processing center) greatly influences memory. After all, we rarely forget how we feel about something. When emotions are added to content, recall increases.
Repeat key information at intervals of every couple of hours. A good suggestion is the 10-24-7 rule in order to space practice over time.

Free Infographic - Concrete Reminders and Visual Tools

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 00:34:05 GMT

Below is a free infographic showing examples of how concrete reminders and visual tools support student success.

The Power of Stories to Engage Students

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 17:23:25 GMT

Have you ever noticed that the student who has difficulty focusing and paying attention to most tasks in
the classroom will sit and listen intently to a story? Stories, it seems, are special. Cognitive Psychologist
Daniel Willingham explains that stories are “psychologically privileged” and that there is indeed something
special about them. He says, “Stories are easy to comprehend and easy to remember, and that’s true not
just because people pay close attention to stories; there is something inherent in the story format that
makes them easy to understand and remember. Ron Nash, author of The Active Classroom, offers more
insights into why stories are so powerful, “Storytelling engages our minds in a way that television simply
cannot do.” He goes on to explain that stories help to stimulate images in the minds of the listener. During
a story, the listener interprets and expands upon those images as the story unfolds.

Teachers can engage students by telling them stories that connect to the content but they can also have
students tell their own stories. Here are some ideas for classroom use:

• Create a story that connects to the content to be mastered. For example, a fictional story about
relationship between a river and a lake could help students to understand geography concepts.
• Use stories as hooks or leads into a lesson to heighten student interest.
• Ask students to take the content being learned and turn it into a story. For example, you could ask
the students to create a story of a boy who struggled to learn his times tables. Students could also
take selected vocabulary terms and use them in a story.
• Ask students to bring in toys, props, or other important items to use as props as they tell stories.
Objects such as photos, baseball cards, or special toys can tell entire stories.
You don’t need to be a master storyteller to engage kids. There are numerous resources available to
teachers on the internet and in curriculum guides that will provide examples and help you get started.

Your Scale is in the Wrong Place

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 18:01:25 GMT

(January 2019)

This time of the year, your email inbox is probably overloaded with newsletters and reminders about new year’s resolutions, smart goals, and tips on how to make changes for the coming year. Well, this newsletter is going to be different, kind of. Keep reading; it will get interesting.

I’m only going to remind you of one thing, (something you probably already know) – your scale is in the wrong place.

We're talking about the scale in your bathroom. The one you use to check your weight. It's in the wrong place. I'll bet the scale is in your bathroom, right? If so, you are just like everyone else. And, it makes sense that the scale is in the bathroom. Most of us grew up this way. When we go to Target to shop for a scale, we go to the bath section. When we do weigh ourselves, we are usually in our skivvies coming out of the shower. So, it makes sense to have the scale in the bathroom but that's probably not the best place for it.

The most powerful place for your scale is not in your bathroom, its in your kitchen. The scale obviously serves a utilitarian purpose; it gives us information in the form of a number. But the scale also serves another very powerful purpose that is best served when we place the scale right in front of the refrigerator. The scale can serve as a concrete reminder and visual cue to be careful about what we put in our bodies. When placed in the kitchen (right next to the goodies that tempt us so much), it can cause us to pause, think, and reflect. There mere sight of the scale can change our behavior.

Now, I'm sure our friends at Weight Watchers and Jenny C appreciate this tip, but this is a newsletter about teaching and learning not about scales or even New Year's resolutions. Let's make an application to the classroom.

Concrete reminders and visual cues are important for student success in the classroom. All too often we rely on verbal directions, reminders, or expectations. We tell kids what they need to know, remember, or do and then expect 100% compliance and success. But, we all know how often our (solely) verbal reminders fail to get the desired results.

When we provide students with visual cues and concrete reminders about procedures, expectations, task outcomes, processes, and activities (in addition to our verbal explanations) they experience greater levels of success.

Just as placing the scale in the kitchen will serve as an effective reminder and cue, consider providing students with visuals and concrete reminders about how to succeed at tasks in the classroom. Don't just tell kids, show them. If a picture really is worth 1000 words, let's use the power of visuals and objects to support student success. Interested in learning more? Click here for an infographic with examples.

"On task" doesn't mean engaged

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Sat, 05 Jan 2019 18:12:32 GMT

We’ve seen the looks on the faces of our students—the glassy eyes, fallen expressions, listless demeanors, some of them only slightly awake. They are bored. We know that engagement is the key to learning but we also know that many of our students are bored with the curriculum and activities being offered in classrooms. In order to battle this problem, much focus and attention has been placed on getting students to be “on-task”. Indeed, the link between on-task behavior and student achievement is strong. However, just as a worker at a company can be busy without being productive, a student can be on-task without actually being engaged in the learning. True, long-lasting learning comes not merely as a result of being on task. It comes as a result of being deeply engaged in meaningful, relevant, and important tasks.

We see examples of on-task but disengaged behavior every day-- students mindlessly coping notes from a screen, listening to a lecture but daydreaming about what to do after school, robotically completing a worksheet. Some students, particularly older ones, have become masters at what Bishop and Pflaum (2005) refer to as “pretend-attend”. That is, they have mastered the ability to look busy, focused, and on-task but in reality they are disengaged in the actual learning.

So, how do we ramp up both on-task behavior and real, meaningful engagement for our students? Here are 7 easy ways to increase the likelihood that students are both engaged and on-task.

1. Teach students about the process of focus, attention, and engagement. Tell them about how the brain works and help them to recognize the characteristics of real engagement.

2. When designing objectives, lessons, and activities consider the task students are being asked to complete. Is the task, behavior, or activity one that is relevant, interactive, and meaningful or is it primarily designed to keep kids busy and quiet?

3. Ask your students about their perspectives, ideas, and experiences. What do they find engaging, real, and meaningful?

4. Create authentic reasons for learning activities. Connect the objectives, activities, and tasks to those things that are interesting and related to student experiences.

5. Provide choice in the way students learn information and express their knowledge.

6. Incorporate positive emotions including curiosity, humor, age-appropriate controversy and inconsequential competition (Inconsequential competition is described by Marzano (2003) as competition in the spirit of fun with no rewards, punishments or anything of “consequence” attached.)

7. Allow for creativity and multi-sensory stimulation (think art, drama, role play, and movement).

Why do students misbehave?

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 23:30:29 GMT

Effective teachers know that in order to truly help a student to change an inappropriate behavior, they have to get to the root causes and consider the core of the problem (Waller, 2008). When confronted with an inappropriate student behavior, the most effective teachers ask themselves one question, “How can I help to prevent this from happening again?” Teachers should consider not only the most effective consequence but also what strategies should be utilized to help prevent future occurrences. Punishment alone rarely teaches a child the skills necessary to act appropriately in the future (Tileston, 2004).

Part of the process of assisting a child in developing necessary skills is getting to the root of why they behave as they do. So, this all begs the question, why do some students misbehave? Below is a partial listing of possible reasons a student would misbehave (Kottler, 2008):

• They are probing boundaries
• They are mimicking the actions of others
• They have a strong curiosity or interest in something
• They desire attention
• They desire power
• They are bored or frustrated
• They have an emotional reaction to something that has happened outside of the classroom
• They feel their dignity is threatened
• They have difficulty handling disagreements
• They have an egocentric personality
• They lack self‐control (they are impulsive)
• There are unclear directions or expectations
• They lack basic academic or cognitive skills
• They have a low tolerance for frustration
• There exists peer pressure or the need for group belonging
• Home or peer pressure reinforce the behavior
• There is an underlying emotional, physical, psychological, or learning disorder

And let’s not forget that sometimes it is just plain fun to misbehave a little. As you work with students who break rules and misbehave, consider spending time thinking about why they misbehave. After all, the reason why someone does something is every bit as important as what they are doing.

3 Reasons to avoid "these" kids

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 22:01:21 GMT

Have you ever overheard a colleague, friend, or parent talk about "these kids"?

"These kids never do their work."
"These kids are unmotivated, they don't seem to care about learning."
"These parents are no better than these kids. They refuse to accept that their kids could do anything wrong."

Words matter. How we speak about our students, how we describe our challenges, how we talk about opportunities for success...they all matter. Early on in my teaching career I remember receiving the advice to "Be tough on these kids. Don't let them get away with anything." Being a new teacher, I took the advice to heart and became overly "firm" because I certainly didn't want "these kids" to get the best of me. Luckily, through the mentorship of some amazing educators, I came to realize that the problem wasn't these kids, it was "these kids". The phrases and words we use to describe our students matter a great deal. Over the years, I've tried my best to avoid using phrases like "these kids" and instead try to talk about "our kids" or "my kids". Think about it, when the news is good they are "my kids". When the news is not so good, "those kids" belong to someone else.

As educators, here are 3 reasons we should avoid "these kids" and instead talk about "our kids":

1. Mirrors or fingers? ‐ In most situations when we talk about "these kids" it is in the context of complaint, blame, frustration, or an expectation of a battle. Teaching is a stressful job and there certainly are times when the challenges get the best of us. Slips of the tongue happen and I’m not suggesting that if we occasionally refer to “these kids", that we are somehow less concerned for our students. But it matters how we talk about kids and how we talk about our responsibility to them. Are we primarily using fingers to point blame or are we using mirrors to reflect on our own practice?

2. Absolutely not ‐ When we talk about "these kids" in the midst of a frustration, we often make the mistake of lumping all kids (or parents, or colleagues, or administrators, or politicians, or...you get the point) together. When I was told to "Be tough on these kids" it left me with the impression that all my kids were trouble‐making hellions just waiting until I turned my back to start some sort of mischief. In reality, the vast majority of my students were great! Even in the most challenging situations, there are students who care, who will put forth effort, and who desire to learn. Let's avoid using absolute statements like all, every, none, etc.

3. Current State vs Desired State ‐ Dr. Robert Garmston, well‐known for his work with Cognitive Coaching, points out that the longer we talk about our current/present state or condition, the longer we'll stay in that condition. If we spend most of our time and energies lamenting the fact that, "These kids won't pay attention or listen" the longer we'll continue to stay in that state. Instead, he advises that after we have described the problem, we move our dialogue towards the desired state or condition. The more we discuss the desired state, the more likely we'll make the adjustments necessary to get there.

The Secret to Effective Classroom Management

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 21:03:26 GMT

In all honesty, there is no one , single secret to effective classroom management. The reality is that there are a lot of methods, techniques, and approaches that are good for both students and teachers. What do almost all of them (the ones that are good for both students and teachers) have in common? They teach students the skills of self-regulation ; they don’t rely solely on rules, rewards, and consequences. Here is the big picture: If we want well-managed classrooms where students are polite, engaged, and productive the best gift we can give to our student is to teach them how to manage their own behavior .

That leads to a few questions: What is self-regulation, exactly? How important is the development of self-regulation skills? and, What strategies are effective at helping students develop those skills? First, let’s briefly tackle what it is. Sometimes referred to as an executive function process in the brain, self-regulation can be thought of as the ability to control and direct one’s behavior. A review of the research will reveal related terms like self-control, self-direction, self-monitoring, self-management, and even willpower. Regardless of the exact defintion, they all have this in common – self-control is the ability to direct and control one’s behavior and to make choices that are in your own and other’s long-term best interest.

How important is self-regulation? Well, as teachers we don’t need a mountain of scientific research to confirm what we’ve known for years. Students who are better at controlling their own behavior, delaying gratification, and appropriately dealing with the multitude of distractions in the classroom do better in school and in life . Students who can control themselves get better grades, get in trouble less often, have more friends, and report greater satisfaction with their education (Mischel, Shoda, & Rodriquez, 1989; Moffitt, 2011; Baumeister & Tierney, 2012). For those of you who would like to learn more about self-regulation and impulse control, Google any of the numerous resources discussing the famous Marshmallow Test originally conducted by Walter Mischel. YouTube has some video clips that are informative and entertaining.

With all that said, here is the great news for classroom teachers – self-regulation can be learned . Since it can be learned, we have an obligation to teach students the specific techniques that will allow them to be successful. Merely telling students to show self-control is pointless unless they have the resources, knowledge, and skills that allow them to do it. So, here are 4 ways to help students develop self-regulation skills:

1. Support the Brain – Without providing a primer on the brain, suffice it to say that the brain is an energy hog. It’s only about 2% of a person’s body weight but it uses about 20% of the body’s total energy consumption. The brain gets its energy from glucose. Whenever someone undertakes a task that requires willpower or self-control, glucose is depleted. If there are low levels of glucose in the brain it can be very difficult to exhibit self-control. So, allow studnets to eat and drink (to replenish glucose) and increase the amount of physical movement (this can release glucose stored in the liver).

2. Make it Fun – Learning doesn’t have to be painful and it shouldn’t feel like a chore. In fact, if we approach the development of self-regulation skills from the perspective that students have to suffer, we are likely going to be facing some very reluctant students. In order to make it fun, incorporate games like Simon Says and Concentration, use role-playing scenarios where students deal with real-life situations and problems, and engage students with intriguing scenarios and questions.

3. Improve Working Memory – Sometimes refered to as short-term memory, working memory has been described as the brain’s Post-it note where informaiton is stored for short periods of time as they brain descides what to do with it. The information stored in working memory drives planning, problem-solving, organization, and attention. In order to improve working memory, use spot-the-difference puzzles (click here for a free site with lots of good examples), play games like 20 Questions where participants have to hold information in working memory, and externalize information such as time limits, guidelines, and directions with visual and written reminders.

4. Do a Room Check – The physical environment of the classroom can have a tremendous impact on a student’s ability to focus and exhibit self-control. Some students, particularly those low in self-regulation are sensitive to what Eric Jensen (2012) refers to as “hot cues”. That is, there are things in the enviornment that can be very difficult to ignore. So, spend some time analyzing the classroom with a keen eye towards things that could be a distraction for students. Consider things like placement of desks and pencil sharpeners, the amount of clutter, and traffic patterns. Ask yourself this question, “Is my room neat, tidy, and organized or cluttered, messy, and overly stimulating?”

Grit, Resiliency, and a Growth Mindset

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:37:15 GMT

You can hardly read an education blog, a newsletter, or a mainstream publication today without hearing talk of topics like grit, growth mindset, perseverance, and resiliency.

Do a quick internet search and you’ll find slogans like “Grit, don’t quit” and some creative folks have developed an acronym for Grit: Guts, Resilience, Initiative, and Tenacity. So, what’s all the fuss about? Is there reason to believe that a focus on these skills and the development of a growth mindset is worth our time? And more importantly, if we do focus on developing these skills, where do we start?

First, let’s all acknowledge that the topic of grit, resilience, and a growth mindset is really appealing. That partially explains its popularity right now. As educators, every day we work with students who have some real deficits in this area. It’s a challenge to help students develop content knowledge when some of them struggle so mightily when it comes to facing adversity or difficulty situations. It seems like many of our students give up before they even start!

[The topic of grit and resiliency is really popular right now...and for good reason. Many of our students seem to be lacking when it comes to the skills and attitudes necessary to face challenges.]

To answer my first question – is a focus on resiliency, grit, and a growth mindset worth our time – the answer is unequivocally yes! And I’m not alone in this assessment – thousands of educators all over the country are finding innovative and effective ways to help their students develop these skills. The more timely questions are, where do we start and what techniques and strategies are likely to be effective? So, let’s dig in and uncover some truths and figure out where we might begin (or continue our journey).

Here are 7 things to know about grit, resiliency, and a growth mindset:

1. Even though it is a popular topic right now, it’s anything but new. Carol Dweck first published her ground-breaking book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success in 2007. That publication gave birth to an industry; you can attend mindset conferences and heavy hitters such as Paul Tough and Angela Duckworth have written great books on the topic. 2. While the term “grit” is popular right now, most of the seminal research investigated topics related to the concept of resiliency. In fact, in the early 1990s Emmy Werner and Ruth Smith published Overcoming the Odds; a book that described how risk factors and protective factors impacted children as they grew up. The current discussion of grit and mindset is firmly planted on the shoulders of great researchers such as Werner and Smith.
3. Having a growth mindset and a set of resiliency skills sets people up for success when times become challenging. When a person is resilient – when they have “grit” - they are more equipped to face obstacles, trials, and difficulties. How a person thinks about those challenges (more specifically how they think about themselves and their own abilities) is their mindset.
4. Developing any skill takes time. If you’ve come to the conclusion, like so many of us have, that helping students develop these skills is worthwhile and important, you need to take the long-term view. Developing any skill, habit, or mindset (positive or negative) takes time and commitment. If we really believe this stuff is important, it needs to be part of the daily and weekly rituals of our schools and classrooms. Doing something occasionally (like talking about mindset once or twice a month) will, at best, be a novelty. If we want change, we need to commit to it and plan for implementation of specific practices and strategies.
5. Speaking of specific practices and strategies, it must start with us. We must exhibit the skills, attitudes, and mindsets we expect to see in our kids. We cannot tell kids to persevere when times get tough only to scold, yell, and give up on kids when they challenge us.
6. Long-time colleague and mentor, Dr. Eric Jensen is fond of reminding us to not beat ourselves up when we fail to live up to our own expectations. Tomorrow is a new day and the truth is that none of us are always, 100% of the time in a growth mindset. In fact, Carol Dweck’s most recent work focuses on that very point. Even though we may have a growth mindset for most things, we all sometimes get pushed back into a fixed mindset. The goal is to have more of a growth mindset more often. Perfection isn’t the goal. Growth and improvement is.
7. Start small, but start! While we don’t have space in this article to outline too many strategies, below I’ve outlined a couple of ideas. If you haven’t begun your journey, why wait?
*Share stories of success – Stories are special things and students can easily relate to examples, models, and stories of individuals who have overcome adversity and maintained a positive view of life. The best stories are ones that match the daily realities and challenges of your students. The internet is full of examples and there are a ton of YouTube videos that show students real-life examples of grit in action. Incorporate writing & reflection
*Utilize writing tasks that call for students to reflect on their growth, successes, and challenges. Ask them to dig deep and dream big. In this way, writing becomes reflective and serves the purpose of thinking about growth and change. No need to use these types of tasks for a grade…simply start the conversation and give them time to think via writing.
*Give feedback via S-E-A – Thanks to Eric Jensen for this wonderfully simple strategy. When giving feedback and debriefing with students, help them attribute their successes or their challenges to something under their control as it relates to a specific strategy they tried, the amount of effort they put forth, or a specific attitude they adopted (or a combination of the three). All those things – a Strategy, an Effort, or an Attitude – are under the child’s control. Children do not have control over things like socio-economic conditions, IQ, etc. but we want them to realize that what they do have control over matters more than those other factors.

[Why not start now? If we want our students to be risk-takers, let's model it by taking a risk ourselves.]

Why don't students pay attention?

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:25:43 GMT

Have you noticed that some of your students (maybe many of your students) struggle to pay attention for even a short period of time? Does it seem that “kids today” have a shorter attention span than just a few years ago? As classroom teachers, we are in a constant battle to gain and maintain student attention. After all, students that can attend to the content and lessons are more likely to recall information at a later time (Medina, 2008). As classroom teachers, we first must understand what attention is and what role it plays in the brain.

Eric Jensen, author of Teaching with the Brain in Mind, says, “Pay attention” is appropriate because attention requires the expenditure of the brain’s resources…It requires that we orient, engage, and maintain each appropriate neural network. In short, paying attention is not easy to do consciously.” Jensen goes on to describe that the brain generally pays attention to three things: that which is related to survival, that which is novel, and that which is pleasurable. He notes that the brain typically pays external attention to contrasts in sound, movements, and emotions.

Robert Sylwester, author of How to Explain a Brain, adds, “It seems our brain was designed to pay attention to sudden, dramatic changes and to simply ignore or monitor subtle differences, steady states, and gradual changes.”

The brain has a system and physical structures that regulate attention called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS decides what sensory input goes to the higher brain to be processed. In short, it acts as an involuntary filter that determines what events, situations, or content gets attention. In order for something to maintain our attention, it must get through that filter.

So, what kinds of things get through the filter? Dr. Judy Willis, neuroscientist and middle school science teacher, suggests that the following types of activities and challenges get attention:
• Realia and physical objects related to the content
• Use of student names
• Stories
• Changes in voice, volume, inflections, dramatic pauses, etc.
• Changes in physical appearance
• The element of surprise
• The ability to predict an outcome and track progress towards goals
• Images, pictures, visual tools
• Role playing • Movement

How much does an organized environment matter to the brain?

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:16:15 GMT

We've all seen them - messy desks, cluttered classrooms with piles of stuff everywhere, and learning environments so disorganized that we wonder how anything is accomplished. Common sense, along with a bunch of research, tells us that environments matter. The way we organize the space, the traffic flow, the placement of visuals and work spaces, and the things like bulletin boards all matter. But, how much does the clutter-factor matter? Again, common sense might tell us that a cluttered, disorganized space impacts learning and focus, but how much?

Fortunately, research done by Grace Chae from Temple University and Juliet Zhu from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, offers some insights. In an interesting series of studies, they found that disorganized and cluttered environments lead to (among other things): more impulsive behavior, less focus and attention on work tasks, and less persistence at challenging tasks. While these studies were done with adults in professional work settings, they can offer some insights into how we organize classrooms.

Study results were shared in a paper titled “Environmental Disorder Leads to Self-Regulatory Failure” published in 2014. Among the interesting statements from the authors include the declaration that “clutter makes you a quitter” and that a disorganized environment quickly depletes mental resources necessary to be productive.

Their research highlights a host of interesting questions and issues for classroom teachers. We often have to support and teach students who seem distracted, unable to focus, or who struggle to maintain persistence on a task. Could it be that a cluttered environment is making it worse for them? So, it may be time to do a room check. Put yourself in the shoes of your students (or, more accurately, put yourself in their desks) and consider the visual clutter, the organization of the learning materials, and the overall environment. While few would suggest that a sterile learning environment is best for kids, we might be to take an honest look at the clutter-factor in our classrooms.

Read more about their research at https://hbr.org/2015/01/why-a-messy-workspace-undermines-your-persistence

Reference

Chae, Boyoun and Shu, Rui, "Environmental Disorder Leads to Self-Regulatory Failure", Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 40, April 2014.

Teaching, Learning, and the Curse of Knowledge

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:12:00 GMT

In the early 1990s, a PhD candidate named Elizabeth Newton described a phenomenon that would later be described as the “curse of knowledge”. Newton paired participants and asked one person to tap out commonly-known tunes using their fingers. Their partner was tasked with identifying the tune based on their partner’s tapping. Her experiments showed that the “tappers” and the “listeners” had a difficult time communicating. Listeners got the right tune about 3 percent of the time. In fact, the tappers were often frustrated that their partners couldn’t identify the tune.

This “curse of knowledge” as it would later be called highlights a problem for all educators. That is, once you know something, it is difficult to imagine not knowing it. The tappers had full knowledge of the tune as it was playing in their mind but their partners only heard random finger tapping. It can be a curse because when we know something deeply, when we’ve literally spent thousands of hours thinking about and teaching a concept, it can be a challenge to communicate with those who don’t know the concept as deeply.

In their hugely popular book, Made the Stick , authors Chip and Dan Heath use the idea of a curse of knowledge to describe why some ideas fail be memorable. They point out that, “Once you know something, it’s hard to imagine not knowing it. And that, in turn, makes it harder for you to communicate to a novice.” Research from neuroscience also provides insight into the disconnect between experts and novices. Using brain imaging technology, researchers have studied reaction times and brain processes of amateur and expert chess players. The findings support what Newton found in her research – those who know something deeply (like the expert chess players) think differently about the content than do amateurs.

So, as educators how do we overcome this curse?

First, do your best to remember what it was like to first learn the concept you are attempting to teach.
Simplify explanations and use concrete models, physical demonstrations, and images to explain concepts.
Read body language – The non-verbal communication of your students is usually an indicator of their understanding of a concept.
Use stories, analogies, and metaphors to connect the concept directly to students’ current experiences.
Ask students to expand, clarify, and give examples. Students should communicate their understanding of a concept in partner discussions, in writing, in visual formats such as non-linguistic representations, and through physical actions.

Finally, one of the most important self-reflection questions for educators should be, how do we react or respond to those students that don’t “get it” ? What support structures, activities, or opportunities do we provide for students that don’t comprehend what seems so obvious to us? That can be the curse…when we know something so well it can be difficult to relate to those who don’t know it as well.

Sources: Heath and Heath, 2008; National Research Council, 2000

The Power of Student Feedback

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 22:09:20 GMT

As we approach the mid-point of the school year, many of us will take the break as an opportunity to reflect, consider changes in our practice, and to plan for the remainder of the school year. When we reflect and consider changes to our practice, we have lots of sources of data to help inform us of our progress. We have student achievement data, evaluations from our principal or supervisor, student grades, anecdotal records, and feedback from parents and colleagues.

However, many teachers fail to tap the most valuable source of feedback – their students. In most classrooms, overt, direct feedback goes solely from the teacher to the student. We give them grades, written feedback on their work, verbal feedback and direction regarding their behavior, and dole out the rewards and incentives when they meet expectations. Yet rarely do we afford students the chance to give such feedback, advice, and suggestions back to us. The argument can be made that students are the very best source of feedback regarding our effectiveness. They are, after all, our primary customers and they spend their entire day on the receiving end of our efforts. It only makes sense to tap their knowledge, ideas, and thoughts about what changes should be made to the instructional methods, personal characteristics of the teacher, or classroom environmental factors that should be adjusted.

So, how should we go about gathering student feedback about our progress? One method is to offer students the opportunity to complete a Course Evaluation. Using a Likert-type rating scale, ask students to anonymously complete a survey asking about various aspects of the classroom environment and instructional methods. Examples of statements that students can rate include:

My teacher provides clear directions
My teacher cares about me
The lessons and activities are fun
Students are treated fairly in class
My teacher is organized
Grades are fair and accurate

In addition to the powerful message we send by gathering and acting on student ideas and feedback, consider what a wonderful model we set when we seek feedback directly from our students. We show them that we want to grow and improve, that we are not afraid of criticism, that we are still learning, and that we are willing to take a risk – all behaviors we expect from our students.

Throwing some fuel on the homework debate bonfire

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 18:58:21 GMT

The topic of homework has been hotly debated in recent years with everyone from Alfie Kohn to CNN providing a perspective on the relative strengths and weaknesses of using homework as a means to increase student achievement.

Without reviewing the merits of each side of the debate (I’ll leave that up to each of you to create your own informed opinion based on the research), let us consider what extreme amounts of homework might be doing to the brains of our students.

A 2013 study conducted by Mollie Galloway from Lewis & Clark University can shed some light on the subject. Although she is not a neuroscientist and doesn’t claim to be an expert on the brain, her research found some interesting and relevant connections between homework, sleep, stress, and students overall engagement in learning.

Most notably, Galloway’s research found that the amount of homework a student completed impacted the quantity and quality of sleep they got. This makes sense, of course. The more time students have to spend doing homework, the less time they have for other things…including sleep.

So, why is this a big deal? Well, without going into a primer on the impact of sleep on the brain, suffice it to say that sleep is a big deal . John Medina , author of Brain Rules, describes sleep as “powerfully restorative” in its capacity and neuroscientist/sleep expert Dr. Russell Foster says that, in addition to helping with a variety of health and learning problems, we “all would be better human beings” if we got the right amount of sleep.

If our students don’t get enough sleep due to homework, we might be shooting ourselves in the foot. On one hand, we give more homework hoping that it will improve memory retention. But the increase in homework takes away from sleep time which impacts the brain’s ability to consolidate memories (Maija-Riikkasteenar et. al, 2003; Chee & Chuah, 2008).

This all begs the question, as educators what should we do?

First, let’s consider what we expect students to do once they leave school. Aside from the compelling research, one of the best arguments I’ve ever heard about homework centers on the “job” of students. If a student’s “job” is to be a full time student that means they go to “work” for 6-7 hours per day. If they are then to do additional “work” at home for several more hours than we are asking them to work more hours per day than we are! Add to this the fact that we want our students to be involved in extra-curricular sports, clubs, and community involvement activities; it can easy to see why so many students are sleep deprived.

The second thing we can do is to start educating our student about the power of sleep. There are some helpful, easy to use lesson plans and resources on the web. A few of my favorites can be found HERE , HERE , and HERE .

Would you rather experience physical pain or boredom?

bryan@bryan-harris.com (Bryan Harris) — Thu, 03 Jan 2019 18:51:32 GMT

Imagine this: you are alone in a room with nothing to do. No cell phone, no book to read or TV to watch, no other people to talk to. Just you and your thoughts for 15 minutes.

For those of us who spend time around kids all day, that sounds like a dream come true, right?

But, how much downtime can our brains tolerate? How long can we endure a seemingly boring environment before we seek out something novel, even if that novelty brings with it physical pain?

University of Virginia researcher Timothy Wilson and his colleagues sought to answer some of these questions and what they found out is simply amazing.

About 400 study participants were asked to sit alone in a room for up to 15 minutes with no external stimulation. About half of the participants reported not enjoying the experience of solitude. They had the chance to just sit and think, but many of them didn’t like it. Even when subjects were given topics to think about, they didn’t like the experience.

To spice things up a bit, the researchers then threw in a very interesting variable. They gave each of the participants a small electric shock before they entered the room. Then, when the participants went into the room, before them was a small machine that produced the electric shock. The shock was nothing major – something like static electricity; not enough to be harmful but certainly not pleasurable.

So, that begs the question – would you rather be bored or self-inflict a slightly painful electric shock? Remember, we are only talking about 15 minutes of down time.

It turns out that 67% of the men and 25% of the women were so bored - they were so deeply in search of something novel and stimulating – that they voluntarily gave themselves a shock!

As educators, we need to realize how deeply boredom impacts our kids. While the scientific study of boredom is still relatively new, there is a lot we can learn. Our brains seek engagement, stimulation, choice, movement, meaning, and novelty among many other things. If students are constantly being provided boring and meaningless tasks that contain no relevance or challenge, they are still learning. But, they are learning all the wrong things.

Source : Wilson, T. et al. Science 345 , 75-77 (2014)

And What About Us? Building Resiliency in Educators

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 23:32:43 GMT

As educators, our mission is to take care of students. Our job is to help ensure their success and see to it that they develop the skills, attitudes, and knowledge necessary to lead happy and productive lives. However, sometimes we forget to put the same energy and passion into taking care of ourselves. Unchecked stress can reap havoc on your body, brain, relationships, and quality of life. So, here are my top 10 ways to deal with stress and build resiliency for educators:

1) Maintain perspective – Remember that what you do makes a difference. In challenging or stressful times, remind yourself that you are a difference maker. In what other profession do you have the chance to daily impact a person’s entire life?

2) Control your calendar -Create time for family, exercise, and fun activities. Actually place those times on your calendar and promise yourself that you’ll follow through on commitments to yourself . If you find it difficult to leave school at a reasonable hour, place an alarm on your calendar or phone as a reminder to go home.

3) Deal with conflict or difficult issues quickly and honestly - Don’t let difficult situations or possible conflicts fester. Heed the advice of your dentist - Rarely do problems get better by ignoring them . Often, procrastination or avoidance hurts us the most. Think about it…how often have you procrastinated, worried, and lost sleep over something that turned out to be minor and inconsequential?

4) Take care of your body –Diet, exercise, and sleep are fundamental to dealing with stress and building resiliency. Don’t succumb to the lame excuse that you don’t have the time or money to be healthy. You need to take care of yourself so that you can be healthy enough to take care of other people.

5) Find a professional passion – It can be a challenge to keep current on educational trends, research, and best practices. One of the best ways to stay current is to find and cultivate a professional passion. Find what you love most about teaching and learning and dive in and become an expert.

6) Embrace change – In the last 10 years, our profession has had to embrace change like no other time in the past. Gone are the days when we could get away with teaching the same lessons, in the same ways, year after year. Rightfully, our communities hold high expectations for us and our students deserve the very best. If you are teaching the same lessons, using the same materials, with the same strategies as you did 5 years ago, it may be time to shake things up.

7) Laugh - Foster and grow your sense of humor. Humor is one of the best ways to combat stress and it helps to place difficult or challenging situations into the proper perspective. Plus, a good laugh makes you feel better and makes you more pleasant to be around.

8) Avoid complaining – Re-read #6. In addition, avoid complaining about students, parents, co-workers, policy, school leadership, or the profession in general. There is no such thing as a perfect school or a perfect organization. Work to make things better but remember, the grass is rarely greener on the other side. Maybe re-read # 3 also.

9) Develop a professional support network –Because this profession can be lonely, we need to find ways to support each other. Avoid the temptation to stay isolated in your classroom and seek out fellow educators for support and collaboration.

10) Take a risk – Stretch yourself beyond your comfort zone and try something new. After all, we ask kids to take a risk on a daily basis. We ask them to learn something new, to try something they’ve never tried, and to be better than they were the day before. So be a model for your kids. If you fail, laugh and learn how to be better next time. If you succeed, celebrate.

3 Ways to Take Care of Your Brain – and Do Better in School (Student Version)

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 23:32:40 GMT

For those of you who have been long-time readers of the Battling Boredom Newsletter, you know that my focus is on practical, easy-to-use, and effective strategies for managing and engaging students. Most of the ideas I offer are teacher ideas . That is, the newsletter focuses on teaching strategies, behavioral interventions, communication techniques, and the like. However, for this month’s newsletter, I have decided to change things up a bit. This month I have provided a sample lesson that I use with kids when I teach about the brain. Stay tuned and read all the way through for a special free offer .

Kids love to learn about their brains. They love to learn about how it works, why it works, why it sometimes doesn’t work, and how to make it work better. Unfortunately, opportunities to learn about the brain are few and far between in many classrooms. Fortunately, I often get the opportunity to be a guest speaker where I teach students about their brains. Below you will find an outline of a lesson I frequently use with students. My hope and request is that you use this information with your own students and I have made an easy way for that to happen. Keep reading for that free offer.

Teaching students about the brain doesn’t have to be tricky or complex. You need some basic (and accurate) background knowledge and a relevant and fun way to present the ideas. I often start a brain lesson with a quiz. Quizzes, particularly when they are done with partners or small groups, serve as a great way to engage students in the topic. A quiz requires that students make a prediction or a guess about the content. When students commit to a prediction, they are typically hooked into the lesson because they have a natural desire to see if their predictions were correct. Start with a simple true/false quiz with statements such as, “The brain weighs about 10 pounds.” (False- it weighs about 3 pounds)

After a quiz, I tell students that the brain is involved in everything they do. That is why we should know something about how it works and how to make it better. Everyone has a brain and it’s the only one you’ll ever get. When you work with other people to complete a project, your brain is involved. When you get scared, your brain is involved. When you find things cute or funny, your brain is involved. When you feel great because you won a game, guess what? Your brain is involved. If the brain is really involved in EVERYTHING YOU DO, then you might want to know something about it. Once students are convinced that the brain is truly involved in every aspect of their lives, I offer them 3 Ways to Take of Your Brain (and do better in school) .

#1 – SEE the brain . This short acronym is easy for kids to remember and offers them a connection between what they do with their bodies and how well their brain functions. Healthy bodies really do help to make healthy brains. The connection between brain function and overall health is well documented and researched. So, instead of tackling kids with a bunch of research or a guilt trip, I tell them that the number 1 way to take care of their brains and do better in school is to do these 3 simple things.

S – Sleep – Most students need 9-10 hours of sleep per night. However, we know that many of them don’t get anywhere near that much. Lots of kids stay up late playing video games and then wonder why it is hard to focus in school. Tell students that sleep is when memories are consolidated and when the brain works hard to make connections and remember things. Bottom-line, when we lack sleep our brains don’t function as well.

E – Eat Well – Ask students to recall some of the things they’ve eaten in the last week. Ask them to think about some of the colors of the food they’ve eaten. Have they eaten anything green? How about red or yellow? Does their diet consist mostly of packaged, processed food consisting of colors not found in nature? If their typical lunch is a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and a Dr. Pepper, they aren’t doing their brain any favors. Just like poor quality gasoline is bad for a car, a poor quality diet is bad for the brain.

E – Exercise – It’s no secret that we live in a sedentary culture and that many of our students are getting very little daily exercise. What most students don’t know is that physical movement and exercise is important for a healthy body and a healthy brain. When we exercise, our brains release chemicals, called neurotransmitters, that actually help us learn and remember. We should be exercising as much for our brains as for our bodies.

#2 – Talk. Yes, talk. A lot. We have social brains that love to interact with others and we learn a tremendous amount from the people around us. When we exchange ideas, critique each other’s arguments, listen, reflect, and ponder points of view, we deepen our understanding of the concepts being learned. (I can imagine some teacher reactions after reading this… “Bryan, my kids talk way too much. The last thing I’m going to do is tell them to talk more!” Keep reading for some ideas about how to focus student talk on academic topics.) In classrooms there should be a balance between teacher talk, student talk, and quiet reflection. When learning, there is a time to talk and a time to listen. Students need to understand both. So, when telling kids about the importance of talk, I also talk about the importance of listening. We truly need a balance of both but many classrooms need to increase the amount of student-to-student and student-to-teacher talk in order to help deepen understanding, application, and long-term memory. There are two ways students should talk.

First , they need to learn to talk to themselves. We all have that little voice inside our heads, an internal dialog. I often ask kids if they talk to themselves. If they say yes, I tell them that they are absolutely 100% normal. We all talk to ourself, in our brain. The process of internal dialog helps us to plan, ponder, wonder, rehearse, and clarify our ideas. In the process of learning, I encourage students to turn up the volume of that internal dialog. That is, they should ask questions of themselves and reflect and think about their learning. Some educational researchers connect this internal dialog with the concept of metacognition.

Second , students need to talk to other people about their learning. They need to not just talk with other students, like in a partner summary. They need to talk with adults, parents, other teachers, younger students, older students, and anyone that will listen. The process of verbally explaining ideas, opinions, and thoughts is also the process of clarifying and deepening that learning. Think about it, one of the reasons we, as teachers, know our content so well is that we’ve spent years talking about it. We should not deprive our students of the value and joy of talking about their learning.

#3 – Accept a Challenge . The brain loves a good challenge. It loves puzzles, problems, mysteries, and conundrums. While not all students like to be challenged , the brain actually thrives when it is faced with a problem, scenario, or dilemma that needs to be solved. I tell students that the brain “lights up” when it is faced with something challenging. That is, the brain uses lots of resources, energy, and power to figure out a solution to the challenge. Plus, when we experience success at solving a problem, the brain rewards itself with the release of a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. I also tell students that the next time they are given a challenge they should say, “Thank you.” They shouldn’t whine or complain about it. Rather, they should realize that challenges help the brain to grow and get smarter. Plus, I tell them that I only challenge the people in my life that I truly care about. If I don’t care about someone, I don’t care what they do. If I do care, I provide appropriate challenges where they can experience success, motivation, and the joy of learning.

Here is my free offer! Email me at bryan@bryan-harris.com and I will send you a pre-made PowerPoint presentation that outlines the 3 Ways to Take Care of Your Brain. It is the exact student version I use and it is yours free, just by sending me an email!

Resources:

To learn more about the effect of sleep on the brain, check out the book Brain Rules by John Medina.

To learn more about the effect of diet on the brain, check out Brain Foods for Kids by Nicola Graimes.

To learn more about the role of exercise and the brain, check out Spark by John Ratey.

For a great overall resource for teaching students about the brain, check out Eric Chudler’s website .

3 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Boost Memory & Recall

Fri, 16 Nov 2018 23:24:50 GMT

As teachers, we go to great lengths to design and deliver engaging lessons so that our students master important content; we incorporate technology, we create engaging questions, and we search out the right instructional materials. After all that, it can be quite frustrating when students don’t seem to be able to recall key information even a few days after we teach it.

This is the age-old question teachers have been asking forever, “How do we get them to remember what we teach?” Fortunately, science may have some answers. So, instead of staying frustrated, let’s get motivated to try these 3 easy ways to boost memory and recall.

Teach It

A study by Dr. John Nestojko published in Memory and Cognition found that individuals who expected to have to teach material to another person had greater recall than someone who expected to take a test. Through a series of memory and recall experiments, he divided participants into two groups: one was told they would have a test on the material, the other was told they would have to teach the material. Here is the kicker…both groups were tested. The “teaching” group never had to actually teach the material. Here is what Dr. Nestojko said about the findings, “When compared to learners expecting a test, learners expecting to teach recalled more material correctly, they organized their recall more effectively and they had better memory for especially important information.”

When we think about it for a minute, this makes absolute sense. After all, as teachers one of the reasons we know our content so well is because we teach it all the time. There is an old saying in education that says something to the extent that you never really know something until you have to teach it .

As classroom teachers, let’s use the power of teaching to help our students improve their memory and recall.

Say it Aloud

In classrooms, we don’t always have the time to have students participate in peer teaching. While peer to peer interactions have a wonderful effect on memory, motivation, and engagement they may not be realistic for all content because of the interpersonal dynamics in the classroom, the pace of the instructional calendars, or the expectations of administrators or supervisors.

Regardless of those factors, one simple way to improve retention is to have students talk to themselves. Yes, I said that correctly…have students say aloud what it is they need to recall or remember. In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition researchers found that recall increased when participants were asked to say aloud words they wished to remember. The process of saying words aloud seems to increase the distinctiveness of the words compared to words that were not spoken aloud.

This strategy, of course, needs to be used judiciously. If everything is spoken aloud then the distinctiveness is reduced. However, when we design lessons we should consider what key words, definitions, or concepts are most important for our students to remember and then prompt students to vocalize them in order to boost recall.

Take a Break

Could it be that taking a break away from learning actually increases memory and recall? While it might sound counterintuitive, your brain needs periodic breaks to help it consolidate memories. A 2012 study by Michaela Dewar and colleagues found just that – a break helps with memory and recall. Participants were asked to participate in periodic 10 minute “wakeful rest periods” during a reading task. The research found that recall improved and lasted up to 7 days after the rest period even when no review or retrieval activities were initiated.

So, as we plan lessons let’s not forget to include the need for breaks during learning.

Sources :

Nestojko, J, et al. (2014). Expecting to teach enhances learning and organization of knowledge in free recall of text passages.

McLoud, CM, et al. (2010). The production effect: Delineation of a phenomenon.

Dewar, M. et al. (2012). Brief wakeful resting boosts new memories over the long term.