The Power of Reframing

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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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 .