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Enriching the Brain for Learning

March 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Marian Diamond is an internationally known neuroscientist who has studied mammalian brains for decades. Dr. Diamond is the author of “Magic Trees of the Mind: How to Nurture Your Child’s Intelligence, Creativity, and Healthy Emotions from Birth through Adolescence.”

Her recipe for enriching the brain to increase academic success heavily relies on nurturing the uniqueness of each brain in a caring environment. Her studies have shown that an enriched environment includes:

1. Setting the stage for enriching the cortex by first providing a steady source of positive emotional support, which includes encouragement and tender loving care. (The emotional brain develops before the analytical brain.)

2. Providing a nutritious diet with enough proteins, vitamins, minerals, and calories.

3. Stimulating all the senses—but not necessarily all at the same time.

4. Having an atmosphere free of undue pressure and stress but suffused with a degree of pleasurable intensity.

5. Presenting a series of novel challenges that are neither too easy nor too difficult for the young person at his or her stage of development.

6. Allowing for social interaction for a significant percentage of the activities. There is no doubt that peers are intrigued with and enjoy each other.

7. Promoting the development of a broad range of skills and interests that are mental, physical, aesthetic, social, and emotional.

8. Giving opportunities to choose many of his or her own activities. Each brain is unique. Allow that uniqueness to develop.

9. Offering opportunities to assess the results of his or her efforts and to modify them. As a child builds a sandcastle and admires its construction before a big wave destroys it, the youngster needs to learn to start over and resculpt.

10. Providing an enjoyable atmosphere that promotes exploration and fun of learning.

11. Promoting active participation, rather than passive observation.

As studies of learning have shown, the brain needs time to relate new information to existing associations. Students need time to  reflect—to think about what is happening. All of these practices are included in the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model.

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Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

March 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I  attended the international conference of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) .

Much controversy exists about labeling students as having attention deficit disorder(ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Professionals refer to the false use of the label, which was coined in 1972 when education psychologist Virginia Douglas correctly realized that the most important feature of this phenomenon was distractibility resulting in difficulty to sustain attention. So the new name “Attention Deficit Disorder” was born.

People categorized as ADD—when given something they enjoy doing—can have laser-like attention; they are just easily distracted. Also, AD/HD is not a disorder; it is a neurological condition. Professionals have identified the following as the core behavioral traits: distractibility, impulsivity, and/or hyperactivity.

CHAD is highly subsidized by the pharmaceutical industry, so it was no wonder that many of the booths displayed drugs. The argument for administering drugs to children and adults categorized as having  ADD runs the gamut from avoidance of drugs to dependency on them.

Parents who are concerned that their child exhibits distractibility, impulsivity, or overactivity can reduce stimuli which contribute to these behaviors. Among these are limiting the exposure to rapid-fire action video games and similar television programs.

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Relationships and Learning

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Gallop Poll has been monitoring people’s opinions after presidential elections since the 1960′s. Three characteristics of the candidates are polled: loyalty to party, issues, and likability. Of the three characteristics, the one that is most important in determining the outcome of the election is the candidate’s “likability factor.”

We all want to be liked—which leads to a major mistake of many new teachers —especially secondary teachers, viz., attempting to have their students like them by befriending them. This often takes the form of encouraging students to call them by their given name, rather than by their surname, in effect  to placing themselves on the same level as their students.

Certainly, teachers should be friendly, but friendship is not the way to build likability—nor is it the building block that young people need. Encouragement and empowerment are the essentials.

A first grader did not learn how to read. She repeated first grade. At the end of the year, assessment again showed she lacked sufficient reading skills to advance to the next grade. During the assessment meeting where the teachers were considering placement of students for the upcoming school year, a second grade teacher said, “Place her in my classroom for next year.” On the first day of school as the low self-esteemed youngster walked into the classroom, her new teacher cheerfully greeted her at the door: “I’ve been waiting for you. This year I’m going to teach you how to read.”

Today, that second grader is a reading teacher. I heard her tell the story of how she still remembers comments her second grade teacher continually made to encourage and empower her.

The relationships that students have with their teachers come from the influence teachers have on them. A teacher’s influence grows by empowering young people, rather than by befriending them.

As an instructional coordinator in an urban high school in Los Angeles, I witnessed how students exerted enormous effort for the quietest, oldest teacher I have ever met. This builder of young people did not befriend her students but rather encouraged and empowered them to do their best.

Did her students like her?

They loved her.

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Discipline Without Stress

December 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The following is shared about the book:

“As parents and educators, we need all the assistance we can get. Marv Marshall helps us reduce our stress and increase our potential success by giving us many helpful ideas. You will find this book filled with insights and proven strategies that can be applied to all age levels.”

Nancy K. Utterback, Ph.D., Professor
Education & Character Education, Walsh University, Ohio

The reason that the approach is so successful is that counterproductive approaches are not used. click here to see a list of them.

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Teaching Students from Different Cultures

December 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

QUESTION:

Dear Sir,

I am a professor from Montevideo, Uruguay. I receive your newsletter and consider it a highly valuable resource. Please accept my sincere congratulations.

Is it possible to have some hints on how to deal with groups (school or high-school) with multi-cultural members? I mean children or teenagers coming from oriental, Arabic or Latin homes do not have the same social attitudes toward studying, classroom behavior, bullying, teasing, etc. How can a teacher speak in general terms about specific topics that he/she knows will be understood differently by his/her students?

Thanks a lot and, again, CONGRATULATIONS!

RESPONSE:

My message to students is:

(1) No one can force you to learn, and I won’t even try. I will make the lessons and activities as interesting as I can for you. If you want to learn, wonderful—but do not think you are doing it for MY sake. Your learning is for your own best interests—not mine.

(2) You make choices every day—consciously or nonconsciously. Regardless of the situation, stimulation or urge, you choose your responses. You can choose to learn or not, but you will not be allowed to disrupt other people’s learning.

Hope this helps.

More on this is covered in chapters 1,2, and 3 in my book..

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Reducing Perfectionism Part III of III

December 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

REDUCING PERFECTIONISM (Conclusion)

Have the student choose two activities and anticipate the length of time he anticipates each activity will take. Then, set a timer.  Let him know that he has enough control over himself to stop the first activity and start on the second. When the anticipated time for the first activity has expired, have him start on the second. At the end of the allotted time for the second activity, have him visit the first activity and determine how much more time still would be necessary for it to be of QUALITY  work. The process is repeated for the other activity.

Next assignment: Have him outline a typical day in 15 minute blocks. After reviewing it, make the point that successful people have developed decision-making skills for time management. Time management requires setting priorities. Have him go through his list and list priorities of 1, 2, and 3. 1 = essential like eating and sleeping, 2 = what’s really important, and 3 = what he would like but is not as important as 1 or 2.

Ask him to list his priorities for one week using small cards that will fit into his pocket for easy reference.

Periodically, ask him how his decision-making is going.

Let him know that unless he starts to focus on QUALITY—RATHER THEN ON PERFECTION—his performance will lead to his not handing assignments in on time. There will be too many assignments to do. When an assignment is handed in after the due date, his grade will be lowered resulting in the exact opposite of what he desires, viz., getting a good grade.

He needs to start NOW. Ask him if he wants to replace his DESIRE TO BE PERFECT with a better choice of doing QUALITY LEARNING.

Help him in this regard. Role play the situation. Give him an assignment with a time deadline. Let him know that it would be purely practice and you would be willing to invest your time to help him ONLY if he wants you to. If he says no to your offer, let him know that he has the option of changing his mind.

Finally, have a discussion with him letting him know that he is trying to be perfect to please the teacher, to receive a good grade, or to be liked. (EXTERNAL motivation–Level C of the Raise Responsibility System).

It is more important for him to live a balanced life so that his performance is a combination of both external motivation AND INTERNAL motivation (doing all the assignments and his own value of being pleased with quality performance—Level D in the Raise Responsibility System).

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Reducing Perfectionism Part II of III

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

REDUCING PERFECTIONISM (Continued)

Give the student an assignment. Have him explain the following aphorism, “You cannot be perfect and learn at the same time.”

A few examples may help. (1) Have him assume that he is playing the piano and makes a false note. Ask him if he will conclude that he has no musical talent? (2) Have him assume he is playing baseball and strikes out. Ask him if he will assume that he has no athletic skills? (3) Have him assume that he misspells a word on a spelling test. Ask him if he will assume he has no writing skills?

Let him know that PERFECTIONISM is a burden no one is strong enough to carry without permanent damage to the body, mind, and spirit. Many young girls make themselves victims of anorexia nervosa because they think they have to be perfect in order to be accepted.

Aiming at EXCELLENCE is worthwhile. Make the point that a WISE person decides WHEN the QUALITY is excellent enough to move on. When a person does not make such decisions, the person becomes a victim. Only the person who responds in advantageous ways is in control—and thereby remains the victor. ASK him which he prefers to be—the victim or the victor.

(to be continued)

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Reducing Perfectionism Part I

November 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

QUESTION:

I stumbled upon an article entitled, “Reducing Perfectionism,” and it was enlightening. I am a principal of two rural buildings and I often direct my teachers to articles and readings that will promote success in the classroom.

I was wondering if you had any ideas or strategies for a child we would like to help. His teacher is frustrated because he takes so very long to complete his work. He is very neat, precise and there is no issue with his learning. He is successful, but his tendency is to be perfect. It must look right, by his perception, before moving on; it’s this moving on that we need to trigger. I am open to any strategies that may get him to move on and quicker, but still be conscious of doing a good job.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have tried the timer, to no avail. We have also accomplished getting him to stop making a meticulous darkened circle and an exact curve to make commas…whew!

Thank you for your time.

P.S. We have parents working on steps toward a neurological or psychiatric work-up so we are moving in the right direction, but the teacher has only so many minutes in a day. She is patient and doing a fine job building his self-esteem. He is a new student to our school.

RESPONSE:

“Reducing Perfectionism” is a section in Chapter 4, PROMOTING LEARNING, in my book and is described on that website.

Additional suggestions will be given in the next posting.

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Globalization and the English Language

November 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In our shrinking world of globalization and problems associated with different languages, the European Union commissioners have announced that an agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications—rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five-year phased plan for what will be known as Euro-English.

In the first year, “s” will be used instead of the soft “c.” Sertainly, sivil servants will resieve this news with joy. Also, the hard “c” will be replased with “k.” Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome “ph” will be replaced by “f.” This will make words like “fotograf” 20 per sent shorter.

In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of doubleletters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent “e”s in the languag is disgrasful, and they would go.

By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing “th” by “z” and “w” by “v.”

During ze fifz year, ze unesesary “o” kan be dropd from vords kontaining “ou,” and similar changes vud ofkors be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst place.

—With thanks to Anne Louise Grimm.

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Using a Discipline System to Improve Academic Achievement

November 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

“For those teachers and school leaders who want to get serious about improving student achievement, this book will be very helpful. Its attention to classroom management skills, motivating students, and establishing a positive relationship with students are key ingredients to ensuring that students aspire to great things starting with academic accomplishment.”

—Gordon Cawelti, Educational Research Service and Former Executive Director,
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)

A descriptive table of contents, three selected sections, and additional items of interest are posted online.

Any school in the United States can receive the book at no charge for each teacher by completing the application.

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