some thoughts
From control to empowerment
From individual to team
From teacher in the centre to student centred
From isolation to connectedness
...to a belief in themselves and their potential
CHOICE = MOTIVATION = ENGAGEMENT
Scientists are driven by curiosity, seeking answers to many big questions about the world we live in. Perhaps schools should place a stronger focus on practical learning so when students leave school they are better equipped for the challenges of the real world.
"It is a fundamental psychological principle - that choice increases the chance of compliance" - Nigel Latta "the politically correct guide to teenagers."
“The real role of leadership in education … is not and should not be command and control. The real role of leadership is "climate control", creating a climate of possibility. This should be evident in all classrooms.
The dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg. What it doesn't count are all the kids who are physically in school but disengaged from the learning, students who don't enjoy school, who don't see how school is relevant to their lives and who don’t get any real benefit from being there.
“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” - Sir Ken Robertson
From individual to team
From teacher in the centre to student centred
From isolation to connectedness
...to a belief in themselves and their potential
CHOICE = MOTIVATION = ENGAGEMENT
Scientists are driven by curiosity, seeking answers to many big questions about the world we live in. Perhaps schools should place a stronger focus on practical learning so when students leave school they are better equipped for the challenges of the real world.
"It is a fundamental psychological principle - that choice increases the chance of compliance" - Nigel Latta "the politically correct guide to teenagers."
“The real role of leadership in education … is not and should not be command and control. The real role of leadership is "climate control", creating a climate of possibility. This should be evident in all classrooms.
The dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg. What it doesn't count are all the kids who are physically in school but disengaged from the learning, students who don't enjoy school, who don't see how school is relevant to their lives and who don’t get any real benefit from being there.
“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” - Sir Ken Robertson
SOME MORE THOUGHTS...
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck has written extensively about how we learn and how we make choices.
In her book, “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success,” she describes how all of us are born learners who throw ourselves into difficult tasks such as learning to walk and talk - overcoming the inevitable setbacks along the way through grit and persistence.
But with time and experience, some of us stop running up the learning curve. Dweck suggests that we become afraid of failure and develop a fixed mindset that hinders our ability to take on challenges.
When we have a fixed mindset, failure starts to define who we are - and failure gets transformed from an action (I failed) to an identity (I am a failure). Conversely, those who maintain a growth mindset embrace challenges and use it as a learning opportunity. Setbacks become an opportunity to learn and improve.
Rather than being debilitating, failure provides motivation to get better.
Mindset also affects our relationships. Dweck finds that growth-minded leaders are not focused on trying to prove they are better than others (a hallmark of the fixed mindset). Rather they work to lift others and create a collective mindset of improvement, innovation, hard work and productivity. In these settings, critical feedback becomes a chance to learn and become more emotionally intelligent. So whether your role is in school leadership or in classroom leadership your mindset will effect every person you engage with - in a positive or a negative manner. It's your choice.
Teachers have a captive audience.
Unlike many situations for an adult, students can't vote with their feet if they are not getting what they need. They are expected to tolerate it. Teachers are sometimes observed by peers and leaders which is becoming more common in many systems, but what isn’t common is feedback from students to teachers. Imagine if students were able to provide teachers with feedback on their performance. Feedback from the student perspective and experience - how effective the lesson was, if the teaching had catered for the students learning needs and if the students had actually achieved the learning goal, or their opinion on what hindered their learning or what wasn’t working. Imagine teachers getting feedback from students regarding the teacher’s disposition or kindness to students, or whether the teacher explained concepts clearly or engaged and empower students. Imagine if students were empowered to tell teachers things such as ‘when you do this I get it; or when you use pictures or graphs I understand better; or when you show examples, or use rubrics etc. I learn better’. Surely this authentic feedback would be useful for reflective teachers. It would be an interesting proposition where the captive audience could provide feedback. In most instances the feedback in classrooms is all one way traffic - teacher to student. |
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In his book “Emotional Intelligence: Why it Can Matter More than I.Q.” Daniel Goleman, a Harvard professor concludes that while intellect (IQ) is certainly a contributor to performance, 90 percent of the difference between average and star performers is attributable to emotional intelligence (EQ) factors. They include self awareness, self regulation (or self discipline) and personal motivation.
Learned helplessness
"EQ competencies also include how we manage our relationships with others, our ability to empathize, skillfully navigate social settings and motivate others through inspiration rather than coercion. Like Dweck’s growth mindset, emotional intelligence can be learned, practiced and strengthened.
A similar line of argument for self improvement and self mastery comes from Martin Seligman, a renowned University of Pennsylvania psychologist.
Through his exploration of what makes people depressed, he developed a theory of learned helplessness - or a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a bad situation. Over time and in collaboration with others, Seligman began to flip his attention to what made people happy and wrote an important book called “Learned Optimism.” It looks at strategies for developing an optimistic approach to life and contributed to the growth of the Positive Psychology movement. In his book, “Flourish” Seligman articulates five elements to his “well-being theory” that include positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement."
- Christopher Gergen is CEO of Forward Impact, a fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University, and author of “Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives.” Stephen Martin, a director at the non profit Center for Creative Leadership.
The research and findings of Dweck, Goleman, Seligman and others provides some insight into how teachers can use this research to formulate a classroom philosophy and strategies that develop student confidence and a positive outlook in regards to their capacity to learn.
We believe that S.O.L.E. is a method that really reflects many aspects of this research.
Are you interested in this, does it align with your teaching philosophy? Either way trialling S.O.L.E. In your classroom might be the catalyst for greater student engagement and improved learning outcomes.
We also believe that teacher and student stress is lessened when implementing a lesson using the S.O.L.E. philosophy. I guess you need to try it yourself to find out.
Learned helplessness
"EQ competencies also include how we manage our relationships with others, our ability to empathize, skillfully navigate social settings and motivate others through inspiration rather than coercion. Like Dweck’s growth mindset, emotional intelligence can be learned, practiced and strengthened.
A similar line of argument for self improvement and self mastery comes from Martin Seligman, a renowned University of Pennsylvania psychologist.
Through his exploration of what makes people depressed, he developed a theory of learned helplessness - or a perceived absence of control over the outcome of a bad situation. Over time and in collaboration with others, Seligman began to flip his attention to what made people happy and wrote an important book called “Learned Optimism.” It looks at strategies for developing an optimistic approach to life and contributed to the growth of the Positive Psychology movement. In his book, “Flourish” Seligman articulates five elements to his “well-being theory” that include positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement."
- Christopher Gergen is CEO of Forward Impact, a fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Duke University, and author of “Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives.” Stephen Martin, a director at the non profit Center for Creative Leadership.
The research and findings of Dweck, Goleman, Seligman and others provides some insight into how teachers can use this research to formulate a classroom philosophy and strategies that develop student confidence and a positive outlook in regards to their capacity to learn.
We believe that S.O.L.E. is a method that really reflects many aspects of this research.
Are you interested in this, does it align with your teaching philosophy? Either way trialling S.O.L.E. In your classroom might be the catalyst for greater student engagement and improved learning outcomes.
We also believe that teacher and student stress is lessened when implementing a lesson using the S.O.L.E. philosophy. I guess you need to try it yourself to find out.
