Critical Thinking is not a Luxury Good

Critical thinking can no longer be thought of as a luxury good. In education, we reference the Four C’s of Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. These key competencies are discussed in the field of education all the time yet they are also the speed bumps that slow lesson planning. In theory, the Four C’s are of vital importance. They are attitudes and abilities that can be taught, learned, and implemented in every classroom. More importantly, they are competencies that are important for innovation in the classroom and the workplace.

The Four C’s are vital in virtually every aspect of life and interaction. So important that the curriculum in schools today has to do better to incorporate the skills. Most schools can incorporate Communication and Creativity however, coming out of the pandemic, Collaboration will become a factor. Kids need to interact with each other to learn. As a matter of fact, we learn a skill better when we can teach it to someone else. All the more reason why collaboration cannot be forgotten.

The last of the Four C’s is Critical Thinking, which can be the most difficult to incorporate. Teachers need to ask students questions that solicit a full-sentence response. Yes and No questions just are not going to cut it. Students are going to have to answer a question and then be ready for the follow-up questions. Teachers need to ask questions that are deeper on the Depth of Knowledge scale. Education data shows that when teachers ask the right questions, students will answer, regardless of the difficulty.

In the midst of all the pressure to exceed standards, it’s easy to lose sight of the real purpose of education. A good education is about preparing students to be successful at the next level. When students leave our school we should be proud and know that they are ready to enter the big bad world. Our students should leave our schools with a cornucopia of skills that are transferable to any workplace or situation.

The bottom line is that teachers are the tide that will raise all the boats. Ask the right questions.

Until next time...

Schools are a Constant

After a long hiatus, the weekly communication is back. During my time out, I had plenty of time for reflection and I kept coming back to one thing:  Schools are a constant.  When schools closed, we had chaos.  Parents had to figure out what to do about their work schedules. Kids had to figure out what to do with their spare time because activities were gone.  The disruption in society was and continues to be, significant.  Therefore, my thoughts kept returning to the idea that schools are one of the few constants we have in life. Just to define it further, I am not talking about the building or even the curriculum, but the people.  We are in the people business, therefore the people in the business are what matter the most. When it comes to schools, the people are what make the difference.  The people rise up every day for the students. Before COVID, teachers would rather come to school a bit under the weather than create a sub-plan, because it is easier and better for the students.  Though post-COVID is different, the desire to rise up is present. We all know the rubber meets the road in the classroom and I am comfortable with the idea that our staff will rise up daily to meet that challenge. Have a most excellent weekend...Go PUPS! (cue Andra Day - Rise Up.)

Until next time...

Communication and Comprehension

Our ability to communicate is one of the most important life skills we can develop. As we all know, we can communicate in many ways, and all of them are important from body language to the written word.  If we are not effective, it can lead to misunderstandings or worse, even confrontation. This is why communication skills are essential.

In order to improve our communication skills, we have to work on the details of good communication.  Primarily, being a good listener.  It is the most important of any skill and basic to good communication.  Add to that the body language and eye contact.  If you are interested in what someone is saying, look them in the eye, and watch your body language.  A message can be conveyed in your body language and your eye contact, so be careful.  

Additionally, the best communicators are concise.  They can get to the point quite quickly. Making the point clear and avoiding rambling will keep the listener's attention.  It also makes the speaker sound like they know what they are talking about. To be a good communicator you need to avoid speaking too much and use words that will not confuse the audience. An aspect of good communication is confidence in your message, open-mindedness, and respect.  The best communicators have confidence but respect others around them. By extending respect to others, the communicator looks even more confident and in control.

All that being said, developing good communication skills is only one part of good communication. The ability to increase the comprehension of the audience is vital. Communication is nothing without comprehension.  When we think about comprehension, our minds drift to reading comprehension tests from back in grade school.  Though that is also comprehension, we are simply talking about understanding.  As a good communicator, if our audience does not understand or comprehend the words or concepts, then we have done our job.  Communication takes the words, the presentation medium, and adds to it the comprehension level of the audience.  

As advocates for ourselves, our students, and our families we all need to work on comprehension.  Yes, communication is important, but the key is comprehension. With good communication skills and even better comprehension, we can be empowered to make decisions to positively change our lives and world.

The bottom line is that communication without comprehension is worthless. 

Until next time...

Importance of Social Learning

The social learning theory of Bandura (1971) offers an understanding of why a school with a positive culture could potentially care for a students’ needs better than those schools with less than adequate culture. Research has revealed that emotional, social, and academic development in adolescents is impacted by a positive school climate and culture (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, Debnam, & Johnson, 2014). Conversely, schools with negative cultures fail with the support necessary to offer a protective environment which impacts overall achievement (De Pedro et al., 2016). Therefore, a negative school culture would be an obstruction to high expectations.

In support of Bandura’s social learning theory, the study by Oyedeji (2017) found that the learning ability of students was greatly influenced by the climate and culture of the school. To further support the importance of the social environment a study was conducted of 50 public schools from the southeastern United States, in which they discovered valuable insights into quality teaching and relationships. Significant is the idea that quality teaching and relationships are predictors of student learning (Ohlson, Swanson, Adams-Manning, & Byrd, 2016). Bandura’s social learning theory supports learning as a cognitive process that takes place in a social setting. Though this study is focused on school-level data, the data itself is a collective of student behaviors. If students are not encouraged by their teachers or the school provides a setting with which is not conducive to achievement, then there will be a significant impact on student achievement (Ali & Siddiqui, 2016). Social learning theory is easily applied to a school setting because students often do learn by observing their teachers and peers (Bandura, 1971; Firmender, Gavin, & McCoach, 2014). This is important when a school is making a cultural shift to college readiness and high expectations.

The bottom line is we should always be concerned about the culture on our school campus.  A positive culture will lead to positive outcomes.

Until next time...

Marginal Gains

Have you ever wondered why professional athletes become compulsive about small details?  The answer is actually in the details. Many of us have long-term goals for all sorts of things. Our challenge is in how we break those goals down into smaller objectives so we can achieve the greater goal.  When talking about performance, the process remains the same.  Goals are generally large items that have to be divided into smaller achievable steps.  If done correctly, each step is toward the goal.

There are things that can impact our goals.  These are the items that can either distract or impair our abilities to achieve. Professional cyclists know this all too well. Most of them have an obsession with the weight of the bike, for obvious reasons. More weight means more energy needed to pedal and over time, it adds up. Therefore, by reducing the weight of the machine, a marginal gain can be made. Top cyclists are also worried about keeping their machines very clean.  This is for two reasons: primarily, a dirty drive train creates more fiction ultimately slowing the machine or creating an energy drain; secondly, the bike is very expensive and warrant proper care.  Both are important however, only one is going to give a ‘marginal gain’.

People who are operating at the top of their career understand the cumulative effect of the small details.  Most reference the marginal gains as the 1% rule.  If they can make a 1% improvement in several areas over a short amount of time, the gains will add up.  Soon significant progress toward a goal can be achieved.

When we utilize marginal gains in school, we focus on the small wins in the classroom. These are the little steps students can take that move toward the greater goal.  A 1% weekly improvement over a 6-week grading period can make the difference for the next higher grade. Additionally, when we can eliminate the things that negatively impact grades and study time, we can see improvement, marginal improvement. Things that we know can negatively impact grades are things like social media, television, not enough sleep, and diet. When those items are controlled, students can be at their optimum.

The bottom line is we need to look for ways to implement marginal gains in our lives.  The improvement could be significant.

Until next time... 

 

CDC and Safe Opening

Last week, the CDC updated the recommendations for social distancing in schools.  Originally the social distance measure was 6 feet however, the new guidelines have reduced that number to 3 feet.  I guess they have figured the COVID virus doesn’t travel more than 2.5 feet.

All kidding aside, the scientists at the CDC have had the most thankless job throughout this whole pandemic.  Their guidance is what State health departments build local guidance upon.  As the CDC learns more about the virus and the patterns of people, they issue updated guidance.  As a school, it becomes frustrating because things are constantly changing.  From the CDC to the California State Department of Health (CDPH) and then the local County guidance, there is quite a bit to not only follow but to figure out.  

Educators all across the country are really trying to do what is best for kids in the safest environment possible.  We don’t want to get in the middle of the political battles fought over the guidance.  We simply want to make our school the safest we possibly can and provide our students with opportunities that will not get them sick. 

As more people are vaccinated, the positivity rate is dropping.  Hopefully, the numbers will continue to drop so schools can begin to bring students back to school.  Ideally, we would like to see schools go back to ‘normal’ but that is still going to take awhile.  In the meantime, we can all settle for 3 to 4 days a week.  The more kids are in school, the less time parents have to spend out of work. This benefits everyone however, we need to make certain we are doing it safely. With a safe plan to open, that is measured, we can see more success with our students.  

Sooner than later is my hope. Until next time...  

Profound Loss

This year has been a difficult year.  Not only have the students suffered an extreme loss of programs and privileges due to the pandemic, but the learning loss has been extreme. I would not be truthful if I said the education our students receive in the ‘distance’ model remotely is equivalent to the learning that happens in the classroom.  Due to this, educators will be playing catch-up for years to come in order to get students back on track. The challenge ahead is going to be much greater than any challenges we have already faced. 

Added to the significant learning loss, loss of co-curricular and extracurricular programs, the fact that hundreds of thousands of people have lost their lives to this horrible virus. Some of our students have lost a loved one during the past year. Yes, the loss has been profound.

This is the reason it is incumbent upon educators to acknowledge the losses. We need to not sweep it under the rug and act as if everything is fine. Everything has not been fine however, we have a path to better days. Things are getting better and life will soon return to ‘normal’.  Though this is the case, we must look to pick up the pieces that are broken, find the best fix, and move forward.  The students need it.  The staff needs it.  The community needs it.

The best we can do is continue to support each other throughout this time of profound loss, prepare ourselves for the future, and hope a pandemic never comes again.

Until next time...