LEAVE YOUR MARK!

Underlining, notes in the margin, post-its.When I went to school, we did not write comments about the important, interesting or useful information about our reading on the document.  There was no highlighting (or highlighters) and certainly no post-its. The readings we did were on mimeographed copies with purple print. If we were lucky enough to receive a damp copy right from the machine,  the entire class would give the paper a simultaneous sniff to catch a whiff of the strange chemical odor which emanated from the paper.   More frequently, the purple readings came on dirty, dog-eared packets that seemed like they had been used since the Kennedy administration. If the condition of the readings did not communicate their continued use from year to year, the necessity of their use for the next year was expressed on the top of the page as it screamed,  "LEAVE NO MARKS!"

For most of my life, I did the usual checking out books from the library, reading them and returning them. I thought it was a revolutionary idea for me to choose a reading theme during the summer and read as many books about a topic as I could. I read books on Geronimo, survival, and adventure before moving on to World War II (which lasted for about four summers).

In 2007, I started taking classes for my Master's degree in education leadership, which pretty much consumed my reading time. Again, I thought I had another unique was of operating when I conceived of going to the bookstore, finding the required books and then going to the university library to request those books. The librarians found them at university libraries across the country and I was delighted. The rub was for my whole college career I had bought books, highlighted them and wrote in the margin, just like everyone else. As an undergrad, I skimmed through the used books to find a book the previous owner who had highlighted it to my standards. Using my new method of acquiring books as a grad student, I knew I had to develop a new system for keeping track of important elements since a book from the Fordham University library did not include pre-highlighting. That was when I came up with the idea of using post it notes to keep track of important stuff. I could then take the notes out at the end of the semester before returning the book. What a perfect system!

During my grad classes,  read some great books that I would have read on my own, if I had known they existed. Then I encountered Daniel Pink's Out of the Right Mind. What a great book!  After reading a few chapters, I knew I didn't want to give it back, so I bought it on Amazon (who pretty much exclusively sold books). I continued with the post it notes, but now they could stay in the book and I could refer to them later!  Once I received my degree, I went back to my theme reading, but first, I wanted to read Daniel Pink's new book Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. My intent to focus on a theme was overwhelmed by my excitement about this life changing book. Instead of reading for a different theme each year, my reading topics has morphed into a decade of reading books on business, entrepreneurship, leadership, creativity, critical thinking, and education (specifically how to change it). The use of post-its has continued for the last ten years or so. I have hundreds of books annotated with them. At some point, I raised the bar when I figured out to use color coded post-its: blue for connections to other books or ideas, pink for memorable quotations, orange for regular notes of interesting information and bright yellow or green for revolutionary ideas.

My latest iteration of note taking has come from reading a book on note taking. Not only did it feel a little weird buying a book on note taking, but the fact that it held such revolutionary ideas about note taking was surprising. In his 2016 book How to take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens traces the note taking strategies of Niklas Luhmann who, according to Ahrens, published over 400 articles (12 of them posthumously along with over 50 books using his note taking method.

His note taking method blew my mind! Instead of highlighting and underlining to be able to return to his ideas later, he made a quick note of what he found on which page number, then returned to it later in the day to provide a clearer picture of it. Not only did he have great quotations and thinking of the author, he made notes about his thinking about the passage. Each note included his thinking about one idea.  Instead of taking his notes and organizing them into categories, in a top down strategy (like my color coding), he connected his notes to other ideas he had from the bottom up using a code he developed on the top of the note cards. It was then I realized that all my color coded note post-its were only about 5% of what I could have done with the information in the books.

One of the other revolutionary ideas was that he made all of those notes by only reading what he was interested in. If he became bored with a topic, he moved on to something else. During his reading, he made over 90,000 note cards with one idea on each one. I spent some time lamenting all the notes I had taken over the years, and how much information and thinking I could have compiled. I even looked back at some post-its in my books from before Obamacare and I couldn't figure out why that passage (or many others) resonated with me. Then I realized how great it is that I encountered this idea now and going forward, my note taking is not limited to reading books. I can capture my thinking by making smart notes about anything I read or hear. What an energizing and amazing concept!!

Kaizen in the Classroom

One concept that I has been more frequently used of late is the term "Kaizen."  It is a Japanese word which means many small changes over time will yield big results.  With the beginning of the new school year creeping (or galloping depending on your point of view) closer, I am thinking of specifically incorporating the practice of kaizen into my classes.  I think it fits remarkably well with education and with the idea of students, the class and the school will improve with the collective efforts of all participants.

In our PBL program, it would be a natural progression to include students being able to use their knowledge of the expected learning, along with experiences and community contacts to suggest changes or additions to the lesson or unit.  They can use the strategy of Kaizen to create a more personalized assignment or assessment. In the past, we have encouraged students to take control of their learning, but having the term as a touchpoint makes it easier to communicate what exactly we expect.

As teachers, it seems our role in creating an atmosphere in our classroom where Kaizen can flourish is to be more transparent about our plans, activities and the structure of each unit. The challenge for us will be to make it organic and to truly embrace the changes which will make it a better, more effective learning environment.

Summer Skiing: Overcoming Lizard Brain

For years I have tried to use what I call "circular thinking" to examine decisions from as many different perspectives as possible to make sure I have considered all aspects of it.  One of the key components is to try to see it from the perspective of my future self. Because of the myriad of factors in every decision, it is almost impossible get it perfectly right.  Will my future self wish I had asked more questions?  have done the thing anyways? consulted with someone more knowledgeable about the topic? done more research?  Often what it comes down to is "what will make the better story?"

Maybe I am wrong in thinking this because is can lead to paralysis by analysis, which I believe can be caused by the lizard brain or "the resistance." One example I use with my class in describing how I overcame lizard brain, at least in this instance, was skiing on Mt. Hood outside of Portland, Oregon.

While we were visiting my brother in the Portland area in late July, he asked my son if he wanted to snowboard Mt. Hood. He also asked me if I wanted to go.  My son eagerly said he wanted to go. My thinking was much different than his. I thought "I'm not that good at skiing. I know it will be difficult, probably too tough fo

r a person who skis the green runs, even in Wisconsin." and "I don't have equipment; how can I ski?"  After much hemming and hawing, I thought of Seth Godin's writings and talks about the lizard brain and I decided that my future self would not be happy if I missed the opportunity to ski a big mountain in the summer. I decided to rent equipment and go skiing.

For what seems like my whole life I have seen pictures and videos of people skiing in shorts and T shirts and wondered how they could do it since my experience skiing was mostly in temperatures below 20 degrees.   On this day I found out.  It was 70 degrees and many of the good skiers did not wear cold weather gear. I was finally going to live the warm weather skiing experience!

It took two lifts to get to the top, which really freaked me out. When we got to the top, it was like nothing I had seen before!  Blue sky, peaks of other volcanoes in the Cascades--then I saw the black diamond signaling this would be a difficult, if not impossible, outing.  I had never skied a black diamond anywhere before and now I was going to ski one from 9000 feet!

I took it easy and made a hundred turns and wiped out on purpose when I got going too fast, but a half hour later I made it to the bottom to find my brother and son waiting for me. I don't know how many times we did the run that day, but because I conquored my lizard brain, I had an experience I had always dreamed of and will never forget.

If I had chosen not to ski, my daughter and sister-in-law spent their day picking blueberries.

A Video Game About Playing Outside?

Kids control the family--at least in many families.

That is one of the driving forces behind the summer school class I created 9 years ago. I came up the idea for my outdoor summer school class, set in a public school, when my niece was about three years old. Upon getting in the car, if anyone failed to put on their seatbelt, she would begin the shrill repetition of  "Put on your seatbelt or you are going to die." Everyone obeyed her.

My thinking behind creating an outdoor class was that if a kid can get such immediate action from adults through such minimal means, then I could harness that ability for the health and enjoyment of their family.  I decided that kids should be the leaders in their families in getting outside to hike, bike and camp.

The other event which swirled around in my head occurred in the winter of 2008, way before Pokemon Go.  In Wisconsin it was a beautiful winter day, sunny and in the upper 20's Fahrenheit. I was teaching at a middle school that had an attached elementary school and was going outside to do lunch duty on the playground when I encountered a dawdling elementary schooler.  I said, "Wow, what a beautiful day!" To which he responded, "I would rather have a video game about playing outside."

I was shocked that any little kid wouldn't love making a snowman, making and throwing illicit snowballs or any other activity that kids do during recess.

Knowing that no such class existed in my district, I was unsure if the district would accept a course of that nature for summer school.  But, as Seth Godin always encourages, I did not wait to be picked. I did not hope that someone would magically find out about my idea.  I proposed and sold my idea of the Survivor class to an audience that didn't know they needed what I was offering.

I am not sure how many other ideas I have made excuses which cause them not to be put into action, but this one stands out for me because, but pursuing it I have taught hundreds of kids outdoor and leadership skills which have caused families to go to state parks, ride bikes, camp and go outdoors.

I Matter and I Pledge to Choose Myself

In Tom Rath's excellent book Are You Fully Charged, he made a point about self confidence based on the work of Timothy Judge and Charlice Hurst about the life long health and monetary benefits of self confidence. One way I try to instill self confidence is for students to take control of their lives. Instead of telling kids don't do this or that, I created this document I call, "I Matter and I Pledge to Choose Myself" which is based on psychological, educational and leadership readings. My thinking behind this document is to give kids mental ammunition to push forward when encountering something they may find to be difficult.

To choose myself, I will make the time to finish anything that needs to be finished before class starts.  Meaning, I will come to class, on time,  ready to learn.

People like me do things...we are ready, we work,  we finish and we encourage others do the same. One way to ensure this is by appropriate uses of my electronic devices.

One thing I will do to finish is to change “should have” to “did.” I will no longer say “should have” to talk about my list of things to accomplish. Done. Next point.

I will get rid of excuses. Every time I think or say, “but,” it will become “and” in my thoughts, words and actions.  Embrace the power of “and.”

Time out for a quote from Seth Godin:

“People don’t believe what you tell them.  They rarely believe what you show them.  They often believe what their friends tell them.  They always believe what they tell themselves.”  

The last sentence in the quote is why I will fire my old boss (the pre 2016 me).  My old boss used language which cut me down.  I am the boss of what I do and I do not want to work for or with someone who uses language which cuts me down.  If I worked for anyone else who talked to me like that I would hate it.  I will not talk to or think of myself using belittling terms.  Instead of thinking or saying: “stupid,” “idiot,” or “moron,”  I will think something such as:  “How smart am I to figure it out?” or  “I bet there are a lot of people who wouldn’t have solved that!” Come to think of it, I will not use language tearing down others either. No meanness.

When I have a problem I will ask myself,  “Can I do it?  Yes I can, because I have solved a problem like this already.“  I will answer the question...everyday.

My signature below is evidence of my promise to myself, my family, my classmates and my teachers that I will choose myself everyday and that I agree with the points above.  

____________________________________    ____________________________________

student parent/guardian

"When Will I Use This in the Real World?"

In regards to school, if every kid has not asked this question out loud, then they have thought it. How can schools answer the question before students ask it?  By making education something students do because it has meaning to them. The best way is to allow them to take their learning beyond the four walls of the classroom to help real people in a real way. 

Authentic learning involves giving students a way to see what their learning has to do with real life and how their learning can have a direct impact on other people.  They are learning for a reason and will share their learning with others to make their lives better.  Adam Grant, Management professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, discusses how, through prosocial motivation, people benefit both themselves and others with powerful results. 

Prosocial motivation, as described by Grant has shown that people who know their work has a meaningful impact on others are happier and more productive than those who don't see or specifically think about the influence their work can have on others. Grant may not approve of my leap from his prosocial motivational studies in the workplace to authentic learning in schools, but here it goes:  

According to Grant's chapter in the ProSocial Handbook, Prosocial Motivation at Work: When, Why, and How Making a Difference Makes a Difference, "when jobs are designed to connect employees to the impact they have on the beneficiaries of their work (such as clients, customers, and patients), they experience higher levels of prosocial motivation, which encourages them to invest more time and energy in their assigned tasks and in helping these beneficiaries."  In the case of students, I take "jobs" to mean "learning," because they both involve daily tasks.  and "employees" to be "students" because of the human element. 

When students learn about how their learning will affect others, they will stop at nothing to make sure they do the best job possible.  One example  was in the 2016 spring semester when students in the Arete Academy at Neenah High School held a Heroes of Neenah Celebration.  Students interviewed, researched, wrote articles which were published on various websites in the Fox Valley, and created permanent artwork installed on a prominent wall of the school where heroes will be enshrined each year.  The amount of time that students spent at night and on weekends working on the project far exceeded what they ever would have done if they were assigned those tasks without any connection to real life, or to actual people they knew.  Because of the prosocial motivation to do something great for others, while also doing something great for themselves, students pushed beyond the requirements of the assignment  and contacted people from the historical society, other family members of the heroes, television stations, along with current and former local and state political figures who lent their knowledge of the heroes and also attended the ceremony. Students also felt there should be a reception following the event for everyone to interact on a personal level, so they took it upon themselves to decorate, provide food and drinks, made a booth for nominations for the 2017 heroes and host the event.  

Had we just told them that they had to write an informative essay about a hero, they would have written it, and we could have checked off the box that indicates, yes, this student can proficiently write an informative essay.  There is no way they would have worked as hard as they did.  Authentic learning gives students prosocial motivation to follow their passions and take their learning and final product to a level that would likely never be equalled in a teacher led, artificial learning environment. 

Rock On

Last weekend I was at a neighborhood party which the police broke up at 11:00 pm.  I think they expected to find 18-20 year olds rather than the 40-60 year olds in the backyard when they came around the corner of the house. All of which made me think of how some people continue their energetic pursuit of life and others resign themselves to wistfully thinking of what once was or what could have been.

In terms of the education world, the energetic pursuit of excellence has revitalized many veteran teachers (see any of the writings of Mark Barnes, Dave Burgess or AJ Juliani among others) and caused them to embrace a new way of thinking and to give students educational autonomy rather than the age old system of lecture, quiz and test.

For those who cling to the legacy educational methods along with many students, it seems like teachers who encourage student control of their learning are taking a lazy way out by making kids do most of the work.  In fact, even the students in our Arete PBL Academy when surveyed expressed the belief that teachers who lecture work harder than those who require students to pursue their interests, and solve authentic problems.  John Koker, Dean of Letters and Science at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh captured traditional school perfectly when he said, "School: the place where kids go to watch adults work."

Even though providing student voice in their education invariably takes more energy, creativity, research, interactions, feedback, the results are invigorating.  Seeing student excitement and engagement with their learning is thrilling for any teacher.  Knowing that students are staying up all night in July talking about project ideas for next year is mind blowing!!