I found the data I was looking for last August in an in-flight magazine aboard a Southwest Airlines flight. Not about the sleeping conditions that cows may or may not prefer, but research out of Newcastle University in the U.K. claims that cows who have names like Bessie or Elsie produce 68 more gallons of milk than their numbered, nameless sisters. Researchers studied the working relationship between farmers and dairy cows and found that farmers who gave their anima

ls extra care saw an increased yield in milk production over a 10-month period. Those cows with names responded to the extra attention because, scientists believe, it improved their comfort levels as it lessened their fear of human contact. Turns out that happy cows are more productive cows. Maybe happy cows don’t just come from Calif., but from farms where the farmer purposefully connects with his cattle.

It’s not utterly out of the question, then, to conclude that happy students come from schools where faculty and staff members engage and connect with them, a place where we as educators create a climate in which students feel happy and are, therefore, more productive. Just like the cows reacted positively to being called by name, so our students feel a sense of belonging when we know them personally and understand who they are and what motivates them. Consider Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and you’ll remember that belonging is a student’s basic need, the one upon which everything else is built. In the classroom, it’s all about giving students the personal attention that they need to feel safe and ultimately be successful at learning. At Westwood Elementary, it starts every morning with greeting students at the door with a hug or a handshake to welcome them to their classroom and get a read on their emotional barometer. It’s a powerful way to start the day.

Another way to create that climate of caring is to hold class meetings. Whether you follow a scripted meeting like the Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting or simply conduct a sensitivity circle, when students have a chance to connect with one another and share their stories before starting into their academics for the day, it provides as critical a part of their morning as breakfast – their launch into the day. Students need to be heard; that can happen appropriately in a class meeting or inappropriately in behaviors that aren’t conducive to classroom management. Giving students a platform for sharing their thoughts and feelings empowers them and prepares them for tasks that they’ll take on as the day progresses.

A third and vital key to creating a climate that’s conducive to productivity is giving students voice and choice. This can be done through inquiry learning, project-based learning, and service learning. Find out from students what they’re curious about, what they want to research, what problems they want to solve and weave those interests into curricular areas like reading, writing, and social studies. In the book Kids Make It Better, author Suzy Becker encourages students to take a look at problems in their world and come up with viable solutions. Some of the questions are serious: What would you do to help all of the people who don’t have homes? Others are self-reflective: Are you ever shy? When and Why? Some of the questions are speculative: What would you do for a bad economy? And others simply prompt sharing: What is your good news? But what they all have in common is a sample solution, followed by a lined page for scripting and a blank page for sketching the students’ solution. In the back, there’s an observation log as well as some action plan pages, allowing students to become solution-focused citizens in a creative, open minded, and curious way. When a teacher intentionally steps out of the traditional role and becomes a coach or facilitator, possibilities become realities and productivity skyrockets. What could you change today that would give students an authentic voice and choice in their learning?

Infusing meaningful movement into a student’s day is another great way to connect and increase productivity. Professor and author John Medina wrote all about it in his book Brain Rules. “Physical activity,” he claims, “is cognitive candy.” Because exercise boosts brainpower, students simply have to move to maximize their cognition. After reading about how exercise can actually trigger the tiny proteins known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and act “like Miracle-Gro for the brain,” I started walking the track with the students who requested counseling sessions. Exercise actually aids in executive functioning like concentration, impulse control, foresight, and problem solving. How might more movement impact and motivate your students?

Another way to raise productivity is to allow time for and help foster self-reflection. Teachers can promote critical thinking by asking students questions that do not have one correct answer. Ask them what amazed them about their experience or what they would do differently if they could change one thing. Encourage them to talk about their strengths and areas for growth as they relate to projects they’ve completed. Students will naturally begin to weigh the pros and cons of their answers and develop a greater understanding for why their answer makes sense. They love “thinking” questions. Ask them for their predictions and presumptions, speculations and suspicions, inferences and implications. Take them beyond Bloom’s and stretch them to reflect on how they can influence, impact, change and grow.

Do happy students come from my school, Westwood Elementary? We think so and we have some data to back up our claim. Our attendance rate consistently hovers at 97.2% and our discipline referrals have decreased by 65% over a five-year period. Teacher retention is high and survey data suggests that Westwood is a warm and welcoming place. 98.6% of our students surveyed agree that their teachers care about them and treat them with respect. Volunteers clock a collective 46.5 hours per day. Test scores on TAKS, our state-mandated assessment, remain Exemplary, the highest rating schools can earn. Do happy students come from your school? Intentionally create a culture of caring, mooooove over and let students take the lead, collaborate to personalize it and make it yours, then watch productivity soar.

Resources:
Brain Rules by John Medina
Kids Make It Better by Suzy Becker
Responsive Classroom – www.responsiveclassroom.org
Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine, August 2010

Though she spent her formative years milking cows on her family’s dairy farm, Barbara Gruener now serves as the counselor and character coach at Westwood Elementary in Friendswood, Texas. She’s also a motivational speaker and loves to influence and impact her audiences in her signature Sing, Dance, Laugh and Build Character sessions. When she’s not working, Barbara likes to write, read, knit, bake, and spend time with family and friends.

Do you have a question for the editor? Would you like to suggest a topic for a post you’d like to read? Are you in the mood to write a guest post? Email editor Diane Trim.

Photo credits:
cow [brown and white]: wwarby / William Warby
cow [black and white]: Our Update
cow [brown, orange tag]: publicenergy / Dave Wild
cow [furry]: foxypar4 / John Haslam

It’s important to prevent problems with parents and use interventions that are effective at defusing unfair or inappropriate blame or criticism. Although there is no rose garden, there are many things that can be done to dramatically increase the odds of teachers gaining parental cooperation, positive involvement, respectful interaction and most important, a strong alliance to benefit students.

The teacher’s challenge, then, is to:

• Set the right tone.
• Gain and keep parental support throughout the school year.
• Provide developmental advice and academic support for their child.
• Successfully handle difficult moments when parents are angry or uncooperative.

Fortunately, most parents care for their children, want what is best for them and with no formal training, wind up raising productive and responsible people. The vast majority are reasonable in their dealings with others. That said, we live in an era where too much of the primary responsibility for a child’s success or failure is placed on the school rather than on harder to face issues such as effort and work ethic, family dynamics and sense of entitlement. All we can do is our best. With parents, it is about listening, learning and helping when we can even if they provoke us. It is about turning antagonism and mistrust to alliance and unity. Our goal must always remain the guidance of children to become successful, responsible adults.

Allen Mendler is an educational consultant and author of several books, including book HANDLING DIFFICULT PARENTS, which contains material about making parents allies. For more information about how to reach Dr. Mendler or obtain his materials, call 800-772-5227 or visit the Teacher Learning Center website www.tlc-sems.com.

Interested in more from Dr. Allen Mendler? Check out next week’s online seminar: Making Parents Allies.

Photo credits:
victory shake: Beneath_B1ue_Skies / Zach Taylor
ShbusinessHandshake: calgrin

We butted heads two years before. I wanted Sean to turn in homework, but he didn’t want to do anything. I begged, pleaded, and called his mother when she finished waiting tables. I praised each little step Sean took in the right direction and silently gnashed my teeth when those steps didn’t turn into progress. He passed English 9, but only because I pushed and pulled him through it every day.

As a junior, Sean had mellowed and so had I. He still didn’t like to turn in homework, but he dropped the belligerent attitude. When I told him I’d have to call Cheryl, he just shrugged and told me when his mom usually took her break at the restaurant.

Getting to know Sean. One fall afternoon, I caught Sean with a magazine. In the library. To me, this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for. He’d refused to fill out a student information card with his interests and hobbies. Questions about his weekend usually had him spinning tales about spectacular car chases and unlikely bank heists. But now, I had him. He was reading a dirt bike magazine.

I took the seat next to him and asked him about dirt bikes. He tried to hold back, but he loved the sport so much that he couldn’t help himself. He told me all about how he learned to race when he was little and how he still raced. While paging through the magazine, Sean told me about the bikes he’d owned, the bikes he was working on, and the bikes he’d someday like to have. When he let slip that he was racing over the weekend, I smiled.

Attending an outside event. I called the race track to find out when Sean was racing. Instead of going to the Farmer’s Market with my husband and child, I drove out to the track, sat in the stands, and watched Sean ride. He was right: he was really good. After his event, I approached him to offer my congratulations. Once he recovered from the shock of seeing me at the track, he didn’t stop smiling. He introduced me to everyone as his favorite English teacher and told me he’d be racing later. Was I going to stay? Um. Yes. I agreed to hang around another hour if he’d explain the whole dirt bike racing thing to me.

Back in school, Sean was a different kid. I’m not going to pretend that he had a magic transformation into a straight-A student. He was a weak reader and writer and didn’t want anyone to know, but he finally allowed me to help him. He even stopped by after school for some help on days he didn’t have to work. I always asked him about his racing and he brought me photos of the bikes he was fixing. My journalism students featured him in an issue of the school newspaper and I made sure Cheryl received a copy. Sean wasn’t the kind of kid that was normally in the paper and I think he really liked it.

Recognizing student achievement in all forms. After the school newspaper ran the story about Sean and his dirt bikes, the students started to receive suggestions for stories about skiers, ballet dancers, and garage bands. It was a good lesson for the students and for me: it’s great to cover or attend traditional school events like band concerts and volleyball games. It’s even better, and more interesting, to cover or attend out-of-school events. The football players often get a shout-out in class before a game because they’re dressed in their jerseys. Choir students offer public performances. But who recognizes the local karate champ outside of the studio?

My journalism students requested a print-out of the school’s student directory, which they posted on the bulletin board. Every time the student journalists mentioned a student in print, the editor placed a hash mark next to the kid’s name. Her goal was to mention every student in the school at least once and extreme sports became a regular feature in the paper.

Spending those two hours at the dirt bike track changed the way I treated students. When I saw the football players in their jerseys, I wished them luck at their big game. Then I took an extra minute to ask my classes what other special events were happening over the weekend and I followed up with them on their success. Sometimes I’d even show up at a football game, recital, or competition. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a Saturday morning and I know that I reached students who otherwise would have shut me out.

Photo credits:
danny: veddderman on Flickr.com Creative Commons
eric: veddderman on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Poppin: TravOC / Travis on Flickr.com Creative Commons
Untitled [dirt bike race]: ragingtornado / Glenn Tremblett Flickr.com Creative Commons

Despite the fact that Dr. Goldacre doesn’t believe in the amazing health benefits and antioxidant powers of chocolate, I think that his conclusions are sound, especially those about the mind’s incredible response to belief.

The post is called “Superstition,” and is about the results of a German study of good luck. Even if you’re a skeptic, you might want to look at this like Pascal’s Wager and keep a lucky penny in your pocket. Of all the things that might not raise test scores, this one is pretty harmless and has some science behind it, too. Here’s what the researchers found and how we can apply it in the classroom.

Experiment One

The researchers took 28 test subjects to a putting green. The researchers gave the subjects a golf ball and 10 chances to putt. For half of the subjects, the experimenter told them, “Here is your ball. So far it has turned out to be a lucky ball.” For the other half, the experimenter said, “This is the ball everyone has used so far.”

Test subjects who had the “lucky ball” did better than those who had the plain ol’ golf ball, and not just a little bit. Lucky ball average: 6.42, plain ol’ golf ball: 4.75.

What does this mean in the classroom? Well, with this knowledge, every pen I loaned out would be a lucky pen. Any test sheet would be a lucky test sheet. Sure, it can be overdone, but that’s part of the appeal for me. Best of all, insisting that this quiz is a lucky quiz because other classes did well on it is free. And, it just might improve scores.

Experiment Two

The researchers asked a group of 51 test subjects to do one of those tilt board games where a player tilts a maze to roll balls into holes. Test subjects were in three different groups. Before a subject in the first group began the task, the researcher said, “I press the thumbs for you,” which is a German saying that means, “I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” The second group heard, “I press the watch for you,” which is a German expression that offers encouragement. The final group heard, “On you go.”

The test subjects who heard the fingers crossed suggestion finished the game faster than the other two groups.

What does this mean in the classroom? Before a test or a quiz, just say that you’re crossing your fingers for your students. It doesn’t cost anything to say it and your students might complete the task faster than you’d expected.

Experiment Three

The experimenters rounded up 41 test subjects who had a lucky charm and they asked the subject to bring the lucky object with them to the lab. Half of the subjects were allowed to keep their lucky charm with them in the testing room. The other lucky charms were taken away “to be photographed.” Researchers gave the test subjects a memory game and a post-game questionnaire about how confident they felt about their performance on the memory game.

Not only did the test subjects who had their good luck charm with them do better on the memory task, but also they reported higher levels of “self-efficacy,” which means they felt more confident about their work.

What does this mean for the classroom? It means that I’m going to talk about lucky charms from day one. I’m going to bring in a necklace or four-leaf clover and ask my students to do the same. I’m going to encourage them to bring their lucky charms (within reason) to class every day and refer to them often. “Does everyone have a lucky pencil?” If a little piece of luck makes my students perform better and feel more confident, I’ll start growing four-leaf clovers myself.

Experiment Four

The luck researchers invited 31 test subjects to bring their lucky charms to the lab. Again, only half of the subjects were able to take their good luck objects with them into the testing room. This time, the subjects had an anagram to play with: how many words can you create out of a certain word? Before the test, though, the researchers asked the test subjects to set a goal: what percentage of the words did the participant think she could find?

As you might expect now, the test subjects who were able to keep their lucky objects with them did better than their luck-deprived counterparts and they reported more “self-efficacy” or confidence. Even better, those with their good luck charms set higher goals and stuck with the task longer than the unlucky subjects.

What does this mean for the classroom? Again, I’m going to encourage good luck charms, but I’m also going to ask students to write a goal score in the bottom corner of the test or quiz page. Maybe if they give themselves a target to shoot for, they’ll try to hit it.

Bottom Line

Do I believe in luck? Well, I believe in the power of belief. I think that often what someone believes about herself becomes true. If she believes she’s lucky, she will be. If a student believes he’ll be successful, it becomes self-fulfilling. If I, as a teacher, express my belief in my students, that’s a powerful form of belief, too. Call it luck, I don’t care. It’s powerful and I’m going to use it in the name of good teaching and higher test scores.

How about you? Is this luck thing nonsense or will you, like me, exploit it to the point that every sheet of paper sparkles with fairy dust? Have you had experience with the power of luck or belief? Please share in the comments!

Kelly was a smart kid who excelled in nearly every subject and was the standout on the varsity volleyball team. Kelly also didn’t like to do group work. Of any kind. No skits, no dialogues, no games with partners. Nothing.

I called mom before I realized that she was the principal of one of our schools. “What sort of alternative assignment will you offer Kelly?” she asked me.

“Uh. Er. I was expecting her to perform the dialogue like everyone else. Give and take is important in foreign language and…” I said.

The principal told me that her daughter’s grade would not suffer because another student wasn’t prepared for class. Her daughter would not carry another student and do the other kid’s work, either. I was told that Kelly would receive her own, tailor-made assignments.

I was young, new to the district, and happy to have a job. I didn’t argue.

Kelly’s dad came to check on me to make sure that his daughter’s assignments were indeed crafted especially for her.

The kid, to her credit, just mumbled that she wanted the same assignment as the rest of the class. She didn’t want to stick out or to give me more work. She just wanted to work alone. I just wanted my first year in the new district to go smoothly. I had no desire to set my department chairperson and a building principal against me. I did the extra work and didn’t think about it any further. I didn’t have the time or the courage.

Forcing Students to Work in Groups

In a recent Teaching Professor Blog post from education professor Maryellen Weimer, Weimer wrote about a group of higher education professors who had been discussing the merits of students working in groups and by themselves.

Weimer wrote about the usual dilemma that teachers face: shouldn’t teachers require students to complete at least some group work? After all, most professions require at least some group work. Isn’t it a disservice to students not to prepare them to work well with others?

A professor looked at the discussion from a different view point, Weimer wrote.

Then Professor Betsy Mudler made an interesting observation—something I’d never thought of before. We are concerned about whether we should “force” (maybe the word’s too strong, “require”) student participation in group work. But when we have students working individually, we aren’t in the same quandary about those learners who really do better when they are working with others. What if one of them should approach us with a request to work on the project with others? Would the request take us by surprise? I suspect it would. Professor Mudler’s point was that our lack of concern about individual work speaks to the strengths of those assumptions we make about value of working alone and figuring it out for yourself.

Weimer concludes that both working alone and in groups has value. We should meet both needs in the classroom.

Finding the Middle Ground

Unlike Weimer’s professors, it’s hard for secondary school teachers to just require their students to complete a group project. Teachers often have push back from parents and students when we assign group work. If I could go back in time and give my younger and more naïve self a little advice, it would have been to lean on the sound pedagogy behind group work, especially in foreign language. I would have said something to the high-powered parents about wanting what was best for Kelly and her foreign language acquisition. I would have said something about best practice in foreign language and how listening to another speaker is essential to a student’s progress in the language.

The problem I would still have is making sure that group grading is fair and that individuals are rewarded for their work. Is it better to assess students separately or based upon their group output? Which is best – peer evaluations, individual grades/group product grade, group grades only, individual grades only, rubrics, or student-created rubrics?

I don’t think any one of these group grading schemes is the best. They’re good attempts, but none is a perfect assessment instrument.

The second challenge of group work is the social loafing aspect. Social loafing is the term for students who, when surrounded by achievers, choose to coast instead of pitch in and help. How do you encourage these students to step up instead of sit back? Sure, you circulate around the room and monitor students. Yes, you encourage the social loafers to open a book or pick up a pencil. However, the reality is that if they choose not to participate, the group members will end up picking up the slack.

So, readers, do you have the magic solution? Have you discovered the best scheme for picking groups? Do you have the ultimate group grading procedure? Do you allow your students to choose between working individually or in groups? How do you convince parents that group work is a marvelous thing? How do you encourage the social loafers to stop coasting and start helping the group? Please share your wisdom with all of us in the comments.

Frequently, parents of elementary students voluntarily become involved with their children’s schools. They volunteer at a much higher rate in Parent Teacher Organizations, fund raisers, and special events. Middle level colleagues have frequently fought the perceptions among parents that they are ‘tired’ from all of the “fun fairs, fund raisers, play dates” and other activities that required them to always be visibly involved from kindergarten through fifth or sixth grades. They want a break to “rest until school really counts” as several parents mentioned. High school colleagues have often found that those who ‘checked out’ in the earlier grades, did not always check back in because they believed their children were more independent and didn’t need them as involved.

The achievement for students is enhanced when school staffs work more effectively with parents. It is helpful to parents when schools are proactive by initiating outreach. Sometimes, the effort can be as simple as changing the venue for small meetings. For example, explore the possibilities in school neighborhoods through community or party rooms in apartment complexes to community service rooms in a local mall. Parents may be more comfortable in these surroundings because they are often a more consistent part of their lives.

Let’s not forget other community stakeholders who sometimes appreciate being involved beyond donating towards various fund-raising. For example, an effective strategy could be approaching local corporations to request tutors and mentors or asking small businesses lend employee to help chaperone and/or sponsor certain activities. Parents at the secondary level sometimes have to choose among competing parent groups such as various booster clubs and PTOs to support their children. Teachers and coaches are spread thin when they are involved in multiple sponsorships and activities. Involving and including more community stakeholders creates and sustains greater support for the school throughout the community.

Some schools that are experiencing rapidly changing demographics and changing requirements to meet higher standards sometimes find it particularly challenging to research and explore more ways to outreach to community stakeholders. With diminishing funding sources, hiring parent liaisons whose primary responsibilities include the development of outreach programs, are not often an option. Utilizing on-going and existing programs more innovatively and creatively, may yield ever increasing results. For example, in a middle school where students normally are not yet eligible to drive, their parents usually have to arrange for transportation to performance events such as concerts, plays, etc. This may present an opportunity to provide some type of bonus, incentive or reward to students whose parents bring them an hour early and join a meeting or parenting program. Prior to such an event, students are normally asked to come earlier to participate in a last rehearsal, costume dressing, or some other pre-program session with teacher sponsors. This may also serve the purpose of increasing parental attendance at these events by holding them and it reduces the ‘early drop-offs with late returns’ syndrome from parents that many school personnel experience. This is a Double-Win for students.