Author Archive

Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibilty by Michelle Blanchet & Brian Deters

Monday, April 10th, 2023

Polarization
Preventing Polarization: 50 Strategies for Teaching Kids About Empathy, Politics, and Civic Responsibilty by Michelle Blanchet & Brian Deters is aimed at social studies (civics) teachers but is also a fine resource for teachers and parents of students in upper elementary school on up. We need to encourage students to take on controversial topics by gaining knowledge of all sides of each argument. They should also be allowed to engage in open-ended problem-solving, creative hands-on activities, collaboration, and community service.

Introduction: Why we need to stop avoiding civics and politics

  • Not being able to talk about politics is a communications failure. We all need the same things and we all most likely want what’s best for everyone. The authors hope to help teachers and parents open communication on political problems so that they can be better solved, which won’t happen if they are ignored. Learn how to teach the 4 Cs: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication.

1. Practice Sense-Making

  • Try to let students experience the world as much as possible, and let them try to make sense of what they experience. People learn best when they are actively involved, and what may seem like play can often be active learning. Ask more how and why questions and fewer what questions. Ask how something works using the examples the authors give.
  • As for politics, beware of supporting a candidate based on their identity rather than their policies. Make sure they understand how the actions of the government impact their lives and encourage them to get involved. Polarization happens in times of rapid change.

2. Keep Asking Questions

  • Children are very curious as they try to figure out how the world works. As we age, however, we become less curious as we no longer think we need to understand more. The trick, therefore to becoming a lifelong learner is to stay curious. You do this by questioning everything. It’s the teacher’s job to ask a lot of questions to encourage critical thinking and to encourage students to ask questions themselves. Teachers can use question quotas and other techniques included here.

3. Cultivate Humility

  • A wise teacher once told me “Dr. Green, you have to keep your ego out of it.” The other thing you need to do is to help students do the same. For this you need an open mind, be ok with being wrong, and learn from mistakes. Learning how to manage your own emotions is vital if you want to model this behavior. A respectful disagreement involves being hard on the problem and easy on the other person.
  • You want kids to be confident, but not overconfident. Be certain not to embarrass anyone for being wrong. Finally, the authors suggest conducting structured debates where students make statements, present data, explain how the data supports their statement, prepare for rebuttal, and present a conclusion.
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Students’ Reading Lives / Superintendent’s 2023 Challenges / Best Earplugs

Monday, April 3rd, 2023

Free Resources for Busy Parents and Educators Who Don’t Have as Much Time to Read and Surf as I Do with Fresh Content Every Weekday and post around 8:00 am eastern US time.

The Twitter names next to each link belong to the authors, publications, and the people who bring them to my attention.

Reading Liver
Beyond reading logs and Lexile levels: Supporting students’ multifaceted reading lives – When teachers familiarize themselves with students’ reading histories, they may uncover reading trauma. @NimahGobir @MindShiftKQED

Challenges

The pulse of K-12: How superintendents are taking on 2023’s biggest challenges – The past three years have been overwhelming for superintendents, but education leaders have come together to find solutions to common challenges. @DougRoberts_IEI @iei_k12

Earplugs
The Best Earplugs for Concerts, Bedtime, and Anytime – Whether you want to sleep through the party or rock out (safely) to your favorite band, these will help block out the noise. @WiggoWiggo @WIRED

ChatGPT

Social Media/Artificial Intelligence

Italy bans ChatGPT over ‘privacy’ concerns, and cites kids’ safety. The Italian Data Protection Authority said it was taking provisional action “until ChatGPT respects privacy,” including temporarily limiting the company from processing Italian users’ data. @arielzilber @nypost

Learning

What Stretching Before Exercise Actually Does To Your Muscles – This short video explains whether stretching really makes you more flexible and prevents injury — and, if so, how long the benefits last for. @darcymiajimenez @TED_ED

Leadership/Parenting

Pacing Group Activities With Focusable – use Focusable to pace a workshop. @getfocusable @rmbyrne

Inspirational/Funny Tweets

Cart-Horse@Gapingvoid

Humor, Music, Cool Stuff

How to Build a Martin Guitar | Factory Tour – I recommend the real factory tour if you are ever in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, but this is pretty good. I am a proud owner of one. @premierguitar @MartinGuitar
  

Jooble

Recent Book Summaries & My Podcasts

Plays Well
Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrongby Eric Barker

How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting from Tots to Teens by Melinda Wenner Moyer

Critical Issues in Democratic Schooling: Curriculum, Teaching, and Socio-Political Realities by Kenneth Teitelbaum

Can You Learn to Be Lucky? Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others by Karla Staff

My Post-Pandemic Teaching and Learning Observations by Dr. Doug Green Times 10 Publications

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel Pink

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers by Jo Boaler 

The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive by Ulcca Joshi Hansen

Cup of Joe
Listen to Dr. Doug on the “Cup of Joe” podcast. I recorded it last week. On it, I talk about the many good things I have seen in schools doing hybrid teaching. @PodcastCupOfJoe @DrDougGreen @BrainAwakes

Back to School COVID Myths – by Dr Doug Green @mssackstein

This is my podcast on the Jabbedu Network. Please consider listening and buying my book Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science, It’s Way More Complex. Here’s a free executive summary. @jabbedu @DrDougGreen

Boys and Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves (the book can be found here.

Be sure to try the bottom right translate button for your favorite language or one you are trying to learn. If you don’t see it, check your adblocking software

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Use Stories in Math / College Students & ChatGPT / Will US Ban TicTok?

Friday, March 24th, 2023

Free Resources for Busy Parents and Educators Who Don’t Have as Much Time to Read and Surf as I Do with Fresh Content Every Weekday and post around 8:00 am eastern US time.

The Twitter names next to each link belong to the authors, publications, and the people who bring them to my attention.

Math Stories
Using Stories Beyond Word Problems to Teach Math – Stories can help students recall key math concepts and make the subject more relevant to them. @mrs_frommert @edutopia

ChatGPT
How College Students Feel About Using AI Like ChatGPT At School, Visualized – More than half of students surveyed about the ethics of AI believe using chatbots counts as cheating — but one in five do it anyway. @darcymiajimenez @digg

TicTok
If the US Bans TikTok, WeChat Might Be Next. WeChat has 19 million users in the US and is a lifeline for people across the Chinese diaspora. @Amanda_Florian @WIRED

Social Media/Artificial Intelligence

Apple Is Getting Into The VR Game, Here’s What We Know. Snazzy Labs concisely lays out the details of Apple’s worst-kept secret: the Reality Pro mixed AR and VR headset. @BsaGrant @SnazzyLabs

Learning

Making The Radical Case For Getting SUVs Off The Road – They are safer for the people in the SUV, but way less safe for passengers. See if your kids can figure out why. @uytaelee @aboutherevideos

<Ed Tech

Leadership/Parenting

Discover how edtech makes your teaching more effective and efficient. Edtech can support educators as they strive to create an ecosystem of actionable data, intentional feedback, and an instructional workflow for seamless differentiation. @eSN_Laura @eschoolnews

Inspirational/Funny Tweets

Dreams@tim_fargo

ChatGPT

Humor, Music, Cool Stuff

Larry Cuban’s Cartoons about ChatbotGPT – Hard to believe the media storm since this computer program was released less than six months ago. What is it? What can it do? @LarryCuban
  

Jooble

Recent Book Summaries & My Podcasts

Plays Well
Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrongby Eric Barker

How to Raise Kids Who Aren’t Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting from Tots to Teens by Melinda Wenner Moyer

Critical Issues in Democratic Schooling: Curriculum, Teaching, and Socio-Political Realities by Kenneth Teitelbaum

Can You Learn to Be Lucky? Why Some People Seem to Win More Often Than Others by Karla Staff

My Post-Pandemic Teaching and Learning Observations by Dr. Doug Green Times 10 Publications

The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward by Daniel Pink

Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead, and Live Without Barriers by Jo Boaler 

The Future of Smart: How Our Education System Needs to Change to Help All Young People Thrive by Ulcca Joshi Hansen

Cup of Joe
Listen to Dr. Doug on the “Cup of Joe” podcast. I recorded it last week. On it, I talk about the many good things I have seen in schools doing hybrid teaching. @PodcastCupOfJoe @DrDougGreen @BrainAwakes

Back to School COVID Myths – by Dr Doug Green @mssackstein

This is my podcast on the Jabbedu Network. Please consider listening and buying my book Teaching Isn’t Rocket Science, It’s Way More Complex. Here’s a free executive summary. @jabbedu @DrDougGreen

Boys and Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity by Peggy Orenstein

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves (the book can be found here.

Be sure to try the bottom right translate button for your favorite language or one you are trying to learn. If you don’t see it, check your adblocking software

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Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker

Wednesday, March 15th, 2023

Plays Well
Plays Well With Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships I (Mostly) Wrong by Eric Barker explains how having strong, multiple, caring relationships is just as important as diet, exercise, and not smoking when it comes to being healthy, happy, and living longer. There are also lots of great tips for people who want to have marriages that last. School counselors can use it to create important staff development sessions. Be sure to get a copy.

Introduction

  • We start with a simulated hostage negotiation that demonstrates some of the concepts associated with active listening. This book is about what we get wrong with relationships and how we can be a bit more right. Using the best evidence available we will see that the fundamental core of relationships is the stories our brains weave to create identity, agency, and community. Also, our problems with others often start with our inaccurate perception of them.
  • Part 1: Can You “Judge a Book by Its Cover”?

  • 1. Here is the story of a female detective known as Ms. Sherlock Holmes from 1917, a time before women could go to Harvard Law School or vote. It shows that common sense and persistence are more powerful than deduction. Eric provides evidence that shows how profiling is of little or no use. The Barnum Effect describes humans’ willingness to accept descriptions of themselves based on a diagnostic instrument. In other words, we are prone to seeing meaning where there is none. We make up stories to help us make sense of the world, even if the stories are not true. The primary thing we need to contend with, therefore, is our own cognitive biases.
  • 2. Those who possess accurate person perception are happier, less shy, and better with people. They have better interpretations of body language and nonverbal communication. Unfortunately, most of us are horrible at these skills. We tend to exaggerate the extent to which others think and feel like we do. Women are better at this, but not much. If you want to get better you need to be more curious and do what you can to elicit stronger signals that make others more readable. Pay special attention to changes in voice.
  • 3. First impressions are generally accurate, but once they are set they are very hard to change. You can usually predict how students evaluate a teacher by watching a thirty-second video of a teacher. We are biased in our thinking and use confirmation bias to support other biases. Try to make others more readable and try to resist confirmation bias lock-in.
  • Here is what to do. 1. Set the bar high for making initial judgments. 2. Keep some distance and avoid snap judgments. 3. Make a serious effort to consider the opposite of your first impression. Look back on your mistakes and hope they reveal your biases. Be sure to give everyone a second chance. Good people can have lousy days. Your negative judgments are less reliable than your positive judgments.
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    Tips for Helping Students Build Self-esteem by Amanda Winstead

    Saturday, February 11th, 2023

    Self Esteem
    Tips for Helping Students Build Self-esteem by Amanda Winstead should convince teachers that they need to intentionally focus on this trait and explains how to do so. This should help all teachers and parents do a better job of preparing children for success in the real world. Thanks, Amanda.

    Your students need a range of personal, practical, and academic skills to thrive. As a teacher or parent, your approach to a student’s learning can be instrumental in aiding their development. One area that requires some specific focus is students’ self-esteem.

    A healthy sense of self-worth has a range of benefits in students’ lives. It’s important to recognize that, in learning spaces, it is not just academic success that contributes to the development of this trait. The environment, feedback, and relationships they experience all feed into how effectively students’ self-esteem flourishes.

    Let’s review a few components of helping students to build self-esteem in a healthy and impactful way.

    Recognize the Benefits

    Self-esteem is often an undervalued focus for development in schools and home learning environments. This usually isn’t because it is necessarily considered a negative personality component. Rather, it tends to get pushed to the wayside in favor of other educational, administrative, or practical priorities. Nevertheless, by gaining an understanding of why building self-esteem in students is important, you may be more mindful of how your approach to curriculum and relationships can support it.

    Primarily, a strong sense of self-esteem encourages students to engage more readily with the world around them and the people that populate it. Indeed, psychological studies show that there are clear links between self-esteem and the ability to engage in meaningful social relationships and interactions. This means that students gain vital skills needed to get the most out of the classroom and their lives beyond.

    Self-esteem also tends to make for happier students. This does more than just help them to be more confident. The simple act of smiling has an impact on both physical and psychological health. It lowers stress levels, has a strengthening effect on the immune system, and can even bolster productivity. Therefore, building self-esteem contributes to the holistic wellness that empowers students to thrive.

    Create a Safe Space

    One of the most important ways to help build students’ self-esteem is to make the classroom a safe space for them to engage. The wider world is often a soup of hyper-criticism, ridicule, and stress. If these are present in the learning environment, they may prevent students from taking the necessary risks that spur their growth. A protective and nurturing learning space can help them to step out from self-imposed restrictions to gain a positive sense of themselves and their abilities.

    Make it clear from the outset that mistakes in the classroom are encouraged. Everyone in this space is there to learn, and people often learn best from errors. It’s also wise to frame the willingness to make mistakes as courageous. After all, these students are stepping out of their comfort zones to explore even though they may be uncertain. It’s important push the idea that such expeditions are something you undertake as a class. They learn from one another’s mistakes and provide mutual support in finding solutions.

    Use Encouragement

    Use Encouragement

    Relentless criticism doesn’t tend to have a positive impact on self-esteem. This doesn’t mean that students shouldn’t be accountable for their actions or pulled up on areas for improvement. These elements are necessary components of growth, after all. Nevertheless, it’s important to ensure that your teaching approach includes consistent application of encouragement and praise.

    This isn’t the same as simply issuing general or vague forms of commendation. Students are usually savvy enough to pick up on how empty or insincere such praise feels. The result is that it doesn’t positively impact their self-esteem at all.

    Instead, it’s important to be specific about why you’re praising them. Pinpoint what it was about their actions that resulted in effective outcomes for their assignments, activities, or their relationships with their peers. Talk about what aspects of their character or personality contributes to their success. Indeed, it can be wise to ask your students for their own opinions on what they’re being praised for. This helps them to be able to recognize which of their characteristics have a positive impact. This not only contributes to the growth of their self-esteem but also encourages the repeated application of these traits in the future.

    Provide Coping Mechanisms

    Students shouldn’t feel as though they’re going through their educational experience without any challenges. Neither should they be entirely shielded from the stresses and pressures of the world, particularly as they get older. However, it is important to the development of their self-esteem to ensure they have the psychological and practical tools to cope with adversity in their lives.

    One effective approach to this is encouraging them to build a strong set of self-care habits that bolsters their mental and physical health. These should be accessible activities, such as getting regular outdoor exercise and maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet. Having hobbies can also ensure they have a focus for their energies during difficult times. This is most effective when you don’t just suggest activities but provide them with reasons why these will help your students. Understanding how actions directly result in coping better encourages habit formation that enables mechanisms to be an impactful part of their lives.

    It’s also important to teach students that communicating their struggles rather than internalizing them is an effective coping mechanism. Run exercises on how to vocalize concerns. Introduce them to the best venues to share feelings and worries, from their close friends to school counselors. Knowing that these resources are available to them can help themdevelop their emotional intelligence and empower them to feel more in control and capable.

    Conclusion

    Self-esteem impacts students’ lives in a variety of ways, from giving them the confidence to engage meaningfully with the world to bolster their wellness. It’s important to support their development of this trait by creating a safe classroom environment, providing specific forms of praise, and helping them identify coping mechanisms. When you make the classroom a positive influence on students’ self-worth, you are giving them tools to thrive.

    Amanda Winstead

    Amanda is a freelance writer out of Portland, focusing on many topics, including educational technology. Along with writing, she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey or even just say hi, you can find her on Twitter.

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