Quiet: The Power of Introverts

     Hans already shared a post on Susan Cain's Quiet:  The Power of Introverts, but I'd just like to follow-up with a recommendation for reading the book or at least taking a look at the link that Hans posted for Cain's interview and TED Talk on the topic:  How Do Introverts Share Ideas?
     Cain offers wonderful insights regarding how introverts often adopt a 'public' extrovert personality because our society, and particularly our educational system, tend to overvalue the gregarious and out-going over those who would rather spend time alone in quieter settings or who dread too much interaction with others.  This can be an exhausting process for anyone who feels they have to live their life in this manner.  She has an excellent chapter on the difficulty that some Asian students have integrating themselves into the American school system where talking often signals wisdom and understanding as opposed to the predominant philosophy in Asian societies that not speaking and focusing on contemplation and a reserved public persona connotes true wisdom.  Additionally, Cain argues that the concept of 'group work', both in business and in education, has its limitations because of the number of introverts in our society and that businesses and schools should remain cognizant of the fact that they should always offer a mix of opportunities for individuals to create, work, and learn.
     It's an interesting, relatively quick read that covers many areas that we discuss quite frequently:  public speaking, how people learn, efficiency and structure, personal relationships etc.  The library has a copy on display right now for those who want to spend some quiet time inside on a nice, comfy couch.

Character Reports

     I just used this Character Report Card with my sophomores for the first time today, and it went fairly well.  The report card is adapted from one used at KIPP Academy.  I had students fill it out on their own for homework, and then come in for 5 minute discussions with me.  In the discussions, I asked them two questions:

1)  On which 2 behaviors would they most like to demonstrate improvement?

2)  Which 1 behavior that they consistently demonstrate are they most proud?

     I would at some point like to fill a full report card out for every kid, but since this is new, and it is new to them to be "evaluated" on some of these traits, I thought it best to start slowly.  Some kids were a little tentative, but most were pretty thoughtful about the process.  Some conversations stuck specifically to behaviors in class, and others ranged into other classes or into their non-academic lives. The plan is to do it again in a few months, asking the same 2 questions (but requiring different answers) and adding a third that is tailored to their original answer about where they would most like to show improvement.  The other change I will make will be to schedule 10 minute meetings instead of 5, as most of the conversations were pretty good, but got cut short by time.  

     I had my advisees fill out a similar checklist, and hope to go through a more in depth process with them.

Overall, a good use of time I thought.  If you'd like a .pdf of the document just let me know, and I can send it to you. A. Sykes


World History/Western Civ (Sykes) 2012-2013

Character / Class Approach Checklist

Below are 7 character traits and 20 behaviors that tend to reflect good character. They have been adapted from the KIPP Character Report Card.

                                            Rarely (1) Sometimes (2) Often (3)
Zest

1. Actively participates       1 2 3
2. Shows enthusiasm          1 2 3

Grit

3. Finishes whatever he or she begins       1 2 3
4. Tries very hard even after experiencing failure       1 2 3
5. Accepts criticism and feedback with positive attitude       1 2 3

Self Control – School Work

6. Comes to class prepared       1 2 3
7. Pays attention and resists distractions      1 2 3
8. Remembers and follows directions       1 2 3
9. Gets to work right away rather than procrastinating       1 2 3

Self Control – Interpersonal

10. Allows others to speak without interruption       1 2 3
11. Is polite to adults and peers       1 2 3

Optimism

12. Gets over frustrations and setbacks quickly       1 2 3
13. Believes that effort will improve his or her results        1 2 3

Collaboration

14. Makes comments that address others’ ideas       1 2 3
15. Is able to find solutions during conflicts with others       1 2 3
16. Knows when and how to include others        1 2 3

Curiosity

17. Is eager to explore new things       1 2 3
18. Asks and answers questions to deepen understanding      1 2 3
19. Actively listens to others       1 2 3

Gratitude

20. Recognizes and shows appreciation for others       1 2 3

Freedom & Diversity: A Liberal Pentagram for Living Together by Timothy Garton Ash | The New York Review of Books

While he is writing specifically about today's Europe, Ash's comments on multiculturalism (or moving beyond it) have relevance to our school communities as well.  He writes:

Nor is this only a task for public policy. It is the personal responsibility of every one of us who lives in such a society. The character of everyday interactions, at school, at work, on the street, in the café, will affect the attitudes of migrants and postmigrants at least as much as any high policy. Small slights alienate, small courtesies integrate.

Freedom & Diversity: A Liberal Pentagram for Living Together by Timothy Garton Ash | The New York Review of Books

This American Life: The Importance of 'Character'

     I really enjoyed this podcast of 'This American Life' - it brings a personal voice to many of the ideas discussed in Paul Tough's book How Children Succeed:  Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character (which Ryan Spring recommended as a 'Good Read' in an earlier post).  Although the podcast and the book both deal with problems in the Chicago Public Schools we certainly do not encounter at Blair, the discussion of the importance of 'character' is relevant to Blair's classrooms, athletic fields, and residential life.  You can get the podcast on iTunes or listen to/download it here:
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/474/back-to-

Happy Thanksgiving!

Social and Emotional Education in a Community

The selection below is from a blog post by author Sam Chaltain (I've put the link to his blog below).  It inspired me to think about how we as an educational community structure social and emotional education at Blair.  While we regularly talk about this type of education as a strength of the school, there is little conversation about how this education is actually provided, other than through the "process" of Blair life.  Should we be looking at a more curriculum based approach to educating the whole student at Blair?  Are there are methodologies already developed out there in the world that would help us engineer more formal opportunities for social and emotional education in our dorms, our school meetings, our chapels, our dining hall and our classrooms?  How can we maintain a conversation about this issue at Blair?

The good news is that our historically myopic view of schools as knowledge factories is starting to fade away, and public voices like Brooks and Tough are helping to promote a more holistic view of education to a wider audience of Americans. The bad news is that too many public voices are continuing to overlook a body of research and evidence-based practices that schools can rely on right now to transform their learning environments.  Across the entirety of his new book, for example, Tough cites copious research studies and school-based programs – yet not once does he reference the expansive field – social and emotional learning, or SEL – that has, for twenty years, been at the forefront of researching how schools can apply the science of learning in ways that will deepen, not diminish, the art of teaching. (Sam Chaltain)

Links that may prove relevant to the discussion:
Sam Chaltain's full blogpost
The Ruler Approach
Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life
Yale's Health, Emotion, and Behavioral Laboratory
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
Responsive Classrooms