Many parents aren't aware of the scrutiny and feedback Bethlehem's teachers receive through our evaluative process. Routinely teachers are formally observed a minimum of three to four times per year, and up to twice this number. Additionally, teachers meet with department supervisors 10 times per year as a department to collectively review data from assessments, review curriculum, and do something called a gap analysis of curriculum. In a gap analysis, we look at where students commonly under-perform in any one area and adjust our curriculum each year to address these "gaps."
In a recent faculty meeting we discussed student engagement and we have continued to revisit this every year. Specifically, we talk (annually) about tactics and strategies that increase engagement, but that also teach students how to be more self-aware and self-controlling of their engagement.
In last week's blog post, I introduced implications for learning that come from Daniel Coyle's The Talent Code. Coyle introduces a type of practice (Deep Practice) that has the power to accelerate the learning of a student. In every instance of deep practice that Coyle analyzes he describes situations where learners are so engaged as to be deemed 'enthralled.'
The author Mihály Csíkszentmihályi ("Sheek-sent-me-high") described "Flow" (the book is titled the same, Flow) as a state of engagement so deep the learner loses all distraction from the outside world including losing all sense of time passing.
The writings of Coyle and Csikszentmihalyi implore us to teach students about an educational term called metacognition. Metacognition describes the ability to understand how we learn. It's understanding oneself and recognizing when we are not at our optimal best AND understanding how to regulate ourselves to change this.
Teachers routinely recognize waning levels of engagement in students. As a staff, we have norms that we use to drive engagement at both an unsophisticated level (driven by the teacher) and a more sophisticated level (teaching students how to drive this themselves). An example of one of our more unsophisticated tactics is the demand for eye contact while listening. It's a norm that exists in all of our classrooms.
A concern that this generation of teachers and parents should have with teens of this generation is they erroneously believe that multi-tasking does not cause a fall off of focus and / or engagement. Research into cell phones while driving, flow research, and metacognition research all confirm the myth of multitasking. In short, multitasking is little more than allowing one task to distract from another. Not a big deal if one is talking on the phone while doing dishes, but when one is actively learning it's a very big deal...and a very big distraction.
Coyle's deep practice does not allow for multitasking. Csikszentmihalyi's flow does not allow for multitasking. In some of his examples of flow, Csikszentmihalyi describes chess masters, rock climbers, engineers and surgeons as individuals who routinely enter a 'flow state' consciously because of the intensity of their concentration and engagement with their task. When we ask ourselves if any of these avocations should allow themselves the distraction of multitasking our immediate and intuitive answer is NO.
We, teachers AND parents, have opportunity to create conditions that contribute to deep practice. We create an environment free of distraction and that allows for increased focus. Unfortunately this sometimes means we have to lay down restrictions on distracting influences too.
It is also important to realize that we all have predisposed passions that are easier to engage with and that the implication of this is that we have to develop in students the ability to transfer the intensity and focus of their passions to other academic, athletic, and / or extracurricular pursuits that they are not as passionate about.
When we empower students with the ability to self-regulate their engagement, we truly unlock learning potential.
Next week I'll share more about the age-old expression "perfect practice makes perfect" and whether or not Coyle's The Talent Code supports this. Here's a hint; Coyle's scientific explanation describes a nexus between making mistakes as a pathway toward perfection... an interesting association that is certainly counter-intuitive... but very, hmmm, what's the word... ENGAGING!
THE WEEK AHEAD!
Thank You's
- To all of our parent volunteers for your support in running our Halloween Ball!
- To all of our students who continue to impress us with an ability to have fun (at our Halloween Ball) without doing so at the expense of other students or our beautiful old building. This respect shown by our students makes us continue to want to run events like this one!
Veteran's Day
- As an FYI - the building is closed all day
Monday, November 9
- No Late Buses
- DC Trip in Progress
Tuesday, November 10
- Late Buses
- DC trip in progress
Wed, November 11
- Veteran's Day - Building closed
Thurs, November 12
- Late Buses
- BOU Talking with your Teen
- The intended audience is Middle School students
- FASS (Friday After School Support) 3:00 - 5:00 PM
- 7th & 8th grade Social
Have a great weekend!
