On Antennae and Token Economy

My last post was basically a link to a documentary. If you haven't seen it yet and there's a possibility for you to have to deal with ADHD at some point of your life or work, it's time you do it. But that's not the tip I'd like to disseminate with this post. The film is a wonderful insight into what ADHD is. You won't learn many tips from it and chances are you won't be taking notes while you watch. But that one tip I've picked up is so simple anybody can do it and it has an incredible change potential.

The tip is called "token economy" and it comes up around the 45th minute of the documentary. "Token economy" has roots in what psychologists call conditioning and it's a form of immediate positive reinforcement of desirable behavior or in plain words: whenever a student does something well they get an object which has no value unto itself, but represents a currency through which a reward is attained. So, if you want a student who cannot keep quiet to learn how to raise their hand and wait for their turn, whenever they quietly raise their hand you give them a token, whenever they remain quiet with their hand up while you're speaking to another student they get a token, whenever they give a relevant answer after you call their name they get a token. The student receives a token for everything they do well, as small as it is, and they MUST receive a token immediately.

Think well before you use anything edible for a token.
There's a possibility they might disappear before being counted.

Tokens can be anything: marbles, stars, stamps, bottle caps, pencils, stones, sequins, buttons, pieces of cloth/string, paperclips, stickers, rubber bands, anything made of cardboard (stars, suns, flowers, birds, lions, faeries...)... I think you get the point. The aim is for the student to collect as many as possible in a given period of time - e.g. a lesson. I repeat - they MUST receive a token for EVERYTHING they do well, as small as it is, IMMEDIATELY. And a deal must be made: 

If the student collects X tokens, the teacher will ________ .

This is where you need to think about your student and figure out what is important to them. If nothing comes to mind do what I did - Ask them "Who should I tell when you're being good?". Chances are they know exactly who you should call, so follow through. You MUST FOLLOW THROUGH. 

But be flexible the first time you start doing this. I tried the recipe from the documentary and set an objective of 50 tokens in a 45-minute lesson. The student only collected 35, but behavior change was so dramatic, I followed through with the deal nonetheless. As I said, smiles all around ensued. 

The trick is in the fact that tokens focus us, teachers, students and parents on students' strengths and abilities and help us overcome the difficult bits and reduce difficulties into bits, wherever and whenever possible. And as I said, smiles all around ensue.

I'll confess having reservations about all of this at first, but I decided to give it a go because something had to be done. It did not magically change everything for the better, nor did it magically cure ADHD, but it gave a strong positive note to my lessons.

So be brave and persist.

Finally, keep your antennae on alert whatever you do, because you never know when and where you might come across a brilliant idea. 

When you get one, pass it on.

Love to all,

Do

P.S. 

For those interested in research on token economy, click on the titles to go visit:

Wikipedia - to start off.

R.P. Liberman: The token economy. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2000

G. LeBlanc: Enhancing intrinsic motivation through the use of a token economy. Essays in Education, 2004, 11.

K. Zlomke & L. Zlomke: Token economy plus self-monitoring to reduce disruptive classroom behaviors. The Behavior Analyst Today, 2003, 4, 177-182.

Hand in hand

I'm not an astrology believer, but the other day I found myself sitting in the car listening to an astrologer making predictions for 2013. He was trying to explain that he's only the bearer of news and it's not really his fault the theme of 2012 was, has been, recession. And then he stressed the key term of 2013: collaboration.

He said something along the lines of Marin Luther King Jr.:

 We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools. We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.

Or John Donne:

No man is an island entire of itself.

Or Cloud Atlas:

Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime; and every kindness we birth our future.

So here, to close 2012, is one of the best Prezis of past year to start the new one. A Curriculum for Future Minds (a.k.a what the next generations seriously need to know) by Sunni Brown as seen by Amber Lewis

Happy New Year to All!!

Lots of love, health and happiness!!

Over&out,

Dora

Role models

Today some people might find it difficult to think of any role models (no wonder...) so here's a list that might come in handy. :)

Image provided by university-bound.com

Love to all,
Dora

Mute

It's November and the time of colds and flu has begun a long time ago. With it, many of us have lost our voice - and it is one of the most important teaching tools (unless you're a proponent of the Silent Way ;)).
So here I'm re-posting a slightly revised Blogathon post on voice care. I know it'll come in useful.

Here are some tips in voice care a doctor and a speech therapist from my county gave us teachers in a lecture (combined with some useful links I’ve found):



DO:

• Rest your voice ( if you’ve been using it for 4 hours, you need to rest it for one hour)
• Drink water or juice in regular intervals during the day
• Learn how to do breathing exercises
• Stretch your neck and shoulders
• Warm your voice up before work - here are some Wise Warm-Ups you could use.
• Sleep 
• Get your student’s attention with a gesture like raising your hands or by using spatial anchors. 
• See your GP if you inexplicably lose your voice.
• Read some general info on voice care here. 
• Read some basics on how voice is produced.
• Here are Top Tips for Voice Care.

DON’T

• Yell, whisper or imitate other peoples’ voices or sounds - or get training on how to do it safely.
• Clear your throat by coughing.
• Ingest anything too hot. 
• Sing with a hoarse voice.
• Eat 2-3 hours before sleeping: it causes acid reflux which can damage the vocal chords.
• Try to outvoice a crowd.
• Forget to sleep.

Do you maybe have any student activities to help teachers be quiet in case of sudden in-class loss of voice? Having a student assistant can be a lifesaver.


Hope I’ve helped.

Love to all,

Dora


*UPDATE*

Go easy on dairy products.

The Dark Side of the Web and Life as a teenager

A couple of days ago I've heard a story of a girl who was so bright and talented it got on some of her classmates' nerves so much, she had to be moved to another class because they couldn't stop hitting and insulting her. When she finally entered a high school famous for being open only to super bright kids she found friends. I thought - I'm so glad I'm a twentysomething, I don't ever want to be a teenager again. 

You know how some teachers say that what's keeping them young is hanging out with young people everyday? Well, welcome to the dark side of being kept young. According to the linked infographic in the US 75% of bullying cases go unreported, 77% of kids face bullying of some sort and a child is being bullied every 7 minutes. In the UK 85% of kids have witnessed bullying of some sort. 

On the world scale 200 million young people 

are bullied every year. 

That means every year a population of Croatia,
4 290 612 people*
individually go through either 
hitting,
threatening,
taunting,
malicious teasing,
name-calling,
receiving unsolicited sexual remarks,
being maliciously gossiped about, 
having their belongings destroyed, 
OR
being excluded or rejected by their community
46.61 times. 
That's once every 7.83 days.

Here's a great post by Ana Cristina Pratas on how to keep "being kept young" an asset. If you're a teacher or a parent, you'll have to deal with it sooner or later.  

And remember: Read blogs. Read lots of them, because there's an ocean of knowledge out there that might take you to places you've never even dreamed of.

All my love,

Do

*According to the the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings of 2011 first results by settlements by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, as retrieved on 3 November 2012.

Perchance to dream

There is an epidemic of simplifying and making things easier for students under the excuse of tailoring courses to their needs. It was very difficult for me to accept it at first and in so many ways it still is. I'm not saying some adaptation of material shouldn't happen. I even maintain that in some cases this adaptation should be immense, because the needs of the students are such that the material needs to be immensely adapted to them. But students should not have everything laid out and made ready for learning by heart - there should be a challenge and with it a chance to grow.

And every day is going to surprise you. Learning prepares you to cope with surprises, education prepares you to cope with certainty. There is no certainty. 

Says one of the speakers in Ericssons latest video on the future of education. I've found it here, at the Huffington Post's website accompanied by an article.



I guess this world needs a reminder: There's nothing wrong with a little failure, as long as you learn from it.
Shine everyone!
Do

Take a stand!

Teaching profession does usually attract people who have in common the will and persistence to care for others and help them grow. Also commonly in that care for others, they forget to care for themselves and get lost among the papers, books and layers of chalk. So this Teachers' Day I decided to pass on the words of UNESCO:

Taking a stand for the teaching profession means providing adequate training, ongoing professional development, and protection for teachers’ rights.
All over the world, a quality education offers hope and the promise of a better standard of living. However, there can be no quality education without competent and motivated teachers.
Teachers are among the many factors that keep children in school and influence learning. They help students think critically, process information from several sources, work cooperatively, tackle problems and make informed choices.
Why take a stand for teachers? Because the profession is losing status in many parts of the world.. World Teachers’ Day calls attention (to) the need to raise the status of the profession - not only for the benefit of teachers and students, but for society as a whole, to acknowledge the crucial role teachers play in building the future.

So in the face of everything stacked against our hopes and dreams keep leaving your mark and making a difference. But never forget to care for yourself - it's the only way you can be the best possible version of you for others. 

Have a happy one colleagues!!

All my love and respect,

Do 

Before I start posting about theoretical stuff again...

...I want to share an idea that found its way to my Google Reader this morning. Some people think that an idea is the most dangerous parasite in the world ;) - this one surely is contagious and may bring change and open dialogue, so it might be risky if you don't know how to deal with those things. BUT!! It may help you with tapping into what your students want/need/care about in a safe way - they may be seen writing it, but once the message is written it stands alone. I'm going on about something and you don't even know what it is, so without further ado:



You can change a classroom, seating order, the content of a lesson, the colour of a corridor or door, make plans of virtually any kind, ask and share whatever comes to your mind. "When I'm trying to learn a subject that's difficult..." may lead to a discussion about how they learn, how they feel about learning and tips on how to learn better. They can learn from each other.

I'm going to make a class of mine occupy a wall like this because I want to help them own their classroom - there are blank walls, old posters and so much wasted space which could be taken over by their own imagination.

So, after I'm done with this post, I'm going to spread the idea and hopefully it'll catch on. What about you? ;)

Over&out,
Dora

Wield your words wisely

I'm very happy to report another anti-cyberbullying campaign has begun in Croatia. There has been some word about cyberbullying here with the UNICEF's Prekini lanac campaign, but for some unfortunate reason http://www.prekinilanac.org/ is down. I believe cyberbullying is one of those never ending issues with the increasing importance the world wide web has in everyday lives and education.

So, dear ex-Yu-languages speaking colleagues you can read all about the new campaign started by and association of young people called Medijska Tvornica here and here. And there are also two videos available, one of which will start if you click play in one, two, three...



Speak about it, spread the word and raise awareness. It's important kids learn that posting/revealing something online is no less real than a slap in the face.

Shine everyone!
Dora