Dumbing Down and Demanding Less...Really?

"A 1990 survey of college seniors showed 42% couldn't  name the dates of the War Between the States to within half a century." - Dumbing Down Our Kids by Charles Sykes

"A typical American school day finds some six million high school students and two million college freshmen struggling with algebra... Why do we subject American students to this ordeal? I've found myself moving toward the strong view that we shouldn't... " - Andrew Hacker, professor emeritus Queens College

DILEMA: Too many schools and educators are demanding less of our students.

Here are three current examples of the dumbing down of America- one in English, one in history, and one in math:

EXAMPLE #1: William Chase in The Decline of the English Department (2009) notes that many schools core requirements are neglecting critical reading and are taking the passion out of books and liberal arts. As a result the relevancy and pursuit of English writing and classical reading are quickly dropping. Hopefully the Common Core Standards across content areas will help.

***

EXAMPLE #2: In a Wall Street Journal Weekend Interview (6/18/11) Don't Know Much About History  popular author and historian David McCullough responds to the Department of Educations release that week of the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress which found that only 12% of high-school seniors had a firm grasp of American history:

Image by Ken Fallin

"We're raising young people who are, by and large, historically illiterate...One problem is personnel...People who come out of college with a degree in education and not a degree in a subject are severely handicapped in their capacity to teach effectively...Another problem is method. History is often taught in categories - women's history, Africa American history, environmental history - so that many of the students have no sense of chronology...What's more, many textbooks have become so politically correct as to be comic. Very minor characters that are currently fashionable are given considerable space, whereas people of major consequence farther back [such as] Tomas Edison are given very little space or none at all...and they're so badly written.  They're boring!

McCullough's solution:

...talk about history, talk about the books we love, the biographies and histories... take our children to historic places...and teach history with 'the lab technique'[giving] students a problem to work on. If I were teaching a class I would tell my students, 'I want you to do a documentary on the building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street [The New York Public Library]. Or I want you to interview Farmer Jones or a former sergeant Fred or whatever...I'd take one of the textbooks. I'd clip off all the numbers on the pages. I'd pull out three pages here, two pages there, five pages here - all the way through. I'd put them aside, mix them all up, and give them to you and three other students and say, 'Put it back in order and tell me what's missing.' You'd know that book inside out.

[Please see my recent post for great non-fiction/ history reading suggestions.]

 ***

Image by Adam Hayes

EXAMPLE #3: (7/29/12) New York Times Opinion piece (see quote above) Is Algebra Necessary by Andrew Hacker (professor emeritus political science, Queens College, City University of New York) illustrates dumbing down all too clearly and painfully as he advocates removing algebra from the 'required' high school curriculum because

To our nation's shame, one in four ninth graders fail to finish high school... Most of the educators I've talked with cite algebra as the major academic reason.

His suggestion:

Instead of investing so much of our academic energy in a subject that blocks further attainment for much of our population, I propose that we start thinking about alternatives. Thus mathematics teachers at every level could create exciting courses in what I call 'citizen statistics'...it would familiarize students with the kinds of numbers that describe and delineate our personal and public lives.

***

How in good conscience can or should we dumb down the curriculum because students are failing? My suggestions:

• Much like McCullough talks about teaching history in a 'lab technique' so too should math be taught as meaningful projects and 'thinking playgrounds' (see Lockhart's Lament ) and not as wrote formula memorizing.  Algebra lends itself to this kind of study - even Hacker notes algebra is used in airline ticket pricing, animated movies and investment strategies - let's teach using these meaningful examples as algebraic 'labs'.
• Many are failing high school algebra because they have not mastered long addition and multiplication.  We must make sure our students have mastered the basics.
• Eliminating algebra or making it optional will restrict math-phobics (who opt out of algebra) from many careers. It also models a 'cop-out' strategy - something we definitely do not want to teach or reinforce.  High school students are not ready to make those decisions nor are they ready to be hindered from such consequences. Instead we must teach to various learning styles while raising (not lowering) demands and expectations.

Under no circumstance should we remove algebra because students fail.  We need to raise not lower the bar and we must strive to meet expectations not eliminate them. Many are hopeful that the Common Core Standards will help. 

The bottom line: Stop the dumbing down of our students.  Raise the bar don't eliminate it because it's hard or because kids fail.  Observe WHY they fail and address student needs (are they visual or verbal learners, do they have short attention spans - teach in shorter 'bits', use teaching multiple modes and examples of a particular content), but don't eliminate algebra or educational options because they're too challenging.

And while I mean no insult to Miss South Carolina Teen (who I am sure was incredibly nervous when responding to her question which probably effected her response), we certainly don't want to raise inarticulate students who can't locate US States, or recall when the War of the States occurred. And, if we were to follow Dr. Hacker's suggestions - would we make geography and map-reading optional?

What do you think?

 Thanks for your visit and please share your perspectives in the comments.

WAY WRONG!!!

I find myself torn this week between two reaction posts and so have decided to combine them under one heading...WAY WRONG.  One has to do with a comment left in an earlier post about "wasted potential" and the other a response to a front page New York Times article, Sunday June 10, 2012 "Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill"  Please let me know what you think in the comments.

1. WASTED POTENTIAL

In a recent blog post discussing underachievers, I received a comment that:

As one who teaches intellectually gifted kids, these are the students who make me the craziest! So much wasted potential.

While I understand this teacher's frustration, the view that these students are 'wasted' hit a chord with me.  I understand the intent, but would like to argue that instead of looking at these students as 'wasted potential', it is healthier for everyone to regard any underachiever as having "untapped" or "undisciplined" potential. As with most of us, we all have strengths and weaknesses. As a parent and a teacher of intellectually gifted kids, I have found three major sources of gifted underachievers.

1. These students often have weaknesses that are not always or easily found because the gifted can better mask and overcompensate. It is our job to find their Achilles heels and help them reach their potentials. We can do this by observing them in and out of class, noticing their successes and better accepting and understanding their failures. I truly believe students always initially try; they breakdown with continued failures (both seen and unseen).
2. Another source of underachieving is ATTENTION. The material is often too slowly presented or the content too shallow and they go off on mind-trips to further stimulate their intellect. It is our responsibility to help them better discipline and refine their attention by helping them better recognize when they take mind trips; helping them regroup when mind trips have been taken; and empowering them with strategies to prevent the mind trips.
3. A third source is undisciplined work habits. So often content is too easy they never learn how to STUDY or PREPARE content because they have been able to 'wing' it. This inevitably comes back to bite them. They have to be challenged and taught how to break work down and how to best prepare. They, like everyone else must learn how to STUDY, RESEARCH, and RELATE.

And, we as parents and teachers must advocate for their needs. The truth is I see gifted as wasted potential from a totally different perspective.  There are so many GIFTED and TALENTED among us, many of whom are not even noticed.  We are so busy trying to get everyone to meet certain standards, the 'bar' for the talented is lowered or ignored.  It is these kids who go unnoticed and unchallenged who are WASTED POTENTIAL - and a wasted resource. 

2. Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill - A response

Sunday, June 10, 2012 New York Times front page article:  "Risky Rise of the Good-Grade Pill: Taking stimulants Not for a High, but for a Higher SAT Score by Alan Schwartz

First, a brief synopsis of the article:

He steered into the high school parking lot...Crinkled chip bags...Soda cups... on the passenger seat, a rumpled SAT practice book...Before opening the car door ... he twisted open a capsule of orange powder and arranged it in a neat line on the armrest... leaned over, closed one nostril and snorted it...

Throughout the parking lot...eight of his friends did the same thing...The drug was not cocaine or heroin, but Adderall, an amphetamine prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that the  boy said he and his friends routinely shared to study...focus during tests and ultimately get the grades...The drug did more than just jolt them awake...it gave them a tunnel focus tailor-made for the marathon of tests long known to make or break college applications.

Observed Gary Boggs, a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, "We're seeing it all across the United States."

The D.E.A. lists prescription stimulants like Adderall...Vyvanse...Ritalin...Focalin as Class 2 controlled substances - the same as cocaine and morphine - because they rank among the most addictive...they carry high legal risks too...the same as selling it  and can be prosecuted as a felony...abuse...can lead to  depression and mood swings (from sleep deprivation), heart irregularities and acute exhaustion or psychosis during withdrawal.

Paul L. Hokemeyer, a family therapist...said, "Children have prefrontal cortexes that are not fully developed, and we're changing the chemistry of the brain.  That's what these drugs do.  It's one thing if you have a real deficiency - the medicine is really important to those people - but not if your deficiency is not getting into Brown."

"isn't it just like a vitamin?" asked one high school junior from Eastchester, a suburb of New York.

The mother of one high school freshman... said she would open the kitchen cabinet every morning and watch her son take his prescribed dose of Ritalin.  She noticed one day that the capsule was strangely airy and held it up to the light.  It was empty...A number of teenagers interviewed laughed at the ease with which  they got some doctors to write prescriptions...Many youngsters with prescriptions said their doctors merely listened to their stories and took out  their prescription pads.

We allowed athletes to do this for so long, we are now allowing kids to do this unattested.  Awareness and commitment to our kids has to grow. The problem is so overwhelming.  Too much emphasis on SAT's and tests in general, too much labeling, too much leniency in drug prescriptions, and not enough effective means of monitoring. Then of course there is the source of their incredible stress that must also be addressed!

I admire the mom who checks and watches her son take his meds, but parents can't always do this.  We can't easily or effecitively 'drug test' before exams, schools have little way of monitoring either.  We may need to more closely monitor the labeling and prescription giving. Maybe, drugs for minors need to be 'administered' by parents and school personnel only - although I doubt this is practical or even possible.  Part of the solution, however, also lies in relieving the source of their stress.  We somehow have to address this incredible competition for colleges and the roles the 'gatekeepers' play. Maybe we as parents have to realize and relay to our kids that getting into that Ivy League college is not the only solution for success.  There are other excellent institutions and other equally successful options and paths your young adults can follow on their journey to inner growth, intellectual growth, and success.

For anyone interested in links for drug abuse/addition here are some links:

• National Institute on Drug Abuse 
• Free resources for teachers and schools (elementary, middle, and K-12) 
• Facts for kids on addiction 
• http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/preventing-drug-abuse-among-children-adolescents - presents research-based drug abuse prevention principles and critical steps for those learning about prevention
• The Partnership at drugfree.org
• D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)

The bottom line is we are hurting our kids' and our nation's future.  Where do we begin?

These were my 'two-cents' - what are yours?  Please leave them in the comments.

In the meantime, thanks for the visit and have a great week.

Visual Literacy Part 3:Fun and Games Boosting Critical Thinking and Attention - and Great Summer Activities

I was recently at Macmillain Publisher's children's Fall 2012 preview event and their books are AWESOME!!!! (A sneak peak will follow in a future post.)  What struck me, however, was the buzz all the editors used... Visual Literacy.

From: geekologie.com

Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read” and that meaning can be communicated through a process of reading. (From:wikipedia.org)

We need visual literacy to:
- read maps;
- read charts and graphs;
- decipher icons on computer, cellphones, tablets;
- encourage reluctant readers to read;
- read music;
- comprehend nuances in bold, italic, and varied fonts in words they see every day;
- decipher letters when learning to read - visual letter recognition relies on visual literacy;
- read faces/body language when interacting with others (or watching movies, videos, TV).

This is the third in a series of posts on visual literacy.  Each post can be read independently or in conjunction with the other. Here's a quick synopsis:

• Part 1: "Visual vs. Verbal Literacy" relates how BOTH visual and verbal literacies are vital for learning and cognition; suggested readings for kids of all ages are included. 
• Part 2:  "Visual / Verbal Literacy:  Reluctant Readers and Brick Walls" relates how visual literacy and visual texts can help reluctant readers find happiness in reading books.  

In this post - Part 3, I focus on  visual literacy as an aid to critical thinking (understanding and recognizing relationships, developing creativity, and reasoning)  and attention.

I. HOW VISUALLY LITERATE ARE YOU?

•  Look at the picture below. [It was taken from Tribes: The Dog Years written by Michael Geszel and Peter Spinetta, illustrated by Inaki Miranda with colors by Eva de la Cruz, produced by Soulcraft Comics (the book is on sale online and is geared for young adults and over - an AWESOME read). NOTE: This is the first book about the world which is organized into tribes, each of which is led by its elders - all below the age of 21.]
• Answer the following questions:
• PART I
1. Where does this take place?
2. When does this take place?
3. How does this tribe survive and care for its members?  What is it's main form of sustenance?
4. How might you describe this tribe's culture?
5. Would you want to live in this tribe?  Why / why not?

• PART 2: And, a few more questions:

1. Did you notice the rubber ducky?  What purpose might it play in this tribe's culture?
2. Did you notice the "One Way" sign?  What purpose might it play?
3. Does my pointing it out the rubber ducky and one-way sign change or influence any of your other responses?
4. How would you answer Eisner's six questions (which are discussed below):
1. How does the image affect the viewer?
2. How is the image composed?
3. How do the symbols that appear in the image affect the meaning?
4. How does the subject matter affect the viewer's responses?
5. How do the materials used affect the meaning of the image (photo, drawing, computer generated images, animation...)?
6. How does the cultural context affect the production and understanding of the image?

Note:  I will post the answers on Thursday, June 14th.  If you want, feel free to leave your answers in the comments section.

II. SOME EXPLANATION:

Visual literacy aids critical thinking because when reading a face or a picture, one must construct their understanding.  There are no words to tell 'readers' what to think, there is an image relaying 'bits' and hints of information - as evidenced above.  It is this CONSTRUCTION that we use when reasoning, comparing, contrasting and creating.

Visual literacy aids boosts attention and attention skills because by definition, one must stop, look, attend to the art, and then proceed to make sense out of all its components.

Elliot W. Eisner, professor emeritus Art and Education at the Stanford University School of Education and known for his work in arts education, curriculum studies, and educational evaluation noted:

"Our language development does not define the limits of our cognition."  Conversely, "our cognition is not defined by the limits of our language development."

 He then offers a series of questions to facilitate students' cognitive development using images:

1. How does the image affect the viewer?
2. How is the image composed?
3. How do the symbols that appear in the image affect the meaning?
4. How does the subject matter affect the viewer's responses?
5. How do the materials used affect the meaning of the image (photo, drawing, computer generated images, animation...)?
6. How does the cultural context affect the production and understanding of the image?

Each of these questions should be incorporated into discussions in your classrooms and homes to better understand the full message images relay in books, advertisements, etc.

My point here is that 

• the colors used 
• the design of the page 
• the letter fonts, sizes and even letter/word placements
• the details of faces, places,and objects added in the picture. ..

...THEY ALL were used by us to construct some level of understanding - they are the basics of visual literacy.

Aside from the importance of images to help aid in critical thinking and attention, we live in an age where visual icons and illustrations are an integral part of our daily lives - from deciphering icons on our phones and computers, to building furniture bought for our homes, or using/viewing clips from pinterest or YouTube...(you get the message).  Images and communication via images are EVERYWHERE!

III.  SUMMER SUGGESTIONS to help build your family's visual literacy:

• Here is a link to view more images from Tribes: The Dog Years - use my image above or more images here and answer the questions above with your family.
• Have an origami day - construct origami figures by following graphic instructions.
• Talk about messages that colors, fonts and images relay - play around with them and make non-verbal messages for each other. Try leaving daily messages for family members using icons instead of words.  How well does that work?
• Make maps - treasure maps for dessert, or for a gift, or map out vacation plans.
• Have a crafts day, where everyone 'writes' up craft directions for a project to be completed by another family member BUT... the directions are all given through charts, icons and/or illustrations.  How did the crafts projects come out?
• Keep a visual diary of vacations, of camp, of a fun family activity - using photos and illustrations.  Compare this to written entries.  How does it compare? 
• Read graphic novels aloud - talk about the information the pictures relay and how the images ADD to the story line.
• Watch Disney's Carl and Ellie's story in Up  (I've attached it below) or the first half of WALLE  with a critical eye.  Talk about how these movies told their stories visually - with limited or no words.  How were the emotions and thoughts of those characters relayed? 

• For more details of using visual cues to read faces go to "Facial Literacy or Securing Social Skills"
• For more details on  how to encourage inferencing skills, go to "What's all this about Inference?"    
•  For more details on suggested graphic novels go to The Very Best of 2011 Kids' Graphic Novels.

Thanks for the visit. Please leave your reactions and/or quiz answers in the comments and please make sure you check back on Thursday, June 14th for the answers.  In the meantime, have a great week.

FOR YOUR WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT...HERE ARE THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ABOVE:

Part I

1. This takes place on earth in what looks like the plains area of the United States.

2. This takes place in the future.  You can tell this by signs of technology:  the signs at the entrance of the 'village', the sunglasses worn by one of the characters in the bottom right corner, and the one-way sign on the center character's shirt. (The reader also know this as it is stated at the beginning of the book.)

3. The tribe survives by hunting and gathering - you can see the laden sleds entering the village - this is seen relatively clearly in the inserted box at the top right corner.

4. This is a social tribe - you see that by its configuration - semicircular, inclusive; we see this by the way the background characters are interacting in the bottom panel.  They appear strong, concerned, not hostile.

5. That's a very personal question...

Part 2:

The rubber ducky is in the bottom right corner, hanging from the (Shaman's) stick.

The one-way sign is on the center character's shirt.

1. Personal... I find it the image engaging and inviting - what about you?

2. I love the horizontal panels with the inserted boxes. I find the boxes really bring in and engage the reader.  What about you?

3. I think these symbols give A LOT of information.  They tell you these are 'modern'  or even post-modern times and that these tribes have 'collected' and used abandoned resources.

4-6 Personal opinions

Thanks for playing - I hope you enjoyed the challenge!

Understanding Underachievers

As a parent, a teacher, and a school psychologist, I know first-hand how frustrating underachievement is.  In this post, I discuss possible sources of underachievement and provide potential interventions.

Undiscovered weaknesses or uneven learning skills
Most of us are strong is some areas and weak in others. Often these weaknesses go undiscovered and the child appears to be an underachiever.  Here are some often overlooked areas of weakness:

• Weak visual learners. Some students are excellent verbal learners but cannot process information presented visually in graphs, charts, or process details in illustrations or visual clips.  If undiscovered, "talented" students appear to perform "below their expected performance level".   Possible paths of action:
• "read" pictures together - comics and graphic novels are GREAT materials for this.  Talk about how the information is relayed using letter fonts and sizes, different colors, facial expressions and visual icons. Here are some links with suggested kids' graphic novels and another that discusses visual literacy;
• have students practice visual learning at home (outside of school so there is no embarrassment) encourage students to practice reading graphs and charts at home. Here, for example, is a link for mapping skills which will help kids learn to relay information with target words and visual organizers;
• here's a link on reading graphic images - discuss how concepts and objects can be labeled with words or with icons - take out your phone or computer and play with the icons, when walking or driving, talk about the visual signs and billboards and the messages the pictures relay;
• discuss this with your child's teacher.  Ask for a 'heads-up' before an up-coming unit, exam or even a lesson with a lot of visual icons, graphs, charts, etc. where you (or some other responsible adult) can preview the unit with your child BEFORE the class or exam - to boost and bolster their skills and confidence.  If your child walks in cold, he or she can easily just 'shut down' and you want to try to avoid this pattern of behavior.

• Weak verbal learners cannot process lectures, or dense dry passages (having receptive language weaknesses) and/or they cannot efficiently express - in writing or in speech what it is they want to say (expressive language weaknesses).  Here too, if undiscovered, "talented" students appear to perform "below their expected performance level".  Possible paths of action:
• have your child practice expression at home with an adult (outside of school so there is no embarrassment).  You can leave notes for each other on pillows, refrigerators, in lunch/snack bags;
• talk and play with words - have fun with them - look at nonsense words and play with them or make up your own;
• check this link to play with different means of verbal and visual expression;
• argue /debate here's a fun link to check out: "The Power of Argument";
• check out this link for reluctant readers.

• Graphomotor weaknesses can hinder test performance and students 'underachieve' because they cannot efficiently relay the information they know and have learned. It may take your child too long to write what he or she needs to write; OR your child may be so daunted with having to write an essay, he or she may just relay 'the basics' and chose not to write in detail because it is too difficult to physically write, or they may not be enough room on the page or in the allotted space for his/her large, uneven handwriting; OR in math the 4's become 9's, the 3's become 8's. the 7's become 1's. In such cases, they may have accurately solved the problem while the answer itself is wrong because somewhere along the way they inadvertently changed the digits in the problem. Possible paths of action:
• check this link that discusses what graphomotor weaknesses look like and how to help boost them;
• here's another link on handwriting and dysgraphia;
• practice penmanship AT HOME (outside of school so there is no embarrassment);
• have your child write out all math problems with large spaced graph paper, where they put each digit in one of the 'boxes';
• for tests, talk to your child's teacher and ask him or her to make sure there is enough space right under the question for your child to respond.  In math, for example, if students have to turn the page over to write their answer, I guarantee they will miss-copy the question.

ATTENTION weaknesses can be another contributor to underachievement. One word may trigger associations and these kids are off on fascinating "mind trips" or tangents, often missing  important details (see youtube clip below). OR, students may fail to see the 'relevancy' of the lesson and simple turn off because it 'is boring'. Bart Simpson and Billy Madison are two such characters who have 'tuned out' because they saw no relevancy to their school lessons. Possible paths of action:

• help students find relevancy to what they're learning. Talk about what they learned at home (dinner, maybe) or when driving to after-school activities.  You may want to relate what they are learning about to current events or to books you've recently read, or movies you've recently seen;
• make sure the lessons move at a comfortable pace - provide additional resources for the weak and (different more challenging ones ) for the advanced learners to keep their attention;
• regardless of what the lesson is, make sure the kids understand 'what's in it for them';
• here is a link on attention you may want to check out;
• as a parent, if you think your child is bored in a class, find ways of enriching what he/she is learning in class - go to the library and find related books, go online and search for related links to help make the material more challenging and more meaningful.

SOCIAL FACTORS often come into play with underachievers. For some, 'smart' is not cool so they dumb-down to fit in with the group of friends and avoid bullying. Possible paths of action:

• here is a link on nerds and bullying which play into these social factors;
• here is link on reading faces and developing effective social skill;
• there may be other social and emotional factors that feed into underachieving which are beyond the scope of this post. TALK with your child and know that while they'll often  say 'the homework is stupid' or 'the class is boring' there is always more to it.  Ask about their friends, ask what your child does at recess and who he/she plays with, talk to the teacher and try to get additional insights into social aspects that impinge on school performance.

Regardless of the possible sources of underachieving there are a few generic interventions you can take:

• reinforce good work and good grades;
• set up structured goals and celebrate their achievement;
• help your child organize his/her schedule and required assignments;
• make your child accountable for homework assignments and projects;
• help make homework more relevant;
• ADD STRUCTURE  to your child's homework routine
• set up an effective work space  or 
• establish routines making sure your child gets enough sleep, has ample time to do homework and 'play'.

In closing here is a video clip of an unlikely pair of underachievers -where one word links associations taking them on mind trips, missing material and resulting in ...well enjoy!

 I hope you found this discussion relevant and helpful.  Please share your experiences, suggestions, and opinions in the comments.  Have a great week and thank you for your visit!

Frost...For Fun

In honor of "F" Week at ABCWednesday, I thought we'd have some fun with Frost.  His poetry is so clear on the surface, but so deep - so  much can be 'read' into it.  I say read, and not overanalyze - there's a difference, don't you think?

Please enjoy the poem below - along with some other 'food' (it is "F" week) for thought.  Please write your impressions, feelings, questions about this poem. On Friday, I will post some professional poets' and literary critiques' impressions (not mine).  I hope you join in reflecting on the poem now and come back and react to the "professional" responses as well. [But, if you don't have time skim the poem, take a look at the JFK inaugural clip, and please leave a comment.]

Some Background:
Lawrence Rabb, (Morris Professor of Rhetoric at Williams College and an award-winning poet), discusses "How to Pay Attention to a Poem."  He notes that:

"Any poem...is best read with what Henry James called "the spirit of fine attention," It's about noticing, and then noticing what you notice...

"A good poem resists paraphrase, refuses to let its meaning become too simple..." 

"No good poem, especially one as mysterious and reticent as 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,' ever exhausts itself, even as it turns itself over to you, the reader. So you may secretly carry it around, discovering - perhaps by surprise... remembering it as a kind of revelation and finding it has changed, since you yourself have changed."

A few things to keep in mind:

• Lawrence Rabb also provides a slew of questions to focus on while reading this poem.
• Frost typically repeats the last line of the poem - his way of telling us its complete.  Does this send us an additional message?
• Keep in mind the visual and musical imagery relayed through the words he uses.
• In a letter to Louis Untermeyer, Frost called this poem, "my best bid for remembrance." Why?

Extra tid-bit I couldn't resist:
A clip of JFK reciting Frost at his inauguration, discussing the role and significance of poetry to statesmen and an incredible glimpse into a world gone by.

The Poem:
What images come to mind? What do you think it's about?  Any surprises, questions, insights? 

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

For educators and parents:

• This type of exercise is wonderful for building what Levine termed "Higher Order Cognitive Functions" or what others might refer to as analytical thinking.  Asking readers to think about the poem, however, not only builds cognition, but a more acute awareness of language, rhythm and rhyme, while helping to focus attention to details.  Savoring poetry provides great 'games' to play with kids of all ages as they explore language, thought, and the world around them. 
• Not always providing immediate answers is a typical Piagetian (after Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget) approach to helping learners progress to higher levels of understanding.  When intellectual challenges are presented, the thinker must devise 'rules' or 'schema' that are tested and reconstructed as needed.

In closing: 
The Dead Poet's Society:

Have a great few days, I hope you return after Friday for Part II which will be filled in below

In the meantime, please leave your thoughts, insights and comments.

Frost's "Stopping by Woods..." Part II

(to be posted on Friday...)

Here now, are more morsels and tid-bits to help reflect and understand this poem:

John T. Ogilvie (from "From Woods to Stars: A Pattern of Imagery in Robert Frost’s Poetry." South Atlantic Quarterly. Winter 1959) reflected:

Frost relays a recurrent image of "the world of the woods...offering perfect quiet and solitude" that  exists "side by side with teh realization that there is also another world, a world of people and social obligations.  Both worlds have claims on the poet."

" We are not told, however, that the call of social responsibility proves stronger than the attraction of the woods...the poet and his horse have not moved at the poem's end.  The dichotomy of the poet's obligations both to the woods and to a world of promises... conisists in the way the two worlds are established and balanced.... What appears to be 'simple' is shown to be not really simple, what appears to be innocent not really innocent..."

                                              

Reuben A. Brower (from The Poetry of Robert Frost: Constellations of Intention. New York: Oxford UP, 1963. Copyright © 1963 by Reuben A. Brower) wrote:

 "The dark nowhere of the woods, the seen and heard movement of things, and the lullaby of inner speech are an invitation to sleep - and winter sleep is again close to easeful death... [Forst's] poetic suggestions are in the purest sense symbolic...though we feel their power. There are critics who have gone much further in defining what Frost 'meant'; but perhaps sleep is mystery enough... Frost might be described as a poet of rejected invitations to voyage in the 'definitely imagined regions' that Keats and Yeats more readily enter."

Richard Poirier (from Robert Frost: The Work of Knowing. Copyright © 1977 by Oxford University Press) wrote:

For greater depth of discussion and reference, please see:Modern American Poetry: On "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

Have a great weekend and come visit again soon! 

QUIET Time: The Power of Daydreaming

From: radio.studio92.com

Quiet time has many connotations for me, but mostly, it is a time to NOT pay attention to the things around me.  It is a time to spend thinking, watching, or doing, whatever it is I need to do FOR ME at that particular point in time.

Quiet time is a good thing, and it is something that I think is more and more difficult to find in our hectic multimedia and often over-stimulated lives.  In today's world, with instant messaging, texting, tweeting, and emailing, all of which can be done at home, work, or anywhere our 'smart' phones get reception, there is no down or quiet time.

Last week (http://departingthetext.blogspot.com/2011/11/paying-attention.html), I blogged about the importance of paying attention and focusing on tasks at hand. I briefly discussed an article by neuroscientist / columnist Jonah Lehrer relating attention to executive functioning skills and then listed activities you could do to help boost attention span, energy, focusing and executive function skills.

Jonah Lehrer, while discussing the importance of attention, focus, and executive functioning, presents an alternate argument in another essay "Against Attention" (which can be found in The Wall Street Journal February 21, 2011 or at http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/against-attention/). Here he argues for the need to NOT PAY ATTENTION, to 'boot down' to a "quiet" time and place, letting the mind rest and wander.

In Against Attention, Lehrer notes that:

From: hypnotherapyfife.co.uk

We live in a time that worships attention... In fact, the ability to pay attention is considered such an essential life skill that the lack of it has become a widespread medical problem. Nearly 10% of American children are now diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In recent years, however, scientists have begun to outline the surprising benefits of not paying attention. Sometimes, too much focus can backfire...

Lehrer then relates research indicating that:

• There is a surprising link between daydreaming and creativity—people who daydream more are also better at generating new ideas. 
• Employees are more productive when they’re allowed to engage in “internet leisure browsing”.

Lehrer notes that lapses in attention turn out to be a crucial creative skill. He writes that:

When we’re faced with a difficult problem, the most obvious solution—that first idea we focus on—is probably wrong. At such moments, it often helps to consider far-fetched possibilities, to approach the task from an unconventional perspective. And this is why distraction is helpful: People unable to focus are more likely to consider information that might seem irrelevant but will later inspire the breakthrough. When we don’t know where to look, we need to look everywhere.

However, before we all go running for our "quiet" daydreaming time, and start shorting stock in Red Bull and Starbucks, Lehrer also notes that:

This doesn’t mean, of course, that attention isn’t an important mental skill, or that attention-deficit disorders aren’t a serious problem. There’s clearly nothing advantageous about struggling in the classroom, or not being able to follow instructions. (It’s also worth pointing out that these studies all involve college students, which doesn’t tell us anything about those kids with ADHD who fail to graduate from high school. Distraction might be a cognitive luxury that not everyone can afford.)

His point: 

"Sometimes, the most productive thing we can do when trying to solve large problems is to meditate, take a long shower, or a long walk ... The takeaway is that we need to broaden our definition of “productive” thinking."

The key as I see it is finding a balance (as with most things).  We need to be able to focus on work and in school, but breaks are equally essential, and no-doze, caffeine boosts, and Red Bull may not be the best solutions.  The solution, instead, may be an occasional mind trip, walks, yoga, and recess in school balanced and sandwiched between more focused work sessions.

Finding balances:

• When making schedules. leave some quiet, meditative, "relax"  time so that there is less hectic rushing and so that there is some time to use just for yourself - to think, daydream, read or walk in a park or woods. 
• As a parent, this means encouraging focusing time for homework, with short breaks in between.  It may mean spending half an hour or 45 minutes doing math homework, taking a 20 minute break, and then returning to do more homework.  Schedule dinner as a break and outside/play time as well.
• When developing family or school projects, talk about your goals and options with others. Make notes but put those notes down, go for a walk, and come back to the project.  See if other ideas have surfaced and pursue those as well.
• Discuss current events or family decisions together at the table, in the car, or when together.  Brainstorm solutions and options.  Allow for whacky suggestions that you pursue further - whether in jest or not.  
• Model open-mindedness and the value of off-beat ideas, places, and people.

Living in NYC, going for walks is actually more stimulating than relaxing as you navigate texters, dog walkers, joggers, and families walking in your path. For me, quiet time is sitting in the bath or shower.  I really do get most of my more creative ideas, or solve some of my 'issues' there.  I can't think of a day without that time.

Do you easily find quiet time or is it getting more difficult in our mulit-media always-available world to 'boot down'? How do you find and make quiet time? What is it that you like doing in this quiet time and place? Please share your ideas and strategies in the comments.

Juggling

One follower, asked me to blog about the skills involved in juggling. And, while not many of us will ever need to juggle balls, pins, poi or fire, there is a lot we can learn from juggling.

I think the biggest caveats (aside from the obvious: greater eye-hand coordination) we can get from learning to juggle are:

• sharpening attention skills
• sharpening metacognition
• gaining greater self concept/confidence

In other words, studying and practicing juggling teaches us to focus sharply and not be distracted, and to be keenly aware of what we are doing and how we are doing it.  [Granted once we become proficient jugglers, we no longer have to think about what we are doing, but while learning the skill, it most definitely sharpens our metacognition.] It also helps us focus and gain greater confidence in ourselves, and is an after-school project to consider seriously for our kids.

From chumpysclipart.com

Skills Needed for - and Gained From - Juggling:

• Attention - the juggler is always focusing on the ball or pin in the air and NOTHING else is interfering with that focus;
• eye-hand coordination - the juggler knows at all times which ball or pin he has released and where he will catch it; 
• cognition - knowing HOW and WHERE to throw the object so that it WILL land where expected;
• intrinsic awareness of weight and gravity - understanding the weight of the object about to be thrown, how hard to throw it and where to catch it - which can be learned with practice
• sensory integration - learning how to hold, touch and catch the objects;
• an awareness of timing, sequencing and patterns (patterns of throwing and catching, primarily) - which is learned and sharpened with practice
• patience and practice 

Juggling balls and pins can even teach you how to juggle life and its responsibilities. As the following video (by Jason Garfield professional juggler) demonstrates, there is more we can gain from learning to juggle than just throwing balls in the air:

Life Lessons Learned from Juggling:

1. "Break down learning to juggle into the most basic skills" -  do this with other looming projects.  Anything overwhelming can be broken into manageable parts.
2. "If you make a bad throw, don't continue.  Stop, regroup, gain good form. " Isn't that true with leaning just about anything?  Memory - muscle memory - any memory is important to gaining expertise.  You don't want that memory to be bad form.
3. When leaning to juggle, "stop, think about what you did, and do it again."  Another great learning technique.  In educational terms this would be called "metacognition"  being aware of your thinking and actions.  Very important to learning - anything.
4. "Just do it already, don't let the third ball control you"  Boy if I don't need that recorded in my head all the time.  So often juggling (projects, chores, responsibilities) seems so overwhelming.  The key, again is break it down into basic parts and don't let it control you!

While I have never really picked juggling up, one of my daughters did.  Aside from sharpening her attention to detail, she gained greater poise (as she had to stand and throw straighter) and greater self confidence. She found a peace-of-mind as she juggled and every so often she still juggles as an adult.

I recommend juggling as a tool and hobby to help build all sorts of important life skills.  What's your feeling/experience?

My Jaunt at C2E2 2011...Departing the Text: Teaching Inference with Graphic Novels

I just got back from  C2E2 2011.  Not only did the panel go well,  I love conventions...walking around...getting free books...and pitching mine. It's all about books (at least for me).  I own a kindle and read it (and love it when traveling), but there is something about the touch, feel and smell of books and paper in your hand...

At the request of some of my readers, let me tell you about the presentation Talia Hurwich and I made, "Departing the Text:  Teaching Inference With Graphic Novels." (Katie Monnin who also contributed could not make it).  The turnout was good and the audience was as passionate about teaching kids,  reaching kids, reaching teachers and introducing the right graphic novels into classrooms as we were. 

Presentation highlights:
Getting to know the page: While I'm not sure there is a 'typical' graphic novel page since page design is actually part of the art, each page contains the following elements:

• Panels - boxes of various shape, size and borders that contain varying amounts of text and art.
• Text varies in size, shape and in presentations. Typically, the text is presented in narrative or dialogue form (and dialogue is often in a 'text bubble').
• When there is more than one panel to a page (which is usually the case), the panels are separated by lines or space called "gutters." Gutters are actually important.

Gutters are where a lot of critical thinking takes place.  For one, they provide opportunities to pause,  reflect and digest the previous panel and "fill in" the gaps of time, action and emotion.  Gutters also allow readers to pause and fill chunks of 'data' that the author/illustrator did not provide which are also necessary for comprehension.

In order to read and comprehend graphic novels, readers must:

• Attend to the text's content;
• Attend to details in art - the foreground and the background, facial expressions, spacing and placing of objects;
• Attend to the shape, size and presentation of  text (in and out of) the panels; and
• Attend to the panel borders and the choice of color in the backgrounds.

Learning is most effective when it is personal, meaningful and interactive. Here's how graphic novels can play a huge role:

• Graphic novels are particularly suited for learning because they involve the reader as s/he constantly engages with the medium - switching from verbal to visual stimuli and constructing his/her level of understanding.
• Aside from the art often being literally stunning, it pops out at you and invites the reader to participate in the action.  TRIBES:  The Dog Years (by Michael Geszel, Peter Spinetta; art by Inaki Miranda - IDW Publishers) is one example. 
• Readers are constantly making inferences when they read graphic novels.  
•  Critical to reading and learning from graphic novels is that information is given everywhere, and "art" can include the use of illustrations, the design of the page, the font, size, shape, and presentation of the text.

Readers Must make INFERENCES in order to comprehend:

• We make them when we leap - figuring out what happened within and between panels.
• We must infer character emotions from faces,  from the color of the panel background, from body stances, from text (content, shape, size), and from panel borders and shapes.
• We must infer motives from faces, body posture, text (content, shape, size) and from panel borders and shapes.
• We make inferences in the use of figure/ground and foreground/background.
• We make inferences about author/illustrator 'choices'.
• Time is often 'weird' in graphic novels.  The art and design allows the author/illustrator to jump from one period of time to another, often with no formal 'direction'.  As a result, readers must infer 'where' they are 'when' integrating the art, the shading, the panel borders, the color and the text provided.

A special note about teaching social cognition - how to read faces, understand boundaries and personal space, validate emotions... graphic novels are a power house:  In social interactions, reading verbal and nonverbal cues is essential.  Graphic novels clearly can help. The facial expressions, how people are standing or interacting together, the color of the background, the tension in the bodies, smooth or jagged panel borders, text size-shape-and font, ALL show and teach us how one expression, word, stance can lead to a particular emotion or reaction in others.  SEEING is often so much more power than just reading or being told, and graphic novels do both.


Talia outlined a sample lesson plan for introducing Greek mythology using Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor, published by First Second. For anyone interested, please let me know, we can email a copy to you.

Questions/concerns from the audience [Note each bullet is a topic for an upcoming post so stay tuned]:

• How do parents, teachers, librarians know what to buy?  As with prose novels, there are junk and gems all around.  How do we know what to buy/read/recommend?
• How can parent/teachers learn more about using and reading graphic novels to build inference skills?
• Can I provide further examples of how to read graphic novel panels, pointing out opportunities for inference?
• Do you have questions?  Please let me know in the comments.

Conclusion: 
Graphic novels are rife with teaching opportunities for kids with all kinds of strengths and weaknesses and they should be integrated in classrooms and read at home.  The key is finding the right ones to use.  I have made some recommendations in previous posts, and will continue to do so.

What do you think?  Any questions?  Do you want any particular information?  Please let me know.

Comics and Graphic Novels as Attention Trainers

This past weekend in The Wall Street Journal Weekend Review, Jonah Lehrer writes that while managing and focusing attention in school and in work is important, the more creative thinkers have been found to have attentions that wander and roam:

"Those undergrads who had a tougher time ignoring unrelated stuff were also seven times more likely to be rated as "eminent creative achievers" based on their previous accomplishments..Such lapses in attention turn out to be a crucial creative skill."

He does go on to note that these studies conducted were with college students, and results may be  different with younger subjects.  Furthermore he acknowledges how important it is for school-related success to execute mental control over attention.

So where does this leave us?  I see two correlates:

1. In school, it is important for our kids to hone attention to what is being said by the teacher and to attend to the tasks directed by him or her.
2. Finding time to daydream, to depart the text, to brainstorm, to pursue creative venues is equally important.

There are many ways to help your kids pursue creative, brainstorming activities: 

• Read aloud and brainstorm alternative endings and titles to the chapters or to the books.
• When reading, brainstorm sequels.
• Make cakes and cards for parties instead of buying them.  Create and design the cake, invitation, and decorations.
• Build forts in the snow, in the house (with chairs, sheets, blankets, boxes...).
• Design and Create - don't buy costumes for Halloween or other costume parties.
• Brainstorm unusual Sunday activities, or unusual family meals (experiment!).
• Take advantage of local historical sights, museums, nature trails, and events.
• Read all sorts of books, articles and of course, graphic novels, comic books!

As I am in comic book/graphic novel mode (see my "Note" to the right), let's talk about how comic books and graphic novels can help:

Attention and Graphic Novels:  When reading graphic novels, the reader MUST ATTEND to verbal and visual stimuli:

• to the words,
• to the font shape;
• to font sizes, 
• to the illustrations, 
• to the color of the fonts and illustrations, 
• to the foreground and background of the illustrations
• and even to the way the panels (dialogue and picture 'boxes') are laid out on the page. 

This is a lot to attend to and to take in.  Reading these texts in an exercise in controlling and managing attention.  And, because they are so visually appealing and of high interest, readers find these texts extremely engaging.  So, not only will you kids be attending to various stimuli, they may be able to sit longer than usual because they are so motivating.

How to use graphic novels to build attention:

•  If you read graphic novels together (which I recommend):
• Talk about the art -  how it makes you feel, what you noticed immediately, what took time to see and understand.
• Discuss design components and the page layout.  Discuss changes in layout and why the illustrator may have made those changes.
• Ruminate about how word size and fonts all contribute to the story.  
• Look for and discuss details. 

• You may want to create your own graphic novels for favorite book and stories. Doing this forces you to focus on the essential dialogue and story elements.  It provides opportunities to brainstorm about design and layout as well. 

A note of graphic novel selections:

• Please see my blog post of October, 13, 2010 for lists of graphic novel genres, kid friendly graphic novels and publishers, and a brief history of modern comics.
• Also please note that especially for younger kids - adults should be involved in selecting graphic novels.  There are some wonderful ones, but they have various levels of violence and sexual innuendo.  There are many with little or none:  (Laika, Zeus, Athena, Robot Dreams, American Born Chinese all published by First Second Books), The Bone Series and Ghostopolis (Scholastic) have some minor violence but is appropriate for younger readers,  These are just a few suggestions.
• WHEN IN DOUBT SEEK A LIBRARIAN'S ADVICE - most good librarians not only know their graphic novels, they are strong advocates.

Let me know what you and your kids are reading.  We can start a dialogue and recommended reading list.  And, know that the next few weeks will be delve further into the pros (and cons) of graphic novels