+ For Thanksgiving: Research on “Gratitude”

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An article by John Tierney in the NY Times offers advice for getting into the holiday spirit.  It even suggests that it’s possible to keep a good frame of mind even in the midst of dysfunctionally behaving loved ones.  

…what if you’re not the grateful sort?  I sought guidance from the psychologists who have made gratitude a hot research topic.

• Start with “gratitude lite.”  Researchers at the University of California asked people to keep a once-a-week journal listing 5 things they were grateful for.  After two months, those who kept the lists faithfully were more optimistic, happier and reported fewer physical problems than those who did not.  Researcher Robert Emmons advises “If you want to sleep more soundly, count blessings, not sheep.”
• Don’t confuse gratitude with indebtedness.  Returning a favor is not gratitude; indebtedness is more of a negative feeling, according to psychologists.  At Northeastern University, researchers  found that students who were helped when their computers were sabotaged were likelier to help someone else — even a complete stranger.
• Try it on your family.  Says Sonya Lyubomirsky of the University of California,  “Do one small and unobtrusive thoughtful or generous thing for each member of your family on Thanksgiving.  Say thank you for every thoughtful or kind gesture.  Express your admiration for someone’s skills or talents — wielding that kitchen knife so masterfully… and truly listen, even when your grandfather is boring you again with the same World War II story.”
• Don’t counterattack.  If you’re bracing for insults, consider an experiment at the University of Kentucky.  Some subjects were praised when they handed in a piece of writing, while others received a scathing evaluation.  Later, those who were insulted retaliated meanly — unless they were  subjects who had been instructed to write about things they were grateful for!  Those people were not bothered by the nasty criticism (or at least they didn’t feel the need to retaliate meanly).  Nathan DeWall, who led the study, says “Gratitude…helps people become less aggressive.  It’s an equal opportunity emotion.  Anyone can experience it and profit from it.”
• Share the feeling.  A researcher at the University of Miami, Dr. David McCulloch,  says “More than any other emotion, gratitude is the emotion of friendship.  It is part of a psychological system that causes people to raise their estimates of how much value they hold in the eyes of another person.  Gratitude is what happens when someone does something that causes you to realize that you matter more to that person than you thought you did.”

For this entire article by John Tierney in the Times on Nov 22, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/science/a-serving-of-gratitude-brings-healthy-dividends.html?scp=3&sq=John%20Tierney&st=cse

Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ NOV 29 Rick Lavoie Free Conference on Social Skills

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Not too late —OCECD “9th Annual Partnering for Progress: Understanding and Promoting Social Skills and Positive Behavior for Children with Learning Challenges” Conference by RICK LAVOIE is almost full. Hurry and register today at https://www.research.net/s/GZZ3TW6.

This is a FREE conference, FREE lunch, and FREE parking. Certificates awarding four contact hours will be provided. NOV 29, at the Crowne Plaza Columbus North Hotel.

Orton-Gillingham tutoring in Columbus OH: Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Teachers: What You Can Do About Bullying

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•  Ask students about bullying.  Survey students on a regular basis.  Ask whether they’re being harassed, or if they’ve witnessed harassment.  It should be easy for students to come to an adult and talk about harassment.  1) Build  staff-student relationships.  2)  Place suggestion boxes where students can provide input anonymously.  3)  Administer  school-wide surveys in which students can report confidentially on peers who bully or on the children whom they harass.   Also remember that the key is to know what bullying accomplishes for a bully.  Does he or she want to gain status?  Does the bully use aggression to control others?
• Ask students about their relationships.    It is a fact that bullying is a destructive, asymetric relationship.  Learn who students associate with, who their friends are, who  they dislike.  Learn who are perceived by students to be popular and unpopular.  Connect with students who appear friendless.  Staff members’ knowledge of students’ relationships varies widely; they tend to underestimate the level of aggression among peers.
• Build democratic classroom and school climates.  Identify student leaders who are able to encourage their peers to stand up against bullying.  Determine whether the social norms of students are really effective against harassment.  Train teachers to better understand and manage student social dynamics and better handle students’ aggression. Put in place clear and consistent consequences — this is a must.   Master teachers should build relationships, trust, and a sense of community, as well as promoting academic success. 
• Be an informed consumer of anti-bullying curriculums.  There are many anti-bullying interventions, and lots of them are successful, but be aware of significant caveats.  For example, some bullies would benefit from services beyond bullying reduction.  Other programs might work well in Europe but not as well in the US.  And most anti-bullying programs haven’t yet been rigorously evaluated.  Inform yourself when investing in a curriculum.  Investigate claims of success.  Remember that  your most valuable tool is your background knowledge — your deep understanding of your students’ relationships.
• Remember that bullying is also a problem of values.  Implement an intellectually challenging character education  or socio-emotional learning curriculum in your school.  Students must learn how to achieve their goals by being assertive, not aggressive.  Teach staff, students —  even family members — how to resolve conflicts with civility.

sole source: this content was a sidebar in Philip C. Rodkin’s article in the September 2011 ASCD magazine Educational Leadership.  Visit http://www.ascd.org

tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021, or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com.

+ Bullying: The Power of Peers

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Philip C. Rodkin wrote a version of a government report on bullying for the September 2011 Issue of ASCD’s publication Educational Leadership.

Rodkin first explains the use of the words peer and bully, which at first glance, don’t appear to belong together.  

A “peer” means someone of the same standing, a social equal. A “bully” is seizing power  in a social situation.

It’s this sense of inequality, abuse, and unfairness — and of a peer culture valuing all the wrong things — that makes bullying incompatible with the democratic spirit; all youth should be free to learn in peace and safety, making the most of their talents and goals.

Children and youth (and some adults) use bullying to acquire resources and to demonstrate to an audience that they are the ones who dominate.  This is where peers come into the picture.  Bullies can’t succeed unless witnesses play along.  If they ignore the bullying, or intervene to stop the action, the bully is deprived of his objective.

Presumably bullying at school occurs under the watchful eye of responsible adults, so how peers and adults act in response to bullying is crucial.  And it is even better if these others can anticipate the bullying in advance of the event.

Research has informed parents and  educators about the structural situations in which bullying occurs.  But more is needed to determine how to use this information effectively in making our schools a safe place for kids. 

Bullies Live in Two Social Worlds

Tom Farmer and colleagues wrote a recent article on the “two social worlds” of bullying: on one hand marginalization, and on the other, connection.

Socially marginalized bullies, they say, may be fighting against a social system that keeps them on the periphery.  Socially connected bullies use aggression to control others and garner power.

Bullies who are marginalized and unpopular are often shunted into peer groups with other bullies.  These marginalized bullies (more often boys than girls) often have a host of problems, and the bullying behavior is only one manifestation.  Bullying in their case may stem from an inability to control their impulsive actions, or it may be due to a desire to gain an elusive status. 

On the other hand, ”connected” bullies belong to highly networked and integrated social worlds; they don’t lack for peer social support. 

These socially connected bullies are evenly divided between boys and girls.  They have a variety of friends.  Some but not all of those friends are bullies themselves.  These bullies strengths may  include social skills, athleticism, or physical attractiveness. 

Socially connected bullies tend to be proactive and goal-directed in their aggression.  They often have years of experience with peers, sometimes since as early as their day-care groups.

They incorporate prosocial strategies into their behavioral repertoire (e.g. reconciling with targets after conflict, or becoming less aggressive after they’ve established dominance).

Bullies who are socially connected are under-recognized as seriously aggressive.  They are frequently popularized in the media.  Of them, one group of researchers uses the words”popular, socially skilled, and competent.”

Bullying peaks in early adolescence, but the two social worlds of bullying exists through all the early grades, sometimes as early as kindergarten. 

Rodkin says

As light can be both wave and particle, aggression can be maladaptive or adaptive depending on why the aggression occurs; the time frame (that is, adaptive in the short run, but maladaptive in the long run); the consequences of the aggressive act; and one’s perspective.

Educators and parents need to ask of any bullying situation why the bullying works — from the perspective of the bully.  It is necessary to establish what goals are being served by the bullying behavior: they will differ for each child in each different situation.   

The Bully-Victim Relationship 

Criminologists always establish first the relationship between any victim and the perpetrator.   In any bully/victim situation the question is rarely asked.  We know very little about what is built in to any bullying event.

The focus has traditionally been on identifying “bully,” “victim,” and “bully-victim” categories. Time is spent determining such things as “prevalence rates,” and “behavioral characteristics” of bullying incidents.

Bullies and victims therefore are put into separate boxes, and their separateness is spotlighted.  The implication is that there is no known relationship between a bully and a victim — that the targeting is random.

But the reality is more complex.  Bullies and victims often have a previously existing relationship that lead up to the incidents. 

If these facts had been made clear, knowledgeable adults might have been alerted to the trouble spots.

Reciprocated dislike or animosity is one clear predictor of trouble.  Potential bullies  — particularly socially connected bullies – turn their angry thoughts into aggressive behavior.  The direct that behavior then toward low-status peers whom they already dislike (and who almost certainly dislike them as well).

Time frames can be  predictable.  Socially connected children choose same-sex bullying as part of their struggle for dominance, particularly in the beginning of the school year, or between transitions from one school to another (when the social hierarchy is in flux) and it is easy to target unpopular children.

In a disturbing number of cases, aggressive boys harass girls.  Sixty percent of 5th to 7th grade girls in one study reported being bullied by boys.  Unpopular, rejected, aggressive boys are most likely to harass girls. 

In another study, 38 percent of girls who experience sexual harassment “say they first experienced it in elementary school.”

Socially connected bullies tend to demonstrate within-sex bullying and dominance behavior against unpopular targets.

“Bullying is a Social Event”

Studies show that even one good friend can help assuage the harmful consequences of harassment. 

Adults should be aware that in addition to implementing violence reduction therapies and social skills trainings, social ties of marginalized bullies should be spotlighted.  Broaden these networks, where feasible, to include a greater variety of peers.  

Rodkin says he refers to socially connected bullies as “hidden in plain sight.”  Because these types of bullies affiliate with a wide variety of peers, there is an unhealthy potential for widespread acceptance of bullying. 

Debra Pepler and colleagues call this the “theater of bullying,”  which encompasses not only the bully-victim dyad, but also children who encourage, reinforce  and silently witness the abuse. 

Pepler says “Bullying is a social event in the classroom and on the playground.” In almost 90 percent of observed cases there was an audience of peers.

This silent, mocking audience grows exponentially, in frightening anonymity, with cyber-bullying.  Thus the problem of bullying is also a problem of the unresponsive bystander, whether that bystander is a classmate who finds harassment funny, a peer who sits on the sidelines afraid to get involved, or an educator who sees bullying as just another part of growing up.

One report finds that socially connected bullies target children who will likely not be defended. 

Peers who do intervene in bullying can make a real difference.  While studies show that a defender may be  successful in more than 50 percent of such attempts,  bystanders appear to stand up to the aggressor in only 20 percent of incidents.

In addition

[o]ne good friend can make a crucial difference to children who are harassed.  Victims who are friends with a non-victimized peer are less likely to internalize problems as a result…for example, being sad, depressed or anxious.

Even 1st graders who have a friend but who are otherwise socially isolated seem to be protected from the adjustment problems that other isolated children may suffer.

Surprisingly, one study found that intervention which involves peers (using students as peer mediators, engaging bystanders to disapprove and offer support to the victim) were found to be associated with increases in victimization.

In fact of 20 program elements included in 44 school-based programs, work with peers was the only program element associated with significantly more bullying and victimization.  (There were significant and positive effects for parent training and school meetings in reducing bullying.)

For peer mediation to be effective, students who are chosen to be mediators should probably be popular and prosocial.

The most innovative, intensive, grassroots uses of peer relationships to reduce bullying (one is the You Have the Power! program in Montgomery County, Maryland) have not been scientifically evaluated.  This work must be undertaken.

Teachers should ask what kind of bully they face when dealing with a victimization problem.  Is the bully a member of a group?  Is he or she a group leader?  How are the bullies and victims situated in the “peer ecology”?

Educators who exclusively target peripheral, antisocial cliques as the engine of school violence problems may leave intact other  groups that are more responsible for mainstream peer support of bullying.

Educators should periodically talk with students and ask about their social relationships and whether bullying is present.

Charles Payne makes the point in his book “So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools,” that even the best, most rigorous and most validated intervention may not be successful: weak social infrastructure and dysfunctional organizational environments must also be taken into account.

The task ahead is to help educators recognize, understand and help guide children’s relationships.  We must determine ways that bullies and the children they harass can be folded into the whole social fabric of the school.

With guidance from caring, engaged adults, youth can organize themselves as a force that makes bullying less effective as a means of social connection or as an outlet for alienation.

sole source: Philip C. Rodkin’s article in ASCD’s September 2011 issue of Educational Leadership.  Visit http://www.ascd.org

The full report from which this article was taken was commissioned to be presented to the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, which met on March 10, 2011. 

The conference brought together President Obama, the first lady, members of the cabinet, as well as youth, parents, researchers, school officials and other groups.  The goal was to craft a national strategy for reducing and ending bullying in schools.

tutoring in Columbus OH: Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com  

+ Teachers: Interactive Modeling

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Margaret Berry Wilson, in an ASCD Express online piece, reminds teachers that it’s easy to assume that students know how to behave and how to do routine activities.

But — especially for the youngest students — these activities probably have not come up for discussion at home.  And while older students may have learned routines in earlier grades, they probably don’t know how things work in THIS year’s classroom.

Wilson says that in order to have a safe, secure and happy classroom, we need to deliberately teach children how classroom routines should actually look and sound.

One effective technique is called “interactive modeling.”  These are the steps you might use to teach student to line up safely — and what they might look and sound like.

• Describe a positive behavior you will model.  “When I tell you to line up by the door, it’s important that you move directly and quietly to your place in the line.  Watch while I demonstrate.”
• Model the behavior.  Walk quietly to the door without bumping into or touching things.  You don’t need to narrate as you model.
• Ask students what they noticed.  “What did you notice about how I moved into line?”  Children name what they saw and heard.  (If necessary, prompt students with “What did you notice about my hands?”  or :What did I do once I got into the line-up spot?”
• Ask student volunteers to model the same behavior.  “Who else can show us how to move directly and quietly into line?”
• Ask students what they noticed.  “How did Quentin walk to his spot in line?”
• Have the class practice.  “When I call you by name, walk directly and quietly to the door and line up, just as you saw us do.”
• Provide feedback.  “You did it!  You all walked quietly and safely, and you kept your hands to yourself.  Good work!”

Keys to Successful Modeling

1. Give clear, specific instructions.  Don’t say “Sit safely,” show exactly how you want them to sit.  Rather than saying “Use a quiet voices,” show what a quiet voice sounds like.
2. Use a script.  You can write out what you will do and say (this also helps you talking to much!
3. Follow through consistently.  If you’ve modeled the lining up quietly, don’t ignore it when noise levels rise the next time.  Remind them of the expectations.  Re-model if necessary.
4. Keep expectations realistic.  When students have difficulty with a routine despite reminders and re-modeling, think whether the expectations are too complicated.  For example, “no talking in hallways” could be virtually impossible.  How about “Walk quietly?” (But do model what volume of speaking is acceptable.)
5. Give plenty of opportunities for practice.  Make sure students have repeated opportunities to practice a new behavior.  Keep the practice fun and light.  You could have kids race the clock to see how quickly and quietly they can get in line.  

And let students know when you see them improving and doing well. 

Say, “That was a great job of lining up and keeping your voices to a whisper!”  This reinforces expected behaviors and also show student that you see and appreciate what they do.

sole source: Margaret Berry Wilson’s article in ASCD Express, Vol. 6, No 7.

Wilson is a Responsive Classroom professional development specialist with 15 years of teaching kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades.  She is the author of “What Every 2nd Grade Teacher Needs to Know About Setting Up and Running a Classroom.”

tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Responding to Students’ Depression

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An article in the October 2010 Educational Leadership , ASCD’s publication for educators, outlines characteristics of depression in children and adolescents, as well as suggestions for dealing with their problems in a school setting.

The article, by R. Marc A. Crundwell and Kim Killu, states that depressed young people often don’t ask for help at school because of negative thinking patterns.

And they may lack the necessary language skills and self-awareness to report — or recognize — their depressed state.

Characteristics of Depressed Children

• Irritability — at school: complaints of feeling sick, frequent absence, lack of participation, sleepiness.
• Difficulty concentrating on tasks/activities — at school: isolation from peers, problems with social skills, defiance.
• Short-term memory impairments – at school: poor work completion.
• Difficulties with planning, organizing, and executing tasks — at school: forgetting to complete assignments, difficulty concentrating.
• Facial expressions or body language indicating depression or sadness — at school: working slowly.
• Hypersensitivity — at school: easily hurt feelings, crying, anger.
• Poor performance and follow-through on tasks — at school: poor work completion.
• Inattention – at school: distractability, restlessness.
• Forgetfulness — at school: poor work submission, variable academic performance.
• Separation anxiety from parents or caregiver — at school: crying, somatic complaints, frequent absences, school refusal.  

Characteristics of Depressed Adolescents

• Depressed self-esteem and feelings of self-worth — at school: self-deprecating comments.
• Mild irritability — at school: defiance with authority figures, difficulties interacting with peers, argumentativeness.
• Negative perceptions of student’s past and present — at school: pessimistic comments, suicidal thoughts.
• Peer rejection — at school: isolation, frequent change in friends.
• Lack of interest and involvement in previously enjoyed activities — at school: isolation and withdrawal.
• Boredom — at school: sulking, noncompliance.
• Impulsive and risky behavior — at school: theft, sexual activity, alcohol or drug use, truancy.
• Substance abuse — at school: acting out of character, sleeping in class.

The authors suggest that establishing a “touchstone teacher” who can be a non-threatening liaison between the student and other teachers.  They might meet once a week — perhaps on Monday morning — to target areas that need attention, review work, and set goals.  This teacher might communicate clear guidelines and coordinate work across subjects, as well as help with follow-through on a self-management checklist.

Crundwell and Killu also suggest teaching study strategies, such as establishing timelines, breaking schoolwork into discrete tasks, outlining or creating graphic organizers, setting up the use of recording devices to make sure class information isn’t lost and can be reviewed.

In addition, some students need help staying socially interactive.  Teachers can make a deliberate effort to promote an accepting and inclusive environment and to set up cooperative group work activities.

Sometimes, communicating with the student’s family is not only appropriate, but necessary.  Developing a robust home-school relationship can mean that everyone understands what is happening in both milieus.  When parents know about classroom events and deadlines, they can support their child’s engagement with school. 

And finally, the topic that must be confronted once it is mentioned: suicide.  When a student suggests that she’s had suicidal ideation, school personnel must faithfully monitor her.  For some students, it is helpful to develop a “no-suicide” contract, an agreement between the student and the school in which she promises that if she’s experiencing such impulses she will inform a health care professional, a family member or a teacher.  Make a list of people who would be contacted.

Strategies to Help Students with Depression

• Give frequent feedback on academic, social, and behavioral performance.
• Teach goal setting and self-monitoring skills.
• Teach problem-solving skills.
• Coach the student in ways to organize, plan, and execute tasks demanded daily or weekly in school.
• Develop modifications and accommodations to respond to the student’s fluctuations in mood, ability to concentrate, or side effects of medication.  Assign one individual to serve as a primary contact and coordinate interventions.
• Give student opportunities to engage in social interactions.
• Monitor frequently to see whether the student has suicidal thoughts.
• Develop a home-school communication system to share information on the student’s academic, social and emotional behavior and any developments concerning medication or side effects.

 sole source: article in Educational Leadership, October 2010 (http://www.ascd.org) .  Author R. Marc A. Crundwell is a school psychologist in with Greater Essex County District School Board in Windsor, Ontario,Canada; author Kim Killu is associate professor of special education at the University of Michigan, Dearborn.

tutoring in Columbus OH: Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Teachers: Reach Out to Parents of Bullied Students

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An article in ASCD  Express by Allan Beane and Michelle Law has offered numerous tips for parents of bullied students.

They write

As educators, you probably requently have parents contact you because their child is being bullied…

First, you should assure them that you will immediately investigate their child’s situation.  Then, you should discuss what might help their child be safe from bullying while you investigate.

They suggest that perhaps the child needs to avoid certain areas on school property at certain times; perhaps the school might increase supervision in high risk areas where this child needs to be.  Tell parents to make sure the child talks to an adult, such as a supportive teacher, every day.

Adults, both parents and teachers, need to stay vigilant.  Look for the following warning signs and symptoms and address problems quickly.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Note that for a behavior to be labeled bullying, it must be persistent (repeated over time); it must be intentionally designed to hurt or frighten the child.  and the bully must have power and control over your child.
• Let the child know that NO ONE deserves to be bullied.
• Stay calm.
• Be sensitive; your child may feel embarrassed and ashamed.
• Determine what happened, who was involved, when and where it happened.  Importantly, keep a log of this information. 
• Express confidence that everyone — you, the adults at school, and the child himself — will be able to find a solution.
• Ask the child to write her thoughts and feelings down in a journal or notebook.  This is a great way to discharge emotional pressure and anxiety.
• Explain that bullies want to hurt and control.  So it is best — even though difficult — not to show that the behavior hurts.
• Let him know that it is perfectly normal to feel hurt, fear and anger.
• Avoid being a “fix-it” parent.  Don’t call parents; it’s usually not effective. 
• Don’t tell your child to retaliate.  It’s against the rules, and retaliation frequently makes the bullying worse and more prolonged.  And bullies are usually more powerful than their victims.
• Don’t tell your child to ignore the bully; that doesn’t usually work.
• Teach your child to be assertive but not aggressive.
• Don’t promise not to tell anyone.
• Ask for a copy of the district’s anti-bullying policy.
• Report all physical assaults to the school and to police.
• Take pictures of all injuries.  Hold a ruler next to injuries to show their sizes.  Keep a record of all medical treatment, including counseling, expenses and related travel expenses.
• Be patient; some situations take more time to investigate and stop than others.
• Involve your child in activities inside and outside school.  High-quality friendships can blossom when a child is involved in activities she enjoys.
• Monitor your child’s whereabouts and his friendships.
• Involve your child in discovering solutions to her bullying situation.
• Watch for signs of depression and anxiety; don’t hesitate to seek professional counseling.
• Ask an older student with good morals to mentor your child.
• Don’t give up.

VICTIM WARNING SIGNS

Some of these warning signs are very serious.  Pay attention.

• Sudden decreased interest in school (wants to stay home).
• Sudden loss of interest in favorite school activities (band, swim team…)
• Sudden decrease in quality of schoolwork.
• Wanting a parent to take her to school instead of riding the bus.
• Seems happy on weekends, but unhappy, preoccupied or tense on Sundays before school the next day.
• Suddenly prefers the company of adults.
• Frequent illnesses, such as headaches, stomach aches.
• Sleep issues: insomnia or nightmares.
• Comes home with unexplained scratches, bruises or torn clothing.
• Talks about avoiding certain areas of the school or neighborhood.
• Suddenly becomes moody, irritable, or angry; begins to bully others (siblings or children in the neighborhood.
• Seeks the wrong friends in the wrong places (drug users, cult-like groups, gangs).
• Talks about being sad, anxious, depressed or having panic attacks.
• Wants to stay home at night.
• Wants to stay home on weekends.
• Self-mutilates.
• Talks about suicide.

Source: Article on ASCD Express (Vol. 6, No. 13) by Allan L. Beane and Michelle Law.  Beane is founder and CEO of Bully Free Systems LLC, a program that is used in schools and districts nationally.  The Bully Free Program also offers books and resources.  Law is a special education teacher in Woodward, OK. She is a coordinator of the Bully Free Program at Cedar Heights Elementary.

ASCD was formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.  It is a membership organization that develops programs, products and services essential to the way educators learn, teach and lead.  Visit http://www.ascd.org/ascdexpress.

Tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com .

+ Helping Students Set Goals

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 An article in the Wall Street Journal by Sue Shellenbarger reports that a student’s ability to set and reach realistic goals is clearly linked to higher grades as well as lower college dropout rates and adult well-being.

Shellenbarger cites a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology. 

The researchers asked college students to complete an intensive written exercise in which they had to identify goals, and also map out steps to reach them.   These students posted a significant increase in grades as well as credit earned, compared with other students.

But students in the US, according to a Gallup poll last year, lack faith in their ability to reach goals.  Children begin to form ideas about what they might or might not achieve by the age of seven or eight.  

But the poll found that only 42% of students ages 10 to 18 say they are energetically pursuing their goals.  And only 35 % believe they could find ways around obstacles to their goals.

Students may struggle with this skill, writes Shellenbarger, partly because schools focus more on raising test scores or lowering dropout rates than on helping kids learn about setting and achieving goals.

Now, however, more and more states are mandating career planning for all students.  Goal setting is drawing increasing attention.

To help students remember the steps, schools often use the acronym SMART.  Goals must be

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Results (clear)
• Time frame (set)

The concept of “Smart” goal-setting came into use by project managers in business during the 1980s.  Around a decade ago, educators began to embrace it as a method to help administrators and teachers set their own goals.  Recently, school districts moved this goal-setting approach into the classroom

At Bruce Jenner High School in Texas, test scores and state ratings have risen in the three years since administrators began a goal-setting program. 

At the beginning of every year, students use their own test scores to identify specific, measurable learning goals.  It might be achieving a certain grade: the student will set a  target date for achieving it and break that big goal into smaller steps.  He will write down the skills he needs to learn, name specific strategies and resources he will use to overcome obstacles (perhaps, spending more time on homework).

And teachers will help him track his progress each quarter.

Jackson Sikes’s mother says he has not only benefitted in the classroom, but he is now applying his goal-setting skills on the baseball diamond.  And his coach praises his achievements.

Jackson asserts that the approach “taught me to out-do other people.  Even though they might be better physically, I think I might be a little better mentally.”   

For example, Shellenbarger notes that student Renee Lamarque set a goal: to learn to dance en pointe in ballet.

Renee strengthened her muscles even when not in ballet class, doing sit-ups and exercises.  She wrote that she would “do different jumps every class” and “practice balancing on her feet.” 

 She also focused on role-models whom she wants to emulate.  That kind of intrinsic motivation makes goal-setting work for kids, according to Anne Cozemius of Madison WI, who works with school districts on goal-setting.

Another student in Falls Church VA set a goal of getting straight A’s.  She gave up time with her friends; she stayed after class to re-take tests or ask for a teacher’s help.  She hit her mark.

Dominique Morisano is assistant professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University, and author of the college goal-setting study.  She says that even when students cling to lofty ambitions, they sometimes set themselves up for failure.

They might say ‘I want to be a pediatrician,’ but they’re not attending school, they’re using drugs, they’re not taking care of themselves.

That can lead to hopelessness. 

A belief in one’s abilities to reach her goal is key to building a hopeful attitude, says Shane Lopez, a senior scientist in Omaha, who works for Gallup Inc.  A hopeful attitude is a high predictor of college success.

When David Schafer’s mother noticed that striving to compete with peers for high grades made him anxious, she encouraged him to set a different goal: making a traveling soccer team.

He failed his first tryout, but instead of giving up, he mapped out a new approach:  practicing at home, getting coaching and learning to visualize himself playing well.  He made the team for several years and his confidence bloomed.

David now knows that if he fails in some endeavor, there is always something else to strive for. 

What matters is the striving, writes Shellenbarger.  The striving instills a sense of mastery and confidence.  Says David, “If you aim to be No. 1 — even if you can’t achieve that in everything — you’re still going to do great.”

sole source: Sue Shellenbarger’s article in the Wall Street Journal on March 9, 2011.  http://www.wsj.com

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021 or email aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Central Ohio: “Right-Brain Children” Author to Speak

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Jeffrey Freed, the internationally acclaimed author of “Right Brained Children in a Left Brained World” will speak on February 18 at Westerville Central High School.

• Jeffrey Freed
• February 18th, 2011
• 7-9 pm
• Westerville Central High School
• 7118 Mount Royal Ave Westerville OH 43082
• 614-797-6800
• Q & A (afterward)
• CEUs may be available

Questions or more information, contact Maureen Stubbs MD at mosleep@aol.com or 614-865-1445.

About Jeffrey Freed

Jeffrey Freed is an educational therapist based in Evergreen Colorado.

Freed is the author of two books on visual learners and ADD.  One of them, “Right Brained Children in a Left Brained World” was a bestseller.

He has a unique, workable perspective on how to identify and work with the ever-growing number of right-brain learners in our population.

Freed specializes in working with children’s visual strengths to overcome their academic weaknesses.  His publications and talks share his methods for teaching reading, writing, spelling and math in a way that is harmonious with students’ styles.

tutoring in Columbus OH:   Adrienne Edwards   614-579-6021  or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com

+ Bullying Studies Tackle Playground Gossip

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An article by Sarah D. Spark in Education Week, reports that emerging research suggests ‘relational bullying’ may hold the key to changing an aggressive culture in schools.

Of the three major types of bullying — physical, verbal and relational — relational aggression has been the least studied. 

It may be that it involves less visible, immediately dangerous behavior.  And it may also be because it involves nuanced relationships among all concerned: the bullies, the victims and the bystanders.

According to Stephen S. Leff, director of the Children’s hospital of Philadelphia, and editor of a special issue on bullying in School Psychology Review, the shooters at Columbine and other school shootings were often victims of relational aggression. 

Leff feels there is a growing recognition that emotional scars are real and we need to create interventions to address those scars and prevent them from happening.

In one four-year study of American middle and high school students, researchers found that students considered by their peers to be the most popular were not the same as those most liked.

In addition, it was found that students perceived to be popular were the most likely to engage in gossip and social manipulation over time.

The Dark Side of Popularity

“It’s the dark side of popularity,” says Antonius H.N. Cillessen, professor of developmental psychology at Radboud University in the Netherlands.

For the practice of education it’s pretty important, because the popular bully gets a lot of peer reinforcement.  As adults we can say this is bad, you shouldn’t do this, but among peers, bullies have power.

In addition, he states that it is a difficult challenge for intervention research: it means you can’t work only on the individual bully or victim.  It means researchers need to address all possible roles a person can play.

A randomized study of 610 3rd- through 6th-grade students in Seattle, led by Karin S. Frey at the University of Washington, found relational aggression on the playground was “semi-public.”  Episodes could go on for quite a while, even when adults were present.  From an article in School Psychology Review,

A student or students would speak negatively about a third-party that was not among the listeners.  Group members would laugh, gesture, or look ‘meaningfully’ in the direction of an isolated, unhappy-looking student.

Says Frey, it’s both parallel and a step on the path to physical and verbal abuse.  For example, rumors often allege a boy has flirted with or had sex with another boy’s girlfriend, leading to fights.

Hill Walker is a professor of special education and co-director of the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior at the University of Oregon. 

Walker feels that the need to understand and address relational aggression is becoming more urgent, especially as students interact more often online, away from even minimal adult supervision.

Ways to Intervene

An anti-bullying program called Steps to Respect teaches bystanders how to avoid feeding the bully’s energy by watching, laughing, and spreading rumors, says Ms. Frey.  Students learn to comfort and support the victim without encouraging him or her to retaliate, which escalates problems.

If you’re the victim and you’re surrounded by people watching, you don’t know what people are thinking.  They may be enjoying the spectacle, or they may be feeling really uncomfortable.  But if they don’t say anything, it feels like they are all against you.

After the Steps to Respect program was instituted in the Seattle area, researchers found “malicious gossip” dropped 72 percent. 

The program trains teachers to identify relational aggression and encourage bystanders to stand up for children who are ostracized.

Another program, being developed by Mr. Leff, is called PRAISE (Preventing Relational Aggression in Schools Every Day). 

PRAISE includes training for teachers on ways to recognize more subtle bullying, as well as how to explain to students the difference between normal social interaction and harassment. 

sole source: Sarah D. Spark’s article in Education Week, February 1, 2011.  To read the entire article, visit http://www.edweek.org .  When you subscribe to Education Week, you will receive a monthly newsletter for educators full of  useful information, as well as  great benefits.

tutoring in Columbus OH:  Adrienne Edwards  614-579-6021  or email  aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com