Effects of SEL on Other Learning

The website www.Ifyoucan.org describes the main benefits of SEL in terms of learning, health and happiness.  According to the site, research proves that SEL improves academic performance. "Children who participated in SEL programs in their schools performed better academically – by a full 11 percentile points – than children who didn’t."  Thinking positively, researchers say, increases the flow of dopamine to the brain, activating all the learning centers.  Apparently, if children are happy and thinking positively, their brains actually work better.

SEL skills also nurture creativity. "If You Can" explains:  "Our interconnected, digitized world requires creativity and the ability to innovate, collaborate and take others’ perspectives for success. Creativity and innovation can’t occur if kids beat themselves up and give up when they make a mistake. They need to feel safe, supported and confident that they can try again, and that their uniqueness is an asset. SEL skills are the foundation that enable creativity to thrive."

One of the skills Pinecone focuses on is perseverance -- the ability to persist through failure or challenge.  This is an SEL skill that, in particular,  has shown a profound positive impact on kids’ learning and life success. Studies have demonstrated that the ability to persevere is even more important than intelligence in determining a child's success.  Stanford researcher Carol Dweck found that children who believe if they try harder, they can become smarter, actually achieve more. She calls this kind of thinking a “growth mindset”. Through practicing SEL skills and strategies that build perseverance and a “growth mindset”, your child is increasing his or her chances for school and life success. 

Social and Emotional Learning

Social and Emotional Learning skills (SEL) include the "soft skills" of good listening, empathy for others, managing emotions like frustration and disappointment, and persisting through failure.  These skills, also called "people skills” are becoming increasingly important as the need to collaborate and communicate whether on group projects in the classroom or with co-workers in a global community can bring successful or potentially disastrous results (e.g. current global politics).  The good news is these skills can be taught.

Research shows that from a very early age, children can learn empathy, tolerance, impulse control, and kind respect for each other.  Tools like breathing exercises to calm down and “real life” win-win strategies to resolve conflicts should be introduced in the classroom along with the regular curriculum.  With early training, children have a better chance at developing the more mature traits of self-reflection, mindfulness and the practice of gratitude.

The following 15 skills are involved and promoted in SEL:

(Source: Wikipedia)

1. "Recognizing emotions in self and others"
2. "Regulating and managing strong emotions (positive and negative)"
3. "Recognizing strengths and areas of need"
4. "Listening and communicating accurately and clearly"
5. "Taking others' perspectives and sensing their emotions"
6. "Respecting others and self and appreciating differences"
7. "Including identifying problems correctly"
8. "Setting positive and realistic goals"
9. "Problem solving, decision making, and planning"
10. "Approaching others and building positive relationships"
11. "Resisting negative peer pressure"
12. "Cooperating, negotiating, and managing conflict nonviolently"
13. "Working effectively in groups"
14. "Help-seeking and help-giving"
15. "Showing ethical and social responsibility"

More about SEL and its benefits coming in the next Pinecone article.

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

I have students reporting to me that they are now participating in project-based learning (PBL) in their classrooms.  This is great news because it indicates a teacher who is aware of and who is, hopefully, embracing important elements of the Common Core Standards.  Students are learning while doing.  They are researching the information they need as they need it.  As-needed learning has been shown to be more meaningful, motivational and lasting than traditional lecture and book learning, in which information must be retained in case it is needed.

Foundation skills are still critical (yes, you must memorize your math facts and grammar rules).  In addition to foundation skills, with PBL, students must now also focus on research skills, data analysis, information synthesis, presentation skills, practical application of information and creative new ideas.  These are the skills of their future jobs.  Students are also learning to work together.  

The global workforce will require people to work on projects together from all parts of the world.  Students will need to be patient and respectful, develop listening skills, communicate clearly and manage their own emotions.  These "people skills" will be just as critical, if not more so, than the hard skills.   PBL in the classroom can help students practice these people skills through communication, cooperation, and collaboration, as they  work together on group projects.  Watch for more on social and emotional learning (SEL) in following articles from Pinecone Learning.

Next, What is SEL?

Intel Science Talent Search

The Intel Science Talent Search named eight Bay Area high school students last month among a total of 40 finalists nationwide.  This year 1800 students entered the prestigious contest also known as the nation's "junior Nobel Prize," and among the 300 semifinalists, 48 came from California.

The Bay Area finalists are as follows:

Natalie Ng, Monta Vista High: Developed a prediction model for long-term breast cancer survival.

Vishnu Shankar of Monta Vista: Calculated the 3D structure of a molecule involved in cardiovascular disease.

Angela Kong of Lynbrook High: Determined the role of a specific protein in the spread of breast cancer.

Charles Liu of Gunn High: Found a genetic relationship between lupus and systemic sclerosis, a connective tissue disease, that may lead to new therapies.

Sreyas Misra of The Harker School: Developed a low-cost medical-imaging scanner the size of a hand-held tablet.

Kathy Camenzind of California High: Build inexpensive optical tweezers using a low-power laser and microscope in an undergraduate laboratory.

Esha Maiti of California High: Developed a math simulation to predict secondary tumors in cancer patients.

Emily Pang of Dougherty Valley High: Verified the role of certain molecules in the growth or suppression of malignant tumors.

The finalists will gather in Washington, D.C., March 6-12 to undergo judging, meet leading scientists, display their research at the National Geographic Society and meet with national leaders.  The first-place winner will receive $100,000 from the Intel Foundation. In addition, the foundation will award $530,000 in runner-up prizes.

Let's celebrate successes in California education, learn what worked and try to provide this experience to as many students as possible.

Grammar & Conventions - Common Core (Part 2)

In part I, our blog covered Capitalization, Complete Sentences and  End Punctuation. Now to the second part of our Grammar & Conventions series...

4. Nouns

Common nouns are general (not specific) words for people, places, things, and ideas. Unless they begin a sentence, common nouns do not begin with a capital letter.

Examples of common nouns:

people: woman places: river

things: pencil ideas: dream

5. Phonemes

Phonemes are small units of speech sounds that are created by letters and letter pairs. They are useful in learning how to sound out words in reading and writing. They refer to only what you hear, not to what you see.

The \n\ and \t\ in "pin" and "pit" are different phonemes.

The \er\ in “turn” and “flirt” are the same phoneme.

6. Prepositions

Prepositions give information about the position of something or someone. They are usually placed before nouns, noun phrases, and pronouns in a sentence. In the following examples, prepositions are underlined and nouns/pronouns are in italic font.

Examples of prepositions:

• I read a book during my visit to the library.
• They waited for him beyond the bathroom.
• I looked toward the sky and into the clouds.

Prepositions: Direction/position words—
to, from, with, for, into, in, between, beyond, by, during, down, under, off, across, out, above, before, on, of, toward

Grammar & Conventions - Common Core (Part 1)

California is currently considering requiring schools to offer pre-k or transitional kindergarten to an expanded age group to better prepare them, particularly those who are disadvantaged, for the rigors of early education.  A glimpse at the new Common Core Standards for Kindergarten Grammar may help this decision.

Since this is going to be a somewhat long resource, we'll be having this as a four-part series of blog posts.

1. Capitalization

Capital letters, or uppercase letters, make words stand out on a page. In general writing, a capital letter is used for the first word of every sentence. Certain words are always capitalized: the personal pronouns I, and I’m; and proper nouns (days of the week, months, holidays; and names of people, places, and things).

Examples of capitalization:

• I’m going shopping the day after Thanksgiving with Antoine.
• I am excited to go to the movies with Sandra.
• This year Christmas is on Sunday, December 25th.

2. Complete Sentences

A complete sentence contains a subject and a predicate that work together to express a complete thought.

Examples of complete sentences:

• John spent his afternoon coloring and reading.
• Chelsea goes to the doctor today.
• I love to swim at the lake.
• Keshav likes to ride his bike.

3. End Punctuation

A period (.) is used to end a sentence. It may also be used in initials, abbreviations, or as a decimal point. A question mark (?) is used at the end of a sentence when a direct question is asked. An exclamation point (!) is used at the end of a sentence to express strong feeling.

Examples of end punctuation:

• Period: Ashton won the pie eating contest.
• Period and Decimal Point: The pizza was $5.00.
• Question Mark: Are you coming over today?
• Exclamation Point: Happy Birthday!

Stay tuned!

What is the Educational Shift in California going to be like?

What is the new 21st century, "Common Core" learning going to be about?  What should it be about?  What does this transition really look like?

There are some extreme examples out there (which are also extremely successful).    For example, the John Stanford International School in Seattle.  This is a public elementary school with a primary focus on global education.  All students take some classes in either Japanese or Spanish.  Instead of studying Pilgrims and Indians every fall, these students do social studies on Asia, Africa, Australia, Mexico and South America.  The kids interact through video-conferencing with students in Japan, Africa and Mexico.  The aim is to build "international-mindedness".  They learn about the American Revolution with views from Britain and France.  They learn how to grasp issues across national borders.  They develop from early on an understanding of nuances and complexity and a balanced approach to problem solving.

What does this mean for California?  With the acceptance of Common Core Standards, there are now funds available to help CA schools make a transition to be more like those focused on global education.  In addition, the number one skill identified by hundreds of business leaders as necessary to teach from a young age is technology.  At the Seattle Stanford school, for example, first-graders learn to use PowerPoint and other Internet tools.  There is now funding available for CA school districts to train teachers in the use of appropriate technology for the classroom as well as provide that technology.

So...  what should still be taught the old way (memorizing facts, learning details "in case" they are ever needed) and how much should be aimed at the newer way (group projects, computer research, learning concepts on an "as needed" basis)?  Memorizing the state capitals, the major rivers in South America, and the elements of the periodic table were all very important in my elementary education.  I don't remember much of it.  This is typical of the kind of information that is poorly retained unless it is routinely used and applies to any number of old-school assignments.  It is also information now available at a keystroke.

Should all of this just be dropped then?  No, not all.  What is important is to build a substantial fund of information in order to make sense of reading materials beyond elementary education.  Mastering the fundamental building blocks of math (Pinecone!), science or history is critical to understanding more complex concepts.

The Common Core is an attempt to achieve the right balance between such core knowledge and what educators call "portable skills" -- critical thinking, making connections between ideas and knowing how to keep on learning.  CCSS  takes some of the more successful aspects of education in Singapore, Belgium and Sweden and focuses on teaching more key concepts in depth.  Students should learn, for example, the key causes of the Civil War and understand that the periodic table reflects the atomic structure and properties of the elements.  They should learn key theorems in math, the laws of thermodynamics in science, or the relationship between supply and demand in economics.

A newer and increasingly critical skill to be taught is how to evaluate information for truth and reliability.  Many kids are used to just Googling information, then cutting and pasting into their reports with little regard for the source of this information, much less how to evaluate it.  Students need to learn to be discerning consumers of information and to research, formulate and defend their own views.  In an age of overflowing information and proliferating media, kids need to rapidly process what's coming at them and distinguish between what's reliable and what isn't.  It's important that students know how to manage, interpret, validate and act on information they receive.  They need to be taught how to do this in school.

So... the shift should be toward the "how's" and the "why's" along with learning how to evaluate the information.  It should encompass the learning of how to find and manage information, then how to communicate it and work collaboratively to produce something innovative.

The transition from desks lined up facing a teacher at the chalkboard explaining concepts, assigning reading that contains facts to be memorized which is all aimed at preparing students for an agrarian or manufacturing career --  to the classroom that prepares students to be global trade literate, sensitive to foreign cultures, conversant in different languages and able to master the creative and innovative skills (seeing patterns where others see only chaos) to learn to think across disciplines (design and technology, math and art that produce YouTube and Google) and be able to stay flexible in ever-changing careers by continually self-learning -- will be challenging and exciting.  We must do it.

Stay tuned! 

About Khan Academy

I've been asked many times my opinion on Khan Academy.  My short answer is that it is a great resource for a student who is motivated and mature enough to first know what concept is giving them trouble; and then finding that particular concept, studying it and finally, practicing it and understanding it.

I think, in general -- Khan does not support self-learning.  It is more like working Pinecone booklets with the answer sheet nearby.  In fact, more than the answer sheet, these videos give the step-by-step solutions.  Even the most motivated students might be tempted to just watch the solutions and think they understand the concepts.

It is a constant balancing act to provide enough information for a student to have the ability to solve a problem, but not so much that they don't have any struggle to think and figure it out themselves.

This is what we try to do at Pinecone.  Please watch the following video about the Khan Academy.  I think it expresses my feelings and offers a great solution!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHoXRvGTtAQ

Early Math in School

I just attended a conference with Silicon Valley Education Foundation on "The Importance of Early Math:  Why Educators Should Care."

I expected anecdotal or ad hoc data about why kids who learn their numbers in pre-school can get a leg up and do better in school.  I also expected to be skeptical about all the variables involved given the mix of cultures, economic status, backgrounds, family units, behavioral problems, etc. that can all have such a huge impact on a child's learning.

What I found instead, was broad-based research (national) that took into account these and other variables.  In a longitudinal study from the National Center on Education Statistics (NCES), researchers looked at mathematics achievement scores for children as they moved from kindergarten to 8th grade.  These national data show that children who begin school with poor math skills typically do not catch up.  This may not be earth shattering news, but there is more.

Studies also have compared social/behavioral measures (attention, for example) with early reading and math as predictors for success or failure.  

Rating the strengths of four predictors to success (finishing high school, starting college, and higher employment rate later on), the following order of effects was found

Anti-social   Attention    Reading             Math                     

0  x        x   10            x       20             30           x       40

Math was by far the biggest predictor of success.  The studies found that attention problems and anti-social behaviors are usually overcome and are not necessarily predictive.

Conversely, these predictors were rated on the effects of persistent K-5 problems on high school dropouts.  Results were only slightly different:

Attention   Reading  Anxiety    Anti-Social    _______Math_________________

0  x         x           x       x   10                  x               20   

Persistent math difficulties were found to be the major predictor of high school dropout.

The comparisons were done also for effects of persistent problems in these areas on never attending college and on earnings.  The reading and math problems moved ahead of the other factors, but math remained far out in front.  In other words, actual concrete math skills help kids earn more.

The take-away here is that, while we have generally accepted the importance of early literacy  -- parents embrace reading to their 1-year olds -- we are not very good at teaching our toddlers numeracy.  In fact, many do not believe it is important.  There is no implicit or explicit instruction for parents or even teachers to prepare kids from cradle to K in understanding their numbers.

What is early numeracy?  Here are the first-grade math skills children need to master for later success (defined by mastery of 7th grade math skills):

Ø  Numbers represent different magnitudes (five is bigger than four).

Ø  Number relationships stay the same, even though numbers may vary.  For example, the difference between 1 and 2 is the same as the difference between 30 and 31.

Ø  Quantities (example 3 stars) can be represented by symbolic figures (the numeral 3)

Ø  Numbers can be broken into component parts (5 is made up of 2 and 3 or 1 and 4).

So, in order to assure that first graders can master these skills, we need to start not at pre-k, but pre-pre-k, or three years old.  (This is what Pinecone does).

What do China and Japan do?  American kids start with a math gap at three years old.  This gap increases by the time they are five.  In China and Japan, there is also a gap at three (although the levels start higher), but this gap all but disappears by five years old.  These countries offer significant and effective intervention at three years of age and it works.

The US can learn a lot about intervention at pre-pre-k to pre-k which can link to intervention at pre-k to k.  Most adults can teach their toddlers numbers in fun and creative ways (count the cars, before and after, Chutes and Ladders).   They just need to realize that this is at least as important if not much more so than teaching them to read.  Both are important.

Common Core will raise the bar and without this awareness and effort in bringing the little ones up to speed in their numbers, the initial gap will only increase.  Fortunately, with adoption of Common Core, CA now has a significant budget for training teachers and for early learning programs.  Policy makers are looking hard at universal pre-k programs.  We can gain a lot of leverage with relatively little investment in quality pre-k programs and quality instruction.

Please contact me if you would like further information about Early Learning, Common Core, research sources, and additional free learning resources.  Of course, we will be glad to show you how Pinecone effectively teaches students starting at three how to "do the math!"

The Challenges That Our Children Need

I’ve just read a recent article – a brief interview – about the changes parents may expect to see in their child’s math homework next year with the new Common Core Standards.  While I did not think the article was particularly informative, I did learn from the comments (as is often the case).  Below is one of those comments (bold at the end is mine).

“(Common Core)… is definitely not dumbing down the math, it’s ramping it up. Someone who is (justifiably) concerned about US kids falling behind worldwide should be very glad to see changes like this one, because too many kids know *what* to do in math problems, but not *why* they’re doing those things or *how* those things work. A deeper understanding of numbers and their manipulation leads to smarter kids who can use math better, rather than just memorizing what steps to take for which math problems.
 
Kids absolutely DO need to be challenged in school. The more challenge the better! Facing educational challenges leads to more learning, more confidence, and more flexibility with knowledge. Remaining unchallenged leads to indifference, under-achievement, and less learning. “Learning what works” implies that only one thing works for a given situation, and that memorizing that thing is the answer. This leads to adults who can’t solve problems for themselves. Many different solutions may “work” to solve a particular problem; a child who can generate, evaluate, and apply a solution, then assess its efficacy, is more likely to succeed.

The challenge kids need, though, is not exposure to (and memorization of) a bunch of facts. Rather, kids need to be challenged to learn how to acquire the information they need, how to synthesize and apply information, how to predict and adapt to outcomes, how to generate and evaluate ideas, etc. If, in the midst of all that, they never learned fact X or fact Y, it will be a piece of cake for them to pick those facts up when they need them.