To refresh the reader, my change(my argument) is that "mindfulness" should be incorporated in the school curriculum.
1. “Kindness, caring, empathy, being able to de-center from your own point of view and listen deeply to others—these are values that should be cultivated in our classrooms,” says Mark Greenberg, director of the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development at Penn State University. (from the Barry Boyce article)
Again, these traits would generate a kinder classroom. I can't see how it would ever be a bad thing to have a class full of children who were able to re-center themselves at any given moment and to be able to contribute positively.
2. Jerry Large, Gift of Grit, says - "Grit is one of the characteristics of successful people. Here is a list of the others: self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity."
While Jerry Large was not on the top of my list in rankings I did agree with him about some things.
Mindfulness does greatly contribute to self-control which I guess in turn would be part of acquiring some "grit".
3. " Mindfulness practices can increase people’s awareness of their own emotions and their ability to regulate them."
This statement from Barry Boyce supports my idea that the mindfulness method has the capability of providing a solid foundation for students to learn to handle their emotions and conflicts in a more constructive manner.
4. "Another critical element that has made mindfulness appealing to educators is its effectiveness in increasing attention, “the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.”(from Barry Boyce)
On my worksheet I stated as Reason #2 for why they(educators) should agree with me - there would be less class time for teachers to deal with distracting behaviors.
5. "He(Greenberg) and colleague Patricia Jennings have also done groundbreaking work with the Garrison Institute’s initiative on contemplation and education. The teacher training program that Jennings directs as part of the initiative recently received a second major grant from the U.S. Department of Education to study the effects of mindfulness and related practices with classroom teachers. The first grant worked with teachers in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The second grant— approximately $5 million over four years, divided among Garrison, Fordham University, and Penn State—will take the program into New York City schools.(from Barry Boyce)
Addressing the costs of implementing this method - it seems that as positive awareness takes hold, there may be more funding available to get these programs going.
6. This is a long quote - actually an entire paragraph, from Barry Boyce. It explains more about parental involvement in mindfulness and helping to insure success for the student as well as making for a more harmonious home life.
"Another prevention center program focuses on improving parenting skills. Parents take a class once a week for seven weeks. They’re first asked to do short reflections on topics such as gratitude and caring. Then, the focus turns to mindfulness skills: becoming more aware of your emotions and your child’s emotions, learning how to listen deeply to your child, even when they are telling you things you’re not so happy about, trying to be low in reactivity and not so automatic in your reaction, learning to be more present in the moment. From there, the class moves into compassion skills such as remembering how difficult it was to be a teenager, to have compassion for their own parents and the struggles that they now see their parents had with them. The center recently received a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to investigate the effectiveness of this program by studying 600 families over a four-year period."
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Which Authors agree with me
Well, obviously from my last post I agree with Barry Boyce!! so I am sure he would agree with me had he not written that article first.
Here are a few of the quotes from his article in Shamblaha Sun that back up some of my ideas about why "mindfulness" would be a great addition to any curriculum.
1. " Another critical element that has made mindfulness appealing to educators is its effectiveness in increasing attention, “the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.” Attention is one of the greatest challenges for children, and perhaps only more so in a world offering so much distraction so frequently."
One of my points is that "mindfulness" will help increase attention and focus in students.
2. "While children who are three or four cannot practice mindfulness per se, they still have inherent mindfulness, which they can discover and benefit from. Greenberg works with a curriculum in Head Start programs that has been shown to improve children’s readiness to become students in a classroom."
I believe that this method should be introduced to school age children as soon as possible and with the cooperation of their parents as partners with the schools it can contribute to a more stable upbringing as well as a more successful school career.
3. A quote from the belle hooks article struck me as significant. "They(Richard Paul and Linda Elder) further define critical thinking as "self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored and self-corrective." Thinking about thinking, or mindful thinking about ideas, is a necessary component of critical thinking."
In my mind, mindfulness encourages all of the above traits needed for a successful student.
Here are a few of the quotes from his article in Shamblaha Sun that back up some of my ideas about why "mindfulness" would be a great addition to any curriculum.
1. " Another critical element that has made mindfulness appealing to educators is its effectiveness in increasing attention, “the ability to aim our cognitive capacities in one direction with as little distraction as possible.” Attention is one of the greatest challenges for children, and perhaps only more so in a world offering so much distraction so frequently."
One of my points is that "mindfulness" will help increase attention and focus in students.
2. "While children who are three or four cannot practice mindfulness per se, they still have inherent mindfulness, which they can discover and benefit from. Greenberg works with a curriculum in Head Start programs that has been shown to improve children’s readiness to become students in a classroom."
I believe that this method should be introduced to school age children as soon as possible and with the cooperation of their parents as partners with the schools it can contribute to a more stable upbringing as well as a more successful school career.
3. A quote from the belle hooks article struck me as significant. "They(Richard Paul and Linda Elder) further define critical thinking as "self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored and self-corrective." Thinking about thinking, or mindful thinking about ideas, is a necessary component of critical thinking."
In my mind, mindfulness encourages all of the above traits needed for a successful student.
Structuring and Supporting my argument
I have chosen to argue for the inclusion of "mindfulness" in the school curriculum.
The audience that I will be trying to persuade are the educators in the schools.
They should care about this because the current system is broken and does not work for a majority of the school populations. If taught correctly, this method has the capability of providing a solid foundation for students to learn to handle their emotions and conflicts in a more constructive manner. It can also help with children who have attention problems in focusing them in a more meaningful way.
The children/students will gain the ability to focus their minds towards learning, gaining the ability to handle conflicts better and the ability to more thoughtfully relate to their peers as well as the school staff.
Some of the reasons I will give to the staff on why they should agree with me are:
that students learn better when they are able to calm their minds and focus on learning.
there will be less class time taken away from teaching if the teacher does not have to deal with behavior issues as frequently.
when kids are more able to handle their emotions in a more calm manner, they are less likely to engage in destructive behaviors.
Some of the reasons that teachers may disagree with me are:
1. that teaching "mindfulness" takes away from valuable class time.
2."mindfulness" may not be as effective if there is no support at home for the program.
3. that it may cost too much to implement.
The answers to those objections may be:
True, however, once implemented even in the most early stages, mindfulness is effective in focusing the student better towards the standard curriculum.
Well, yes, but if the teacher is positive and effective the students could use what they learn at home as well to help them in their relationships with parents and siblings.
Not in this case, because it actually costs very little to implement. Really the only cost is a small time commitment on the teachers part in learning this method so that he/she can teach it to the students. There are grants that are becoming available and some have been used in Pennsylvania and New York.
Support for the answers to objections: The following quotes are from Shambhala Sun - A Real Education (The Mindful Society/May2012) Each of these quotes support in some way my ideas.
"The scope of the work that Greenberg and his colleagues have been doing covers all age groups and all facets of the developmental environment of children in ways that break new ground in how mindfulness might be defined. While children who are three or four cannot practice mindfulness per se, they still have inherent mindfulness, which they can discover and benefit from. Greenberg works with a curriculum in Head Start programs that has been shown to improve children’s readiness to become students in a classroom."
"One of the practices they use is the turtle. “We tell a story about a little turtle who has lots of problems,” he says. “The turtle sometimes gets very sad or very mad, but then the turtle goes into her shell, where it’s very quiet and she can take some deep breaths and calm down and think, ‘What’s going on with me? How am I feeling?’ Then, we teach them to do turtle, which is just crossing their hands across their chest and taking a deep breath. When children are upset, teachers and parents can prompt them to use turtle as a way of calming down and using their thinking skills.”
" Greenberg founded a program in his center called the Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education (PEACE), which focuses on ways to promote pro-social behavior. He and colleague Patricia Jennings have also done groundbreaking work with the Garrison Institute’s initiative on contemplation and education. The teacher training program that Jennings directs as part of the initiative recently received a second major grant from the U.S. Department of Education to study the effects of mindfulness and related practices with classroom teachers. The first grant worked with teachers in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The second grant— approximately $5 million over four years, divided among Garrison, Fordham University, and Penn State—will take the program into New York City schools."
The audience that I will be trying to persuade are the educators in the schools.
They should care about this because the current system is broken and does not work for a majority of the school populations. If taught correctly, this method has the capability of providing a solid foundation for students to learn to handle their emotions and conflicts in a more constructive manner. It can also help with children who have attention problems in focusing them in a more meaningful way.
The children/students will gain the ability to focus their minds towards learning, gaining the ability to handle conflicts better and the ability to more thoughtfully relate to their peers as well as the school staff.
Some of the reasons I will give to the staff on why they should agree with me are:
that students learn better when they are able to calm their minds and focus on learning.
there will be less class time taken away from teaching if the teacher does not have to deal with behavior issues as frequently.
when kids are more able to handle their emotions in a more calm manner, they are less likely to engage in destructive behaviors.
Some of the reasons that teachers may disagree with me are:
1. that teaching "mindfulness" takes away from valuable class time.
2."mindfulness" may not be as effective if there is no support at home for the program.
3. that it may cost too much to implement.
The answers to those objections may be:
True, however, once implemented even in the most early stages, mindfulness is effective in focusing the student better towards the standard curriculum.
Well, yes, but if the teacher is positive and effective the students could use what they learn at home as well to help them in their relationships with parents and siblings.
Not in this case, because it actually costs very little to implement. Really the only cost is a small time commitment on the teachers part in learning this method so that he/she can teach it to the students. There are grants that are becoming available and some have been used in Pennsylvania and New York.
Support for the answers to objections: The following quotes are from Shambhala Sun - A Real Education (The Mindful Society/May2012) Each of these quotes support in some way my ideas.
"The scope of the work that Greenberg and his colleagues have been doing covers all age groups and all facets of the developmental environment of children in ways that break new ground in how mindfulness might be defined. While children who are three or four cannot practice mindfulness per se, they still have inherent mindfulness, which they can discover and benefit from. Greenberg works with a curriculum in Head Start programs that has been shown to improve children’s readiness to become students in a classroom."
"One of the practices they use is the turtle. “We tell a story about a little turtle who has lots of problems,” he says. “The turtle sometimes gets very sad or very mad, but then the turtle goes into her shell, where it’s very quiet and she can take some deep breaths and calm down and think, ‘What’s going on with me? How am I feeling?’ Then, we teach them to do turtle, which is just crossing their hands across their chest and taking a deep breath. When children are upset, teachers and parents can prompt them to use turtle as a way of calming down and using their thinking skills.”
" Greenberg founded a program in his center called the Program on Empathy Awareness and Compassion in Education (PEACE), which focuses on ways to promote pro-social behavior. He and colleague Patricia Jennings have also done groundbreaking work with the Garrison Institute’s initiative on contemplation and education. The teacher training program that Jennings directs as part of the initiative recently received a second major grant from the U.S. Department of Education to study the effects of mindfulness and related practices with classroom teachers. The first grant worked with teachers in and around Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The second grant— approximately $5 million over four years, divided among Garrison, Fordham University, and Penn State—will take the program into New York City schools."
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Why Mud Wrestling is Good - GREAT!!!
Assisted living dwellers, male and female, should watch mud wrestling because it is a fundraising opportunity and it helps with heart problems by increasing adrenaline and it is wonderful exercise.
This is a great way to raise money to re-seed the turf on the community golf course.
Watching people mud wrestle in skimpy suits helps to raise ones adrenaline and getting the blood flowing is helpful in maintaining a healthy heart.
Mud wrestling is terrific exercise. The athleticism in the wrestlers shows their high level of expertise in that sport.
This is a great way to raise money to re-seed the turf on the community golf course.
Watching people mud wrestle in skimpy suits helps to raise ones adrenaline and getting the blood flowing is helpful in maintaining a healthy heart.
Mud wrestling is terrific exercise. The athleticism in the wrestlers shows their high level of expertise in that sport.
Ranking of Suggestions
My ranking in order of importance:
Barry Boyce "A Real Education"
bell hooks "Critical Thinking"
Keith Gilyard "Children, Arts and Du Bois"
Deb Aronson "Arizona Bans [Latino/a History Program]"
Jerry Large "Gift of Grit"
The way I ranked these articles is quite straight forward.
First, one needs to be open-minded and at peace with oneself and the world or at least be able to recognize when one is not either. This makes for a more effective learning experience. Okay, now that the mind is focused it will be more able to begin to engage in a meaningful and "critical" way. The student will be more able to see different perspectives, points of view, backgrounds, etc. Next, if schools are offering the classes and programs that will only enhance and stretch the imaginations and natural gifts of students, the students will continue to learn in a positive way. After that, schools should and could offer programs of study that are applicable to the local population. I am sure that in the south in predominately African American communities there is a bigger emphasis on the contribution that African Americans have made in this country and I see no reason why anyone should be denied teaching that is more relevant to their culture as long as that opportunity is offered to everyone. And finally, Jerry Large comes in last. Of course, all children should be given the "gift of grit". The article is slightly simple in the statement "If more parents hug and kiss and coo in those first years, we'd have a lot more happy and successful children." If that were true I would have the most happy kids in the world. In my opinion, not one of these ideas would work on their own but if two or more were combined, than watch out! The skies the limit....
Barry Boyce "A Real Education"
bell hooks "Critical Thinking"
Keith Gilyard "Children, Arts and Du Bois"
Deb Aronson "Arizona Bans [Latino/a History Program]"
Jerry Large "Gift of Grit"
The way I ranked these articles is quite straight forward.
First, one needs to be open-minded and at peace with oneself and the world or at least be able to recognize when one is not either. This makes for a more effective learning experience. Okay, now that the mind is focused it will be more able to begin to engage in a meaningful and "critical" way. The student will be more able to see different perspectives, points of view, backgrounds, etc. Next, if schools are offering the classes and programs that will only enhance and stretch the imaginations and natural gifts of students, the students will continue to learn in a positive way. After that, schools should and could offer programs of study that are applicable to the local population. I am sure that in the south in predominately African American communities there is a bigger emphasis on the contribution that African Americans have made in this country and I see no reason why anyone should be denied teaching that is more relevant to their culture as long as that opportunity is offered to everyone. And finally, Jerry Large comes in last. Of course, all children should be given the "gift of grit". The article is slightly simple in the statement "If more parents hug and kiss and coo in those first years, we'd have a lot more happy and successful children." If that were true I would have the most happy kids in the world. In my opinion, not one of these ideas would work on their own but if two or more were combined, than watch out! The skies the limit....
Boyce, Large, Gilyard, Aronson and hooks
From Shambhala Sun - A Real Education(The Mindful Society) Barry Boyce
The change would be to actually focus on the mindfulness of children, teachers and the parents. Educating all on the simple acts of caring, empathy, kindness and being able to de-center oneself from their own point of view and to listen to others.
The reason - Simply put, to improve the health and well being of children. Help in preventing depression, aggression, school failure and promoting positive qualities like empathy, citizenship and strong friendships
From Jerry Large - Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed
The change would be instilling 'grit' in children. Grit is defined in the column as "being one of the characteristics of successful people." Other characteristics are "self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity."
The reason would be that people with grit are more successful. Having grit is being able to overcome failure. Apparently just hugging and kissing and cooing at your children in their early years is a good start.
From Gilyard - Children, Arts and Du Bois
The change would be to not reduce or eliminate the Humanities in schools.
The reason is that they (the humanities) "are vital to the process of shaping the critical and productive citizens that we need." Basically, being involved in the humanities- poetry, dance, story writing, lyrics, oral interpretations and song, make for a more well rounded, educated individual.
From Aronson - Arizona Bans Mexican Americans Studies Program
The change would be to reinstate the Mexican American Studies Program and get politicians out of the classroom. The MAS was an incredibly successful education program in Arizona that was disbanded when local and state politicians felt it promoted "resentment of mainstream culture".
The reason it was a successful program is in the numbers. 97% of students actually graduated high school, compared to 44% nationally and 70% of those students went on to college compared to 24% nationally. The program worked exceedingly well for those Hispanic students.
From bell hooks - Teaching Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom
The change would be to teach Critical Thinking. Critical Thinking is not taught in schools. Because memorization has become the norm in schools to get at least the basics of education taught, students are not given the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills.
The reason it needs to be taught is that if people who do not develop the desire to know more than they will stop learning(that's my reason). Critical thinking is necessary to promote active and lifelong learning. As Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau emphasize "Critical thinking requires us to use our imagination, seeing things form perspectives other than our own and envisioning the likely consequences of our position."
The change would be to actually focus on the mindfulness of children, teachers and the parents. Educating all on the simple acts of caring, empathy, kindness and being able to de-center oneself from their own point of view and to listen to others.
The reason - Simply put, to improve the health and well being of children. Help in preventing depression, aggression, school failure and promoting positive qualities like empathy, citizenship and strong friendships
From Jerry Large - Gift of grit, curiosity help kids succeed
The change would be instilling 'grit' in children. Grit is defined in the column as "being one of the characteristics of successful people." Other characteristics are "self-control, zest, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity."
The reason would be that people with grit are more successful. Having grit is being able to overcome failure. Apparently just hugging and kissing and cooing at your children in their early years is a good start.
From Gilyard - Children, Arts and Du Bois
The change would be to not reduce or eliminate the Humanities in schools.
The reason is that they (the humanities) "are vital to the process of shaping the critical and productive citizens that we need." Basically, being involved in the humanities- poetry, dance, story writing, lyrics, oral interpretations and song, make for a more well rounded, educated individual.
From Aronson - Arizona Bans Mexican Americans Studies Program
The change would be to reinstate the Mexican American Studies Program and get politicians out of the classroom. The MAS was an incredibly successful education program in Arizona that was disbanded when local and state politicians felt it promoted "resentment of mainstream culture".
The reason it was a successful program is in the numbers. 97% of students actually graduated high school, compared to 44% nationally and 70% of those students went on to college compared to 24% nationally. The program worked exceedingly well for those Hispanic students.
From bell hooks - Teaching Critical Thinking Practical Wisdom
The change would be to teach Critical Thinking. Critical Thinking is not taught in schools. Because memorization has become the norm in schools to get at least the basics of education taught, students are not given the opportunity to hone their critical thinking skills.
The reason it needs to be taught is that if people who do not develop the desire to know more than they will stop learning(that's my reason). Critical thinking is necessary to promote active and lifelong learning. As Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau emphasize "Critical thinking requires us to use our imagination, seeing things form perspectives other than our own and envisioning the likely consequences of our position."
Thursday, November 21, 2013
In Freires, Banking Concept of Education" Freire says "Narration(with the teacher as narrator) leads the students to memorize the narrated content. Worse yet, it turns them into "containers," into "receptacles" to be "filled" by the teacher."
In the movie Chalk, Mr. Lowry is trying to teach his kids by having them memorize various history vocabulary terms. I think at that point he was feeling that it was futile and just wanted to get the day over with. Interestingly Mr. Lowry was the one teacher that kept trying to reach his students and ended up engaging more fully with his students later in the school year and being more successful in gaining his students respect. He maybe recognized that he needed to learn how to talk to the kids on their own level. He went so far as to learn their slang and won a slang spelling contest.
In Gattos writing, he says "Without Conant, we would probably not have the same style and degree of standardized testing that we enjoy today, nor would we be blessed with gargantuan high school that warehouse 2000 to 4000 students at a time, like the famous Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado". We see this in the movie Chalk, there is a scene where the assistant principal is running thru the maze of hallways trying to find a wayward student. She has to communicate with someone on a radio to get directions to where the student is and probably where she was. All the hallways are named in order to make negotiating them easier for the students and staff but that does not seem to be very effective as the assistant principal was lost in her own school.
Mike Rose speaks of engaging students in his article
from the Washington Times, “The Answer Sheet: ‘Mike Rose’s Resolutions on
Education’” when he states “To have more young people get an engaging and
challenging education.” In the movie “Chalk” there are several examples of how
to not achieve this result. Mr. Stroope actually pulls aside his top two
students and says to one of them “Stop using big words in class, I’m not even
sure if you understand the meaning of some of the words that you use.” This is
his attempt to cover his own understanding of the words that he is using which
leads to what he told the other student. To a girl who is obviously bored and
possibly insulted by the ignorance of her teacher Mr. Stroope said, “Don’t
giggle in class when I am talking, it makes me look stupid in front of the rest
of the class.” He makes these statements in order to possibly get the rest of
the class to like him more and therefore help him accumulate more votes for the
teacher of the year awar
In the movie Chalk, Mr. Lowry is trying to teach his kids by having them memorize various history vocabulary terms. I think at that point he was feeling that it was futile and just wanted to get the day over with. Interestingly Mr. Lowry was the one teacher that kept trying to reach his students and ended up engaging more fully with his students later in the school year and being more successful in gaining his students respect. He maybe recognized that he needed to learn how to talk to the kids on their own level. He went so far as to learn their slang and won a slang spelling contest.
In Gattos writing, he says "Without Conant, we would probably not have the same style and degree of standardized testing that we enjoy today, nor would we be blessed with gargantuan high school that warehouse 2000 to 4000 students at a time, like the famous Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado". We see this in the movie Chalk, there is a scene where the assistant principal is running thru the maze of hallways trying to find a wayward student. She has to communicate with someone on a radio to get directions to where the student is and probably where she was. All the hallways are named in order to make negotiating them easier for the students and staff but that does not seem to be very effective as the assistant principal was lost in her own school.
In Lewis Black’s sketch “On
Education in America”, he mentions teachers that are “totally
unqualified” who show up at a school and say “I want
to help”. It is not even difficult to compare this statement to real
life which in itself is difficult to understand why when you realize it means
that our children are being taught by people who have not met the minimum
standards of being an educator. In the film “Chalk”, Mr. Stroope was exactly this type of
teacher. He was visited by a faculty evaluator where they reviewed his
shortcomings from their last meeting, which he had still not even attempted to
work on. These shortcomings included having an education plan and being
disorganized. What is a teacher if not an organized person with a structured
plan to impart their own knowledge on the children they have been entrusted to
educate? Why do we have people like this in our education system? The only
answer I can see for both of these questions is that we as parents and as
students do not push to make it different. Parents need to be engaged in the
education of their children and students need to have enough stock in their own
education to stand against such inadequacies.
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