Wiffle Balls and Why Communication is Critical

As a kid, I loved playing wiffle ball in the back park of my apartment building. Growing up in New York City, we didn't have our own sandlot- or even a patch of grass to call our own. The term "park" was a loose description of the fenced blacktop that existed between the apartment building and the local elementary school. A group of kids that lived in the building would get together and play almost every spring afternoon. We would use a rock to draw a strike zone on the brick wall behind home plate. We would use plastic bottles or discarded pizza boxes as bases. For an afternoon, we were big leaguers- and we loved it!

I, also, vividly remember, as a pitcher, how easy it was to make the wiffle ball dance and move and spin in unpredictable ways. Batters wouldn't stand a chance of making contact. Trying to hit a moving target, especially one that moves unpredictably, is next to impossible.

As an administrator in schools, communication can be like a wiffle ball. Finding the balance between providing enough information to constituents and inundating those same parties with too much information is a daunting challenge. It is one of the constant challenges in leading a classroom, grade level, department, division, and a school.

Over the years, I have investigated this challenge with friends and colleagues hundreds, if not thousands, of times. It is interesting to share perspectives and understand the philosophies behind how schools communicate with faculty and staff, students, parents, and perspective new members of the community. How can schools avoid swinging and missing, like an 8 year old attacking a wiffle ball to no avail?

What is the philosophy that guides communication?

This question must have an answer. Just as critical to having a philosophy is ensuring that al school constituents know and comprehend this philosophy. The reality is that a failure in either one of these areas will lead to significant consternation in other facets of school operation.

In my experience, I have used a simple guiding principal when it comes to communication- no surprises! If a constituent is surprised, whether it is by a decision that is made, an action being taken, or a final outcome, then trust will be lost. Create systems that allow for simple and robust communication.

In my classroom, I had guiding procedures about reaching out to parents that I communicated early in the school year and adhered to throughout the school year. This involved standards of student performance and behavior, and if a student was not meeting these standards, then parents would receive direct communication from me.

As a division director, I rely on similar principles. Division wide projects mean that communication needs to occur early and regularly and that leaders with the project need to be identified and communicated so that questions can be targeted. Reaching out one-to-one, when appropriate, is one of the most effective means of direct communication.

The goal should be to ensure an institution has a clear guiding principle about how communication will be managed and this philosophy should be understood and adhered to throughout the organization.

What will be the centralized communication vehicle?

Once a school defines the communication philosophy, there must be a central vehicle for delivering messages that are critical to operations. Schools have numerous tools for exercising message delivery and the constant improvements in digital tools and software allow for messages to be delivered quickly and across multiple channels.

What is the most effective tool for central communication? Simply put, it is the tool with which one feels most comfortable. Whether using a digital newsletter, a video message, or creation of a centralized hub, the type of tool used is less critical than than ensuring that the creator of content is comfortable with the functions of the tools. Another critical piece is consistency; commit to regular intervals of message delivery and stick with these intervals.

In my class, I used video messages that were sent to parents and students weekly. As a division director, I have followed this delivery model and timing. I am comfortable creating the content and confident in delivery timing. This centralized vehicle allows me to live up to my philosophy of no surprises. It is critical that the centralized vehicle of communication aligns with the communication philosophy.

Why should a school remember Abraham Lincoln?

As a teacher, division head, or head of school, you can define a clear communication philosophy. You can clearly communicate this philosophy to your constituents. You can find a central mechanism for communication. You can create useful content. You can reliably deliver messages. You can do everything right.

The reality is- you will still not hit every target with your communication.

As Abraham Lincoln once stated:

"...you can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time."

The reality of communication is this: a message is only as effective as it is clearly and timely communicated. The variables of clarity and timeliness are not only impacted by the deliverer of the message. These variables are also impacted by the recipient. If the most clearly worded message is received five minutes too late, it is ineffective to the recipient. If the message is delivered in a timely fashion, but the recipient does not engage in understand the intent, then the message is ineffective.

One of the realities that I have come to grips with is that 100% effectiveness in not achievable in communication. I have also learned to not allow this fact to govern how I continually try to grow as a communicator and affect how I process feedback. The best schools in the communication sphere comes to grips with this reality, as well.

Check out my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published articles on education.

"Think of a Bear..."- Mindfulness, Neuroscience, and Expectations

Dave Mochel is a renowned coach and practitioner of mindful practice. I have had the fortune of hearing and participating in his presentations multiple times over the past few months. His experience as an educator resonates when he coaches school leaders and faculty.

One of my favorite activities in his coaching is when he asks his audience to "Think of a bear...". So, I challenge you to do the same.

Think of a bear; what does your bear look like?

This:

Or this:

Or this:

How about this:

Or this:

Well, there are infinite possibilities of what image may pop into one's head when asked to imagine a bear. The images are as diverse as the participants in this exercise. As Dave points out, the term "bear" is a noun- a concrete object. Yet, there is no one, universally accepted representation of what a "bear" looks like. I have no idea what image another person may conjure up- and another person has no idea what image populates my mind's eye when I hear the term "bear".

If a concrete object like a bear creates such diverse thoughts, how about abstract ideas- like respect, kindness, or excellence?

Yet, schools utilize terms like these in mission statements or core values. Schools claim to deliver on these ideals, yet it is rare to find the school that defines these concepts. If a school uses the term "excellence" in its mission statement, does the school also have a statement of excellence with concrete examples of what this looks like in the institution?

Expectations, especially in the classroom and in areas of character development, tend to be described in the abstract. Asking a student to "be kind" or to "be respectful" without providing context for what kind or respectful looks like could potentially yield as many varied behavioral choices as images of a bear.

Neuroscience tells us that adolescent brains are hard wired to misread emotion as shifts are made to understand subjective concepts. This is because adolescents default to using their amygdala to process and reason through the subjective. As I wrote in a previous blog, this is normal. Adults utilize the prefrontal cortex in reasoning processes, however this part of the brain is in development through ones 20's while the adolescent amygdala is fully developed. We account for this discrepancy in adolescent reasoning in curricular best practices through techniques like integrating rubrics with clear actions toward completion of assignments. 

So how do we account for this gap in behavioral expectations in terms of classroom management or character development?

As Dave Mochel explains, part of behavioral shift is through practice. Cognitive shifts are made by the brain with repletion of a learned behavior. Being mindful and aware of desired behavior and intentional in the practice of new behaviors allows for this shift. Mindful practice could help to bridge the gap in how educators apply neuroscience to classroom management.

And, as the best coaches do, Dave ramps this idea up a notch.

He reminded me that, as educators work to define clear behavioral expectations, we must engage our students in the creation of these definitions. This level of investment allows students to effectively practice the expected behaviors, thus assisting adolescent brains in making this cognitive shift. 

Mindfulness may hold the missing link between effective classroom management and what we know about adolescent brains. More broadly, mindfulness may hold the key in syncing behavioral expectations with cognitive sciences.

Check out my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published articles on education.

All in Their Head!- Brain-Based Classroom Management

Over the time that I have been in education, there has been a concentrated push to incorporate the latest in brain research and neuroscience into curriculum design. It is REALLY smart to do so. The benefits are bountiful for teachers, from student engagement in content and skills to varying assessment techniques that truly identify student strengths and opportunities for growth. Neuroscience has advanced educational practice and has had a tremendous impact on best practices in pedagogy.

A noticeable gap exists in how neuroscience is applied to classroom management, however. This includes sharing rationale behind classroom management techniques with the parent constituency to help further understanding of tactics used to manage student behaviors. For example, Project-Based Learning has been implemented into classrooms all over the country as a way to engage student interests and vary assessment, but do classroom practices around student seating reflect the same application of brain-based principles?

The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) has wonderful resources for middle school educators. Once such resource is the research summary published back in 2014 of work completed by Micki Caskey and, the late, Vincent A. Anfara, Jr. entitled Developmental Characteristics of Young Adolescents. This work breaks down adolescent development into numerous categories, including physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, psychological, and social-emotional. This resource includes not only details pertaining to research findings, but also implications for educational practice.

Warning: Hoity-Toity Brain Stuff Ahead

One of the key pieces of info in this resource is around prefrontal cortex development. The prefrontal cortex is the reasoning center for the brain, and it is going through tremendous change during adolescence. This growth and change doesn't stop until the early to mid twenties in the average human being. Therefore the adolescent brain, in some instances, uses the amygdala for reasoning functions. The amygdala is the part of the brain that commands some instinctual responses in human beings- think fight-or-fight response. This occurs because the amygdala has gone through the overwhelming majority of its development by the time adolescence occurs. The implication is that adolescents are hard-wired to react, instinctually, without going through the same reasoning process that adults go through prior to making a decision.

For example, a 13 year old knows that class starts in one minute and doesn't want to be late. The 13 year old runs to class knowing that, instinctually, running gets one to a destination faster than walking. As an adult, one could be in a similar situation and consider running to the destination. The prefrontal cortex in the adult reasons that a quick survey of the hallway is a good idea prior to running. The adult surveys the hallway and notices the signs that the floors are newly waxed and reconsiders. The amygdala in the 13 year old decided that running was the best option and the kiddo starts running, only noticing the signs after slipping and falling onto the ground.

SO, whats the point- connect this to classroom management, already!

As educators, we must remember that our adolescents are not hardwired to make decisions the same way that adults are. Classroom expectations that are grounded in punitive consequences for student mistakes do not yield consistent behaviors in all students. One saying that I have used for years is: "I did not get into education to crucify, decapitate, or incarcerate. I got into it to teach!"

Knowing that students are developing as reasoners, ground classroom management in routine and process, making sure to explain the rationale to students. Classroom management strategies are teaching opportunities to help budding adolescent reasoners. Most adolescents will not consistently understand the "why?" behind a process. This may not be intuitive for students. Make question and discussion a part of explaining classroom management techniques. Engage students in dialogue about the rationale behind classroom expectations. This includes explaining that behaviors are choices and that these choices result in positive and negative consequences. This engagement helps adolescent prefrontal cortex development.

It is also important to give consistent feedback as students carry out classroom management strategies. Reinforce correct behaviors with positive affirmation. This, again, helps prefrontal cortex development in students. Also, adolescent brains are hardwired to be more enthused by praise than adults brains (this is a part of prefrontal cortex development, as well).

When a behavior is incorrect, consistently correct this behavior and follow through with appropriate consequences as outlined during discussion of classroom expectations. If a student consistently is not meeting your expectations, ramping up the severity of the consequence may not yield the desired behavioral change. Rather, engage the adolescent in dialogue and ensure that the student clearly understands the process and rationale behind the expectation. You can even have the student, where appropriate, practice by modeling the expectation so that feedback can be offered in an intimate setting.

When it comes to managing classroom behaviors, remember that, as educators, we must use our brains...and understand our student's brains, as well.

Check out my YouTube channel: Chaka Cummings (The Dedicated Educator). Also, find me on LinkedIn and check out some of my published articles on education.