{"id":1917,"date":"2017-04-07T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T08:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/blog\/?p=1917"},"modified":"2017-04-07T00:48:25","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T00:48:25","slug":"learning-and-the-brain-stories-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/learning-and-the-brain-stories-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning and the Brain Stories, #2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/CountingWhatCounts-Sketchnote-YongZhao.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1926 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/CountingWhatCounts-Sketchnote-YongZhao-733x1024.png\" alt=\"CountingWhatCounts-Sketchnote-YongZhao\" width=\"640\" height=\"894\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/CountingWhatCounts-Sketchnote-YongZhao-733x1024.png 733w, https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/CountingWhatCounts-Sketchnote-YongZhao-215x300.png 215w, https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/CountingWhatCounts-Sketchnote-YongZhao.png 960w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Curiosity and Play: Snowflakes and Standards<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>by Dr. Debbie Donsky<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common themes ran throughout the Learning and the Brain conference in San Francisco, February 17-19, 2017 but the ones that resonated most strongly with me were the ideas of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">curiosity<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">play,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and how they <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">impact both learning and parenting<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It makes sense that this should be the case given that I am a mother of two teenagers and an educator of almost 25 years. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like most, I am drawn to the ideas that confirm my biases around learning. So much of what I have always believed can now be confirmed through brain science and not just my hunches! Some of these key beliefs include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><b>Standardized tests don\u2019t improve learning.<\/b><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Play and creativity are important at all ages.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Parenting and teaching have a significant influence on both. <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Yong Zhao<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in his keynote, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Counting What Counts: Why Curiosity, Creativity and Student-Centred Learning Matter, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">argued that the goal of \u201cclosing the gap\u201d sounds admirable, but paradoxically results in making everyone average.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He suggested that, ultimately, the role of education is to help our children become <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who they are meant to be<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> instead of \u00a0working towards an average which testing promotes. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He explained that we claim to want to \u201cclose the gap,\u201d but then challenged us to consider that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the gap itself doesn\u2019t matter<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. After all, the tests that determine where the gaps exist, are flawed in the first place. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zhao noted that we use these flawed tests to determine:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">achievement of our children<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> skill level of our educators<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and ultimately, <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the success of nations<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8212;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for instance, with the PISA test. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yong Zhao explained that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">what we test<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is actually quite random; standardized tests evaluate students based on whatever success model is presently in vogue. We take this narrowed, biased model of success and try to replicate it in schools; yet these models further reduce diversity of thought, experience and creativity among our students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(They also reduce diversity of thought among educators, who know that teaching to the test is the path of least resistance. )<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zhao\u2019s clear message was, \u201csuccess is about supporting each person to become unique. When we talk about closing the gap, we are narrowing the variability.\u201d \u00a0He fears that \u201ceducation was created to suppress diversity\u201d in a time when assembly lines were the prevailing job that workforce had. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we are to support our children to become creative problem-solvers, then we need to move away from pursuing averages that are based on a single prescribed profile for <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all learners<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/The-Praise-Paradox_-How-Well-Intended-Words-Can-Backfire-Eddie-Brummelmann.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1927 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/The-Praise-Paradox_-How-Well-Intended-Words-Can-Backfire-Eddie-Brummelmann-755x1024.png\" alt=\"The Praise Paradox_ How Well-Intended Words Can Backfire Eddie Brummelmann\" width=\"640\" height=\"868\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/The-Praise-Paradox_-How-Well-Intended-Words-Can-Backfire-Eddie-Brummelmann-755x1024.png 755w, https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/The-Praise-Paradox_-How-Well-Intended-Words-Can-Backfire-Eddie-Brummelmann-221x300.png 221w, https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/The-Praise-Paradox_-How-Well-Intended-Words-Can-Backfire-Eddie-Brummelmann.png 1050w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Eddie Brummelman<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s message in his session, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Praise Paradox: How Well-Intended Words Can Backfire<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, was<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that we should <\/span><b>not <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">treat our children as \u201cunique snowflakes\u201d: an argument which initially seemed to contradict Zhao\u2019s research&#8211;but, in fact, supports it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the core of Brummelman\u2019s work was the belief that yes, of course, we can praise our children&#8211; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but not in comparison to others<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reason we praise our children should be the desire to support them in their growth. When praise is mixed with comparison to others, it confuses the message by implying that what makes the child special is related to others when in fact, it is only tied to the individual. So when we say, \u201cYou are a wonderful artist. I love the way you use colour to convey mood!\u201d versus \u201cYou are a much better artist than _____!\u201d Brummelman stresses that uniqueness relies on comparison but that praise should be connected to the child\u2019s passions, interests and talents that will lead them towards their best selves. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this way, Brummelman echoes Zhao\u2019s argument. By creating norms and averages we are drawn to comparison and rank&#8211;rather than to our children\u2019s curiosities about what they want to learn, become or aspire to be. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brummelman\u2019s research cautions parents against overpraising our children, lest we lead them to narcissism and entitlement. It isn\u2019t that we should avoid praise, but that certain types of praise are more effective in raising children to be successful, functioning adults. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Specifically, he explained that when parents believe their children are struggling with low self-esteem, they tend to overpraise&#8211;believing that extra praise will in fact raise the child\u2019s self esteem. But, his research showed that it does the opposite. Children with praise-boosted narcissism tend to be more perfectionistic. They seek more praise and therefore fear risks; in other words, they are <\/span><b><i>less<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> likely to embrace play and creativity. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If praise is tied to the child\u2019s perception of success, and success is tied to narrow definitions of achievement, then children work towards that common standard against which Zhao cautioned us. If they are less likely to take risks then they will seek a single right answer rather than embrace both creativity and curiosity. The standardized test will always be the measure of success.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brummelman explained that what has the most profound impact on our children is the experience of parental warmth, interest and shared joy. They don\u2019t need praise&#8211;they need our presence and affection. Zhao stresses that as educators and parents we must guide and nurture our children and students so that they can grow into the unique people they are meant to become. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This complexity draws me to think about the scene in Pixar\u2019s movie, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8gXCCBmTvBI\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Incredibles<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, when Dash is being scolded for running <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">too fast<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in a race<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He is frustrated because he wants to engage with his superpowers but it isn\u2019t safe, in the climate they live in, to let others know about their powers:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mom explains to her son , \u201cThe world just wants us to fit in and to fit in, we just gotta be like everyone else.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dash challenges her with a \u201cya, but\u201d as many kids do, \u201cBut dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of&#8211;our powers made us special!\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His mother tells him, her frustration obvious from her tone, \u201cEveryone is special, Dash&#8230;\u201d <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He turns away to look out the window and replies, \u201cWhich is another way of saying no one is\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, Dash\u2019s mom is doing this to protect him and her other children. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In other words, like Dash, we all have super powers, and as Dash\u2019s mom stresses, we stay in our space of trying to fit in and be like everyone else because it is safer in many ways. When the time is right and she realizes the importance of her children\u2019s powers, she encourages both Dash and his sister to use them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Dash is discouraged from standing out, he is falling in line with the average that Zhao argues is the problematic goal of education. When he moves out of the space and engages with his powers, it connects us to the ideas of Brummelman, who sees these powers as self expression and self actualization. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a system leader, I understand how deeply important for us to consider what both Zhao and Brummelman are saying about the role of assessment, praise and student success. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I have taken their ideas and informed my own understanding of the vital role of assessment, reporting to parents and school\/system improvement as a whole. I have made a commitment to question the status quo and the acceptance of average as the goal to ensure that our students are supported in finding who they are as creative and curious learners. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like to see the sketchnotes and comments for all the keynotes and presentations I attended, you can see more of my thoughts about the conference <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/reflective-stance\/learning-the-brain-d96df8ab3169#.28vvqkeky\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n[Editor&#8217;s Note: Dr. Debbie Donsky is Principal of Curriculum and Instruction Services, Learning Design &amp; Development, and the Arts, at the York Region District School Board in Ontario, CA. You can follow her on Twitter: @DebbieDonsky]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Curiosity and Play: Snowflakes and Standards by Dr. Debbie Donsky Common themes ran throughout the Learning and the Brain conference in San Francisco, February 17-19, 2017 but the ones that resonated most strongly with me were the ideas of curiosity and play, and how they impact both learning and parenting. It makes sense that this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":1926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1917","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lb-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1917"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1929,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1917\/revisions\/1929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learningandthebrain.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}