Dr. Gerald Wade Neal, Pfeiffer UniversityNC Middle School Association Conference, March 13-15, 2011

THE DOORWAY TO SUCCESS

Inside Out: The ART & SCIENCE of Student-centered School & Classroom Climatology

1. Addressing Student Needs: The Foundation for Learning and Development

2. The Doorway to Success3. Classroom Arrangement and Atmosphere4. The First 10 Minutes5. Minimizing Disciplinary Action6. Personalizing the Instructional Presentation: Introduction and

Extension7. The Missing Link: Establishing a Sense of Belonging and Building

Self-Esteem8. Student-Centered Approaches to High-Anxiety Assessment: End

of Course/Grade Test Anxiety Busters9. Cooperation: Overcoming the Unseen yet Toxic Effects of

“Healthy” Competition

Every day in America* 4 children are killed by abuse or neglect 5 children, or teens, commit suicide 8 children are killed by firearms 181 children are arrested for violent crimes 383 children are arrested for drug abuse 2,383 children are reported abused or

neglected 1,153 babies are born to teen mothers 2,411 babies are born into poverty 2,261 children drop out of high school 4,356 children are arrested 9,200,000 children are without health

insurance 12,423,000 children live in poverty Children's Defense Fund 2008.

All the children included in these statistics (and more categories not listed) come to school carrying their burdens and issues with them. By default our schools have become the focus of efforts to address multiple issues. Schools readily admit they are both inadequately informed and inadequately prepared for this immense task.

BAGGAGE

http://www.c4eo.org.uk/themes/earlyyears/eresource/information-professionals/effective-practice/what-does-the-evidence-tell-us/

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT

INFLUENCE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

Those directly related to “CLASSROOM” are “FAMILY” & “PEER GROUP”

EXAMPLES OF THE

BAGGAGETHAT

ADVERSLEYIMPACTS

LEARNING

THEFAMILY:

Children from Single-Parent Homes

• Children in single-parent families score lower on standardized tests and to receive lower grades in school.

•Children in single-parent families are nearly twice as likely to drop out of school.

•Children living in single-parent homes or in step-families report lower educational expectations, and less social supervision.

•At least one-third of children experiencing a parental separation "demonstrated a significant decline in academic performance" persisting at least three years.

http://www.photius.com/feminocracy/facts_on_fatherless_kids.html http://www.jointcenter.org/DB/factsheet/sigpatn.htm

About 1 in 4 white children, 1 in 3 Hispanic children, & 2 of 3 black children

Matthew Robinson, "What Causes School Violence?" Investor's Business Daily, November 12, 1997.

63% of youth suicides.  (Source: US Dept. of Health & Human Services,

Bureau of the Census)

71% of pregnant teenagers. (Source: US Dept. of Health &  Human

Services)

90% of all homeless and runaway children (Source:

US Dept. of Health &  Human Services)

70% of  juveniles in state-operated institutions (Source:  U.S. Dept. of Justice, Special Report, Sept 1988)

85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders (Source: Center for Disease Control).

80%  of rapists. (Source: Criminal Justice &  Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26, 1978).

71% of all high school dropouts.  (Source: National Principals Association Report on the State of High  Schools).

75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers. (Source: Rainbows for all God's Children).

Children from Fatherless Homes Account for:

A three year old child’s drawing of his angry

father.

In 1995 The FBI reported 27% of all violent crimes involves family on family violence…These statistics grossly underestimates the violence in the home because it is likely that fewer than 5% of domestic violence is ever reported.

--Dr. Bruce Perry

It is estimated that between 5% and 10% of all child abuse is reported.

In NC, CPS investigates about half of all reported cases (52% in 2002). Scotland County investigated 7% in 2002.

In all cases, teachers report about 15%.

The victims report 0.6 %

(The parent of the child in the X-Ray told caseworkers that he fell out of bed. The arm is broken in two places.)

Gerald Neal Quiet Desperation

•http://preilly.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/who-reports-child-abuse.jpg

27% of females and 16% of males claim to have been sexually abused.Half of the females who reported rapes were under the age of 18, 16% (1 in 6) were under 12.

www.a-team.org/child_abuse_statistics.html

POVERTY

“The strongest predictor of student achievement is parents' income.”

http://granby01033.blogspot.com/2007/11/its-poverty-stupid-education-academic.html

“One in six children in America livesin poverty.” -Save the Children

-Gerald Neal. Quiet Desperation

•More than 25 times more likely to experience maltreatment •More than 44 times more likely to be neglected•Over 22 times more likely to be seriously injured •60 times more likely to die from maltreatment

Compared to children whose families earned $30,000 or more, children in families with annual incomes below $15,000 were:

•8% of students miss 1 day of class per month for fear of being BULLIED. •43% fear harassment in the bathroom at school. •60% of those characterized as bullies in grades 6-9 had at least one criminal conviction by age 24. •70% of middle school students feel that there is a bullying problem in their schools. 25% of the teachers in those schools felt bullying was a problem.

http://members.aol.com/kthynoll/schools.htm

Peer Pressure•SEX•DRUGS & ALCOHOL•GANGS•CRIME•BULLYING•DISHONESTY

GRAY MATTER ACTIVITY

THE HIPPOCAMPUS: MAKER

OF MEMORIES

Repeated stress appears to inhibit the development of neurons in one part of the hippocampus and cause atrophy in another. These changes are related to some of the observed functional problems with memory and learning that accompany stress-related syndromes, including post-traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD: see Perry & Azad, 1999). (Sapolsky & Plotsky, 1990; Sapolsky et al., 1990).

The Hippocampus: Memory and Learning

amygdala

The underdeveloped Corpus Collosum makes it difficult forone hemisphere of the brain to communicate with the other. This impedes or destroys:

creativityproblem solvingregulating emotions cause and effect thinking social abilitiescommunicating emotions

Neal, Quite Desperation, 2008

That can cause the brain to be up to 30% smaller than

healthy brains.

TraumatizedBrain

Healthy Brain

CORPUS COLLOSSUM

BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

COGNITIVE LEARNING BEGINS

HEALTH/SAFETY ENDS

???MISSING LINK ???

WHAT DO TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW?

The many causes of stress and the severity of its impact on student behavior and achievement

What the teacher can and cannot do; what the teacher can and cannot be

The importance of a simple greeting on behavior, academic performance, and meeting student needs

That cognitive development is minimal until basic needs are met

The significance of Belonging and Self-Esteem in psychological development

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these homeless, tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside that golden door"

“I saw the Statue of Liberty. And I said to myself, ‘Lady, you're such a beautiful! You opened your arms and you get all the foreigners here. Give me a chance to prove that I am worth it, to do something, to be someone in America.’ And always that statue was on my mind.”

(Moreno, 2000, p. 65.)

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AS A

SYMBOL

OPPORTUNITY ACCEPTANCE PROMISE / HOPE SAFETY KNOWLEDGE JUSTICE FREEDOM HAPPINESS

The Torch symbolizes that light (or enlightenment) is the key to achieving freedom.  Without seeing that freedom exists, one cannot obtain it. 

TEACHERS ARE ALSO LIGHT BEARERS.

The Crown

The statue wears a crown with seven spikes. This represents the

7 seas and 7 continents of the world.

A TEACHER ALSO WELCOMES A DIVERSE POPULATION

The Tablet or BookThe Statue holds a tablet in her left hand, a book of law based on the founding principles of this nation-

law.

TEACHERS ARE AUTHORITY FIGURES WHO FOLLOW CODES AND RULES BY ENFORCING AN ETHICAL CONCEPT OF JUSTICE.

The tablet's shape is called a keystone.  In architecture, a keystone is the stone which keeps the others together.  Without it everything would fall apart. 

THEREFORE,

TEACHERS ARE KEYSTONES.

Even though the Statue stands on a pedestal, she is actually walking ahead moving forward.  This goddess is lighting the path for others to follow.

A TEACHER’S BODY LANGUAGE SHOULD INVITE, ENCOURAGE, & LEAD STUDENTS.

Body Language

Broken ChainsLocated at the Statue's feet symbolize the freedom that Lady Liberty has.  It demonstrates that the Statue is free from slavery and bondage.

TEACHERS ALSO MUST ADVOCATE FOR THE NEEDY IN TODAY’S SCHOOLS.

How INVITING is YOUR Harbor? "Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse…the homeless, tempest-tost to me.”

Does this describe your students?

“I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

WHAT DO YOU SYMBOLIZE TO YOUR STUDENTS?

Do you hold the torch of enlightenment for them?

Does your crown embrace diversity?

Do your arms protect the keystone?

Do they celebrate the freedoms you provide?

Do your students think “such a beautiful!” when they see you?

The POWER of a Greeting

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -Mother Teresa

Wal-Mart has grown to become the nation’s largest retailer through customer service and proactive leadership. The first step in each of these two components of their business model is greeting the individual customer at the door.

From the Wal-Mart Training Manual:

Provide superior customer service to every customer who walks in the store

Quickly evaluate a customer’s needs upon entering the store

Build rapport with new and long-time customers

Acknowledge customer concerns

Be proactive rather than reactive

http://liblogs.albany.edu/library20/2006/11/wal-mart_greeters_in_the_library.html

Provide superior customer service to every customer who walks in the store

CHARACTERISTICS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE:

Listening Dealing with

complaints/problems Helpfulness Concern for the

customer/valuing the customer

Taking the extra step

Quickly evaluate a customer’s needs upon entering

Attitudes Supplies Questions Illness Directives

Build rapport with customers

“Rapport seems to facilitate both student motivation for learning and their enjoyment of the course, and enhances student receptivity to what is being taught.”

http://www.socialpsychology.org/rapport.htm

RAPPORT at the

DOOR!

Fast and Effective Rapport Building

Refer to students by name Show interest in their interests

and abilities Smile Use humor on occasion Interact with students Be available Be happy to see them Believe each student will

succeed. Know that everyone want to be

needed, want to belong.

Acknowledge customer concerns

"One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider a problem, can change our whole outlook on the world."— Dr. E. H. Mayo

Be Proactive: “The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror.” Tom Daschle•To be proactive, ask yourself what is likely to happen, and act before it happens.

•It takes energy to rise above the difficulties of the moment, to see the big picture and to make the changes you need to make. http://www.proactivechange.com/how/proactive-reactive.htm

The Doorway to SuccessIn South Carolina in

2007, a study was conducted to determine the impact of greeting middle school students as they enter the classroom.

Students who had a history of off-task behavior were monitored to see how often they stayed on task during the first 10 minutes of class.

http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/articles/2007/jaba-40-02-0317.pdf

The Doorway

to SuccessFirst, they were

monitored without teacher greetings over an extended period of time.

http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/articles/2007/jaba-40-02-0317.pdf

The Doorway to Success

Students who were NOT GREETED at the doorway were on-task during the first 10 minutes of class under 46% of the time.

Then the teacher started greeting the students in the study by name as they entered the classroom, complimenting or welcoming them very briefly.

AFTER A FEW MAGIC WORDS….

These “problem” students who were on task less than 46% of the time during the first 10 minutes of class when the teacher did not greet the students, were on task 73% of the time during the first ten minutes of class following a brief greeting at the door as they entered the classroom.

Teacher greetings increase college students' test scores

Students in introductory psychology courses who received teachers' personal recognition before class begins ("Hello, I am glad you're in class today.") did significantly better on a class test than the same students who did not receive such pre-class attention.

College Student Journal, June, 2009 , Lawrence Weinstein, Antonio Laverghetta, Ralph Alexander, Megan Stewart

67% 85%

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?Students want to belong. Students appreciate

being appreciated. Students thrive on

positive energy. Students prosper in a

productive climate. Students work harder for

adults they like. Students will take

interest in someone who takes interest in them.

Students are humans who feed on positives.

Become the torchbearer with the power to meet each student’s needs. Greet the “tired,” “poor,” “wretched refuse,” and “huddled masses” at the gateway to the “land of opportunity” just beyond the threshold of your door. Instill a sense of belonging and create a climate of exploration and discovery.

Dr. Gerald W. NealAssociate ProfessorPfeiffer University(704) 985-1681(704) 224-6317g

erald.neal@fsmail.pfeiffer.edu

drgwneal@gmail.com

COVER: Quiet Desperation, Hamilton Books, 2008 >