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Aug 2007
Students need to understand instead of memorize
August 28, 2007 12:00 PM Filed in: Skill Sets
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Dear Dr. Fournier: In a recent column, you said that students should utilize strategies that promote learning, but you also said that study skills courses were antiquated and not very useful. I don’t understand. Isn’t that what a study skills class is? Students are taught different ways to organize information they learn in a way that makes it easier to retrieve in the future. For example, my daughter took a study skills class and learned different tricks for memorization. Those skills help her sustain focus and make it easier to remember information taught in school. |
The Assessment: As much as the world has evolved and progressed, we still fail to understand the difference between “studying” and “learning.”
To study is to examine intensively. “Studying” basically means to stare at something; it is a process through which information is committed to memory. While studying may transpose something to the brain, it does not change the person or the student’s perspective. The memorized information remains accessible as long is it is accessed frequently. If the information stops being accessed, it will cease to be available.
Learning is a much more complicated process. It involves understanding. It is an active and continual process that provides texture, meaning and ownership. Once information has been learned, it becomes a guidepost through which the brain may then assess new information. During the learning process, a person evolves and develops a new perspective. Learned information creates building blocks on which future concepts will be stored, thus developing and increasing a person's wealth of creative ideas. This information, continuously augmented, does not simply lie dormant. It is actively woven into the fabric of the student’s mind.
The difference between “committing to memory” and “understanding” is as distinct as the difference between the expectations of employers in the 1950s and those of future employers. Previously, students were prepared to enter a work environment where they would repeatedly perform the same task. Today, computers and other types of machinery perform those menial tasks. People, on the other hand, perform far more complicated tasks that rely on critical thinking.
What To Do: Expect more from your child and the educational system. Too many children go to school and sit at their desks expecting the teacher to simply transfer information to their brains. The human mind is more than a warehouse for storing kernels of information. Instead, the process should be analogous to planting seeds each day that will grow into beautiful flowers that cross pollinate to create new and exotic species.
When discussing subjects and homework with your child, dig deep and get some detail. For example, if your child says she is learning about flowers in science class, ask what specific flowers. Let's assume your child clarifies by explaining that the topic was really the parts of a flower. Ask your child what the different parts of a flower are. Wonder aloud whether your own flowers, real or artificial, have these parts. Check and see if they do.
What have you and your child accomplished? First and foremost, you have spent time interacting with your child. Second, you have taught the creative learning skills that are necessary in today’s global economy. Your child hasn’t just memorized a new fact or figure. Instead, she will have learned to probe the depths of new information. She also will have a desire for more information, learning to integrate all she learned during the process. Most importantly, you have encouraged your child to think beyond what we know today. Instead, she will look to what could be. This is called knowledge, and it leads to imaginative thinking for a rapidly changing world.
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Upgrade old myths to protect children
August 21, 2007 12:00 PM Filed in: All Levels
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Dear Dr. Fournier: Each new school year is often a time of excitement for students and their families, but for me, it is a time of sadness and despair. Five years ago, our sweet daughter kissed me goodbye and went to school. Later that morning, I received a call from her school with a recorded message that said my child was not in school. I knew it had to be a mistake, but I was wrong. Since her disappearance, I relive the moment when she left for school each and every day. I feel her kiss as I said, “Be careful and I love you.” What was I thinking? What does “be careful” mean to a fifth grader? Please help parents realize they can do so much to avoid my agony. I never thought this could happen to me. |
The Assessment: When parents see a danger or problem in their child’s life, they are quick to react. Complacency is rarely an issue for most parents. Yet parents often deny and overlook the dangers in their children’s lives. As parents, we often think “That will never happen to me.” Denial allows us to move on, but things happen close to home each day. A son dies in a car accident, or daughter never makes it to school. Sometimes we know the family, and we might offer prayers, take food or go to the funeral – but we quickly return to our daily routine.
What we don’t understand is this: it could happen to us at any time. Why? Predators or unfortunate circumstances strike randomly. According to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
85% to 90% of the 876,213 persons reported missing to America’s law enforcement agencies in 2000 were juveniles (persons under 18 years of age). That means that 2,100 times per day parents or primary care givers felt the disappearance was serious enough to call law enforcement.
The number of missing persons reported to law enforcement increased from 154,341 in 1982 to 876,213 in 2000. That’s an increase of 468%.
Parents who have lost their children are screaming out to the rest of us to do what we have to do to prevent our children from being the next victims.
What To Do: The internet has a wealth of information to educate parents and help protect their children. In a partnership study by The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Duracell batteries, surveys showed that well-intentioned parents are still relying on old myths to instruct their children on how not to be abducted. Their study, available at www.powerofparentsonline.com, has a two-pronged message: what parents must do and what children must know. The site reminds parents of simple things they should do, such as keeping updated photos (every six months) of their children.
The website also has a Safety IQ test for parents, and there is a book, The Great Tomato Adventure, to help parents of younger children. It explains how people we know – as well as strangers – may approach children, and it offers precise guidance as to how children should respond.
Another helpful online resource is the Polly Klass Foundation website (www.pollyklaas.org). Founded by Marc Klass whose 12-year-old daughter Polly was kidnapped and murdered in 1994, the foundation provides parents with resources to help protect their children.
The best prevention is education. Be a parent who uses smart information for smart decisions to keep your child safe. This is an easy choice. All it takes is to give up your denial and begin to say, “It could happen to me.”
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Adjusting to a new school – and a new grading policy
August 14, 2007 12:00 PM Filed in: Middle
School
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Dear Dr. Fournier: This year my son is starting seventh grade. He has attended a small private school all his life, but because my husband was laid off at work this year, my son will go to a public school this fall. At the private school, all of the teachers followed the same grading policy. Students are graded for handing in their homework, not for accuracy. Because my son did his homework at school and turned it in on time, he received many 100’s for homework. With excellent homework grades, he made Bs on his report card even though his test grades were poor or terrible. To put it simply, my son learned how to play the game, but his “grade game” is about to change. Compounding the problem, the new school does not have an internet system that allows me see his grades each week. What should I do? Please help! |
The Assessment: Most likely your son’s new teachers will not have the same grading policies. In fact, except for the final grading scale set by the school system, most teachers develop their own way to grade.
Before you take action, realize that your son only “beat the game” because his school allowed the game to take place. Think of going to a casino where the slot machines hit the jackpot frequently. If you make enough money at the slot machines, you will be willing to play roulette. Even if you lose at roulette, you can offset your losses at the slot machines. When teachers give 100’s for turning in homework without regard to accuracy, it is equivalent to the false security of the slot machines. If your son is addicted to this system of winning, it will be difficult for him to realize the rules are about to change. Your child needs an education, and that requires knowing how to learn for the long-term.
What To Do: First, remain calm. Remember that the years leading up to high school are what I call “the rehearsal years.” These are the years that you and your child are given to learn the skills needed to be a successful learner.
Sit with your child and explain that learning to “play the game” in life is important. Use actual numbers to show your child that until now his grades have been inflated by the previous grading system. Then set up different ways that teachers could average his grades and show him the results. For example:
At his former school, he could have had 20 homework assignments in six weeks. That gives him 20 100’s. If his quiz average was 81, and his test average was 54, then his final average would be 78. At previous school, a 78 is a C, but at his new school that same grade is a D.
Now, let’s assume his new teachers grade homework. In one grading period, he has 20 assignments and an 80 homework average, an 81 quiz average and a 54 test average. His average is now a 71. Again this is a C at his previous school, but two points away from an F at his new school.
Begin the new school year by learning the rules of each teacher’s game and discussing them with your child. In every class, each grade should be written down, and once a week you and your child should discuss his progress.
Teach your child that he is control when he “plays the game” by knowing and following the rules. All new situations bring a new set of rules. This is not a lesson just about school – it is a lesson about life.
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Help child rise above 'minimum standards'
August 07, 2007 12:00 PM Filed in: All Levels
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Dear Dr. Fournier: The public
school system in my city offers a program called
“School Choice.” The program gives parents the
choice to send their children to a school with
higher standards and proven achievement, if the
school in their district does not meet minimum
achievement test scores. The school in my
district doesn’t meet minimum standards, and it
has a longer way to go to meet my standards. I am
a single mother with my own business as a nail
technician. Because of my personal high
standards, I broke the cycle of poverty in my
life – but I am not finished yet. I am determined
to give my children the education they need to go
to college and take my success to the next level.
I applied to a school through the “School Choice” program, only to find out that my daughter is 69th on the list. Her chances of getting in are slim. The only way to improve our children’s education is by making every school achieve the same high standards. Could you give encouragement to parents like me who face similar circumstances across the country? |
The Assessment: No statement amazes me more than that used most by school administrators, teachers, journalists and politicians. We are often told the problem in education is that “Parents don’t care” or that students fail for “Lack of parental involvement.” Those are the biggest lies fed to constituencies. Let’s get real. Parents, grandparents and students all care – that is the reason I get letters from people like you every week. It is amazing to think of what could happen in this country if educational programs were designed with the assumption that the majority of stakeholders in education (parents and children) actually care. I know all about the exceptions, but to use them as an excuse to not give equal, quality education to all children is a disgrace. Take “No Child Left Behind” as an example. It requires each state to set minimum standards for our children. Cute. What happened to their maximum potential?
What To Do: I would advise you to look at private schools in your community. Many churches have schools with tuition based on a sliding scale, and some offer other financial assistance. It will challenge your budget, but view it as an investment that will pay off with a lifetime of dividends. Perhaps your daughter could attend a private school until she gets enrolled in the public school of your choice. Giving your child the best foundation before high school will assure that she has what it takes to comprehend, learn and create her own ideas and conclusions in a changing world. This will be important for her future.
If you have any doubts, remember this: “Today’s learners (this means your children) will have 10 to 14 jobs by the time they are 38.” (http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com) Most jobs that exist right now will not exist by the time your child finishes school. Jobs and technology constantly change. But most importantly, your child is developing the basic skills she must have to be successful for the future.
However, much of the school curriculum (content) she learns will be obsolete by the time she graduates from high school. The world will expect her to think and create new knowledge which a changing world will demand from her to be successful. Everyone doesn’t have the choice of enrolling their children in private schools. Yet if you are able to do it, even for one year, it may be the very thing that offers your daughter a successful future.
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A closer look at Williams Syndrome
August 02, 2007 12:00 PM Filed in: Diagnoses
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Dear Dr. Fournier: I recently read your article "Celebrate bright child's strong spots," and your comment that each child has a "bright spot" encourages me since I have an eight-year-old grandson who has Williams Syndrome. He excels in many areas of learning (his bright spots) but falls quite short in others (not-so-bright spots). I am particularly interested in teaching strategies for children with this condition. Are you aware of any curriculum or resources to help students with William Syndrome and their teachers? |
The Assessment: One out of every 7,500 babies is born with Williams Syndrome (WS). Because it is not well known, the condition leaves parents asking "What's that?" An intimidating uncertainty sets in when parents hear the prominent features of WS explained to them. Potential medical challenges include: unusual facial features; heart and blood vessel problems; elevated calcium; irritability and feeding problems; hypersensitive hearing (hyperacusis); attention difficulties; dental, kidney and musculoskeletal problems; and certain obsessive tendencies.
These challenges not only confound parents, but also present concerns for others who help serve the child's needs, especially his/her teachers. Because WS is a rare condition, many people have never encountered it. Teachers and care givers may not know how to approach the situation.
Yet, caring pioneers such as Debbie Cooper, Ella Tharp, Dr. Eleanor Semel, Dr. Jeff Crisco and Dr. Karen Levine have researched how to educate these children by using their strengths. A newsletter "Optimal Teaching Techniques for Williams Syndrome Children" was published in 1988 by the Williams Syndrome Association (WSA). Other publications have followed. Of these pioneers, Levine has described the cognitive learning characteristics found in WS, and they are outlined on the website www.williams-syndrome.org. Children with WS exhibit many strengths, including: a sociable nature, expressive vocabulary, long-term memory for information, strong auditory memory and hyperacusis, which can be an asset when learning phonics. I would also add obsessive tendencies as a potential strength. While usually deemed a weakness, I strongly believe it can be a gift. I have successfully used this trait as a gift when working with Asperger Syndrome children for years.
What To Do: The very first child I worked with who had this gift was obsessed with car dealerships. He was eight years old. His family was so accepting of their son's "interest" that they even planned family vacations around it. They went places where their son could visit new dealerships so he could compare them with those he had already explored.
Car dealerships soon became an integral part of his educational curriculum. He soon began asking "What does it take to set one up?" The student learned math by starting with measurements relating to building a dealership (size of land needed, size for showroom, number of offices, etc.). He had to master math basics to calculate pricing and discounts. He also learned math reasoning skills to figure his costs (vehicles in stock, overhead) before he could determine how to price a car and how much negotiating room he had.
Children with WS have what some call the "Cocktail Party Syndrome." They love to talk and are very sociable. They also have excellent vocabulary skills and excellent auditory memory. These are potential "bright spots" that should be utilized.
Your grandson could start by setting up interview questions for a subject he is interested in. His interest could soon be a vehicle for learning. Any topic or subject area would work; currently, I am working with an eight year old who is learning through her obsession in entomology!
It is easy to call something a weakness when it is outside the mainstream. But everything in creation has two sides. A perceived weakness viewed as a strength can transform a challenging situation into a positive learning experience.
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