Bret’s $.02

Starting in August of 2013 I began writing a small piece for our weekly staff notes. The not-so-clever name for this section became “Bret’s Two Cents” as it wasn’t a long write-up (they’ve gotten longer, sorry!) but rather some brief thoughts usually tied to a professional reading or video. These writings were my first foray into regular professional writing. Over time this practice has become one of the most important parts of my professional growth. I’ve continued these writings because I enjoy the process and also because I believe that sharing great resources is part of my responsibility as an educator…enjoy, and I’d love to hear your two cents worth of feedback :)

Computer Use and Gaming “Addiction”

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Something that has been bothering me a lot lately is the amount of students in our school who can’t seem to tear themselves away from their computers. I don’t think I have to explain that to any of you; you see it every day just the same as me. I’ve been looking into a lot of research about teens and gaming; I’d like to share some of what I have found. (There is no attached article this week, so please bear with a little longer section here.)

To be up front, my “research” has been done completely on the internet with more than likely some reliability concerns…however, here are some of the things I’ve seen over and over: There is no definition for “Video game addiction” as there isn’t enough solid research at this time to classify this as an official addiction. However, survey upon survey has turned up signs of behavioral addiction symptoms in teenagers who play video games. Of those students who play video games, the number of students who show signs of addictive behavior ranges between 2-15% depending on the sources…the most common number I’ve seen is 5-8%. Again, this number isn’t an “official” number because there is no technical definition of gaming addiction.

However, if this number holds true what does that mean for you and your students? Well, using the 5-8% number would suggest that it is a good possibility that on average one student in each of your classes has developed some sort of addictive behaviors to gaming and/or their computer. How does this impact the students in your classroom? How can we help them? Are we even responsible to help them? A few of us have had these sort of discussions lately…I’d love to hear your two cents!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on September 13, 2013.

Building Connections With All Students

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As we pick up steam and near the halfway mark of the first quarter (time flies!) I would like to challenge you to think of the connections you have made with your students…now, think even more carefully about those students you haven’t connected with yet. Why haven’t you connected with them? Most likely it is because you and they haven’t found that natural “click” that leads to those bonds being built. The attached article summary looks, rather specifically, at different ways to help you break through with boys in particular. As with the last couple articles, this one provides actionable tips that require no extra time or planning…just effort and a conscious attempt to forge a relationship with some of your students; those with whom you may not have found that natural connection. Give it a look, try some out, and let me know what you think…as usual, I’d love to hear your two cents 🙂

This article summary came from the Marshall Memo, an amazing professional resource!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on September 6, 2013.

Praising Effort and Positive Parent Contacts

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Already this year we’ve talked about how to contact parents if a student has missed work in class (e-mail the student, CC the parents and Bret) but what about positive contacts?!?  Last year a few teachers made concerted efforts to make positive contacts home each week…with a fantastic response rate!  They followed the same formula, e-mailing the student and CCing to the parents and me.  The response and “thank you” rate for these e-mails was nearly 90% compared to a response rate for missing work of about 40%…amazing, parents really do get those e-mails you send 🙂  When it comes to praise and motivation those of you who read Mindset this summer know that Carol Dweck’s research shows that praising effort as opposed to intelligence is the key to helping students “maintain their confidence in learning.”  This week I have two challenges for you:  First, read the attached summary of one of Carol Dweck’s past articles, it’s great stuff; especially the last paragraph!  Second, if you haven’t already, read Mindset (my copy is available to borrow) and join Dan and I during our first SIPs for a book discussion.  Let me know what you think…I’d love to hear your two cents!

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on August 30, 2013

This article summary came from the Marshall Memo, an amazing professional resource!

Building Teens’ “Executive Function”

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During our first six days of Dragon Time the 7th graders spent a day talking about organization. That was just the tip of the massive iceberg that is “executive function.” As middle school students, our kids are almost by definition unorganized, inattentive, emotional wrecks. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with them; quite the opposite, they are perfectly normal in this regard! Middle school students are just beginning to experience the expectations of responsibility that us adults associate with everyday activity. As they move down this path toward adulthood and all of the weighty expectations and implications that come with that title, our students need to develop their executive function…and we need to help them. The attached article summary comes from a wonderful professional resource called the Marshall Memo. It is a summary of a great article written by Rick Wormeli (you may recognize the name from Wednesday’s meeting on assessment.) In this summary, Kim Marshall, boils down the important points of Wormeli’s article and provides 15 actionable (and very realistic) items for educators to use in helping develop executive function in students. Have a look…how many do you use already? How many can you implement with little or no effort at all? Let me know what you think…

Originally published in SCIS MS Headlines on August 23, 2013