The Doorway Effect Part 2--In Through the Out Door

So, on my last post I pointed towards an article in Scientific American that I found about memory and the doorway effect.  Basically it said that our memory is purged of old information when we walk through a doorway so that our brain can make room for the new--and more pressing--information set in the new room.  That's why we can head to the kitchen thirsty, only to forget our thirst when we get there.  Just yesterday, I left my office on a mission, only to have someone distract my attention. 

Poof, it was gone.

Remembering this article, I retraced my steps, walked back through the doorway and "poof" it was back.  Cool!

I do think, however, that--doorways aside--this idea of the brain only holding the most pressing information needs some further discussion.  If, for example, the brain is stressed (no breakfast, mom and dad are fighting at home, worries about safety, self-esteem, etc.) and holding onto some sort of information that engages the reptilian part of our brains (fight or flight responses), then we most certainly won't be able to comprehend, process of remember any new context or connections in algebra or sentence structure. 

If we use this model of a doorway shifting our brain to a new, and learned, set of information, let's work on creating doorways that lead to safe learning environments where:

• ideas are appreciated
• trial, errors, stumbles and failures are an expected part of the learning process
• we are given the tools to reflect, to collaborate and to think critically
• we teach learners to be problem solvers
• safety and respect are paramount
• we celebrate diversity
• the learning drives the assessments

Just think of a kid coming to school with all sorts of baggage, and being able to park those challenges at the door when they walk into your classroom because of the conditions and experiences that you created.  That would be really cool.

The Doorway Effect

Have you ever walked into a room, only to realize that you can't remember what you went in there for?  Left your office to find a staff member, and then forgotten why you went to find them once you get to their office?  Put your sunglasses on your head and then gone outside thinking that you don't know where your sunglasses are?

We all seem to think that we know why this happens;  we were not concentrating enough on the task at hand.  Some compelling research out of Notre Dame University, however, says that we aren't losing our minds, rather we are just falling victim to the darn doorways that we are walking through. 

We live in a busy world, and our universe is a dangerous place overloading us with information.  It is impossible to process the information coming at us at once, so we tend to work through things one at a time...worry about things one at a time...and so we don't hold onto information beyond its relevance (expiry) date.  Early man needed to be alert in the forest.  He couldn't be watching the butterflies in the jungle if there was a hungry jaguar wandering about;  stopping to smell the roses would make him a tasty morsel in the food chain.  Our brain know what we need to concentrate on.   It keeps us safe by forcing the issues most relevant to our survival forward, and makes room for these ideas by pushing all other information to the wayside.  That's where scientists think that the doors come in.

It would seem that when we cross through a door, our brain "resets" our memory to our new surroundings.  We have crossed a threshold to a new set of information and to make room for it our brain purges the "expired" information--that stuff we brought into the room that is no longer relevant to the experience ahead of us.  The new stuff replaces the old stuff.  That means that even though you are trying to concentrate on one thing, your brain is trying to provide you with the information that it thinks you need based on the changes to your environment.  Ultimately, there isn't room for everything so while you may think that you are losing your mind and dementia is setting in, it is actually your brain playing tricks on you.

Have a read of an article describing that research here.

Why We Do What We Do

This is a very interesting September for me; it is my first one—as the principal of an elementary school—where one of my own children is entering Kindergarten.  So, when asking nervous parents to “leave their kids and trust us”, I am very aware that I too am leaving my youngest in the care of someone else.  It is good for us to remind ourselves, every day, that we are trusted with the most precious treasures from each of our school families, and that it is our moral imperative to make sure that the decisions we make for children should be the same as if they were all our children.  In BC, the School Act uses the term “in loco parentis”, which refers to the legal responsibility for us to take on some of the functions and responsibilities of a parent.  And, pushing moralities and legalities aside, the reason we are all here is the kids.     

Areneus gemmoides

As the morning bell rang and students were running to class this morning, two grade 3 boys rushed up to me to show me their latest find:  a huge spider.  They had found it on the fence and collected it with a plastic container from one of their lunch kits (not sure where the snack went that mom sent in the lunch kit...).  Of course, there was plenty of excitement in other kids, there were parents and supervisors both enthralled and repulsed out, and the boys announced to me that they were going to take it to class.

Hmmm...

I definitely saw the concerned look our supervisor's face.

And, this would definitely be a hit, simultaneously stimulating and grossing out the entire class.

And--most importantly--I needed to know if this spider was poisonous; once it got into the class I would surely have someone's parent call with a concern later in the day.  This was, after all, not a tiny, little spider.  In fact, it was larger than a marble.  So, I did what any fast-thinking Principal would do:  I bought myself some time.  I told the boys that I would keep it safe in my office until we could release it.  "RELEASE IT?" one exclaimed, "He is going to KEEP it!"  I assured them that I would keep it safe, and rushed off to my office to try and identify this beautiful creature.

A quick search told me that we had found Areneus gemmoides, a very common, harmless arachnid, considered a very useful natural predator for insects. They are more commonly called the Jewel or Cat-Faced Spider, and their horns and markings resemble a cat's face.  I printed off the Wikipedia fact sheet for this critter, and took the spider back to class so that the teacher could share a look and some neat information with her students.  Now, they will all go home to tell their parents that they found a huge, harmless spider, and then the principal and spider-collecting student released her unharmed, back into nature to lay her eggs.  A great, teaching moment.

...and only one student was really grossed out...

Confessions of a Kindergartener

So, yesterday marked the first day of kindergarten for my youngest child.  The first two breezed through their kindie orientations, but this one--in his words--just loves his mom and his favourite stuffy a lot".  This one is very smart, has a well-developed sense of humour, is reading, is counting to 200, and is self-aware enough to tell mom flat out that he is too shy to enjoy his first day of kindergarten and would be crying.  Geez, what do we do with that?

Mom talked to him about how much fun kindergarten was.

Big sister and brother told him how much they loved kindergarten.

I talked to him about making new friends and gave him some scripted, one-liners to help him reach out and make a new buddy.

Mom texted me as she was leaving him to let me know that he was crying.  I texted back that he would be fine.

Later that afternoon, I got a phone call.  It was child #3.

Me:  So, how was your first day of Kindergarten?

#3:  Soooo EPIC!!!

Me:  Good. Were you a bit nervous?

#3:  Yes, and I cried for a bit.  But, then I just decided that no more tears would be coming down.

Me:  Great.  Did you make a new buddy?

#3:  That's the best part.  It was so much fun and so awesome that I didn't even need to make a new friend.

Obviously, he was excited--and ready--for day two.

Back to School

Good Bye Summer!

And, just like that...we are back at it.

Why Kids Quit

Where has all of the fun gone?

I found a great article this weekend that talks about the single, biggest reason for kids dropping out of sports.  As a long-time track & field and soccer coach, this topic really piques my attention.  The article is from an Australian newspaper--a place where amateur sport rules supreme--and quotes statistics and anecdotes from the USA, the UK and New Zealand, but the brand, so-to-speak, is the same here in Canada.  Of course the answer was simple and predictable:  parents.

Kathleen Noonan, the author, describes coaches who are berated during games by parents who drive "Mercedes and BMWs.  Even in front of their kids."  How about sports where they "have introduced lollipops for parents to put in their mouths because their barracking so out of hand an abusive."  In Canada, we have seen this type of behaviour documented time and time again in the hockey arena, but have you ever watched a youth soccer/lacrosse/basketball/etc. game?  The soccer association that we belong to has had to institute rules requiring parents to watch from the opposite side of the field from where the team sits, and to have specific language demanding that coaches and parents not speak to or engage the referees, in any way, before, during or after the game.  I have even had a team parent have to be spoken to for chewing out an opposing player for playing to hard against her daughter.

Ms. Noonan says that the car ride home can be a real game changer for kids who are, at the same time, reeling from a loss or poor play (or both), and still facing a barrage of criticism from an overly-competitive parent.  She does, however, provide some advice for that ride home.  Instead of complaining about the ref, or the coach, or the other team or--heaven forbid--your child's performance, stress the fun in the game.  Find a compliment (good passing, responsible defensive play, teamwork, fancy uniforms, a great cheer...), and spread the wealth.  Find something good, and compliment your child.  Tell them that you are proud of them, and encourage them to be a good sport when they win, and to stick with it when they don't.  Two weeks ago, my girls' team had a tough game.  We had a long drive and started with no subs.  A bunch of girls did not show up, and we withered in the heat in the second half against a very good team, which was really hard because we played our hearts out in the first half.  The girls left down, some in tears, and I heard compliments like, "where is so-and-so" and "I am tired of losing like this".  My daughter is a strong player, who played her heart out.  She told me that the girl who volunteered to play goalie was very upset, and so we talked about her go up to that girl at the next practice and complimenting her play.  We talked about how much that would mean to someone who felt that she--undeservedly--let the team down, and about how that type of compliment means so much more from a peer than it does from a coach or parent.  This one the heels of me trying to prop her up for her good play, and her grumbling...

Anyway, for at least one week, the positiveness led to a team refocus, and that led to an absolutely outstanding effort against a far superior team in a very close 2-1 loss this weekend.  The girls were exhausted from the heat and the running--again, only 2 subs this time.  But what I appreciated is that, while disappointed about losing, they saw the improvement.  They know that they took control against a strong team in the second half and put them on their heels.  We will reinforce this at practice this week.  We will tell them how proud we are of them.  We will single out game strengths for each player.  And, we will try again next week.

I coach this team with a friend and fellow principal.  We work hard every week on skill development, and on parlaying those practice skills into game play.  Most importantly, however, we measure success not by wins and losses--we've had mostly win and mostly lose seasons together--but by how many girls retruns next year.  So far, after 6 years, we have been very successful.

While this post took a definite sports angle, I would say that my experience has me convinced that the same themes ring true for many healthy activities for kids.  This like playing piano, painting, writing stories, building Lego masterpieces, etc.

Check out Kathleen Noonan's article here:  http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/the-real-reason-why-our-kids-quit-sport/story-e6frerdf-1226645601355