Does longer class time create better students?

School is back in session! For the next 10 months children will spend the better part of their days being students—but how much classroom time is enough to ensure that our children are getting the best quality education possible?

The amount of time spent in the classroom correlates to the amount of time that is spent learning. Are students who spend more time in class at an academic advantage? Or is it merely an issue of quality or quantity?

Results on Federal testing have been major motivators for educators across Canada and the US. When New Brunswick students received the lowest scores in the Canada, the response was to increase class time to 5.25 hours a day, not including recess.

But there are problems associated with an extended school day. Apart from no formal research ever being conducted into the matter, children only have so much attention span and even the most dedicated of students can lose focus after five hours of instruction.

According to The Canadian Council on Learning, the best way to see results in the classroom is not based on quality of learning, not quantity of class time. Students who are active learners and remain engaged in their learning during instruction time—regardless of length—get the most out of their education, doing better on testing. Active learning during class time is the best way to ensure that the quality of class time is equal to quantity.

“If you are not engaged in your learning, chances are that you’re not going to learn much.” Charles Ungerleider, Director of Research Canadian Council on Learning.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Stay tuned for upcoming discussions on the subject.

Read more on the subject of class time.

For many students, the return to school is something to anticipate and look forward to…maybe even get excited about. The night before, there may be butterflies in little and big tummies alike, but once feet enter the schoolyard and see friends and schoolmates again, the jitters disappear.

For some kids though, the butterflies never go away. For shy children, the return to school causes nervousness and anxiety that never dissipates. Shyness actually physically manifests—researchers at Harvard studying shyness noticed a spike of activity in the right frontal cortex, and in an elevated heart rate, sweaty palms, and increased cortisol levels.

But for shy students, their shyness can mean more than just a hesitancy to interact—it could lead to social phobias or depression in adulthood. But it can also negatively impact grades.

Just like their rowdy counterparts, children who don’t interact or respond when spoken to are equally as disruptive in a classroom. And many even are singled out for this reason—they may even get in trouble for it. But more often than not, teachers are trained to pay attention to students who have an attention deficit or who are hyperactive, overlook shy children.

Researchers at Carleton University are beginning new studies into how teachers deal with shyness in the classroom. This is important, just like the hyperactive child, the shy child requires special attention too.

Read more on shyness and children here: Kindergarten wallflowers

You’ve packed their bookbag with everything that they’ll need to face the day ahead: pencils, markers, notebooks, and an agenda, but did you pack their lunchbag with everything that they’ll need to make it through the school day?

Studies have shown time and again that children who eat breakfast do better at school than those who do not. Delving deeper into the subject shows that eating breakfast is one thing, but eating a healthy breakfast consisting of food that supports the brain helps children to learn better and be more alert for the entire day.

Studies have shown that low-glycemic index foods like oatmeal can boost memory and attention, which is good, as oatmeal is a breakfast staple, cheap to buy, and easy to prepare, but what about lunch time foods? What foods provide a brain boost for the middle of the day?

No matter which article you read, the same foods appear over and over again. These are the “superfoods”— foods that nourish the brain as well as the body.

Try to make your child a lunch that comprises at least one of the superfoods. We know that kids can be fussy eaters, but use your imagination to develop kid-friendly recipes, and your child’s body, and brain, will thank you for it!

• Whole grains. Buy breads and tortillas that are multigrain—they provide more sustained energy throughout the day, and the extra fiber is a plus.
• Blueberries. The nutrients in blueberries help to destroy free radicals, which can damage brain cells. They also help with memory, balance and co-ordination
• Yogurt. Protein and calcium and probiotic cultures, which helps the immune system.
• Sweet Potatoes. A favorite with kids because of the naturally sweet taste, the bright orange color means beta-carotene, which helps produce vitamin A
• Natural Nut Butters. Better than their brand name cousins, the natural nut butter can be made at home in a high-speed blender, which means no preservatives or additives.
• Omega 3. Normally found in fish, the protein and essential fatty acid help keep brain cells flexible and can help with skin conditions, and allergies
• Beans. Fiber, protein, and iron are all beneficial. Try chick peas, aka garbanzo beans as a kid-friendly snack. Hummus works just as well, and is a great sandwich spread.
• Broccoli. This vegetable is notorious for being on kid’s icky-food list. But a few clever tricks can get this high vitamin C veggie into your kid, no problemo.

Want more info? Read these articles:

• Top 5 superfoods for kids
• What to feed your brain to get back in gear

It’s happened to us all before. You are in an important meeting. Someone is giving a presentation. A power point presentation starts, then, the next thing you know, everyone is getting up and leaving. You haven’t heard a word that’s been said. You were staring out the window, not paying attention. You were distracted.

Kids deal with this sort of thing everyday in the classroom.

But why did your mind start wandering? And why did you not even notice that you were thinking about, oh I don’t know, organizing your sock drawer when you should have been taking notes on the quarterly profit losses?

Metacognitive Awareness is the solution to this problem. It sounds really technical, something that you might hear in a doctor’s office, but it’s really just fancy talk for paying attention to what the mind is doing. With a little training and some practice everyone can master metacognitive awareness—even kids. Here’s how it works:

1. Recognize when you are off-topic.
• As soon as you notice that you are off-track stop yourself.
• Now think back to when you started to get off track. What happened? Did you hear some noise in the background?
2. Identify the distraction.
• The ringing cell phone distracted me. Now that you know the source, you are more likely to recognize it when it happens again, and more likely to stay on track.
• It may go something like this: A cell phone rings somewhere behind you. You stop focusing on the speaker and…WAIT. That’s a cell phone, it rang, and it distracted me. I should re-focus on the presentation. Or ask that co-worker to shut off his phone.
3. Thinking about thinking.
• This is really what metacognitive awareness is all about—paying attention to what the mind is doing.
• If your mind is active in the classroom and not turned onto autopilot, it is easier to pay attention to what is going on around you. As you learn new things, be aware of your thought process—is this new thing like other things? Can I relate it to something else? Does this make sense?
4. An active brain is an on-topic brain.
• As you learn new things, be aware of your thought process—is this new thing like other things?
• Can I relate it to something else? Does this make sense? Do I need to ask any questions? If you flip your mind’s switch to “on” the likelihood of not paying attention diminishes.
5. Practice Makes Perfect.
• Metacognitive Awareness, like so much else takes time to perfect. The more that you are aware of what your mind is doing; the easier it is to pay attention. And the less likely it will be that you’ll spend entire meetings staring out the window.

Studying for a test, scenario A:

• A student slouches on the couch in front of the TV, which is on. There is a cell phone open on the coffee table. The student also has iPod ear buds nestled in her lobes, a book propped open on her knees, which are bopping to a bass beat, a vacant stare in her eye.

Studying for a test, scenario B:

• A student sits at a desk. The room is quiet and well lit. There is little distraction—no TV, no computer, no cell phone. Books are open on a desk and student B is focused on his work.

Clearly, student A’s concentration is less than focused on the task at hand, but there may be more wrong here than poor study habits. The increased decibels from the TV, the iPod, and the cell phone may be doing more to increase stress levels than the upcoming test!

A study from the World Health Organization shows that excessive noise is linked to health problems. Physiological changes occur in the body when loud noise is present in the environment that a person may not even be aware of—stress hormones increase, sleep patterns can be disrupted, and ear problems such as tinnitus can develop—all from even small increases in the background noise level.

And you thought that loud noise was just bad for concentration!

Attention all students who study like the student in scenario A: Turn down the volume. Take a deep breath. Reduce your stress. Study, and do it quietly, with little to no distractions—your health and your memory will thank you.

Playing was good for your child’s health and development. Well, not anymore, and especially not if they are playing with the hundreds of mass-produced, foreign-made toys that can actually be detrimental to a child’s physical well being. Small, removable parts and toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing process had lead to some recent high-profile toy recalls—at least two recalls in the last two weeks.

The health and safety guidelines of toy manufacturing aside, the popularity of these foreign-made, cheaply produced types of toys is a larger issue. The fact that these toys are so popular means that there is demand—that these toys are in homes across the globe. And that’s concerning because the more intricate and detailed the toy, the less imagination is required to play with it. All the various small parts and add-ons, extra bits and support toys mean that every possibility and variable for play is thought of. Sure, it’s a great merchandising tactic, but it creates a scenario where children are less mentally active during playtime—and that’s a dangerous habit to fall into during the childhood years where play makes up a large part of a child’s mental development.

There are several grassroots movements supporting a return to simpler, homemade toys that are not only well made and durable, but also local and toxin-free. They promote the type of toys that are meant to support a child’s imagination process, not replace it.

If you are looking for a virtually free, non-toxic, recyclable, toy that is easy to access and provides hours of imagination-filled play that stimulates and promotes cognitive development there is always the old favorites—the cardboard box, the backyard, playground equipment.

The only toys that children need are those that run on brainpower, not battery power.

Spring break is practically synonymous with long road trips. Whether you are heading to the beach, to camp, or to Grandma’s house, you’ll want an arsenal of tips handy to keep the kids occupied after the crayons are broken, after they’ve listen to their iPODS three time through, and after the batteries wear out on their Nintendo.

Why not try some of these old-fashioned car games? Not only are they fun, but they help develop memory and listening skills too!

The I-Packed-a-Suitcase Game

In the repeat-after-me tradition of games, is the always-popular suitcase game. Not only is it fun, but it is also a great way to develop your child’s memory.

Here are the simple rules:

• The first person begins with the sentence: “I packed a suitcase, and in it I put…” followed by an item of that person’s choice, such as “a toothbrush.”
• The second person also starts with the same statement, “I packed a suitcase, and in it I put…” then repeats what the first person said, and adds his own item, “a toothbrush, and a bathing suit,” and so on, until someone forgets to list one of the items!

You can adjust the level of difficulty and absurdity, according to your mood.

My preferred item to pack in a suitcase is a battering ram… you’ll never know when you’ll need one!

Backwards Listening Game

This is a great game to encourage listening abilities. You say a series of random words—and have your child repeat them to you in the opposite order! For example:

You: shirt, cow.
Child: cow, shirt

Start with 2 words and increase the number as proficiency improves. Or, if you are feeling up to it, create a backwards sentence so that when your child says it back to you, he is decoding your message! Hilarity is sure to ensue!

You: cheese, like, smell, socks, Dad’s
Child! Dad’s socks smell like cheese!

The Alphabet List Game

One of my personal favorites is the Alphabet List Game. It’s a very simple game that can present opportunities for some creative thinking.

• Using the Alphabet as the guide, select a theme to create a list about. Some good themes are: animals, cities, fruits and vegetables, sports teams, pizza toppings, underwater…the possibilities are endless!
• Now select someone to start. They begin with the letter A and, based on the category chosen, give an example of something that begins with the letter A. For animals, it would be Alligator, for cities, Amsterdam.
• Then the next person gets the letter B, the following person the letter C…and so on, until somebody can’t think of an example for that letter. Some letters are more challenging than others, so everybody is allowed one pass.

The Classic Game of ‘I-Spy’

Always popular with younger children, the old “I Spy With My Little Eye” is a great game. Simply select anything in the car or room and say, “I spy with my little eye, something that is [that color].” Then the kids take turns guessing what the item is. Adjust the difficulty to meet the age of the child.

Tip: When kids are stumped, give them a phonetic clue. For instance, “it starts with the sound ‘mmmm’.”

Twenty Questions

Think of something simple…it can be anything at all, though regular play usually limits the choice to something that falls into the categories of animal, vegetable, or mineral.

• When you’ve chosen your item, the game begins. Let the players know that you’ve selected something with the simple statement, “I’ve got it!” Then the kids ask 20 questions to determine what the item is. The trick is that all answers must be a yes or a no, this way, the kids must phrase the questions in a specific way in order to get a yes or no answer.

This game is great practice for children to form questions in a structured way, and even better practice for them to take all the replies and deduce the answer. What a fun way to develop critical thinking skills!

We’ve talked a lot about the importance of literacy on this blog and how traditional children’s leisure activities (like reading a good book, for example) are on the decline in today’s digital playground.

That being said, children’s literacy scored a major victory this past weekend thanks to the release of the final Harry Potter book. Kids in all English-speaking nations turned off their TVs and logged off the Internet to hunker down with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was released this past Saturday morning at midnight.

Not that the popularity of the final Harry Potter book is that surprising. After all, the Harry Potter books are one of the biggest series ever. What is surprising, however, is that the book release and subsequent fan-demonium occurred only a mere week after the release of the fifth Harry Potter movie, The Order of the Phoenix.

Now, if we look at children’s recreational trends of the past few years, all signs should have indicated that the MOVIE would be more popular. After all, movies are part of the media-literate vernacular right along with iPods, video games, text messaging, computers, etc.

But, for one weekend, kids unplugged and the more traditional, and decidedly un-digital, activity of reading reigned in popularity.

Fans of all ages lined up in bookstores at midnight to buy the book and be the first on their block to find out what happens to Harry Potter and friends. In fact, this past weekend was a record-breaker in Canadian book sales.

Maybe the record-breaking weekend for reading happened because the book is the last in the much-loved series and has been promoted since JK Rowling announced the finale. Or maybe it was because it was the second weekend of the movie, but in either case, whatever gets children excited about reading and looking forward to reading is a good thing.

For the sake of children’s literacy everywhere, I hope that Rowling reconsiders and continues working her unique brand of literary magic—a magic that gets kids excited about reading.

Sand in your bathing suit, in your hair, in your sleeping bag…and in your keyboard?

Camping, to this generation’s children, is not what it used to be. Camping has changed so much over the years that wireless connection is now listed as a basic service at many campgrounds across North America. Electrical hook up, firewood, bathroom facilities, and now, wi-fi.

Call me old-fashioned, but I thought that the purpose of camping was to get away from it all—to reconnect with nature, and to be unavailable; disconnected, and to get back to nature.

The evolution (or de-evolution as the case may be) of summertime childhood activity is a popular subject these days. Kids spend more time than ever inside watching TV, playing video games, surfing the net. There are more than a few articles circulating in the media about what this means to traditional childhood, not to mention what all the plugged-in indoor time means to learning habits and social interaction.

Childhood is an ever-evolving landscape, but unfortunately, the new technologies and changing lifestyles are eroding traditional summer pastimes such as playing hide and seek, stargazing, bike riding, building tree houses, hopscotch…and camping.

The campsite is a place to get back to nature and re-discover how to long hours doing nothing more than using the imagination to keep amused. It’s a place to disconnect, to unplug, and to learn the simple pleasures that a childhood summer can bring.

Link: The Globe and Mail

A good word to know, and a particularly relevant word today, is: triskaidekaphobia.

Do you have this kind of phobia? You probably do if you are superstitious; triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13, or the fear of Friday the 13th. It just so happens that that is today’s date—a fact that you would be more than aware of if you happen to be triskaidekaphobic.

Link: Reference.com—word of the day