The Obedience Trap

Yesterday I sat in a high school cafeteria and watched a group of 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders eat lunch. From my vantage point I observed the students file in, sit, wait to be told to line up, get their trays of (not very delectable looking) food, shovel it in, and leave again. Staff patrolled the room, routinely bellowing into a microphone to instruct these clearly not fully developed humans to eat quickly, tuck their shirts in and have their ID badges visible, lest they be sent to the office without any lunch for such a heinous misdemeanour. The kids did as they were told for the most part and any possible lunchtime disasters were avoided. A few weeks ago I saw a similar scene at an elementary school, where instead, the children had to eat in silence, place their heads on the table when they were finished, and be pulled up to stand facing the wall if they failed to obey. Neither were “bad” schools. They’re just schools, right?

I felt vaguely uncomfortable in both schools, witnessing both scenes, particularly that of the elementary school lunch hour. I wondered what would happen if we asked a group of adults to do the same? Meal times have historically, and most often culturally, been an opportunity for people to come together in an act of collaboration, sharing and connection. The act of eating is a sociable experience, where we are connected in our humanness. Dinner times in my childhood home were always spent as a family, where we would each recount our day, discuss plans, share worries, concerns, triumphs and joys. While this may sadly be a utopian ideal for many families these days, why can’t school lunchtimes present the same opportunities? Why can’t children use the time to talk with their peers, get up and move around the room after being sat at a desk all morning, eat in peace without someone still giving them instruction, or worse, policing them?

My school experience of lunchtimes was quite different, but I do remember the same rules, regulations and adult-imposed power that helped to make me a very compliant, well-behaved, obedient child. Being told off or shouted at would have been my worst nightmare, and was to be avoided at all costs. I can fairly confidently assert that I was a very good little girl, and have in turn become a pretty well behaved adult. As I ventured into entrepreneurialism and running a business in my twenties, and now again in my near-thirties, I wonder what detrimental impact all this obedience has had on my ability to think critically, create new ways of working, sell my ideas and be totally self directed in order to make money and an impact on the world in an untraditional way. With self awareness perhaps comes some hope of skirting the line of compliance, to derail at creative defiance of what’s “normal”, “acceptable” and “appropriate” that surely all entrepreneurs must do.

My fear is for the next generation. The ones who have to eat their lunch in silence. The ones who are so used to being yelled at that a raised voice holds no sway with them. The ones who can’t think for themselves or step out of rhythm, so unaware they are in a rhythm at all. If the job market continues its decline, and if more students cannot access higher education, the call for entrepreneurial thinking, skills and abilities will surely be even greater. These skills and concepts are not even taught in schools, and the whole education mindset of compliance, rule-following, and fact-swallowing factory lines actually negates against creative thinking, risk-taking and opportunism. Indeed, many employers state that ingenuity, teamwork, imagination, leadership, and generally thinking outside the box, are far more useful than qualifications and pieces of paper.

Should we be teaching entrepreneurialism in our schools? Or should the manner in which we teach everything seek to engender these critical skills? And why doesn’t it already? Are we so afraid as adults, teachers, and school officials that we will lose control if we allow children to think for themselves, that we maintain the status quo, despite all the evidence leaning to the urgency of teaching our children in a new way?

Tackling Bullying Beyond The Campaigns

As the US gears up for National Bullying Prevention Month throughout October, ahead of the UK’s National Anti-Bullying Week in November, many schools are raising awareness of the issue through special assemblies, anti-bullying workshops and staff training. This yearly focus on bullying is a great opportunity to ensure that the whole school community understands the importance the school places on tackling the issue, but does it go far enough?

Bullying affects children and young people of all ages, regardless of race, class or gender, and will occur at any time, in any place, both in and outside of school. Highlighting the issue once a year as a part of a national campaign is a good place to start, but as many victimized young people declare, help, support, and education is always needed. All schools should assess their reporting and monitoring procedures to ensure that systematic, responsive and coordinated efforts are implemented across the school, regardless of who is reporting bullying, and who is receiving the report.

A school-wide policy should outline how the school intends to prevent bullying and respond to it effectively, communicating this message to all staff and students alike. Staff should be aware of how to spot bullying, how to log a report, how and what sanctions should be implemented and the procedures for follow-up with victimized students, including regularly liaising with parents. Similarly, students should know what constitutes bullying, how to report incidents, and the repercussions for engaging in such behavior.

Anti-bullying policies must also reference the different forms of bullying, including cyber and homophobic, that occur in conjunction with or as subsets of more ‘traditional’ forms. Homophobic bullying has recently hit the headlines due to the devastating suicide of a young US boy, who was himself a victim of prolonged homophobic bullying. Homophobia and homophobic bullying can affect adults or young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), or not. A person may find himself on the receiving end of homophobic bullying because he does not conform to gender stereotypes, such as not participating in sports or having girls as friends instead of boys. Vicious, demeaning, and often prolonged repetitious attacks can leave young people feeling isolated and outcast, coupled with the shame of being a target of homophobia which can leave many young people suffering in silence.

At this time of year, Full Circle is working hard to raise awareness of the issue as many other schools and organizations are also, but we urge schools, parents and students to remember that bullying doesn’t stop when the campaigns are over.

Keeping the i-Generation Safe

As technology has become more accessible and imbedded in daily life, schools have rapidly found themselves dealing with the fallout of the abuse and misuse of the Internet, mobile phones and more. Most incidents of cyber bullying (bullying via technology) happen outside of school grounds, creating a legal grey area between whether this form of bullying is a school issue, or not, and therefore whether schools can be held accountable for inaction or for the harm that may come to pupils on the receiving end of such behavior. While some argue that any form of bullying affects children emotionally, therefore impacting on their ability to learn, others contend that they cannot police what happens outside of the remit of school.

Cyber bullying can be devastating for victims who are constantly bombarded with messages of hate, harassment and abuse. The 24/7, repetitious nature of cyber bullying can create an almost constant state of victimisation, particularly for young people whose lives revolve around social media and who find it difficult to disconnect. Deleting someone’s phone number or staying away from their Facebook account is not so simple. For some young people it is better to receive the abuse than to exist in a technologically disconnected world, not knowing what is being said about you, and to whom.

At Full Circle we believe cyber bullying, as any other form, becomes a school issue when it affects pupils. A young person in a state of fear and anxiety, who may be constantly looking over their shoulder to find the anonymous bearer of threats and hate, will not be learning or retaining information. Young people spreading hate and harassment also contribute to an overall climate of negativity and disconnection across the school. It is everyone’s collective responsibility to not only tackle these issues, but create environments where they cannot take root in the first place.

The effects of the misuse of technology in schools go deeper than just tackling cyber bullying. The Internet represents a potential connection to billions of people and things worldwide, offering both opportunities and dangers. Rarely were young people taught how to use the Internet safely, and navigate their way through the web of connectivity responsibly and respectfully. However, as we begin to realise the effects of not teaching children about using technology, the term ‘e-safety’ has become increasingly popular, as educators realise the importance of creating policies and curriculum to develop pupil’s awareness and online skills. One of the most important assets in this task often goes missed – pupil power. While young people are often the source of the problems we find ourselves dealing with, they can also be the solution. Peer to peer learning and young people advocating for positive change can be hugely powerful – potentially more so than children being told to do (or not to do) something by adults. In any effort to tackle cyber bullying and promote e-safety, consider utilising the power of your pupils. The “i-generation” are likely far more au fait with the technology than adults, and will be more aware of how other young people use, abuse and misuse the technology. Try explaining to a room full of 14 year olds the potential dangers of Facebook. And then imagine 18 year old pupils doing the same…

Any school seriously considering developing an e-safety policy and embedding safe technological conduct should consider creating an “e-council” in their school; a pupil-led task force to help direct all things technology. This group of knowledgeable, on-point pupils can teach e-safety sessions to younger pupils, develop advertising campaigns to remind the whole school community about the unacceptability of cyber bullying and staying safe online, (ensuring that these posters and information are placed near computers and in IT suites), advise senior management on the creation of anti-bullying, e-safety and IT acceptable use policies, and even assist with staff training. Your pupils will likely do a much better job of explaining the nuances of Facebook and social networking to staff than the head teacher! Your pupil e-council could even assist with delivering parent sessions on keeping their child safe at home when using technology – a crucial part of the e-safety puzzle, considering much of the Internet is monitored and blocked in school, but not so at home.

Regardless of how a school will go about teaching, raising awareness and promoting e-safety, what is of most importance is that educators do something to manage this issue, as technology is surely not going away. We are educating the “i-generation” who know nothing of a time pre-technology; we must balance their knowledge and ability with wisdom and awareness, so that they may navigate the virtual world respectfully, appropriately and legally.

Full Circle can assist your school in the development of an e-safety campaign. Contact us today to learn more about training, policy development and pupil workshops: info@myfullcircle.org

Inspiring Change, Engaging Potential

My travels this year have taken me to many countries in the Western world, which has led me to engage in numerous conversations with educators about formal education and education reform.  It transpires that the same issues we face in our schools and communities are the same issues faced by educators and other professionals across the Western world.  It raises the question why we all experience the same problems and why hasn’t the problem been recognised by those who have the potential to make a real difference.

Listening to Sir Ken Robinson speak recently about changing education paradigms made me reflect on my conversations with those educators on my travels.  How are we going to affect change when the purpose of education, as Ed De Bono states ‘is to make two thirds of people believe they are stupid’?  We are failing to provide an education system that inspires our children to reach their full potential.

We are entering a decade where legislators, politicians and educators alike are realising that education reform is necessary, but are we making innovative reforms that reflect the changing 21^st century, or are we rehashing the same old models and expecting different results?  Since August 2011 state education in the UK has been under the spotlight.  Following the riots that escalated throughout England, politicians and community leaders have been trying to understand where it all went wrong.  Politicians keep coming back to the failures of state education for what has been termed as ‘Broken Britain’ by the media and our leaders. In the past few days we have seen a wave of discussions from leading politicians referring to the reform of education.  But have they got it right?

We are seeing the introduction of free schools, an increase in academies and more recently discussions to make parents more responsible for their children’s attendance at school by cutting state benefits.  Are these reforms really the answer?  Children will still be attending establishments that are geared to achieving academic success rather than achieving potential, regardless of academic ability, and they still encourage children to study subjects that are chosen for them and not by them.  Forcing parents to either send children to school or lose benefits does not engage children in their learning, it simply means that they are in the school environment.  These recent discussions about education appear to be knee jerk reactions to incidents that revealed the problems faced by communities.

We are seeing a generation of children who are failing to be stimulated to recognise the potential within themselves by those who educate them.  When are we going to realise that all children are different, they have different abilities, different passions and different expectations, and as such learn differently and want different things from education.  Only when we understand and realise this will we make a real change.

We need education systems that inspire change in individuals and engage their true potential.

The Purpose of Education

We often refer to the three Rs in education in relation to academia and the importance of reading, writing and arithmetic skills.  It is true that if we want to produce a skilled and effective future workforce we need to educate the next generation in the skills required to become productive workers.  Over the past few decades educational approaches across the world have placed a high level of importance on academic success; often through the completion of end of year/school life examinations.  What we see as educators, but fail to address, is the pressure this places on young people to succeed, often to the detriment of their emotional development and well-being.

I recently had the fortune of hearing Dr Stephen Biddulph deliver a keynote speech at a conference addressing mental health and well-being in schools.  He made a statement that provoked much thought, pointing out that education establishments began to flourish at the turn of the nineteenth century, as the Industrial Revolution took hold.  He went on to explain that these early educational establishments were set up to provide a place for children to be safeguarded whilst parents went out to work in factories.  Those in charge of classrooms were seen as mentors as well as educators, providing guidance – in the absence of parents – to ensure children grew into responsible adults who were prepared to enter the workforce and be active and responsible citizens in their communities.

Throughout the ages we have seen education adopt the philosophy that children need to be mentored and given guidance to prepare them for adult life.  Even back to the times of ancient Greece young boys were mentored by older role models through adolescence, providing guidance and teaching them to become emotionally literate, skilled workers and academically successful; ensuring they raised young boys to become active and responsible adults who moved the economy forward and upheld the moral standing of civilisation.

Educators are beginning to once again see the importance of providing guidance to young people to become responsible citizens, not only within their local community but responsible global citizens.  The onset of technology has made the world a smaller place and individuals can easily communicate with others on the other side of the world at a touch of a button.  The advancement of technology has also brought about discussion and debate of global warming and the depletion of the world’s natural resources.  We are beginning to witness reforms in education which set to address these much debated issues, in particular to prepare young people to become responsible global citizens.  Understanding their role in the world and the responsibility they have to themselves, others, and the world needs to taught alongside social and emotional learning.  Young people must become emotionally literate and understand their own needs, values and behaviours before they can become responsible citizens who strive to support the growth of economies and uphold the moral standing of civilisation.

Raising globally responsible citizens requires guidance and mentoring to support the growth of emotionally stable and resilient individuals who are capable of maintaining their own well-being, support their fellow citizens, and taking responsibility for the growth of economies and the protection of the natural environment.

Educators must realise that we need to begin teaching a different set of “’” to our children if we are to achieve our goal of raising healthy, responsible citizens; the three R’s of respect, responsibilities and relationships.

Building Social Capital

Interesting research presented in the Stanford Social Innovation Review talks of the ‘missing link’ in education reform, (The Missing Link in School Reform; Leana, 2011). The writer suggests that the current focus on improving individual teacher effectiveness misses a crucial component in improving overall school and student effectiveness. The current emphasis on what the research presents as “human capital”, i.e. teacher qualification, skill, experience, and length of service (equalling an increased level of proficiency in the classroom) does not necessarily improve student results. Indeed, research suggests that increased teacher qualification does not yield any significant increase in student achievement.  It is suggested that instead of improving the individual teacher and increasing human capital, we should focus on the creation and development of “social capital”. Leana writes, “social capital is not a characteristic of the individual teacher but instead resides in the relationships among teachers.”

Developing social capital has been found to have a direct correlation on the improvement of student test scores and academic proficiency – the act of teachers reaching out to one another, collaborating and connecting to develop peer learning and mentoring to better meet the needs of students can surely only help. One would hope that this act of collaboration and connection between staff would also develop an overall climate of relationship. What appears to be missing from this article, or goes unsaid, is the crucial importance of relationship in general, not just to raise student scores.  If a teacher has built a relationship of some depth with a child, there is a greater likelihood that the child (and his parents) will feel able to reach out for help and support, ask questions, be less afraid to make mistakes or try something which feels risky – all important components for achievement. This child develops a formative relationship of crucial importance – in his early childhood this teacher represents a major role model and life coach. The teacher-student relationship also helps children to build an overall relationship with learning, fostering what we would hope would be a lifelong connection to the process of learning and growing, for the pleasure and satisfaction of doing so, not just for the process of acquiring knowledge and facts. When children develop this relationship with learning they begin to initiate self-led education, discovering far more and developing critical thinking skills.

Not only is student-teacher relationship important, but also student-student. Issues of poor behaviour, relationship breakdown and bullying all speak of the poor emotional climate and lack of focus on relationships across the school. When any incident of behaviour occurs, it is relationships that are affected.   Schools that fail to see the importance of relationships or fail to invest time and resources into them will feel the effects as they struggle to continually deal with the fallout.

This building of social capital and relationships across the school will only help to develop well rounded students, not only knowledgeable and able to pass tests, but emotionally literate and socially aware. At Full Circle we believe in the importance of developing emotional climate and relationship based learning. All of our programs, training and support for schools is underpinned with this philosophy of supporting the whole to create individual change. Contact us at info@myfullcircle.org to learn more.

Reforming the Idea of Education Reform

Tonight Full Circle attended an event hosted by The Mind Trust in Indianapolis, Indiana, showcasing the very best educational reform organizations and ideas, with the intent of participants deciding how to allocate $100,000 donated by Indiana University Health to these organizations. The New Teacher Project, Teach for America, Summer Advantage and College Summit were among the amazing organizations present, and it was inspiring to hear about all of the collective efforts being made to tackle the state of education in the US.

Lately, as I ponder the direction Full Circle will take, and explore how we want to grow our business, I have been thinking about my own experience of schooling. I attended a pretty average primary school in the UK, and a nice high school in a middle class neighborhood whose students did pretty well for the most part — most graduating and going on to higher education. I’m no genius, but I found school pretty easy. I was good at writing, I loved to read, and the other stuff, like history and art, was mostly a breeze. Math and science, however, was never my bag, and I still struggle to know how much tip to leave in restaurants…but I get by. I passed all my exams. I went on to university. I got a degree. I got a job. I went back to college and got more qualifications. Pretty average, right? From this vantage point, yes, the education system did not fail me. I am a success story.

And then I think about how I felt most mornings on the bus to school. I remember how I used to tell myself if I thought the day was going to be hideously horrible, it might not live up to my expectations and just be mildly bad. I remember how bored and unstimulated I felt in class. How I had no personal relationships with any of my teachers, because they were there to impart knowledge to 30+ kids in one hour, and there was no time for niceties or talking about life outside the walls of the classroom. I remember how inexplicably stressed I felt studying for exams, because from year 9 onwards (age 13/14) all I heard about was passing the standardized tests that came at age 16, and then again at 18. Everything was geared to this passing of exams. I am extremely grateful to say that I never got bullied at school, I had nice friends, and I came from a strong family and home life that supported me. So why was my experience of school so far from what it could be? Why do I still have that Sunday night feeling sometimes that takes me right back to age 12?

One might argue that I wasn’t there to enjoy school, or to make friends with teachers, or to do fun things. But why not? I spent 16 years, 20 if I count the further study I completed after university, in education. Learning. Taking on knowledge. And most of that wasn’t a truly positive experience. I rarely felt ignited with passion, or as if I were engrossed in what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi terms “flow”. I didn’t grasp the connection between my learning and the fulfillment of my potential. I didn’t feel a connection at all.

I have a feeling others I know feel the same way about their experience of school. I am not alone. And I was lucky; I didn’t have the added complexities of an abusive home, divorced parents, ill health, difficulties in concentrating or storing information. Why do we keep doing the same things and expecting different results? Why can’t school be a truly exciting experience, where young people actually build a love of learning, for the pure joy of knowing and understanding something, not just to pass exams?

I loved hearing tonight about all the exciting organizations determined to reform education, but I wonder if something is missing. High quality teachers are crucial, summer schooling, access to higher education, a collective voice to advocate for policy reform – they all create better schools. But shouldn’t we start with the very fundamentals of what “school” means? Why does school have to mean an 8.30-3.30 day? Why does it have to mean sitting silently in rows? Why does it mean we all have to be filled with the same academic knowledge so we all know the same answers to the same questions? The world is changing, and education needs to change with it. This is not just a call for reform; this is a call for overhaul. This is the work Full Circle will be engaged in: revolutionizing a school and system at a time, for those brave enough to come with us, and eventually for all others who realize there is no other way. Change is coming. Join us.

Hello!

Welcome to the Full Circle blog. Full Circle is a dynamic company, created with the purpose of revolutionizing education. We offer training, resources and consultancy services to support schools and other youth or education focused organizations to meet the needs of children and young people, and inspire them to reach their potential. This blog will document our thoughts, musings, ideas and steps forward to help you achieve this.

We believe in the importance of education, and of the importance of creating a strong next generation, whose values are aligned with social action, community connection, compassion for others and care for the world around them. It is our hope that the adults of the future will not only be able to answer math problems, write essays and complete history quizzes, but be emotionally literate citizens, able to communicate and build relationships, using critical thinking skills and positive leadership to solve the problems of the future we can’t yet even imagine.

For most children, our education systems work just fine, and they pass the exams they need to pass and graduate school at a level of competency that is generally accepted as “good enough” for entry into adulthood and the world of work. But is “just fine” and “good enough” the best we can do? And what about the other – now growing – percentage of children whose needs are not met by our traditional school systems? Whose chaotic homes, physical and emotional needs, learning styles, and personalities don’t mesh with sitting still in a classroom, learning facts and being lectured to?

Full Circle is ready to help those schools and organizations who know they’re ready for change. They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results! The way we educate our children has changed little in the past hundred years, and yet we now expect our children to know more, do more and be able to cope in a far more advanced, fast-paced world.

The time has come for change….are you with us?