If We Could Only Test Character Traits?

Today many people in education are talking about the need to test students to be sure their academic skills are adequate. However, are we overlooking character skills just because they can’t be scored with a multiple choice scan tron test? While it is true that the world of business wants prospective employees who can read and write, it turns out they want that and a lot more. An organization called the National Association of Colleges and Employees works to provide colleges with information that which will make their graduates more employable. One measurement a college uses to entice students to attend their campuses is the percentage of students who are hired in their major after completing a degree. To help colleges meet this goal this group expends a lot of effort to find out what makes a person employable. Mimi Collins, spokeswoman for the National Association of Colleges and Employers, stated in the New York Times on August 4, 2002 “Employers very consistently cite good communication skills as important, both verbal and written. Honesty and integrity are second, teamwork skills are third, interpersonal skills fourth and a strong work ethic fifth. Employers are looking for people who can work together, which is one reason communication is the top skills, year in and year out. They look for all the getting-along skills.” This means that along with the push for academic skills, we can’t neglect the teaching of the life skills and character traits students will need to succeed in the business world.

Ethel Wegner, Ph.D., a teacher from Middleton High School in Wisconsin e-mailed this quote to me. She didn’t know the author, but I would still like to pass it along to you folks. If any of you know who to credit it to, send me the information.

“We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors…but they all have to learn to live in the same box.”

Lynne Hanby a prevention counselor in the Highline School District, Burien, Washington sent this e-mail to me so she could share what role activities play in her program.

“I can’t remember if I attended your seminar last year around this time or if it was two years ago. All I know is that it left a lasting impression. I have used your activities on several occasions, but I have now found a great use for them on a continuing basis. I am trying to put together a program called BRAD Grads. BRAD stands for Be Responsible About Drugs and the hope is that it will be an on-going project for the next several years. I want to start with 6^th graders and tell them the evils of alcohol and the effect it has on the body and brain. Then I will have those students learn about other drugs during the health classes. They will make posters and write letters for the High School seniors. This may sound like Prom Promises and it is based on that, yet the program in development is going to take the 6^th graders and follow them to graduation. Each year will have ongoing group activities. THIS is where your books come into play. I am conducting many of your activities to help positively reinforce the STAY SOBER policy of the BRAD Grads. I even used the activity “Connections” (from the book More Activities That Teach) in the 6^th grade presentation. This e-mail is to let you know that your activities continue to be used to help teach students, in a fun way, the dangers and effects of drugs. Thanks for writing such an inspiring book.”

If you have a program where my activities have played a role, send an e-mail and let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Here is part of an article from The Salt Lake Tribune, December 10, 2002. The headline of the article read, “Youthful Drinking Makes Kids ‘Dumb’ AMA Study Declares.” The article focuses on why alcohol advertising should be restricted on television. But I wanted to share the parts which talk about how the teenage brain is impacted by alcohol use. Here is part of the article.

“We’ve known for years that alcohol makes kids dead,” American Medical Association Vice President Michael Scotti said, releasing a report compiling two decades of research showing alcohol abuse can cause brain damage in youths. What we have here is evidenced that it makes them dumb.” Sandra Brown, chief of psychology services at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego cited research that compared brains scans and cognitive tests of underage alcohol abusers to nondrinkers. Drinkers had impaired memory and reasoning skills, and their hippocampi – the brain area that handles memory and learning – were about 10 percent smaller than in teetotalers. “What is clear,” she said, “is that alcohol takes a greater toll on developing brains than on adult brains; adults would have to consume twice as many drinks to suffer the same damage as adolescents.”

After reading this article I thought most teens can’t afford to give up 10 percent of their brain’s memory and reasoning area. They need to keep all of what they have! The message – If you want to keep all of your brain don’t drink until you are of the legal age to do so!

Title: Team Concentration

Topic Area: Problem Solving, Working Together

Concept: Working together to solve a problem is a skill that has much appeal in the business world. Even in our own families and classrooms there are many times where two heads are better than one. However, when more than one person is trying to solve a problem what is the best process to use to come to a solution? What happens if everyone wants to be the boss? Here is an activity where working together is a must if the challenge is to be successfully met.

Method: Classroom activity

Time Needed: 10 minutes plus discussion time

Materials Needed:

16 small (about one or two inches square) pieces of paper per team of four or five

Activity: On fifteen of the small pieces of paper, write the numbers 1-15. Put one number on each piece of paper. One piece of paper will be left blank. The paper must be thick enough that you can’t see the numbers when looking at the back of the paper. Divide your group into teams of three, four or five (the smaller the group, the more difficult the task). Give each team a set of the papers that you have written the numbers on. Now have the teams place the sixteen pieces of paper face down in the middle of the team. For younger groups, the papers should be placed in orderly rows. This will make memorizing their location easier. For older groups the papers may be placed randomly so it will be harder to remember where each piece of paper was located. The blank piece of paper is included so the last person will not have it too easy when making the final choice.

Now you are ready to begin. Explain that the teams have two to three minutes to turn over the pieces of paper one at a time and memorize the correct placement of the fifteen numbers, in order. To accomplish this they may turn over only one piece of paper at a time and must turn it back over before turning another piece of paper over. There may never be more than one number showing at a time. They may turn each piece of paper over as many times as they wish. However, the paper must always be placed back in the exact same position that it was in when they turned it over. They may not write down any information. The goal is that at the end of the two to three minute (this time can be adjusted for your particular group) time limit, the team will be able to turn over all fifteen pieces of paper in the correct numerical order. If you turn over an incorrect piece of paper, then the team must begin again with number one. The first time through, the challenge will be to turn them over correctly.

Repeat a second time, but first rearrange the pieces of paper. This time the challenge will be to do uncover them in the correct order in the shortest amount of time. Feel free to repeat either part of the activity to see if they can do a better job.

For younger kids simply make the teams larger, reduce then numbers from fifteen and extend the amount of time that you allow them to work on memorizing the correct order.

Discussion Ideas:

“What” Questions

How many numbers did you get correct?

What strategy did your team use to meet the challenge?

How successful did your strategy prove to be?

What would you do differently if you were to try this activity again?

“So What” Questions

Did everyone on your team contribute? Why or why not?

How can you be sure that everyone on the team has a voice in helping find a solution?

How did your team decide on a strategy to use?

What is meant by the phrase “Two heads are better than one”?

What happens when conflict arises when making a team decision?

What should you do if your team fails to solve the problem the first time they try it?

What role does communication play when trying to solve a problem?

“Now What” Questions

What are the benefits of having more than one person working on a problem?

How can you avoid conflict when making a group decision?

What steps can be taken to give everyone a chance to be heard in the group?

Title: Penny Pass

Topic Area: Success

Concept: In our lives we have certain situations, beliefs or actions that put up barriers for our success. These can be a number of things. If we want to quit smoking, maybe one of our barriers is that we hang around with people who smoke. If we do poorly in school maybe the barrier is not completing our homework every night. If we would like to go out for a sport but we are afraid of failing, then the barrier is our own attitude. If we are having trouble reaching a goal we have set, the barrier might be a lack of information. Some barriers in life are easier to overcome than others. If poverty or a poor home life is the barrier, then we have a much tougher time overcoming it. However, people have come from difficult backgrounds and still made a success out of their life so we know that these types of problems can be overcome. Once a person knows what is holding them back, it is much easier to attack the problem and solve it.

Method: Classroom activity

Time Needed: 10 minutes plus discussion time

Materials Needed:

10 pennies for each team of five to six people

A watch with a second hand on it

Activity: Divide your group into teams of five or six people on each team. Have each team stand sideways, shoulder-to-shoulder in a single file line. Give the first person ten pennies and have them place the pennies on the ground right in front of them. Explain that the challenge is to pass the pennies down the line. When a penny reaches the last person in line, they are to place it at their feet in front of them. The trick is that the penny must be passed by having the first person place the penny on the back of their hand and then passing it to the back of next person’s hand. The penny is passed down the line by pressing the back on one person’s hand to the back of the hand of the person next to them. The penny may not be touched by any part of the body except the back of the hand. The first person in line and the last person in line may use their other hand to take the penny off of the floor and to put the penny on the floor but they must pass or receive the penny only using the back of their hand. The first person may only pick up one penny at a time and each team member may only pass one penny at a time. If a penny falls to the ground while being passed, the person who was passing the penny may pick it up and try the pass again. Give them a few minutes to practice this process before you time them to see how fast they can move all of the pennies from one end of the line to the other. Record their times.

Now go to round two. In round two everything is the same except that the team members must keep their eyes closed. Once again let them practice and then time a round. Compare the time in round two with the time in round one.

For younger children, have them simply pass the pennies from hand-to-hand without worrying about using the back of their hands. Then for round two have them close their eyes.

Discussion Ideas:

“What” Questions

How hard was it to pass the penny with your eyes open? With your eyes closed?

Did your team drop any of the pennies? How many?

What was your team’s time in round one? In round two?

If you were to try this activity again, what would you do differently?

“So What” Questions

What made your time slower in round two?

Just as closing your eyes slowed you down in this activity, what are some things that slow you down when you try to reach your goals?

Does everyone have barriers that slow down their progress? Why or why not?

What types of barriers do people at our school have? In our community?

How can understanding what our barriers are help us to overcome them?

“Now What” Questions

How can we overcome our barriers?

Who can help remove the barriers that slow us down?

How can you help others with the barriers that they have?

There is a new article for parents on how to motivate their children to succeed in school. If you would like to view this article go to the Parents Corner.