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Learning styles & the importance of critical self-reflection | Tesia Marshik | TEDxUWLaCrosse

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Learning Styles Again: VARKing up theright tree!

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Learning Styles Again: VARKing up theright tree!

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Good Thinking! — Sending "Learning Styles" Out of Style

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Optional: Include email address or name here

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and a teacher's reflection on implementation

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All screen shots, links, and information borrowed from: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/

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The Five Love Languages (Children’s) Profile Quiz

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The Five Love Languages (Children’s) Profile Quiz

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Recommendation: May want to edit verbiage or remove some questions depending on the setting and level of your students.

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How do you teach?

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This VARK Teachers' Preferences Questionnaire is a companion to the VARK: How do I learn? questionnaire. The development of this Questionnaire recognises the contribution of Marie Hunsinger, RN at Geisinger Medical Center, USA.

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Questionnaires and Strategies

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Online Learning: Our new page on Online Learning provides advice for both teachers and students who are starting out with online learning.

Academic Profiles (available after filling in the VARK Questionnaire) have been updated to include personalized guidance related to online learning.

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Online Learning: Our new page on Online Learning provides advice for both teachers and students who are starting out with online learning. Academic Profiles (available after filling in the VARK Questionnaire) have been updated to include personalized guidance related to online learning.

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Due by January 31, 2019

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Flexible Classrooms: Research Is Scarce, But Promising

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Flexible Classrooms: Research Is Scarce, But Promising

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There are plenty of studies that isolate the effects of light, acoustics, or air quality on learning. But the research on flexible classrooms is frustratingly scarce.

There are good reasons for the apparent lack of interest. Variables like natural light and acoustics lend themselves to single-factor experiments that can be conducted in a laboratory setting. Give subjects a task to complete in a room with ample windows, for example, and then administer the same test in a room without them.

But flexible classrooms are complex, living systems. One flexible space looks nothing like the next, and often dozens of children and one or more teachers operate within them, pushing and pulling furniture into novel configurations, dimming or turning up lights, and otherwise reshuffling things to suit an almost infinite variety of personal preferences. Studying flexible classrooms, it would seem, means circulating among real children.

Despite the challenges, an ambitious effort to study the design of lived-in classrooms, including looking at hard-to-define factors like flexibility, was completed in 2015 by the University of Salford, in the United Kingdom. Researchers put in the legwork, visiting 153 classrooms in 27 schools across the country-from small, remote village schools to much larger suburban buildings on the outskirts of metropolitan London. In the end, the effect of classroom design on academic performance was studied across 3,766 British children aged 5 to 11.

"We were trying to take a holistic perspective," explained Peter Barrett, the lead researcher and now an honorary research fellow at the University of Oxford. "In other words, we were trying to look at spaces as experienced by people. So this isn't just air quality, this isn't just temperature, or an effort to measure the factors separately. This is the whole lot together."

The Findings

The study looked at three dimensions of classroom design: naturalness (factors like light and temperature), stimulation (factors like color and visual complexity), and individualization (factors like flexibility and student ownership).

The big insight? Optimizing all of these physical characteristics of primary classrooms improved academic performance in reading, writing, and mathematics by 16 percent. The personalization of classrooms-including flexibility, which Barrett defined as "student choice within the space"-accounted for a full quarter of that improvement.

Another way to look at it: When isolated from other measured factors, classroom flexibility is about as important as air quality, light, or temperature in boosting academic outcomes.
Katherine Madden
Barrett's team singled out the effectiveness of learning zones-"a reading area, a wet area, usually a carpet area for whole-class activity, tables usually in blocks of four or six"-and made special note of unique classroom shapes, which seem to allow for easier partitioning of the space. But the study doesn't prescribe fixed solutions, setting out loose guidelines instead. When I described American flexible classrooms, which are even more individualized than their British counterparts, Barrett agreed that the Salford findings applied.

A few insights surprised even the researchers. Flexible, welcoming spaces had a startlingly large effect on learning in math- 73 percent of the students' progress that was attributed to classroom design was traced back to flexibility and student ownership. The reasons are a mystery, but Barrett and his team hazarded a guess: Academic subjects that provoke anxiety-in math, that's a known issue -are better addressed in classrooms that feel comfortable and familiar to students.

And some of the air quality data came as a shock. Despite a 2015 Harvard study that showed steady declines in higher-order thinking when carbon dioxide levels exceed 500 parts per million-the gas is a by-product of human breathing, for those who've forgotten their biology-the researchers consistently recorded levels over six times that high in a classroom they observed. That's alarming-and fixable.

"If air quality is OK at the start of the class, it won't be by the end unless you do something," according to Barrett. "It's an absolute fact. So you have to open a window or a door. But you have to do something."

Form, Function, and Flexibility

So will lugging new furniture into your room improve student outcomes? Do Hokki stools and throw pillows drive up test scores?

The answer is no.

Barrett thinks it's the old dictum that form follows function at work: Flexible classrooms are successful because they go hand in hand with a change in pedagogy. That conclusion never fails to emerge in teacher-led discussions on Edutopia. Flexible spaces, educators agree, alter the fundamental dynamics of teaching and learning, giving students more control and responsibility, improving academic engagement, and undermining the typical face-forward orientation of the traditional learning environment.

In other words, it's not the inert fact of the furniture itself-the new couch in the center of the room or the standing desk near the window-but the dynamic use of the space by the teacher and students that pays, in the end. Changing the layout of your classroom will almost certainly have no impact at all-if you don't change your teaching too.

The takeaway: Flexibility, combined with characteristics like acoustics and air quality, has a real impact on student achievement. If used properly, flexible classrooms produce better academic outcomes among primary school children than more traditional, static classroom designs.

The author of this article is the chief content officer at Edutopia. You can follow him on Twitter @smerrill777.

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Flexible Classrooms: Research Is Scarce, But Promising

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An ambitious study of 153 classrooms in the United Kingdom provides the best evidence that flexible spaces can boost academic performance.

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16 Awesome Flexible-Seating Classrooms That’ll Blow Your Teacher Mind

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16 Awesome Flexible-Seating Classrooms That’ll Blow Your Teacher Mind

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Have you heard of flexible-seating in the classroom? Good chance your answer is "uh, yeah" or "who hasn't!". Many teachers are decking out their learning spaces with this new student-centered style. Instead of the traditional classroom with rows and rows of desks, teachers are testing the waters with a variety of seating arrangements. And guess what, IT WORKS!

Stools, stability balls, bean bags, couches, rockers, plastic bins, you name it. Students love it, and that's exactly what flexible-seating is about. Happier kids > healthier kids > better engagement > better results. What's there to beat? The facts don't lie. Physical activity has been proven over and over again, to improve academic performance. If kids can't sit still for 8 hours straight, then maybe we shouldn't expect them to!

Not convinced yet? Check out these awesome classrooms, and tell us your thoughts after!

1. The "Mustache Island" classroom at The Kindergarten Smorgasboard makes the top of the list!

Via: Instagram

Advice from Greg at the Kindergarten Smorgasboard:

"This isn't a Pinterest worthy room where everything is coordinated and matching. Things aren't perfect. AND THAT IS OK! Please don't put pressure on yourself to have a Pinterest perfect classroom. Make it work for you and THE KIDS!"

2. This Pinterest-ready classroom has comfy written all over it!

Via: Christine Shiel

According to Dieter Breithecker at Germany's Federal Institute for Posture and Mobilisation Support, flexible seating can remedy students' fatigue, as the brain activity slows down when the body becomes stationary. It also encourages collaboration and a sense of responsibility among students.

Via: Instagram

You can read more about her journey into the amazing world of education on her blog. Follow her on Instagram for more awesome photos of her classroom.

4. Kayla, at Teach Like You Mean It, not only nails the flexible seating classroom, but she could even win some interior design awards with this classroom!

Via: Instagram

Rustic and cozy, she makes her classroom feel like home, and her students love it. I mean, how can they not! Follow her on Instagram, and if you like her style, go check out her TpT store!

5. The Running Mom1115 keeps it simple but flexible as can be.

Via: The Running Mom 1115

6. Ashley Broomfield has taken flexible seating to another level!

Via: Instagram

This 1st-grade teacher, Ashley Broomfield had been teaching for 13 years before she decided to switch to a flexible-seating classroom. Not only did it make a huge difference on the kids' focus, but they also learned to take responsibility and be more autonomous. Win-win!

7. The Unique Classroom is kicking' up her feet, and she deserves to with this awesome learning space!

Via: Instagram

The Unique Classroom is run by Amy, a 3rd-grade teacher, and not only do we love her flexible-seating classroom, her #TeachersFeetUpFriday posts are too cool to miss.

Via: Instagram

Amy has also seen a lot of improvement in her classroom since integrating flexible-seating. The kids rotate a lot at the beginning of the year, in order to find what works best for them. Again, they are in control, and they're able to behave much better when feeling responsible.

9. Welcome to Setting Up For Second's classroom, pick your seat!

Setting Up For Second has a very neat flexible-seating classroom. Inside, you'll find low tables, bean bag chairs, pillows, and high tables at which students can work while standing up. After experimenting with stability balls in the classroom, she realized they weren't a good fit for her students, and opted them out. This is a great reminder that flexible-seating is not for everyone, and what works in a teacher's classroom might not in yours.

10. Make yourself at home with Easy Teaching Tools' cozy classroom!

Via: Instagram

Not only does Kristen at Easy Teaching Tools have an amazing looking classroom, but she's also the author behind this awesome blog, where you'll find all types of inspiration and ideas for your classroom.

Via Instagram

A Kindergarten for Life makes her classroom a little home for her students each year. She's purchased rockers from Walmart, and the kids love them!

12. This classroom puts the "flexible" inside Flexible Seating!

Via: Pinterest

"Simple in-class activities can boost performance. Studies suggest that children who participate in short bouts of physical activity within the classroom have more on-task behavior, with the best improvement seen in students who are least on-task initially." - a paper by Matthew T. Mahar, et al

13. This First Grade classroom in Nampa, Idaho was the first in the school to try flexible seating, last year. Since then, the majority of the classrooms in the school now use flexible seating!

These photos were taken from Mrs. Plummer's blog. She has spent a lot of time researching the effects of classroom design on student performance, which led her to the concept of flexible seating. According to her research, alternative seating does all of the following:

Helps students' attention spans.

Makes students more actively engaged in the classroom.

Gives them an active outlet without disrupting their learning.

Makes them more physically fit.

Motivates students to want to come to school.

Helps those with ADHD and autism, along with other special needs.

Helps develop a sense of community among the students which improves their social skills.

Helps them become independent learners.

Is LOVED by both the students and teachers.

14. Flexible-seating encourages collaboration in the classroom!

Via: Flexible Learning Spaces

Flexible Learning Spaces has great examples of different flexible-seating arrangements and provides teachers with some great ideas on how they can implement this new trend into their own classroom.

15. Welcome to Club Flex VIP Seating!

Via: Pinterest

"Students feel more involved in the classroom, and the classroom has become 'OURS', not 'MINE' anymore." - Julie A.

16. Even Laundry Baskets, Bins & Tubs all work as alternative seating!

Via: Happy Little Hearts

Via: Handy Occupational Therapy

Via: Homeschooling

Transform a plastic storage bin into a personal "boat", and sail away! You wouldn't believe how awesome these work with the young ones for alternative seating, especially when you need students to calm down and set boundaries on personal space.

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16 Awesome Flexible-Seating Classrooms That'll Blow Your Teacher Mind | Bored Teachers

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Have you heard of flexible-seating in the classroom? Good chance your answer is "uh, yeah" or "who hasn't!". Many teachers are decking out their learning spaces with this new student-centered style. Instead of the traditional classroom with rows and rows of desks, teachers are testing the waters with a variety of seating arrangements.

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Learning Preferences & the Online Learner

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Learning Preferences & the Online Learner

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Lockridge holds an EdS in Curriculum and Instruction, an MS in Elementary Education, and a BA in History. She also homeschools her children.

This article will discuss the types of learning preferences, tendencies of each type of learner and ways that teachers can structure the online course to effectively teach to a range of student preferences. This is part 1 in a three-part article series.

Effective Online Classroom Techniques

Clearly not all students learn best through the same teaching methods; what makes sense to one student may not make sense to another. Just as teachers in the traditional classroom must vary teaching techniques and types of classroom activities to suit the needs of each student, online instructors and course creators should consider how to relate course material best in the online format.

Carson suggests that teachers tend to teach students in the matter that they prefer to learn and asserts that despite the mixture of learning preferences in the classroom, "no one approach or single presentation style maximizes learning for all students". How then, should course creators structure the online classroom and learning activities to appeal to all learning preferences while not giving preference to one learning style over another? This article discusses the tendencies of adult learners and how the concept of learning preferences should be implemented in the online classroom.

Understanding the Online Learner

The phrase" learning preference" refers to the tendency for a student to prefer one teaching style to another. The concept of learning preferences does not view one method as good or bad, but rather it refers to the way a student responds to the stimuli and how he interprets the material.

Murphy and Cifuentes further remind course instructors and designers to consider the technological skills of the adult learner. Hillman, Willis and Gunawardena as cited in Murphy and Cifuentes note, "until students are able to use technology tools effectively, they can not [sic] proceed in their online learning". Del Valle and Duffy suggest that computer skill and knowledge alone do not indicate course success. In their report, Del Valle and Duffy discuss difference in adult learners regarding their learning type, and make assumptions on how successful a student will be based on his work patterns, habits, and learning preference; time online is often indicative of how well a student will do in the course, however it is not the only contributing factor.

Chen, Lambert, and Guidry suggest that hybrid courses, which utilize traditional methods and online resources, have "a significant positive impact on learning outcomes, with hybrid courses having a greater impact". Olgren, as cited in Murphy and Cifuentes isolates three features that influence distance learners to succeed: cognitive learning strategies, meta-cognitive activities, and motivation.

The online learning environment allows students to take control over their learning experience and become more engaged than in the traditional teacher-directed classroom. Although the online classroom allows students the opportunity to be more engaged, Lim notes that instructors cannot assume that students will engage themselves and want to learn. It is therefore necessary for instructors to provide students with the opportunity to become engaged in the learning process to stimulate the best learning opportunities.

Just as traditional teachers should provide directions in the classroom, Rovia and Grooms remind online instructors to provide students with specific instructions. Specific instructions appeal to the Myers-Brigg's sensing-feeling and sensing-thinking personality types. "The implication for practice is that an online course can achieve equity in learning for all personality-based learning styles provided the course is designed to include elements that would appeal to each student," notes Rovai and Grooms.

Interestingly, Rovia and Grooms found that there was no significant difference in coursework success between those of different preferences. Although they admittedly did not explore the role that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation played in course success, they noticed that the flexibility of course structure appealed to some type of students more than others did.

Moore as cited in Murphy and Cifuentes generalizes that distance learners are highly diverse, motivated, and task-oriented. What non-millennial adult learners may lack in technological skills often needed for online classrooms, they make up for in application and life experience. Discussion board assignments, where students collaborate, generate responses and discuss opinions allow older students to inform and support younger students.

References

Carson, D. (2009). Is style everything? Teaching that achieves its objectives. Cinema Journal, 48(3), 95-101. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from Research Library. doi: 1876730441 Chen, P.D., Lambert, A.D., and Guidry, K.R. (2010). Engaging online learners: The impact of web-based learning technology on college student engagement. Computers & Education, 54(4), 1222-1223. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.11.008 Del Valle, R., & Duffy, T. (2009). Online learning: Learner characteristics and their approaches to managing learning. Instructional Science, 37(2), 129-149. doi: 1894693521 Lim, C. (2004). Engaging learners in online learning environments. TechTrends, 48(4), 16-23. Retrieved December 6, 2011, from Career and Technical Education. doi: 2386159851. Murphy, K.L. & Cifuentes, L. (2001). Using Web tools, collaborating, and learning online. Distance Education, 22(2), 285-305. doi: 98666700). Rovai, A., & Grooms, L. (2004). The relationship of personality-based learning style preferences and learning among online graduate students. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 16(1), 30-47. doi:1975935191

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Learning Preferences & the Online Learner - Part 1

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Lockridge holds an EdS in Curriculum and Instruction, an MS in Elementary Education, and a BA in History. She also homeschools her children. This article will discuss the types of learning preferences, tendencies of each type of learner and ways that teachers can structure the online course to effectively teach to a range of student preferences.

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Classroom Seating Considerations for 21st Century Students and Faculty

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Classroom Seating Considerations for 21st Century Students and Faculty

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While many iconic features of traditional classrooms have been sidelined over the past decade - less blackboards, more whiteboards, bulky textbooks supplanted by laptops or iPads - the classroom desk has shown real staying power. And why not? There is something orderly, functional and maybe even comforting about students sitting behind rows and rows of desks all facing the teacher.

And for new educators especially, messing with the classroom furniture could invite additional classroom misbehaviors - not exactly a priority item on their to-do list during the first week of school.

When Kayla Delzer, a 3rd grade teacher in Mapleton, North Dakota, began her teaching career nine years ago, she may not have been quite ready to "ditch the desk," but she had plans for them.

"I didn't like the rows of individual desks," she recalls, "They didn't really help the way I wanted to teach, how I wanted my students to interact and work together." Delzer immediately rearranged them into groups of desks, or "pods" as she calls them, to create a more collababorative, less-siloed classroom.

In the 2015-16 school year, Delzer went the distance. The classroom desks were gone, replaced by standing tables, stability balls, crate seats, couches, and beanbag chairs.

Her inspiration? Starbucks and college lounges - spaces where students can sit comfortably and still concentrate on their work. "I just began to wonder, 'why can't my classroom look like this?'"

But why should it? Isn't this just change for change's sake? Doesn't replacing classroom desks with coffeehouse furniture fall under 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it?'

But it is broken, says Delzer.

"Classrooms need to look different from how they did one hundred years ago, but we're still seeing rows and rows of desks. The skills students need these days - 21st Century skills - can't really be taught properly in a classroom where you have created islands of desks," she explains.

Although standing desks have become a visible presence in classrooms, educators have more ambitious plans. Oskar Cymerman, a high school science teacher in Minneapolis, also invokes the almighty coffeehouse chain in his decision to redesign his classroom, and he urges every educator to at least consider "reimagining" their own.

In a Teaching Channel post written in August, Cymerman argues that the "Starbucks environment" can promote the freedom and movement necessary to reinvogorate classrooms to create more room for collaboration, creativity and problem-solving:

I've become convinced that traditional educational settings dull the senses. We know that breaks and interruptions after periods of focused activity actually help in learning, yet we ask our students to sit still for an hour or more with little freedom of movement....I've come to the conclusion that desks promote compliance, while coffee shop-style seating encourages community-building through increased and intentional emphasis on communication and collaboration. "

While the idea of modeling a classroom on a Starbucks coffeeshop may elicit skepticism (and even a few groans), the move to more flexible seating is grounded in research that points to real gains in student health and classroom engagement.

The Flexibility of a Deskless Classroom

Holly Albrecht was equipped with this research (specifically findings by the Mayo Clinic on the effects of sitting on student obesity) when she made the pitch to the district superintendent as she prepared to move to Hartland South Elementary School in Waukesha, WI, five years ago.

Albrecht's interest in redesigning her classroom was sparked at Hartland North by a student with ADD who couldn't stop fidgeting in his chair. "He wasn't able to sit still, and was having a really hard time staying on task and being engaged," she recalls.

So Albrecht tied an exercise band around the legs of the desk, which enabled the student to bounce a little without distracting the other students. The change was immediate. Just that little movement helped him stay more engaged.

"From that point on," Albrecht says," I thought more about changing the entire classroom." After the superintendent gave her the green light, Albrecht went to work.

Cafe tables and chairs, a couch, pilate balls and hokki stools. were moved in and the desk were moved out. Being able to choose where in the classroom they learn - sitting on a stool, on the couch, in groups on the rug - has improved concentration and engagement.

Five years later, Albrecht hasn't looked back and her colleagues have followed her lead.

"Every teacher has changed their learning spaces. If you walk through our school today, you won't see a desk anywhere," Albrecht says.

Which is not to say that they all mirror Albrecht's classroom. Each space is configured differently, depending on what works for the teacher and, more importantly, for the students. This flexibility is central to the appeal of a more open learning environment.

Lauren Cluff takes an approach that is best summed up as "accommodate as needed." An elementary school teacher in Mesa, Arizona, Cluff swapped out desks for tables four years ago to foster more group work. The tables are arranged along the perimeter of the classroom, freeing up a large space in the middle where a rug and an assortment of cushions reside. A couch sits near the back of the classroom.

Overall, says Cluff, her arrangement seems to be a practical middle ground.

"I've seem photographs of these beautiful classrooms that look more like homes, but I sometimes have as many as 37 kids in my classroom," says Cluff. A complete classroom makeover with multiple seating arrangements would undoubtedly be a challenge.

For Cluff, it's the openness of her classroom that provides the collaborative space and the ease of movement to keep students "awake and engaged."

How It Can Backfire

Cluff is quick to point out that her redesign wasn't expensive. Replacing classroom desks with more flexible seating can be a budget-buster.

Hokki stools and new couches can be costly, but Kayla Delzer urges interested educators to look at less-expensive options, such as yoga or bath mats and crate seats. A lot can also be done with existing classroom furniture. For example, take the legs of a table and lay it on the floor surrounded by pillows. Some educators use bed-risers to turn desks into makeshift standing desks.

Money isn't the only obstacle. Teachers will likely face a level of skepticism from parents, says Albrecht.

"There was a little work to be done in getting them on board, but once they saw the classroom and heard from the kids how much they were enjoying school, their reservations disappeared pretty quickly," she recalls.

Beyond these challenges, any educator looking to ditch the desk should keep in mind one straightforward but supremely important fact: Furniture is still just furniture. That is, replacing desks with pilate balls and sofas won't accomplish much of anything unless the teacher is prepared for the change.

In fact, says Delzer, making the switch may backfire. It's not just an issue of having top-notch classroom management skills (though this is critical), but educators must be ready to surrender a degree of authority.

"A shift in mindset is necessary, more so in the teacher than in the student," she explains. "You're going from a teacher-centered classroom to a student-centered classroom. You have to let go of some of power. That can hold teachers back."

That important step, if taken, is the first in a process that can produce a more dynamic learning space for students, one that isn't compatible with "24 islands of desks," says Delzer.

"I know my kids are more engaged, more motivated, and more productive. The improvement I saw in a lot of the skills that I care about - communication, collaboration, determination and perseverance - came about only because we switched to flexible seating."
Top Photo: Kaia Lea Photography

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Farewell Desks, Here Come the 'Starbucks Classrooms'

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While many iconic features of traditional classrooms have been sidelined over the past decade - less blackboards, more whiteboards, bulky textbooks supplanted by laptops or iPads - the classroom desk has shown real staying power. And why not? There is something orderly, functional and maybe even comforting about students sitting behind rows and rows of desks all facing the teacher.

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Top 10 Benefits of a Flexible-Seating Classroom

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Top 10 Benefits of a Flexible-Seating Classroom

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Two, four, six, eight, what do we appreciate? A good listicle! Especially when evaluating an educational trend, like the shift to flexible seating in K-12 classrooms.

As part of our series on that topic, we've combed through a heap of online data and compiled the ten biggest benefits (in our opinion) of flexible seating. Help yourself to dos or nearly the full dozen, as you educate teachers, administrators, students and parents on why this trend isn't a passing fidget-spinner-fad.

In fact, we see it as critical to enhancing learning across all ages. Plus, educators report that flexible seating is making their careers more enjoyable. To learn easy ways to incorporate flexible seating in the classroom, take a look at the 5 steps to flexible seating in the classroom.

Why Flexible Seating?

Students feel empowered by having some degree of choice and control over their environment. Flexible seating allows students to choose where they work and with whom. It also allows them to change their location and positions as needed.

Kayla Delzer, is the author of the popular 2015 EdSurge story, "Why the 21st-Century Classroom May Remind You of Starbucks." In a 2016 follow-up story on Edutopia, she says giving students choices about their physical classroom space teaches them higher-order thinking skills.

"Outside the windows of our classroom is a dynamic, fast-paced, and ever-changing world full of choices. How can we expect our students to solve problems and make choices independently if we constantly solve their problems and make their choices for them?"

Children need to move. Flexible seating allows them to wobble, rock, bounce, lean or stand, which increases oxygen flow to the brain, blood flow and core strength. In turn, this burns more calories and increases metabolism. It also helps keep young minds more alert and focused.

It's no surprise that physical activity is linked to higher academic performance, better health, and improved behavior. An academic paper by Matthew T. Mahar, et al, found that simple in-class activities can boost performance. Studies suggest that children who participate in short bouts of physical activity within the classroom have more on-task behavior, too.

An uncomfortable student, is a distracted and unproductive student. For example, picture a student who skipped or didn't have access to breakfast. As the countdown to lunch approaches, the sound of his or her growling stomach will make it impossibly hard to hear the teacher's voice. A uncomfortable chair can have the same affect.

Flexible seating encourages students to find their best spot to stay calm, focused and productive. As one teacher said, "There is no better way to show your support for a student-centered classroom, than creating a classroom from a child's point of view." In her opinion, comfortable students are engaged students.

Traditional desks can make students territorial or possessive over their space and supplies. Flexible seating encourages students to share both. And, it encourages them to take turns in different locations and with different seating options.

"When preparing kids for the real world, we want students' learning environment to reflect the environment of the real world," said Manuel Herrera, a district tech coordinator for the Affton School District in Missouri, as he reflected on the flexible seating movement that began in the workplace. "This [flexible seating] isn't a fad. I think it will eventually evolve into the way all classrooms look."

Flexible seating allows students to quickly and easily pair up, work in small groups, or discuss as a whole class - without moving mountains of heavy desks to establish eye contact. Delzer agrees.

"The students we share our classrooms with don't know life without constant connectivity, Wi-Fi, and a global audience. Our classroom environments should be conducive to open collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. This simply cannot be done when kids are sitting in rows of desks all day."

Commitment to Learning

While research on flexible seating is limited, it's clear that learning environments can have a direct impact on student achievement.

A 2012 study from the University of Minnesota found that students participated 48 percent more in discussions in a classroom with collaborative group seating versus traditional lecture-style seating, and also improved their performance on standardized tests.

How does this connect with flexible seating? Kelly Almer, a long-time educator in Littleton Public Schools in CO, recently switched to flexible seating. She says creating more student control and less teacher control has improved student engagement.

"I have witnessed a change in their commitment to learning and behavior," Almer explained. "By making the room 'ours' instead of 'mine,' the students have a sense of ownership that has made them more invested in their own education."

Almer's students choose where they want to sit daily. There is a variety of high, medium and low seating, and kids move to the furniture based on their needs. But Almer puts academics first. "Wherever they choose to sit, it has to help them be their best learning selves."

No one is naive enough to believe that flexible seating simply happens. Up front, teacher must establish some new classroom management tools. That includes creating a system to make seating choice fair and nondisruptive.

It also requires introducing higher-order thinking skills, like problem-solving, and emotional skills, like conflict resolution. There's also much value in fostering turn-taking and patience - especially for a generation of kids immersed in immediate gratification.

Many flexible seating options stimulate students' sense of touch. This type of stimulation can help children focus and process information. Sensory input is especially helpful for students with ADHD, ADD, and ASD.

Flexible seating helps make learning fun. The benefits far outweigh any negatives, said Almer, who will never go back to traditional seating.

"At this year's parent-teacher conferences, all of the parents stated that their child has a completely different attitude about school now. The kids love coming to school and learning, and they couldn't be happier."

She offered a few final tips for educators. Foremost, if you want to make this change in your learning environment, it's important to bring a positive mindset and recognize that the process takes time. She also recommends being deliberate with your choices, and to not overlook practical issues, like color-coordinating the room.

The results - a more active, engaged, enthusiastic, and relaxed room of students - are worth the effort, Almer concluded.

Take a look at the flexible seating options from Smith System to incorporate flexible seating in your classrooms.

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Sources:

edutopia.org/article/flexible-classrooms-assembly-required

edutopia.org/blog/flexible-seating-student-centered-classroom-kayla-delzer

"Effects of a Classroom-Based Program on Physical Activity and On-Task," Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 38 no12 Dec. 2006

ideas.demco.com/blog/top-3-reasons-use-flexible-seating-classroom/

infograph.venngage.com/p/226127/6-benefits-of-flexible-seating

sassysavvysimpleteaching.com/2016/12/flexible-seating-classroom/

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Top 10 Benefits of a Flexible-Seating Classroom - Smith System Blog

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As part of our series on that topic, we've combed through a heap of online data and compiled the ten biggest benefits (in our opinion) of flexible seating. Help yourself to dos or nearly the full dozen, as you educate teachers, administrators, students and parents on why this trend isn't a passing fidget-spinner-fad.

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Flexible Seating: 21 Awesome Ideas for Your Classroom

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Flexible Seating: 21 Awesome Ideas for Your Classroom

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Make math learning fun and effective with Prodigy Math Game. Free for students, parents and educators. Sign up today!

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With Boys in Mind / Teaching to the Minds of Boys

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With Boys in Mind / Teaching to the Minds of Boys

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September 2006 | Volume 64 | Number 1
Teaching to Student Strengths Pages 56-61

Kelley King and Michael Gurian

Boys who don't read or write as well as we'd like come in all kinds. There's Garrett, who's perpetually in motion, his fingers drumming the desk. He's not focusing on his reading and pokes the student in front of him. He's becoming a discipline problem. There's Jared, who stares into space, failing to fill more than a few short lines with words. There's Dan, who turns in rushed and sloppy work and receives failing grades. When it comes to fulfilling the kinds of assignments that we call "literacy," boys are often out of their chairs rather than in them.

At Douglass Elementary School, in Boulder, Colorado, a significant literacy gap existed among the 470 students. On the 2005 Colorado State Assessment Program (CSAP), boys attending Douglass underperformed the girls in grades 3-5 (the boys' scores ranged from 6-21 points lower, with a 13-point gap overall). Because boys represented at least half the student population at every grade level-and 75 percent of the special education population-it was clear that the gender gap had powerful implications for the school as a whole and for the futures of the students.

In looking closely at these statistics, the staff suspected that Douglass was not alone in facing classrooms full of boys who were not learning to read and write as well as the girls were. In fact, all over the world boys are struggling in school, with lower grades, more discipline problems, more learning disabilities, and more behavior disorders than girls (Gurian & Stevens, 2005). As experienced teachers of boys, as parents of sons, and as professionals charged with solving a specific and compelling problem, the educators at Douglass went to work. They discovered that recent brain research backed up many of their intuitions about gender and learning styles (see Gurian, Henley, & Trueman, 2001).

By introducing more boy-friendly teaching strategies in the classroom, the school was able to close the gender gap in just one year. At the same time, girls' reading and writing performance improved.

On the Colorado State Assessment Program, Douglass Elementary students experienced an overall net percentage gain of 21.9, which was the highest achievement gain of any school in the Boulder Valley School District. Moreover, Douglass reversed the typical trend of girls outperforming boys: The boys experienced a 24.4 percentage point gain in reading and writing; the girls a 19 percentage point gain, which constituted three times the gain of girls in other district elementary schools. Most remarkably, Douglass special education students achieved 7.5 times the average gain for this population of students in the district, coming in with a 50-point gain.

A Look into Boy-Friendly Classrooms

How did Douglass manage these successes? Using a theory developed by one of the authors (Gurian et al., 2001; Gurian & Stevens, 2005), the school analyzed the natural assets that both girls and boys bring to learning (see "The Brain: His and Hers," p. 59). Douglass realized that its classrooms were generally a better fit for the verbal-emotive, sit-still, take-notes, listen-carefully, multitasking girl. Teachers tended to view the natural assets that boys bring to learning-impulsivity, single-task focus, spatial-kinesthetic learning, and physical aggression-as problems. By altering strategies to accommodate these more typically male assets, Douglass helped its students succeed, as the following vignettes illustrate.

Increasing Experiential and Kinesthetic Learning Opportunities

Today's assignment in Mrs. Hill's 4th grade class is to arrange words and punctuation marks into a sentence that makes sense and is grammatically correct. Instead of relying on worksheets or the overhead, which might have bored students like Alexander, the teacher directs the students to arrange cards representing the sentence parts across the classroom floor. The task-oriented discussion and interaction, the physical movement, and the orientation in space access the boys' neurological strengths, keeping them energized and attentive. Alexander and his group are working hard to complete their grammatical challenge before the other groups do.

These male-friendly elements have also energized the girls. Many of them like a good debate, competition, and moving around.

Supporting Literacy Through Spatial-Visual Representations

Across the hall in Mrs. Johnston's 3rd grade classroom, the students are writing. Timothy has great ideas and is always trying to please, but at the beginning of the year, he had great difficulty writing even a single paragraph. Formulating his ideas into well-organized thoughts, coupled with sitting still and the fine-motor task of writing, often overwhelmed him. His mother testified to his frequent meltdowns at home.

Realizing the need for nonverbal planning tools, especially in males, to help bridge the gap between what students are thinking and what they're able to put down on paper, Mrs. Johnston now asks Timothy and his classmates to create storyboards, a series of pictures with or without words that graphically depict a story line. The pictures on the storyboard prompt the brain to remember relevant words, functioning for these learners as first-stage brainstorming. Now when Timothy writes, he describes what he has previously drawn and then adds to that foundation. His spatial-visual assets are helping him to write.

Letting Boys Choose Topics That Appeal to Them

Although parents and educators are quick to point out to students the more practical relevance of reading-you need to read to get through high school and college so you can get a job-this kind of reasoning works more readily for girls than for boys. Said one 6th grade boy, "The only reading that's a must is reading what's on the computer or in a football manual. There's no point to reading a book for pleasure."

Many teachers are familiar with this kind of response. Boys often seem to think that what they read in language arts class is irrelevant. Mrs. Vanee decided to innovate in this area. In her 2nd grade classroom, most of the boys read and write about such topics as NASCAR racing, atomic bombs, and football or about such situations as a parrot biting a dad through the lip. Many of the girls write about best friends, books, mermaids, and unicorns.

When asked why he thought he was writing about superheroes whereas Brittany was writing about her best friend, 8-year-old Luke replied, "Because boys have more R-rated minds than girls do," with "R-rated" referring to a preference for aggression scenarios, competition, action, and superhero journeys. Brittany concurred as she rolled her eyes in a "Yes."

Although Mrs. Vanee is aware of the potential for excess here, she now understands how relevant this focus on action and heroism is to males, and she sees that letting boys write on these topics has improved their papers. It has also provided her with numerous opportunities to teach lessons on character, nonviolence, and civility. Moreover, giving students greater choice in what they read and write has improved writing among both boys and girls.

Helping Boys with Homework

One of the primary reasons that some boys get Ds and F s in school is their inattention to homework. This was true for 5th grader Todd, who generally did his homework in a shoddy way-or not at all.

Douglass teachers now request that parents sign homework assignments. Homework with no signature requires an explanation. This way, the school gets parents involved, encouraging them to supervise homework and cut out distractions that their children may be experiencing, such as TV and video games, until the homework is completed. This policy also keeps parents apprised of the quality of the homework that their child is turning in.

Todd's grades have improved since this policy was started. He's now getting Bs instead of Ds on his language arts assignments. His teacher, Mrs. Steposki, is especially vigilant, meeting with him regularly to see whether he's gotten his homework signed and supporting his parents in keeping him focused. Although Todd still doesn't enjoy a lot of his homework-much of it feels like busywork to him-he does feel pride in getting a B. "Things are better now," he says.

Offering Single-Gender Learning Environments

One of the innovations that teachers can use in targeted ways in coeducational classes is single-gender grouping. Mrs. Holsted has decided to divide her 2nd grade class today to give the students a choice in reading material. The girls choose several American Girls doll books; the boys choose Lynne Reid Banks's The Indian in the Cupboard (HarperTrophy, 1999).

Soon the girls are on the floor with a giant piece of chart paper and markers. They label each of three circles of a Venn diagram with the name of a female book character and then they write down adjectives to describe that character. Meanwhile, in the boys' group, Ryan and David are writing lines for a play about the novel they've chosen, happy to be able to act out the battle scene. A lot of what these students need to learn "sticks" because of this approach. Tomorrow, the students will return to their coed groupings, and some will note that they like being back together.

Making Reading and Writing Purposeful

Quite often, boys do their best work when teachers establish authentic purpose and meaningful, real-life connections. In his 4th grade classroom, Mr. Hoyt talks to 10-year-old Clayton about his narrative fiction piece. Clayton doesn't feel the need to do any more work on his D+ paper. When Mr. Hoyt asks who his audience is, Clayton replies, "Just the class and you." "What if you were reading this to someone else?" asks Mr. Hoyt. "Say, a high school basketball player you like?" Clayton ponders this. "Think about an older guy you respect," Mr. Hoyt suggests. "Write this for him to read." Clayton thinks of just the right person-his older brother-and starts the paper over again.

Garrett sits across the room. His real-life project is to draw to scale a map of the school and playground and then annotate it. From there, he'll develop a proposal for a new playground layout and present it to the school's landscape design architect and the playground revitalization committee.

Meanwhile, Greg is designing a Web site on which students can post their writing projects for others to read. In fact, to create a greater sense of the importance of writing, Mr. Hoyt suggested that Douglass Elementary start providing opportunities for all students to share their writing in front of large audiences-at monthly school assemblies, for example. Competition and the opportunity to earn public respect have helped motivate many undermotivated students-especially the boys.

Seeking Out Male Role Models

Douglass Elementary recognizes the special insight and impact of teachers like Mr. Hoyt, who serve as valuable role models for boys. The school actively encourages men to visit classrooms to share their own writing and speak about their favorite books. This is an area in which the school successfully partnered with parents. Several of the students' fathers write professionally as journalists, screenwriters, authors, or lyricists. Appealing to fathers to be role models for literacy has yielded many special guest speakers and several weekly "regulars" in the classroom.

Getting Serious About Gender Learning

There's nothing revolutionary about the strategies that we have suggested. Teachers have already used many of them in their classrooms, but perhaps they haven't used them in an organized and scientific way. Teacher training at Douglass, which focused on the gender learning work conducted by the Gurian Institute, connected brain science to classroom practice. Teachers learned that good science supported many of their personal observations about how boys and girls learn.

By incorporating new theories from gender science into classroom practice, teachers can close gender gaps and significantly improve learning. Douglass Elementary school provided the action research that proves just that. But to bring about these improvements, teachers need to ask themselves some key questions:

As teachers, do we fully understand the challenges that boys face in education today?

Do we realize that there is a scientific basis for innovating on behalf of both girls and boys as disaggregated groups?

Does my school incorporate boy-friendly and girl-friendly learning innovations in full knowledge of how essential they are in accommodating the structural and chemical gender differences built into the human brain?

Do the educators in my school realize that many behaviors typical of either boys or girls are neurologically based?

Although tackling these questions is challenging, acting on what we have learned can lead to rewards for everyone-for teachers, parents, communities, and especially our students.

Verbal/spatial differences. Boys' brains generally have more cortical areas dedicated to spatial-mechanical functioning than girls' brains do, whereas girls' brains generally have greater cortical emphasis on verbal-emotive processing (Blum, 1997). Girls use more words on average than boys do, and they tend to think more verbally.

P cells and M cells. The male visual system (optical and neural) relies more heavily on type M ganglion cells, which detect movement. Girls generally have more type P ganglion cells, which are sensitive to color variety and other fine sensory activity (Sax, 2005). As a result, boys tend to rely more on pictures and moving objects when they write, whereas girls tend to excel in using words that reference color and other fine sensory information.

Frontal lobe development. A girl's prefrontal cortex is generally more active than a boy's, and her frontal lobe generally develops at an earlier age (Rich, 2000). These are the decision-making areas of the brain (as well as the reading/writing/word production areas). These factors can lead to girls being less impulsive than boys are. Girls are usually better able to sit still and read, able to read and write earlier, and better at literacy in general. When teachers are unaware of these brain differences, they may misdiagnose normal boys as having learning disabilities and conduct disorders.

Neural rest states. Boys' brains go into what neurologists call a rest state many times each day. You'll notice this when you look at who's drifting off, zoning out, or sleeping through class. You'll also notice that some boys will try to avoid these rest states by engaging in such activities as tapping their pencils or hitting a classmate with a spitball. For some boys-especially those with behavioral issues-these self-stimulating and disruptive behaviors are symptomatic of emotional or psychological problems. But for many boys these disruptions simply reflect male brains trying to stay awake in a classroom that is not well suited for their kind of learning. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scans have enabled us to better understand the rest states of male and female brains (Gurian & Stevens, 2005). When the male's brain gets bored, some of his brain functioning shuts down. There is a drift into a brain state that negates learning and performance. When the female brain gets bored, however, more of her brain functioning stays active. Even when she's bored, a girl is more likely to retain the ability to take notes, write words down, and listen carefully.

Cross talk between hemispheres. Structural differences in girls' brains generate more cross talk between hemispheres, leading to better multitasking. Boys' brains, on the other hand, tend to lateralize and compartmentalize brain activity (Rich, 2000). Thus, girls tend to pay attention to more information on more subjects at any given time, whereas boys tend to heap a lot of information into a single-task focus. They concentrate best, in general, when they follow steps A to Z without distraction. Boys also take more time than girls to transition between tasks (Havers, 1995). They tend to become more irritable (and to underperform in learning and classroom behavior) when teachers move them continually between tasks. Multitasking is, of course, crucial to life performance, but boys are better served by balancing multitasking with project-driven and depth-driven learning.

Natural aggression. For a number of neural and chemical reasons, boys are more naturally aggressive and competitive than girls are (Gurian, 1996). Girls generally gravitate less toward competitive learning and relationships characterized by aggression nurturance (the hitting and playful "dissing" that boys continually engage in to support one another). The bonding chemical oxytocin greatly affects this male/female difference. With less oxytocin in the male neural and physiological system, boys tend toward greater impulsivity, more aggression, and less reliance on bonding malleability (Taylor, 2002). They have less desire than girls to comply to please others, including teachers.

-Kelley King and Michael Gurian

References

Blum, D. (1997). Sex on the brain: The biological differences between men and women. New York: Viking.

Havers, F. (1995, March 2). Rhyming tasks male and female brains differently. The Yale Herald.

Gurian, M. (1996). The wonder of boys. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.

Gurian, M., Henley, P., & Trueman, T. (2001). Boys and girls learn differently: A guide for teachers and parents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Gurian, M., & Stevens, K. (2005). The minds of boys: Saving our sons from falling behind in school and life. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Rich, B. (Ed.). (2000). The Dana brain daybook. New York: The Charles A. Dana Foundation.

Sax, L. (2005). Why gender matters. New York: Doubleday.

Taylor, S. (2002). The tending instinct. New York: Times Books.

Kelley King is Principal of Douglass Elementary School in the Boulder Valley School District, Boulder, Colorado; kelley.king@bvsd.org. Michael Gurian is Cofounder of the Gurian Institute ( www.gurianinstitute.com), an organization that trains teachers and parents in gender science and promotes practical applications. He has written widely on the topic of gender differences.

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Teaching to the Minds of Boys - Educational Leadership

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September 2006 | Volume 64 | Number 1 Teaching to Student Strengths Pages 56-61 Kelley King and Michael Gurian Boys who don't read or write as well as we'd like come in all kinds. There's Garrett, who's perpetually in motion, his fingers drumming the desk.

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10 Essential Strategies for Teaching Boys Effectively

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10 Essential Strategies for Teaching Boys Effectively

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We empower educators to reimagine and redesign learning through impactful pedagogy and meaningful technology use. We achieve this by offering transformative professional learning, fostering vibrant communities, and ensuring that digital tools and experiences are accessible and effective.

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We create practical, timely, affordable professional learning to help educators and instructional leaders provide students with a modern, equitable, and quality education.

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Are You a Visual or an Auditory Learner? It Doesn’t Matter

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Are You a Visual or an Auditory Learner? It Doesn’t Matter

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One mental strategy may be much better suited than another to a particular task.

Mr. Willingham is a psychologist at the University of Virginia.

Credit... Adrian Johnson

You must read this article to understand it, but many people feel reading is not how they learn best. They would rather listen to an explanation or view a diagram. Researchers have formalized those intuitions into theories of learning styles. These theories are influential enough that many states (including New York) require future teachers to know them and to know how they might be used in the classroom.

But there's no good scientific evidence that learning styles actually exist.

Over the last several decades, researchers have proposed dozens of theories, each suggesting a scheme to categorize learners. The best known proposes that some of us like words and others like pictures, but other theories make different distinctions: whether you like to solve problems intuitively or by analyzing them, for example, or whether you prefer to tackle a complex idea with an overview or by diving into details.

If one of these theories were right, it would bring important benefits. In the classroom, a brief test would categorize children as this type of learner or that, and then a teacher could include more of this or that in their schooling. In the workplace, a manager might send one employee a memo but communicate the same information to another in a conversation.

Does such matching work? To find out, researchers must determine individuals' supposed learning style and then ask them to learn something in a way that matches or conflicts with it. For example, in an experiment testing the visual-auditory theory, researchers determined subjects' styles by asking about their usual mental strategies: Do you spell an unfamiliar word by sounding it out or visualizing the letters? Do you give directions in words or by drawing a map?

Next, researchers read statements, and participants rated either how easily the statement prompted a mental image (a visual learning experience) or how easy it was to pronounce (an auditory learning experience). The auditory learners should have remembered statements better if they focused on the sound rather than if they created visual images, and visual learners should have shown the opposite pattern. But they didn't.

The theory is wrong, but, curiously, people act as though it's right - they try to learn in accordance with what they think is their style. When experimenters asked research participants to learn a new task and gave them access to written instructions and to diagrams, the people who thought of themselves as verbalizers went for words, and the self-described visualizers looked at pictures. But tests showed they didn't learn the task any faster because they adhered to their purported style.

In another experiment, researchers eavesdropped on brain activity to show that people will mentally change a task to align with what they think is their learning style. Researchers used stimuli that were either pictures (a blue-striped triangle) or verbal descriptions ("green," "dotted," "square"). While in a brain scanner, participants had to match successive stimuli, but they never knew whether a picture or words would pop up next.

When self-described visual learners saw words, the visual part of their brain was active; they were transforming the verbal stimulus into a picture. Likewise, verbal areas of the brain were active when verbal learners saw a picture; they were describing it to themselves. But again, these efforts were in vain. People performed the task no better when the stimuli matched what they thought of as their learning style.

The problem is not just that trying to learn in your style doesn't help - it can cost you. Learning style theories ignore the fact that one mental strategy may be much better suited than another to a particular task. For example, consider thetheory that differentiates intuitive and reflective thinking. The former is quick and relies on associations in memory; the latter is slower and analytic.

Whatever your purported style, intuitive thinking is better for problems demanding creativity, and reflective thinking is better for formal problems like calculations of probability. An intuitive thinker who mulishly sticks to his supposed learning style during a statistics test will fail.

Although conforming to learning styles doesn't help, we can learn a few lessons from this research.

First, instead of trying to transform a task to match your style, transform your thinking to match the task. The best strategy for a task is the best strategy, irrespective of what you believe your learning style is.

Second, don't let your purported style be a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure or an excuse for resignation. "Sorry I mixed up the dates - I'm just not a linear thinker" is bunk. Likewise, don't tell your child's teacher that she is struggling in class because the teacher is not adjusting to her learning style.

Finally, the idea of tuning tasks to an individual's style offered hope - a simple change might improve performance in school and at work. We've seen that that doesn't work, but this research highlights hope of another kind. We are not constrained by our learning style. Any type of learning is open to any of us.

Daniel T. Willingham (@DTWillingham) is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author, most recently, of "The Reading Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Understanding How the Mind Reads."
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion).

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Opinion | Are You a Visual or an Auditory Learner? It Doesn't Matter (Published 2018)

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One mental strategy may be much better suited than another to a particular task. Mr. Willingham is a psychologist at the University of Virginia. You must read this article to understand it, but many people feel reading is not how they learn best. They would rather listen to an explanation or view a diagram.

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by Sarah J. Donovan, PhD on September 25, 2016

Katrina is reading on her belly, sprawled out on the classroom floor, red hoodie tied around her waist, Jacqueline Woodson's Feathers in one hand and a pencil in the other. A pad of sticky notes is off to the side with the words "Jesus Boy" written on the top.

I kneel down beside Katrina, tucking my legs under me, smoothing my dress under my ankles as I rest my elbows on the floor.

"Tell me about 'Jesus Boy,'" I ask.

"He's well, not to be disrespectful, a white boy at this new school," she whispers so as not to disrupt Nelly who is reading Dan Brown's graphic novel, Drowned City, near by. "It's a Black school. There's this boy Trevor, who is the novel's bully, giving Jesus Boy a hard time, but Jesus Boy does not fight back."

"Right, what would you do if you were Jesus Boy? " I ask.

"Fight back," she says.

"And speaking of fighting back. I am feeling really bad about class yesterday. It was the first time you've ever talked back to me like that, and instead of privately asking you what was going on, I lectured you in front of the class. I am sorry. Do you forgive me?" I whispered back.

"I am sorry," Katrina said. "I was insolent."

"Nice vocab word, and thank you, but really, it's not like me. I want this to be a safe, happy place for both of us. You've been doing so well in class. Your story about Joey was beautiful, and your thinking about books - like this one - are so thoughtful. I want to keep that learning going. Do you accept my apology?" I replied.

"Yes, yes," Katrina said with nod and closed-lipped smile. "You know. I like this book, Dr. Donovan. Can I read one part to you?"

The Theory of Love Languages

Grounded in behavior theory and hierarchy of needs and prompted by his work in marriage counseling, Gary Chapman (1995) developed the language theory to offer solutions to marriage problems. At the heart of this theory is the belief that love is expressed in many forms. People experience being loved in different ways. The language of the love being expressed may be a language that does not translate as love to the recipient. People tend to demonstrate love in the language they want to receive it, which may be different from the person they love.

Essentially, when people don't feel loved, their "love tank" is empty, which can lead to anger, resentment, depression, and certainly estrangement. Chapman argues that we can minimize conflict in relationships if we first know our own love language, second take time to learn the love language of people in our lives, and third try to speak that love language.

Here is helpful infographic about love languages. Do you show love the same way you like to receive it? Do you know how your partner loves to be loved? Do you want to know your love language? Take the quiz.

Love Languages in Schools

I started this post with a scene from my own classroom because while Katrina's life is really complicated (and so is mine), I think the source of our disagreement was that I ignored Katrina's needs, and in arguing with her in front of the class, I hurt our teacher-student relationship. I knew that I had to reach out to her with time and words of affirmation if she was going to be open to learning and happy in our class, and I needed to apologize because I needed to assuage my own conscience.

So how do the love languages work with children? Chapman extended his theory to children in The Five Love Language of Children. While the audience for this book is mostly parents, it is also helpful for teachers. Indeed, all aspects of a child's development require a foundation of love. If a child's love tank is empty for whatever reason - lack of attention at home, trouble with friends, feeling misunderstood by teachers - teachers will see it manifest in behaviors like acting out, anger, or withdrawal. Thus, finding out the child's love language and trying to fill his or her "tank" will not only minimize the unwanted behavior but make the child feel loved. This is not to say that the student will not act out later, but the student will, at least, know the teacher can be a source of support and understanding.

If you are interested in a survey teachers can give or share with students for self-awareness and awareness of the difference in the class, here is a link.

As for parents, they need our love, too. When we communicate with parents by phone or via email or letters home, are we showing love to the parents of our students. They appreciate words of affirmation, quality time, and acts of service, too.

And while we're at it, our colleagues might need some love. How are we treating one another? If our own love tanks are low, we may forget that our neighbor might need words of affirmation. Imagine how bringing a cup of coffee to your colleague in the morning might fill up a teacher's love take that might be running low, and it will likely make you feel good, too (and both of you will be more alert that morning).

Mis-Used "Love"

We see elements of the love languages from the history of behaviorism (Skinner) and humanism (Maslow). For behaviorism, the love languages can be used to reinforce or minimize certain behaviors. For the hierarchy of needs, we know that love is essential to belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. In every school, there are students coming from homes where their physiological and safety needs aren't even met let along love and belonging. The teacher and school may be the only place where students are safe and where they do have access to love.

As beautiful as love can be and as important as it is for students to feel love, there is a dark side to using a student's love language to manipulate behavior. Loving is more complex than identifying a language and trying to speak that language, especially if it is going through some automated translation or check-boxes approach. In other words, the love languages theory implies that teens will responding to stimuli with automaticity (e.g., good behavior in exchange for a gift). However, teens are quite capable of recognizing when someone is trying to speak their language or bribing them (and this can backfire or make inauthentic the student-teacher relationship). Teens, like all human beings, have complex lives with varied needs.Understanding people calls for a look at the love tank but also other areas in need of attention like mental health, cognitive, social, cultural, and linguistic.

Mindful Love

Be mindful that people communicate in multiple languages. "Using" the language to get a desired response can 1) be manipulative and 2) create dependence.

Teachers should use this theory to inform their choices and be mindful of how students give and receive love (and that they might not have experience with loving in a healthy way). Teachers should also consider how genuine and compassionate their communication is with students (ethics).It is not enough to try to make others feel good about you or your class in the hopes they'll cooperate or make you feel good.

And teachers must be mindful of their own ways of relating. Teachers may not have had experiences with healthy love or healthy relating (without manipulation). Like students, teachers may be dependent on certain forms of love and use them in manipulative ways. For example, words of affirmation to stroke someone's ego or quality time before asking for a favor or something in return. Teachers might consider these questions to be more mindful of love in the classroom:

How can we affirm students and give needed feedback (positive and constructive) in compassionate, ethical ways?

How can we be mindful of our own communication preferences so as to not project onto or manipulate our students?

In what situations are gifts or behavior tokens appropriate so as not to create dependence?

How do you give quality time to students when you have so many students and time is minimal?

Organizing class time around reading conferences has created time and space for me to meet with students individually throughout the week to offer at least a little time and opportunity for words of affirmation. A few minutes and the right words can go a long way to making the classroom a safe place for students to feel a little love from their teachers, which I think supports students in their social, emotional, and cognitive development. And it fills up my love tank, too.
References
Chapman, Gary D, and Ross Campbell. The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively . , 2016. Print.

Egbert, Nichole; Polk, Denise. "Speaking the Language of Relational Maintenance: A Validity Test of Chapman's Five Love Languages" . Communication Research Reports . 23 (1): 19-26. 23 Aug. 2006.

" Forced Choice Reinforcement Menu. " CCSD15. 9 Sept. 2016

Powlison, David. "Love Speaks Many Languages Fluently." The Journal of Biblical Counseling . Fall 2002.

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by Sarah J. Donovan, PhD on September 25, 2016 Katrina is reading on her belly, sprawled out on the classroom floor, red hoodie tied around her waist, Jacqueline Woodson's Feathers in one hand and a pencil in the other. A pad of sticky notes is off to the side with the words "Jesus Boy" written on the top.