Managing Unstoppable Learning. Tom Hierck

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       Introduction

      While working with a large group of primary teachers at a daylong session on school culture, I asked the kindergarten teachers to share with the group how early in the school year they could detect the difference between a reader and a nonreader. Most responded that the difference was evident within the first week, and the longest anyone suggested was the first month. With that information, I followed up with a question regarding what happens with the reader and the nonreader at the end of kindergarten. The answers were predictable and reflected what generally happens in most jurisdictions—both students are sent on to grade 1 with the hope that the grade 1 teacher can work some magic to close the gap. This practice continues through the subsequent grades with the same hope. Researcher Hedy N. Chang and senior research associate Mariajosé Romero (2008) point out the folly of this action, also noting the link between academic learning and behavioral learning:

      During the early elementary years, children are gaining basic social and academic skills critical to ongoing academic success. Unless students attain these essential skills by third grade, they require extra help to catch up and are at grave risk for eventually dropping out of school. (p. 3)

This is not a kindergarten or early years problem; it’s a systemic one. Left unchecked, the gap grows, frustration sets in as students enter secondary school, apathy enters the picture, and some students believe that all hope is lost. Also, these students seek other ways that they can seem successful in their peers’ eyes, and negative behavior becomes part of their arsenal. Flagrant behaviors, such as calling out or pushing back on reasonable teacher requests, give these students a certain cachet as the class clown. There is a “cool” factor to this behavior their peers often perceive that sets these students apart. Oftentimes what educators perceive as a lack of will to complete a task or attain proficiency is a cover for a lack of skill in the desired outcomes. When students lack these skills, educators must apply behavior management approaches to support the desired student behaviors and create a positive learning environment. Behavior management includes any action educators take to enhance the likelihood that students will choose behaviors that are productive and socially acceptable. Teachers must effectively manage their classrooms to establish and sustain a positive culture and learning environment. To respond to unwanted behaviors effectively, it’s critical that teachers reflect on what is maintaining a student’s challenging behavior. Recognizing that behavior is a form of communication, and that it is difficult to change because it serves a purpose or function for the student, compels educators to work proactively to reinforce the desired behaviors in their classrooms.

      Researchers Joy Lesnick, Robert M. Goerge, Cheryl Smithgall, and Julia Gwynne (2010) offer their insight on the importance of getting students on track early:

      Students who are not reading at grade level by third grade begin having difficulty comprehending the written material that is a central part of the educational process in the grades that follow. Meeting increased educational demands becomes more difficult for students who struggle to read. (p. 1)

      The authors go on to suggest that third-grade reading level is a significant predictor of eighth-grade reading level and ninth-grade course performance, even after accounting for demographic characteristics (Lesnick et al., 2010). They further state that students who are above grade level for reading in grade 3 graduate from high school and enroll in college at higher rates than students who are at or below grade level in grade 3 (Lesnick et al., 2010). If the goal is reaching the bar (high school graduation and further pursuits driven by a student’s passions or interests) or better for every student, educators must work collectively to close the learning gaps and teach appropriate behaviors with an eye toward intervening early. In order for students’ learning to become unstoppable, we must address these issues early. This requires a collective commitment to changing an organization’s culture.

Systems Thinking

      Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey (2015), authors of Unstoppable Learning: Seven Essential Elements to Unleash Student Potential, offer systems thinking as the structure to accomplish this type of undertaking. They explain, “Systems thinking is the ability to see the big picture, observe how the elements within a system influence one another, identify emerging patterns, and act on them in ways that fortify the structures within” (Fisher & Frey, 2015, p. 2).

      Fisher and Frey (2015) also remind us, “As part of a systems thinking classroom, teachers know how to respond to problematic behavior to renormalize the classroom and make learning the focus once again” (p. 13). Systems thinking involves seven specific elements and four principles (see figure I.1). The following sections will clarify these major elements and principles that compose systems thinking.