Question – What concerns would you have about school rankings like those of the Fraser Institute based on achievement test results? If you are passionate about education and feel like you need some quick adrenaline check out this video by the same organization. Holy not educators Batman…

Here are some thoughts I expressed on this.

Point 1 - Academics are only a fraction of what makes a good school. As a parent and an educator, I am most concerned that my own kids and my students learn how to learn and how to love learning. While some fundamental skills are undoubtedly necessary, I would argue a case for the “intangibles” of a school as making the key ranking differences.

Such typically unconsidered factors would include: how interested are students (yes even high school) in going to school. How all school community members would rate the rapport between faculty and students. How satisfied the teachers are with their jobs. The quality and number of the extracurricular activities offered. The access the school provides to technology and web 2.0 tools. How varied the classroom practices are. Among others…

Point 2 - If the goal of education is to create people who perform well on standardized tests, then a system that is oriented toward that outcome is exactly what should be created. Performing well on standardized tests, however, is a near useless life skill as far as I am concerned. At this point, I am almost sick of the hype around 21st century education but considering the arcane nature of ranking schools based solely (soulessly) on test performance doesn’t the following make more sense?

“21st century education is flexible, creative, challenging, and complex. It addresses a rapidly changing world filled with fantastic new problems as well as exciting new possibilities” (Possibilities for 21st Century Education, 2008).

I am not worried about professional evaluation. I can teach students to do well on a test or I can help people develop into imaginative, motivated, voracious learners who know how to learn what they will need to know when they create the future. Unfortunately the differences between the two with regard to style of teaching, learning, and what it means to perform do not work well in tandem. One is teaching people how to succeed in a box that was created in the past. The other is teaching people how to succeed outside the box that hasn’t been created yet.

Possibilities for 21st Century Education. (2008). Retrieved July 05, 2010 from 21st Century Schools: http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/​what_is_21st_century_education.htm.

Images: As far as I could tell these images are open source. If I am mistaken please post a reply to this post indicating that and I will take them down.

Like many others I am working on finishing my masters degree. As such, there is a heap of required reading much of which is in the form of academic journals in pdf. Due to the design of my program, I am carrying two courses at present which is a nightmare at the end of the school year not to mention two small children and a high need for physical exercise. I regularly struggled to get the reading done then I had an idea about using technology for the visually impaired for my own gain and found Ghostreader.

This program simply converts text files to audio mp3 files to play on my blackberry or ipod to listen to as I wash dishes, drive, or walk the dog. It is sophisticated enough to phrase words and sentences naturally (listen to the file). It makes long academic journals or any other text you don’t have time to read accessible. When I am really exhausted and my mind tends to wander, I find I can study later and with more focus if I play the audio and read the pdf along with it.

Ideally I wouldn’t need this but like many I am stretched too thin. This program has given me back not minutes but hours of sleep. It has a free 2 week trial and is only $50 if you decide it is useful for you.

Attributed to French Author Anais Nin

This quote can apply to “seeing” but can also apply to eating and tasting as well. This re-scripting exercise may help you enjoy the food you are eating at home just as much as the food you enjoy out at a restaurant.

You will need a nice quiet place where you will be able to concentrate and feel comfortable. It may also be helpful to do this exercise shortly before you have a meal so that your natural desire for food is high. You will need a pen or pencil and a small piece of paper or notebook. You will also need to have been out to a recent delicious meal at a restaurant. If you can’t think of a recent positive experience, take this as an excuse to treat yourself to a nice dinner out before continuing.

Part 1

A night out for Japanese

Start the exercise by taking a few deep breathes to calm your body. Let your mind settle down. Think back to the last time you went out to a favorite restaurant. Remember the atmosphere. Think back to whom you were with or if you were by yourself, the sights you saw. Remember the atmosphere of the restaurant and how you felt as you went in to eat.

Recall how the plate looked when it arrived and how you felt as you tasted the first bite. Without being critical of the words, write down the words that come to mind on a small piece of paper. Keep thinking back on this positive experience of what a meal can be until you have 5-10 words written on the paper. After you have completed your list, spend a few minutes looking over the words. Are there any words there that surprised you? Which of the words hold the highest impact for you?

Part 2

Now, change the setting of this reflection to your home. You are sitting down to the table in front of your favorite meal at home. Everything is presented just like you’d want it. Imagine how it smells. What are you going to eat first? Imagine this meal at home providing the same enjoyment as the meal in the restaurant. Describe this meal with some of the satisfying words you used to describe the meal you enjoyed earlier. Now envision this meal as complete and yourself as satisfied. How do you feel?

Reflection:

“We see the world as “we” are, not as “it” is

Through this exercise you have begun to change. Do you think you can use this experience and the positive thoughts associated with the “at home” imagery when you next approach a meal at home? Tonight when you are at home eating look for where those positive experiences play a role.

http://www.topendsports.com

For my stretching related self-change project for graduate school I ended up doing a fait bit of research trying to find electronic resources to use as I worked to increase my flexibility. Other than being cheap, I wanted to have an easy-to-follow list of stretches with diagrams that I could have available as a link embedded in the reminder messages I set up through Google calendar to my blackberry.

I didn’t want something fancy or revolutionary. I wasn’t looking for a whole new approach to stretching but, more or less wanted, a turn-key series of stretches I could follow almost without thinking. I wanted something with enough guidance so I’d be inspired to do it correctly but not so regimented that I’d have to pay close attention to do it right. For those who haven’t found it yet, Top End Sports has heaps of good information ranging from testing, training, nutrition, sport psych, sports medicine, and some basics about sports biomechanics.

If you get too far into an area you know a lot about you will probably find the site accurate but a little short on detail as I did about the biomechanics of cycling. However, for general information, some fitness tests, and a list of basic stretches with helpful diagrams this is a very useful resource.

In the message reminders to my phone I have included a link to http://www.topendsports.com/medicine/stretches . While I vary the routine whenever I want to, I basically just work through the stretches 3 to 5 cycles each until I get through the whole list. Sometimes I skip upper body stretches or mix and match for shorter workouts but the list is invaluable as I mix it up to keep my flexibility training program fresh. If you’re looking for information to help inspire you to greater flexibility this site has been my number one ally as I move forward.

Helpful Graphics

Scene from my daily run in Yamanashi

When I was on faculty at Hopkins School in New Haven, CT, I worked with a guy called Dean Nicholson. He was an avid NORBA Masters class racer and 15 years later probably still is. At the tender age of 24 he taught me to schedule an appointment with myself every day. I still remember him giving me an overview of the strategy.

Think about it, he said. If people call up and ask if they can meet you at 1pm and you have a conflicting appointment, it is easily accepted when tell them you aren’t available – after all you have a conflicting appointment. The same thing doesn’t hold if you tell them, ’sorry I can’t make it, I’m going cycling, running, or climbing’ take your pick. None of those reasons fly. People take offense to being turned down so you can work out. Why is that so? Why are we any less important than other people? The solution is to schedule in an immovable appointment with yourself.

Don’t tell anyone what you’re doing and honor it as if it were an appointment with the dean of faculty from Yale University. You wouldn’t miss an appointment with an administrator from Yale and why are they any more important than you are.

Dean was a very fit and very wise man. I haven’t forgotten his words and in this self-change project I have taken “the appointment with yourself idea” further with Prestwich, Perugini, and Hurling’s (2009) smart-phone reminders.

Everyday I get a message on my phone thanks to google calendar and google sync for blackberry that corresponds to an open block of time. Depending on the time availability and location I either do a simple workplace stretch or a more full-blown flexibility workout. Also included in these messages are various motivational phrases such as Tommy Lasorda’s

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.”

Dean gave me an easy to implement tip on facilitating determination. Google Calendar and Blackberry makes is easy to remember and even lets me know if I try to schedule something over one of my workouts with the simple phrase, “Conflict with another appointment on this calendar”. This is every bit as matter of fact and firm as Dean would have loved to see. I’d like to write more on the topic but I have another appointment.

Prestwich, A., Perugini, M., & Hurling, R. (2009). Can the effects of implementation intentions on exercise be enhanced using text messages?.

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As part of my flexibility self-change project I enrolled in a Yoga class that meets once a week in the dance studio at school. It is reasonably priced but I did find a less expensive class with the same instructor up at a local sports club on a different night of the week. Convenience is more valuable than money sometimes so I’ve opted to go with the class that fits into my schedule.

Yoga was one of my action planning strategies for increasing flexibility. I am motivated to go by the people in the class and enjoy the sessions. There are no other men in the class which is interesting from a demographic perspective but not a factor either way for me. As part of the HAPA process I intended to identify action coping strategies to barriers. The barriers I anticipated before diving into the project were more around scheduling and I admit having back up strategies in mind when the time just disappears has been useful. I am having trouble with my left wrist, however, in yoga which is very frustrating. I experience sharp shooting pain across the top of the joint during some of the repeated core poses of Vinyasa yoga. Fortunately my instructor today offered some alternative pose suggestions that focus the force across my forearms and not directly onto that wrist. This was not a barrier I anticipated however, so it was much more troubling than the scheduling issues I thought would be the real difficulty.

As the caption above says, I am stiff but am feeling better and better. I will carry on with home stretching between now and next Wednesday so hope to see some improvement between now and then.

3 Sun Cycles to Warm-Up

After the warm-up more intense focus on these poses (Smeaton, 2009)

Intense Forward Bend – Uttanasana
Stand upright and, exhaling, bend forward from the waist keeping the legs taut and body weight equal on both feet. Aim to touch the floor and, if possible, place the palms on the floor. Breathe evenly and try to increase the stretch on each out-breath. Hold for one minute. This intense stretch is wonderful for the hamstrings and spine. Those who find it easy to rest the palms on the floor can increase the stretch still further by placing the hands behind the feet.

Before actually beginning any flexibility development exercise I gathered some baseline measurements using 4 lower body indirect flexibility tests and 4 upper body flexibility tests. The lower body tests consisted of: the sit and reach, the groin, calf and trunk rotation flexibility tests. The upper body tests consisted of a shoulder flexibility test and back scratch tests for both left and right sides.

My starting results -

Sit and Reach = 29 cm
Groin Flexibility = 17 cm
Calf Flexibility (left) = 11.5 cm
Calf Flexibility (right) = 10.5 cm
Trunk Rotation = 25 cm
Shoulder Flexibility = 100 cm
Right Arm Up Back Scratch = 15 cm
Left Arm Up Back Scratch = 21 cm

These results serve to quantify my starting place before implementing a daily maintenance stretching, work-out related stretching and weekly Yoga class. Following a three week program implementation phase I’ll repeat the tests to see how much or how little progress has been made.

Click here for an introduction to the project

Outcome expectancies assignment details. As part of the process of developing intentions people are believed to benefit from identifying the positive outcomes that will accompany the new behavior in contrast to the negative outcomes that accompany the current behaviors (Schwarzer, 2008). An example of a positive outcome expectancy of increasing my flexibility would be that I would be able to ride my bike with a slightly higher, more efficient saddle position. An example of a negative outcome expectancy of not increasing my flexibility would be narrower cross-training options as I would become increasingly more wary of pick up games of soccer or other sports that I have not specifically trained for.

Assignment. Brainstorm a list of as many positive outcomes of increasing flexibility.

I wanted to go old school analog with this assignment but I couldn’t help doing a quick search just to get the ideas flowing. In the process of doing that I came across a pros and cons template by Amanda Hawkins. It seemed just the right tool to use when doing this assignment so I printed one off, got an old stubby #2 pencil and started to list the advantages and disadvantages I expected to encounter with this soon to be implemented flexibility program. Like maybe many people the negatives were easiest to dive into but were fairly slow in coming once I got past the initial few. The positives in contrast weren’t maybe as easy to approach but were faster coming once I got rolling with them. Here is what this assignment yielded.

Scoring

After completing each side of the list I went through it fairly quickly and wrote down the significance of each pro and con on a scale from 0-10. Rather than tally the scores at the end I felt an average score might give me a score that would accommodate the different numbers in each list. As this tool was really just another way to reflect on my expectancies with regard to the pending program, the scoring was more for fun than anything.

Results

The results of this inventory were useful for me in that I discovered two new motivators in the form of “long term mobility gains” and a “long term reduction of stress”. Rather than think of this as a purely stress management benefit I saw it through this process as a long term advantage to not carrying so much tension with me as I move through the world. That alone seems like reason enough to get rolling with this.

Next Step

Tomorrow I am going to complete the self-efficacy inventory and then set about designing my initial flexibility assessment. I did 85k on the bike yesterday and did my normal amount of stretching during and following the ride. With a day to harden up I should be up to my normal standards by tomorrow when I hope to take my indirect flexibility measurements.

Hawkins, A. (2010). Pros and Cons. Retrieved February 06, 2010 from Ahhh-design: http://ahhh-design.com/​pros-and-cons/.