Thursday, September 24, 2015

Chapter 1:  Three Surprises About Change…they surprised me too!
Jen went with a simple question to start the post/conversation.  I, too, was intrigued with the elephant and the rider and am anxious to hear what folks have to say about the relationship between the two.  However, I think what intrigued me more were some of what the authors considered “the surprises”…to me they were actually “AHA” moments.  First, “Self-control is an exhaustible resource.”  Who knew? And, as the authors stated, “What looks like laziness is often exhaustion.” Next, “If you want people to change you must provide crystal clear directions.”  WOW. This really struck a chord.  I think we see this as a problem in education a lot, and not just related to students.  The authors explained, “What looks like resistance is oven a lack of clarity.”  This really resonated with me as a professional.


I felt this chapter does a good job setting the stage and getting the reader excited about what’s coming.  I am looking forward to finding out the best ways to get the rider and elephant on the same page, and learning how to shape the path.  


I wonder if anyone else had any aha moments while reading this?  

15 comments:

  1. I tried to look at "laziness" in some students (as well as myself) to try to decipher whether or not it was true laziness or just plain exhaustion. I know I have gone home this month and felt very lazy, when in fact I am truly exhausted already. I really could connect to that concept as I have students with disabilities and, at times, run out of ideas on how to handle their issues...thus creating exhaustion from lack of direction. I understood the three points being made and could relate to the three. I am hoping to get some direction in how to foster the ideas personally and in the classroom.

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    1. The idea of mental exhaustion resulting in what appears to be lack of motivation or perseverance through difficult tasks had not occurred to me either. It really does make one think about why students who struggle seem to give up so easily. Hopefully, it will make us all more mindful of other ways to help students reengage as opposed to assuming that they are just lazy.

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  2. I am very interested in this book because I feel that I am a creature of habit and struggle with change. I am hoping that the book will give me some insight on how to make changes professionally and personally.
    I, too, liked the quote about providing clear directions to lead people to change. However, I was surprised to read the piece on the gloves and that it really took a visual picture of placing the gloves on the table to see that money was wasted. I would think that in the business world a spreadsheet or data alone would have lead to change. Looking forward to learning more. I am very interested in this book because I feel that I am a creature of habit and struggle with change. I am hoping that the book will give me some insight on how to make changes professionally and personally.
    I, too, liked the quote about providing clear directions to lead people to change. However, I was surprised to read the piece on the gloves and that it really took a visual picture of placing the gloves on the table to see that money was wasted. I would think that in the business world a spreadsheet or data alone would have been sufficient.
    Looking forward to learning more.

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  3. I really like the idea of the elephant and the rider. That whole concept was an aha for me. It is something that I think our students could be taught as a way to better understand their own choices and feelings. It's a great visualization that I could picture myself discussing with my Kindergarteners. The limited self control is an important concept for teachers to be aware of. It makes me think of making sure to give students a work-free time-work kind of schedule.

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  4. I connected with the section about self-control as an exhaustible resource as well when thinking about how I like to schedule my kindergarten classroom. Learning school expectations for behavior can be a HUGE change for these students and actually putting those behaviors into practice is a drain on their self-control. This is why I like to schedule my literacy block first when the students are freshest!

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    1. If I had any influence on my schedule, I would chose not to teach the last period of the day. My students are exhausted by then and I am exhausted so we are less productive.

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  5. Even though I liked the Motivate the Elephant-Direct the Rider-Shape the Path focus of this book, what really interested me in this chapter and struck a note was the popcorn/theater scenario at the beginning of the book. The simple solution of getting people to eat less popcorn (or anything for that matter) by giving them a smaller container speaks volumes about changing the situation rather than the person. With students we use behavior mod programs, but what if we really focused on changing the child's situation in order to change their behavior? It notes in the book that, "For individuals' behavior to change, you've got to influence not only their environment but their hearts and mind."

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  6. Mrs. Postilli brings up a point I had not considered! About changing the situation in order to change behavior. It does but a whole new spin on behavior modification programs.

    And, being a HS teacher, I forget how different and new everything is for kindergartners, especially self control! I was impressed with how our K teachers were aware of their limits and modify their schedules accordingly.

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  7. I can't help but relate the Elephant, who has energy and gets things done and the Rider, who over analyzes everything and plans what needs to get done, to my own personal struggle with to do lists. I have multiple lists everywhere I look, which one would assume would help me stay on task, but instead they cause so much anxiety that I never know what task to start first.

    Working as a special education teacher in multiple sections of English IV this year, I can't help but wonder how much our students are struggling with the Senior English Project for this same reason. While it is broken down into manageable chunks throughout the year, the first month of class is spent looking at the project as a whole and warning kids that completion of the project is a graduation requirement. It almost seems that presenting the whole project at once wears students out before any work is even done.

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  8. This book made me think about how complex we are as people and that there are many factors that direct our choices. As the book talks about self-control as exhaustible, I thought about how my students can have great intentions at the beginning of the day and then struggle to maintain themselves as we reach the end. My “AHA” moment came as I thought more about the idea of the elephant and the rider struggling for control. When dealing with a student who is struggling to persevere, I need to make sure to engage that student mentally and emotionally so that they can use both parts to develop their stamina when it comes to self-control.

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  9. I couldn't help but to compare the Elephant and Rider to Freud's Id and Ego (leaving out the SuperEgo). The Id--the only thing within the mind of an infant at the time of birth (according to Freud) and which governs basic instincts and desires. The Pleasure Principle is it's Modus Operandi. This would be the Elephant, where pleasure, happiness, and emotion is it's strength, motivation, and fortitude. It is a beast of an energy that can make the seemingly impossible, possible.

    Balancing out the Id is the Ego--the practical, logical, sequential, calculating pragmatic side. The planner. This is the Rider. This, according to Freud, develops as the infant grows...and not fast enough for some of Maria's 9th graders! = )

    The old saying "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink," could be changed to "you can lead an elephant to water but you can't make them drink," even if it's in their best interest. So, how do we change the path that leads them to water to make them drink? That's what I'm eager to find out in the rest of the book!

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  10. My ah-ha's were the same, however one thing that struck me was "Once you break through to feeling, ...things change" (p14). It is such a simple concept, yet so true and so powerful!

    I took my foster dog to the groomer last week because he arrived with a whacky haircut. Once getting him "under the scissors," it was easy to tell why. Poor Chewie was terrified! The groomer took a painstakingly long time to try and fix/cut his hair (which means I waited a long time) and she eventually asked for my assistance. So here I am wanting "to get the job done" and as Chewie's obstinance increased, so did my force. And then the ah-ha moment...."we need to make this a positive experience so we'll be able to do it again next time." Wow. Duhhh. It applies to dogs and it applies to people (students) as well! I know this and yet I had to be reminded. Time always seems to be the devil.

    I learned during Superintendent's Conference Day during our vertical math alignment meeting that recess is limited to 20 minutes of play. That's it. And the rest of the day is learning stuff, yet if they don't learn it, there is no time to return to it to re-learn it. And yet math is something that constantly builds upon itself, so the absence of a foundation means that there is no building that occurs. Yet Math AIS is not available in the first and second grades (or second and third grades?) and so if a student doesn't get something, the curriculum keeps going and for their failure they are awarded the opportunity to be socially promoted...and move on to the next year still not knowing what they need to know to be successful. And the circle continues.

    Positive feelings can turn a kid around. They understand that coming in during advisement will improve their grade, but they never think of how good they feel when they become successful. It's almost like a drug, and they keep coming back for more. It's awesome. I only wish others would give it a try! The elephant is being rewarded. So how can I reward the elephant more often? And I thought, fun. I can I infuse more fun into math? And that is the path that I choose to ravel to try and change the situation/environment for these kids.

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  11. I think back to a course I took where we discussed the rational and emotional mind. For change to happen, you need to find a balance between the two. Kind of like the Rider and the Elephant. The studies and stories have been interesting, and I have been thinking about how to apply them to my own personal life and my professional life.

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  12. What interested me about the whole rider-elephant analogy was actually a connection to what I was told when I started my teaching career. An experienced colleague told me that connecting with students would allow me to inspire them and only then would I be able to teach them anything. It occurred to me, while reading this chapter, that what that experienced colleague told me when I started teaching is much the same information as was being laid out in the first chapter of switch. The idea that students must be motivated and have a clear direction, just as adults do, is one that really stuck with me from this chapter.

    I also thought about the resistance I've seen to change, especially with the Common Core. I have heard people say time and again that they have no problem with the standards. Most teachers assert that their issue is with the implementation All of our teachers want what is best for students. If the Common Core is what is best for students, I think every teacher would get on board, but without clear directions (mostly as a result of the build-the-plane-while-flying-it approach) we cant effect meaningful change.

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  13. Self control being an exhaustible resource, was both interesting and concerning....It explains away many things, but it also gives us an out. I am not sure I buy it. Now it gives us an excuse to not do things.... It gives me pause...

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