brain friendly connections and protocols

Brain Friendly Connections and Protocols

A session designed to explore the brain, experience connections and protocols and leave with the desire to take

action on new ideas.

Shelee King George [email protected]

www.psctlt.org

Bowman, Sharon. The Ten‐Minute Trainer. 1. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2005.

Clock Partners Directions:

Find partners for discussion times during this session.

Record their names by the clock marks as directed by your trainer.

Clock Partners

Garmston, R. J. & Wellman, B. (1999). The adaptive school: A sourcebook for developing collaborative groups. Norwood, MA: Christopher-Gordon Publishers, Inc.

Connecting Ideas

Connecting activities are opening activities that connect learners to each other, and helps them focus on what they know or want to know. Connecting activities create a feeling of psychological safety and allow our brains to relax and learn more. It forms a safe learning community, focuses energy, and relaxes the learners into the learning experience.

The power of the FIRST minute… Whenever possible, make the connecting activity happen in the first minute; before housekeeping, goals of the day or agendas. It gives the message that this training is about them, not about you.

1. Between Us: Spend a few minutes conversing with a partner and take some notes. You will introduce your group to the rest of us. The key to this introduction is the numbers of items that you share amongst you. Each (pair, group) will share information using this formula:

“Between us we have: ____ items, we have _____ shoes… ____ pets (list the amounts of each) and ___ years as an educator.

This can also be done with the whole group if the group is not too large.

2. Just Like Me: Have participants stand if they are like you. Ideas for prompts: I have dogs… I have children… I like children… I work with middle schoolers… I work with adults… etc. getting closer and closer to your topic.

3. Neighbor Nudge: Nudge a neighbor close to you and share: …a concern you have about this topic … one thing you know about this topic … what you hope to DO with the learning you gain …. A challenge you face … A success you have had 4. Side to Side: Instead of connecting with those sitting near you, split the group in half and have them share with someone from the other side of the room. Same type of prompts as Neighbor Nudge

5. Line Up: Line up alphabetically by first name. Go down the line and share a word or phrase that make makes you think of today’s topic. (line up can also can be done in silence using only name tags)

6. Stand and find: Stand and find one person you don’t work with often… Introduce yourself and tell them one thing you want to take away from this training. Repeat 1‐2 more times.

7. Know it and Want it: Think of three things you know about this topic and one thing you want to learn today. Share it with someone wearing the same color as you.

8. Graffiti Wall: Create prompts on the top of several chart papers. For example, A comment about… An opinion… What I know… what I want to know… etc. Label the charts: GRAFFITI WALL. Have participants contribute to the prompt as they enter.

Conference Series, 2009‐10: Brain Friendly Connections and Protocols

9. 5‐3‐1: Individually write down 5 words which bring back your thoughts from our last session (or things you hope learn

today, or things you know about this topic, etc). Share your words with your table group and choose 3 as a table group. Be ready to share 1 with the large group.

10. Post Card Partners: Preparation ‐ Create a set of post cards or use commercial ones. Write a prompt or question on the back of each postcard related to the topic. (Examples: How is Peer Coaching like a campfire? What is one challenge you face as a ___? What is one success you have had with …?). Cut the post card into 2 pieces for partners, 3 pieces for triads, 4 pieces for groups of 4, etc. Each participant chooses a piece of a postcard then finds his/her partner(s)‐ those who have the same pieces of the postcard. When they find each other, they put their postcard together. Then turn the card over to answer a topic related question. 11. Trading Cards: Preparation ‐ Organize a regular deck of playing cards into stacks of like numbers, removing the aces and face cards. (For example, for a group of 20, I use numbers 2‐6; 4 of each number. ) As participants enter the room, give them a card. Once everyone has arrived, play music to set the mood and ask participants to move around the room trading their card with another person. Participants continue to trade cards until the music stops. They keep the card they have. With a prompt from the leader, participants find another person with (same color card, same number, odd and even numbers together , mixed odd/even numbers together) to share … … one great childhood toy I had was

… one reason I came to this conference … one thing I have done related to _____ … one challenge I face related to ___ Do 3 or 4 rotations with music playing and different prompts, each getting closer to the topic of the day.

12. Quick Start Expert Group: Post these instructions where they are readily viewable upon entering (perhaps the screen, handouts on a table, index cards on each chair, or instructions at the sign in table).

After reading this, introduce yourself to three people seated near you. Tell them what you want to learn in this training. Be ready to state what they say when asked to do so. This is your Expert Group.

13. Clock Partners: Make an appointment with 12 different people, one for each hour on the(Can be modified to only use 4 times, 6 times, etc.) Be sure you both record the appointmentyour clocks. Only make the appointment if there is an open slot at that hour on both of yclocks. Requires a handout with the image of a clock face with lines next to the hours you to make appointments.

clock. on

our wish

of the year. Use a handout 14. Seasonal Partners: Same as Clock Partners but make an appointment with each seasonwith pictures of each season.

15. Coat of Arms: Create a Coat of Arms for your table group. Divide a sheet of paper into fourths. In each fourth, list different attributes of your group. For example, types of pets you currently have, years as an educator (total for the



group), number of people living in your home (total for the group), one thing you all have in common. In the center, create an image that represents your group. Share with the group when called upon.

TIPS: You can do more than one connecting activity. Consider using a connecting activity at the start of each segment of a longer training, especially if you are covering several different concepts. Instead of sharing one fact known about the main topic, have them share a fact about a specific topic related to the concept, i.e. if the main topic is customer service, share something about handling difficult customers, an aspect of customer service. References: Respecting the creative time and effort of those who created the information I used: Bowman, Sharon. The Ten‐Minute Trainer. 1. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2005.

Powerful Presentations. By Deborah G. Estes, Ed.D. National Staff Development Council 39th Annual Conference, Dallas. 4 Dec. 2007

What is a Protocol? In the world of medicine, protocols are used by doctors to heal patients. If a patient goes to a doctor complaining of a skin rash, a sore throat, fever, or any type of symptom, the doctor follows a protocol for analyzing the problem and treating the patient with the necessary medicine for healing. 9 times out of 10, the patient recovers, provided the recommended treatment is followed. In education, we use protocols to guide conversations, analyze problems, and build collaborative culture. A protocol consists of agreed upon guidelines for a conversation, and it is the existence of this structure ‐‐ which everyone understands and has agreed to ‐‐ that permits a certain kind of conversation to occur ‐‐ often a kind of conversation which people are not in the habit of having. Protocols are vehicles for building the skills and culture necessary for collaborative work. Thus, using protocols often allows groups to build trust by actually doing substantive work together.

Why Use a Protocol? A protocol creates a structure that makes it safe to ask challenging questions of each other; it also ensures that there is some equity and parity in terms of how each person's issues are attended to. The presenter has the opportunity not only to reflect on and describe an issue or a dilemma, but also to have interesting questions asked of him or her, AND to gain differing perspectives and new insights. Protocols build in a space for listening, and often give people a license to listen, without having to continuously respond. Protocols can be used for looking at written work, for examining student work, for solving challenges or celebrating successes. For more information about protocols visit: http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocols.html or http://www.lasw.org/


http://www.nsrfharmony.org/protocols.html

http://www.lasw.org/

ProtocolsaremostpowerfulandeffectivewhenusedwithinanongoingprofessionallearningcommunitysuchasaCriticalFriendsGroup®andfacilitatedbyaskilledcoach.Tolearnmoreaboutprofessionallearningcommunitiesandseminarsforneworexperiencedcoaches,pleasevisittheNationalSchoolReformFacultywebsiteatwww.nsrfharmony.org.

NationalSchoolReformFaculty

HarmonyEducation

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PurposeTocollaborativelyconstructmeaning,clarify,andexpandourthinkingaboutatextordocument.

RolesAfacilitatortoguidetheprocess.Ascribetotrackthephrasesandwordsthatareshared.

SetUpTakeafewmomentstoreviewthedocumentandmarkthesentence,thephrase,andthewordthatyouthinkisparticularlyimportantforourwork.

Steps1.FirstRound:Eachpersonsharesasentencefromthedocumentthathe/shethinks/feelsisparticularly

significant.

2.SecondRound:Eachpersonsharesaphrasethathe/shethinks/feelsisparticularlysignificant.Thescriberecordseachphrase.

3.ThirdRound:Eachpersonsharesthewordthathe/shethinks/feelsisparticularlysignificant.Thescriberecordseachword.

4.Thegroupdiscusseswhattheyheardandwhatitsaysaboutthedocument.

5.Thegroupsharesthewordsthatemergedandanynewinsightsaboutthedocument.

6.Thegroupdebriefsthetextrenderingprocess.

TextRenderingExperienceDevelopedinthefieldbyeducatorsaffiliatedwithNSRF.

Quad Jigsaw Materials and preparation needed: • Select a piece of text that can easily be read in 5-10 minutes. Determine how you can

break it up into 4 parts. • Blank piece of paper for each participant Directions: 1 Introduce participants to the reading selection. Have them mark their readings into

four sections, labeling them each 1-4. 2 Have participants take a plain piece of paper and fold it into 4 quadrants. 3 Label each piece of the quadrant 1-4. Each quadrant will represent one section of

reading. 1 2 3 4

4 Direct participants to write LEGIBLE notes in the corresponding quadrant during

their reading.

5 Provide time for participants to read the selections.

6 Once participants have finished reading, direct them to fold their quadrants firmly and carefully tear the quadrants into 4 independent sections.

7 Designate one person (or team) to be responsible for each section. Distribute the

independent sections to the appropriate people/teams.

8 The person (or team) responsible for each quadrant synthesizes the notes left by each member looking for common themes and general ideas. (Optional: The synthesis may be collected on chart paper)

9 Each person (team) reports back to the large group their synthesis of notes.

Conference Series, 2009-10: Brain Friendly Connections and Protocols

Read the following document: Attention Maker, Attention Breaker found in The Ten Minute Trainer, pages 142‐145. (Bowman, Sharon. The Ten‐Minute Trainer. 1. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2005) Apply the Quad Jigsaw protocol, taking key notes for each of the 4 sections. Part 1: What Is the RAS and What Does It Do? This pinky‐sized area of the brain has a scientific name: the reticular activating system (RAS). A more common name for it is the Attention Maker. It is located near the brainstem (survival brain)‐the part of your brain that controls the fight‐or‐flight response. It sends electronic signals from your brainstem through the limbic or emotional brain to your cerebrum (thinking brain). The Attention Maker has two specific jobs: it "makes" or "breaks" attention. The first job is to make your thinking brain pay attention to what is going on in the environment. The second job is to break or stop your thinking brain's attention to the environment, causing the cerebrum to go on "automatic pilot," that is, to do certain actions automatically while thinking of other things. The Attention Maker does both jobs by screening the sensory data coming into your brain from the brainstem. Then it decides what data is important enough to send along electronic circuits to the cerebrum. When the important sensory information reaches your thinking brain, you suddenly become conscious of specific sights, sounds, movements, smells, textures, and the like that are around you. 1£ the Attention Maker decides that the sensory information is not that important, it will stop the electronic messages to your thinking brain, effectively screening out the sensory data so that you don't see, hear, or otherwise notice unimportant things. Picture a security officer (the RAS) standing at the entrance to an important bank (the cerebrum) with a long line of prospective clients (sensory data) waiting to get in. The security officer screens each client's request and says, "Yes, you may go on in. No, you have to wait out here. Yes, you're important enough to step inside. No, you're not important enough to enter right now." Part 2: Time and Energy You have experienced the attention‐breaker activity of the RAS thousands of times. For example, you no longer consciously hear repetitive sounds you're used to: the traffic noise outside the window, the hum of the refrigerator, the clock chiming the hours, the radio station in the background. You don't consciously notice the hallway photos, the tree in your front yard, your office furniture, the elevator music, or the billboards by the highway. You have also experienced the attention‐maker activity of the RAS. Because it subconsciously monitors all sensory information in the environment around you, it notices any changes in that stimuli. Doing something about the changes is not its job. So it simply alerts the thinking brain that full consciousness is now required and that being on automatic pilot will no longer work. Suddenly you become aware of a fire engine wail, a radio announcement about a traffic accident, an unfamiliar car parked outside your home, or a suspicious person lurking next to your office building. Part 3: The cerebrum needs the RAS to screen sensory data in order to save you both time and energy. Let's explore these two ideas a little further. It takes a great deal of mental energy to be consciously aware of all the sensory stimulation around you. It also takes energy to decide what, if anything, to do about all the sensory data. The thinking brain can save itself a great deal of energy by not consciously paying attention to every sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, movement, and so forth. It also takes time to consciously process all that sensory data. If the cerebrum

had to notice and then had to decide how to respond to everything in the environment in any given moment, simple tasks could take hours to complete. For example, just think about how many physical actions are involved in something as simple as brushing your teeth. It would be extraordinarily time consuming o have to think through and make a decision about each of those actions. So once the cerebrum learns how to do the task, it assigns the sequence of actions to the Attention Maker, much like an airplane pilot who decides to turn on the automatic pilot switch so that the plane flies itself. Anytime you do anything familiar and repetitive‐washing dishes, taking a shower, getting dressed, exercising, gardening, sleeping‐the RAS takes over the physical actions, thus freeing the cerebrum to think of other things. Driving is the most understood example of what it feels like to be on automatic pilot. When you first learned how to drive, you had to be completely conscious of everything around you. Now, most likely, after having driven for years, you pull into the parking lot at work in the morning not even consciously aware of how you got there. Driving has become such a repetitive task that when you back out of your driveway, the RAS immediately begins screening out all the sensory details related to driving that you're familiar with. By the way, besides alerting the cerebrum to any changes in the environment, the RAS also sends signals that have to do with physical need (example: waking up from a deep sleep in order to go to the bathroom), self‐made choice (example: deciding to buy a red car and suddenly seeing red cars everywhere), and hearing or seeing your own name. It is also responsible for heightening sensory acuteness in the case of survival situations (example: the sudden sharpening of your sense of hearing when you become aware of an unfamiliar sound in the middle of the night). Part 4: Learning, Teaching, and the RAS The reticular activating system is crucial to directing and maintaining a leamer's attention, regardless of whether the learning takes place in formal places such as classrooms or in real‐life situations such as on‐the‐job training. Whenever a learning environment or procedure becomes routine, that is, familiar and repetitive, the RAS takes on the role of Attention Breaker. It breaks the learner's conscious concentration and gives his thinking brain permission to muse about things unrelated to the task at hand, which in this case is sitting in a classroom listening to someone teach. Where anything changes from what is familiar in a learning environment, the RAS becomes the Attention Maker. It directs the learner's thinking brain to consciously pay attention to what is going on around him, including listening to the teacher. The importance of this for us as trainers is clear: When we want our learners to pay close, conscious attention to important information, we have to catch the attention of the RAS by changing something in the environment. Changes That Engage the RAS First, we can change things that have to do with our own instructional methods. For example, we can • Vary the tone, speed, loudness, or softness of our own voice. • Move around the room as we talk. • Gesture while we speak, using hand and arm movements and facial expressions. • Act out a story to illustrate important concepts. • Ask a question and then pause for five full seconds (most trainers only wait for two seconds or less before answering their own question). • Add humor with a topic‐related joke or anecdote. • Use topic‐related, visual images while we talk‐photos, cartoons, drawings, and so forth.


NationalSchoolReformFaculty

HarmonyEducation

Centerwww.nsrfharmony.org

OriginallydevelopedbyHiltonSmith,FoxfireFund;adaptedfortheNSRFbyMarylynWentworth.

ChalkTalkisasilentwaytodoreflection,generateideas,checkonlearning,developprojectsorsolveproblems.Itcanbeusedproductivelywithanygroup—students,faculty,workshopparticipants,committees.Becauseisitdonecompletelyinsilence,itgivesgroupsachangeofpaceandencouragesthoughtfulcontemplation.Itcanbeanunforgettableexperience.MiddleLevelstudentsabsolutelyloveit—it’sthequietestthey’lleverbe!

FormatTime:Variesaccordingtoneed;canbefrom5minutestoanhour.Materials:Chalkboardandchalkorpaperrollonthewallandmarkers.

Process1.ThefacilitatorexplainsVERYBRIEFLYthatchalktalkisasilentactivity.Noonemaytalkatalland

anyonemayaddtothechalktalkastheyplease.Youcancommentonotherpeople’sideassimplybydrawingaconnectinglinetothecomment.Itcanalsobeveryeffectivetosaynothingatallexcepttoputfingertolipsinagestureofsilenceandsimplybeginwith#2.

2.Thefacilitatorwritesarelevantquestioninacircleontheboard. Samplequestions:

• Whatdidyoulearntoday?• SoWhat?orNowWhat?• Whatdoyouthinkaboutsocialresponsibilityandschooling?• Howcanweinvolvethecommunityintheschool,andtheschoolincommunity?• Howcanwekeepthenoiseleveldowninthisroom?• Whatdoyouwanttotelltheschedulingcommittee?• WhatdoyouknowaboutCroatia?• Howaredecimalsusedintheworld?

3.Thefacilitatoreitherhandsapieceofchalktoeveryone,orplacesmanypiecesofchalkattheboardandhandsseveralpiecestopeopleatrandom.

4.Peoplewriteastheyfeelmoved.Therearelikelytobelongsilences—thatisnatural,soallowplentyofwaittimebeforedecidingitisover.

5.HowthefacilitatorchoosestointeractwiththeChalkTalkinfluencesitsoutcome.Thefacilitatorcanstandbackandletitunfoldorexpandthinkingby:• circlingotherinterestingideas,therebyinvitingcommentstobroaden•writingquestionsaboutaparticipantcomment

ChalkTalk


•addinghis/herownreflectionsorideas•connectingtwointerestingideas/commentstogetherwithalineandaddingaquestionmark.

Activelyinteractinginvitesparticipantstodothesamekindsofexpansions.AChalkTalkcanbeanuncomplicatedsilentreflectionoraspirited,butsilent,exchangeofideas.Ithasbeenknowntosolvevexingproblems,surpriseeveryonewithhowmuchiscollectivelyknownaboutsomething,getanentireprojectplanned,orgiveacommitteeeverythingitneedstoknowwithoutanyverbalsparring.

6.Whenit’sdone,it’sdone.

Head - Heart - Foot: As you reflect on this session, think how it has touched your head with a new idea, your heart with a feeling, and your foot to take action on a new idea you gained today or to go forth with an existing one.

Conference Series, 2009-10: Brain Friendly Connections and Protocols

Shaping My Thoughts

For info, contact [email protected]

One idea rolling around in your head:

One way this session squared with you..

One key point you will take action on…

Closing Ideas Closings should recapture the essence of the session and connect with the participants emotionally. Closings can end an entire training or the end of a segment of training. They help participants review information, make a commitment to use the material, and connect participants with one another.

Head Heart Foot: I hope I touched your head with a new idea, your heart with a feeling, and your foot to take action on a new idea.

Closing Thoughts: (image of a circle, square and triangle) An idea rolling around, a thought that squares with my thinking and one key point to take action on.

Shaping up a Summary: (image of a circle, square and triangle)Something that squares with my beliefs, A question going around in my mind, 3 points I want to remember.

Plusses , Wishes and Surprises : Divide a chart into 3 columns. Label the columns with a + ? and ‐. Ask participants to list the plusses of the day (+), things they wish could have changed ( ‐), and those things that surprised them (?)

Training Souvenir: Give participants each a small souvenir to leave with. This is to remind you that you make a difference in the lives of those you live and work with. It is also a reminder of what we have learned together today.

Graffiti Wall: Create a prompt on the top of chart paper. Have participants write a word, phrase or picture that captures one of the key points of the day.

Training Discoveries: Ask participants to finish this prompt: Before <this training, today, this session, this week> I thought _________________ but I discovered _________________ .

Word/Picture Web: Use a word and/or picture web top capture the learning of the day‐ both cognitively and/or emotionally.

5‐3‐1: Individually write down 5 words which bring back your thoughts from today. Share your items with your table

group and choose 3 as a table group. Be ready to share 1 with the large group.

411: 4 new ideas, 1 thing I already knew, 1 call to action

Shout out: Roll dice. The number refers to the number of responses a group will “shout out” regarding a topic.

Plusses and Wishes: Create a T Chart to record the Plusses (those items you enjoyed) and the Wishes (those things you would like to do differently)

Tickets out: A written or verbal comment from the learners about a topic or concept.

WOW Chart: Chart paper with WOW on top. Write the most important thing you have learned so far on a Post it note



Exit Card: Stand at the door. Ask participants to write on an index card/paper/sticky note 3 main ideas from the material covered and hand to you o the way out.

Action Plans: Closing activities that encourage the learner to think about material and use it in some way after the training. Examples include:

• Write a post it note of one thing you will do in the next day, week, month related to training. • Tell a table partner 3 things you will do with the material learned and how you will judge your own success. • Touch your shoe; Tell a neighbor one thing you will take action on after training.

Celebrations: Closing activities that end the training on a positive note. Done in the last minutes of training, it should remind people of what they learned and reconnect learners to each other. It should encourage participants to take action. Examples include:

• High five the table partners in honor of your new learning and the actions you will take. • Noise Makers: Pass out noisemakers. Sound your noisemaker if you enjoyed the training. Sound the noisemaker

if you learned at least 6 things that you did not know before. Make noise if you can share what you learned with other colleagues; make noise if you will use what you learned today.

• Pass the ball.. .a Kush ball or any soft ball. Toss to someone… Say when the all is tossed your way, quickly tell us a word of phrase that sums up your feelings about the training. Toss it to someone else. End with applause

• Training Souvenirs: This is to remind you that you make a difference in the lives of those you live and work with. It is also a reminder of what we learned today. Thank you

• Inside Outside circle: if large enough (20+) group‐forms two circles, one facing the other. Both circles move to the right. Stop. High 5 and then share with your neighbor… what you enjoyed most of training and how you will apply it.

References: Respecting the creative time and effort of those who created the information I used: Bowman, Sharon. The Ten‐Minute Trainer. 1. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2005.

Powerful Presentations. By Deborah G. Estes, Ed.D. National Staff Development Council 39th Annual Conference, Dallas. 4 Dec. 2007

brain friendly connections and protocols

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