How and why Global School Play Day is working to restore unstructured play for kids For five years now, the first Wednesday in the month of February has been designated as Global School Play Day. This year, on February 5th, schools all over the world will pledge to allow students to spend an entire day playing with their classmates. Here are the guidelines for educators... Don't organize anything for the students Supervise students, but don't tell them how to play Call for toys - board games, Legos, blocks, balls, cards, puzzles Don't suggest how to use toys or games No screens or battery-powered devices Why play is essential to social and emotional learning The catalyst for Global School Play Day was a Tedx Talk given by Dr. Peter Gray. During the 16 minute talk, Gray presents a compelling argument that today's kids do not grow up playing and this could have a negative impact. He backs his case with the science of how animals develop. "Young mammals of essentially all species play. In play, they develop fit bodies they practice physical skills that are crucial to their survival and they also practice social and emotional skills," says Gray. "By playing together they learn to cooperate with one another. They learn to be in close vicinity to one another without losing their tempers, very important for social animals to develop. Gray also points out that "risky play" teaches animals how to take risks and experience fear without losing their minds. The Start of GSPD A group of educators was so influenced by Gray's lecture, they decided to do something about it. Global School Play Day was their answer. The grassroots movement in 2015 had over 65,000 participants and by 2019, GSPD had over half a million involved. GSPD Co-Founder, Eric Saibel, says they would love to see a million participants in 2020. The California principal says it's incredible to see images of students in New Zealand doing slip and slide while the kids in Minnesota are building a snowman. "There's this idea that has kind of crept into American society and education over the last 50-60 years that things need to be directed by adults for them to have importance for kids. And that is simply not true," says Saibel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA8rLXrjcv8&t=3s Saibel says GSPD is about building awareness. He knows that one day out of the year will not build a new paradigm, but he hopes it will build a new culture at a school and maybe across a community. A culture where people interact says Saibel, "Where there is a greater value placed on connecting face-to-face, person to person." To hear our full conversation with Saibel and learn how you can participate in GSPD, listen to episode 134 of Class Dismissed. You can listen to all the Class Dismissed Podcast episodes on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app. Click here to learn more or register for Global School Play Day. Other Show Notes The Power of Play Unvaccinated Students Not Allowed Back to Seattle Public Schools All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2020

"I wanted to find something that would possibly interest them and that they can’t find on the internet." Dina Leygerman was tired of having her high school students pretending to read the classic novels assigned in her class. She knew many of them were using SparkNotes and other shortcuts online and she guessed that some had probably never read a novel cover-to-cover. So Leygerman set a new a much loftier goal. She aimed to spark a love for reading amongst high schoolers.  With the support of her principal, Leygerman decided to take a break from the classics. She passed out a set of Young Adult books that a friend recommended to her. The book, “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman, is a dystopian title. One that she admits she had not even read herself.  “I wanted to find something that would possibly interest them and that they can’t find on the internet. Like information about it on the internet,” said Leygerman. Teaching a book you’ve never read At first, the students were skeptical because their teacher had not read the book herself. Dina Leygerman – Credit: Dina Leygerman (Medium) “They were like, wait you didn’t read this? How are you are going to teach us” says Leygerman “And I said, we’re going to learn together, that’s going to be the beauty of that.” It didn’t take long before the students were hooked. Since Leygerman didn’t have a unit planned out yet, she set the students up in literature circles and she sat in with a different group every day. “I was pleasantly surprised when the students just got into it. Like two chapters in, they were really into it.”  Leygerman says she had about 40 of her 45 seniors clearly engaged with the novel. This was a massive improvement over the classic novels she introduced in the past.  At times, the students would read well beyond their teacher and the results were heartwarming.  “They would be like, Ms. Leygerman, did you get to that part yet — Oh my God, oh my God, we can’t wait until you get there,” said Leygerman. “They were so excited, and they were so excited for me to get to the part they were at. That to me was like, I won!” Once the students finished the book many of them came up to Leygerman and said “this was the best book I ever read” and some even said, “this was the only book I ever read.”  Several of the students even asked for a copy of the sequel. Leygerman referred them to the school principal and the students made the effort to request the book through the administration. The principal ordered 25 copies of the sequel that could be borrowed.  “Out of the 25 copies that she ordered, the kids borrowed 20 copies,” says Leygerman.  Breaking from tradition turned out to be a huge success. To hear our full interview with Dina Leygerman listen to Episode 133 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2020

The Role of Emotion in History Education Dr. Dave Neumann is an Assistant Professor of History Education at Cal Poly Pomona and he was recently published in “Social Education” with his article titled “A feeling for the Past: The Role of Emotion in History Education.”  Recently, some of Neumann's students (future educators) were presenting their culminating model lessons in his history methods class and he noticed a crucial missing element to their presentation. "The students had presented this model lesson in a pretty exemplary way, in terms of the content," said Neumann. "But as I was sitting observing it, I noticed the rest of the students participating in it just really didn't click with it, and I felt like something was missing." What became apparent to Neumann is that the students were missing the emotion in the lesson. His students had presented the topic in a very cold analytical way. In Episode 132 of Class Dismissed, Neumann tells us what his students could have done better at that moment and he gives us some tips on how educators can bring more emotion into their lessons. You can listen to the latest episode of Class Dismissed on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. Other Show Notes The Quiet Rooms A teacher makes 10 predictions for education in 2020 — some of them rather hopeful All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2020

These are our favorite interviews of 2019 Every year on Class Dismissed, we have an in-depth discussion with scores of amazing people working in education. We introduce our listeners to, innovative teachers, administrators, college professors, and even educational software developers. Towards the end of each year, it's always fun to reflect on a few of those interviews that stand out to us. This week we selected our top four guests of 2019 and we look back on what we loved so much about those interviews. To hear our full list listen to Episode 131 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2019

Shakespeare is arguably the most widely taught author in the United States, but should he be? Christina Torres has been teaching Shakespeare to her students for the past seven years. She loves Shakespeare, she's read it, she's performed it, and it's an integral part of the lessons she crafts for her eighth-graders in Honolulu. However, Torres recently opened up about why she feels guilty about assigning Shakespeare to her students. "The guilt comes from wondering what would it mean for my students if my students had more access to literature from someone with a similar background," says Torres. Torres, who is half Mexican and half Filipino, says she did not get access to a Latino author until her junior year of high school. "It was this huge revelation," says Torres. "Here's a Mexican writer, writing about things I understand! It was so overwhelming, and I feel a little sad that it did not happen to me until I was 16." Torres says she can't help but feel guilty that she's taking time in her curriculum that could be dedicated to other authors. After all, most schools teach Shakespeare through several grade levels. Torres's concerns don't stop there. To hear our full interview with Torres listen to Episode 130 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017 – 2019

We shouldn't obsess over early achievement. We live in a world where we applaud kids that do amazing things at a young age, but Rich Karlgaard is not focused on those early achievers. Karlgaard is the publisher of Forbes Magazine and author of "Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement", and he wants to start a national dialog about why it's essential to recognize that some people's prime comes a little later than others. Late Bloomers begins with Karlgaard highlighting a 53-year-old woman named Joanne. When Joanne was in school, she was described as a "high-mediocre" student. Many professors do not remember Joanne, but one professor described her as a student that would often stare off into space while in class. After attending school, Joanne got into a bad marriage, worked as a receptionist for a bit, and went into a spiral of depression after her divorce. For a time, she was even on public assistance. But Karlgaard says Joanne is an excellent example of a late bloomer. "At age 35, while taking a train, Joanne, otherwise known as J.K. Rowling, dreamed up Harry Potter," says Karlgaard. Why do parents push so hard? If being a late bloomer is ok, then why do we see parents, coaches, and teachers push kids to be an early achiever? Karlgaard's theory is that the predominant rewards in society are coming from two industries, software and high-end financial services. "I like to say Google and Goldman Sachs," says Karlgaard. "Now, these Google and Goldman Sachs, who do they look for in college grads? They look for college grads that have gone to most elite universities." This has created the idea that the most significant rewards go to those that attend elite universities and have the best test scores. Consequently, it leads to parents and educators pushing kids towards doing whatever it takes to get into the best universities. Karlgaard says his goal in writing Late Bloomers is to start a discussion about applying unneeded pressure on students that may need more time. He's concerned that our current trajectory is causing financial indebtedness, anxiety, depression, and sleep-deprived kids. What we're getting wrong Karlgaard says we have a very narrow idea of what K-12 education should be. "That it should be a conveyer belt, and at the end of that conveyer belt, it deposits these kids into the best possible colleges that they can get in to." Karlgaard acknowledges some kids are going to succeed on that conveyer belt. He knows some will get high test scores, and they'll manage the homework, and that's great. But he wants to make sure society understands that if kids are not succeeding, then "Plan B" is not to double down. "There's overwhelming research that the conveyer belt is missing more kids than it's hitting," say's Karlgaard. "Many kids, their talents, deepest passions, and purpose, are never going to be revealed on that conveyer belt." This is what motivated Karlgaard to spend five years researching and writing Late Bloomers. What can we do? If we see kids succeeding at an early age, by all means, we should applaud the success. But we also need to be sensitive to the signs of kids that are rebelling against the current system. Karlgaard says to watch for kids… Mentally dropping out Retreating to the basement and playing video games Clinical anxiety or depression Dropping out school It used to be much easier to be a late bloomer, says Karlgaard. We didn't have social media, where kids compare themselves to the curated versions of other kids. Karlgaard says educators' success should not be measured by how many kids you get into Havard. "Success is measured 20-30 years down the road when you see your students are well functioning, healthy, happy, fulfilled contributors to their families and society." To hear our full interview with Karlgaard, listen to Episode 99 of the Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes o...

Happy Thanksgiving! This week we take a look at some myths surrounding the origin of Thanksgiving. Were the Indians and Pilgrims that first ate together friendly with one another?Has Thanksgiving been a tradition since the 1600s?Who declared Thanksgiving a federal holiday?Was turkey served at the first Thanksgiving meal?Did the pilgrims really wear black and have buckles on their shoes? Listen to Episode Class Dismissed your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2019

Over a 30 year period, Kim Marshall served as a teacher, policy advisor, speechwriter, director of the curriculum, and a principal for Boston schools. After that incredible career, Marshall began chapter two of his professional life with the publication of the Marshall Memo. Marshall's weekly publication is widely known in education circles and for the past 17 years, the "Marshall’s Memo" has been emailed out weekly to educators around the world. In Episode 127 of Class Dismissed, Marshall talks about which ideas in education have had decades of lasting power and Marshall told us that he thinks teacher teams may be the "secret sauce" to successful schools. Marshall says that when schools create groups like the algebra team, the 4th-grade team, or the kindergarten team they get results. Marshall says these teams should be sitting down planning curriculum units together and then looking at the actual student work that comes out of their classrooms on a day-by-day basis or from assessments and sharing the most effective ideas. Marshall says this needs to happen because teaching is contextual. "Any middle school teacher will tell you they can have a lesson that's going really brilliantly the first lesson and then the same lesson in the second lesson doesn't go as well," Marshall says this is because teaching is so hard and so complex. Marshall just released a new book encapsulating the "Best of the Marshall Memo" and he and his co-author, Jenn David-Lang, are offering a free chapter on time management to anyone that emails them to requests it. Those interested can email Marshall at kim.marshall48@gmail.com You can listen to the full interview with Kim Marshall on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. Other links from the episode Gaggle Knows Everything About Teens And Kids In School All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2019

So many of the moments that change us are surprise moments. Have you ever had a spontaneous event define who you are? It’s possible you have and you just didn’t recognize it.  Our guest explains how we can use neuroscience to trigger growth mindsets in the classroom and ultimately enrich the lives of our students. Dr. Michael Rousell is a psychologist and associate professor at Southern Oregon University and he's spent years studying how spontaneous events can change the way we believe and see ourselves. In Episode 126, Rousell teaches us how educators can give their students a burst of dopamine by combining surprise with positive reinforcement. If done properly, the results can have long-lasting positives effects on the way students perceive themselves. You can listen to the latest episode of Class Dismissed on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2019

How Silent Sustained Readers was a gamechanger for this high school English teacher. Steve Gardiner's first assignment as an educator was a challenge. He was responsible for teaching five sections of a class called basic communications. "It was exactly what it sounds like. The students in there had failed all of our other English classes," said Gardiner. He was their last chance for them to earn the credits that they needed to graduate. Unfortunately, that first year had a rough start. Gardiner says the students were not enthused and he admits that he was struggling to find stimulating curriculum material. But then a colleague suggested Sustained Silent Reading, also known as SSR. Gardiner thought why not? I need to try something different. So they headed to the library and each student got to pick out their own book, and then every day the read for about 15 minutes. It was the consistency that seemed to make a difference. "It wasn't that long, a week at the most, I was getting an occasional complaint when I asked them to put down their books and go to their packets," said Gardiner. He thought wow! I'm getting somewhere with them. Gardiner says he had success with the students the first year, but he wanted to learn more about SSR. He began researching and fine-tuning his program. Over the next 27 years, Gardiner had success with SSR in his high school classroom while also becoming one of the leading champions for Silent Sustained Reading in the country.  He authored a book on the subject and gave workshops. In Episode 125 of Class Dismissed, Gardiner teaches us how educators can roll out SSR in their own classrooms. You can listen to the latest episode of Class Dismissed on your favorite podcast app or iTunes. To keep up with Steve Gardiner you can visit his website at https://www.quietwaterpublishing.com Other links from the episode 7 reasons why teachers should use the educational versions of Assassin’s Creed in their classrooms All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2019