The fallacy that is League Tables

It seems that many governments need the idea of league tables to measure education. I find this most interesting considering the underlying aims and objectives of education systems. I think if schools are to be 'judged' (or offer some form of indication) then surely we need to examine the aims and objectives (or if you prefer, rules) they operate under. In the last few decades the emphasis has been more holistic in nature and looks at the overall development of the student, not just the academic progress. If you read the pre-amble and/or mission statements for curriculum documents, you will find these documents I have included one from the IB Middle Years Program as a focus for the blog. If you don't know these for your school system, my advice is to simply ask!


Admittedly one of the main objectives involves the assessment of course skills and objectives. This seems to be the one that helps in the formation of the league tables, and cause so much conjecture and debate. But, as you can see it offers a simplistic view of a school. Seeing the results of one (series) examination session is only providing a snapshot of that particular day. It fails to take into the account the other less tangible, but by no means less important other functions of your school - social development and emotional intelligence to name but two.

I simply look at the statistical point of view, it seems that making a fair comparison is not as valid as the makers have on us all. The number of variables that exist between any two schools mean that you might just as well be comparing "apples and oranges". I think that statisticians would agree that you really can make statistics tell you anything if you choose (or cherry pick) them.

The most disturbing push then comes to compare country with country. Now considering that we start with different objectives, assessments, curriculum and of course cultures. I was most interested and amazed by a recent article about why countries such at England and Australia should follow the example of the Chinese education system. Please take the time to read the link. I am in no way trying to degenerate China's education system, but wonder again how with all of the cultural and historical factors considered, a fair judgement or comparison can possibly be made.

Disturbingly I found that people in both mentioned (and other) countries wanted to embrace the notion on face value! This was particularly evident in certain sections of the media and politicians. I wonder how many of the children or grandchildren of these people would be asked to be part of the system they propose? It is important to note that any change that is proposed or made in these political discussions will effect the state-run or public system, without having any major impact at all on the private system that operates within that society. So utmost care must be taken. I'm sure that you would be totally outraged if I tried to make decisions for you that don't affect me! So when the "boot is on the other foot" we must also take care. The old adage "things must not only be fair, but be seen to be fair" must take some priority in our thoughts.

A simple "knee jerk reaction" to one factor involved in education is often far to easy to make. On the surface it seems a really promising idea until you take the time to delve deeper and consider what you really want from your education system. I suppose it really goes back to the question I previously proposed, what do you actually want for your child? 

I simply put to you the questions: 

• "what will happen to creativity, imagination and other factors in our society if we simply value recall?" 
• "Would you really want the same system for your child?" 

Parent Decisions & Choices

I thought this might shed a bit more light on what parents want. They seem to vary and there are so much depending upon cultural, socio-economic and other factors that apply. The variation is neither surprising or breaking news to educationalists, but I suppose that certain pushes indicate the likelihood of becoming a "helicopter parent" and having the resultant impact on the self-actualisation and the resilience level of your child. I suppose the question is where does the concern & your child's end and the living the child's life by making all decisions for them start? An interesting point, and I wonder where the "borderline" lies!

Figure1: How K-12 Parent prioritise attributes

So lets have a closer look at a study done in the US, I feel that the results would be similar in most developed countries. According to Liz Wimmer* in the Getting Smart blog series, parents want:

1. acceptance into a top-tier college
2. creativity programs (including music and arts)
3. high test scores
4. leadership skills
5. the ability to work with individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds
6. individual attention for their child as needed

* Liz Wimmer is a parent and writer with the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning at the University of Washington. The article is based upon the study done by the Thomas B Fordham Institute, and a more complete examination of this study & its results are available here. The study summary is shown in figure 1. #Figure 1 shows parent high priorities in green, desirable are shown in yellow and less desirable (or so called expendable) characteristics in red. 

She goes on to give some details on percentage of parents giving importance to these areas based upon a 2013 survey. Again these are not really revolutionary or breaking news but they do point towards what parents want. They do provide a really good framework for your child and there is nothing particularly wrong with making these choices, considering the decision is usually made when the child is pre-teen. But if we follow on from the resilience blog, then I think this can be a negative impact on your child if they keep going. Once the initial are in place it is imperative that you gradually allow them the opportunities to make decisions. Even if they are initially under 'guidance mode' it will help.

I was asked (as part of my head of year role) to sit in on a seminar where students explained to parents what they wanted in terms of colleges. The students basically spoke to their parents and offered detailed explanations to support their choices. It proved an interesting evening with a few eye opening moments, but the key factor was the communication about what the student want. I really think this was the icing on the cake and perhaps even the main purpose of the seminar. This activity was a peripheral "desire of parents" at best, but the importance to the student and their development of resilience, priceless!

I still find it rather amusing at the number of students who have their day fully mapped out for them by their parents, fully understanding the reasons for this, but wondering if in the long term it is the best option. I think that giving them the opportunity to make decisions for themselves (or at least) talking through decision-making is missed in these situations. In the effort to leave no time to make mistakes, parents are really depriving their children of valuable learning experiences and true bonding time that comes with the discussion that follow. But, by the same token, if the parent-child communication is overly critical then more damage can be done than good. I wonder if that is also part of the reason for the over commitment of students by their parents?

The desire and ability of teens to make sound decisions is obvious. But there are times when parents step in and take away the 'right' to make decisions. Again the overall reason behind doing this is often sound and would appear to be based on Maslow's hierarchy. We want to do what 'we think' is best, but in doing so we lose a golden opportunity to help further develop resilience strategies. I think the opportunity to sometimes use these situations as a learning exercise is missed. Is it that difficult to sit and communicate with a teen about the reasoning behind a decision? That would depend on whether you had already begun the process of "teaching" them about decision making and resilience.

I find it amazing in many ways that we find it so hard to "let go"! The idea of allowing them to make their own choices seems foreign, that is until they leave the "nest" to go to college. Part of gaining self-actualisation and build resilience strategies and skills is to practice. Gradually weaning off of dependency will help and is a good strategy for parents to remember. The last thing you really need (as a parent) is the phone call about a decision that should be made on site. Confidence and having the ability to make good decisions or at least be able to minimise damage if a decision goes wrong is what we all hope our children have. But do we do enough before they leave to make sure that it is so?

I wonder if:

• I have prepared my children well enough to make decisions?
• enough of my students have been given the opportunity to fine tune their decision making skills?
• we concentrate far too much on the more tangible aspects of Maslow's hierarchy at the expense of the self-actualisation of our children? 

Pressures and Burnout

I suppose it again is mainly anecdotal, but my observations tell me that there seems to be raised anxiety levels in the students. The number of incidents and interventions that we see in all schools seems to be on the rise. The teenage years are very unsettling for many of us. We stumble through the physical and emotional changes with little guidance - I think that we would all remember with trepidation and hindsight. However, as I mentioned in a previous blog, parents seem to look after certain of the major decisions and leave others to the whim of trial and error. So we tend to find some well developed strategies alongside insecurities and uncertainty, and this does little to aid in the development of resilience.

The daily pressure on your child is both overt and covert. In reality your child will get their cues from each and every word and action we use. So they will rise and fall with on emotions, body language and throw away lines that we communicate to them during each and every interaction. Responses to the increased pressure will vary between rage and antagonism and the silent search for perfection.

One of the hidden results of parental actions and pushing is the search for perfection. Pushing and criticism leads to the belief that only perfection is good enough. It may not be an intended outcome of the push towards gaining goals, but it can be a message that your child hears "loud and clear'. They are not good enough and the only way to overcome this shortfall is to be perfect. While not denying that shooting for the stars can be a good thing, I think that if you are not careful it can become and obsession and that is not.

It seems to be a growing trend that some of the students I see are forever searching for perfection in all they do. I think this is a response to the push to attain at the 'expected level'. If and when they fail, then the results can be devastating. According to Carolyn Gregoire (full article here) they suffer from high rates of burnout. 

This view was enforced by studies done over the last 20 years by researchers (article linked) that concluded "the trait was highly correlated with burnout in school, sports and work. Burnout is characterised by feelings of physical and emotional exhaustion, cynicism, low motivation and decreased personal efficacy."   Again having witnessed the changes that occur due to the self-doubt that plagues them and the problems that accompany this I'm sure that you would agree that the low motivation is particularly disturbing during the school years, particularly the later teen years. The behavioural changes that are evident are real and the actual mental stagnation that occurs can negate previous progress. The self-doubt that gnaws at the student and lowers their image and self-worth to potentially worrying levels, in some cases we reach levels of depression. 

For many of us that is not really a readily recognised event until it fully manifests itself. Smaller steps along the way as they push themselves to reach perfection are probably less obvious. Although I must admit that I have had parents confide that "Johnny is a perfectionist" during conversations, and I believe that many see it as a very positive character trait. But as with all things, we should be careful what we wish for!

It makes me wonder if:

• we realise the effect we have on our children?
• I can recognise the signs that I am pushing a student too much?
• the search for perfection is really a good thing?

A parent's role in developing resilience

I find it a little amazing when we talk about the general 'needs' of parents in terms of what they really want for their children. In many ways it depends upon the question that is posed. But overall the results would be expected considering Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. I think it is just the way they choose to go about the process differs and it provides the real key to success. I have added a copy (From: http://sites.psu.edu/leadership/2014/11/29/prepare-for-success-path-goal-theory-and-maslows-needs-hierarchy/) to help you.

If you ask "what do you want your child to be in the future?", we receive replies of happy, healthy, safe, successful, creative, resilient etc. All of these well-being terms of course are largely intangibles, but by no means important results of their partnership with the school. If you have been reading my blogs and their links, you will find a link to many references to well-being and how it impacts upon the student's creativity and resilience. I did point out using the IB that every school system has a general aim (or objective or mission) of enhancing the holistic growth of a student. So this part of the students education is important but by the same token it is also overlooked.

I suppose the idea being able to survive in the real world is the ultimate aim of parenting, but do we go about it the right way? The previous posts refer to resilience and creativity talk about using language to help develop the correct mindset so that this is likely to occur. I also refer to 'helicopter parents' in them but don't really take it any further. I think that now might be the time. Do we concentrate too much on the lower hierarchy tangible needs at the expense of the more intangibles?

Part of the process in developing resilience is the concept of risk taking and learning from mistakes. By risk taking I am not referring to doing risky activities! I refer to the accepting of challenges and using their strengths and creativity to solve (or at least attempt to solve) them. This is a vital step that the helicopter parents attempt to circumvent by stepping in and not allowing it to happen. Even though the motive is good, by stepping in you can be effectively telling your child that they are not capable of doing it by themselves and this can have the opposite effect to the one I planned! Surely helping them work out ways to conquer the challenge next time is a better option! If we want then to attain self-actualisation, then surely we must consider this in our actions and responses.

Far too often I have witnessed a student in total shock and dismay as their first real challenge occurred and they did not know what to do? Previously the strategies had involved mum and/or dad 'bailing them out". After a while this is the norm and expected by the student and does not lead to growth of resilience! After all, there is a difference between support and bailing out (or taking over).

Allowing students when they are younger, and their mistakes maybe a tad less meaningful, to start developing resilience strategies is probably best. Younger children tend to rebound and learn from set-backs much quicker than older students. If they are allowed to become too dependent on their parents for answers and/or "bailing out", it will become far too easy to NOT accept the challenge and learning and developing resilience will suffer. Like all of us, we rely on habits that have worked in the past, and if that involved letting someone else do it, well why not? As they become closer and closer to being an independent adult, it becomes more problematic when this occurs. As we all remember, in the teenage years it is so important not to lose face, especially in front of your friends. The idea of being allowed to "do it themselves" or if you like "move forward on their journey towards self-actualisation" assumes a real importance to teenagers. Remember, your actions will have a lasting effect on their personality, self-esteem and even their ongoing relationships with you.

Over the years I have seen far too many really lose so much when suddenly a challenge (such as gaining a drivers licence on the first attempt) was not conquered, and in many of the cases it was due to lack of resilience strategies. If part of a parents role is to assist you child develop resilience strategies then you must "walk the walk as well as talk the talk".

I wonder if:

• It is better to make a mistake when the child is younger and allow them to start developing resilience strategies earlier?
• I am sending the right message to my children by stepping in and completing a challenge before they have had a chance to try?
• I am really helping my child develop resilience strategies or making them reliant? 
• I concentrate on the tangible needs of my child at the expense of the more intangible needs?

Creating a growth mindset

One of the best things that you can give your child is a growth mindset. It will allow him or her to continue moving through life and gaining skills that will build resiliency. Many people think in absolutes and use those terms to praise and acknowledge, and if not done correctly it can produce a fixed mindset in your child. The chart form class teaching wordpress provides a simple comparison between the two.

From: https://classteaching.wordpress.com/page/4/?app-download=ios

Unfortunately the fixed mindset seems to be the one of choice. It allows us to easily set goals and assign targets for our children to attain. I cannot remember the number of times I have been asked to offer a quick fix to get the IB grade of 7 or max out the marks in one task or criteria or whatever. Unfortunately we soon pass this idea onto our children. Learning becomes an accumulation of bits of knowledge at the expense of looking at the expense of real understanding. A couple of years ago I was talking with a girl in her final year of the IB program. Her total focus was on grades and saw review of past papers as the best and only option. I just wondered what would be the response if a question appeared that was slightly different and required thinking and understanding instead of simple recall? It came, she became anxious and complained about the questions - however, on close examination of the teaching guide it became evident that there was nothing wrong with the question. It was the fixed mindset of the student that was the problem.

In essence, I feel a growth mindset centres on the idea that there are always things to learn. If you believe that you can attempt a challenge then you will gain some mastery of it. How many times I have heard the expression "David is so clever" from a parent or other member of a community? This implies and sends a message to "David" that he has gained success and does not really need to continue gaining skills. In plain language its like ticking a box - done that! I don't have to worry about it and can move on. The only problem is he will soon get into the fixed mindset mode with all of the negatives that are attached. To me its like watching the development (in particular physical and sporting) of students - the early bloomers dominate early and the late bloomers arrive at the 'money time'. I have seen many early bloomers go from the front to the rear of the pack during their time at school. I have even witnessed some totally lose interest in an area that was previously their strength.

Praise is an integral part of growth and we all actively seek it. Why not say "that was well done" or "some clever thinking going on" instead? Praising the process, tends to push the child's thinking towards learning more, and they see many possible answers. It also promotes and rewards creativity, and that is a real positive. We all know that there are usually more than one way to solve a problem, and allowing children to try to develop strategies that could solve the problem is always beneficial. Our role as a parents to support and advise without taking over, and as always communication is the key. Using language such as "I like your thinking, but have you thought about trying ....." rather than "I would do it this way" will value the child's thinking (think praise)!

As I previously stated, the language we use is paramount if you are to develop a growth mindset in your child. Take care with what you say both before and after "the event". How many times I have heard a well-meaning parent ask their child "are you sure you want to do this?" or maybe "you should try this later/next week/when you have learned the basics". Its a given that we  all want to protect our child from harm or danger, but is it really sending the right message? The two examples I have used in this paragraph tell the child they are not ready and they are not up to it. It is essentially labelling them as failures - an effectively making a fixed mindset in them. This is when you have to ask yourself whether it is better to shelter them or allow them to try

A growth mindset in essence concentrates on the process rather than the destination. It sees life as an ongoing series of challenges that are similar but different. So a growth mindset provides mechanisms to help us do this. Developing a fixed mindset does tend to break life into little steps. Well that's ok, but as we all know, life really is about repetition and doing similar problems over and over again. A person with a fixed mindset will lose interest and not adapt to similar challenges as quickly or efficiently as a person with a growth mindset.

I wonder if I :

• really encourage a growth mindset in my children?
• really model the importance of a growth mindset to my children?
• really use the language that will help my child develop a growth mindset and greater resilience?

The language of resilience

So following on from my last last blog, I want to spend a bit more time on the language of building a positive mind growth attitude and resilience. It seems easy when we do it, but we have to remember that we are battling against our natural instincts and everything we have learnt. It will not be as easy as you think considering the indoctrination we have already gone through in our own lifetime.

From: http://thoughtfullearning.com/blogpost/get-smart-become-talented

So is there much to change in what we do? The simple answer is no! But it is a change in the way we think. Every instinct we have tells us that we must train our children to win and we do it by praise and learning the language of winners. Using language that implies completion, or more precisely that "they are there" is as natural as breathing. "Sally aren't you clever .." is heard on a daily basis. However, as we realise things are not in absolutes and there are 'shades of grey" that exist in all things we do. With our neuroelasticity we can keep adapting and learning, and this is the key to creating a growth mindset. So in essence you look at rewarding the process rather than the result.

I know that there is not really much difference between "Sally you are clever" and "Sally,  I like the way you think"? In terms of praise, no, but in terms of meaning yes! Both offer positive re-enforcement, but growth mindset language implies it is good but further improvement is still possible. This I particularly like as it allows for future growth! If the challenge is slightly different or more challenging, the impulse to "give up" will still be there but the feeling "to give it a go" will also be there.

To some this sounds a bit like learning from our mistakes rather than looking at how good I am now. But if we again go to the basic principle I mentioned was behind the education system of Finland "students learn when they are ready", I think it all makes more sense. If a student is not ready for a task on the day, then a fixed mindset tells him (or her) that they failed. However, in reality they might need a little more time or practice so they are really "in progress or not yet ready", if we think using a growth mindset. I know from experience which student will continue developing, it is not rocket science as many if not all students feel dejected if we use the term and this negatively impacts their future growth.

If you would like to read more about growth mindset, I suggest Even Geniuses Work Hard by Carol S. Dweck.

Now I think its time to think about
Do I promote future growth and resilience in my child?
Do I praise using a fixed or a growth mindset?
Would I be prepared to try using growth mindset language? 

Self Promotion

I suppose that today's society rewards the idea of self-promotion. This works fine for some extroverts, but what about the rest? 

I found this interesting perspective in an article by Sarah Green Carpenter in the Harvard Business Review. 

She also goes on to say that "wanting to be good at something is incompatible with thinking you are good at something" and this is a distinction that is lost on many, if not most. I have seen this far too often in the past with self-belief exceeding ability and skill level. The first instance of self doubt can easily lead to the "house of cards' falling with quite dramatic affect. 

Teenagers are not really emotionally and intellectually prepared for this part of life. There is no manual and so they seem to make it up as they go. Often this leads to a case of overkill or 'poor winners', and you guessed it - schadenfreude! Not having the maturity to realise that your success comes at the expense of someone (even a friend) is not at the front of their thought train and we get to a toxic impasse. Winners see their detractors as 'sore losers', while losers see winners as 'braggarts and self-absorbed'. As I previously posted, this is a huge problem at college admission time where the big winners are jealousy and animosity!

I too celebrate the triumphs of my boys, but the celebration is also tempered by fact that there is a fine line between self-esteem and self-confidence, and over-confidence and becoming a 'sore (or bad) winner'. It becomes a balancing act between 'strengths and weaknesses' and handling them both in a positive and productive manner.

Pushing children and encouraging them to engage in self-promotion is neither productive or a shortcut to success. It can easily have the opposite effect resulting in self-doubt and even alienation from the peer group (refer to my blog on schadenfreude). This makes it imperative to think about our own actions too, as they can become the 'norm' for our children to copy and adopt.

So maybe we should ask ourselves

• Are we modeling the right attitudes in our children?
• What sort of values are we instilling in children?
• Are we developing creative and mature adults?
• Eveb though soeicty in general favours self-promotion, is it really a necessity?