11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.1
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
- Mother Teresa
Working with adults
1
Facilitated by Julia VolkmanSeton Montessori Institute
November 13, 2016
Please take one-minute to make the following short list
Why am I here?
2
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.2
Meditation practice
3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZZwQx6R7Zg
Mindfulness practices in schools focus on promoting self-awareness & self-regulation
4 Waters, et al., 2014
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.3
Pause and breathe before respondingWalk with all of your attention in your feetListen completely to the sound of a gong and notice what fills in when the sound fades awaySit in an upright, self-supported position for one-minute and count your breathsPut a bit of chocolate in your mouth and notice how it melts (don’t chew)
Creating a culture of mindfulness
5 Image: http://www.yogamagazine.com/balwin-mediation-and-yoga-for-refugee-children/
Neural networks for learning
Defining the fifth plane
Cultivating a normal school cultureSkillful, strengths-based speech
Protective factors
Relationships: Being solidly on the same team
Connecting adults with the community/work of the schoolFamily orientation program
Co-creating plans
Mentoring
Agenda?
6
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.4
Neural Networks for Learning
7
Recognition: Notice what’s happening
8 National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2014
How can we make our
information accessible to
everyone in our highly variable
audience?
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.5
Use attention grabbersRedundancy is good
Say the same thing seven times in seven different waysNewsletters on paper and in email and on website and in office
Videos of parents talking, staff talking, school grounds, children working
Book clubs
Childcare sharing cooperatives
Parent mentors
Staff mentors
Multiple accessibility points
9
Affective: Do I care? Does this matter?
10 National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2014
How can we touch the hearts and minds of our
audience?
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.6
Strategic/Executive: Where do I focus?
11 National Center on Universal Design for Learning, 2014
How do we help people know
what their work is and then get it
done?
The Fifth Plane: Adulthood
12
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.7
What are the fundamental needs of humans?
13 Montessori for Everyone
14
Concentration
Ability to adapt/be flexible
Ability to complete tasks
Self-discipline/self-control
A positive, balanced self-image and self-esteem
Internal peace, joy, tranquility, happiness
Independence
Awareness and consideration of others and their needs
Rational choices
Ability to handle frustration
Security within one’s self
Traits of ‘Normal’ humans
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.8
15
Reason/Understand (She is trying to figure it out)
Concentration (He’s so focused)
Sensorial Exploration (She’s so curious)
Imagination/Abstraction (She’s so creative)
Independence (He is fiercely independent)
Language (She never stops talking)
Movement (He is an energizer bunny!)
Order (I am so OCD sometimes)
Precision (She has great attention to detail)
Work (You can count on her to get the job done)
Socialization/Communication (He is always leading a herd)
Self-Perfection/Repetition (He won’t give up until he gets it)
Human Tendencies
Searching for meaning?Seeking balance of obligation and freedom?Seeking joy? Material success? Immortality?Sensitivity to the mystery of life?Sensitivity to passion?
What are the guiding questions/sensitivities of plane 5?
16
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.9
“We must tear out our hearts, cleanse them of prejudices and begin again so that the theory and the practice are one and the same. But there must be faith that the theory is really true in
order to apply it, to put it into practice. We must believe that all beings develop by themselves, of themselves, and that we cannot
do better than not to interrupt that development. We must confess to ourselves that the psychic life of man is full of mysteries and this is the reason man is full of suprises for us. The preparatioinfor the teacher is twofold: to be sensitive to the mystery and to be
sensitive to the wonder of life revealing itself. This is a sensitiveness which the habit of seeing miracles often makes use
lose so we no longer feel the mystery.”
- Maria Montessori, The California Lectures of Maria Montessori, 1915, p. 35
17
Transformation of the Adult
Willing to tear out heartSensitive to the mystery and wonder of life revealing itself Cleansed of prejudices
Practices skillful speechHolds a strengths-based view
Trusts the theoryIs guided by the human tendencies and planes of development
Vigilantly protects the self-construction of all humansCultivates protective factorsCo-creates with the adult
Supports executive function development/maintenance at all ages
School culture
18
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.10
Supports executive function development/maintenance at all agesBalances school and home obligations (to avoid excessive stress/cognitive overload)Models inhibitory control and cognitive flexibilityCultivates mindfulness/meditation practices
School culture (cont’d)
19
Speak when what you have to say is:1. True2. Useful (not idle chatter/gossip)3. Spoken from a kind heart (not divisive)4. Spoken at the right time
Otherwise, hush up
Using skillful speech
20
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.11
21
Listen actively
Attendance problems“Your presence here is essential. We need you, everyday. It is very difficult for us to be without you.”
Lack of professionalism“People model themselves after us. We have to hold ourselves to the highest standards of behavior. So, let’s do what Michelle Obama would do. How would she have handled it when…”
What other situations are you facing?
Strengths-based possibilities
22
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.12
Let’s pretend… Form teams.Choose a scenario and decide the skillful responseRole play so everyone has a turnSummarize it for all of us when we regroup
Skillful speech practice
23
Cultivate protective factors
http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/24
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.13
Financial sustainability
Center on the Developing child, 201625
How do we connect adults with the school community and help them find
their work?
26
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.14
A model for strong relationships
Cully & Teten, 200827
https://www.maitrilearning.com/pages/learning-center
Preschool Orientation Program
28
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.15
Define goalsIdentify components of the larger goalIdentify measurable/observable indicators of progressive (feedback)Define a long-term schedule (keep it alive over time)
For coaching, include the following in your plan:Real-time observationActive modeling
Feedback (strengths-based skillful speech)
Co-creating plans
29
Coaching
30
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.16
Is there anything on your lists that still needs attention?
What do I want to know about adult development? Why am I here?
31
1. Begin on time2. Mindfulness practice (so everyone cognitively arrives)3. Agree on goals for the gathering (this will clarify roles)4. Get people talking5. Listen actively6. Revisit goals and instill hope7. Identify next steps/follow-up plan8. End on time
Possible meeting structure
32
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.17
“In this new picture, the adult will appear not only as the builder of the external world,
but even more importantly, as the protector of the moral and spiritual forces that appear
anew in every human being born.”- Maria Montessori, Education and Peace, pp. 58-59
33
The role of the adult
1. Defuse stress and don’t add to it2. Be who you want them to be—Guru Yoga
3. See their full potential—take the long view4. Formally incorporate mindfulness into each interaction5. Use skillful speech—Never lie or mislead
6. Give them choices: Freedom within limits7. Hold firm boundaries8. Inspire them to find their work, be normal, and reach their full potential
Julia’s top picks for working with adults
34
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.18
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2016). From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts: A Science-Based Approach to Building a More Promising Future for Young Children and Families. http://www.developingchild.harvard.edu
Cully, J. A., & Teten, A. L. (2008). A therapist’s guide to brief cognitive behavioral therapy. Houston, TX: South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center.
Montessori, M. (1997). The California Lectures of Maria Montessori, 1915. Clio, Oxford, England.
National Center on Universal Design for Learning. (2014). What is UDL? Available at http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl
Waters, L., Barsky, A., Ridd, A., & Allen, K. (2014). Contemplative education: A systematic, evidence-based review of the effect of meditation interventions in schools. Educational Psychology Review, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10648-014-9258-2.
References
35
Pair upOne of you will follow the instructions I give, the other will keep a tally of your scoreThen, I’ll give a new instruction and you’ll switch
ScoringTwo points if your partner does exactly as directedOne point if your partner makes a mistake but corrects herselfZero points if she does not do as directed
Cognitive flexibility test: HTSK (TSHK)
36
11/17/16
© 2016 Julia Volkman. All rights reserved.19
37
California girls, we’re unforgettableDaisy dukes bikinis on top
Rah rah ah-ah-ah!Ro mah ro-mah-mahGaga oh-la-la!Want your bad romance
Hey Mickey your’re so fineYou’re so fine you blow my mindHey Mickey, awwww, hey Mickey
My bologna has a first name it’s o-s-c-a-rMy bologna has a second name it’s m-a-y-e-r
Don't stop believin'Hold on to the feelin'Streetlights, peopleLiving just to find emotionHiding somewhere in the night
Mama, just killed a manPut a gun against his headPulled my trigger, now he's deadMama, life had just begunBut now I've gone and thrown it all away
In the jungle the mighty jungleThe lion sleeps tonightOooooo eeeeeeeeee eeeee um bum buway
Inhibitory control test: Interference control
Sit quietly and count your breaths for twenty seconds—Do not replay the song in your head
Pair up and get your feathers ready
Step 1: Person One—Tickle your partner’s ear.Step 2: Person Two—Do NOT move!Step 3: Switch
Inhibitory control test
38