Welcoming The 'Other'

Welcoming Newcomers at Christmas

In Encountering 'the Other', Jean Vanier states the following concerning the xenophobia to which none of us is completely immune: 

          We are frightened.  We are frightened of the other, of the one who is different.  

          And why?  Because we are so vulnerable.  Vulnerable to pain, to failure, to

          rejection and to death.  ... This is the history of humanity.  We hide behind walls,

          behind groups, behind culture. (28)

As the first big wave of Syrian refugees arrive in Canada during the lead up to Christmas, I am struck by how accurately Vanier has identified the root causes behind the reluctance some in the media have expressed concerning immigration - with the recent comments by a prominent Republican presidential candidate the most egregious example.

Canada's 'Living Saint' Jean Vanier

 While it is a natural human tendency to be drawn towards those things and people with whom we are most familiar and to shy away from the less familiar, God calls us to a very different response.

Again, it is Jean Vanier, in this little yet powerful book, who makes the point so clearly:

          So Jesus [in Luke 14] is asking us to come up from behind the walls of our

          group and open our hearts to those who have been marginalised because of

          their poverty, because of their handicaps, and become their friend.  In the

          heart of Christ there is a yearning to bring people together to meet as friends.

          (13)

Indeed, the Gospel reading for the 3rd Sunday of Advent reinforces this message.  When John the Baptist was asked by the crowd "What should we do?", the prophet replied, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone [italics mine) who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." (Luke 3:10-11)  

Pope Francis has called all people of good will to social action.  In his September 6, 2015 weekly address outside St. Peter's Basilica, the Holy Father stated, "Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees who are fleeing death by war and by hunger, and who are on the path toward hope for life, the Gospel calls us to be neighbours to the smallest and most abandoned, to give them concrete hope."

At the start of the current school year, I was heartened to hear that the Al Dabei family, which was sponsored by St. Basil's Parish, had chosen to register 2 of their children at Our Lady of Fatima School.  By all accounts, the children are doing well at this wonderfully accepting and inclusive school community.  The family was recently featured on CTV Ottawa News:

Ottawa.ctvnews.ca/syrian-family

The Al Dabei Family

I am also proud of the response of the Ottawa Catholic School Board to the Syrian refugee situation. On Monday, December 14, there was a Board Fundraising Day in all schools and at the Catholic Education Centre with proceeds benefiting the various settlement agencies, parishes, and other partners doing God's work to support the refugees.

As well, on the evening of Thursday, December 17, the OCSB is hosting, in the Boardroom of the Catholic Education Centre, a special information night for individuals and groups sponsoring refugee families.  All are welcome.

  

During this Advent season, as we wait in hope for the coming of Jesus, let us all open our hearts (and our wallets) to our Syrian brothers and sisters and all others in need.

As Deacon Paul Coderre of Holy Redeemer Parish in Kanata so eloquently and succinctly said in his homily of December 13:

          Joy is spelled J - O - Y.  We can achieve true joy if we remember the letters as
          follows: J equals Jesus; O equals Others; Y equals Yourself;  So what should we
          do?  Put Jesus first, and then put others before ourselves.  In this way, we can
          truly prepare for Christmas in a way that brings joy and is pleasing to God.

The Motivated Brain

Book Review: The Motivated Brain

by Gayle Gregory & Martha Kaufeldt

The purpose of Gayle Gregory and Martha Kaufeldt’s The Motivated Brain is to “link cognitive psychology models with affective neuroscience” and give concrete examples of how teachers can create brain-friendly teaching and learning environments in their classrooms. (2)  The authors contend that neuroscience research suggests that “intrinsically motivated behaviors are actually exploratory behaviors” (5), and refer, specifically, to the work of Dr. Jaak Panksepp in explaining that the seeking drive is the key not only to primate survival but as well to human learning and connectedness.  For them, it represents the “elusive ‘motivation X factor’”. (5)  

In the first chapter, the authors review various theories on motivation, drive, and tenacity.  They begin by hi-lighting the Yerkes-Dodson Law of Arousal, which indicates that “The ratio of stress to performance needs to be ‘just right’ for each individual learner in order to maintain motivation.” (11)  Next, they refer to Daniel Pink’s view, as stated in Drive, that intrinsic factors such as autonomy, mastery, and purpose, and not extrinsic rewards, create motivation.  The authors also refer to Angela Duckworth’s notion that grit is a key factor in student success, and to Daniel Goldman’s contention that emotional intelligence is a greater factor in success than intelligence.  Lastly, they summarize Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Glasser’s basic needs.

Glasser's 5 Basic Human Needs

Despite the extensive focus on motivation, Gregory and Kaufeldt believe there are several factors that are creating low student motivation at school.  These factors include “lack of real-world application, apathy from students deriving from instructional mediocrity, social isolation (and bullying), and fixed mindsets.” (23)

In the second chapter, the focus shifts to the science of motivation, and specifically, the seeking system.  Panksepp calls the seeking system the “granddaddy of the emotional processing systems of the brain in that it is not only “… in charge of maintaining homeostasis, but it also keeps us motivated and intensely interested in exploring our world, to learn as well as survive.” (37)  From a physiological point of view, it is the release of dopamine, which “… causes us to experience anticipation, excitement, desire, arousal, and [most notably] the need to pursue and search.” (39)  Since dopamine is released from the anticipation of a pleasurable experience, teachers can trigger its release by providing engaging learning opportunities.

In the remainder of The Motivated Brain, the authors describe various ways that teachers can activate, in classrooms, the seeking system of students at three distinct processing levels of the brain.  By activating students’ seeking systems, educators will not only ensure engagement but as well help students develop curiosity and perseverance.  

Panksepp's Seeking System

Chapter 3 explores ways that teachers can activate in students the primary processing system, which is the basic survival drive that keeps us “moving forward, foraging, and enthusiastically investigating our environment.” (40-41)   The first strategy is novelty, such as the use of cartoons, pictures, music, or videos.  Questions or challenges and puzzles or enigmas are also good approaches.  As well, collaborative activities and rich tasks such as those involving new technologies and manipulatives are effective.   In particular, the authors recommend incorporating play in the classroom.  They note that “The urge to PLAY and to SEEK out others for some enthusiastic social fun are natural primary process emotions.” (63)

An interesting strategy identified in Chapter 3 is preferred activity time (PAT), whereby students earn class time to have fun by first completing their regular work in a cooperative manner.  Educators can also trigger the seeking system by accessing students’ prior knowledge and uncovering their “burning questions”. (67) Teachers can also encourage student voice and feedback, through strategies such as exit cards.

In Chapter 4, the authors identify an attribute called incentive salience, which refers to the reward associated with stimuli.  The greater the likelihood of reward from seeking out a stimulus, the more it will be sought by the brain’s secondary processing system – the wanting and coupling drive.   By exploiting instructional strategies that trigger the system that seeks rewards and connections, teachers can, therefore, motivate and engage students.  Chapter 4 presents 5 such classroom approaches.

First, teachers should employ strategies that encourage students to reflect on new learning experiences including:

• Drawing attention to ‘aha’ moments;
• Asking thought-provoking, reflective, and open-ended questions;
• Allowing students to share ideas with classmates (ie. think-pair-share); and,
• Asking students to write short reflections.

An excellent example of a short reflective writing activity recommended by the authors is the Twexit card – a 140 character Tweet-like summary of what has been learned.

The second approach is making connections to prior learning.  A specific strategy for this is the creation of metaphors and similes by students to compare new learning with something previously learned.

Thirdly, teachers should seek out activities and topics that are relevant to students.   Two particularly good ways teachers can make learning relevant are to use culturally responsive instruction and assessment and to offer experiential learning.

The fourth approach is to generate prolonged anticipation and interest in students through classroom activities that build suspense, curiosity, and increasing levels of reward.  Lastly, teachers should help students develop growth mindsets.

The focus of Chapter 5 is classroom approaches that appeal to the 3^rd processing system – the tertiary system, which is the uniquely human ability to “think beyond the present, imagine, create, synthesize, and make cognitively sophisticated plans.” (44)  Since self-autonomy is central to the development of the tertiary system, the authors stress that teachers will have to shift from being the stage on the stage to “’a guide on the side’ and an ‘activator for learning’” in their classroom approaches. (97)

Metacognition is one area on which teachers should focus.  Classroom strategies that support thinking skills development include:

·         Having students predict and reflect on what strategies they will use for specific challenges;

·         Having students self-assess their work;

·         Questioning by the teacher or a critical friend (classmate); and,

·         Student self-questioning.

Introducing students to thinking taxonomies such as Bloom’s Taxonomy is another way to spur higher level thinking.  

Creativity should also be promoted.  Teachers should be mindful of these creativity-killing practices: over-surveillance, competition, time pressures, restriction of choice, extrinsic rewards, and over-reliance on evaluation. 

Problem-based learning is highly effective in that, “It taps into the brain’s natural SEEKING system and fosters dopamine release as students move toward solving the problem.” (114)

In the final chapter, Gregory and Kaufeldt emphasize that teachers need to create “brain-safe classrooms – where students can risk through trial and error, where their dignity is preserved and they feel part of a positive learning community….” (148)  They also need to create an interactive brain-motivated learning environment in which students’ seeking systems are activated.  Activities that involve movement, inquiry, and even music and laughter, will achieve this effect, as will the use of social media, blogging, video creation, and apps.  

 The authors succinctly state, near the end of the book, their main point regarding the brain and pedagogy: “Brains were made to SEEK, not ‘sit and get’” (147)

Coherence

Book Review: Coherence

By Michael Fullan & Joanne Quinn

In the opening chapter of Coherence, authors Michael Fullan and Joanne Quinn define coherence as follows: “the shared depth of understanding about the purpose and nature of the work”. (1) When everyone in the school or district can “talk the walk”, that is, when everyone can articulate the key ideas and actions that define an organization, then coherence is achieved. (2)

In Chapter 1, they also identify the 4 elements of their Coherence Framework: focusing direction, cultivating collaborative cultures, deepening learning, and securing accountability.  Their “big message” pertaining to these drivers though is that “they go together and must be addressed simultaneously and continuously”. (11)

The first component of the Coherence Framework, focusing direction, is the topic of Chapter 2.  It has 4 dimensions.  First, there must be moral purpose, “a deep, relentless purpose”. (18)  Secondly, the goals must have impact.  The main threat to impactful goals is “the presence of too many … ad hoc, unconnected, and ever-changing” goals and initiatives. (19)  The authors recommend a 4-step approach to avoid such initiativitis.   School district leaders must be transparent by acknowledging and gaining clarity on the issues at hand.  Next, they need to build a common language and use a collaborative approach.  They also should employ a reduce, reframe, and remove strategy:

·         Reduce the clutter and overload of initiatives by identifying 2 or 3 key goals or an “umbrella focus” (22);

·         Reframe the connections between goals to avoid fragmentation;

·         Remove distractors – by  identifying “time wasters and inefficiencies”, giving   principals and leaders permission to say no, and avoiding “shiny objects and alluring  possibilities” (23).

 Lastly, district leaders should cultivate engagement by communicating often and listening even more often.

The third aspect of focusing direction is clarity of the strategy.  When explicitness of the ideas is lacking, the result will be inertia or superficial activity; however, if there is clarity about the plan, effective action and innovation are possible.

The last element of focusing direction is change leadership.  Fullan and Quinn use a metaphor of 2 fishbowls to describe the challenges of moving districts, schools, and individual teachers in the direction of innovation.  To successfully jump from one bowl to the other, a fish requires both competence and confidence.  Likewise, district leaders need to build the capacity of principals and teachers to take the leap in the direction of innovation, and they should celebrate the successful leaps forward by early adopters in order to encourage less confident and more reluctant staff to also move forward.   The authors recommend that leaders consider the following research-informed practices for successful change initiatives:

·         Participate as a co-learner;

·         Encourage leadership from the middle, and recognize that “shifting practices” can come        from all levels of the organization (30);

·         Balance push and pull strategies;

·         Create “safe places for risk taking” (31); and,

·         Build capacity in every way possible

The Coherence Framework

Quinn & Fullan on Coherence

In Chapter 3, Fullan and Quinn explain 4 elements of cultivating collaborative cultures, the second coherence factor.  The first element is a growth mindset that is reflected both in policy decisions and strategy.  For instance, rather than recruiting talent and looking for solutions from outside the organization, school district leaders should concentrate on “… leadership development strategies that grow internal capacity.” (50)   The second element is learning leadership that models a culture of continuous learning through direct participation in professional learning and creates and supports learning situations that promote “… inquiry habits of mind throughout the school.” (55)

The authors refer to the findings of John Hattie in support of the 3^rd aspect they identify – collaborative capacity building.  According to Hattie, “collective efficacy” has the highest effect size (1.57) on student learning of any single factor.   The authors elaborate by noting that “The key to a capacity building approach lies in developing a common knowledge and skill base across all leaders and educators in the system.” (57)  The 3 key features of collaborative capacity building are learning partnerships within schools and across the system, sustained focus over multiple sessions, and iterative learning cycles.  

The final element is quality collaborative work.  The following important caution is given by the authors: “Groups are powerful, which means they can be powerfully wrong.” (13)  Their meaning is that frustration, and at the best, only surface learning will result from PLCs and other team work unless there is effective learning design. (ie. clear and measurable goals, well established group norms, and effective protocols, such as critical friends, for inquiry) 

For the 3^rd driver for achieving coherence, deepening learning, Fullan and Quinn identify 3 elements.  Clarity of deep learning goals is the first element.  School district leaders should ask the following question to determine what the goals should be: “What are the two or three things that will most improve student learning?” (80-81)  The authors add that, in determining goals, district leaders should be wary of confusing strategies with purposes.  When it comes to digital technologies, they need to recognize that “pedagogy is the driver and digital is the accelerator to go faster and deeper into learning.” (81)   The authors then identify the 6 Cs as the key to deep learning goals:

·         Communication – multimodal and designed for different audiences;

·         Critical Thinking – including making connections, problem solving, and evaluating        
      information and arguments;

·         Collaboration – interpersonal and team dynamics skills;

·         Creativity – entrepreneurialism and pursuing novel ideas and solutions;

·         Character – grit, resiliency, tenacity, responsibility, and empathy; and,

·         Citizenship – interest in human and environmental sustainability.

The 2^nd element for deepening learning is precision in pedagogy, which is achieved across a school district by constructing a common language and knowledge base, identifying research-informed learning strategies, targeting capacity building, and establishing clear links between learning and assessment.

As a part of the focus on pedagogy, Fullan and Quinn introduce 3 strands of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) model.  The first of these is pedagogical partnerships.  Although they also advocate for partnerships with families, the authors stress, in particular, a student learning model that represents a more intimate partnership between teachers and students such that students are agents who co-design learning and assessment tasks.  In this model, student aspirations and interests help shape instruction, and positive student expectations are constantly reinforced.   The second strand is a highly engaging learning environment that fosters risk taking, innovation, differentiation, and authentic inquiry learning.  The last aspect is effective leveraging of digital technologies such that they augment and transform learning rather than just serve as expensive substitutions (“$1,000 pencils”) for traditional technologies. (98)

The 3^rd and final element for deepening learning is shifting teacher practices through capacity building.  The process for this involves assessing current teacher capacity and planning professional learning accordingly.

The final driver to bring about coherence is securing accountability.  However, Fullan and Quinn do not believe that external accountability is the answer.  For one thing, they note that external accountability systems simply don’t get results.  Furthermore, although such systems “tell us that the system is not performing …[they] do not give a clue about how to fix the situation.” (112)  Worst of all, because of the pressure they cause, external accountability systems have sometimes resulted in cheating. 

Instead, school districts need to focus on building internal accountability and then reinforcing it with external accountability.   In support of the emphasis they place on internal accountability, they note that research on school effectiveness and improvement “…suggests that internal accountability must precede external accountability.” (111)  For the authors, internal accountability in a school system means that individuals and groups of educators willingly agree to take personal, professional, and collective responsibility for success for all students.

The authors stress that school and district leaders need to establish the conditions for cultures of internal accountability to thrive.   The good news on this point is that if they “work diligently” on the first 3 elements of the Coherence Framework, then the conditions for internal accountability will inevitably follow. (124)  At the same time that district leaders build cultures in which individuals and groups are accountable to themselves,  they should also “… engage the external policy and accountability system.” (124)  By doing so, they will achieve 2 important purposes: They will both protect the system from distractions and interference and project their goals and beliefs on the larger educational community, with the hope of influencing it for the better.

Better Than Carrots or Sticks

Book Review:  Better Than Carrots or Sticks

by Dominique Smith, Douglas Fisher, & Nancy Frey

In the opening chapter of Better Than Carrots and Sticks, the authors provide a chart that contrasts traditional approaches to discipline to restorative approaches:

Traditional Approaches	Restorative Approaches
Accountability is defined as punishment	Accountability is understanding the impact of the offence and repairing the harm
Schools and rules are violated	People and relationships are violated
Justice is directed at the offender and the victim is ignored	The offender, victim, and school community all have direct roles

The authors also make some important points about rewards and punishments, which are associated with traditional disciplinary approaches.  First, they state that “Rewards and consequences don’t work – or at least, they don’t teach.  They may result in short-term changes, but in reality they promote compliance and little else.” (6)  They also add that research has indicated that rewards can actually undermine motivation.  In way of illustrating the counter-productive effect of traditional consequences, they explain that student suspensions and expulsions merely “undercut [school’s] efforts to boost attendance.” (15)

The focus of Chapter 2 is relationships, which are at the heart of a restorative classroom or school culture.  Teachers should develop an “intentionally inviting” relationship with their students by adopting a growth mindset, being consistently positive, and showing sensitivity to individual student needs and being responsive to those needs. (23)  To build trusting relationships, teachers should begin by making it a priority to know their students’ names.  The authors emphasize that students “expect that those who care about them will remember” their names. (25)  Other relationship-building strategies teachers should use include getting to know students’ interests, attending extracurricular activities, and most importantly, engaging students with quality, meaningful instruction. 

In Chapter 2, the authors argue that social-emotional learning is also an important component in a restorative school climate.  They list the 5 social and emotional competencies identified by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning:

• Self-awareness -  knowing one’s values, feelings, strengths, and possessing self-confidence;
• Self-management – regulating one’s impulses and emotions;
• Social awareness – being able to understand and empathize with others;
• Relationship skills – being able to build healthy relationships and resolve interpersonal conflicts; and,
• Responsible decision making – making decisions based on ethical standards.

CASEL's 5 Social-Emotional Learning Components

Chapter 3 examines classroom procedures and teacher expectations that contribute to a restorative culture.  Teachers need to realize that their classroom-management strategies and skills will either help or hinder the development of an overall restorative school culture.  As well, when establishing classroom management procedures, teachers should keep in mind the developmental needs of their students.  For instance, the same restrictive measures that are necessary for primary-age students are inappropriate for secondary level students. 

Also included in Chapter 3 is a great discussion on what the authors call the ABCs of behaviour:  “the antecedents to the behavior, the behavior itself, and the consequences of the behavior.” (67)  They emphasize that educators must avoid the temptation to focus solely on the behaviour itself; instead, they need to examine the trigger to the behaviour so that the causes or functions of the behaviour can be addressed effectively through appropriate supports and consequences.  As they write, “Developing the habit of trying to discern the intended function of a behavior can provide teachers with a frame for deciding on how to intervene.” (70)

The chapter on procedures and expectations concludes with some advice for teachers on de-escalating inappropriate behaviour.  The key is to respond “along a continuum based on the severity or intensity of the issue.” (78)  For example, for minor misbehaviour, the teacher can simply make eye contact with the offending student or talk quietly with the student.  Some additional techniques for de-escalation include:

•         Speaking in a soft tone;
•      Acknowledging the student’s feelings; and,
•      Keeping hands where the student can see them.

Several informal peace-building strategies associated with a restorative school culture are introduced in Chapter 4.   The first, the 2 x 10 strategy, is great for building relationships: “spend 2 minutes talking with a student about anything other than school for 10 consecutive days.” (83)  Identity-building statements, whereby the teacher refers to students according to a success-oriented category (ie. scholars or scientists), is effective for helping students build positive self-images and a sense of agency.  Central to restorative practices are affective statements.  These help both teachers and students to express their feelings without negatively labeling other students.  The formula for an affective statement is “I felt [emotion] when [behavior or event] because [reason for the emotion].

Informal classroom circles are an important restorative practice that can be used proactively to prevent conflict.   Some important aspects of effective circles are that everyone is given an equal but strictly voluntary opportunity to speak while all others listen without interruption and the process is not rushed or dominated by the teacher.  When students are very upset, writing is often a good strategy that provides reflective and “cooling-off” time for them.  When lost for how to get started writing, students should be provided with sentence stems such as “I’m angry because ...” and “It hurt me when ...” (101) 

Chapter 5 deals with formal peacemaking strategies.  Before discussing these strategies, the authors share some thoughts on overcoming any resistance by school staff members to restorative approaches.   It is critical to deal with their opposition as these strategies will not be effective unless there is consensus among the adults in the school on the restorative philosophy.  All staff must believe in the importance of restitution and reintegration, and not focus on consequences and marginalization.  

When harm is done in schools, the authors recommend that J. H. Mullet’s three-phase process be followed, in order to repair the relationships, address the harm, and support everyone involved:

·         Phase 1: Unwind – Those who were harmed voice their feelings in private and suggest ways to allow for restitution;

·         Phase 2: Rewind – The offending student is encouraged to reflect on his/her behaviour, develop empathy, and accept responsibility for his/her actions; and,

·         Phase 3: Windup – Observers of the harmful behaviour share their perspectives and support both the victim and the offender.

The formal classroom circle is a strategy that can be used for the Windup stage of the process as everyone in the learning community can have his/her say.   Formal circles should be conducted by trained facilitators (not the teacher), and a “talking piece” should be used to signal that one person speaks at a time and that everyone else listens “with mind and heart”. (118)

When a conflict involves a small group of students, a victim-offender dialogue is an effective strategy.  Before the dialogue occurs, both parties should be given time to unwind, and the facilitator should also meet with each student separately.  Most importantly, both students must be willing to participate in the dialogue.

At the conclusion of Chapter 5, the authors outline some key steps in a re-entry plan for a student returning from having engaged in harmful or inappropriate behaviour.  These include rehearsing the student and identifying a life-line (a fall-back plan if the student feels anxious on returning to class).

In the final chapter, the authors emphasize that all staff in a school must have the right mindsets in order to create a truly restorative culture.  First, they must have a welcoming mindset, which begins with a friendly atmosphere in the front office and includes adults in the school greeting students with smiles and handshakes at the door and being “present in places where students tend to congregate” outside of class. (134) A preventative and “early warning” mindset is also important, with the main goal that teachers identify early students who are “heading for trouble”. (142)

The App Generation

The App Generation

by Howard Gardner & Katie Davis

In the Introduction of The App Generation, Howard Gardner and Katie Davis contend that, due to the “availability, proliferation, and power of apps”, the collective consciousness of today’s youth is distinctly different from any past or present generation’s perspective. (14)  Specifically, digital technologies have changed young people’s sense of identity, intimacy, and imagination.  In a provocative statement, the authors claim that young people “… are not only immersed in apps; they’ve come to think of the world as an ensemble of apps, to see their lives as a string of ordered apps, or perhaps, in many cases, a single, extended, cradle-to-grave app.” (7)

In Chapter 2, “Talk About Technology”, Gardner and Davis provide an explanation of Marshall McLuhan’s profound insight that the medium is the message.   Simply put, each medium – from radio, to television, to apps – “alters the relation of the individual [in its own unique way] to the surrounding world.” (22)   Digital technologies, such as smartphones and iPads, are, according to the authors, much more personal than the mass media, such as television, of past generations.  Apps have created a “paradox of action and restriction. The feeling of instituting and implementing an app is active; and yet the moves enabled by each are restricted”. (25)  

The essential impact of apps can be either positive or negative.  They can either restrict or direct one’s thinking and choices, leaving one app-dependent, or they can open one to new possibilities and broaden one’s perspective, making one app-enabled. 

In terms of identity formation, apps can limit a person to becoming a pre-packaged stereotype, or they can enable exploration of various options and help one form a unique and meaningful identity.  With respect to intimacy, apps can “facilitate superficial ties”, or they can broaden and deepen one’s relationships (32).  When it comes to imagination, apps can cause laziness in thinking and thoughtless imitation, or they can invite exploration and innovation.  Unfortunately, the authors conclude that more young people are app-dependent than app-enabled. (45)

The main point made by Gardner and Davis in Chapter 3 is that the very meaning of the term generation is changing in this day and age.  For centuries, a generation was defined as the period of a person’s birth to the time he/she had offspring.  By the 20th century though, distinct generations were identified by “defining political experiences or powerful cultural forces.” (50)  For instance, there was the lost generation of the 1920s and the hippie era of the 1960s.   However, young people have shifted the notion of generation to mean a shorter period of time that is defined by a trendy, powerful digital technology, such as the iPhone or tablet.

Generation Z - The App Generation

Identity in the App Age is the topic of Chapter 4.  The 5-year research that the authors conducted through Harvard, which involved observations and interviews of youth, focus groups, and analysis of young people’s artistic work and fiction, has led them to conclude that “the identities of young people are increasingly packaged” (61) and that youth present a distorted “socially desirable, polished self online.” (63)  The problem with such stereotypical and ameliorated views of themselves is that “young persons risk prematurely foreclosing their identities” weakening their potential to achieve true self-actualization. (74)  It also can exacerbate anxiety and depression as youth compare their actual selves disfavourably to the persona that others and they themselves create online.

Then again, the authors also note that, through membership in online communities, youth can have access to a wider range of interests than is typically available in the actual communities in which they live.  Online, they will find their “digital alter-egos [as] …fan girls, gamers, chess players, or knitters”, and thus, expand the range of acceptable identities beyond those that “fit into a narrow peer culture.” (90) 

Chapter 5, “Apps and Intimate Relationships”, delves into the sad irony that social media and apps ‘designed to connect people may actually be making them feel less connected”, and more socially isolated. (101)  While social media such as Facebook and apps like FaceTime are great for connecting people across distances, the authors argue that “it’s difficult – if not impossible – to achieve the level of deep, warm connection that face-to-face contact provides.” (109)  Furthermore, the “stripped-down” nature of Twitter (140-character messages) and other such social media are not conducive to the deep and intimate connections that are necessary to sustain and grow healthy relationships.

A sad irony of Facebook Friends

On the positive side, Gardner and Davis acknowledge that there is a body of research that suggests that many young people use social media not just to substitute for face-to-face communication but to augment it.   When social media are used in this manner, they can, according to the authors, support the development of meaningful relationships for youth.  They note that, in particular, digital communication can benefit young people who are experiencing isolation in their actual communities, as they may “find or forge a sense of belonging in a sympathetic community online.” (108)        

The essential question posed by the authors in Chapter 6, “Acts (and Apps) of Imagination” is as follows: Do the constraints built into apps and other computer software short-circuit the creative process in young people? The authors acknowledge that the research they conducted directly with youth provide conflicting answers to this question: “While teens’ visual art has become less conventional over time, creative writing emanating from this age group has become more so.” (135)  They add, though, that the art teachers they interviewed feel that today’s students have greater difficulty than students in the past in coming up with their own ideas for art pieces.  One teacher stated, “They go to their laptop first.” (139) 
  

The authors, borrowing a term derived from Jaron Lanier (author of You Are Not a Gadget), conclude that, “Apps may represent the ultimate lock-in.” (143)  Lanier coined the term lock-in to describe the restrictive range of actions and experiences available to users when they use computer software programs.  Gardner and Davis’ analysis of current youth fiction indicates “increased conventionality and use of informal language” that may be the result of the “pedestrian language of tweets, texts, and instant messages”. (145)  The author’s overall conclusion on apps and creativity is a middle ground position:

         Our investigations lead us to conjecture that digital media give rise to –

          and allow more people to engage in – a “middle c” creativity that is more

          interesting and impressive than “little c” but – due to built-in software

          constraints and obstacles to deep engagement – decidedly less ground

          breaking than “Big C”. (153)

  In the final chapter, the authors draw some interesting conclusions concerning apps.  They also offer some sound advice for educators.   Not surprisingly, they conclude that the influence of apps is both pervasive and potentially harmful.  The perniciousness of apps is triggered by their accessibility, which Gardner and Davis believe, invites “an app consciousness … the idea that there are defined ways to achieve whatever we want to achieve” if we can only find the right combination of apps. (160)  While acknowledging that it is unfair to blame apps and digital technologies solely for what they perceive as the flaws of the today’s youth (dependence, risk-aversion, superficiality, narcissism), the authors nonetheless see them as contributing factors. 

The authors do see benefits to apps when it comes to education.  They note that digital devices enable collaboration beyond the four walls of a classroom or school.  As well, they point to their potential for individualizing learning for students. 

However, Gardner and Davis express the concern that their survey of current educational apps suggests that most of them fall well short of their promise and simply “… encourage pursuit of the goals and means of traditional education by digital means.” (179)  In other words, they are merely glossier substitutes for more traditional educational resources such as textbooks and promote a “constrained curriculum” that doesn’t spark student creativity.     

The advice they give educators is to, by all means, use apps as an engaging entry point for students to access information and apply it with precision.  However, they also challenge educators to leverage the potential of apps to augment and re-define learning opportunities such that students can develop higher order skills, critical thinking skills, and their creative capacities.        

Howard Gardner on The App Generation

In terms of identity formation, apps can limit a person to becoming a pre-packaged stereotype, or they can enable exploration of various options and help one form a unique and meaningful identity;  With respect to intimacy, apps can “facilitate superficial ties”, or they can broaden and deepen one’s relationships (32); and When it comes to imagination, apps can cause laziness in thinking and thoughtless imitation, or they can invite exploration and innovation.