| 02/15/2005 |
| School thriving after collaborating with Wesleyan |
| By DIANA CARR , Middletown Press Correspondent |
Recess study provides insight into the psychology of elementary school students and conflict
MIDDLETOWN --- Commodore Macdonough Elementary School’s success is due in large part to the efforts of Ann Perzan, its principal for the past year, and Gina Langhout, a community psychologist and professor at Wesleyan University. Community psychology is a discipline that works with communities, taking a strength-based perspective and working toward things like empowerment.
Watson agreed. Shortly thereafter, the Macdonough Wesleyan Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from both institutions, was formed to determine the nature of that partnership. The ensuing meetings revealed a desire on the part of the parents, some of the teachers, and the principal at Macdonough for a better understanding of the general climate of the school. Soon, the Community Psychology Research and Action Team was born. "Its goal," says Langhout, "is to partner with Macdonough stakeholders (students, staff and parents) and support efforts that provide opportunities for leadership for all groups. We also want to facilitate greater collaboration and communication among all groups. (We include Wesleyan as one of the groups.) Our philosophy is that students are more academically engaged when teachers are supported and schools enjoy strong community support. We see ourselves as part of that community support." Armed with questions such as, "What do you see as problems? What do you see as solutions?" Langhout conducted a survey at Macdonough to pinpoint areas of concern. Perzan believes, "If you want long-lasting, enduring, substantive change, you’re going to ask the source, which is the children. What do you see as ways that we can make recess more enjoyable and fun, and help you learn your social behaviors?" Interviews with the students, staff, parents, and recess duty aides revealed a number of issues. Recess duty aides wanted more training in terms of how to address a conflict situation; they wanted more proactive strategies. They also wanted to learn activities they could do outside with children. The principal defined the playground as an area of concern and wanted to increase pro-social behavior. The playground was understaffed. Children saw rules as what not to do, not what to do. The students were unhappy with their peer relationships; they talked about the aggression at recess and wanted fair play; they wanted more organized games and toys (jump ropes, balls, etc.); almost all the students disliked the "baby" movies they watched during indoor recess; they wanted to watch a greater selection of movies; and they wanted to play games. The CPRAT lost no time in implementing measures. They had a number of recommendations: discuss the results with the students at assembly; initiate a peer mediation program (students can go to other students who have been trained in conflict resolution, in order to receive help resolving a disagreement.); have fourth- and fifth-graders lead non-competitive games; have more recess choices, but do not require the children to participate; include the children in problem-solving regarding indoor recess; buy more movies for indoor recess. It was decided that the students needed more adults to play with them, so students from Wesleyan were recruited to come every day and interact during recess. They teach conflict resolution, how to develop social behaviors, and play games. Fifth-graders mentor the kindergarteners, and third-graders mentor first-graders. The older children have lunch with the younger ones, teaching them "eating protocol." They help them zip up their jackets before going outside, and they teach them games at recess. Someone may announce in the cafeteria that anyone wanting to play "duck, duck, goose" can meet him at the slide. Or an older child will see that a younger child has to go to the bathroom, and so will escort her inside and make sure that she washes her hands. Conflict resolution is a prevailing theme at Macdonough. One proven method is to have the children with a conflict eat lunch together. Perzan gives them questions to ask each other -- nothing personal, just "getting to know you" kinds of questions. "I find that sometimes the children don’t even know each other," she says. "They make a judgment without knowing what the other person is really like." They have to keep going until something makes them laugh. Then they are done. If they keep coming back to the conflict, she asks them for ways they can resolve it. The "town meeting" is an assembly in which students celebrate the reading, writing, and artistic achievements, as well as the prosocial behavior, of their peers. "It is total student empowerment," says Perzan. "The students design the entire program, with the help of adult mentors." Students’ accomplishments are announced at the assembly, they are given a button, and their work is displayed at the front of the school. They are also acknowledged for any "random acts of kindness" they may have performed. Macdonough’s child-oriented approach seems to be paying off. "It’s almost intangible," says Perzan, "but there’s a different feeling, a different tone, from even just a year ago. There’s a whole different feeling of a sense of calm around lunch and recess. The students know that they are in charge of what happens -- that the adults are here to provide the structure and the goals and to keep them safe, and yet they’re in charge of what happens." "It’s about facilitating and promoting leadership in the kids," says Langhout. "So when you have kids who are peer mediators and when you have kids who are game leaders, they’re learning how to take more responsibility, and they can take that out with them into the world. That’s something that is a transferable skill. So it’s largely about developing those leadership skills." Ask these women about issues of importance to them, and they are quick to answer. "Developing pro-social behavior so that you aren’t in a situation of bullying is an issue of concern for me," says Perzan. "Bullying is an issue." Langhout takes a community-based perspective. "I think it’s important for communities to be in charge of their own schools -- because I think schools need that flexibility. Kids in New England might be different from kids in the south, versus kids in California. Sure, there are some common things that all kids face, but there are also regional differences. I think schools need to have the flexibility to be able to work with the communities that they have." "My goal," says Perzan, "is for our students to be empowered to learn as profoundly as they can, to create works of wonder and astonishment to enrich the lives of everyone, and to act pro-socially in establishing a kinder and gentler world. "When you come to school and you know it’s all about what you need to become a better person intellectually and emotionally, that’s perfect. It’s exactly what you’re looking for."
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