 Okay You should be ready to get started here Hi everybody Welcome back after a long break, right? Um, so, um Thanks for joining us again today. We're gonna talk about better conversations or giving positive feedback As you can see Stephanie and I are both in different locations. So this is a new one for us Hopefully we can still make it work well for you Yeah, and again, I'm Steph Wannick. Um, we're both on the PD team here at ESU 8 So we're so happy that you could join us Especially at this time of year where sometimes we need a little pick-me-up, right? We're in the middle of winter where weather's not great and maybe we've had 14 days in a row of inside recess The kids are going a little stir-crazy and everybody's feeling frustrated So we thought this is a perfect time of year to start to talk about having those better Conversations and being a witness to the good or helping share the good messages in our schools So we can advance maybe two slides. They're good. So There's a nice quote to start us out very little that is positive is solitary When was the last time you laughed up rariously the last time you felt indescribable joy The last time you sense profound meaning and purpose the last time you felt enormously proud of an accomplishment Even without knowing the particulars of these high points in your life I know their form all of them took place around other people And I think that's true in schools, too. We're surrounded by these wonderful people by kids by adults Everybody doing great things every day And if we take a moment to Pay attention to those wonderful things some of the not so great things that come around Have maybe less of an impact on us And it it takes more sometimes to think of those good things, but they're definitely important And I think once you start to focus on them Um, it they pop up more and more. Um, that's that's what you start to see instead of the negative things So, um, we want you to talk to the people around you for a moment and describe a time When someone shared some positive feedback with you that really had a positive impact on you It could be all throughout life. Um, when you were a kid as an adult at home at work Wherever you were that somebody shared some positive feedback with you So, um, go ahead and share in in your own settings for a few minutes Because when you share something positive it those are long lasting comments that you can really um That can really make a positive change in in someone's life And so I've been in education for several years now and this this comment was made by a former student's parent To me specifically And it was many many years ago that they made this comment And that comment that the parent made to me comes up to mind many times and so Basically a parent one of my former students In third grade her parent a parent came up to me and She came up to me and gave me a hug and she said to me Please tell me that you are still teaching somewhere in education and I guess I kind of took me a back minute and because I had made some changes in my career Prior to that and and so I kind of explained to her what what I was doing, which I was still I I was still in education just in a difficult But I asked her in the end why she had made that statement and she That it was because I had made such a profound impact on her son and her son's education that she was very If I wasn't able to have that impact for other students and I don't mean to to make that into a bragging comment, but it That is something that comes to mind every time um, or maybe questioning something or Wondering if I have any effecting what I'm doing. So it has definitely made a profound Change in my life in just that one comment. So Can we get a couple on people to share out from zoomland somebody on to share? A piece of positive feedback that they had Don't all jump to go first But who wants to share out a story from their life of a time that you got some feedback that was positive That you could share. I have you unmuted so you could share something if you have one Austin thankfulness Praise I worked at a job where you're afraid to turn your head because you might get killed at and so I'm in here. It's like That's great and I think that that is one good thing about working in the education setting Hopefully we do pay a little bit more attention to take that time To tell people when they are doing a good job We know it's really important for our kids to hear that and hopefully it's important in your buildings for adults to hear it too So if it's not already going on, this is your chance to learn a few tips today to help Share that positive feedback So tina, I think we'll go back to share your screen maybe and Um No, you're just fine So there's actually um, um a great presenter that we've had several times at the esus And his name is jim knight. He works out of uh, k u in laurence, kansas And um, he has some attributes of positive feedback that he shared with us So one of them is that um, that positive feedback is very direct So you use the first person you say I appreciate your help. You don't say oh gosh other people They really appreciate your help in our building, but you make it really personal and say hey It makes a difference to me. Thank you. You made a difference in my life because you were so helpful um um, it's also specific So um, you actually explain the details of that praise Lots of times we're really general about praise. We say oh good job. Oh, you did great. Oh people love you Oh, you know, this is this is wonderful that you do, but we want it to be very very specific like Um, jackson was a lot less frustrated after you helped him with his ipad So that gives a specific instance instead of just saying you're really helpful in school You say that exact time that you witnessed someone being helpful Okay, jackson was a lot less frustrated and we know if a kid's a lot less frustrated that takes away a lot of problems in our day And problems for that student and I think there's another important Component of that Stephanie in in the text itself is I think it's important to definitely start with their name instead of You know, just even if you're standing right next to him You always start the positive with their names like for instance, tony I really like how you were sitting up straight and focusing on your work excellent job And and that just gives them the personality aspect of it as well And and they're associating their name with good things when they hear their name called Sometimes our kids hear their name and they know it's not for good things So we want to associate their name with good stuff. Um And then also that that praise is non-attributive. So, um You're going to describe the experience of others. So you could say things like Three students have shared with me that you really care about them or You know, um, uh, you know a group of girls came up and said how much help you were in helping solve their problem at recess um, so Instead of just saying, oh, you're great. Oh, you're nice those things. Um, It's kind of fact-based Right. It's it's gives a bit of data. It gives a fact of hey these three kids came up to me And they told me how great you're doing That's a good thing and it kind of takes them back to that moment in time when when they do that If you can't give immediate feedback, it'll take them right to that moment in time In their head so they can attribute What you have shared with them with what they actually physically did So again, um, those three, um attributes are to be direct specific and non-intributive Okay, so we have some examples here for you So the first one is, um You are such an engaging teacher. I noticed that every student was participating today two students commented about how much fun they have in your class Okay, so we're very specific. We give that data point of two kids came up to me and told me how much fun they're having Um, I saw the kids all participating um So, um, it's very specific and non-intributive there And I can relate this back to the example that I gave previously where a mom had Given me a compliment and if she had just said well, you're a good teacher That that doesn't give me any any information. It doesn't give me any data Why you know, what is it that makes me a good teacher or what is it that I did that made a difference? Okay, the next example here says I am so proud of the way that you stayed focused during seat work today You even helped two friends that had questions Well, this is one directed more at students than another adult in our building Um, but we tell the kid i'm proud of you. I see that you stayed focused in your seat today That was maybe a skill that that student had worked on. So it's very specific and um Then to have that little bit of a data point or a fact that says you helped two friends that had questions You contributed to our class being a successful place And I think that this is an important one too because if you have a small group of students and Is doing what they're supposed to you know, our first step reaction is to redirect the ones who are not doing what They're supposed to first and then maybe go compliment this other student But I think it's important to if you're a Specific example or a specific thing. I think it's important to highlight that student who's doing what they're supposed to Initially and hopefully the others can possibly follow. Um, so you might say something like he and I really appreciate how you Immediately lined up when asked great job. Your actions are a great model for the rest of the class and then you're actually um I'm identifying a positive with that student, but you're also directing the comment a little bit to others and hopefully Um, not in every situation, but they may make the right choice Without having to allow the negative Most of our kids from our oldest to our youngest are just seeking approval from their teacher um The older kids might mask it a little bit, but they really do love it And so when they can hear that they're doing a great job, that's um, you know, really what they're looking for and If we can just praise the ones that are doing a good job lots of times the others start to do what those kids were doing and Quit their non-desired behaviors So here's the next example, uh, you remembered to do and turn in your homework every day this week I'm so impressed with your responsibility So this is a problem with our older kids a lot of times You might have to help kids keep track of that homework or make sure that they get it done and um They really do need to hear that phrase and um, you know, draw on their good qualities that you're seeing Definitely Excuse me Stephanie, but we cannot hear tina Oh, you can't hear tina. Okay Oh, I'm I apologize. I'm gonna try is this better No We can hear Stephanie. Just fine, but we can't hear tina Okay, is anybody else having that problem? Ladies. I'm loud. I know I I if I talk louder does that help? Not really not much. Okay. You know what? Um, Stephanie. I don't want to hang anything up because I don't want to That's fine. Just I'll I'll continue on and um, we'll go from there Okay, he's good. Thanks for letting us know ladies Okay, so again, those older kids still need praise too Miss we move on here Um, you might even see kids work in social settings and you you need to praise that too. So A group work was successful today because you participated One of your classmates even said that your drawings were just what the project needed And so um, really we're praising at different times now I would say probably don't praise older kids in front of their peers In in this kind of setting where group work Might have been trouble in the past Some older kids like to have it A little bit more quiet because they might get a little bit embarrassed by the praise However, don't let that stop you from giving the praise. They still want it Just maybe in a more private setting Okay And then we know out on the playground, right? We oftentimes need to praise kids and adults alike So not everybody's favorite job is recess duty, right? So if you see another Para or teacher out on the playground, you might say something like I saw you interacting with the kids on the playground today Two kids ran out the doors looking for you. They really love having you out there with them So sometimes when we have to do a job that is less desirable If we just hear that little praise like well the kids love having you there It makes it a little bit Something that we look forward to a little bit more or try to have a positive attitude about So one thing to remember is definitely share it when you see it So we want feedback to be immediate Go ahead and tell people right when you see something great going on in the school Um, and don't be afraid to just really let them know They're doing a great job. So, um kids and adults And See here another little tip for giving great feedback is When we are a witness to the good others may feel encouraged validated boosted and sometimes inspired And so why hold that back from them? Just go ahead and immediately tell them what you're seeing And it might be something really um quiet and small just like You know what those kids love that activity You know as you're walking out the door of a teacher's classroom um All the kids were learning from that today um I had a principal who would walk through our classrooms almost every day And he would write us little notes and put them on our chairs for us And so when I would come around the corner of my desk and see a note on my chair and open it up and it might say You know, I remember one in particular and I remember it by heart because it it made a difference to me He said you rock every time I walk in the room kids are engaged and um having fun Um keep it up. So just those little bits really um, you know In in our long days that we have make all the difference So um jim knight in his book um quotes carol dweck and carol dweck is a famous author who wrote a book called mindset And it's it's just a kind of a trendy book right now But it's really uplifting and saying um that we want people to have a growth mindset and thinking that we can always get better And um, she says here we should not praise students intelligences We should praise their effort strategies perseverance or improvement So take a minute just to think about that and maybe talk to your neighbors um for a moment And think about the times that you praise kids. Are you praising their effort? And the things that they're trying or just what they're succeeding at Just um, just the a's of the bunch or just the hundred percent of the bunch. Are we praising those kids who maybe made some progress So go ahead and chat And then um We'll come back and talk I'm an adventure to guess that sometimes you work with struggling students students who don't always feel like they get everything right um, and so um, hopefully you see the value in praising that hey um, today they got one more question right on a quiz than they had in the past or Boy, they tried so hard at that project that they were working on And um, you know each component shows their effort um, it's really important for us to praise um, how hard they're trying um Not just on what performance is judged as perfect So we're going to let you do some practicing of giving praise to each other Um, so we're going to have you work with a partner. Um, and if you're in a small setting and you guys can do it as a group But you're going to practice giving that direct specific non-attributive praise to students and staff And then um, we might do some sharing out of some group favorites So um, this next slide gives you some example cards on it um About um situations that you might find with a student or a staff member um, feel free to add more um Details in there if you need to so the first one says a student struggles to complete a task But persists until the task is completed Um, what would you say to that student who's really struggling but they stick with it? Go ahead and with your partner or small group at your site Um practice giving some feedback to all of these cards Go ahead on your own and pace through them or pick out one that you want to give praise to And then we will be calling on you to share out with us, please Because you make this um an interesting lively chat I'm down So I Hey everybody out there, can you give me um We call it a fist to five if you need more time. So fist would mean zero more minutes One for one more minute and so on fist to five. How many more minutes do you need? I'm showing people are done. Okay. Hey, thanks for participating um, so hopefully you got some practice in um thinking about different times when You could give some great positive feedback So remembering too that we want to give that positive feedback to students as well as staff Um, did anyone hear someone at their site say a great bit of um positive feedback? Does anybody want to share out one of their partner's? um Messages You don't have to share your own this time. You get to share somebody else's so that's what makes it great We'll share one for more for okay. Thanks so much. We just had for the For the one where they worked good with a group. We just we've always said like thanks for being such a good team player and helping others in your group and I don't know. We know it was difficult, but good job Yeah, yeah, and sometimes it is difficult to work in those groups. So to mention Hey, you know what you really um, you really kept the group working and you kept it very calm. Thank you Um, also that last staff one the staff member that makes others feel good We know that those are the kind of people we love to be around at work, right? And so to just you know, when you start to notice people doing stuff like that tell them um So, you know, it might be hey, you know what you always make a big deal about people's birthdays here Thank you so much for um making them feel special or Hey, you know what I noticed about you you never get involved in the gossip that goes on around school You keep it really positive and that makes a difference in our whole workplace. Thanks for doing that um Adults need to hear that praise. I think just as much as kids that um, you know a place workplace like like one of you shared out before that um Is focused on praising um, it number one makes people want to come to work every day We want to stay in that job for a long time and It makes us forget some of the bad days and forget some of the bad things that happen during a day or or less desirable things. So um, let's do that all at work a little bit more and this is a way that esu8 has decided to do this um over the last um year or two um, we've taken on a hashtag on twitter and um, it's hashtag zella bright with an eight at the end And so these are some of the examples of times that we have um, tweeted about celebrating Um, so we celebrate at our learning centers. Um, we we operate some learning center schools We've celebrated through art shows. We've celebrated through quiz bowls Um, we celebrate when we go out to schools and work in your individual schools Um, so not only are we celebrating right here at esu8, but we're also celebrating all of our great schools in the esu region so Um, so that's just one idea that we have that Feel free that anytime you have a little bit of praise to give tweet out with our hashtag celebrate So we have a challenge for you. Are we ready for this? Um to share a compliment for a student or staff member from events this week Remember, we want you to be direct specific and non-attributive So go ahead and share out at your sites one bit of praise that you could give to somebody From something that you've seen happen this week at school And we are definitely going to call on you by site. Okay. Nobody's off limits this time So think about something great that's happened that you want to celebrate and um, Tell tell the others that praise that you would give to them Does everybody have one we're going to call on people We're coming at you I'll go first I want to give a compliment to tina um tina Everything that you do shows your loyalty and dedication to your job um, when you take on a task you um, you do your very your personal best at it each time And um, that really shows your loyalty to the people that you work with And the people you're trying to help and just your dedication to the job. So thanks so much for all that you do at esu8 Okay, spencer campus Do you have somebody who wants to shout out some great bit of praise that they're going to give someone this week Our coach received his 500th win basketball coach got his 500th win And we congratulated him the next morning and patted him on the back and Told him that not only is he a good coach, but he works well with the kids in the classroom That's great. That's a great bit of feedback too. And I think those coaches especially love to hear Hey, you don't just make a difference on the court. You're awesome in the classroom too and you're inspiring dear kids there too. So good job Okay, um, I'm going to guess it's butte because it's a cindy's name on it. So I'm going to guess it's butte Can you guys unmute and somebody share out with us? Just doing a wonderful job and watching this We're having a hard time hearing you butte. Can you speak right into the computer? Sorry I'll do it We have a um pair that drives the preschool bus and also another pair that rides with her and the bus driver complimented the other pair for um, having the kids train to be quiet and stop signs and do a good job so she can drive the bus safely Hey, what a nice thing to hear. Um bus drivers do not have an easy job. Do they? um, so that's a great bit of feedback to that para too to say Hey, you know what? You're making a difference in my job here. You're making my job easier because You have those kids so trained and um, and you know, it affects the safety of everybody. So good job Thanks, butte. Um How about choice site there? at grant anybody want to share a Positive bit of feedback they want to give this week Somebody at grant want to unmute and share out what they want to say to somebody this week Okay, we'll skip over grant for a minute. How about lynch you want to share something with us? There they come. Thank you ladies Can you hear us? Yes, we sure can Well, we want to praise our bus drivers for um Is it a good job on bad roads? Yeah doing such good jobs on bad roads and getting the kids on time to school and getting them home safely Great, that's another shout out to those awesome bus drivers Um, they don't have an easy job, especially during winter when the roads are terrible And they're dealing with kids. We know how the kids act when snow's coming, right? Yes, and they have to get up early in the morning. So I know early some of your kids are starting school. So I know that they go very Um to get out there Okay, next I have Teresa's site Okay, um every morning we do what we call a gratitude walk with the kids K through fourth grade Um, and then we take them over into the gym after we get done walking around outside and we What they've done for kindness We hear him say hi or good morning and looking people straight in the eye Or if they've given up a swing for a kid or something like that we make sure they know that So not only are you giving the good praise right then but you're also teaching the kids to be thankful for everyone else around them Good job. I think that's going to make our whole world a different place, right? awesome Well, you know what you guys we appreciate you and so I'll give a bit a bit of praise to all of the Paras in the esu 8 region. Thank you so much to being dedicated To our kids and to seeing improvement in kids and seeing the best in kids And also, um, thank you so much for being so dedicated that you tune in with us each month I think that that makes a difference and it really shows um that You know, I you want the best for everybody that you work with so thanks so much for joining us Can you guys hear me at all? Oh good because I didn't want to miss this opportunity Um, you guys Paras are wonderful and you guys have a very tough job and I don't think that you guys hear praise enough Like we mentioned before it's sometimes it's easier to say the The negative rather than the positive, but you guys are greatly appreciated and I think we mentioned this Stephanie at our summer workshop I know when I was a teacher I would not have survived without my para. So thank you guys you guys are amazing And so we want to just inspire you please and maybe Tina we can go back to the present. Yeah, there we go. Um, Please take the time to um, you know, leave the room that you're sitting in and go out and give some great praise If not right away sometime this week Um, you know, sometimes it's easier for us to do that for kids Then it is adults but look for those adults that you want to praise and you're building too So again, thanks for creating that positive culture at school Um, we have a couple resources here if you liked our talk today You might be interested in picking up Jim Knight's book Better Conversations It's one of the best pieces of um professional development. I've ever attended and I think that's because it had so much, um Personal connection to and really taught us how to have better conversations with the people around us not just at work But also at home So hey, thanks everybody. Um, don't let january get you down Um, especially on thursday when you're in your pajamas, right ladies Right, we're hoping for it to do All right, everyone have a good afternoon. See you later