ACET, Inc. Blog

A new study about increasing classroom performance caught the eyes of staff at ACET and we wanted it to share it with you. The study linked regular recess and play opportunities to better classroom performance and a decrease in bullying and student conflict, and was conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities at Stanford University.

In the study, 14 schools across the United States partnered with Playworks, an Oakland, California non-profit devoted to providing low-income schools with physical activity options and other play events such as game times. Playworks provided schools with trained coaches and, in some cases, junior coach programs where students were recruited to monitor recess times alongside adults. Students, teachers, principals, and coaches were interviewed and surveyed about their experiences with the program and what changes, positive and negative, they saw in student relationships, academic outcomes, and classroom behaviors. Students and teachers reported feeling engaged by Playworks’ coaches’ programs and their use of positive messaging and conflict resolution strategies (for example, using a game of rock-paper-scissors to solve a dispute) as they pertained to playground interactions, though students did not report a decrease in student aggression or perception of aggression. Teachers with Playworks programs in their schools reported faster transition times between recess and learning than schools that did not have Playworks programs. Principals from all schools that received Playworks services reported a need for the organization’s presence in their schools for the coming year.

According to an advisor from the study’s sponsor, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “These new findings… tell us that kids better relate with one another, resolve conflicts constructively, get plenty of physical activity on the playground, and return to class focused and ready to learn. Increasingly, health and education leaders are recognizing that recess and play are effective ways to strengthen schools and foster children’s social, emotional, and physical development.”

You can read more from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation press release here or view the report here [opens as PDF].

Mary

Greetings, blog readers! My name is Mary Burns, and as of April, I have joined the ACET Inc. team as their Editor Assistant. I’m a Macalester College graduate with a background in research and editing and a personal interest in Japanese culture, and I look forward to coming up with creative ways to bring ACET’s message to you. This week on the blog, I’ve been given the opportunity to share something about myself with you, so I’d like to present five (in no order) of my favorite Twin Cities culinary experiences.

5. Tii Cup: Twin Cities bubble tea aficionados probably think of TeaGarden first for the satisfaction of their tapioca pearl fix, but this little Richfield café (about 32 blocks away from ACET!) offers some items that you can’t get at the better-known chain. Try the popping boba, the slightly smaller and flavored version of the tapioca pearl that bursts with flavor in your mouth, or consider a carefully brewed coffee beverage, for those friends of yours who can’t get over the weirdness of your salted plum slushy (hi Mom). Follow them on Facebook or at tii-cup.com.

4. Zen Box Izakaya: There are a lot of Japanese places all over the Twin Cities, and as the cuisine is a personal favorite of mine, I make a point of trying out as many as I can. Fans of the Zen Box lunch location in the downtown Minneapolis skyway will be happy to learn that the gastropub version has the same reliably good, authentic food, and the price point isn’t that much higher! Come in for the friendly service, then walk a couple of blocks up to the light rail station and head off into the sunset. Read more at zenboxizakaya.com.

3. Farmer’s Markets: If you live in the Twin Cities and have never been to a farmer’s market, you are missing out. Farmer’s markets are not only places to acquire fresh, organic ingredients, but also to eat some of those ingredients cooked in unique ways by cooks who have no other cart, truck or storefront. A few of my favorite neighborhood restaurants sell their food at farmer’s markets, sometimes with special market-only additions. Interfacing with cooks and farmers like this makes for a great learning, shopping and eating experience for the whole family. Find your local farmer’s market at www.mda.state.mn.us.

2. Lu’s Sandwiches: The newest discovery on this list, Lu’s has a simple menu of Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, French baguettes filled with great flavors including grilled pork, fried tofu and pickled vegetables. There are a lot of places to get banh mi in the Twin Cities, but Lu’s makes this list because of its good value and the fact that they deliver (by bicycle!) within 2.5 miles of their location. Brilliant! Check them out at lusandwiches.com.

1. Sebastian Joe’s: Summer is coming – in the Twin Cities, we’ve already had a taste of it – and on a warm afternoon or evening, there’s nothing quite like enjoying an ice cream cone outside. Sebastian Joe’s has dozens and dozens of rotating flavors to choose from at its two locations, in addition to sorbets, shakes, and baked goods. The people-watching is just as choice as the ice cream, and both locations are just blocks away from two of our famous lakes. Visit sebastianjoesicecream.com for more information.

Mary

Lately I’ve been very interested in how surveys may be better used and administered. One hurdle with almost every survey is the number of people who actually complete the survey (compared to those who are given the survey known as a “response rate”). Recently I came across an article that described the use of “norm-based” appeals to increase survey response rates (Misra, Stokols & Heberger Marino, 2012). In this context “norm-based” refers to societal norms such as the direction you face when you get in an elevator or the distance you maintain between yourself and a stranger.

Misra et al. studied the effectiveness of using normed-based appeals to increase survey response rates. At a conference to promote interdisciplinary research all participants were asked to complete a survey immediately after the conference ended and then again three months later. Half of the participants received a generic message inviting them to complete the survey and half received a norm-based appeal in which the behavior of other people was described. The norm-based appeal given to half of the participants read, “Most years, over 75% of conference participants complete the survey. Please join your fellow participants in improving the quality of future conferences by filling out the survey.” At the three month follow-up participants were invited to complete another survey and half received the generic message and half received the norm-based appeal. In all, there were four groups in the study:

Misra et al. found that participants who received the norm-based appeal immediately after the conference (Groups 3 and 4) were more likely to complete the survey than those who received the generic message (Groups 1 and 2). Also, participants who received the norm-based appeal at both time points (Group 4) were more likely to complete the second online survey than those who received generic messages at both time points (Group 1). And participants who received both the generic message and the norm-based appeal (Groups 2 and 3) fell somewhere in between Groups 1 and 4. In summary, the results here suggest that norm-based appeals may be an effective technique to improve survey response rates.

For more information, please see:

Misra, S., Stokols, D., & Heberger Marino, A. (2012). Using norm–based appeals to increase response rates in evaluation research: A field experiment. American Journal of Evaluation, 33, 88-98. doi: 10.1177/1098214011414862

Do you have any methods you use to increase response rates with your online surveys? If so, please share!

Dan

Target stores are currently accepting applications for Early Childhood Reading Grants. Grants are open to nonprofits, schools, and libraries to support afterschool and weekend reading programs. The goals of the Early Childhood Reading Grants are to foster a love of reading and to encourage children from preschool to third grade to read with their families. Grants are available to organizations across the U.S. but are limited to $2,000 for each agency or organization. For more information about the program, please visit: http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031821

Kirsten

Target stores are now accepting applications for their Art, Culture + Design in Schools grants. Grants are awarded to 501(c)(3) organizations and schools, libraries, and public agencies to bring the performing arts to the classroom. The goal of the Art, Culture + Design in Schools grants is to bring performers to schools so students can experience music, dance, drama, and visual arts as forms of self-expression. Grants are available to organizations across the U.S. but are limited to $2,000 per agency or organization.

To learn more about the Art, Culture + Design in Schools application process, please visit: http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031819

Kirsten

Think about the last time you felt really hungry. It probably started out with just a small feeling. Maybe you thought “I need to eat soon” and soon forgot all about it. I bet it wasn’t long before your head started to ache, your stomach started to hurt, and you couldn’t focus on anything other than food. Pain, desire, attention…these are the ways that your brain is telling you that you have a need that needs to be met (hunger in this case).

This much is obvious, but what isn’t obvious is that our brain is highly “trainable.” Stress is your brain saying, “hey, you have a need, do something about it dummy.” Well, my brain takes the time to insult me and includes “dummy,” but not all brains do. Just as when you are hungry, soon you will get a headache and you will not be able to focus on anything but the stress. The pains are similar to hunger pains, and so are the solutions. What we use to deal with the stress teaches our brain that that is what we need to satisfy the stress need.

Returning to the hunger example, when we are hungry and we habitually reach for chocolate, our brain learns that chocolate = satisfying the hunger need, and it rewards us with releasing chemicals that make us feel happy and satisfied for fulfilling this need. And the next time you feel hungry the desire for chocolate will be greater because your brain thinks that is what it needs, and it will reward you when you indulge. Luckily we can teach the brain that X=satisfying the hunger need, “X” being any number of things (juice, pretzels, nuts, a good meal).

The key to healthy stress management is to practice ways of dealing with stress that are good for you and, with time, your brain will learn to reward these activities and increase your desire for them when facing stress. Try these habits when feeling stressed instead:

Short term strategies:

Take a walk

Work on a crossword

Stand up and stretch

Write down one (and only one) thing to accomplish next on a sticky note

Eat a fruit or vegetable

Longer term strategies:

Regularly exercise

Increase fresh fruit and vegetable intake

Get a pet

Volunteer

Start blogging

What are some things you are doing to train your brain in healthy stress management?

Joseph