Cape Cod Morning and Nighthawk both by Edward Hopper
Did Edward Hopper know about Larks and Owls? Who knows? But if you look at these pictures you can probably tell which scene you would rather be a part of, and your choice may indicate which end of the day you are working at your optimum!
Fill out the rubric to decide whether you are a Lark or an Owl. Then read the article your group assigns you. Afterwards get together with your group and talk about some of the things below:
- What did you find out in your reading about sleep and students?
- If you were in the school system that matched sleep style to school attendance time, when would you be teaching?
- Aside from the pieces you can't control about school day schedules, are there things in this chapter you can use to optimize learning?
I enjoyed the chapter on sleep. I think we probably all get too little sleep, but the article said that we must sleep to learn. This is true. I often go to sleep to find myself thinking through events that have happened during the day or trying to resolve something that is conflicting, or even trying to figure out a new approach to class or a specific lesson. I wake up having a new sense of direction or an answer to the problem. Maybe, it works!
ReplyDeleteI don't have any problem understanding how the lack of sleep can negatively impact learning. I have experienced the inability to focus when I have been fatigued as well as have witnessed it in students. I would like to see a study between the correlation of sleeping problems and teenagers. Two of my children struggled with insomnia in high school and college, as well as some of my students have confessed the same problem. I wonder if there is some undiscovered connection between the young adult brain and sleep disorders...?
ReplyDeleteLast spring I went to the doctor and told him I was tired of being tired! I could barely make it through the day. I went home and crashed each night. I could barely function. After asking me a series of questions, he determined I was probably suffering from sleep apnea. I spent a night at the sleep clinic and found out he was right. I now have a CPAP machine and sleep through the night. I also experience dreaming again. I am all for a good nap!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading the chapter on sleep. When it discussed the need for "siestas" during midday, it reminded me of the time I spent studying abroad in Ecuador. It is a big part of the culture, and totally accepted, to take a nap after lunch. It was strange to me at first, but once I got used to it, I really enjoyed it. I felt refreshed, and I was able to stay awake longer and be more productive with the rest of my day. When I assess my productivity throughout the day right now, I definitely think I am a lot more useful in the morning versus the later part of the day. Maybe if we had naptime, the kids would be more productive as well. We can wish.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting chapter about sleep. So 16 hours after we wake it is time for us to go to sleep? HUMMM.
ReplyDeleteOur discussion was focused on larks, owls, and hummingbirds and how these would impact the students/teachers in schools and employees/employers in the business world. What about naps in school or even in the work place?
Student work schedules impact sleep amounts as well as recreational media and on occasion...homework. Priorities. I believe that students already know what is 'good' for them but that there is a certain amount of pride in doing the opposite and surviving anyway. They don't brag about getting a full 8.5 hours or eating a balanced breakfast. They think that they are special if they can sleep 3 hours and still make practice and class while living on cheetos and mountain dew.
ReplyDeleteAlso...BLOCK schedule. 44 days to learn = 44 nights to sleep on it vs 80something in a semester. If we sort complex thoughts out while we sleep more nights to sort seems to support leaving the block.
TVs in rooms = less sleep. Getting parents on board would help but...
I found the chapter on sleep really interesting. I can definitely see a difference in my students who do well the morning and those who take 1st block to wake up. We know that teenagers need more sleep, but we also know that that doesn’t happen due to activities, jobs, video games, computer, texting, just to name a few. With all the technology available to students, it’s no wonder that they don’t get the sleep they need. But what, as teachers, can we do? Could we start school later? Maybe, but then students will probably adjust to that schedule and then school would just start later and later. I think that a lot of the responsibility falls on the parents to monitor what their child is doing at night to make sure they get the sleep they need.
ReplyDeletealso...i hate waking up...so napping annoys me because it means waking up twice in one day. Anyone else hate naps?
ReplyDeleteI have noticed my students in 1A are SLOW to process as compared to my 3A class. Then again my 4b is lacking attention and slower too. It seems that students peak after 9:30 am and are about done by 1:30 pm. No, not an seven or eight hour day! So other than having an open campus and offering classes for the earlybirds and later classes for the owls I'm not sure what can be done with the school system.
ReplyDeleteHowever, parents can have more of an influence and take away their student's video games, cell phones, etc. by 9-10 pm at night the latest. I didn't have a tv or radio or anything in my bedroom growing up which forced me to GO TO BED. I had nothing else to do, but read a book which put me to sleep in 15 minutes! Its amazing what even a good book can do!
Okay. I got busted by Marcia. I was "resting my eyes" during the discussion. Variety show rehearsal until 11:00 PM. My process "S" was winning the battle.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter makes total sense. When taking long drives to visit my kids (Omaha or Arlington VA, I can go for several hours, but if my wife takes over and I nap for an hour, it's like starting out refreshed all over when I resume. A good nap in the afternoon and all is well at home too.
ReplyDeleteNPR did an interview with a Sleep specialist who claimed that for High School age students, school should not start until 10:00 a.m.
ReplyDeleteI actually see an Advanced Art class at 7:45 each morning and they do have a tendancy to be on the "sleepy" side of life. Several who have a very difficult time at that early hour, come in to see me fourth block and are completly rejuvenated. It is like night and day... they are still in sleep mode in the early hours of the morning. I have shared the research done on NPR and the kids all agreed, "yes, school at 10:00 a.m. would be much better. Later one of the boys came up and stated that noon would be more to his liking. So, maybe there is some truth to the idea that teenagers need more sleep, or that early mornings are just not their cup of tea. On a personal note, in speaking with my father over the holiday, I had not recalled that I ever had trouble waking up in the morning when I was in high school, he quickly corrrected my memory and let me know that indeed, it was a problem waking me up!
The chapter on sleep had a few things that people knew and thought about. The basic assumption is that students are more productive when they get more sleep. I can agree with this, but we have to remember that there are a couple things that we have to keep in mind; 1) these studies are not the cure-all for every student and 2) every body reacts differently to the amount of sleep that they need.
ReplyDeleteWe also talked about the idea of school staring later in the morning to give kids more time to sleep. I do not think that this is a good idea either. It is one of those things that sounds well in theory, but when you get down to it there is one major flaw. The term Jet Lag and Daylight Savings Time come to mind. These are times when the brain is “fooled” about the actual time and more interested in the apparent time. We humans tend to take a sort of recovery time when DST comes around, so my question is ,”How long is it going to be until the students get accustom to the later school day, and fall back into the same patterns that we are having today with tardiness and morning lathargicisms?”
Much of the material that was presented was again known. I enjoyed reading of the scientific experiments. I did not know that Mendeleyev organized the P.T. during his sleep. That will be an interesting bit to tell the students.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone knows that many students would prefer to come late and probably leave a later time. Those with jobs would like to start earlier and leave earlier so as to get to that job.
The idea of sleeping on it definitely has merit. Personally, I often find close to bed time that I am so tired that I “can’t think straight”. Yea, I’m sort of a lark. (I still don’t like to get up earlier than I need to, and watching TV for about 30 min after waking up is my idea of a good thing.) I just wish I wouldn’t wake up at 2 am with my great idea…
A number of things clicked with me about this chapter. In terms of working with teens however, the notion of sleep deprivation was the most eye opening. We tell students to get a good nights sleep before a test, but to have actual number data on the effect of seep loss on a day to day basis was interesting. When talking to students I am amazed how much they try to pack into a day. It's no wonder so many of them are sleep deprived. In our discussion we brought up the pressures society puts on especially the young to do more and more. What can we do about it? How can the school foster a more overall healthy, realistic view of the possible? How can we counteract the pressure to constantly do and have more?
ReplyDeleteI loved the lark, owl, hummingbird, and healthy insomniac designations for the bio-rhythms! His argument for flexible schedules at school and work rings true and would tap into one of the reasons college is often referred to by people as the "best years of their lives". For most of us college is the "freeist" time of our lives in terms of schedule. Within limits we can choose when we work (both class and homework) and when we play. This freedom allows us to play to our bio-rhythm strengths (even if we aren't always aware that's what we're doing) and perhaps accounts for the high level of learning (by volume) that takes place at this time. I sure would be a sign-on for school that started at 10am and finished at 5pm (with a nap in the middle :>)
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to thank Marcia for fighting the "system" and getting our blog back. It is silly to dedicate so many hours to this, use innovative techniques and tyhem have them canned by the higher ups. Does DCSD really support us in this effort?
ReplyDeleteNow lets get back to Ch7 blog. The idea of larks, owls, and hummingbirds is unique but I'm sure I am fully on track with this. However, I find it amazing that in the furture we can develop a blood test to determine our chronotypes and characterize our process C/process S graphs. Very interesting.
I totally agree with naps and just we could build that into the American workday. But, we Americans are so goal focused and money hungry thatt that will never happen. I find it additionally interesting that research is backing up the old notion of "sleep on it for awhile." This is so simple and yet soooo true.
My internet has been down for awhile and I wasn't aware the blog was up and running again.
ReplyDeleteI found the chapter on sleep to be very interesting. I would have to say that I qualify as a hummingbird though I'm closer to the lark side of a hummingbird then the owl side.
Sleep is such a crucial thing with our students. I have often considered keeping a tally of how many times I have to tell a kid to keep their head up or wake up in one term's time!
I am so attuned with sleep problems and lack of focus.
ReplyDeleteI understand the reasons for high school starting at 7:45 am, but it certainly doesn't coincide well with the adolescent brain and their sleep patterns, does it?