Ontario Schools Pilot Program Latest Update

Here’s What We Learned
The three pilot projects ended in June 2006 and here’s what we learned from the teachers and administrators involved.

• Build the FISH philosophy into your yearly plans and classroom routines from the beginning day of school in September if possible

• Staff members must watch the segments on the DVD to get an overview, see other teachers using FISH! for Schools and how students react. We know you may have a different ethnic mix in your class than on the DVD.

• Some of the segments on the DVD are good for older students to view as well.

• Read and use the many activities in the Expedition Guide that are age-appropriate for your class.

• Many teachers design their own creative activities too!

• Incorporate the four principles of Play, Be There, Make Their Day and Choose Your Attitude into your lessons on classroom management and character education as well as the natural curriculum connections

• The Play principle leads to good discussions about hurtful play and helpful play. We need to emphasize playing and having fun with other people – not at their expense.

• Teachers who planned as a division or a grade level had better results from the collaboration and brainstorming than those who worked alone.

• Remember it’s not an EXTRA program but a life philosophy – a way of teaching and living – that focuses on relationships

• Many teachers said it had positive results at home with their own children and families too as well as at school!

• It was a challenge for all teachers to work a new idea into their crowded curriculum but those who did make the effort saw the positive results

FISH! For Schools is being introduced to students, teachers and administrators in three Ontario Schools. Claireville Public School (JK-5) from the Toronto District School Board, Crossland Public School (JK-8) and Newmarket High School (9-12) both from the York Region District Board have accepted an invitation from Visual Education Centre of Toronto to participate in the FISH! For Schools Pilot Project between now and June 2006.

Sue Stephenson and Paul Thibault award winning Canadian educators, are pleased to serve the schools as facilitators for this special project. Together Sue and Paul have than 80 years experience in education and have been "fish" in many waters - teachers, staff developers and principals.

The pilot project will follow the progress of groups of teachers and administrators in the three schools(K-12) as they implement FISH! For Schools. Together they will learn about the benefits of FISH! For Schools for their students and share those with you through frequent progress reports on this website. They will keep you up to date on their experiences, ideas and successes.

The teachers and administrators have jumped energetically in to the swim! They are using the 4 principals of the FISH! Philosophy (Play, Be There, Make Their Day, and Choose Your Attitude.) They are becoming more knowledgeable through viewing the FISH! For Schools DVD and by exploring the Guided Journey (teacher staff development) and the Exploration Guide (curriculum resources). When teachers discuss the suggested activities and questions together and use them with their students they begin to learn how FISH! For Schools can help make their classrooms into most effective and fun loving learning environment for their students.

If you visit www.fishphilosophy.com and click on FISH! For Schools you can join in the chat rooms and to see more photographs of their work in progress.

Crossland Public School Progress Report #1

With classes participating from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, Crossland Public School teachers are working across a wide range in ages to give all their students the FISH! experience.  Teachers observed that when FISH! was introduced the students understood it immediately and responded positively and enthusiastically.  The teachers also commented that many of their classroom routines and activities already in place fit in beautifully with the FISH! Philosophy.

Robyn and Monica showed their grade 2 children ‘Student FISH!’.  It was a great way to get them started and to have them talk about the four principles.  They were attentive, energetic and enjoyed the story of the Pike Place Fish Market.  Several teachers found that ‘Make Their Day’ was a great way to engage the students and encourage them to make someone’s day.

Karen and her junior and senior kindergarten students, also focused on ‘Make Their Day’ as a starting point for FISH! Students were encouraged to think of ways to make someone’s day and to try different ways as simple as a smiling at someone.  This smiling activity led to a discussion among the children about how to ‘Choose Your Attitude’.  The children love Pete the Perch and are eager to catch and hold him.  Pete is certainly doing his part to reinforce the FISH! Philosophy in the minds of the students.

Marjorie uses the FISH! Philosophy to help her grade 5 students learn to be more inclusive and to create a more inclusive classroom where all are welcome. The students now all have their special FISH! names chosen collaboratively by their classmates in an oral language activity—and they are all happy with the choices!

In Monica’s grade 2 class she observes that her students are so excited and energetic about FISH! a special synergy has developed in the classroom that wasn’t there before.

Ellen sends home quotes about FISH! for parents in the students’ agendas each week.  All of her grade 1 students are on board with FISH! and are engaged by this powerful new resource. Putting fish stickers on the students’ work and using goldfish crackers when discussing the 4 FISH! Principles are exciting ways to keep the children motivated and interested.

One staff member commented that she has been thinking about the FISH! Philosophy and the terminology. She now realizes how well it applies to other areas of her life and not just at school including at home with her own children.
So far FISH! For Schools is ‘two thumbs up’ with students and staff at Crossland!

CROSSLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL—PROGRESS REPORT # 2:

The teachers at Crossland Public School agree that FISH! For Schools is very easy to implement and sustain. The students enjoy the activities, like learning and talking about them and are having fun at the same time.
Amy finds the four principles such as Be There serve as a simple and effective cueing system with her grade 4 students. The students are excited about FISH! especially when she plays some of the music from the CD or even says the word ‘fish’.
“They are eager to share the concepts and the games with other students and staff.”
One parent approached Amy to tell her that they are now using the FISH! principles with the family at home. Amy says FISH! has made a personal difference in her life,
“It has changed my attitude when I deal with issues that involve the students, staff and others around me.”
Students are using their journals to record their thoughts and ideas and take time to reflect about what they are doing to make a difference. Just like children in the grade two classes, Amy’s students draw names from a cup each morning and focus on making that person’s day. New names are finding their way into the cup – secretaries, custodians, educational assistants and students from other classrooms. At the end of the day students report what they did and how the person felt or responded.
“We are trying to make the students consciously competent so these good things happen again regularly and are not left to chance.”
Jill and her junior and senior kindergarten students love FISH!
“I feel it is helping me with my classroom management. It has a simple, easy message the children understand and is a positive way to connect with the students. When it’s time to line up I just say ‘Be There’ and it’s a quick, quiet line.”
When taking the students through the hallway Jill asks them to walk along and make their FISH! faces by sucking in their cheeks.
“This simple activity makes the students concentrate and it certainly keeps things quiet.”

One boy in class has many challenges and has a modified dismissal routine. One day he asked Jill to put a FISH! sticker on his checklist. He said it would remind him to always choose a good attitude and in his words, “Be There for myself and to remember everything.”
Jill communicated with the parents using the suggested Parent Letter. They are very on board with FISH! For Schools. One parent commented that their daughter told them not to get upset, just to choose a different attitude. The parents appreciated this!
The students asked the teacher if they could get a fish bowl and 4 fish for the classroom to remind them of the four FISH! Principles.
Robyn’s and Monica’s grade 2 students really enjoy the Fish Sticks activity for making someone’s day and it has carried over into the students’ homes. They have been able to weave FISH! For Schools into the every day life of the classroom. By making posters of the 4 Principles, using the Fish Sticks every day and teaching them new songs like Put On A Happy Face to tie in with Choose Your Attitude, FISH! For Schools has become very important to the students and an integral part of their classroom.

In Lenore’s grade 6 class she finds that the four Principles contribute to a positive learning environment for all. Once she showed the Student FISH! from the DVD it made the Principles clear to the students and how they connect to their classroom.
“I find the FISH! language much more kid friendly than Tribes. We spent class time discussing and connecting the four agreements from Tribes to the 4 Principles of the FISH! Philosophy.”

Tina likes the emphasis that FISH! For Schools places on taking and accepting personal responsibility.
“The students like the energy of it. Without any prompting from me they recognized the connections between the FISH! Philosophy and our classroom principles.”

One of the activities the students enjoyed was doing an analysis of ‘Make Their Day’. They talked about what happens when they are happy and what changes take place in them when someone makes their day. As a result the students decided to make the day for the school secretaries. They did things anonymously such as saying hello to them, using their names when they spoke to them and asking them how they were. The students reported the responses back in class and any changes they noticed. The activity culminated with a thank-you note of appreciation to the secretaries and a riddle to see if they could figure out what class it was. They also gave the secretaries an invitation to come and enjoy some popsicles with them. The secretaries loved it!

“The philosophy continues to be compelling and on the children’s minds. The beauty of it is that even though the curriculum is full and very busy, the FISH! Philosophy integrates in easily, powerfully and almost immediately”, says Ellen, a grade 1 teacher.
Ellen’s grade 1 class shared the Student FISH! DVD clip together with one of the kindergarten classes. “Their response was energetic and upbeat—they were keen! The experience was more endearing and precious because the grade 1 children were the little teachers and shared with their kindergarten friends all about the FISH! Philosophy to help introduce the video.” Afterwards the kindergarten children shared with the grade 1 students their current theme about Pirates. “It was powerful—the children had ownership and did a great job. Their reaction is open, honest, fresh and very natural.”

One day the school caretaker came to Ellen’s class to tell them the boys’ washroom was closed so he could clean it up because of a problem created by some students. One of the students put up his hand right away and said, “We need to make his day.” A class discussion followed naturally generated by the children.
 
Ellen is very pleased with the very positive response of the parents to FISH! For Schools. “One of them told me that she learned about FISH! from the business world and was very excited that both of her daughters were learning about the Philosophy and were using the 4 Principles at school.”

NEWMARKET HIGH SCHOOL—PROGRESS REPORT # 1:

So far the teachers at Newmarket High School are very pleased and pleasantly surprised by the reactions of their students to FISH! For Schools.  Lillian has introduced it to her grade nine French class.  She has shown them Student FISH! They enjoyed it and responded enthusiastically.  They reacted particularly well to the introduction of Choose Your Attitude and gained a lot from the input and discussion that followed.  Cali has been working with the grade 10 gifted students in her instrumental and band class. 

“They are very receptive to FISH!, get to class on time and sit down right away!”  Students readily understood three of the principles but some had difficulty initially with Choose Your Attitude. A few students didn’t see how choosing your own attitude is even possible!“They really like throwing the fish.  Really.  They remind me if I forget to bring him in.”  One student noticed a label on the side of “Pete” the Perch that says he needs to be thrown at least 5 times a day to truly feel at home.  So now part of the daily routine is to sit in a circle, pass “Pete” while sharing a class discussion about a problem or question. 

“The students remind each other to Be There when they are talking at inappropriate times or not paying attention.”  Cali has had good success using some of the questions from the Culture Connections cards with the class in a community circle format where everyone answers.Sheri teaches history to grades 10 and 12.  She thinks the pilot project is great. 

“The FISH! Philosophy is easy to live by and is similar in many ways to the Character Matters program used at Newmarket High School and in our school board.”  Her students are very excited to give their input and are beginning to see some of the benefits of following the FISH! Philosophy. 

“We discussed and brainstormed the four ideas that make up the Philosophy in class.  For example ‘What makes you want to come to class?’ (Be There). ‘How can we make our classes incorporate play?’ (Play).  In each class we made lists of things that we can all do to make the classroom a more positive learning environment.  As a result we made some modifications to our classroom constitution to align with the four Principles of the FISH! Philosophy.”  Sheri is very pleased that the suggestions and activities in the Expedition Guide support many of the things she is already doing in her classes.

Heather introduced the four FISH! principles with her grade 11 Parenting class to talk about creating a positive classroom and school climate.  “I can see the possibilities for using FISH! For Schools for ‘in the moment’ teaching as issues arise in class.”  To Heather’s delight the students have been very receptive to FISH! For Schools and feel special since not all classes in the school are using it.  “We have completed Expedition One using the surveys.  The students worked in groups to make a collage representing the culture of Newmarket High School.”

Karen and Richard brought their grade 12 students together to introduce and discuss FISH! For Schools.  They introduced the 4 Principles, showed Student FISH! and did some related activities with the students.  One of the surprises for them happened when they introduced Play.  A good discussion took place about the differences between hurtful and helpful play.  A few students expressed their strong conviction that fun can only take place if it is at the expense of another person and that helpful fun was not possible in their opinion. 

One student surprised Richard by being an outspoken advocate of Choose Your Attitude.  The student shared how he had been proactive and repaired relationships with a number of his teachers and how it had made a huge difference in his life. “I can’t change this situation so I can apologize and choose my attitude!”  Richard feels strongly that FISH! For Schools puts an important structure around issues we may never get to discuss in class.  “It gives us a chance to talk about these things whether you use the ‘hooks’ or not.  Making our students consciously competent is very important and this Philosophy can be shared with others.”

School Principal, Fred, comments that FISH! For Schools encourages and makes it easier for teachers and students alike to look for and discuss the reasons and to resolve some of the issues behind the negative, cynical attitudes and the anti-social behaviors of some students. 

NEWMARKET HIGH SCHOOL –
FISH! For Schools - A Principal’s Perspective
Fred tells us this : Newmarket High School began working with FISH! For Schools early in 2006. After netting the program and reeling in a creel fully of committed staff, e-mails bounced back and forth with a myriad of piscatorial sayings. Staff members were having fun!

As the FISH! philosophy was introduced to the students it quickly became clear that students indeed choose their own attitudes and they looked forward to those times in classes where the FISH! philosophy was implemented.
As the semester continued and the principles became embedded in teaching strategies, students were overhead more and more often referencing the FISH! philosophy. Their positive comments indicated to me that they too saw value in adopting the 4 FISH! principles.

Next year a major focus for our school board is the development of positive relationships. It is clear to us that FISH! For Schools will assist students in enhancing their conflict management skills, in gaining an even deeper appreciation for the benefits of diversity and in establishing positive relationships with each other and with staff.
We will expand FISH! For Schools next year to help further enhance the character development of all students by putting the FISH! philosophy in place throughout our school. For those who live it, it is clearly a powerful and successful means of developing a positive learning community in a school.

NEWMARKET HIGH SCHOOL—PROGRESS REPORT # 2:
As the teachers and students at Newmarket High School continue their swim with FISH! For Schools, positive effects and some compelling stories are emerging.

Cali tells about a grade 10 student who teaches skating to young children. She took the 4 FISH! Principles to class and implemented them with her students. The children caught on immediately and enjoyed their practice and drills even more when she added ‘make their day’ and ‘play’ to the lesson. Some of Cali’s students were absent on a school excursion. She and the remaining students listed the names of the missing students on the board, divided them up and did everything they could to ‘make their day’ when they returned without telling them.

Richard had a discussion with his grade 12 students to help frame their attitudes and ideas around bullying issues. During the discussion of FISH! some of the students suggested that FISH! For Schools would be even more effective if it was ‘student driven’ rather than ‘teacher driven’. Some students were so enthusiastic they are going to help create a FISH! Committee comprised of students and staff for next semester. Richard and the students think that there is an excellent fit between their ideas and the school board program called Character Matters.

Richard shared this gem with us. At the prom:
Student to teacher conversation
Student: Mr. Dlin - are you bored?
Mr. Dlin: No, not at all!
Student: Don’t tell me …you’re doing that FISH-thing …choosing your attitude!
Sheri wants to use FISH! For Schools in leadership training for the integration of all new grade 9 students next semester. She feels that FISH! is in tune with the new students and will enable returning students in other grades to step in and help them by ‘making their day’ and in turn building the school culture. Vice-principal Kelly agrees and emphasizes the importance of meshing school initiatives such as character education and Tribes with FISH! so that the language is clearly understood and the expectations for students and staff are consistent throughout the school.

Theresa teaches a secondary school Community Class. The class is for students with developmental disabilities and students with autism. Theresa has been using the Grade 3-5 kit as she felt it was developmentally more appropriate for her students. “The kit is very well put together and the Guided Journey is very helpful. It really makes a big difference when all staff members are on board and work through the Guided Journey and DVD together.”

Theresa showed her class Student FISH! and introduced and discussed the 4 principles with them. The class really enjoyed seeing the fishmongers in action. “Most of the students understood the 4 Principles right away but a few students took longer as they found them a bit too abstract.” She used the kit to successfully guide the introduction of the ‘Marine Biologist’ theme with her students. The students enjoy having Pete the Perch in the classroom and throwing him back and forth for their ‘Talking Circle’. The students decided to give names to the large and small ‘Petes’. Each student wrote down two names and several draws were held. Finally the big Pete was named ‘Kelly’ and the baby was called ‘Finnegan’. The students made and decorated their own fish. They discussed what the fish represented to them and their commitment to living by the FISH! Philosophy.

Theresa was pleased to see the educational assistants in her classroom working with students using ‘choose your attitude’ without any prompting. “They adopted the Principle easily and used it successfully in a very difficult situation.” Theresa was surprised to find her sister knew about FISH! “When I went to the cottage with my family I found out that my sister’s nursing team uses FISH!—in a nursing home!”