Olympia Della Flora: Creative ways to get kids to thrive in school
אולימפיה דלה פלורה: דרכים יצירתיות לעזור לילדים להצליח בבית הספר
Olympia Della Flora wants schools to think differently about educating students -- by helping them manage their emotions. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
in Columbus, Ohio.
there was a student named D.
he was six years old:
the entire room.
the entire school into lockdown mode
היו מכניסים את בית הספר כולו למצב של הסגר
I was the principal at this school.
כי אני הייתי המנהלת של בית הספר הזה.
learned with my staff
been trained for.
my principal prep coursework?
with a kid like D?
from impeding the learning
that we thought we knew,
שחשבנו שאנו יודעים,
was to kick him out,
are struggling with their education.
שמתקשים להתמודד עם הלימודים.
with a fail-safe solution,
to not only survive in school
לא רק ישרדו בבית הספר,
how to read and write
and manage their own emotions.
להתמודד ולשלוט ברגשות שלהם.
we were able to move our school
הצלחנו להפוך את בית הספר שלנו
in the state of Ohio,
in just a matter of a few years.
on the emotional well-being of their kids.
ברווחה הרגשית של הילדים.
full of 30 students
inside of his head.
can make huge differences,
or grand strategic plans,
או תוכניות אסטרטגיות גדולות,
of thinking about what you have
על הדברים שיש לך
look outside the box for answers,
לחפש תשובות מחוץ לקופסה,
enough time, money and effort
inside the box.
can happen fast.
to figure out how he had become so angry.
כדי לגלות למה הוא נהיה כל כך כעוס.
his father had left the home
in order to support the family,
כדי לפרנס את המשפחה,
for D to connect with --
אדם מבוגר שאיתו ד' היה יכול לתקשר,
of his younger brother
that D was six years old?
for having some trouble
to help him with these big emotions
לעזור לו עם הרגשות האלה
of reading and math.
כישורים בסיסיים כמו קריאה וחשבון.
where he was struggling the most.
במה הוא הכי מתקשה.
can be a tough transition time
a less structured home environment
we created a calming area for him
היה ליצור אזור מרגיע בשבילו
and soft cushions and books,
כריות רכות וספרים,
to this place in the morning,
back into the school environment
לעשות את המעבר לסביבת בית הספר
that helped him calm down.
younger students,
the kindergarten classroom
how to write their letters.
successful with a few of them
kindergarten students down,
of peers on behavior was far greater
על ההתנהגות גדולה הרבה יותר
would actually laugh with kids,
על הפנים של ד'
or singing a song from the radio station,
with him in his world.
to lay on this kind of special treatment
the tools and tactics that worked for D,
שהצליחו עם ד',
and use them with other students.
עם תלמידים אחרים.
student behavior
during the lesson plan
their feelings
coping strategies for dealing with them,
כדי להתמודד איתם,
throughout the day,
physical activities.
with sitting for long periods of time,
underneath their desks.
to stay in the classroom,
להישאר בכיתה,
a whole lot of extra money.
about what we had.
has an instructional supply line.
יש אספקת ציוד לימודי.
of a school a more calming color,
בצבע מרגיע יותר,
in the academic tools --
seriously, too.
of our kids seriously
להתפתחות הרגשית של הילדים,
in our reading and math scores,
בציוני הקריאה והחשבון שלנו,
of expected growth
with our same demographic.
בעלי אוכלוסיה דומה לשלנו.
to help our kids manage their emotions
כדי לעזור לילדים לשלוט ברגשותיהם
might be facing at home,
שאיתן הילדים שלנו מתמודדים בבית,
or funded to address it directly.
כדי לטפל בהן ישירות.
to local groups,
with the Ohio State University
and school social work.
with our teachers
to the latest college-level thinking,
לחשיבה העדכנית ביותר ברמה אקדמית,
got real-world, life experiences
Nationwide Children's Hospital
a health clinic within our school,
בתוך בית הספר שלנו,
resources for our students.
משאבים הקשורים לבריאות ולבריאות הנפש.
during the school day.
was not in D or in the kids at all.
לא חל בד' או בילדים בכלל.
academic instruction,
the scope of the job.
of our kids seriously,
להתפתחות הרגשית של הילדים שלנו,
that took that leap with me.
שעשו איתי את הקפיצה הזאת.
professional development plan,
of different childhood experiences
some of our students' experiences,
the behaviors that we were seeing.
את ההתנהגויות שראינו.
barriers to learning,
to practice with lesson plans,
with a single focus,
שהתמקדו בנושא אחד,
these movement breaks,
and dance for two minutes straight,
למשך שתי דקות,
helps the learner retain new information.
להפנים מידע חדש.
provides a perfect short dance party.
למסיבת ריקודים קצרה.
"What happened to you?"
instead of "Get out."
במקום, "צא החוצה."
made huge differences,
in our academic scores.
בציונים האקדמיים שלנו.
got to fourth grade,
with other students.
בקרב תלמידים אחרים.
continue to improve,
שהאווירה בבית הספר ממשיכה להשתפר,
not only for children
לא רק עבור ילדים
education program
על תוכנית של חינוך אלטרנטיבי
in traditional high school setting.
some of their histories.
detention system
of them exhibit the same behaviors
את אותן התנהגויות
healthy coping strategies early on
אסטרטגיות התמודדות בריאות בשלב מוקדם
in a regular high school?
I believe that it would've helped.
שאני מאמינה שזה היה עוזר.
the social and emotional development
להתפתחות החברתית והרגשית
and say what we need to do for our kids.
ולומר מה עלינו לעשות למען הילדים שלנו.
and write, and they graduate
והם יסיימו את הלימודים
how to manage emotions,
for us to invest in our kids.
that can or cannot pass a test.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Olympia Della Flora - EducatorOlympia Della Flora wants schools to think differently about educating students -- by helping them manage their emotions.
Why you should listen
Olympia Della Flora wants to seek solutions versus focusing on problems. This is why she became a principal at one of the lowest performing schools in Ohio. She believes that it takes a village to improve schools and has found ways to engage multiple stakeholders in this work including students, staff, parents and community members. Through focusing on this philosophy, Della Flora was able to successfully lead efforts to move her elementary school in Ohio out of failing status with the state. She attributes this success to collaborating with community partners and providing ongoing professional development for staff around social and emotional learning supports for students. She believes that schools should seek ways to address and support the whole child when it comes to learning, addressing not only academics but also social and emotional outcomes. She's now expanding this work through supervising and supporting principals in Connecticut, where she serves as the Associate Superintendent for School Development for Stamford Public Schools.
Olympia Della Flora | Speaker | TED.com