Frog 15 - Head, Heart, Health and Heroics (Alistair Smith)

Head, Heart, Health
and Heroics:
a better balance
Alistair Smith, Education Director, Frog

Head, Heart, Health and Heroics:
a better balance for schools
Head Heart Health Heroics
1. Define what we value in young people and…
2. use technology and data to amplify what we value.
3. In what we do and measure, be genuinely respectful of young
people.
4. Integrate ‘character’ development into the everyday work of schools.
5. Learn to move onwards by looking inwards and outwards (and never
waste a good crisis).

Character?

Inwards, Outwards,
Onwards:
Mirrors and Windows

Inwards Outwards
Onwards

“ There are some leaders who when things go well they look in
the mirror and feel good about themselves. When things go
wrong, these same leaders have a propensity to look out the
window and find others to blame.
Alternatively, there are leaders who when things go well they
look out the window and look for people to thank and
recognise, ensuring that the praise is spread around and that
people get credit when it’s due.
When things go wrong, these same leaders look into the
mirror and analyse their actions to see if they could have done
something different, taking responsibility and learning from
the experience.”
Jim Collins, Good to Great

Technology can provide
a window onto the
world and information
with which we can
make sense of
ourselves in that world.

Who is our audience?

Pre‐war pre 1945
Baby Boomers 1945 ‐ 1965
Generation X 1966 ‐ 1979
Generation Y 1980 ‐ 2000
Generation Z post 2000

The Generation Test.

Generation Z

Children in England ranked 30th out of 39
countries in Europe surveyed for subjective
well‐being. Children around 14 to 15 have the
lowest subjective well‐being.
Children who are regularly active have higher
well‐being compared to children who are not.
Children who use computers and the internet
regularly have higher well‐being than children
who do not.
Poorer children were twice as likely to say
they were unhappy and almost three times
more likely to say they had low life
satisfaction.

60% of UK children aged 11 to 15 talked to
their mother about things that matter more
than once a week in 2011‐12, compared
with half (51%) in 2002. Similarly, 37% talked
to their father frequently in 2011‐12,
compared with 31% in 2002.
35% of 11‐15 are overweight including obese
In 2011–12 in the UK, 8 out of 10 boys (79%)
reported being relatively happy with their
appearance. Fewer than 7 out of 10 girls
(68%) reported the same

“Contrary to negative stereotypes,
today’s teenagers are characterised by
their tolerance, compassion and
motivation to tackle social issues. They
do not rely on politicians and others to
solve the world’s problems, but instead
roll up their sleeves and power up their
laptop and smartphone to get things
done through crowd‐sourced
collaboration. They value bottom‐up
social action.”

“ Developing a balance of skills in
childhood, both cognitive and social and
emotional, is important for success in adult
life. With this in mind, well‐evidenced
interventions that support parents, schools
and communities to develop children’s
emotional wellbeing, self‐regulation, and
young people’s sense of their own efficacy
in the world, alongside their cognitive
development, are likely to be very
beneficial in the long‐term.”

Character

£10,000,000

Character: where has this
preoccupation come
from?

Character: where has this
preoccupation come from?
Conservative Party Big Society concept
Transatlantic models ‐ KIPP
Public School ethos
Criticism of Government’s narrow
academic focus
Anything but Gove
Space for Free Schools
Tiger Mom phenomenon

“ Just as important to the next generation’s future as getting a
sound academic grounding, is ensuring they have the
resilience and grit to deal with the challenges that life will
throw at them. To support schools we’re investing in character
education, supporting projects like the cadets, debating in
schools and team building activities, and providing support to
help the best of these projects expand. “
Nicky Morgan: why knowledge matters, Dept for Education,
Jan 2015

Zest (approaching life with excitement and energy; feeling alive and activated)
Self‐Control (regulating what one feels and does; being self‐disciplined)
Gratitude (being aware of and thankful for opportunities that one has and for good things
that happen)
Curiosity (taking an interest in experience and learning new things for its own sake; finding
things fascinating)
Optimism (expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it)
Grit (finishing what one starts; completing something despite obstacles; a combination of
persistence and resilience)
Social Intelligence (being aware of motives and feelings of other people and oneself,
including the ability to reason within large and small groups)
KIPP Schools USA, the seven ‘highly predictive’ strengths, 2014

As YoungMinds reported in May, there has been a tripling
in the number of cases of young people receiving
counselling over exam stress recently.
The NSPCC also says its ChildLine service received over
34,000 approaches in 2014 from young people over
worries such as workloads, revision and problems with
teachers.
The recently published Jacobs report also found that
England ranks near last in pupils enjoying school, and
more English children say they are being treated unfairly
by teachers than in any other country surveyed.
The CBI chief has referred to schools as “exam factories”
in the past, and his statements align with those of
education secretary Nicky Morgan, who has called to
“build resilience and character” in schools.

Character:
Can we define it?
Can we find it?
Can we teach it?
Can we measure it?

Character:
are we rational,
goal‐oriented
decision‐makers?

Windows and Mirrors ‐ Personal Identities
The UK is now a virtual environment as well as a real place … people have
become accustomed to switching seamlessly between the internet and the
physical world, and use social media to conduct their lives in a way which
dissolves the divide between online and offline identities.
The internet has not produced a new kind of identity. Rather, it has been
instrumental in raising awareness that identities are more multiple, culturally
contingent and contextual than had previously been understood.
Foresight Future Identities (2013), Final Project Report., The Government Office for Science, London.

Character:
can we define it?

Character: can we define it?
1. perseverance, resilience and grit
2. confidence and optimism
3. motivation, drive and ambition
4. neighbourliness and community spirit
5. tolerance and respect
6. honesty, integrity and dignity
7. conscientiousness, curiosity and focus
DFE, Character Education, Apply for Grant Funding, January 2015

The Jubilee Centre defines character as ‘a set
of personal traits or dispositions that
produce specific moral emotions, inform
motivation and guide conduct’
The four main categories of good character:
intellectual virtues such as curiosity and critical
thinking
moral virtues such as courage, honesty, humility,
empathy and gratitude
performance virtues such as resilience, application
and self‐regulation
civic virtues such as acts of service and volunteering

* The requirement of a school to develop students
socially, morally, spiritually and culturally should be
renamed as ‘character development’ and placed on an
equal par with attainment measures.
* The remit for Ofsted should be expanded to include
assessment of the developmental activities of students
outside school
* Ofsted should adopt a multi‐criteria method for
measuring character development rather than a single
quantitative measure.
* School performance tables should focus more on
good quality destination data, so that schools are
judged on their real‐world impact.

Character:
can we find it?

Inwards Outwards Onwards
lessons of life

Character: cognitive intelligence (head)
The ability to think through and solve complex problems and
originate ideas and products
Evidenced by sustained attention, flexibility of approach,
seeing patterns and connections, academic success.
Developed by purposeful challenge, questioning,
metacognition, feedback on performance.
Tested by practical problem solving, recall, testing, public
exam performance

Character: emotional intelligence (heart)
The ability to manage and make sense of one’s emotional
states and sustain a variety of purposeful relationships
Evidenced by self‐control, esteem of peers, friendship circles,
empathy.
Developed by purposeful collaboration, sharing, working
towards a goal, managing adversity, tolerance.
Tested by consistency of behaviour, personal and peer
interviews

Character: lifestyle intelligence (health)
The ability and willingness to make positive and purposeful
lifestyle choices
Evidenced by daily routines, exercise, choice of best available
diet, avoidance of ‘harmful’ activities, mature attitude towards
risk
Developed by reflection on alternatives and their consequences,
access to opportunities, consistent role models, mentoring
Tested by attendance, exercise regimes, participation in
purposeful activity, self‐regulation

Character: civic intelligence (heroics)
The willingness to take part in and make a contribution to life at
home or in the wider community
Evidenced by volunteering, caring for others, motivation to tackle
social issues, global outlook
Developed by active participation, recognition of contributions,
access to opportunity, experience of others’ appreciation
Tested by active participation, endorsements of others, history of
involvement, social concern

lessons from life

lessons from life
Sky Cycling, Mercedes F1, Les Miserables, Freeman
Hospital, Football Association

lessons from life
Football Association
Four Corner Profiling, alignment to the DNA,
Self Evaluation against Competencies

Profile and develop talent
across four dimensions (the
Corners)
Align to Core Purpose (the
England DNA)
Self‐evaluate against clear
criteria (the Competencies)

lessons from life
Les Miserables
Recruit, Retain and Rejuvenate a Team of
Talents

Recruit for the
Performance
Maintain the Les Mis
Values
Invest in the Lifestyle

lessons from life
Mercedes F1
Role Clarity, Trust and Sociability

Role Clarity
Promote good people
whom you can trust
Get emotional buy in
from everybody

lessons from life
Sky Cycling
Clarity over core purpose, purposeful use of
data, process over outcome goals, feedback
to the performer

Clarity over Core
Purpose
Act on data
Process not Outcome
Goals
Everything is about the
Performer

lessons from life
Orthopaedic Surgery, Freeman
Hospital
Process awareness, step back and review, treat
the presenting problem

60/40 problem solving
Team time‐outs
Clear team roles
Total commitment a
prerequisite

lessons for life

Character:
can we teach it?

Character: can we teach it?
Learner Profiles: Captures individual skills, gaps, strengths, weaknesses, interests & aspirations
of each student.
Personal Learning Paths: Each student has learning goals & objectives. Learning experiences
are diverse and matched to the individual needs of students.
Individual Mastery: Continually assesses student progress against clearly defined standards &
goals. Students advance based on demonstrated mastery.
Flexible Learning Environment: Multiple instructional delivery approaches that continuously
optimize available resources in support of student learning
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2013, Personalised Learning Model

Character Awards
“Character education is a central part of our plan for
education, and we are investing £10 million to ensure
pupils develop the resilience and grit they need to
succeed in later life. Schools now have the tools and
support they need to ensure they develop well‐rounded
pupils ready to go on to an apprenticeship, university or
the world of work.”
Nicky Morgan, February 2015
• Queensbridge School,
Birmingham
• King’s Leadership Academy,
Warrington
• School 21, Newham
• Oakthorpe Primary School,
Derbyshire

1. A whole school ethos
2. Student‐led recording evidence of personal development, accompanying school‐led approaches to
measure character
3. Use of reward or award systems schemes
4. Structured reflection periods
5. Personal tutors or coaches
6. Older students working with younger students
7. Opportunities to take part in voluntary programmes and social action in school and in the local
community
8. Consideration of moral issues in a cross‐curricular manner
9. Involvement of parents, guardians and families
10. Classes in public speaking, philosophy and ethics lessons

A case study: Honywood
Define the desirable skills
Integrate the development of those skills into the
everyday learning experience
Construct a pedagogy which will support the
development of student ‘skills’
Construct curriculum opportunities which will provide
space for those skills to be honed and developed
Provide Choice
Allow students to showcase their development
Journey
Recognise the individual development Journey

A case study: Honywood Recognition
Frog Sites
Entitlement offer – you can expect to have…
Skills Passport for years 7 and 8
Open Badges for years 9, 10 and 11
A Portfolio of Evidence located on a Timeline
A record of On‐Line Engagement
A Personal website or Blog

Character:
can we measure it?

Character: can we measure it?
Madison, a year 10 student, was asked to represent her school in a gymnastics competition. A year 10
student has never been chosen to represent the school in gymnastics before so she was surprised at the
opportunity. Madison realised this could have an incredible impact on her goal of becoming a
professional athlete. However, after the first competition, she realised that she is not comfortable
because the coach has been using the girls’ good looks to get attention for the team from TV and
newspapers. This includes photographs of just the girls wearing their gymnastic outfits.
She realised that using pictures of girls like this for publicity goes against her own values and beliefs.
Madison talked with her best friend about her concerns. He stated that if she misses all the publicity
events then the coach would not take her seriously as a gymnast.
Madison knows the importance of this opportunity. She has been told that if she does not take part in all
team activities she will not be allowed to compete or develop her talent with the coach. However, she
has always taken pride in her beliefs and in the examples that she has set, and if she lets the coach use
her good looks in this way, she will promote behaviours and values that she feels are very wrong.

Character: can we measure it?
1. I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.
2. New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones.*
3. My interests change from year to year.*
4. Setbacks don’t discourage me.
5. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest.*
6. I am a hard worker.
7. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one*
8. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to
complete.*
9. I finish whatever I begin.
10. I have achieved a goal that took years of work.
11. I become interested in new pursuits every few months.*
12. I am diligent.

Character: can we
measure it?
1. I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.
2. New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous
ones.*
3. My interests change from year to year.*
4. Setbacks don’t discourage me.
5. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short
time but later lost interest.*
6. I am a hard worker.
7. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one*
8. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more
than a few months to complete.*
9. I finish whatever I begin.
10. I have achieved a goal that took years of work.
11. I become interested in new pursuits every few months.*
12. I am diligent.
For questions 1, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 12 assign the
following points:
5 = Very much like me
4 = Mostly like me
3 = Somewhat like me
2 = Not much like me
1 = Not like me at all
For questions 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 11 assign the
following points:
1 = Very much like me
2 = Mostly like me
3 = Somewhat like me
4 = Not much like me
5 = Not like me at all
Duckworth, A.L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M.D., &
Kelly, D.R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion
for long‐term goals. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 9, 1087‐1101

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