Welcome to the Reach Out Teachers Network blog

I am often asked "how do young people with hundreds of "friends" on Facebook manage to keep up with them and stay connected with them all?" Generally my answer is that those young people who are sociable personalities probably do it very easily because they have mastered the technology of social networking.

However, as I was reading an article this morning by Gary Kim it got me thinking about this question.

The article was discussing a new study by Professor Robin Dunbar from Oxford University that suggests social networking sites such as Facebook cannot increase the number of "meaningful relationships" any single person can have. Professor Dunbar's research asserts that humans are only capable of maintaining a maximum of 150 friendships. This figure has come to be known as Dunbar's number.

The theory behind "Dunbar's number" evolved during the 1990s and relates to the concept that the size of our neocortex, the part of the brain used for conscious thought and language, limits our capacity to manage social relationships that exceed 150 friends, regardless of how sociable we are. Professor Dunbar is now studying social networking websites to see if the "Facebook effect" has stretched the size of social groupings and therefore our capacity for maintaining more friendships. Preliminary results suggest it has not.

Professor Dunbar states, "The interesting thing is that you can have 1,500 friends online but when you actually look at traffic on sites, you see people maintain the same inner circle of around 150 people that we observe in the real world".

This got me thinking about the nature of the relationships I have with my Facebook "friends".  If you look at the surface of my Facebook account I have 128 "friends". But the reality is that I probably am meaningfully connected both online and offline with only about 30 of these people. My other friends tend to be people I went to Uni with, people I have worked with, played sport with or went to school with. I watch these people's status updates with some interest but not necessarily with a high level of engagement. However, it does make me feel connected to them and I know that the random conversations that we have once or twice a year always take me back to the good times we spent together - definitely giving a boost to my wellbeing.

But does this online social networking necessarily equate to social connections and can these online friendships for young people translate into supportive networks that can help them get through tough times they might experience?

What do you think? Have you got meaningful relationships with more than 150 friends? Are you using Facebook or other social networking sites to maintain some of these friendships? Do you feel connected to your online friends? Is your online network just an extension of your offline network, reinforcing connections that you also nurture offline?

Come and join the discussion ...

Janice Atkin, Education Manager, Inspire Foundation

This serious game lets students test drive life.

Question: Did you know that not only is Inspire Foundation behind this very amazing website, but a while back it also gave birth to a very seriously good game - Reach Out Central (ROC)?

We got such rave reviews about the online ROC game that we have now created a schools version of ROC with the storylines broken down into discrete chapters.

In this semi-regular blog I'll be bringing you *sizzling* updates, tips and info about ROC. It'll also be the space for *you* to provide feedback and suggestions on how to make it better (yay for conversation and community!).

Reach Out Central is an online role-playing game designed to help students to learn and improve skills for life such as communication, problem solving and optimistic thinking in a virtual setting using real life scenarios.
 
Students take on the role of a character that is new in town. It is up to them to work out how to settle in, make new friends and find their way around the place.

The purpose of the storylines is to present real life scenarios that allow students to make choices online, see the consequences of their choices and learn from those choices.

Students are also able to monitor the impact those choices have on their in-game mood and relationships with other characters in the game.

Some of the issues explored in ROC include making friends, family and friendship hassles, bullying and coping with grief and loss - just to name a few!

To make it easy for teachers to start using ROC with their classes the Reach Out Teachers Network have developed a ROC Teacher Resource that includes a detailed overview of the game, how its played and hints and tips on how to get around the virtual world as well as three learning modules with comprehensive lesson activities for each of the game chapters.

There is also a Student Self Tracker Journal that students can work through and record the choices they make in the game and the impact that these have on their in-game mood and relationships with other characters so that they can be discussed in class.

It's a great alternative to those paper-based scenario activities that you have probably been using previously. So why not try it out and let us know how it goes.

if you have used ROC before with your classes let us know any hints or tips that you would give other teachers.

Looking for a program to celebrate diversity in your school community?

Red Cross has developed the Y Challenge - Celebrating Diversity program that encourages and supports the development of strong relationships between people from different cultural backgrounds.

How does the Y Challenge - celebrating diversity program work?
Under the guidance of an adult mentor, a team of young people explore the various aspects of living in a culturally diverse society. The team then works with their community to develop a project that aims to promote harmony.

How flexible is the program?
The program offers maximum flexibility in terms of:

• community (e.g. school, local, ethnic, international)
• time (e.g. days, weeks, months, on-going)
• numbers (e.g. small team, class, youth group, school).

Each project depends on the interests, abilities and resources of the team - and the identified needs of the community. The choice of project is up to the team and the community!

Are resources available?
A comprehensive manual provides activities to support mentors and young people. It is divided in to three sections.

1. Explore : activities focused on understanding culture and cultural diversity
2. Inspire : activities focused on stories of inspiring young people
3. Take action: activities and guidelines to support young people develop a community project

So check out the Red Cross Youth website where you can download the curriculum modules and get started right away.

In last week's blog we explored some of the key factors that schools can promote to develop resilient students. Last week's post looked at four factors that can significantly impact on students connection to school - school curriculum, school ethos, teacher/student relationships and peer/student relationships.

This week we are going to explore the importance of creating a supportive climate at school to support students' resilience.

Most young people attend school daily and whilst at school, the school community can provide a space for young people that is safe and gives them a sense of control over their lives.

Research has shown that the climate of the classroom is a key component of creating a supportive school community. Success in school is more likely when students perceive that their teachers believe in them, show a caring approach, provide them with ongoing opportunities to engage in purposeful learning, and reward and acknowledge participation, effort and achievement. School programs can significantly enhance resilience when they promote the development of:

• caring relationships which offer support, compassion and trust
• a culture of high but achievable expectations where teachers offer respect, guidance, affirmation and acknowledgment and build on the strengths of students.
• ongoing opportunities for participation and contribution which foster responsibility, real decision-making power and build ownership.

But what does this look like in practice in a school. Here are some practical ideas that you can use.

Creating caring relationships

We know that students feel connected to a teacher if that teacher takes an interest in their world beyond the classroom. We also know that having one significant adult in their life that they trust and relate well to is a key protective factor from mental health difficulties. How well do you know your students beyond the classroom?

Think about some of the students you have taught today. What do you know about them? What do they value? What do they want to be when they leave school? What do they believe they are good at? What do they love doing outside of school? What sporting team do they follow?

These are are some simple questions that can help you learn more about the student and show that you are taking an interest in them beyond the subject you teach. Also by knowing these things about students it can create conversation starters that will further reinforce the connection.

So take the time when you are out on playground duty, or waiting for students to arrive at the classroom, or walking back to the change rooms to have a conversation with students to learn about them - what makes them tick. It could have mutual benefit - for your students - they will feel connected and valued; and for teachers, research shows that students that feel respected by their teachers are more likely to engage in purposeful learning in the classroom. Now that's reason enough to fire up a conversation.

Maintaining a culture of high expectations

Setting up a climate of high expectations and purposeful learning opportunities in your classroom is a key to engaging students. In practical terms this can be as simple as:

• supporting students to identify their strengths and provide opportunities for them to achieve success by building on their strengths as well as providing students with opportunities to identify anddevelop their areas of weakness.
• building in learning opportunities to support students to set realistic goals for your subject, and providing scaffolds or models for how they can organise their work to achieve success
• providing learning opportunities that are meaningful and purposeful for students, including opportunities for students to link their classroom work to their life outside of school eg Service learning, volunteering, internships.

Providing opportunities for meaningful participation

Research consistently shows that increased participation leads to high morale and a sense of connectedness to the school, both of which are protective of mental health. This culture is
represented both in the ways in which students are treated in classrooms, and in the structural ways in which schools ensure student involvement in formal decision-making.

Here are some ideas of what you can do in your classroom to provide opportunities for meaningful participation:

• explore class groupings that encourage participation by all in the classroom such as allocating specific roles or tasks to group members and ensuring that all students experience roles that build on their strengths and challenge them realisitcally.
• be conscious of how you select students to paticipate in activities ensure that their is equity in the opportunities provided to students
• provide students with the opportunity to be active decision-makers in relation to what they learn, how they learn and how they are assessed
• ensure that all students are able to contribute to class discussions and decisions
• about important issues, rather than just the dominant few.

We would love to hear some of the strategies that you use to create a supportive environment in your classroom. What's worked for you? Let us know and join the discussion...

Should teachers "friend" students on Facebook?  The West Australian and the Perth Now (Sunday times) website reported last week that teachers in WA are being "warned that contact with students on social networking websites such as Facebook could lead to accusations they are "grooming" pupils for sex." The articles reported that a new set of guidelines published by the WA Department of Education called Let's Face It, states that using social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and email could blur teachers' professional boundaries and lead to allegations of inappropriate contact with students or improper conduct outside school hours.

However, Andrew Douch in his keynote address to the Expanding Learning Horizons Conference in 2009 supported the use of these social networking sites as a way of connecting and communicating effectively with students in relation to their learning. Andrew engages with his students using a variety of means including MSN, Facebook and email. He keeps a log of these conversations; a smart idea. His school community are comfortable with Andrew's use of this medium and it probably helps that he has established a high profile as an educator exploring social media as a learning tool.

It is an interesting debate that is happening throughout the country and not just in the education sector. The Reach Out Pro blog explores the debate through the eyes of health care professionals working with young people.

But what do you think? Do you connect with students through social networking sites? Are they an important tool in your kit for engaging students with their learning? Is it just asking for trouble? Can you trust students not to over step boundaries?

Join the discussion now and let us know what you think about this debate.

Are your students worth more than their marks?

School is about more than just marks, right? What is success at school really all about, and how should it be measured?

All secondary students across Australia now have the opportunity to change the way 'success' is measured at school by taking part in the Tell Us survey at http://www.tellus.org.au/#/are-you-more-than-your-marks.

By taking the survey students can go into the running to win one of the amazing prizes - from iPods to surfing lessons, movie packages to art classes.

Why should students do this?

Student voice in the design and development of any curriculum program is essential in order to ensure that learners are engaged with their learning. It's no different when it comes to assessment. If you provide students with the opportunity to input into the design of the assessment process - they are more likely to engage in the process in a meaningful way. So encourage your students to have their say about how schools and students should be measured!

Tell Us is open from now until Friday 30 April. The results will be presented to the Government, giving young people the chance to speak up and change the way 'success' is measured at school.

Contact information

For more information check out the Tell Us website: http://www.tellus.org.au

Resilience is a term that is used a lot but what does it really mean?

The concept of resilience developed from research looking at risk factors for developing mental health problems and substance use. Risk factors are those circumstances or experiences that increase the possibility of a person developing a mental health problem or illness, such as having a parent with a mental illness, being bullied or abused, or experiencing a stressful life event. Research showed that some young people, in spite of having a number of risk factors, managed life's challenges effectively and did not develop mental health problems. These people came to be described as resilient, able to bounce back even under difficult circumstances.  

Andrew Fuller describes resilience as " the happy knack of being able to bungee jump through life's ups and downs". At a recent staff development day I ran one teacher described resilience as "being able to dig deep and find that inner strength to deal with a tough time." Each of these descriptions I like. However, the question for me has always been can you teach resilience to students? Well researchers in the area are now answering a resounding yes!

It seems the key to teaching resilience is to focus on building and developing those key protective factors that are known to reduce the risk of experiencing a mental health difficulty. The Department of Health and Aged Care in 2000 released a publication titled Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health. This publication listed a range of known protective factors including:

• being connected or belonging to a family, school or other community group
• supportive school climate
• having at least one significant person to relate to and bond with
• having personal skills and resilience to deal with difficult situations
• good physical as well as mental health
• pro-social peer relationships
• opportunities for success, responsibility and recognition

Check out the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for a full list of the known protective factors.

Over the next couple of weeks we will explore each of these protective factors in more detail.

Today's post is going to explore one of the key protective factors for young people, connection to school. This connection can happen through a number of avenues:

School curriculum
Studies have shown that students who feel connected at school report that it is because teachers use engaging teaching and learning methods, a mix of cooperative and independent learning, they provide opportunities for interaction with peers, learning includes hands-on applications and they are given choices between and within subjects (Withers and Russell, 2001).

School ethos
The overall ethos or culture of the school is identified as an important contributor to engagement. This includes the formal statements that a school uses to describe its values and mode of operation, and the ways in which this operates in practice. Students identify issues of 'respect' and 'fairness', and the initiatives that the school takes to build and maintain these are important to them. Many students will "judge" the culture of the school through its acceptance of difference and diversity, and its response to negative and discriminatory behaviour. Its not just about the school community 'talking the talk' but whether the school actually stands by its policies and walks the walk.

Student/teacher relationships
Young people identify their treatment by individual teachers as of paramount importance. Relationships with significant adults have been identified by young people in many studies as being central to building and maintaining engagement. Those relationships include elements of personal respect, lack of negative personal judgement, consistency of treatment (between people and over time), and the practice of shared decision-making.

Peer/social relationships
The other relationships highlighted by young people as important to their school engagement, is that with peers. Similar issues of consistency, lack of personal judgement and avoidance of conflict are highlighted. How the school allows and supports such relationships is also important. That perception that they are liked and belong to a group is very important to young people.

Source: Response ability: Education kit (www.responseability.org) Commonwealth of Australia, 2004.

Join the discussion

Everyone has experiences to share when it comes to connecting with students and making school an engaging, respectful and suppotive place to be for young people. So let us know ...

• What strategies has your school used to support students to feel connected?
• What practices have you used in your classroom to engage and motivate students?
• What techniques have you found have helped you build a rapport with your students?

Share your ideas, experiences, successes and challenges below ...

Has technology really changed the way we interact with others?

Today marks Safer Internet Day across more than 50 countries worldwide. So we thought this was a great day to start our blog series about how technology is infiltrating our lives and the influence it is having on the way we work, learn, shop, relate and socialise.

We hear a lot in the media about how young people of today can no longer interact effectively face to face as the majority of their communication happens online, but is this really true? Is the way young people communicate and interact with each other really that different? We also hear a lot about the cyberbullying epidemic? But is this any different to the school yard bullying that has always been around?

In order to answer some of these questions we need to think of the online space as a communication setting and technology as a communication tool.

When we think of the places or settings where young people hang out today they include shopping malls, parks and friend's places ... but they also include online spaces such as Habbo Hotel, Facebook and MSN chat. These online "settings" play a similar role for young people of today as the telephone did previously. I remember racing home from school to get to the phone first so I could call my friends and continue the conversation we were having at the end of the school day. Its no different today - except instead of using the home phone, young people are using the Internet or SMS to stay in touch. Funnily enough, parents are still asking the same question of their teenagers today as my Mum did ... "what could you possibly need to speak to them about - you've just spent 6 hours with them!"

Connection and belonging are key for young people - this has not changed and neither have the dynamics of their relationships - there are still "best friends", falling outs and make-ups, the main difference is that they often happen very publicly online. Many social networking sites allow users to list their Top 10 friends. If someone is removed from that list or demoted down the list it can be a very public statement of the state of their friendship. This behaviour online mimics the act of ostracising someone from a social group in the offline world.

If we compare the communication tools of today with previous years we also see lots of similarities. Remember back to the days when you were at school - for some of you it will be more recently than others. When I went through high school, in the early eighties, if we wanted to get a message to our friends across the classroom we would write it on a piece of paper and either pass it along the row of students to the intended recipient or make it into a paper airplane and throw it across the room. These days the "tool" has changed, and the messages are sent by SMS. I must admit the SMS is much less disruptive than the tossing of paper airplane notes across the room!

In the eighties, communicating if you were ending a relationship usually happened via a handwritten note - "You're dropped!" Similar situations are happening today - only the "You're dropped!" message is delivered via SMS or by changing your relationship status to single on Facebook.

Situations of playground bullying were also propagated through written notes, either as notes passed around a classroom or worse still, written on the toilet door! There is very little difference between this and the cyberbullying of today, it's just the toilet door is online and is called Facebook or MySpace. The dynamics and resulting hurt associated with the bullying are the same - there may not be any physical harm to the victim, however, the emotional harm is just as serious.

So my take on the technology and relationships debate is that the dynamics of relationships have not changed significantly over the years, only the tools and settings through which the relationships are played out have changed and the methods we should use in schools to try to combat and reduce the impact bullying has on a young person's wellbeing should be similar.

But what do you think? Is this too simplistic a way of thinking about it? What has worked in your school when it comes to technology use and relationships? Have you used any successful strategies to combat cyber bullying?

Join the conversation and share your ideas, thoughts and opinions below.

Homelessness - more than just not having a roof over your head

The plight of young homeless people in Australia first came to light in 1989 after the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Inquiry released the Burdekin Report. However, twenty years on youth homelessness is still a major problem in Australia.

The National Youth Commission Inquiry undertaken in 2008 found that the number of homeless teenagers doubled to 22,000 since 1989, and one in two homeless youths are turned away from emergency shelters every night because services are full. When young adults aged 18 to 25 are added to these figures, the number of homeless young people rises to 36,000.

However, these numbers don't represent the true numbers. Homelessness does not just include those without a roof over their heads. Many more young people are in unstable housing due to family breakdown or financial issues. Others are sleeping rough, in makeshift shelters or in temporary accommodation.

"Couch surfing" is also common amongst young people who can't live in their family home. These young people are moving between the houses of friends and family, bunking down on couches or in spare rooms.

To support awareness and understanding of the issues of youth homelessness, the Reach Out Teachers Network have partnered with Caledonia Foundation to develop a teaching resource called Act Now: Youth homelessness matters. This resource contains detailed learning activities broken into three modules:

• Module 1: Understanding youth homelessness
• Module 2: Making change, taking action
• Module 3: Many voices, moving images.

The resource is currently in draft and we would love to get your feedback. Download it here.

Join the discussion

Australia is at the crossroads when it comes to the issue of youth homelessness. Homelessness is everyone's responsibility. So… lets kick start the conversation ....

What is the one big thing that you believe schools can do to support a young person who is at risk of becoming homeless?

How can schools work with their local communities to support a young person who is at risk of becoming homeless?

It is great to have you on board!

The Reach Out Teachers Network blog will explore ideas and opinions around mental health issues as they relate to young people. It will also include information and discussion topics around technology in simple terms. We are please to have guest bloggers joining the team, both from the mental health field, as well as young people.

Join the discussion, include your comments and share your ideas and experiences here.

If you are interested in contributing to the blog on a regular basis, please email janice@inspire.org.au. You don't have to be an experienced blog writer. We want to capture teachers' experiences of using Reach Out in the classroom, trying out our resources and also start conversations about some of the challenges and successes they have had.

Everyone is welcome so come and join the discussion!