Friday, February 21, 2014
Studies in Multicultural Education
Students in my Studies in Multicultural Education course have been reading White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms by Landsman and Lewis. This text provides in depth discussion on how the social construction of race influences classroom practice. Recognizing that race is not the only social category which presents in classrooms, the students were charged with reflecting, researching, and then writing about another aspect or combination of aspects of social identity they experience in their classrooms or have in interest in learning more about. The following comments to this post include some of the highlights they have discovered.
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aC7voTMsUiuoceOfaaEQ5hIUrNzaO1hw8N99XJ9WvzE/pub
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your summary and learned more about over-representation. I teach in a school district with very little diversity so hadn't really ever thought about over-representation. I was surprised by the statistics you shared. I researched students who live in poverty and found teacher preparation was also a big factor when working with these students. Early interventions were another factor that helped students who grow up in poverty. However, the research I found also stated that the US is the only industrialized nation without universal preschool and child care programs. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Amanda
DeleteI agree with your quote, "Another strategy suggested was early interventions. Often times our Black students are entering schools with zero prior learning experiences. It is important for students to have access to education at an early age, not only for the cognitive advantages of these early learning experiences, but also to allow teachers and parents to get a head start on intervening in what may be early learning disabilities." I think it's important to implement interventions early so that our students can succeed, and more importantly recognize when students need interventions. Thank you for sharing, I learned a lot from your abbreviated paper.
-Dena Cavanaugh
https://docs.google.com/document/d/17Vrm8qvBfV_0xShY6H8emVyzv1oLVbz49kKdLnDqdv4/pub
ReplyDeleteHi Kendall,
DeleteI am glad that I clicked into your link... the term DLL is something that I have only heard in conversation, yet never experienced that type of culture! Thank you for the interesting and informational summary. I your comment regarding DLL children having extra stress presented just by learning a new culture, new language, and new community is enlightening. I realize that many students have extra "baggage" that makes it difficult for them to focus on academics; however, you have a good understanding of those types of external factors and it seems as though you have been able to modify your own practices to meet those needs.
Kendall,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your summary of your research. What a great topic to look into. I had not heard much about DLL, and appreciated learning more about it.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19p0qfe4NDnyo1Vze7yxS5TL67daUq4p_PeS63uV2XLw/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteRachel,
DeleteBecause I do not have a lot of racial diversity in my class, this issue of poverty is something that is extremely applicable to my current students. I have quite a few who come from families who struggle financially. It was good to see the research you found offered some suggestions for teachers. I think the part that resonated with me the most was the idea that teachers need to provide the student with a positive relationship and environment, and yet still hold them to high standards regardless of their background. I think that is so important because there are teachers who may use poverty as an excuse for a student's poor behavior or academic progress. Another thing I found interesting was the need for common assessment and curriculum across grades. This is something my district is struggling with currently. It's good to know that it is important, especially for these students coming from poverty. Thanks for your summary and your research! It was very informative!
https://docs.google.com/a/howard-winn.k12.ia.us/document/d/1E8mrMFaf215Kd7G6ixs9HC3O6qAAR6q-bjNv8jWqdxM/edit
ReplyDeleteKaren,
DeleteI enjoyed reading about your project! It sounds as though we teach in very similar settings; I also teach at a SINA school and our free-and-reduced lunch rate is over 75%. These bring about a lot of the learning challenges that you discussed in your paper and I agree that a framework is needed for how to address the issues. It sounds as though you have found some solid research that will help you as you move forward! Thanks for sharing! :)
https://docs.google.com/a/uni.edu/document/d/1v99NpF6ZbIRlCtmSE0-_CcQlwFirPC45eF1HYfxykro/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1kO_tPcDLthWgKy8LFBIGA_7Mr8gKU3gwQ0KO1hfbasQ/pub
ReplyDeleteHi Jessie,
DeleteI enjoyed reading the summary of your paper! I also chose to research the effects of socioeconomic status on student achievement and found many of the same things you found in your research. I think you identified some key differences between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as ways to address these issues in your classroom. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jessie,
DeleteI, too, enjoyed reading your summary. It very much applied to me, because I teach at a school with nearly 80% of kids qualifying for Free and Reduced Lunch. This year we have focused a lot on engagement strategies and have participated in Professional Development focused on the ideas that you listed such as: games, movement, and hands-on activities. I agree with the point made in your paper that getting students from low-SES to have a growth mindset is important. They need to know they are not "destined" for a certain life. In addition, teaching at a school with a high poverty level, I have learned how important it really is to explicitly teach new vocabulary before expecting students to understand something. We often have our kids make up an action for a new word, and then when they hear it in the story they are expected to do the action. :) Thanks for sharing...this is a relevant topic to many of us!
https://docs.google.com/a/uni.edu/file/d/0B0YPuBgpD-sVelZBZE5xWlFITEk/edit
ReplyDeleteC. Rausch (Sorry, it put my blogspot name automatically!!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading the summary of your findings. I, too, have discovered the correlation between communication and language at home and student performance. I appreciated that you followed this comment by saying that the parents of students in low-SES communities may not be to afford the resources to provide their children with print-rich environments. I really enjoyed your last comment about the most important piece of any child is that they are healthy in mind, body, and spirit. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Great job!
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/a/uni.edu/document/d/1ZH9BsTxmlqsgaRJasWYDOnKl9Kb-bFz85Q6PQN7Er_s/pub
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Y2SJZVYyyc2ZeN6aOdrZGbtaZv1wHFvMVgY5-hC0CKE/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
DeleteI enjoyed reading about your findings. I think the suggestions you found would be very helpful to those families. One program that we have in place in our school is new student buddies. Our school counselor trains students from each grade level to work with any new students that come in. They get to take them on a building tour, meet the teachers, and be a friend outside! I think it is a great way to get those kids some friends right away! Thanks for sharing your findings!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-VLBRbprOaQ7tyN7u9hsnq4RUWKNNB_Z3AqIdCQZlcw/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteJenny,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your summary. I also wrote about students who grow up in poverty. One of the articles I read, also included several suggestions on how to teach new vocabulary. You also included several different ideas that I plan to use in my classroom as well. Thanks for sharing!
Jenny,
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your summary about poverty. You had some good ideas and suggestions on how to help these particular students. This can be very helpful in my classroom as it seems that there are a few students that live in poverty or with low economic status. School can be very challenging for these kids. This is a great resource to refer to when helping these students become successful. Thanks for sharing!!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1O8_oRvf_CszHBEP38oF12tPycMsNlk-0RKdEEtQDxRw/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, I enjoyed reading your summary about religion. I think you chose a great topic to research and learn more about it. I think your findings will benefit you in the classroom, and it is a constant reminder for me to help me realize that each of us is brought up with a different religion, or perhaps no religion at all. It is really important that we take a neutral "side" on religion matters. We should not be presenting any information that might be persuading them one way or another. I also think it is important that really understand that each child will come in with different viewpoints and everyone is entitled to their own beliefs.
DeleteAlyssa,
DeleteThanks for sharing your findings. It was very interesting to read about the subject of religion because it's not one that I think about as much as others. I agree with you that communication is so important. In the past I have had students who could not participate in certain holidays or eat certain foods. It has been nice when parents have communicated this with me, so I can be respectful of their religions. It is also important for students to respect each others different beliefs. As you said, teachers can help to create a community of acceptance through their own actions.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iIcNlk_F4ST_WM99IwB3Bm7VJKK-WLERfO-M53wy2Ig/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteKalee,
DeleteI really enjoyed reading your summary about your experiences. I think it's fantastic that you are visiting your students at home before school starts. The relationships that you build, especially right away, is extremely important for a successful school year. I have also found that not allowing "stories" or previous interactions with students to interfere with your opinions and relationships with those students is beneficial when building strong and trusting relationships.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19o7W_xxc-iSQnnSSPHI7Lsa_i0EIB1Mj6EVxJQdQPic/pub
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/107L6VLWyMDN3kbedhgH7CJuqvEzUF0JJQ9PZ34qBMH0/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteHi Josh,
DeleteI really related to your topic, as I teach in a low SES neighborhood too. We have many families that are homeless, living in shelters, or crashing from house to house. I learned a lot about how this really affects a student's day when they don't know where they will be sleeping that evening.
I have a practicum student in my classroom right now and had the opportunity to speak with her supervisor about the realities of home life. We shared with this college student that you will notice students become more "off" before or after a school break. We have to remember that we are their "structure" or safe place and they rely on us to be consistent, caring, and open to them. It makes our job just that much more important!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1ufRREZNJ-yOUpSX0pxaExZc0E/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HnuH3AncezSuYkNi1_u4VNwvSu4s5tRft9QE6Pl05zs/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000
ReplyDeleteI also chose to write my paper over low socioeconomic status and education! One of our resources, author Judith Stull, was also the same. Before completing the research I knew low socioeconomic status children had lower vocabularies, but I didn't know the difference of vocabularies started around the age of 3. I also like how you discussed getting parents involved right away in the learning process. Working together as a team in their child's learning is much more beneficial. This topic was important to me because most of the families at our school are of low socioeconomic status and continued education on the topic is something I will also continue to do! Thanks for sharing!
Deletehttps://drive.google.com/a/uni.edu/file/d/0B7ofcUPYXdAdS0wtQlJ0dE16RFE/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1W6OjFRB4eZ5Alm1D1thqs-041znjWVXcjNYuE5p_rto/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteMikaila,
DeleteThank you for reminding teachers that we need to bring our A game each and everyday! Students come to school with and without home resources needed to help them thrive. It is our job to take these students, no matter their situation, and help them understand the content so they don't fall behind. It is also important to remember that low SES students come from homes that do care about their education. The parents may struggle to show it because they don't know how to help. Teachers need to step it up and find opportunities to involve parents' in their students' education. Thanks again for the reminder!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sJZPsSUZt_TMhf_PYW2Lwo3QOW-0b3WGHtDvZgbspJ4/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDeleteHi Kim,
DeleteI really like that you focused part of your paper on keeping high expectations. Just because some students live in lower SES areas, doesn't mean they cannot reach the same high standards. I teach in a low SES area of Des Moines. I feel like my students work just as hard as the wealthier parts of town and can meet the same expectations as all parts of the district.
I like your idea of increasing rich vocabulary in our student's education, as I think my students could rise to this challenge!