Supporting New Teachers: The “ Extra ” in Teaching Culturally Diverse Learners

1. Supporting New Teachers: The “Extra” in Teaching Culturally Diverse Learners Dr. Desha L. Williams & Scholars Ian Frame, Santhi Prabahar, & Bonnie Roydes Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA

2. Why is content and pedagogy not enough?

3. What do you see?

4. 18 hrs. - graduate mathematics content • 9 hrs. – educational foundations • 6 hrs. – educational research methods and application • 6 hrs. – mathematics methods • 9 hrs. – field experience Traditional MAT program

5. Voices from Principals • Voices from Teachers • Using Manipulatives in Secondary Classrooms • Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Youth & ALL Youth • Social Justice Mathematics • Faces of Homelessness • Culturally Responsive Mathematics • Working with ELLs and Their Families • Working with Refugee Students Increasing Mathematics Teachers for ALL Students

6. State Mathematics Conference • National Mathematics Conference • State TESOL Conference • University TESOL Conference • TESOL Endorsement • Books on Teaching Mathematics to ELLs, for Social Justice and through tenets of Cultural Responsiveness • Regional Noyce Conference

7. Culturally Relevant/ Responsive Teaching Santhi Prabahar

8. Levels of Multicultural Change Transformed Lesson It challenges traditional views and encourages new reconceptualization and new ways of thinking Inclusive Lesson It adds diversity content but retains the traditional structure • Exclusive Lesson • It teaches minor aspects of diversity at the lowest level Kea, C. & Campbell-Whatley, G.

9. Which lesson is Culturally Relevant? Is it Culturally Relevant Teaching? Can they be changed? • Teen Gun Statistics • Credit Card Debt • Polar Graph Project • Tower of Hanoi Game • M&M Math

10. "that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes” (Ladson-Billings.G.,1990) “In order to teach to the different learning styles of students, activities would reflect a variety of sensory opportunities-visual, auditory, tactile” (Gay, 2000). What is culturally relevant /response teaching?

11. Culturally relevant teaching in mathematics classroom What? Why? It is an effective way to reach the intellectual and social needs of the students from different culture Academic success Cultural competence Ability to critique the existing social order • Recognition of presence of Mathematics in every culture since we have had societies • Effect of mathematics on any culture and its people • Math instruction would incorporate everyday-life concepts, such as economics, employment, consumer habits, of various ethnic groups. 

12. Treat students as competent Provide students instructional “scaffolding” in order for students move from what they know to what they need to know Extend students’ thinking abilities Possess in-depth knowledge of both students and subject matter Teachers need to be reflective What are teacher’s role?

13. Acknowledgement of different ethnic groups’ heritages to be taught in the formal curriculum Building bridges between home and school Using wide variety of strategies that connected to the students’ learning style Teaching students to praise their own culture and others Implementing multicultural information, resources and materials as a teaching routine How do we do that as teachers?

14. Student-centered teaching Self-regulated learning Teacher as a facilitator Know your students heritage and include their beliefs in the curriculum Teaching social justice using math How do we do that as teachers?

15. What are some strategies we can use in mathematics curriculum? Examples Include social problems like obesity , credit card debt and teen gun problems • Using movie clips or TV episodes to engage students learning. • M&M (fractions, percent, statistics etc..) • Jelly beans (fraction, percent, statistics etc…) • Hershey's Bar (fractions) • Using grocery shopping to find unit price

16. Poverty& Homelessness in the Classroom Ian Frame

17. Financial Definition of Poverty Just what is the Poverty Threshold? Source: United States Census Bureau

18. Poverty in Atlanta Atlanta is the poorest city in the US for children 44.9% of children aged 6-17 in female-headed home with no spouse are in poverty HUD 30% rule - $250/month on rent Source: Metro Atlanta Taskforce for the Homeless

19. Defining and Identifying Homeless Students Lack regular and adequate nighttime residence Increased sleepiness Regularly wearing same clothing Deterioration in school work Isolated or disconnected from classmates Absences Source: National Association of School Psychologists

20. Defining and Identifying Homeless Students Our address is new; I can’t remember it. I don’t know where we live. I’m living with relatives/friends right now until we get settled. Source: National Association of School Psychologists

21. Remediation Steps Relationship with students Basic necessities Attendance & grading policy Peanut Butter & Jelly Club

22. Peanut Butter & Jelly Club Academic support Quiet and safe workplace PB & J and Milk Total Startup Cost: $10.89

23. Creating Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Students Bonnie Roydes

24. A Few Statistics Some Encouraging Findings A positive school climate reduces the negative effects of homophobic teasing (Robinson and Espelage, 2011). LGBT students in schools with Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) are less likely to hear homophobic remarks daily or miss school because they feel unsafe (Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, 2009). • 24% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual-identified youth in Massachusetts reported having attempted suicide at least once over the course of a year compared to 5% of their peers (Mass. Dept. of Ed., 2005) • In a nationwide survey, 85% of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed and 40% physically assaulted in the past year based on their sexual orientation (Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, & Bartkiewicz, 2010). • 30% of LGBT students in Massachussets reported missing at least one day of school in a month due to safety concerns (Kosciw et al., 2010). • According to a nationwide survey, 20-40% of homeless youth identified as LGBT (Ray, 2006).

26. Who Are LGBTQ People? • Lesbian: a woman whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women. Some lesbians may prefer to identify as gay, or as gay women. • Gay: the adjective used to describe people whose enduring physical, romantic, and/or emotional attractions are to people of the same sex (e.g., gay man, gay people). • Bisexual, Bi: an individual who is physically, romantically, and/or emotionally attracted to men and women. • Transgender: an umbrella term (adj.) for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender people may identify as female-to-male (FTM) or male-to-female (MTF). Transgender people may or may not decide to alter their bodies hormonally and/or surgically. • Questioning: the adjective used to describe people who are unsure of their sexual orientation but wait, there’s more… Source: GLAAD, 2010

27. Queer: traditionally a pejorative term, queer has been appropriated by some LGBT people to describe themselves. However, it is not universally accepted even within the LGBT community and should be avoided unless quoting or describing someone who self-identifies that way. Intersex: describing a person whose biological sex is ambiguous. There are many genetic, hormonal, or anatomical variations that make a person's sex ambiguous (e.g., Klinefelter syndrome). The term intersex is not interchangeable with or a synonym for transgender. Asexual: an individual who is not physically, romantically, or emotionally attracted to others. Ally: a person who is not lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, or pansexual but who supports the LGBT(QQIAAP) community. Pansexual: a person who is attracted to others without taking gender or biological sex into account. LGBTQQIAAP…

28. Never assume heterosexuality Starting the first day of school, establish your classroom as a supportive, welcoming, inclusive environment for all students Immediately and directly intervene in teasing and bullying and address ignorant comments such as “That’s so gay” Be a positive role model by using respectful language and not discriminating against LGBTQ students Steps ALL Teachers Should Take

29. LGBTQ-Inclusive Math & Science Lesson Ideas When teaching about sex chromosomes, discuss Klinefelter Syndrome (XXY) When teaching statistics, use a data set about LGBTQ-identifying people Frame word problems around diverse social scenarios

30. Step up and let your classroom be a known safe space for all students. Go to www.glsen.org for a Safe Space Kit (free download) that includes stickers, a poster, and more information on being an ally to your LGBT students. Also look for a Safe Space training session at a university near you. Make Your Classroom a Known Safe Space NOTE: I am not a representative of GLSEN and do not intend to advertise GLSEN or any organization

31. More Inclusive Classroom Decor From www.safeschoolscoalition.org

32. Help to found or get involved in sponsoring an existing Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) at your school – straight allies are especially needed & encouraged to do this! • Make sure your school anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies contain LGBTQ-inclusive language. If not, lobby to have them changed. • Correct other faculty and staff members if they make ignorant comments like “That’s so gay” or discriminate against LGBTQ students Take Action at the Whole-School Level

33. "That's so gay“ PSA -- Hilary Duff "That's so gay" PSA -- NBA Student-Made PSA "That's so gay" -- teacher/student discussion Videos

34. All links and resources found at: http://urli.st/4qY (Case sensitive)