Warm-up: Student Profile

1. Increasing Teacher Cultural Competency to advance the Achievement of African American MalesAdapted from research and curriculum developed by Ava Maria Whittemore Minority Achievement CoordinatorOffice of Education That Is Multicultural    and Gifted and TalentedFrederick County Public Schools

2. Warm-up:Student Profile Exploring your core beliefs

3. Mother to Sonby Langston Hughes 3

4. Well, son, I'll tell you:Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.It's had tacks in it,And splinters,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor --Bare.But all the timeI'se been a-climbin' on,And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,And sometimes goin' in the darkWhere there ain't been no light.So boy, don't you turn back.Don't you set down on the steps'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.Don't you fall now --For I'se still goin', honey,I'se still climbin',And life for me ain't been no crystal stair. 4

5. Guided Discussion Questions for “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes • What is the mother’s purpose for having this conversation with her son? • What do you believe the metaphor of the ‘crystal stair’ represents? • Discuss some of the “tacks,” “splinters,” and “torn-up boards” that African-American males had to face in the past and today. • 4. What survival recommendations does the mother give to her son? 5

6. “The education system must adapt to meet the needs of the child rather than forcing the child to meet the needs of the system.” (Munane & Levy, 1996)

7. What is Achievement? • In small groups, individually think and jot down on the outside portion of the placemat your definition of student achievement. • After each person has had the opportunity to write his/her thoughts, have each person share their ideas. • Once everyone has had the chance to share, write one group definition in the center rectangle of the placemat.

8. How Some Students Measure Achievement • Some students associate it with getting an “A” on an assignment. • Some students associate it with words: “Excellent,” “Good Job,” “I’m proud of you,” “You've Won” • Some students look at possible outcomes: • “If you complete the assignment in class, you will not have any homework.” • “If you maintain an 80 or above in the class, you will not have to take the final exam.” • Some students associate it with possible rewards: “money,” “new tennis shoes,” “can spend the night at a friends house”

9. What is the Achievement Data telling us?

10. NAEP Mathematics Grade 4 10

11. NAEP Mathematics Grade 8 11

16. 2009-2010 Suspension Data U:\ETM 2010-2011\Special Population Summary Reports FY09 FY10.xls School to Prison Pipeline: Talking Points | American Civil Liberties Union

20. Abandoning The Deficit Model • Focuses primarily on problems • Focuses on underachieving Black males • Doesn’t celebrate high achieving Black males

21. Factors That May Influence Achievement Stereotype Threat “The threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype, or the fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm the stereotype.” - Claude Steele

22. Another factor . . . Low Expectations “ Teacher expectations for African American males are often based on perceived deficiencies in these students.” - Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu

23. Family and Cultural Environments “Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.” Booker T. Washington

24. VideoExample of family and cultural environments that may affect African-American male achievement: “Making a Difference.” http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/desperately-seeking-dad/63opljn

25. Instructional mismatch between the culture of the school or the teacher and the student. “I don’t see color.” “I treat everyone the same.” Multiple Authors

26. Media Images http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/04/25/earlyshow/main690601.shtml http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teachable_moments/katrina_2_photo.cfm

27. Factors That May Affect African American Male Achievement

28. “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.” -Wayne Dwyer

29. Essential Question How can increasing cultural proficiency accelerate African American male achievement?

30. Culture Matters • Culture is the lens through which we view the world. • Culture does not determine ability but it shapes how it is processed and expressed. • Students do not enter schools as empty vessels.

31. Points To Remember • This information is not intended to stereotype, only to provide a framework for understanding African American male cultural tendencies, so that the individuals may be better understood and better served. • The patterns of behavior described in this module have been selectively chosen and do have exceptions.

32. Nine Dimensions of Afrocultural Expression Spirituality - Connotes an acknowledgement of a non-material life force that permeates all human affairs. Harmony - Implies that one’s functioning is fundamentally linked to events in nature and the elements of the universe. Movement - Implies a premium placed on the interwoven mosaic of movement, dance, percussiveness and rhythm personified by the musical beat. Verve - Connotes an especial receptiveness to relatively high levels of sensate (i.e., variability and intensity of) stimulation. Affect - Implies the centrality of affective information and emotional expressiveness linked to the co-importance of feelings and thoughts.

33. Nine Dimensions of Afrocultural Expression(continued) Expressive Individualism - Connotes the gleaning of uniqueness of personal expression, of style and of sincerity of self-expression. Communalism - Denotes a commitment to the fundamental interdependence of people and to social bonds and relationships. Orality - Denotes the centrality of oral-aural modes of communication for conveying true meaning and to cultivating speaking as a performance. Social Time Perspectives - Connotes a commitment to time as a social construction such that there is an event orientation towards time.

34. “Americans of African descent have developed a world view that reflects the historical experience of Black people in America and is based on African oriented philosophical assumptions. The cultural traditions are reflected in Black expressiveness.” - Dr. Courtland Lee

35. Concept of Black Expressiveness Dimensions of Black Expressiveness 1.High degree of emotional energy exhibited in interpersonal interactions and behavior. 2. A propensity among Blacks to exhibit real, honest and authentic behavior in all human relationships

37. Dimensions of Black Expressiveness 3.Style and flair often seen in the creative manner Black people have found to put their personalities on display 4. Black language and speech traditions which are direct, creative, and communicate both information and significant affect. 5.Expressive movement, or the ability to integrate thought, feeling and movement into a whole and respond to the environment in a spontaneous fashion. Source: Dr. Courtland Lee

38. Cool Pose • Ritualized form of masculinity • Includes carefully crafted behaviors, scripts, physical posturing, impression management, and carefully crafted performance • Single critical message –pride, strength, and control Majors and Billson, Cool Pose

39. Cool Pose Standard walking style • Used primarily among European Americans • Erect Posture • Leg and arm swing synchronized with posture and pace • Steady stride • Look straight ahead Non-Standard walking style • Used by some African American males • Deliberately swaggered or bent posture • Head tilted slightly to the side • Drag one foot • Exaggerated knee bend (dip)

40. Cool Pose • Peer group interactions are characterized by high levels of energy • Tend to be physical and demonstrative with peers • May engage in woofing-aggressive verbal exchange, playing the dozens • Have developed distinctive handshakes-dapping

41. What’s the impact in a classroom? • Cultural conflict • Walk may be interpreted as hostile, angry or prone to violence • May reinforce stereotypes and affect expectations • Style may be viewed as inappropriate behavior that compromises African American males success in the classroom

42. Ways that Educators Promote Feelings of Alienation among African-American Male Students • Seating African-American male students closer to them than they do other students to serve the purpose of surveillance and control. • Giving African-American male students less direct instructions. (This contributes to the feelings of confusion and frustration over what is expected.) • Paying less personal attention to African-American male students in academic situations. • Calling on African-American male students less often to answer classroom questions or to do demonstrations. (Duncan, 1999)

43. Ways that Educators Promote Feelings of Alienation among African-American Male Students (cont’d…) • Giving African-American male students less time to answer questions before moving on. • Failing to give African-American male students feedback about their responses more frequently than other students. • Demanding less work and effort from African-American male students than from other students. (Duncan, 1999)

44. Black Male’s Success In Eurocentric Classrooms Contingent On: • Adopting dominant culture styles and social skills • Learning to code switch: speech, dress, and demeanor Dr. Wade Boykin, Howard University

45. Implications for the Classroom “In order to increase the success rate of African American students educators need to construct methods of teaching that involve the underlying values of the African world view.” - Willis, 1992

46. Educators need to recognize the current educational system is built on the European world view. • African world view affects learning styles • Two views are different, one is not better than the other • Allow students to work in groups • Allow for more free communication within the classroom setting

47. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy • Acknowledges African American culture within the classroom on a regular basis in a meaningful way • Requires teachers to step out of their comfort zone • Requires teachers get to know each child’s home culture language and interests J. Risko and D. Dalhouse

48. What Might Culturally relevant pedagogy look like in the classroom? Honoring African American Culture - • Call and response instead of hand raising • Group learning instead of individual projects • Active learning instead of sit and get • Provide a variety of activities instead of one size fits all

49. Learning Styles “Learning styles are a way of perceiving, conceptualizing, and problem solving: a preferred way of interacting with and responding to the environment.” - Polce

50. Field Dependent Learners (Holistic) • Perceiving or holistic in their approach to learning • Spontaneous • Open minded • Flexible • Conceptual thinkers, • People oriented • Remember material in a social context • Subjective learners