Teaching Children of Poverty

1. Teaching Children of Poverty Teachers Do Make a Difference

2. Learning Outcomes • Understanding the nature of Poverty • Understand how poverty affects behavior and academic performance • Know teaching strategies and techniques proven to work with low SES children

3. Resources Used

4. Types of Poverty • Situational • Is caused by a sudden crisis or loss and is often temporary. • Generational • Absolute

5. Risk Factors of Poverty Students are likely to experience… • Emotional and social challenges • Acute and chronic stressors • Cognitive lags • Health and safety issues • father absence/single parent household • maternal depression • low parental education • living in a poor neighborhood • exposure to violence

6. Continued • less social support for families than in other neighborhoods. • Stressful parent-child relationships • social isolation • shame • poor neighborhoods • low-quality child care • inadequate health care • inability to provide a rich and stimulating learning environment in the home • poor parental mental health.

7. Poverty at School • Family income significantly influences children's academic success…especially during preschool, kindergarten and the primary years. • High tardy rates and absenteeism • Attend poorly maintained schools • Less-qualified teachers (less experience) • Day care facilities (if available) are less adequate

8. The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3 • All read introduction pg. 1 • Methoodology and What We Found pg. 2 • Families Language and Use Differ Across Income Levels pg. 3 • Test Performance in Third Grade Follows Accomplishments at Age 3 Pg. 4 • The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3 Pg. 5 • The Importance of Early Years Experience Pg. 6

9. The Teacher Matters • “Kids raised in poverty are more likely to lack-and need-a caring, dependable adult in their lives, and often it’s teachers to whom children look for that support.” • Jensen 2009

10. 3 Letters from Teddy • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGMBokU_EpY

11. Teachers can…Build Positive Relationships • This is the MOST important strategy • Building relationships can significantly affect: • When positive relationships are maintained:

12. What can YOU do to build this relationship? (TTN)

13. Teachers can…Conduct Formative and Summative Assessments • Accurate assessment of students skills and abilities are critical to the teachers understanding of how to support and guide instruction. • Feedback that feeds forward • Analysis of assessments to determine learning progress and quickly address areas of need.

14. “Consistent use and analysis of assessments of learning will clearly help us know when our students are learning and when they’re not.” • Howard 2009

15. What Types of Assessment Should I Use? Formal/Summative Informal/Formative

16. Teachers can…Integrating Learning Experiences Linking the Known to the Unknown • Gives students a “hook” to hang their new knowledge • Ways to do this:

17. Int. Learning Experiences Con’t. Promoting Discovery Learning • “Aha!” “I get it!” “Oh, I get it now!” • Problem based learning/Discovery learning • Ask probing questions • Such as: • Allow students to employ higher level thinking

18. Int. Learning Experiences Con’t Integrating Instruction • Help students develop study skills across all content areas • Teach students how to learn using specific skills • Listening to directions • Asking clarifying questions • Identifying similarities and differences • Drawing conclusions • Using mnemonic devices • Verbalizing what they learned • Link learning from one area to another • Thematic units

19. Teachers can…Create a Positive Climate Creating a Positive Climate for Learning • “The goal is to ensure that every child who enters our classrooms feels safe, validated, individually important, and successful.” • Create a User-Friendly Classroom • Supplies • Seating arrangements • Create a Democratic Learning Environment • Students are engage and active participants in the learning process • Provide choices

20. Creating a Positive Climate Creating a Positive Climate for Learning • Providing Positive Feedback Early and Often • Providing Verbal and Nonverbal Cues • Cues helps students to understand the message you are trying to send.

21. Creating a Positive Climate Creating a Positive Climate for Learning • Structuring Time Effectively

22. Create a Positive Climate Creating a Positive Climate for Learning • Employ a Sense of Humor • “A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down.” • Celebrate Students’ Success