2014-15 PDU Title Professional Development Unit

1. 2014-15PDU TitleProfessional Development Unit By: Mary Rose Gandeza School/Dept.: School Psychologist/Social Worker Department

2. What new instructional strategies did I implement in my classroom/practice during the course of the PDU? The things I learned in this PDU are very useful to me in my job as a School Psychologist. While they are not necessarily instructional strategies, I use them in my work with specific populations that typically need my support, including the parents and support staff whom I collaborate with: • ADDRESSING Culture Sketch – it is a tool to understand how cultural influences shape what we think, feel and do • Motivational Interviewing – it is defined as a person-centered, goal-oriented method of communication for eliciting and strengthening intrinsic motivation for change (W. Miller) • Value-Orientation Model of Worldviews – it is a framework to understand differences among individual and groups.

3. How did I apply the PDU strategies in my classroom? (examples) How did I collaborate with my team about implementing the PDU strategies? 1. ADDRESSING Culture Sketch – I used this to understand the social factors of student’s behaviors and it has provided me a framework to know their families and community as well. 2. Motivational Interviewing – I used this to reach out to students who need to work through their feelings and behaviors to be able to problem-solve. While it is a tedious process, it has long-term therapeutic outcomes. 3. Value-Orientation Model of Worldviews – I used this to understand the diversities and similarities among people. Affirming their values and worldviews allows for more meaningful relationships.

4. What three strategies did I implement from the study section of the PDU? What strategy worked best? Why? • Self-awareness: The movie 187 inspired me to look not only into my career motivations but into existential questions such as who we are, do we let life control us or do we take control of our lives. While the challenge of diversity is very great, we need a culture that teaches us to celebrate it rather than live isolate, angry lives because of it. • Peaceful co-existence: The novel “Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine” taught me that while racism is so ingrained in our history, there is hope for our culture as long as we believe that we can transcend and correct the wrongs of the past and make a conscious effort to see the goodness of each one regardless of origin and color. In my workplace, I have learned to listen to others’ personal narratives instead of assuming, judging or making preconceptions. • Language Learning: I learned to reach out more to students by using their native language, thereby continuing my efforts to learn Spanish. I sensed they respond readily, sometimes with amazement when I initiate interaction in their language.

5. What did I learn to do differently as a result of the PDU and strategy implementation in my classroom? The Project Implicit The IAT’s (Implicit Associations Tests) were a fun way to bring to consciousness certain biases and prejudices. Some were consistent with what I know about my thoughts and feelings, while some were an eye-opener. While the validity (repeat consistency) of IAT’s are not very strong as cognitive tests, there is a certain truth to unfiltered responses. The exercise taught me that in social scenarios, I should be mindful of what I say or do so as not to offend others. Culture Scripts: These are messages we hear growing up and they are worth exploring into because they affect our thoughts, behaviors and interactions with people. Having been raised in a different culture, I have especially learned to pay more attention to other cultural scripts in order to understand others.

6. Why is this PDU action research process important to my students learning and to my growth as a professional? • This PDU on Connecting Across Cultures and my training in Restorative Justice this school year both inspired me to shift my approach to social-emotional teaching and learning. I am seeing more the power of proactive and positive approaches as opposed to programs such as anti-bullying or anti-abuse programs. • When asked by our administrator to give intervention to a third grade class, I chose a program called “Random Acts of Kindness”which is an evidence-based SEL curriculum conducted for 9 weeks including: • 1. Feelings and emotions • 2. How I Treat Myself and Others Matters (Compassion and Diversity Lessons) • 3. Communicating with Empathy • 4. Complimenting Others

7. PDU Data AnalysisReflecting on the data you have collected, how did this experience impact instruction, progress monitoring, student performance, and your own practice? • Total number of students: 20 • Student self-assessment: “Make Your Voices Heard Survey” • Pre-test mean: 19.05 out of 30 = 63.5% (January 15,2015) • Post-test mean: 23.3 out of 30 = 77.7% (March 26, 2015) • Teacher’s Behavior Rating of the whole class : • Pre-test: 17 out of 25 = 68% (January 15,2015) • Post-test: 20 out of 25 = 80% (March 26, 2015) *There is a considerable increase in the prosocial knowledge and skills of the 20 3rd grade students with the use of the “Random Acts of Kindness” Curriculum.

8. How will I apply my new learning in the future to further my practice? What are my next steps? • I will apply my new learning in helping schools develop positive school culture through my participation with Student Support Teams (SST) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) • I will help promote a more inclusive learning environment by modeling respect for diversity and engaging in active collaboration with school teams. • I will promote meaningful parent engagement in schools through reaching out to them and encouraging them to actively participate in their child’s education. • I will advocate for culturally responsive academic and social-emotional interventions for all students. • I will continue to learn Spanish to be able to reach out more through the native language of majority of our students and parents.

9. PDU Artifact #1

10. PDU Artifact #2 Project Implicit • Moderate automatic preference for Other People compared to Arab Muslims. • Strong association of Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts compared to Female with Science and Male with Liberal Arts • Strong automatic preference for Abled Persons compared to Disabled Persons. • Little to no automatic preference between African American and European American. • Little or no association between Asian American and European American with American and Foreign. • Strong automatic preference for Straight People compared to Gay People. • Slight automatic preference for Dark skin compared to Light Skin.

11. PDU Artifact #2 - continued Project Implicit 8. Little to no automatic preference between Young and Old. 9. Strong automatic preference for fat people compared to thin people. 10. Strong association of Male with Career and Female with Family compared to Female with Career and Male with Family. 11. Slight association of Native American with Foreign and White American with American compared to White American with Foreign and Native American with American. 12. Moderate automatic preference for John F. Kennedy compared to Barack Obama. 13. Little or no association between White American and Black American with Harmless Objects and Weapons. 14. Christianity is more associated with good than Hinduism or Islam.

12. PDU Artifact #3 My self-assessments: Pre-test Post-test • Anti-sexist Activity Scale 27 30 • Anti-racist Activity Scale 28 30 • Anti-heterosexist Activity Scale 19 25

13. Exit Ticket • How can we support your professional growth in future PDUs? • I would love to participate in more equity trainings, culturally responsive academic and social-emotional interventions, trauma-based education • 2 things that you took away from the PDU this year • It increased my awareness of diversity in this country, how history played a role in racism and how it is evident in the present. • I have learned to value how we are different with one another and with out clientele and to see the goodness in each one. • 1 piece of constructive criticism • I learned a great deal of knowledge and insights, some topics were a bit heavy, such as the novel and the movies. Sometimes we could not cover all the topics in 2 hours because we dwelt too much in the others.