Strategies for At-Promise Students

1. Strategies for At-Promise Students Michelle Goodwin, ED.D. Esther Alcindor, M.Ed. ACEI Conference Tampa, FL May 2, 2007

2. Intent for Today Learn and/or Affirm!!!!

3. What did I get myself into? A knock at the door!

4. Background NCLB • 1.) Every child will achieve • 2.) Every classroom will have a well-qualified teacher

5. Background “Highly-Qualified” Debate • What a “highly qualified teacher” means is a function of who says so. This should not be the case. “Highly qualified” should mean that the children of these teachers learn more. “Highly qualified” should stand for accomplishment not for promises that will never be kept. “Highly qualified” should not be a label stuck on the foreheads of 22 year old girls and boys because they have completed university based teacher education programs but will not seek employment in poverty schools or will quit or fail if they do. (Martin Haberman 2003)

6. Background • ACHIEVEMENT IN URBAN SCHOOLS • According to the Council of the Great City Schools (2001), approximately 43% of 4th grade students within their urban schools scored below the basic level of proficiency in reading comprehension as compared to 30% of the 4th graders nationally and “… students in districts with the highest concentrations of poverty had significantly lower reading and math scores than students in less poor districts.”

7. Problem • There is little evidence to suggest that teachers, those who directly instruct and daily interact with students, have had multiple opportunities to voice their notions about school improvement and what actions they perceive would positively affect student achievement. According to Odden (1995), “Teachers generally have little or no role in important decisions… too often, teachers are viewed as ‘workers’ who implement policy made by others not as professionals who have discretion over their actions in the workplace.”

8. Problem, cont. • Regardless of increased standards created by policymakers, students in urban schools continue to achieve at lower levels. It is, therefore, logical to solicit the wisdom of exemplary teachers, those who have exhibited a documented amount of success working within their diverse classrooms, in order to assess their perceptions of what teachers should know and do in order to positively impact student achievement within urban schools.

9. My first participant…. Maybe… • Ron Clark • Disney’s American Teacher of the Year, 2000 • PS 83, Fifth Grade • Harlem New York • http://www.ronclark.info/

10. Purpose • 1.) Identify attributes and skills of exemplary teachers within urban schools-- Specifically, the study will focus on critical knowledge in pedagogy, curricula, and content as well as essential skills in creating positive learning environments, student rapport, and parental communication. • 2.) Examine exemplary teachers’ perceptions on teacher preparation for urban classrooms

11. Research Questions • QUESTIONS: • 1.) What do exemplary teachers perceive teachers should know and be able to do in order to provide instruction in urban elementary classrooms? • 2.) What curricula and practices do exemplary teachers perceive teacher preparation programs should employ in order to prepare teachers for service in urban elementary classrooms?

12. Methodology • Qualitative study with a purposeful sample of exemplary teachers that meet the following criteria: 1. Work in an urban public school in a division that serves a population defined by the US Census Bureau as being at least 90% 2. Serve at the elementary level (K-5) 3. Winner of one the following awards: a.) Milken Award b.) McGlothlin Award c.) Disney’s American Teacher Award d.) National Teacher of the Year Award – regional, state, or national

13. My Study • Ten exemplary teachers (all who were eligible participated) • Study was exploratory and qualitative in nature • Interviews were conducted and data was transcribed into text • Used Patton’s framework to analyze the data

14. Findings • Assertion 1: • Successful urban teachers value education and have support systems in place for continual collaboration, professional growth, inspiration, and affirmation. • Family • Teacher collaboration / Mentors • Professional Development Opportunities

15. Findings • Assertion 2: • Successful urban teachers assess, understand, and value the diverse learning needs of their students and accordingly differentiate their instruction to enhance achievement for each child.

16. Findings • Assertion 3: • Successful urban teachers create classroom environments that make each student feel comfortable, valued, unique, and important. In addition, they are advocates for their students. • Physical Classroom • Genuine love for children • Teaches whole child • Utilizes community resources

17. Findings • Assertion 4: • Successful urban teachers focus on solutions, not problems.

18. Findings • Assertion 5: • Successful urban teachers communicate frequently with parents and families and they seek to construct these relationships by a concerted effort in making the initial contact a positive one.

19. Findings • Assertion 6: • Preparation for teacher candidates seeking to serve in urban classrooms should include multiple and diverse field experiences with supervision by a master teacher. Practicum placements should be supplemented with coursework that addresses diversity and differentiation.

20. What must urban teachers know? • Content Competency • Current Research – especially related to diversity and culture - differentiation and learning styles

21. What must urban teachers be able to do? 1. Utilize Support Systems • Relationships (family and collegial) • Community resources (Social services, libraries, churches, and other organizations) 2. Assess students and differentiate instruction – actively engage students 3. Maintain dispositions that encourage positive relationships with students and families. Have an optimistic world view and model safe, healthy, and happy living.

22. What must be done to prepare teacher candidates to serve in urban classrooms? Provide practicum placements that begin the first year of college. The placements must be dissimilar in that they are different in school culture, population, etc. Field experiences must be supervised by master teachers. Coursework must be imbedded with strategies for building relationships and meeting needs of diverse learners. Candidates must be taught to reflect on their own personal values and, in turn, how to work with people who hold very different values.

23. Check UpWhat have you learned or affirmed? • Verbalize • Draw / symbolize • Act it out

24. Accelerating Students AT-PROMISE At-Risk

25. PETAL Promoting Excellence Through Accelerated Learning

26. Organization Following directions Staying on task, attending Interpreting & remembering information Basic Skills Low expectation by others Knowing how to learn, using metacognition Making connections Learning styles that are different than the teacher Being “active” and engaged as learners Students who struggle with learning typically have problems with:

27. BE DIFFERENT • Be a Medical Provider • Be a Cheerleader • Set HIGH expectations

28. “HIGH Expectations will always transcend all barriers of race, poverty, ability, cultural differences, etc. It all comes through knowing YOU have the power to reach and teach any child given to you! Socrates said, ‘Before we can move the world, we must first move ourselves!’” Larry Bell Multicultural America, Inc.

29. Strategies • Whole Classroom Instruction 1. Constructivist - encourages students to come to their own understanding of the concept at hand 2. Behaviorist - set of instructional steps that will lead students to understanding

30. Solve the equation.

31. Cognitively Instruct • Cognitive strategies - how a student learns • Metacognitive strategies - thinking about one’s own thinking

32. 1 56 +25 (50+20)+(6+5) 70 + 11 81 Add. 8 1

33. Small Groups 1. Mixed Ability - students within each group are not on the same level 2. Like-Ability - students are on the same ability level

34. Tutoring • Teacher tutors one on one • College student volunteers • Community volunteers

35. Peer Tutoring • Used fellow peers to tutor one another • Students from previous year PETAL Program

36. Computer-Assisted Programs • COMPASS • Boxer Learning

37. Differentiated Instruction

38. Acknowledge Differences • Sample Lesson Plan: Chinese Culture Math symmetry

39. What is Differentiation? • A way of teaching in which teachers proactively modify curriculum, teaching methods, resources, learning activities, and student products. Tomlinson, 1999

40. What is Differentiation? • A change in thinking about teaching and learning that seeks to recognize, learn about, and address the particular needs of each student

41. What is Differentiation? • It is adapting what we teach, how we teach to accommodate student learning styles, AND how students demonstrate what they have learned.

42. Differentiation of instruction is a teacher’s proactive response to learners’ needs • Teachers can differentiate: • Content – what is to be learned • Process – the activities through which students make sense of the content • Products – how students demonstrate what they’ve learned Tomlinson, 1999

43. Teachers differentiate on the basis of: • Student readiness – This goes beyond ability., • is the student for this particular task, does he have: • academic skills • social skills • prior knowledge • Attention • motivation, etc.

44. Teachers differentiate on the basis of: • Learning profile – does the student: • like to work with others or alone • work slowly or too quickly • exhibit a strong modality

45. Teachers differentiate on the basis of: • Interest – what is the student interested in? Interest can be a great motivator; how do you or can you as the teacher incorporate those interests?

46. Differentiation – A Framework • Appetizer / SET • Entrée / INSTRUCTION • Side Dish / GUIDED PRACTICE & INDEPENDENT PRACTICE • Dessert / Accommodations and/or Extra Work • Adapted from http://www.k8accesscenter.org/index.php

47. Differentiation – Personal Examples from Our Classroom… • Literacy – Mildred Taylor Books • Math – Place Value

48. Key Principles of Differentiated Classroom • Teacher is clear about what matters in subject matter and what the student must know, do & understand • Teacher understands, appreciates, and builds upon student differences • Assessment and instruction are inseparable • Teacher adjusts content, process, and product in response to student readiness, interests, and learning profile • All students participate in respectful work

49. Key Principles of Differentiated Classroom • Goals of a differentiated classroom are maximum growth and individual success • Flexibility is the hallmark of differentiated instruction • Lessons for all students show emphasis on critical and creative thinking • Lessons for all students should be engaging • Teachers and students are collaborators in learning: There should be a balance between student selected and teacher-assigned tasks and working arrangements.

50. Best Instructional Practices • The student knows what is expected. • The student is able to complete the task with a high degree of accuracy, but the task is appropriately challenging. • The student has many opportunities to respond: and is engaged in the task for a high percentage of the time • The student receives frequent corrective feedback about performance and perceives that feedback or consequence to be rewarding