Being an Effective Teacher

Being an Effective Teacher

1. Reflective Teaching

   • No comfort zones
   • Continue to reflect upon and adjust pedagody
   • Tools for ref. teaching
     • Teaching Journal: can reexamine in less stressful env and provides record of growth
     • Video Recordings: reveals behavior you didn't know existed
     • Teaching portfolios: videos, tests, lesson plans, student work etc - provides a record of professional growth/dev.
     • Colleagues: provide new perspective. Reciprocal can provide new insights and new ideas
   • Professional development
     • Continue to read and stay up to date with research Enroll in development courses to improve areas

2. Understanding Student Differences

   • History of U.S. Cultural Diversity
     • During early immigration the approach to receiving and education immigrants was the melting pot idea (to WASP culture). Immigrants encouraged to adopt american culture and expected to adopt english
   • Moving away from the "Melting Pot"
     • 1960s and 70s - american social priorities became oriented towards self-fulfillment of the individual Saw demand for inclusion of all Americans, not just WASP 
     • Low-Income
       • Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) part of War on Poverty - funding and services for 'educationally deprived' children, mostly from low-income families
     • Racial & Ethnic Minorities
       • ESEA and Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka - aimed to address racial inequalities and protect constitutional rights of all Americans (esp. A-As). Most visible program was forced integration of all-white schools (although effort lost steam and today the average A-A student attends school that is 70% minority)
     • ELL
       • Bilingual Education Act (part of ESEA) - funding to teach students with LEP (limited English proficiency). Lau v. Nichols - schools required to provide equal ops for ELLs 
     • Students with Disabilities
       • Education for All Handicapped Children Act began revolution - subsequent laws have led to full inclusion in many schools. Delivery is down to teacher - responsibility to be sensitive and responsive to conditions and special situations of students
   • Diversity in Today's Classroom
     • Linguistic Diversity
       • 5.3 million ELLs in public school speaking 400+ languages (around 3/4 spanish) Around 3/4 ELLs born in USA to immigrant parents and have attended public school since K or 1st 
       • These students have double task of learning new language and new ways of behaving, thinking, learning
       • Culturally Responsive Teaching
         • using instructional material and practices that incorporate important aspects of students' family and community to respond to and reflect students' culture in the classroom
         • Race & Ethnicity
           • Race: physiological descriptor - common ancestry and physical characteristics Ethnicity: belonging to a group with shared culture - language, customs, political interests, religion
           • Ethnicity affects perception and interaction with the world - manifested in language expression and thinking processes - significant impact on how an individual learns
         • Broaden your own cultural background
           • Travel Volunteer in organizations and communities different to where you grew up
         • Learn about your students
           • Learn about their backgrounds and appreciate differences Try and incorporate elements of students' culture into learning activities Recognize that  school's values such as individual learning and competition may clash with some cultural values - help students bridge the gap
         • Differentiate instruction
           • See differentiated instruction Focus on students' strengths and teach to those strengths rather than making student feel incapable
         • "In this classroom"
           • Use this term to help students know that the classroom has its own way of doing things and differentiate between home and school expectations
       • Bilingual Education
         • TRANSITIONAL MODEL intensive english language instruction but students get portion of instruction in native language - Goal is to prepare for regular classes without falling behind in subject areas - students should transition out
         • MAINTENANCE/DEVELOPMENT MODEL Aims to preserve and build on students' native language as they acquire English as a 2nd language
       • English Immersion
         • students learn everything in English - most likely in elementary schools as younger children tend to acquire new language easier
         • Extreme Case - Submersion Students must sink or swim
       • Working with ELLs
         • Show, don't just tell - even more so than with other students - use visual/non-verbal cues
         • Focus on comprehension not just pronunciation - reading a text aloud is not necessarily an indication of understanding
         • Students may understand more than they can say - listening and reading skills often develop earlier than production - don't take no response as indication of not understanding
         • Talking in class is not the same as doing the work - understanding academic material is harder than everyday conversation (just like English speaking students!) Even students who can communicate well may need support to develop academic language
     • Socioeconomic diversity
       • SES
         • Many sociologists insist SES is as much as cultural group as ethnicity - have distinct customs, beliefs and values e.g. high SES often place high value on educational achievement
       • Verbal interaction
         • Lower SES have lower levels of verbal interaction at home Nature of interactions differ too: higher SES more likely to be asked Qs like in school  (knowledge building) therefore go to school better prepared for style of conversation
     • Gender and Sexual Orientation
       • Debate about whether gender differences are biological or socially constructed but they do exist - different expectations
       • Equality
         • Teachers need to ensure they don't stereotype gender roles Provide equal op to participate in classroom discussion Model sex-equitable behaviour Don't assign sex-stereotyped tasks
       • Orientation
         • Controversial topic Evidence that LGBT students face hostility at school and in larger society Our responsibility is to the emotional well being of our students, not to promoting a social agenda
   • Teacher-Student Disparity
     • Average teacher is white female from middle class background - 44% of public school children are from ethnic/racial minorities. Achievement gap between white students and AA/Hispanic can be in part attributed to disparities between home/school culture
     • More likely for student and teacher from same culture to share unspoken expectations about behavior and academic performance which enhances communication Teachers need to make sure all students are understood and understand expectations

3. Purpose of School

   • Intellectual
     • Most recognizable - to develop intellectual capacities of students through academic achievement. For some parents this is sole purpose Most schools identify intellectual purpose in their mission statement
   • Political & Civic
     • Students should be taught about the structure and operation of the US government and have opp to take part in governance  Public schools should instill virtues needed to support democracy e.g. honest and commitment to justice Many schools aim to foster in students an appreciation for addressing the needs of less fortunate
   • Economic
     • Society has placed responsibility on schools to make good workers Students need to be able to obey rules, work under supervision and respect authority Students are also groomed for future roles - e.g. honor programs for future professionals and vocational courses for skilled or unskilled labor force
   • Social
     • Students taught to interact with classmates and adults. They learn acceptable/appropriate social norms of interaction e.g. sharing, turn-taking, manners etc.