chapter 5 collin college educ 1301 dr. nita thomason who are today’s students?

CHAPTER 5 Collin College EDUC 1301 Dr. Nita Thomason Who Are Todays Students?

Racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds Language Gender Sexual orientation Socioeconomic status Abilities, achievements, and learning styles Diverse needs Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 2

Number of public school students is rising Enrollment rose dramatically from 1985-2010 Demographics changing Number of non native English speaking students rose dramatically during this period. Over 43% of public school students are part of a racial or minority group; Latino and Latina students are the fastest growing segment of the school population.

Equity: Treating individuals & groups fairly & justly, free from bias or favoritism Equity does not mean treating groups equally- it means treating them in ways that maximize their potential for learning. Those ways may be different for different groups- but the outcomes are the same!

English-language learners (ELLs) or language minority students: Speak a language other than English at home, need to learn English in school 1979-2009 # ELLs rose from 9% to 20% About speak Spanish Bilingual education has met with some success

Spanish - 77% Vietnamese - 2.4 % Hmong - 1.8 % Korean - 1.2 % Arabic - 1.2 % French (Haitian) Creole - 1.1 % Cantonese - 1.0 % All others together - less than 1% Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 9

ImmersionTeaching is in English English Acquisition Short-term or pull-out English lessons; may be used with immersion TransitionalIntensive English instruction combined with subject instruction in native language Maintenance or Developmental Preserves native language skills while adding English as a 2nd language Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 10 What do opponents of Bilingual Education have to say?

Christians account for 78.4 percent of the American population, with Protestants accounting for 51.3 percent of that total. The total number of Americans who identified their religion as something other than Christian increased by more than 32 percent over the last two decades.

One Cannot: Teach a religion (indoctrinate or inhibit) Encourage, participate in students religious activities One Can: Teach about religion Honor privacy of students rituals, as long as they dont interfere with class/school function Teach values such as honesty, respect, citizenship Guidance from the First Amendment Center

Watch your own behavior toward girls and boys; have high expectations for all. Organize classroom, technology schedules so students dont segregate or monopolize by sex. Avoid biased instructional materials. Eliminate sex-stereotyped assignments & tasks. De-emphasize competition and speed; include cooperative activities. Structure learning to give girls equal opportunity to participate. Model equitable behavior; establish a culture that does not permit gender or ethnic bias. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 13

Girls often squelched in coed classrooms Teachers tend to call on boys more often Girls less likely to express themselves Fewer leadership roles Women underrepresented in curriculum Single-sex schooling predicted to become more common in public schools Gender-fair education: Helps females & males achieve full potential

Enduring emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction for people of one or both sexes LGBT students fear rejection and harm: Over 60% surveyed felt unsafe at school LGBT students suffer greater risk of suicide, depression, bullying, assault Unlike most minority students, LGBT may experience prejudice & isolation at home

Socioeconomic status: Based on family income, occupation, education, and social status: Relates to social capital of family Students with higher socioeconomic status tend to outperform those w. low social capital >30% of all U.S. kids live in single-parent household

Students in danger of dropping out before completing high school or not acquiring adequate skills for success High-risk child = one whose family has 4 or more of these risk factors: Household head is high school dropout Family income below poverty line Child living with underemployed parent(s) Family receives welfare Child lacks health insurance -from Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2003

Most significant are: Poverty Substance abuse Child abuse Homelessness Hunger Depression Teen pregnancy (major reason girls drop out) High-risk 16-19 yr. olds are 4x more likely to drop out of HS than those not in category -from Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2003

Creates equal learning opportunities for students from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic groups Curriculum as Window and Mirror- topics outside of the students world and topics that reflect the students world; Culturally relevant pedagogy: Places learners culture at center of instruction Incorporates culture into curriculum Respect students experiences

Establish classroom guidelines against name- calling, and address all name-calling immediately. Respect different points of view. Make no assumptions about students families or their sexual orientations. Be a role model; treat all students with respect and dignity. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 20

Free appropriate public education Appropriate evaluation Individualized Education Program (IEP) Least restrictive environment Parent and student participation in decision making Procedural safeguards Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 21

Mainstreaming Students with disabilities in regular classrooms for at least part of the day. Additional classes, services as needed Inclusion Students in regular classroom as much as possible Brings services into the classroom Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 22

Be open to including students with disabilities in your classroom Learn each childs limitations and potential Learn instructional methods & technology that can help each child Insist that needed services be provided Pair students with disabilities with children who can help them Use a variety of teaching strategies Co-teach with a special education teacher Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 23

Acceleration Learn regular curriculum at a faster pace Progress to advanced materials sooner Enrichment Go beyond regular curriculum Greater depth and breadth Individual or collaborative inquiry activities Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 24

Encourage curiosity Allow exploration beyond standard curriculum Differentiate instruction Group students of varying ability levels by interest for cooperative projects Teach complex thinking processes Look for alternative curriculum materials Implement curriculum compacting Match students with mentors Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 25

Verbal/Linguistic Logical-mathematical Spatial Bodily-kinesthetic Musical Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalist Existential/Spiritual Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 26

Seek out experiences to broaden your cultural understanding. Spend time with people who differ from your ethnicity, culture, or language. Learn about the values and backgrounds of your students. Teach to your students strengths. Provide a variety of educational experiences. Involve students families. Respect values of both school and families. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. 3 - 28 Know thyself, too!

Different is just different; its not lesser Treat your students differences as a gift, not a barrier to be overcome Learn from them And with them Help them be all they can be: Through your non-biased teaching practices and your pursuit of equity!

chapter 5 collin college educ 1301 dr. nita thomason who are today’s students?

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