Establishing a Positive Classroom Environment for Students from Diverse Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Groups

     Before I became a math teacher, I wanted to work outside of the United States. To better prepare me for such work, I got a master's degree in intercultural studies.  I am now discovering that cultural sensitivity is important in classrooms across America.  What are some things a teacher can do to establish a positive classroom environment for students from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups?  I've included some ideas about this topic in this blog.

      According to Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education (2016, p. 9), how you setup your classroom can help establish a positive environment for students from diverse backgrounds. Are decorations in the class reflective of different cultures?  Do posters depict people from various ethnicities?  Are desks isolated or grouped for student interaction?  Can your students recognize anything in your room from their culture?



     In my class, I like to praise students with expressions from French, Portuguese, and Spanish.  No, I am not fluent in any of these languages, but I do dabble.  When introducing algebra, I like to emphasize that this was a great contribution from Arabic culture to the rest of the world. When I take a trip out of the U.S., I try to show my classes photos of my experiences. These are ways I try to promote diversity.  Teachers can do things like find out students' favorite meals and holidays from their cultures and work these things into assignments or class activities.



     There are a lot of simple things that teachers can do as well to create a welcoming environment in their classrooms for all students. Teachers can encourage positive interactions. Greeting students at your classroom door promotes positive interaction. Having little conversations with students about their interests also goes along way, especially for those who may feel left out due their ethnicity or other perceived differences that they may have. 

     Teachers can promote introductions. It is natural to allow students to introduce themselves at the beginning of the school year.  A good activity for students is to group them based on some commonality (birth place, number of siblings, birth order, favorite subject, etc).  Despite our ethnic, social, and economic differences, we really do have a lot in common.

     Teachers can also help prevent intimidation. Avoiding classroom confrontations helps the teacher/student relationship.  Speaking privately to a student after class about his/her behavior is a good practice. Another good practice is for teachers to proactively send notes home about good behavior in class. "A teacher might discipline herself to make one phone call home per day about some student’s positive behavior" (Marzano, 2007, p. 139).

     Preventing intimidation includes anti-bullying strategies. Bullies can single out students who are different from the other students. All students, especially those from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural groups need their teacher's assistance to create a more sensitive classroom environment. Teachers need to be fully aware of their school's Anti-Bullying Policy and respond immediately to bullying in accordance with that policy.  A teacher could proactively start the school year with a talk regarding the pain caused by words and actions intended put down others.  Often bullies have been bullied. Allowing students to share their stories of being bullied can sensitize other students to the pain it inflicts. At that time the teacher could explain strategies for dealing with bullies and encourage bullied students not to remain silent.

     This school year be aware that the more you establish a positive, welcoming environment in your classroom for students of diverse backgrounds, the better they will learn and the stronger your community will be.  Celebrate diversity.

References

Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education. (2016). Retrieved July 31, 2017, from
        http://www.tolerance.org/critical-practices

Marzano, R. J. (2010). The art and science of teaching: a comprehensive framework for

       effective instruction. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum 

       Development.

Technology and the Near Distant Future of Education

Technology is constantly advancing and changing everything around us including education.  In a few years, students will truly be learning all the time, everywhere.  As I read online articles regarding teaching in the future, they made references to flipped classrooms, cloud-based learning, further gamification of education, augmented reality, virtual reality, and holograms.  Imagine being able to take an immersive virtual tour of the Smithsonian Institute and being able to ask your virtual tour guide any question you want and get instant accurate answers?  Technology will give us very rich personalized learning experiences anytime and everywhere so that students can learn more, faster, sooner and all OUTSIDE the classroom.  Students can then come prepared to school to build and create things as well as to solve problems.  Classroom time will be devoted almost entirely to hands-on, collaborative application of learning.  Students can experiment, build with 3-D printers, and invent solutions to real problems.  The classroom of tomorrow will be a high-tech vocational research experimentation laboratory.

As students learn more at younger ages, teachers of today who teach high school may only be qualified to teach middle school tomorrow.  Teachers will have to take tech-heavy continuing education credits in order to keep developing the skills that their students are hoping to master.  The saying “Those who can do; those who can’t teach” will cease to be said as teaching becomes doing.  The future is exciting but demanding for teachers.  Teachers will only survive if they continue to learn.

References

How Technology Will Shape Teaching in the Future. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2017, from

https://www.educationcity.com/blog/how-technology-will-shape-teaching-future

Poh, Michael. (n.d.). 8 Technologies That Will Shape Future Classrooms. Retrieved June 26,

2017, from http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/future-classroom-technologies/

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology. (January 2016)  Future Ready

Learning: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education. Retrieved June 26,2017 from

https://tech.ed.gov/files/2015/12/NETP16.pdf.

Allowing Students to Use Mobile Devices to Achieve Learning Objectives

What a great time of year!  I am enjoying my summer break after my second year of teaching.  Looking ahead, I am excited about making small changes to my classes next year that I hope will yield positive results.  After two years of math textbooks and lectures to students sitting in perfect rows, I’m ready to start applying what I've learned from the TEACH-NOW teacher certification course. Allow me to tell you about these small changes and the part that mobile devices play in them.  Perhaps these changes will work for your classroom too.

First, I want to flip my classroom a few days each week. (For a brief explanation of the flipped classroom watch The Flipped Classroom Explained.)  At least two days a week, my eighth-grade pre-algebra students will get their math lesson (video) at home on their computer or mobile devices.  They will come to school the next day and collaboratively work to solve word problems related to the math concept they learned the night before.  I hope to gain more time in class to assist students who need it.  I also hope my students will begin to see that their phones and tablets can educate them and not just keep them socially-connected and entertained.

Second, I want students to use their mobile devices in the classroom occasionally as they work problems.  Students can access quizzes online at Quizlet and other sites and work together to solve them.  They can also review videos (while using earphones) as they do their classroom work.  Students zone out at times during my lectures and then ask me to repeat what I just said.  Mobile devices allow you to play a video lecture over and over again without making others listen to the same lecture again.

Third, I want to utilize mobile devices in project-based activities or short assignments.  I look forward to sending students on a geometry scavenger hunt through the school using their camera phones.  Students also may be given a choice to submit a reflection as a document or a video. These changes will be experimental and incremental, but I hope to build on them the following year.

What are some things I need to keep in mind to make these changes work? For in-class mobile activities,  I should plan a prep day when students will bring a mobile device to the classroom (with headphones) to see who does and doesn’t have one.  I should test the wi-fi that day also to see if everyone can connect.  I need a plan to allow students to share devices (if practical) or have spare devices for those who don’t bring one. For the flipped learning, I need to have a workaround for students who do not have internet access.  At this point, I will simply instruct them to read the lesson in the book the night before. By planning ahead, achieving learning objectives by using mobile learning can work smoothly.

References

Bergmann, John. (2016, July 10). The Flipped Classroom Explained.  Retrieved June 26,
       2017, from http://www.jonbergmann.com/the-flipped-classroom-explained/
Daccord, Tom. (2012, September 27). 5 Critical Mistakes Schools Make With iPads 
       (And How To Correct Them). Retrieved June 26, 2017, from 
       http://www.edudemic.com/5-critical-mistakes-schools-ipads-and-correct-them/
Dunn, Jeff. (2013, February 4). The Teacher’s Quick Guide To Digital Scavenger 
       Hunts. Retrieved June 26, 2017, from http://www.edudemic.com/
       the-teachers-quick-guide-to-digital-scavenger-hunts/

Special Education Resources

What resources are available for a teacher like me in Macon, Georgia, to address the needs of potential special education students in my classroom?  To answer this question I started by visiting the Bibb County School District website where I found helpful information.   Jennifer Mellor is listed as the executive director of the Special Education department or the Program for Exceptional Children as my school district calls it.  Additionally, the names, titles, and contact information are listed for 19 other staff members in this program.  Of particular interest to me were links to powerpoint presentations that offer differentiation ideas for teaching math and other subjects to special education students.

         Communicating the Language of Math through Adapted Literature gives various children’s book titles and explains the math concepts that can be taught through reading them.  It promotes learning math through literature as a practical and motivational avenue that creates positive attitudes toward math.  The list of books includes such titles as Alice in Wonderland, How to Eat Fried Worms, and Red Badge of Courage. (It says Lewis Carroll’s book is useful for teaching the concept of telling time!)

Another powerpoint link, Supporting Multiple Disabilities through Differentiation, states that differentiation is “providing interrelated activities that are based on student needs for the purpose of ensuring that all students come to a similar grasp of a skill or idea.”   It also indicates that differentiation not only allows the inclusion of special ed. students, but also gifted and culturally diverse students helping achieve classroom heterogeneity. Some differentiation strategies for teaching math are utilizing visual and graphic descriptions of math problems, demonstrating and encouraging thinking aloud in math, and giving peer-assisted learning activities.

There is even a link to elementary, middle school, and high school curriculum resources.  I downloaded the zip file for middle school and found the sections for science full of interesting pdf’s.  Unfortunately, the math resources were non-existent but the special education department’s website had already provided me with great math resources.

Bibb County School District’s website also provides a link to the Georgia Department of Education Special Education Services website.  This is the part of the GDOE that assists local school districts in serving students with disabilities. “These services focus on enhancing student achievement and post-secondary outcomes through implementation of regional and statewide activities for students, families, educators, administrators, and other stakeholders” says this website.  It had the following interesting graphic:

There is a section with answers to frequently asked questions which are divided into the following categories:

• General Questions
• Evaluation and Eligibility
• Individualized Education Program

If you are a new teacher like I am, you may wonder what the referral process is for special education.  On the Special Education Service section of the GDOE website, there is a link to the Special Education Rules Implementation Manual.  In Georgia, we have the Georgia Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions.  All public school students start in Tier 1 but if a student is struggling with his or her studies he can be moved to Tier 2 where the student's need is addressed by proven strategies that help most struggling students.  If when the student's progress is evaluated it is found to be still lacking, the student advances to Tier 3 where a student support team does more in depth need analysis and application of scientifically proven strategies for improvement.  If after further evaluation the student is not showing adequate progress, the student will be referred to special education testing with parental approval.  If testing is approved and the student is determined to have a disability an individual education plan will be designed and implemented with parental approval.  This will place the student in Tier 4.  Public schools have the option but not the obligation to pursue the overturning of parental disapproval if they feel it is best.  Here's my impression of the pyramid.

As a private school teacher, I wrongly assumed that Tier 4 students in Georgia could only have their needs met in a public school.  However, after interviewing my private middle/high school registrar I learned otherwise.  I asked her if she had ever recommended that one of our students be evaluated by the local school district for a learning disability and if the parents had followed through with her recommendation.  She indicated that the school had made many such recommendations and parents almost always do get their child tested.  She responded to my question regarding what determines whether a student should be referred by saying that depends on the evaluation by the student's teacher in consultation with our school resource teacher who has specialized training in special education.  I assumed that once a student is diagnosed with a disability that the student would leave our school in order to implement the IEP he or she receives.  But the registrar said that if our school and resource teacher can implement the IEP, the child is able to stay.  At times the student only needs longer testing time, oral testing rather than written exams, or extra help with reading.   The registrar even volunteered that some Tier 4 public students can request a transfer to our school, and the Georgia Department of Education will assist with tuition costs.  However, students who are assessed with a disability after first attending our private school do not qualify for any state tuition assistance. I also spoke briefly with our school's resource teacher who confirmed that our school does not have the resources to serve the needs of many special education students and therefore is not able to enroll many.

My search for special education resources yielded me a number of interesting finds.  I hope they are helpful to you.  If you have some resources that you can share with me, please leave me a comment.  Thanks!

Looking at Technology and Education through the Eyes of National and International Organizations

Technology is Transforming Teaching

    I am a new educator who is almost fifty years old.  When I received my undergraduate degree, computers were only glorified typewriters.  When I received my graduate degree, the internet had become very useful for doing research for papers.  Decades later, I am taking a teaching certification course that has exposed me to the larger role technology now plays in education.  I will share some things I am learning as I come to terms with the impact that technology is having, can have, and should have on teaching.

    Technology is transforming how educational institutions around the world conduct business.  NAFSA (National Association for Foreign Student Affairs) surveyed hundreds of undergraduate and graduate schools and programs across the globe.  Sixty percent of those who responded are using technology to build a virtual community, fifty percent advise their students using technology, and forty percent communicate with their colleagues through technology (How Social Media Technology Being Used).  According to the National Education Association (NEA), in the U.S.  “great strides have been made in infusing technology into schools and into the instructional process. . . Yet, despite the overall progress, many schools are not making full use of technology as a component of comprehensive school reform” (Technology in Schools: The Ongoing Challenge of Access, Adequacy and Equity, p. 1 ) Do we need to do more than just provide computers to schools in order to experience the full benefit that technology has to offer education?  Yes, we need to do much more.

    The national ratio of U.S. students to computers in public schools is 3.8 to 1, but it is not known what percentage of those computers are actually available in classrooms rather than allocated to a computer room (Technology in Schools, p.1).  Also, the presence of computers and computer related technology does not mean that they have software for different grades, that technical support is readily available to troubleshoot issues when they arise, or that teachers are properly trained to use the technology that is available.  And what exactly do we want to accomplish with the wonders of information and communication technology? The NEA’s vision for technology and teaching is expressed in the following terms, “The technology environment of today's public schools should match the tools and approaches of the work and civic life that students will encounter after graduation.”  Towards that end, they have the following policy recommendations.

1. Improve access to technology

2. Increase Internet access, address software issues, and expand
technical support

3. Expand professional development in technology

4. Capitalize on teachers’ and students’ enthusiasm about technology  

5. Involve educators as advocates (Technology in Schools, p.3)

   Interestingly, studies show that when educators and students engage with technology their enthusiasm, motivation, and interest in what they are doing go up (Technology in Schools, p.2).  Therefore, the NEA supports incorporating in teacher training programs the use technology for instruction (Positions on Technology and Education).

    However, Austin Beck believes that technology has the ability to transform teaching in even greater ways.  On a blog post on the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) website, he states, “Often, when schools adopt technology in the classroom they implement a software that is extremely aligned with their standards and that takes students on a very linear path through the subject they are learning” (Beck, 2017)  My whole educational experience was “linear”. While such a traditional and narrow approach to learning is needed in some ways, Beck (and apparently the CCSSO) believes that technology can expand what we can accomplish through education.  He believes technology “. . . should not create an education model that focuses on a few cognitive outcomes while leaving behind other critical outcomes like exploration, collaboration, problem-solving, engagement, and self-regulation” (Beck).
The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) released a report in 2014 called "Using Technology to Support At-Risk Students’ Learning". Research was reviewed regarding students who were likely to fail or drop out of school due to various reasons (e.g, pregnancy, necessary employment, lack of supports for learning English). When technology was used in a more linear way, presenting knowledge and then testing the comprehension, the results were not much more promising than non-technological approaches. "However, other approaches have been more productive. Research has indicated three important variables for success with at-risk students who are learning new skills: interactive learning; use of technology to explore and create rather than to 'drill and kill'; and the right blend of teachers and technology" (Using Technology, p.6).

As I reflect on the NAFSA survey of international schools and the NEA technology policies, I can see that they recognize that teachers and students need to know how to use technology. However, CCSSO’s vision of technology in education and SCOPE's report cause me to realize that we are still at the beginning of the technology in education revolution.  We are not talking about new ways of doing the same old thing.  Technology is transforming the way we learn and the outcome of learning, and today’s educators need to prepare learners to fully engage their world with the help of technology.

Reference List

Beck, Austin. (2017). The Future of Learning Technologies and Open Educational

      Resources. Retrieved from http://www.ccsso.org/Resourhttp://www.ccsso.org/

      Resources/Programs/OER_Home_/OER_Blog_-_January_2017.htmlces/

      Programs/OER_Home_/OER_Blog_-_January_2017.html

National Education Association. Positions on Technology and Education. Retrieved from

      http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB19_Technology08.pdf

National Association for Foreign Student Affairs. How Social Media Technology Being Used.

      Retrieved from https://www.nafsa.org/_/File/_/ea_tech_report_how_used.pdf

National Education Association. Technology in Schools: The Ongoing Challenge of Access,

     Adequacy and Equity. Retrieved from  http://www.nea.org/home/58795.htm
The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. (2014). Using Technology to
Support At-Risk Students’ Learning. Retrieved from
https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/scope-pub-using-technology-report.pdf