Guest blogger, Michael Albertson writes about specific challenges that are major contributors to poor student outcomes in urban schools. He explains 4 aspects of these struggles that often go unmentioned in public discourse. I'll list them here, but please read the article for further explaination and documentated examples.
1. Disconnect between life at school and life at home
2. Language
3. Hesitancy to Trust Adults
4. They Know and See What Society Thinks of Them on a Daily Basis
My experience and yours too probably see the same challenges. The important questions is what can "we" do in our contacts with our Title I kids. What are some ways, we can broadcast our successes to a larger audience?
Overlooked: Students in Urban Schools. Peter DeWitt. 10.19.12. Education Week - Finding Common Ground
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/finding_common_ground/2012/10/overlooked_students_in_urban_schools.html?cmp=ENL-EU-VIEWS2
I found this article to be of great interest and highly related to both the school I taught at in Illinois and to where I am currently working, St. Anthony School. The four explanations as to why teachers and students in an urban setting do not communicate well or why expectations are not meet are accurately presented in this article according to my experiences in an urban setting. At SAS, students face an extra language barrier as they are not only learning English, but proper English grammar at that. Teacher’s must remember this when giving directions or explaining an objective or goal to a student. We must also take into account the home life of each child when planning lessons, grading papers and giving homework. Any way that we can help each students achieve – not by making assignments easier, but by helping them during school - will benefit the child. For example, I gave an assignment to my class in which they needed to do some research. I had a sign-up sheet to allow students to use the classroom computer to do some research for their project. I wanted to assist my students as much as I could so they would succeed with their assignment. It also helped them see that they could trust me and that I had their best interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to read more about teaching in an urban setting, try looking up Ruby Payne and Rita Pierson. Rita Pierson has some interesting videos on how to talk with students and the best ways to react to various situations that occur in school.