Effective Teaching:

1. Effective Teaching: What do we know about teaching strategies that work for students experiencing homelessness? Patricia A. Popp Project HOPE-Virginia pxpopp@wm.edu Fran Anderson Kenosha Unified School District kusd@shalomcenter.org

2. Agenda • The context – what do we know about our students’ achievement? • Preparing teachers and tutors • General strategies to address student needs: • Affective • Academic • Technical • Content specific strategies

3. Achievement for students experiencing homelessness What do the statistics say?

4. Studies have shown • Absenteeism is greater • Developmental delays occur at 4 times the rate reported for housed peers • Learning disabilities identified at double the rate of housed peers • Twice as likely to repeat a grade

5. CSPR Data Academic Progress in Reading and Mathematics, Grades 3-8

6. Add a few new cites

7. Keep an eye on • Adequate yearly progress (AYP) and disaggregated categories • On Time Graduation Rate • Joe Johnson – serve our homeless students well…we’ll reach everyone

8. A recommendation from Ron Walker: • When you find research that makes sense and “fits” what you see… • That’s the research to which you should pay close attention

9. Achievement for students experiencing homelessness What do teachers see?

10. Characteristics commonly observed: • Below grade level (2 years by 6th grade) • Lacking many cognitive strategies (due to lack of mediation from an adult) • Lack of environmental knowledge • Weak vocabularies • Trouble solving abstract problems and making inferences

11. Brain Research (Devlin, et al., 1997 meta analysis) • 34% genetics • 66% environment • BUT THERE IS HOPE!!! • It’s not just critical periods of development • The window doesn’t shut • There are more critical experiences that we can provide

12. We can still make a difference! • Federal, state, local policies • Immediate enrollment • Local liaisons and collaboration • School stability • Access, attendance, and success in school • NCHE Efforts • Highly Mobile Students, Reading on the Go!, Qualities of Effective Teachers

13. Good Teaching Matters! • “There is persuasive evidence that students benefit from high quality instructions and that these benefits are cumulative for student who have good teachers for several years. • Teacher effectiveness matters so much that low-income students lucky enough to have three very good teachers in a row in elementary school earn test scores that, on average, are similar to middle class students.”

14. Qualities of Effective Teachers EFFECTIVE TEACHERS Background Job Responsibilities and Practices Prerequisites Classroom Management & Instruction Implementing Instruction The Person Organizing for Instruction Monitoring Student Progress & Potential Used with the Permission of Linda Hutchinson, Doctoral Student, The College of William and Mary

15. Meeting At-Risk/Highly Mobile Student Needs • Affective Needs • Academic Needs • Technical Needs

16. Technical Needs • What does it mean? • Focusing on the outside needs of at-risk/highly mobile students such as assistance with food, housing, referrals to agencies • Considering relationship with parents in working with students • What does it sound like? It’s not that the parents don’t care and I find the parents increasingly supportive. But the reality is that they also come from highly dysfunctional homes. -- Tanya

17. Preparing teachers (and tutors) • They need to understand how homelessness influences school performance • How do we make this happen?

18. Content Knowledge for Teachers • Students: • Will decide to work in your class IF they like you • Love to entertain and tell stories in casual register • Are disorganized • Often lack basic classroom survival skills • May not know or use middle class courtesies • May not know or use conflict resolution skills • Get angry and quit working easily (emphasis on present feelings)

19. Content Knowledge for Teachers • Communication skills • Working with parents • Working with other teachers and tutors • Working with other support personnel • Getting outside help • Knowing the resources • Knowing who to call

20. Affective Needs • What does it mean? • Helping students develop a sense of belonging • Developing intrinsic motivation • Attending to emotional needs • What does it sound like? I work hard to reduce stress in the classroom – to make it very comfortable and positive. I want to be seen as a helper/facilitator, not a dictator. -- Jeana

21. Affective Needs • Connecting with students • Classroom management

22. Relationship is everything!!! • “You came back!” • Assimilate quickly into class • Be honest about student’s academic level • Reflect all progress with praise (esp. attitude) • Teach life lessons • Use adult voice (avoid sarcasm) • Appreciate student’s humor and ability to entertain • Show personal interest in the student • Provide individual help • Give “wait time” and give clues when there is trouble answering a question (scaffolding)

23. Culture The way we do things around here Climate The way we feel about the way we do things around here Culture and Climate

24. Definitions • Rules – standards or expectations • Procedures • Routines

25. Looks Like Sounds Like Making Rules More Concrete

26. Remembering Procedures • Post them • Sing them • Cheer them • Rap them • Rhyme them • Let the students help create a method

27. Describe and demonstrate desired behavior Give context Give rationale Model Rehearse Simulated Guided practice Distributed Feedback Sandwich Technique Eye Contact Basic Steps for Teaching Rules and Procedures

29. Managing Problem Behavior An ideal strategy would: • Maintain/restore order immediately • Not affect a positive learning environment • Prevent repetition of the problem

30. Three Levels of Intervention • Minor • Moderate • More extensive

31. Nonverbal cues Pacing speed up Proximity Group focusing Behaviorredirect Instruction Brief desist Student choice “I” message Minor Interventions

32. Moderate Interventions • Withhold a privilege or desired activity • Isolate or remove student(s) • Use a penalty • Assign detention • Use a school-based consequence

33. More Extensive Interventions • Problem solving • Peer mediation/conflict resolution • Conference with a parent • Individual contract with the student

34. A Problem-Solving Process Label the problem Alternatives are brainstormed Choose one (+) to implement and gain commitment Evaluate effectiveness • of implementation • of outcome

35. Wheels for Feelings from Karen Rooney • Place event in center of wheel • Generate feeling words on one half • Generate possible solutions on other half Solutions Feelings

36. Classroom Management • Write and model classroom rules • Teach and model conflict resolution skills • Teach and model middle class courtesies (give a second set of rules from which to choose) • Include student in discipline process (alternative behaviors)

37. Academic Needs • What does it mean? • Focusing on the academic achievement • Working toward academic progress • What does it sound like? I think [my relationship with students] it’s a big role because I take ownership into their learning process and involvement and there should be no question on their part that I’m a player and that they don’t stand alone. And I think that makes a big difference. -- Janice

38. Assessing Needs • Reading tests • Writing samples • Computation probes

39. Monitoring Progress • Tools kept in students’ boxes • Non-reader skills • Future worksheets • School spelling lists • Copies of report cards • Planning interventions

40. Filling the Gaps • Balancing student needs and grade level expectations • Systematic building of vocabulary • Important to concept development • Direct teaching of formal register • Direct teaching of classroom survival skills • Hand raising, note taking procedural self-talk)

41. Teaching Cognitive Strategies • Help students set goals (control impulsivity) • Teach students to ask questions • Teach students to sort • Help students process abstract information through mental models

42. Language Arts • Common needs • What works • Instructional techniques/tips • Resources

43. Mathematics • Common needs • What works • Instructional techniques/tips • Resources

44. Content Areas/Study Skills • Common needs • What works • Instructional techniques/tips • Resources

45. “… nothing, absolutely nothing has happened in education until it has happened to a student” Joe Carroll, 1994