Who Are Today’s Students?

Who Are Today’s Students? Exploring The Different Minds & Backgrounds of Our Students Team HoneyComb: Gabriella Soliz, Emily Murray, Amber Winterbottom, Lydia Sawyer and Madelyn Wilder.

Introduction Today we will be overviewing the many different aspects of students lives regarding their background, experiences, and individual preferences to better understand and reach them on an educational level while also creating a comfortable and safe environment in the classroom.

Bilingual Education? • Sexual Orientation(s)? • The Dropout Rate? • Multicultural Education and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy? • At Risk Students? • Howard Gardner's 9 Types of Intelligence? In this presentation we will cover what is. .

Bilingual Education: Bilingual Education Programs Two-way or dual-language programs: Teaches fluency in both languages, so that a class of both language-minority and native English-speaking students become fluent in both languages. English as a Second Language (ESL) - classes to help the students learn English. Educating English - language learners by teaching them, at least part of the time, in their native language. Meanwhile other programs immerse language-minority students in English-only classes without any native-language communication.

6 Teaching Tips from Professional Training in "Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English" for Faculty Presentation • Speaking clearly and at a slower pace • Using gestures and facial expressions • Using concrete materials and visuals • Avoiding idiomatic expressions that are peculiar to English • Engaging students in group work that is student centered • Find “language buddies”, pairing English-language learners with students who are more advanced in English but also fluent in the learner’s native language

Its typical categories include: • Heterosexual (attracted to opposite gender) • Homosexual (Gay and Lesbian) • Bisexual (sexual attraction towards both sexes) • Transgender (having characteristics of the opposite sex) What is Sexual Orientation? Sexual orientation is an enduring emotional, romantic, sexual, or affectional attraction that a person feels toward people of one or both sexes.

Why are LGBT students often considered the “invisible minority”? The reason why LGBT students are often considered the “invisible minority” is because their sexual orientations are often hidden from view. LGBT is an acronym used to represent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.

5 strategies for Reducing Dropout Rate • Make it harder for students to drop out of school- Offer students assistance and opportunities to stay in school. Strengthen accountability. • Address the underlying causes of dropping out- Be aware low-income students are more likely to drop out. Watch for presence of risk factors • Address the needs of those groups at highest risk of dropping out- Focus on strategies to help youth stay in school. Focus on dropout prevention strategies for students with disabilities and special needs. • Strengthen school readiness- Improve access to health care. Expand access to high-quality early education programs. • Strengthen the skills and the understanding of the adults who affect teens’ motivation and ability to stay in school- Provide ongoing staff development to teachers who work with at-risk youth. Involve teachers and parents in planning dropout prevention programs. Dropout Rate: The dropout rate in the United States is around 10 percent. Meaning that one out of every ten U.S. students fails to get a high school diploma or an alternative credential. The percentage of students who fail to complete high school or earn an equivalency degree.

Four Important Attributes of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy • Use of cultural references to develop students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes. • Honors students' life stories/belief systems and finds ways to incorporate them into curriculum. • Create classroom community by granting voices and legitimacy to experiences of students from diverse backgrounds. • Encourage all students to achieve academically by acknowledging the students' personal and cultural identities. What is Multicultural Education and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy? Multicultural Education- Education with the aim of creating equal opportunities for students from diverse racial, ethnic, social class, and cultural groups. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy- A teaching practice that places the culture of the learning at the center of instruction.

The 5 Learning Styles 1. Visual: Learn best through the use of pictures, images, and spatial understanding. 2. Auditory: learn best through verbal lectures, discussions, and listening to what others have to say.3. Kinesthetic: Learn best through hands-on approach and actively exploring the physical world around them.4. Interpersonal: Learn best through working with groups or with other people.5. Linguistic: Learn best through use of words,both in speech and writing. Learning Style: “I personally, am a visual learner, and need to have a picture in front of me so I can look at it as long as I want, as many times as I want. Simply hearing the directions or lesson explained tends to go in one ear and out the other for me.” Madelyn stated . . The dominant way in which we process the information around us.

Is this landscape similar to or different from that which prevailed when you were in school? Public schools are filled with people of different cultural and ethnic differences that make a huge impact on schools. Today, we have to focus more on issues such as language minority students and ESOL classes to get students that speak English as a second language up to speed. There’s also religious diversity and sexual orientation that come into play with public schools that have us become more culturally aware to tailor our teaching to all types of students to avoid anyone offended. This landscape is a little different from when I went to school. Things such as sexual orientation and religion were not as open as they are in 2016. I also went to a private elementary school so we didn’t have many ESOL students, it was predominantly white. In these years to come, I can only imagine how the schools are going to change and grow! -Lydia Describe the current student landscape in public schools in the United States. The current landscapes in public schools today is much like it was in the past but more so booming now with diversity.

What is meant by the term “Student at Risk”? What are some of the social factors that put students at-risk? Socioeconomic Status Homelessness Child Abuse Hunger A student at risk is a student that is “in danger of not completing school or not acquiring the education they need to be successful citizens.” Depression Teen Pregnancy

Howard Gardner's Nine Types of Multiple Intelligences

What type of Intelligence are you? I would be a visual-spatial intelligence. I like to see things and pictures things and write them down to organize my thoughts. This could impact my students because not all children learn the same way I do and I’d need to tailor my lesson plans to meet the needs of each student and not just something that I like. -Lydia Two Additional Intelligences... Two additional proposed intelligences is visual or auditory, which have turned into two of the major ways that we define “learning styles” today.

In Conclusion We hope you now have a better understanding of the diversity of students you’ll face inside today’s classrooms. When you need to better understand your students we hope, with all this information, you ask yourself. . . . Who are my students?

Works Cited:Images • Slide One: Clipart Happy Students http://worldartsme.com/happy-students-clipart.html#gal_post_14659_happy-students-clipart-1.jpg • Slide Three: Clipart Thinking Teacher http://www.clipartpanda.com/categories/oligarch-clipart • Slide 12: At Risk http://clipartfreefor.com/files/2/41137_risk-clipart.html • Slide 13: 9 Multiple Intelligences http://api.ning.com/files/rFmq0S5l0CLmxgPLBUlP22*0gR5esImtoLRjLurQhUZ0CvxUQfFeK1QAUsjeTepYkWcp6qQYasrgWgFesELHY2u4kCUYEwPA/mul.jpg

Who Are Today’s Students?