JISD Professional Development Newsletter - September, 2010

 

On our JISD QUEST:
(QUestioning, STudent Engagement & Standards)

Student Engagement IS the KEY

In the March 2010  issue of Principal Leadership, Indiana University researcher Ethan Yazzie-Mintz zeroes in on the issue of student engagement – in safari explorerparticular, the disparity between students’ and grown-ups’ perceptions. “Adults in schools often express confidence that they already know what their students think and that they understand their students’ experience in school,” says Yazzie-Mintz. “As a result, many doubt or demean students’ negative comments about their experiences. Students, on the other hand, regularly assert that adults, for the most part, do not understand their experiences or perspectives and, worse, don’t care.”

            In fact, a High School Survey of Student Engagement (HSSSE) in 2009 (available at http://ceep.indiana.edu/hssse) showed that students have the following beliefs about their school and its leadership:

  • Adults in the school care more about its public image than about its students.
  • Adults don’t respect students.
  • Adults say one thing and do another, particularly when students are involved.
  • Students’ thoughts and feelings don’t matter.

In the survey, students said they were bored in school because the material wasn’t interesting (81%), it wasn’t relevant (42%), and they had no interaction with teachers (35%). One fifth of students said they had considered dropping out of school, 50% of them because they didn’t like the school, 42% because they didn’t see the value of the work they were being asked to do, and 39% because they didn’t like their teachers. “Bridging the gulf between students and adults is a great challenge for school leaders,” says Yazzie-Mintz, “but it is key to strengthening both student engagement and the connection between students and schools.”

  Student engagement stems from the school’s culture, says Yazzie-Mintz. He suggests five principles for creating a culture of engagement:

            hat• Know what students think. This is often different from what adults believe students think. One example is technology, which many adults assume is the way to engage students. In fact, many students think that adults bring in technology to make the school look good to outsiders. “Technology by itself doesn’t engage students,” says Yazzie-Mintz. In fact, it can have a disengaging effect. “Talking to students, surveying students, and creating focus groups can help schools avoid the mismatch between the perceptions of adults and the perceptions of students.”

            • Believe what students say and care about what they think. Many students who respond to surveys say that adults aren’t truly concerned about what students say. “Students look for clues as to whether the adults are taking them seriously,” says Yazzie-Mintz. “Schools that take students seriously will get more serious students and will find themselves moving toward greater engagement.”

            • Set a clear purpose and ensure it is enacted by everybody in the school community. “If the words and mission aren’t matched by structures and actions,” says Yazzie-Mintz, “the first ones to notice will be the students, who are likely to disengage.”
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• Create structures and processes that meet the learning needs of students. This means involving students in the decision-making process and continually tweaking structures to meet students’ needs. An example of this not happening is that lecturing continues to be the most common classroom strategy in high schools despite the fact that 74% of students prefer other methods.

            • Engage ALL students deeply and equally. The engagement gap mirrors the achievement gap, says Yazzie-Mintz. “Students reported differential levels of engagement by gender, race and ethnicity, academic track, eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch, and length of time in school,” he says, citing HSSSE data. “A common theme is favoritism. Students are more likely to disengage when they perceive unequal treatment or unequal engagement.” One student said, “I think the principal should have a betmagnifying glasster relationship with students instead of hiding out in her office all day.”

           Lots of work is being done to align content to standards and assessments to subject matter, concludes Yazzie-Mintz. “Ultimately,” he concludes, “the connection between students and schools is strengthened by aligning what school leaders say with what they do.”

“Leading for Engagement” by Ethan Yazzie-Mintz in Principal Leadership, March 2010 (Vol. 10, #7, p. 54-58); the author is at emintz@indiana.edu; here is a brief YouTube clip of Yazzie-Mintz presenting his main idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inV530vTObA

Dr. Ken Shore's Classroom Problem Solver:
Encouraging Class Participation

Class participation is an important aspect of student learning. When students speak up in class, they learn to express their ideas in a way that others can understand. When they ask questions, they learn how to obtain information to enhance their own understanding of a topic.

Class participation also is a valuable learning tool for teachers. Through students' questions, you learn what they don't understand, and can adjust your instruction accordingly.

Just as speaking in front of a group doesn't come easily to many adults, however, speaking up in class is a struggle for many students. That struggle might manifest itself in the classroom in a variety of ways -- not volunteering to answer questions, not asking for help, not speaking up in small-group activities, even not talking in class at all.raising hands

As a teacher, you will have greater success spurring a student to speak up if you can figure out why he is reluctant to participate. Whatever the reason for his reticence, your role is not to force him to speak; doing so will more likely make him clam up than open up. Your role is to provide a supportive, encouraging climate that helps him feel more comfortable, more confident, and less fearful of speaking up.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

aCreate a climate in which students are encouraged to ask questions. Make it clear to students that you want them to ask questions. Point out that their questions help you by indicating where you might not have been clear. Emphasize that there is no such thing as a dumb question, and make sure to not allow students to ridicule a classmate's questions.

aTake the student's questions and comments seriously. The student's reluctance to ask a question or volunteer an answer might be due to a lack of confidence. Help him gain the courage to participate by showing respect for his contributions and giving thoughtful answers to his questions. Listen attentively while he is talking; do not interrupt him. Try to find something positive to say about his comments, such as "That's an interesting point. I never thought about it that way" or "That's a really creative idea."

aOrchestrate his speaking experiences to ensure success. Consider the following strategies:

  • Ask questions you are confident he can answer.
  • Let him know before class that you will be calling on him for a specific question so he can prepare an answer. If you arrange to call on him, do it early to lessen anxiety.
  • When he does respond, reinforce his comments with positive statements and an encouraging smile.
  • If you ask a question and he blanks out or says nothing, restate the question (perhaps in a yes or no format), or lead him toward the right answer by providing a clue. Or you might let him off the hook by giving the answer, while saying something like "That was a tough one," and then moving on.

aBe patient when waiting for a response. The student might need more time than normal to organize his ideas and formulate a response. As a result, he might be slow about answering a question. If so, give him extra time by waiting for an answer a little longer than you usually do. If other students are clamoring to answer, ask for their patience as well.

aMonitor class participation. Monitoring will help you determine who is and who is not participating, and learn whether a particular student is improving. A simple way to keep track of student participation is to keep a seating chart on your desk and place check marks next to the names of those students who do contribute.

aProvide opportunities for the student to practice his communication skills by taking the time to talk with him privately. The idea is to help the student feel more comfortable talking with one person so, in time, he will feel more confident speaking up in front of a group. Find a few minutes every so often to talk with him about his favorite activities and interests. Or speak with him when he is doing an art project or a writing assignment. Ask questions, so he can explain what he is doing, but be sure the questions are non-threatening.

aGive the student responsibilities that require communication. You might have to nudge the student to assume those responsibilities, but don't hesitate to push a little if you are confident he can do them successfully. For example, you might encourage him to be a class messenger, a teacher assistant, a peer tutor, or the leader of a small group working on a topic he is familiar with. Make sure to praise his performance even if he struggles with the task.

aObserve the student for evidence of a speech or language problem. A student might be reluctant to speak up in class because he has a speech defect or difficulty putting his thoughts into words. Articulation problems usually are readily evident to teachers, however, difficulties in language usage can be more difficult to identify. If your observations suggest a communication problem, bring that to the attention of your school's speech-language specialist, who might want to do an evaluation

 

Article by Dr. Ken Shore  Education World®  Copyright © 2005 Education World


Editor: Dee Thomas, JISD Professional Development Coordinator