Rebuilding mindset begins with helping students notice their own progress. e Reframing mistakes as information is an essential part of having a posi- tive academic mindset.
This is something that we need to do every day in the classroom. We need to help students change their mindset and little by little believe in themselves as we show that we believe in them.
When teachers frame student differences as deficits rather than as assets, a microaggression is ignited for the student. Too often, teachers who are not working to become culturally responsive misinterpret cul- tural differences as deficits, dysfunctions, or disadvantages in students, leading the teacher to react negatively toward the student rather than respond positively
We need to be aware and think before act and say something that can be hurtful to our students. These attitudes have an impact on our students learning.
This means that as c Iturally responsive teachers our focus has Neer ones # to_be.on. shifting mindset rather than on trying. to force engagement or _cajole students’ motivation.
I think that we need to encourage our students to see their full potential. This has to be little by little through conversations based on trust.
s warm demanders, our job is to get students to recognize that put- ting forth the effort is worth the work. We do this by helping each student cultivate an academic mindset.
This is important to do with our students. They need to know that we believe in them and that we are holding them accountable.
This means building a classroom culture that cele-brates the opportunity to get feedback and reframes errors. as information.
It is important to create a culture in the classroom where feedback is an important part of learning. This is the way to be better.
Find a way to organize the classroom schedule so that you can have perio ic conferences or check-ins with students.
I think that this is the difficult part. It has been difficult to get to all of them and have the conversation about their goals in a set amount of time.
The pact is a formal agreement between teacher and student to work on a learning goal and a relational covenant between them.
I have been able to set some reading goals wit some of my students and this has worked. They feel responsible for their own learning and they want to be successful.
The student with this limited outlook believes effort is useless. He begins to cover up, hide, or act out because he believes failure on an assignment or task might expose him as "dumb" to his peers, leaving him vulnerable to teasing and being ostracized.
This has happened at my school with some students. As they grow, they are more aware of skills and feel behind. They start to close up.
Their awareness of their own lack of academic proficiency leads to a lack of confidence as learners. Unfortunately, many culturally and linguistically diverse stu-dents start to believe these skill gaps are evidence of their own innate intellectual deficits. They internalize the negative verbal and nonverbal messages adults at school send to them in the form of low expectations, unchallenging remedial content, and an overemphasis on compliant behavior
This is really sad and I have seen it happen again and again.
Based on your finding·s~-:iii_~n.,tj[!f..,'!_fl.!~al~~!!lt ou can make to build trust with your focal student. Think about one small change you would like to make that you believe would shift the nature \
Important to have in mind.
Share a new skill or process you are learning-not the finished product but the less-than-perfect beginning and middle parts. '-----• Share your interests with the whole class and then find fellow fans among individual students with whom you share an interest in the ~ same sports teams, movies, or hobb
I have tried some of these strategies. They are valuable.
In addition to building trusf through acts of caring and authentic listen-ing, we can build trust by being more authentic, vulnerable, and in sync with our students.
I think it is important for students and families to see us as human beings too.
Trust, therefore, frees up the brain for other activities such as crea-tivity, learning, and higher order thinking.
It is important for our students to trust us so they can learn and feel valued. We need to be careful not to make our students feel threatened.
ealized that culturally responsive relationships aren't just something nice to have. They are critical. The only way to get students to open up to us is to show we authentically care about who they are, what they have to say, and how they feel
We need to show our students that we genuinely care.
The strategy is based on neuroscience findings that tell us that if we are able to put as little as 10 seconds in-between the time we get trig-gered and our reaction, we can preempt an amygdala hijack and avoid responding negatively. The following box gives an overview of the S.O.D.A. strategy.
A strategy that I want to incorporate in my practice.
For a culturally responsive teacher who is working to empower dependent learners who may be resistant out of fear, this prac-tice is critical
We are models in the classroom. We need to model how to have self control and how to react in different situations.
The culturally responsive teacher's ability to manage her emotions is paramount because she is the "emotional thermostat" of the classroom and can influence students' mood and productivity.
Something we need to have in mind daily.
As a result, teachers' deficit-oriented attributions of student performance influence their instructional decision making, resulting in giving students less opportunity for engaging curricula, interesting tasks, and culturally congruent ways of learning.
We have the power to support our students, to give them what they really need valuing them and what they know.
A critical first step for teachers is to under-stand how their own cultural values shape their expectations in the classroom-from how they expect children to behave socially,
This is the first step. This is a practice we need to follow actively. we need to understand our culture and biases first to be able to understand others and be aware.
This means we each must do the "inside-out" work ~ •:-. . t required: de.~~loping t!!e right mindset, eng!lg!ng,_p. self-reflecti~:~~king , ;;;· ~ our implicit bia~~,,_P.racticj_n,&,.§~}~~,1!:..<?.!i.?HaJ.i!.::Y:¥.'.~~~~S.1• c!. !!.clh..q\qLqg an )" ~~-·~ i~_§tan.ce,.rngg.1;dio..g,tb.,~)wp~c;(gL2J!!..~~rn~Y-9~-°-,~~s.tud~1;_
I agree. We need to examine our biases and how this impacts our students.
To empower depen-dent learners and help them become independent learners, the brain needs to be challenged and stretched beyond its comfort zone ~i cognitive routines and strategy.
Sometimes we forget this.
To make learning ~t!g(.._'\:Y..e.b~ye to determine what students already know and understand how they have -~~~~~~---=~~,..___~~-,-~----·-·--· ---organized it in their schema. From there we must constru
We cannot forget this. When planning our lessons, it is important to know what our students know. Connecting the new learning to their background knowledge is key.
Learning isn't a passive event but a dynamic action. It requires focused attention, active engagement, and conscious processing by the learner. The hallmark of an independent learner is his ability to direct his_ attention towara his o...w,qJ~ning
Something we need to remember. Learning is interactive.
It i~t enough to have a classroQ.J;n free of psychological and socia~l 1 thr~ The brain needs to be part ~f a caring social community to • IJll!Ximize its sense of well-being. Marginalized students need to fe affirmed and included as valued members of a learning community.
We need to connect with students, value and include them. This is the best way in which students will be ready to learn.
Relationships are not just emotional; they have a physical component. Relationships exist at the intersection of mind-body. They are the precursor to learmng.
Very important for learning. Feeling safe is key.
Conversely, w1:en we don't pm,Gti,ce or use~_.den.cl~ortly af~(-a le~r!1.!!!~. _:P.isode~ brafurunes th~m~bY. star.,yjng them and t~~i reabsorbing them. It assumes that if you didn't revisit the activity that grewtJ:re·clenarHes thannf6rmahon wasn't important to keep. The foot-path ~fi~mntdtsappears, ma mg it hard to find your way back to stored knowledge and skills.
We need to have this in mind to support our students learning. Making these connections is important for learning.How do we help our students? What is the best way?
here in the neocortex that we have the chance to build our brain power, also called our intellective capacity. The challenge is getting past the lower brain's two emotional gatekeepers: the reticular activating sys-tem (RAS) and the amygdala.
This is important to have in mind. This is the part of the brain that manages our executive functions. The question is how do we help our students and ourselves to develop thispart of the brain.
The lizard brain allows you to smell smoke or hear a loud suspicious noise when you are asleep. It is what wakes you up. The brain stem is the structure that connects the brain to the spinal cord.
This is definitely interesting to remember how our brains are always on alert.
s rather than their strengths, suggesting that these we aknesses stem from low intelligence, poor moral character, or inadequate social skills. At its core, the culture of poverty theory says that poor people are respo
This is definitely present in our schools. We are still fighting this in my school. Some teachers make some comments about families and students that are hurtful. Some teachers do not believe that students can learn because of their way of living.
we simply focus on creating short-term solutions to get dependent students of color to score high on each year's standardized tests. We don't focus on building their intellective capacity so that they can begin to fill their own learning gaps with proper scaffolding.
We are definitely failing our students. I see this in some of our students. there are some students who have made so much growth and we are confident that they will be soon at grade level.
ialization. We see it in the way we make staffing decisions in education. Often, underresourced urban schools are staffed by new teachers or te
I was really surprised to learn about this some years ago. It is sad that we define a student's future by 3rd grade.
mmunity, and cooperative learning. Individualistic societies , emphasize individual achievement and independence,:,__ _ ../ / n erica, tmomin'airt ��re is individual
This can be evident in the classroom. Also, we need to think about our students' learning styles and personalities.
The realit is that the strug le not because of their race, lcgrnqage, or pov-e�hey :tr��, �e�b�e�c�au�s�e�w�e�.=4-_=;o�n�•t�o�f;;;fe=r t�sufficient �0?orf¥rµties.in the classroom to develop the cogl?Jtiv� s . �ts of lll[ld that would pre-'--' _____ ,..._...._ � pare them to take_on more advanced academic task
I think we need to change our mindset in order to support our students better.
move through this practice area, teachers understand how to
Students need to feel safe to take risks and feel part of th community.
Estcl,blish an authentic connection with students that builds mutual trust and respect • Leverage the trust bond to help students rise to higher expectations • Give feedback in emotionally intelligent ways so students are able to take it in and act on it • Hold students to high standards while offering them new intellectual challenges
Pert of creating a safe environment is to hold students accountable to high expectations.
Every culturally responsive teacher develops a sociopoliti�al consciousness, an understanding that we live in a racialized society that gives unearned privilege to some while others experience unearned disadvantage because of race, gender, class, or language.
This is part of getting to know our students but also to be aware of our own biases and the position we take in this world.
An educator's ability to recognize students' cultural displays of learning and meaning making and respond positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective information processing. All the while, the educator understands the impor tance of being in a / relationship and having a social-emotional connection to the stu-// \dentin order to create a safe space for learning.
We all need to connect with our students in order to get to know them. This way, we can support them better while taking advantage of the knowledge they bring.