Engaging students with poverty in mind is an overwhelming task. Poverty is not only a financial struggle but also includes other attributes-both mentally and emotionally-that are sometimes overlooked by outsiders. Nutrition, stress, and cognitive capacity all affect a student's performance. As educators, it is our goal to ensure we can assess the needs of our students and provide the support they need to become successful people in our society.
One of the greatest things we can do as educators is to relate to our students. If we do not know where they come from, what their home lives are like, or what they encounter on a daily basis, it is difficult to hone in on what they need most. Eric Jensen states in his book Teaching with Poverty in Mind, "The goal is to manage students' emotional states to make them better receptive to learning as much of the time as possible"(p. 140). Here are some ways we can show our investment in our students and engage them:
- Take time at the beginning of the school year to review students' files
- Add strategies to your lessons and manage student progress each week
- Appreciate and acknowledge every response from students. This small habit will boost confidence in your students and encourage more participation.
- Despite the assumption that students of poverty have parents that are not involved, continue to reach out to parents. This assumption is not always accurate, and you might be surprised at the response.
- Call home for both good and bad reports.
- Be positive and excited when you see them...despite how the day before ended!
- Be passionate about what you are teaching to gain student by-in.
Once you have established an environment in your classroom that shows concern, empathy, and investment for your students, it will be easier for you to gain their buy-in. Establishing incentives that are fun is one of my favorite things to do! Reward your students for good behavior, asking good questions, and helping fellow students. Rewarding students for these three things prevents teachers from only rewarding the students who consistently get test questions correct or who are quiet in class. Being fair and consistent are two important attributes to an incentive program to keep in mind. By knowing your students' interests, you are also better able to target engaging activities that they will enjoy-a true reward in itself. This will show your students you respect them and their interests and will help them respect you in return.
In a perfect classroom, a teacher is able to spend time with each student one-on-one or within small groups to more fully understand what core skills are mastered and missing. However, often times this is not possible. The best a teacher can do to still gain this understanding of his/her students is to be fully present with her students. By being a stable and positive relationship in their lives, students will gain more from us than just the grade-level curriculum. In addition to the points listed above, here is what I am doing in my classroom to keep my students engaged in learning:
- I eliminate the "lull"! One thing I have noticed is that if I offer a second of dead time in my classroom, it quickly turns into more time away from my lesson as I try to get everyone back on task. To avoid this "lull", I keep things moving. My students quickly pick up on my class' routine, and we get a lot accomplished.
- I vary my activities! Every class is a mix of different types of learners, so I create my lesson plans with that fact in mind. I ensure I target all learning styles in my teaching. From getting the students out of their seats, to having them add clapping/stopping to their reading, to reading independently, to working in pairs, I want my students to experience learning in different ways.
- I give opportunities to answer! Sometimes the answer to something is black and white. When it is not, I like to ask my students questions that can have multiple answers, so I have a greater opportunity of hearing from more students.
- I ensure no one is overlooked! Every morning when my students come in to my classroom, I check their folders. They bring them to me, and this is our time to check for parents notes, homework is complete, and most importantly, to check in and say 'Good Morning" before the day begins. I could easily collect all folders, check them, and pass them back out, but I enjoy the time with my students this way.
Nicholas Provenzano's article for Edutopia entitled "Good Time: 4 Ways to Reawaken Student Engagement" is also a great resource for ways to engage your students of all backgrounds. There he gives four main points to keep present in your daily lessons with the most important being to Have Fun!
I would love to hear what you do in your classrooms to engage learners of all styles and background. Not all students come to school ready to learn, so how do you change this when they arrive?
Reference:
Jensen E. (2009). Teaching With Poverty in Mind. ASCD: Alexandria, VA.
Prvenzano, N. (2013 December 13) Good Time: 4 Ways to Reaawaken Student Engagement. Edutopia. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/good-time-reawaken-student-engagement-nicholas-provenzano
[Student photo] Retrieved February 17, 2014 from: http://www.laprogressive.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/07/urban-school-children.gif
