Student Characteristics

An effective teacher displays both general and specific understanding of students’ individual characteristics (interests, family background, cultural background, languages spoken at home, non-school literacies, traditions and celebrations, food, power structures and social organization, rites of passage, definition of kinship, relationship to nature and animals, notions of fairness, sense of self, important places, what matters most to student in life, at school, in their community, individualistic vs collectivist orientation) and thoroughly and persuasively connects that knowledge to learning. 

For example, a teacher may notice the following assets about a student:

• Spanish spoken in the home (cultural/linguistic)

• Student expresses an interest in and commitment to athletics (interests/non-school literacies).

• Student expresses an interest in YA fiction (interests)

• Student expresses that they like playing make believe games with friends at recess (interests)

• Student accompanies mother to the machine shop on weekends (socio-economic background/non-school literacies)

• Family runs a farm (non-school literacies)

• Student participates in student government (interests/non-school literacies)

• Student participates in model UN (interests)

• Family recently moved to the area from Quebec (cultural/linguistic)

• Student identifies themselves as a southern, and moved to the area from South Carolina four years ago (cultural/family traditions).