Module 1, Week 2

CLO 1 - Describe the diversity of students and its impacts on schools.

CLO 2 - Examine various educational models and the role of schools in communities and with government. 

CLO 3 - Analyze teacher practice and decision-making. 

CLO 4 - Explore the professional and ethical complexities of teaching. 

CLO 5 - Synthesize foundational elements of education into a personal philosophy of education and teaching. 

CLO 6 - Evaluate professional learning of pre-service and in-service teachers and educators. 

• First and foremost, value and create space for the reality that a student's life experiences and social environment do not predetermine their ability to learn, achieve, or find success. 

• Use sociology to investigate the additional impacts that community, culture, social factors, and social demographics can potentially have on student learning. 

• Identify social factors in students' lives in various communities that can positively impact teachers' ability to be effective in the classroom and support student learning. 

• Develop an open mindset and confront bias when exploring communities as living and breathing social spaces with complex, diverse, changing histories, realities, social values & norms.

Essential Questions Primer—This class contains many questions. Learning is often founded on curiosity, cognitive engagement, and questions. 

Teachers regularly pose questions to their students. Essential questions are a particular type that are important to every learner in every subject. Essential questions arise naturally, are universally accessible, and can and should be posed regularly and over time. Such questions are broad in scope and universal by nature. 

In this sense, essential questions reflect the critical inquiries within a person, place, or discipline. Such questions point to a subject's big ideas and the technical knowledge frontiers. Essential questions help students make sense of seemingly isolated facts and skills or important but abstract ideas and strategies—findings that experts may understand but not yet grasp or see as valuable by the learner. Essential questions help individual learners ground themselves in cognition and inquiry that doesn't have an end. 

Essential questions promote student learning in several ways. 

• Essential questions let students know that questioning is an integral part of learning.  When students learn to become better questioners, their learning becomes more meaningful and intellectually more profound. 

• Students' metacognition, thinking about students' thinking, increases with the use of essential questions.  

• Teachers model this questioning life to students and show them the questions they should ask themselves.  

• Using essential questions promotes inquiry; students want to learn content to drive that inquisition and inquisitiveness. In my experience, students want to know the skills and content so that they can answer the essential questions for themselves. 

(*adapted from - Essential Questions: Opening Doors to Student Understanding)

Essential Questions for Week 2 

Please consider where you are regarding education in society. 

• Who are you, and what is important to you?

• What is the school I would like to work at?

• What are the lives of my students like?

• How do aspects of my students' lives impact their ability to learn and succeed?

• What makes some students successful at academics and others not?

• Who lives near my school?

• What is the community of my school?

• What is essential to the community?

• How would you describe the community, respectfully?

• What events, histories, or stories are relevant to the community?

Teachers often wear many hats, such as coaches, counselors, social workers, psychologists, etc. While it can be too much to expect teachers to be all these things at once, and it is not always possible (or healthy) for teachers to think too broadly about everything going on in their students' lives, having an authentic and meaningful relationship with your students, based on who they are as people and learners, is essential to supporting their learning. 

This requires you to become familiar with their lives and understand the impact of their lives on their learning and experiences. For example, have you considered that children from single-parent families or children whose parents work more than one job have different learning and school outcomes?

A variety of social factors influence student outcomes in school. These factors can be crucial in shaping a student's academic performance, well-being, and overall educational experience. 

Understanding and addressing these social factors is essential for creating an educational system that supports the success of all students, regardless of their background or circumstances.

What do sociologists do? 

To become effective teachers, we must be sociologists. Sociologists study human behavior, interaction, and organization. They observe the activity of social, religious, political, and economic groups, organizations, and institutions. They examine the effect of social influences, including organizations and institutions, on different individuals and groups. They also trace the origin and growth of these groups and interactions. For example, they may research the impact of a new law or policy on a specific demographic. Sociologists often use both quantitative and qualitative methods when conducting research, and they frequently use statistical analysis programs during the research process. Their research may help administrators, educators, lawmakers, and social workers to solve social problems and formulate public policy. Sociologists seek to understand a wide range of social topics, including, but not limited to:

• education and health;

• crime and poverty;

• families and population;

• and gender, racial, and ethnic relations.

(*adapted from Bureau of Labor - Occupations)  

So, what is the connection between Sociology and Teaching? 

Teacher's Corner - Building Community - What do our students need? (Remote or otherwise)

Teacher's Corner is a classroom space (that you will see from time to time) dedicated to the voice of teachers in the classroom or strategies that can be used directly with students in PreK-12 classrooms. 

Knowledge about the lives of our students is really about increasing our ability to be more inclusive and supportive and better create positive learning environments. We must consider how we intentionally build these spaces for ALL students. 

While many things happen outside the classroom, we should always intentionally consider what we can do inside the school to support students regardless of (or with consideration of) any social factors. 

Consider the 2020 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year and how they should discuss community in classrooms. 

She shares that any environment (with a responsive teacher) should have what students may need:

• Access safe spaces.

• Develop relationships and create community.

• School can serve students as a place of care and love. 

• Do our daily decisions influence students' feelings of belonging? 

• Depending on the space, we have to reimagine our practices. 

• Start small. Step back. Let go. Listen in. 

• Process your experience to make a change. 

• Model forgiveness. 

• LISTEN TO STUDENTS.

• Gather and USE feedback from students.

• Create spaces for student voice and agency (what can students do?).

• Reflect. Reflect. Reflect. 

• The 3 As - Appreciation, Apology, or A-ha moment.

• Create engagement and relevancy!

• Incorporate intentional, regular, and consistent spaces for the community.

• Create authentic spaces for students to get to know one another and talk about the world.

Primary Concept - Social Perspective 

Primary Concept - Social Factors in Learning

Primary Concept - Educational Outcomes

Educational outcomes refer to the measurable results and achievements that students attain due to their educational experiences. These outcomes encompass a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities acquired during formal education. Educational outcomes are typically categorized into various domains, including academic, social, and emotional development. Here are some critical components of the way we talk about and use educational outcomes to understand the world:

• Academic Achievement & Graduation Rates - Completing an educational program is a significant outcome. Graduation rates measure the percentage of students who successfully finish a specific level of education, such as high school or college.

• Educational Attainment - Another outcome is pursuing higher education, such as attending college, vocational training, or other post-secondary institutions, often in the form of degrees and certificates. 

• Income  & Career Achievement - financial resources or positions students can attain post-graduation. 

• Academic Learning - Academic outcomes focus on the knowledge and skills students gain in specific subjects, such as mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. This includes standardized test scores, grades, and proficiency in core academic areas.

• Cognitive Skills - Educational outcomes also involve developing cognitive skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, analytical reasoning, and information processing. These skills are essential for lifelong learning and success in various fields.

• Literacy & Numeracy - Proficiency in reading, writing, and numeracy skills is a fundamental educational outcome. Literate and numerate individuals are better equipped to communicate effectively with complex information.

• Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) - SEL outcomes focus on developing social and emotional skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These skills contribute to positive interpersonal relationships and emotional well-being.

• Career Readiness - Educational outcomes also include students' readiness for the workforce. This involves acquiring skills and knowledge relevant to specific careers and being prepared for the demands of the job market.

• Citizenship and Civic Engagement - An important educational outcome is preparing students to be informed and responsible citizens. This includes understanding civic duties and rights and actively participating in community and civic activities.

• Life Skills - Education aims to equip students with practical life skills, such as communication, time management, financial literacy, and problem-solving, which are valuable for navigating various aspects of life beyond the classroom.

• Global Competence - In an increasingly interconnected world, educational outcomes also include the development of global competence—understanding diverse cultures, perspectives, and international issues.

Measuring and assessing these educational outcomes helps educators, policymakers, and stakeholders evaluate the effectiveness of educational systems and make informed decisions to enhance the quality of education for students.

Primary Concept - Factors Associated with Negative Educational Outcomes

Since sociologists have collected data for many years, we know some factors that can negatively impact students' educational opportunities. As teachers, we must be mindful of these factors and do our best to educate all students in classrooms designed to mitigate them to the best of our abilities and practices. Good teachers can make a significant difference in challenging, unique, or contextually bound educational environments. 

NOTICE - These are COMPLETELY normal life factors for many, many students.  The idea is not to correlate factors by saying that if you have X in your life, then Y will happen. Rather, as teachers, it is important to understand that we must care for our students in the environments that they live and come from and respect known challenges and complexities that exist in their lives.  

Some factors that have been associated with complicating students educational attainment or opportunity include:

• Being from a family with a single earner or single income,  seasonal worker, part-time worker, a worker with more than one job, or someone who has experienced unemployment. 

• A family where all family members are expected to contribute to household finances (the American Nuclear Family includes the MALE as head of household and primary income earner --which we obviously know is not a universal norm). 

• Attending a school with a reputation for being underperforming or in a challenging socioeconomic context. 

• Attending a diverse school (which would be impossible for anyone born & raised in a city or Hawai'i.)

• Being a student with an identified learning difficulty or mental health concern. 

• Being a student who was given more time to repeat an academic grade level. 

• the educational attainment of your parents. 

• The income of your father (which would be very difficult if you can from a family without one). 

• Living in a state with a large immigrant population.

• Living in a community or home where various types of abuse are more publicly viewable. 

Reflective Action - Take this Quiz from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Please take the following quiz to become familiar with factors that have been determined to be associated with complicated educational outcomes. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - https://americanspcc.org/take-the-aces-quiz/ - Researchers determined that ten specific traumatic childhood experiences, or ACEs, could be linked to a higher likelihood of health challenges later in life and that the possibility of these adverse effects increased with the number of “ACEs” a child experienced.

Still, there are variables this quiz doesn’t account for – including stressors outside of the home, as well as the critical role positive influences play in buffering the effects of trauma.

So, you've got your score. Now what?

First, remember that the ACE score isn't a crystal ball; it's just meant as guidance. It tells you about one type of risk factor among many. It doesn't directly consider your diet or genes or whether you smoke or drink excessively — just a few of the other significant influences on health.

To learn more, check the CDC's ACE Study website. You'll find, among other things, a list of studies that explore the ways adverse childhood experiences have been linked to a variety of adult conditions, ranging from increased headaches to depression to heart disease.

Remember this, too: ACE scores don't tally the positive experiences in early life that can help build resilience and protect a child from the effects of trauma. Having a grandparent who loves you, a teacher who understands and believes in you, or a trusted friend you can confide in may mitigate the long-term effects of early trauma, psychologists say.

"There are people with high ACE scores who do remarkably well," says Jack Shonkoff, a pediatrician and director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

He says resilience builds throughout life, and close relationships are key. Recent research also suggests that for adults, "trauma-informed" therapy — which can center on all sorts of practices, including art, nature, yoga, or mindfulness training — can help.

(*Adapted from Take The ACE Quiz — And Learn What It Does And Doesn't Mean)

Teacher's Corner - Privilege and Empathy The Waste-Paper Basket (Grades 7-12)

This is a beautiful lesson on YouTube and BuzzFeed that illustrates clearly how one’s socio-economic can directly influence one’s ability to achieve success and opportunities.

https://morganemichael.com/for-educators/middle-school-resources-grades-6-8/privilege-and-empathy-lesson-how-your-socio-economic-position-impacts-how-well-you-do/

RedShirting Young Students in Schools and Upper-Class Communities

60 MINUTES (2013) - Redshirting - Holding kids back from kindergarten - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtEsw49o4RY&ab_channel=CBSNews 

Some parents will choose to delay the start of their child’s educational experience, keeping them in daycare or out of school entirely for another year.

This practice, called academic redshirting, is intended to give students another year to mature emotionally, academically, or physically before starting kindergarten. Experts said it’s become increasingly popular among upper-middle-class, college-educated parents. Some evidence suggests the practice grew after the onset of the pandemic, as parents decided to hold their students out of school rather than participate in remote learning.

As parents consider whether to enroll their children on time for kindergarten this year, Education Week spoke to experts to weigh why parents might or might not decide to hold their children back a year.

(*Adapted from Why Parents ‘Redshirt’ Their Kids in Kindergarten)

Video Linked Below - 60 MINUTES (2013) - Redshirting - Holding kids back from kindergarten- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtEsw49o4RY&ab_channel=CBSNews 

Now, consider this. Some Students' lives in Schools and Working-Class & Welfare Communities

Boys of Baraka (Full) - Please review the following clips from the film “Boys of Baraka.” These learning experiences will help you create a more complex understanding of social factors in students' lives. Some of the factors presented in the film complicate students' opportunities, and some of the factors fully support students' opportunities. 

The point of the exercise is to recognize that ALL students have positive and challenging factors in their lives, and these should not dictate our perception of their abilities or opportunities. Instead, as teachers, we should accept them and design a curriculum that most supports any student in our class, which means adapting curriculum and instruction to the environments in which we teach!

Review Clip 1 - The Boys from Baltimore (3:42) - Describe what you see and hear in this educational and social context. 

Review Clip 2 - Arriving in Africa (3:12) - Describe what you think is the purpose of the school in Kenya. 

Review Clip 3 - Disciplining Montrey (6:20) - Identify three things that significantly affected Montrey's educational experiences (+/-)at that time and think about one quote from the film that helps to demonstrate how Montrey's context affected his educational experiences.  Consider one way that you, as the teacher, can help support these struggling students. 

Review Clip 4 - Update on Montrey (4:07) - Name three things that change in Montrey’s life. Identify three things in Montrey that stays the same. Based on what Montrey shares, provide three things you think struggling students need to learn and achieve.

First and foremost, as future teachers, we should value and create space for the reality that a student's life experiences and social environment are independent of their ability to learn, achieve, or succeed. We should use sociology to investigate the additional impacts that community, culture, social factors, and social demographics can potentially have on student learning. We need to identify social factors in students' lives in various communities that can positively impact teachers' ability to be effective in the classroom and support student learning. Finally, we must develop an open mindset and confront bias when exploring communities as living and breathing social spaces with complex, diverse, changing histories, realities, social values & norms.

• • Creating Community with CC Chung "Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year 2020"

  • Survey - Opportunity to Examine Our Relationships with Struggling Learners - At-Risk Survey

  • Distribution of Social Opportunity Activity

  • Redshirting - Choices Made by Wealthy Parents Based on Research - What do parents need to be able to do this? 

  • Boys of Baraka (Full)

    • • Clip 1 - The Boys from Baltimore (3:42)

      • Clip 2 - Arriving in Africa (3:12)

      • Clip 3 - Disciplining Montrey (6:20)

      • Clip 4 - Update on Montrey (4:07)

  • State Reports (general)

  • Employment Report School Year 2021-2022

  • 14 Strategies for Opening Class

Assessment 1.2 - School Case Study Part I - Students’ Community Profile

Module 1, Week 3 - A Deeper Dive...Student Demographics and Socioeconomics