2016-17 TeachingWorks Streaming Seminar Series

Inside Teaching: A Powerful Force for Equity

Building respectful relationships with students

Featuring:Tyrone C. HowardAssociate Dean for Equity, Diversity & InclusionGraduate School of Education and Information Studies’ University of California, Los Angeles

Thank you for your patience.The session will begin at 4:10 p.m.

Email questions to twseminar@umich.edu#twseminar

Relationships&Learning

TyroneC.Howard,Ph.DUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles

TeachingThatWorksUniversityofMichigan

January24,2017

MyResearch• Theimportanceofraceandracism

inschoolpractices

• Examiningracialmicro-aggressionsandimplicitbias

• Preparingteachersforworkinginurbanschools&communities

• Understandingthecomplexityofculture

• Developingdeepknowledgeofculturalknowledgeandwaysofknowing,doing,thinking&acting

21st CenturyTeacherEducationModelEmphasisOn:

• GradePointAverage

• PassagesofStandardizedTests

• Commitmentto“urbancommunities”

• KnowledgeoftheProfession

DisconnectOccurringinTeacherPreparation&TeacherPractices

• Pre-serviceteachersexposedtomoretheorythaneverbefore

• Pre-serviceteachersareassessedmorenowthanever.(Accountability)

• Statebenchmarksforpre-serviceteacherscontinuetoberefined,expanded,debated&politicized

• Yet,moreteacherscontinuetoleave(highneed)schoolsathighrates

PercentagesofGrade4StudentsScoringAtorAbovethe"Proficient"RangeontheNAEPReadingTest,2014

SOURCE:U.S.DepartmentofEducation,InstituteofEducationSciences,NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,NationalAssessmentofEducationalProgress(NAEP),2015

AnnArbor,MISchools(USOfficeofCivilRights,2015)

Relationshipsmatter

• Socialneuroscienceresearchrevealsthatourneedtoconnecttootherpeopleisequallyasessentialasfoodandshelter

• Humansneedtoconnectistheprimarydriverbehindbehavior

• Eachofusspends10,000hourslearningtomakesenseofpeopleandgroupsbythetimeweare10yearsold

UnderstandingCognitiveScience

• Neuroscientistsstudiesshowthatthebrainisasocialorgan. Thebraindevelopswithinthecontextofattachmentrelationships.Relationshipsinfluenceneuroplasticitywhichconnectsthebrainscapacitytochange,comprehend,think&learn(Cozolino,2013)

Adolescents&“Disruptive”Behavior• Allchildrenarebornwith

fundamentalneedsforhumanconnection,autonomy,attunement,attention,security,safety&love.

• Childrenwithahistoryofpositivecaregivingareabletoregulatetheiremotionsandbehaviorsinafunctionalmannerthatallowsthemtoadjusttochangingenvironmentalexpectations.

• Disruptivebehavioristypicallyalabeledas“badchoices”or“intentionaldefiance.”Inmanyinstancessuchbehaviorisacallforhumanconnectedness.

THE CHALLENGE:

§ Suspension rates for preschool children are uneven and unacceptable across the country.

§ Black students represent 18 percent of preschool enrollment but 42 percent of students suspended once, and 48 percent of students suspended more than once.

§ Latino students are 22 percent of pre-school population but are 35% of students suspended once

DISPARITIESINSCHOOLDISCIPLINE

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JuvenileInjustice• Approximately55,000 youth

areincarceratedintheUSannually

• Black&Latinoboysare16%ofallyouthintheUS,but65%ofincarceratedyouth.

• UnitedStatesisgroundzeroforyouthincarceration

• CaseyFoundation,2014,Children’sDefenseFund,2013

Default:PedagogyofPathology(DeficitDiscourse,Howard,2016)

Students’Home

Students’Culture

Students’Lacking

Motivation

Students’poor

academicskills

PedagogyofConnectedness

Apedagogyconnectednessissteepedinanon-judgmental,andcriticalunderstandingand

circumstancesthatprofoundlyinfluencesyoungpeople’slivesthatinformrelationships.Thispedagogicalprojectisalsosteepedina

knowledgeoftheroleoftraumaonstudents,andhowitaffectslivingandlearning.Thisapproachseekstodisrupttraumathrough

healing,wellness,&caringbasedapproachestorelationships&teaching

Relationshipsmatter

RelationshipScience&BeingHuman

• Therelationshipswehavewithincultures,therepeatingpatternsofcommunicationwehavethelinkustogetherinfamilies,communities,andsocieties—actuallyshapethestructureandfunctionofthebrain

• Humanconnectionbringscomplexvaluestoourlives:relationshipsgiveusasenseofbelonginginthegroup,asenseofidentityincontrasttoothersinthatgroup,analmosttherapeutic-supportsystem,andreasonnottofeellonely(Klem&Connell,2004 )

• Welearnfromothers’experiencesandinsight,andwelearntogetherbypursuingnewexperiencesalongsidethosewebefriend.Andonaverybasiclevel,therapyinvolvesthisprincipleaswell.

Why Are Relati

Relationships & Learning enhance schooling experiences.

Onsmportant?§ Students who feel connected to school are

ü More likely to attend schoolü More likely to stay in school longerü More likely to have higher grades and test scores ü Less likely to be suspended/expelled

§ Students with feelings of closeness with their teacher have been shown to ü Work harder in schoolü Spend more time on homeworkü Receive better grades ü Have more confidence in their academic abilities

Allensworth, 2007, Battistich, Schaps, & Wilson, 2004; Birch & Ladd, 1997; Curby, Rimm-Kaufman, & Ponitz, 2009; Ewing & Taylor, 2009; Hamre & Pianta, 2001; Rudasill, Reio, Stipanovic, & Taylor, 2010

OrganizationalStrategies

IndividualStrategies

Model

Research

ReframingofWhatTeachersNeedtoKnow

Teacher-Student

Relationships

Trust

Honesty&Consistency

KnowingStudents’Lives

Socio-EmotionalKnowledge

+ Addressing the needs for relatedness, affiliation, approval,

and achievementn Foster healthy teacher-

student relationshipsn Take a student to lunch.n Get involved in the mentoring

program.n Attend extra-curricular events.

n Show interest in their lives.n Ask about a student’s day – and

then listen.n Query about their families.n Share of self.n Acknowledge them.n Create opportunities for

success to build competence and confidence

n Allow students to communicate with their peers.n Discussion with a partnern Cooperative learningn Skitsn Peer-evaluation

n Inform students what material will be evaluated on a test; i.e. tell them specifically what to learn.

n Challenge students.

Q: How do we address this in teacher education?

Relationshipbuildingispredicatedonanauthenticandsustainedlevelofengagementofknowingstudents,theirlives,theirchallenges

andcircumstancesinalltheirtotality

SchoolExperiencesWhichContributetoHealthyRelationships&AcademicAchievement

Protection

• Connection • Safety• Positive Interactions w/adults & peers• Caring Interactions• Academic Challenges• Academic Support• Academic Engagement• Positive Role Modeling• Social Emotional Learning• Positive Behavioral Supports• Access to Needed Services And

Supports

CulturallyEmbeddedPedagogies• Culturallyrelevantpedagogyseekstoattainacademicsuccesswithout

compromisingculturalknowledge(Ladson-Billings,1994,2004)

• Fundsofknowledgebuildsonculturallysituatednormstoenhancelearning(Moll,2004)

• Culturallyresponsivepedagogyrecognizesimportanceofculturalreferents(Gay,2010,2010)

• Culturalmodeling basedonlearningandengagingculturaldatasets(Lee,2007)

• Realitypedagogy(Emdin,2014)studentsmeetteachersowntheirownsocial,culturalandemotionalturf.

• Culturallysustainingpedagogy“seekstoperpetuate,foster&sustainstudents’linguistic,literateandculturalpluralism”(Paris,2015;p.193)

Trauma Matters!

Traumaistheemotional,psychologicalandphysiologicalresidueleftoverfromheightenedstressthataccompaniesexperienceofthreat,violenceandlifechangingeventsSource:AustralianChildhoodFoundation,MakingSpaceforLearning:TraumaInformedPracticeinSchools, 2010,www.childhood.org.au

Traumatypicallyhasasignificantandlonglastingaffectoncognitivedevelopment,socio-emotionaldevelopment&overalllearningSource:AmericanAcademyofChildandAdolescentPsychiatry,<www.aacap.org>

TypesofTraumaInformedPracticeGuide,ProvincialMH&PracticeCounsel,May2013

• Singleincidenttrauma:unexpected&overwhelmingevent

• Complexorrepetitivetrauma;ongoing&normalized

• Developmentaltrauma:exposuretoearlylifetrauma

• Intergenerationaltrauma:Effectsfromlivingwithtraumasurvivors

• Historicaltrauma:massivegrouptrauma;experiencesofimmigrants,refugees,historicallymarginalizedpopulations

TheTraumaofRacism

• Family’sexperienceofthetraumaofracism(immigration)

• Childrenobservingdisrespecttowardtheirparents/peers/language&culture

• Peersengaginginhurtfulracetalk• Studentsfeellikebeingtreateddifferentlyinclassroombecauseoftheirrace

• Thewiderdiscourseaboutaparticulargroup

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Colorblind• Thisideologyisrootedinabeliefthatinordertoendracialprejudiceanddiscriminationthatwedon’tseepeople’scolor,andthatwejustseethemaspeople.Ifweremoveracefromourmentalmakeup,andwejustseepeopleashumanbeingsandthenracialprejudicewilldisappear.

How Might a Student’s Behavior Present in the Classroom ?

Flight Fight Freeze• Withdrawing• Fleeing the

classroom• Skipping class• Daydreaming• Seeming to sleep• Avoiding others• Hiding or

wandering• Becoming

disengaged

• Acting out• Behaving

aggressively• Acting silly• Exhibiting

defiance• Being hyperactive• Arguing• Screaming/yelling

• Exhibitingnumbness

• Refusing to participate

• Refusing to get needs met

• Giving a blank look

• Feeling unable to move or act

• A lackofconsensus• Careisbeingexploredbyanumberofdifferent

traditions/disciplines (e.g.,prosocialpsychology,philosophy,education,business/HR),butthesedisciplinesarenotreallyworkingtogether(andareoftenprettyfarapartepistemologically andontologically).

• Thereisalsoaquestionaboutwhethertheyareexploringthesameconceptorconstruct.

• Sugishita,2001:“TeacherCare”and“TeacherProsocialSupport”arethesameconstruct

How does care inform Connected Pedagogy?

• Whatevercareis,itcanmakeadifference

• Careispotentiallytransformational,culturallyembeddedandkeytorelationshipbuilding

• (seeself-determinationtheory,attachmenttheory,person-centeredpsychology,schoolbelonging,relationalpedagogy,etc. Careismultidimensionalandisdynamic (Noddings,1994)

Care Matters

Intentions vs. Perceptions• Thereisanalmostirreconcilabletensionbetweentheintentions ofthecarerandtheperceptions ofthecared-for.

• Thisiscriticalforeducation…• Whethersomeone“is”caringisultimatelyintheeyeoftheonewhoreceives care,notintheeyesoftheonecommunicating care,despitetheircaringintentions.

Teacher Intentions vs. Student Perceptions

Courageous Care• Careisnoteasy.• Caretakescourage,empathy, anddedication.• Becauseofthedisparitybetweenperceptionsandreality,anythingpeople-basedis“messy”bydefinition.

• Thisisparticularlythecaseinthefieldofeducation(e.g.,multiplelayersofperceptions:students,teachers,parents,communitymembers,administrators)

Relationshipswiththemostchallengingstudents?

• Examinedperspectivesof201highachievingBlackandLatinomalehighschoolstudents

• Investigatedtherolesthathome,school,andcommunityplayedintheiracademicpursuits

• Soughttocreateanalternativeperspectiveora“counternarrative”

Thesalienceofrelationships

• “Teachersinvestingtime,goingtheextramilemakesahugedifferenceforme”

• “Youknowhavingcaringteachersmakesallthedifference…beingconcernedaboutyouasmorethanjustastudent,butcaringaboutyouasaperson”

Onbuildingrelationships…

“Teachersneedtohumanizethemselves”

“Teachersthatrelatetoreallifesituations”

“Weappreciatetheteachersthatdon’ttripoffthelittlethings,youknow…Ifsomebodyisnotworkingrightnow,it’sforareason.Hegot

dramagoingonatthehousemaybe.Cometalktohim,andshowhimyou’reconcernedalittle”

RethinkingTeachingEducationFramework

Shulman,2002;Ball,2005;Howard,2014

ContentKnowledge

PedagogicalContentKnowledge

SocioPoliticalAwareness

RelationshipBuilding(SEL)

HighLeverageTeachingPracticeCriticaltoRelationshipBuilding

• Knowyourstudents&theirsocio-culturalrealities

• Understandtrauma• Buildtrust• Listenwithoutjudgment• Seeteachingandlearningasreciprocal• Accommodateameasureofopposition• Bewillingtorevealyourownvulnerability• Findcommonality• Communicatecomfortandvalidation

Teach SEL Competencies

• Self-awareness• Social awareness• Self-management• Relationship skills• Responsible decision making

GreaterAttachment,

Engagement, & Commitment

to School

Less Risky Behavior, More

Assets, MorePositive

Development

Better Academic

Performanceand Success

in Schooland Life

Safe, Caring, Challenging,

Well-Managed ,

ParticipatoryLearning

Environments

HowSELSupportsGoodOutcomesforKids

Slide Courtesy of CASEL

“I'velearnedthatpeoplewillforgetwhatyousaid,peoplewillforgetwhatyoudid,but

peoplewillneverforgethowyoumadethemfeel.”

- MayaAngelou

THANKYOU!

thoward@gseis.ucla.edu

OronTwitter@TyroneCHoward