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Presentation for Southeastern iNACOL's April 2014 meeting In our upcoming webinar, we will talk with Jennifer Cain, graduate student researcher from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She will share with us research on her project “Using vCFG to Facilitate Culturally Responsive Teaching in Rural Alaska.” Social networking through Twitter, Facebook/Google+, and Google Hangouts will be utilized to connect teachers in a PLC, foster cultural understanding, and offer a way introduce and implement Alaska’s cultural standards. Implications for virtual educators include: fostering community between faculty members, creating PLCs to address individual and school issues, and creating a viable platform for ongoing, effective, and relevant professional development.
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Using vCFG to Facilitate Culturally Responsive Teaching
Jennifer CainGraduate ResearcherUniversity of Alaska Anchorage
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Welcome to Alaska!There is a joke that Alaska really does have all four seasons…
They just happen to be:
Winter,
June, July, and August!
Summer/July
Spring/ late May
Fall/August
Graphic Source: http://matadornetwork.com/trips/just-how-big-is-alaska-anyway/
+A little bit about Alaska Alaska is divided up into boroughs (not counties)
Total Population: about 735,000 Anchorage: 300,000 Matanuska-Susitna Borough: 95,000 Kenai Peninsula Borough: 54,000 Fairbanks/North Star Borough: 100,000 Juneau: 32,000
48% of Alaska’s students are classified as ethnic minority Nearly 25% of students in Alaska are Alaska Native In Anchorage School District (ASD) the majority of students are
students of color
( US Census Data, 2010; Hill and Hirshberg, 2005; Jester and Fickel, 2013)
+Urban vs Rural Districts
There are five urban districts within the state: Anchorage School District, Matanuska-Susitna School District, Fairbanks/North Star District, Kenai Borough School District, and Juneau School District
Together they constitute 73% of all learners in Alaska
The remainder of the state’s 55 districts, are considered rural and constitute the remaining 27% of all learners in Alaska
(Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, 2013)
+Road Map of Alaska
Graphic Source: http://www.alaska.org/assets/content/maps/Alaska_Map.pdf
+“Urban” Schools vs. Bush Schools 5 “urban” districts
Similar to lower 48
Student population varies widely
Variety of choice public, private, charter, alternative, online
Teachers: Predominantly White Trained in Alaska Turnover average 10%
49 districts not considered “urban”
Many very remote and isolated
Majority of population Alaska Native
Public, boarding, online
Teachers: Predominantly White Trained outside Alaska Turnover average 22%
Urban Schools Bush Schools
(Hirshberg & Hill, 2008)
+A Closer Look at Rural Turnover
Factors Effectin
g Turnove
r
Uncontrollable Factors
Personal Factors
Cultural Factors
Professional Factors
+Culturally Responsive Educators: Incorporate local ways of knowing and teaching into their work
Use the local environment and community resources on a regular basis to link what they are teaching to the everyday lives of the students
Participate in community events and activities in an appropriate and supportive way
Work closely with parents to achieve a high level of complementary educational expectations between home and school
Recognize the full educational potential of each student and provide the challenges necessary for them to achieve that potential
(Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Educators, ANKN, 1998)
+Implications for the Online Educator/Bush Educator
Geographic and Temporal limitations
Wide variety of online Teacher Professional Development (oTPD) Most are large scale Teacher driven in choice Asynchronous Teacher must create own PLN Relevancy
(Francis-Pocente and Jacobsen, 2013)
+Professional Development
+Core Features of Effective PD
Content Focus
Active Learning
Coherence
Duration
Collective Participation
(Desimone, 2011)
+What is CFG?
Critical Friends Group (CFG) is defined by the National Reform School Faculty (NRSF) as
“A professional learning community consisting of approximately 8-12 educators who come together
voluntarily at least once a month for about 2 hours. Group members are committed to improving their practice through collaborative learning.”
( McKenzie, M. and Carr-Reardon A.M. 2003, NSRF FAQ)
+What makes CFG unique?
Norms
Coaches
Protocols
Relevant
Small
Teacher Driven
(McKenzie, M. and Carr-Reardon, A.M. 2003. NRSF FAQ)
+What happens during a typical CFG session?
Monthly Meetings 1-2 hours in length
Presenter and Coach pre-plan
Presentation
Feedback
Debrief
(McKenzie, M. and Carr-Reardon, A.M. 2003. NRSF FAQ)
+Translating CFG to vCFG Establishing platform/troubleshooting tech
Establishing an online community
Smaller is better
Training of coaches
Establishing/prioritizing content
(Francis-pocente and Jacobsen, 2013)
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Questions?Jennifer Cain
+References
Alaska Native Knowledge Network. (1998). Alaska standards for culturally responsive schools: Cultural standards for students, educators, schools, curriculum, community. Fairbanks, AK:. Retrieved from http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/
Alaska Teacher Placement (2014). About Alaska, Fairbanks, AK: Retrieved from http://www.alaskateacher.org/about_alaska.php
Desimone, L. M. (2011). A Primer on Effective Professional Development. The Phi Delta Kappan , 92 (6), 68-71.
Francis-pocente, K., & Jacobsen, M. (2013, 14 3). Synchronous Online Collaborative Professional Development for Elementary Mathematics Teachers. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning , 319-343.
Gay, G. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice--2nd Ed. New York, NY: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Hirshberg, D., & Hill, A. (2008, July). Research Summary: Alaska Teacher Turnover, Is it changing? Retrieved Nov 14, 2013, from ISER: http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/formal/rsummary/RS69.pdf
Hirshberg, D., & Hill, A. (2006, April). Research Summary: Teacher Turnover in Alaska: How Many Leave Their Jobs? Retrieved Nov 15, 2013, from ISER: http://www.iser.uaa.alaska.edu/Publications/Teacherfinal.pdf
Jester, T. E., & Fickel, L. H. (2013). Cross-Cultural Field Experiences in Alaska Native Villages: Implications for Culturally Responsive Teacher Education. (D. 10.1080/08878730.2013.793762, Ed.) The Teacher Educator , 48 (3), 185-200.
McKenzie, M., & Carr-Reardon, A. (2003, June). National Reform School Faculty FAQ. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from National Reform School Faculty: http://www.nsrfharmony.org/faq.html
