Finding meaning in the subjective nature of a sense of belonging is arguably a part of the human condition. All but one of the attributes were personal and contributed to a student’s sense of belonging in the classroom. The students stated that the race of the teacher was not a factor in their positive relationships.
In fact, the students were keenly aware of the power structure and empathetic to the teacher’s. One aspect of culturally responsive education is in confirmation of the students’ behavior, potential, and presence in the classroom.
Open Hand Leadership and Learning Professional Development Outline Day One: Priming, Reflection, Awareness, and Processing
- Welcome, Protocols, and Community Builder
- Your Why
- Find Your Balance
- Seek Multiple Perspectives
- Communication and Commitment
- Be Intentional
- Demonstration and Celebration of Learning
Alignment to finding 5: Students said that they would achieve higher grades if they felt a sense of belonging in the classroom. The teachers who fostered positive, effective relationships with the students were those who engaged the students with multiple perspectives. Teachers communicated that they cared about their students and wanted them to succeed, but most times, the students felt their teachers did not want to put in any extra effort to help them.
The positive teachers fostered positive relationships by creating a sense of belonging and made themselves available to the students at lunch, before or after school, or set aside time in class to help the students. Students knew they had to be in the classroom, but being liked by a teacher meant that the teacher demonstrated that they wanted the students there; that the students had value and were noticed. The memorable teachers, those who create a sense of belonging and build positive relationships followed up with the students.
Teachers who demonstrated they liked the students were those who consciously and intentionally cared for their students. One surprising outcome from the interviews was that 100% of the students said they had never been asked their opinion before. It’s so cool to have someone care about how I feel and what I think!” All of the students felt validated for being asked their opinion because they said it contributed to the idea of feeling cared for, being liked, and having a sense of belonging.
Communication Skills of a Teacher and Its Role in the Development of the Students' Academic Success.
Appendices
My teachers have given me assignments that require me to defend my point of view or ideas. At this school, all students are treated the same, regardless of their race or ethnicity. It is rare for students at this school to be teased or picked on through social media.
I feel satisfied with the work that teachers have done for the students at this school. This format provides you with the opportunity to triangulate and analyze the data from the perspectives of the staff, students and parents. Do efforts need to be made to improve participation of any one of our sub-groups.
Do the scores collected over the past three years show any trends, upward or downward, for each of the items on the SEQ. How might we find out what other schools are doing to systematically address the school climate elements that concern us. Who on our campus will take responsibility for the oversight of the sub-committee work.
Such professional development uses authentic artifacts (e.g., curriculum plans, assignments, assessments, rubrics, and models of teaching), interactive activities, and other strategies to provide classroom-embedded, highly contextualized professional learning. Collaboration: High-quality professional development creates space for teachers to share ideas and collaborate in their learning, often in job-embedded contexts. Sustained duration: Effective professional development provides teachers with adequate time to learn, practice, implement, revise, and reflect upon new strategies that facilitate changes in their practice.
Open Hand Professional Development (Transcript/Presenter Notes)
Open Hand Framework Content
We go on automatic so much, so much of our professional life is just that we go to work, and we're reactionary, and we have to actually stop and pause and be intentional with what we are doing, And we're although we're all. And that's to remember not only our families in our personal lives but the students that we serve, or if I'm an administrator, the teachers and students that I serve so start to think about being intentional with your front row. I want to caution us to understand that we have to seek multiple perspectives, with diversity and diversity of thought.
Even when we're passionate as a matter of fact, we have to be very careful when we're passionate that we don't let our passion override and influence and stop some barriers that we may unintentionally put up. So we have to be self-aware personally and professionally, of what we are doing. Self-care does not mean that we are selfish, self-care does not mean that we are not willing to sacrifice for people that we love self-care, I want you to shift your consciousness on this self-care means that we are building the capacity within ourselves to do this work.
There are teacher shortages, and then the actual high quality teachers, and then the ones that we get are being burnt out. There are things that we can do, we can write them down, and we can remember them. Few things are more difficult than to see outside the bounds of our own perspective - to be able to identify assumptions that we take as universal truths, but that instead have been crafted by our own unique identity and experiences in the world” (Takacs, 2002).
Maybe because we're so busy with time that we don't have enough of it.
Open Hand Engagement Activities A. Your Why Activity (Thumb)
This is easy to say but much more difficult to live, especially since the Covid quarantine and for teachers centered in equity, anti-bias, and anti-racist education due to the isolation, fatigue, and burn-out. Never has there been a time when it is more important for teachers to be centered in their “why”; the intrinsic motivation to wake up every day and lead students with the optimism they desperately need and deserve. For example, my why may be that I want to help students and educate them to be successful and productive.
I have to focus on why I teach every day, and take it day by day to control what I can: the moments. So thank you.” This moment showed me the limitless potential of the power of one. It is through these relationships that I can be equity focused, and lead with understanding and flexibility while still keeping the rigor.
Extending an open hand to the students allows them to feel safer and more comfortable in the classroom. In a day filled with moments, I have many opportunities to connect and build positive relationships with students, especially in this new normal. One moment, one encounter, and one person can make all the difference and has the potential to impact the trajectory of life.
Find Your Balance Activities (Index or Pointer finger)
Think about what you need every single day, and try to shift your consciousness away from thinking of self-care as a sacrifice that is expendable. It is ironic that teachers who can implement daily self-care routines to help find their balance, then they may have more capacity to be intentional, communicate their true intentions with fidelity so those intentions are seen as intended, and seek different ways to engage students, are the teachers the students will connect with and remember the most. Therefore, for the self-awareness part of the journey, it is important when writing your thoughts and feelings, that you do not venture into your values or judgement quadrant.
Moreover, there is another concept called presenteeism that is also a result of a lack of self-care. Therefore, self-care needs to be a priority, especially as the challenges in education continue to increase. In person: (15 minutes writing, 20 minutes engagement, 10 minutes whole group process) First, write down at least one self-care option for each time category.
Then, take the post-its and write down one self-care option for the 5 minute category. Then, write down one self-care option for the 30 minute category and write that on 3 post-its. Finally, on one post-it, write one option for self-care for the ½ day category.
You will each have 1 minute to share your 15 minute self-care option and give those post-its.
Commitment: Ring Finger
Be Intentional: little finger
You may choose to be intentional of one for the week instead of the day. Keeping the end in mind, write two action steps you want to grow from this PD. I also want us to work together and for you to feel like the classroom is a place where you belong, a place where you actually want to be and learn.
I want to make sure that your empathy for how challenging it can be to teach a roomful of teenagers and how much work there is to do is reflected with my empathy for the same reasons. I want to make sure we have the same understanding of our roles in the classroom and that we share our definitions of what it means to be friends so we can work together to build better relationships. I know you have been a student long enough to understand that I am the authority in the room, but I don’t want to communicate a “my way or the highway” way of leading.
I want to develop a trust that will allow us to have great conversations, challenging and difficult at times, while interesting, fun, and relevant all the time. I want to look for all the ways I can help you engage with the teaching and learning. I also want to make sure that we are all represented in both the content, the discussions, and engagement styles.
I want to know what you think and how you feel about the world so I can relate the content in a way that is relevant to the ways in which we view the world.