Engaging Students In Poverty To Increase Motivation & Effort Washington state trio association conference Rachel walker

Primary resources

The (continued) war on poverty The child poverty rate in WA is 17.5% (Children’s Defense Fund, 2015). The official U.S. poverty rate is 13.5% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015) The U.S. poverty rate when President Johnson launched the War on Poverty was 19% (Pew Research Center).

“If you have a body, you are entitled to the full range of feelings “If you have a body, you are entitled to the full range of feelings. It comes with the package.”  -Anne Lamott

Action #1: manage mind-body states

fight the good fight against boredom 10 minute rule: chunk learning because students (and other audiences) check out after 8-12 minutes. Tell narratives Create activities in rich in emotion Build in active processing work (think-pair-share; jigsaw; summarization activities)

fight the good fight against boredom Ask compelling, open-ended questions. Build curiosity & add novelty. Make the content relevant to students.

Combat anxiety, stress, & anger Give students more control/make it their idea. How do you/can you provide choices to students in your role? How does student voice and leadership play a role in your program? Catch students doing great things! How does your program recognize students’ efforts and accomplishments, in small and large ways?

partnered activity!

Action #2: sustain emotional positivity Affirm your partner! Affirm strategy or approach Affirm effort Affirm attitude Be specific – what was the outcome based on this strategy, level of effort, or attitude? What’s the optimal ratio of positive/affirming-to- negative/reprimanding interactions for human growth? 1:2 positive-to-negative ratio (low-income families) 3:1 positive-to-negative ratio (optimal) 6:1 positive-to-negative ratio (high-income families) What was under your control as you completed this activity? “You’re so smart!” vs. “You’re a hard worker!” How can we affirm students? How can we give feedback, praise, and compliments in a helpful way? Focus on what is under students’ control. Be specific. Affirm strategy or approach. Affirm attitude. Affirm effort. Affirm your partner’s approach, attitude, or effort. Be specific. Because your partner did x, what was the positive outcome? How did it feel to use this style of affirmation? Is it different from what you typically do? One study of a puzzle given to students. One group complimented on intelligence, one on effort. When offered a chance to try a more challenging puzzle, the students complimented on effort were way more likely to choose the challenging one. Students complimented for intelligence had something to lose!

Creating relationships & a sense of belonging We really are working to address these psychological needs to create space where students can learn and feel affirmed. What are some of the top 10 factors in student achievement? -Student-teacher relationships (.72 effect size) -Cooperative learning (.72 effect size) -Group cohesion and peer influences (.53)

action #3: build relationships & respect ACTIVITY: TURN & TALK Would you like to be famous? In what way? When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else? What’s the story of your name?

Action #3: build relationships & respect Share a bit of yourself every day. Show your passion! It’s ok to have a “thing”! Learn a bit about your students every day. Emphasize, we are family!

Partnered activity Share a recent (within the last year or so) pride point in your professional life. It should be something you did well, enjoyed doing, and that made you proud. You’ll have two minutes to share with your partner. As your partner shares, listen for specific strengths. What are specific strengths that you noticed about your partner? Did they exhibit persistence, resiliency, organization, playfulness, determination, cheerfulness, compassion, gratitude, independence, integrity, practicality, hard work, kindness? Write them down. Three of my partner’s strengths are _______________, __________________, and ___________________________.

Action #3: build relationships & respect Build group cohesion Share strengths Collaboration, competition & gamification Structured get-to-know you time (icebreakers) Opportunities for tutoring, mentoring, leading? How does your program build a group or cohort?

Action #4: connect to the future In the language you use: “When you go to college,” “Next year when you’re a college freshman sitting in your organic chemistry class,” “After you graduate from college and get into your career…” Make explicit connections between what students are learning and how it connects to the “real world.” Make connections between students’ current strengths and skills and how it applies to their future. (Babysitting = responsibility, reliability, etc.) Poverty creates conditions that make it difficult to think about the future. The Atlantic: “When a person lives in poverty, a growing body of research suggests the limbic system is constantly sending fear and stress messages to the prefrontal cortex, which overloads its ability to solve problems, set goals, and complete tasks in the most efficient ways. This happens to everyone at some point, regardless of social class. The overload can be prompted by any number of things, including an overly stressful day at work or a family emergency. People in poverty, however, have the added burden of ever-present stress. They are constantly struggling to make ends meet and often bracing themselves against class bias that adds extra strain or even trauma to their daily lives.” -That’s where our roles come in – helping to break down seemingly impossible tasks into bite-sized chunks. We’ve all seen students get overwhelmed by something that seems relatively easy – placing a phone call or completing paperwork that is a two-step process. Generation Z students demand an education that will be useful and relevant in getting a job after graduation. They want hands-on, practical learning - internships

Things to try Using music to influence the energy in the classroom Icebreakers and get-to-know conversations and activities (between students, between students and staff) Chunk lecture into 10-minute segments, and use active processing (think-pair-share, turn & talk, jigsaw) Infuse novelty and humor Give students choices Catch students doing great things! Focus on affirmations (approach, attitude, effort) Share your passion Mini-dependable strengths We are family! Connect to the future

Thank you!