Cultural Proficiency and Accelerating Student Achievement for the 21 st Century Session 4 Knowing the Learner

Session 4: Know the Learner Objectives Understand the demographics of your school/system and the key student data. List the information important to know about individual students. Recognize instructional activities that help teachers know their students better. Recognize the benefits of home visits to understand student circumstances and home culture. 2

What’s My Name? Abigail Nutaporn Female Wattanaphuti Vincent Harshit Chikae 3

Who are our students? 4

Student Profile Background Information Race (indicated by parent/guardian upon enrollment) Birth Country First Language Home Language Socioeconomics Student with a Disability Family Structure Major experiences (trauma, big changes, etc.) Interests Learning Style and/or Multiple Intelligences Extra Curricular Activities 5

Student Profile Academic Information Schools attended Amount of time in this school district Grades Classes/courses taken District benchmark scores MSA/HSA Attendance rate 6

Student Profile Academic Information (continued) Reading level/IRI/SRI IEP (Individualized Education Program/Plan) ELL Plan After-school program Interventions received Discipline/Referrals/Suspensions 7

Guiding Questions Were you surprised about how much or how little you knew about the student? 8

Are these included on your list? How they learn best How they perceive and feel about school and teachers What they value Their goals How they spend their time What are their interests 9

Visualize the world from which your students come. Powerpoint: Working with Students from the Culture of Poverty Featuring Mary Montle Bacon

How do we get this knowledge? Student surveys Parent/family surveys Home visits Instructional activities Interactions with students Interactions with parents/ families 11

Home Visits html html 12 Teachers Make House Call to Forge Stronger Partnerships

Surveys ent-Questionnaire ent-Questionnaire 13

Instructional Activities That Help Teachers Know Their Students Dialogue journals Cooperative learning Classroom observation Higher-order questioning Student work Student choice in learning activities Inclusion of student/family culture in the classroom Classroom discussions 14

Discussion tab Reflect on how getting to know the one student has influenced the way you see this student as a learner? 15