1. The Long and Winding Road to Success for the Under-Resourced Learner
Presented by Jim Littlejohn
aha! Process, Inc., Highlands, Texas
1-(800)

2. Under-resourced student
GOAL
Under-resourced student
School
More resourced
TO DO THAT REQUIRES:
Relationship of mutual respect (support, insistence, high expectations)
Resource analysis
Relational learning

3. How do you define respect? Respect can mean respecting a person.
Respect can mean respecting a position.
Mutual respect comes about through:
High expectations - you can do this.
Insistence – you will do this.
Support – this is how you do this.
If there is mutual respect between a student and a teacher, these three things are present:
1) Insistence. Insistence can only happen through relationship.
2) High expectations.
3) Support. Support is the "how-to-get-it-done" piece. Students will know you respect them when those pieces are there.

4. Types of Capital
Intellectual capital is the development of minds that can operate/manipulate/use abstract representational language, symbols, and systems of knowledge.
Thomas Stewart gives a simpler definition: “Intellectual capital is packaged, useful knowledge.”
Bonding Capital - "Based on exclusive ties of solidarity between 'people like us', exemplified by families, and is restricted to enabling people to 'get by'.“ (Edwards)
"Bonding social capital refers to the links between like-minded people, or the reinforcement of homogeneity. It builds strong ties, but can also result in higher walls excluding those who do not qualify. (Schuller, Baron, & Field, 2000)
Bridging Capital - "Refers to cooperative connections with people from different walks of life, more valuable than 'bonding social capital'.“ (Edwards)
"Bridging social capital … refers to the building of connections between heterogeneous groups; these are likely to be more fragile, but more likely also to foster social inclusion.“ (Schuller, Baron, & Field, 2000)
Who bonds for your student? Who bridges for your student?
How do they bond? How do they bridge ?

5. Assess the 9 resources to determine interventions that will help students.

6. 9 RESOURCES FINANCIAL Having the money to purchase goods and services.
LANGUAGE
Being able to speak and use formal register in writing and in speech.
EMOTIONAL
Being able to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior. This is an internal resource and shows itself through stamina, perseverance, and choices.
MENTAL
Having the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, and computing) necessary to deal with daily life.
SPIRITUAL
Believing in divine purpose and guidance.
PHYSICAL
Having physical health and mobility.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Having friends, family, and backup resources available to access in times of need. These are external resources.
RELATIONSHIPS/ROLE MODELS
Having frequent access to adult(s) who are appropriate, who are nurturing to the child, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior.
KNOWLEDGE OF HIDDEN RULES
Knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group

7. QUESTIONS TO ASSESS FINANCIAL RESOURCES
Has the necessary school supplies
Yes No
Has food every evening and twice a day on weekends/holidays
Wears different clothing at least five days a week
Has a stable place to live (not a car, not a shelter, does not move every three months, is not moved from relative to relative)
Has a place to study at home (includes good lighting and a table/desk)

8. REGISTERS OF LANGUAGE Registers of Language REGISTER EXPLANATION
FROZEN
Language that is always the same.
For example: Lord’s Prayer, wedding vows, etc.
FORMAL
The standard sentence syntax and word choice of work and school. Has complete sentences and specific word choice.
CONSULTATIVE
Formal register when used in conversation. Discourse pattern not quite as direct as formal register.
CASUAL
Language between friends, characterized by a 400- to 800-word vocabulary. Word choice general and not specific. Conversation dependent upon nonverbal assists. Sentence syntax often incomplete.
INTIMATE
Language between lovers or twins. Language of sexual harassment.
In 1967 Martin Joos, a Dutch linguist, found that every language in the world has five registers.
The first register is frozen: words that are always the same, like the Lord's Prayer, U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, and wedding vows. Literally, the words don't change. They're frozen.
Formal: What most of us use at school and work. It has about a 1,200- to 1,600-word working vocabulary. Often formal register is in writing.
Consultative tends to be more spoken, and it's a mix of casual and formal.
Casual register is language between friends. It comes out of the oral-language tradition of any group of people. It has about a 400- to 800-word working vocabulary.
Intimate register is what is used between lovers and twins: highly private language about private activities. But intimate register is also the language of sexual harassment.
You can go up or down one register in a conversation and it's socially acceptable. But if you go up or down two registers or more, people are often offended.
Maria Montaño-Harmon, a linguist in California, found that in generational poverty virtually all that the adults and students know is casual register.
Use the registers of language as a teaching tool. Many times when students say, "I don't know what that means," they cannot say it in your words. How much time do we give them to translate something from casual register to formal register? Try translating the Pledge of Allegiance from frozen to formal. See how difficult that is?
Students get referred for discipline because of language issues when they're in the wrong register.
A sixth-grade boy was sent to the office because he told the teacher that something "sucked." Well, part of his discipline was to find two ways to say "sucked" in formal register. His first translation was, "I don't like this work." His second translation was, "There's no longer any joy in this activity.”
When students speak in casual register, have them come up with two other ways to say it in formal register. Give information to parents and students in story form.
Adapted from Martin Joos

9. Can use formal register in the language of the dominant culture
QUESTIONS TO ASSESS LANGUAGE RESOURCES
Can use formal register in the language of the dominant culture
Yes No
Can resolve a conflict using formal register
Can write using formal organizational patterns for writing
Can use specific vocabulary in speech and writing

10. Sees the relationship between choice and consequence
QUESTIONS TO ASSESS EMOTIONAL RESOURCES
Controls anger
Yes No
Sees the relationship between choice and consequence
Can resolve a problem with words (does not hit or become verbally abusive)
Can separate the behavior (criticism) from the person (contempt)
Has the words to name feelings

11. Can read the material required for that grade level or task
QUESTIONS TO ASSESS MENTAL RESOURCES
Can read the material required for that grade level or task
Yes No
Can write for the task as required by school or work
Can do the math as required by the grade level/course
Is test-savvy—knows how to take a test

12. QUESTIONS TO ASSESS SPIRITUAL (OPTIMISM AND HOPE) RESOURCES
Has hope for the future (i.e., believes that the future will work out in a positive way)
Yes No
Believes that there is extra support to help one with life (e.g. divine guidance, a set of beliefs, prayer, meditation, etc.)
Has a strong personal belief system about his/her own positive value as a human being

13. Is healthy (usually free of illness)
QUESTIONS TO ASSESS PHYSICAL RESOURCES
Has protein in his/her nutrition on a daily basis (helps with memory and physical strength)
Yes No
Is healthy (usually free of illness)
Gets sufficient sleep (6–8 hours of sleep per night)
Can see and hear well

14. Has parents who have at least five of the nine resources
QUESTIONS TO ASSESS SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Has parents who have at least five of the nine resources
Yes No
Has parents who are supportive of school
Has at least two adults who care about and nurture him/her
Has at least two friends (peers) who are nurturing and not destructive
Is involved in one or more school activities (sports, music, clubs)

15. QUESTIONS TO ASSESS RELATIONSHIPS/ROLE MODELS
Has at least one adult on the staff who knows the student
Yes No
Has at least one person he/she admires who is not a sports figure or entertainment celebrity
Can identify the traits he/she admires in a role model
Can identify the kind of person he/she does not want to be

16. QUESTIONS TO ASSESS KNOWLEDGE OF HIDDEN RULES
Can identify and avoid the “pet peeves” of the person in charge, i.e., boss, teacher, et al.
Yes No
Can work/learn from someone even if he/she does not like that person
Can assess a situation and determine which behaviors can be used and which ones cannot in order to be successful in that situation or with that person
Knows the hidden rules of the school environment
Knows the hidden rules of the work environment
Can assess the unspoken cueing mechanisms in a given situation or with a given person and use that information to his/her advantage

17. Relational learning has seven characteristics:
Relationships of mutual respect with teachers and administrators.
A peer group to belong to that is positive and not destructive.
A coach or advocate who helps the student.
If not a member of the dominant culture, the student has access to individuals (or histories of individuals) who have attained success and retained connections to their roots.
Bridging social capital* ( buddies, mentors, et al.) to the larger society.
At the secondary level, a very specific and clear plan for addressing his/her own learning performance.
A safe environment (emotionally, verbally, and physically).
*Social capital is terminology used by Robert Putnam in his book Bowling Alone. It basically means who you know. He identifies two kinds—bonding and bridging. Bonding social capital involves people who are like you; bridging social capital involves people different from you.