Shadowing a Student:
In thinking about your school, your students, and your community, what are you wondering about? (Hint:Who are the students underserved, inappropriately served, or finding themselves on the wrong side of the achievement gap?)
How will you frame this into an inquiry question?
What data (broadly construed) supports your decision?
1. Students identified as non-white, but not receiving ELL services (parent may or may not have checked the box to get tested for ELL services).
ReplyDelete2. Chronically absent students- missing more that 18 days in a school year. At first glance, these students are some of our lower performing ones. Does our school follow the statistical data for missing school in the early grades?
I am wondering if there is an academic/social-emotional, disparity for our students who miss school and or are a sub group. I am not sure how I will frame the question, and I am working on data from Perf+ that will support. I believe with this data I will have a clearer vision of what exactly I hope to gain from this experience.
And I am looking for feedback from you! Thank you!
DeleteI appreciate the different ways you are thinking about this problem. Here's what I am thinking about in response to your question:
DeleteI think there is a pretty solid body of research and data to support the academic and social/emotional disparity of students who are chronically absent from school. Children at the elementary level often do not have control of the reasons for being chronically absent from school. Rather than framing your question around absentee rates and achievement data, I'm wondering if a stronger learning experience might come from shadowing a student who is chronically absent from school and examining how the school, the teacher, or classroom environment is shaped to create inclusion for that student when he or she returns. If you think about the Motivational Framework, to what extent does the student experience a welcoming and inclusive learning environment? How does he or she access and make meaning from the learning expected in the classroom when there may be gaps? How do we allow choice and relevance in bridging those gaps? And finally, how does a child, who may be chronically absent from school, demonstrate competence and a sense of control in the learning that matters most?
Tackle any one of those questions could be really insightful.
Does this help?
Yes it does! One of the projects I am working on this year is bringing the parents on board to this body of research of chronic absenteeism, and the effects of it later in life (middle school, high school, and once they hit their career). I like tying in to this the social-emotional aspect as well, as it sort of "tugs at the heart strings" of some parents rather than looking at the academic side. Thank you!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete*The school I have had the privilege of being on staff for the past nine years have a few students who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
ReplyDeleteI wonder . . . .
Does the factor of being homeless have an impact on the way a student interacts with his or her peers? Does the schools staff and students interact differently toward or make allowances for students who are homeless?
*I have the opportunity to support learning in a school which has a higher ELL population than neighboring schools. I am interested in the dynamics of students, who speak a first language other than English, and their interactions with peers and adults. The school is currently a focus school because their qualifying ELL population did not show adequate growth according to the SBA.
I wonder . . .
How does a Kindergarten student, recognized by the state as an ELL student and entering into public school for the first time interact with same age peers? How does the teacher and peers engage with a student who has limited English skills?
In thinking about your school, your students, and your community, what are you wondering about?
ReplyDeleteBeing a long time resident of the Puyallup community and now raising my kids in this wonderful community---I wonder about our kids and students who come from a different cultural background and are immersed in our society and schools. How do these students engage emotionally and socially in all school settings? Do their interactions change throughout the school day at different times, different locations, etc? Do they tend to migrate toward people of the same ethnic backgrounds? Are these students able to express themselves openly, freely, and with understanding while at school?
The student I will be shadowing this coming week is a 1st grade student at Brouillet Elementary who has been in the United States for a little over one year. This student was adopted from Uganda and was immediately placed in school. This is a kiddo who was retained in the 1st grade by parent request because of social/emotional concerns. I wonder if this view from parents is truly a social/emotional concern, a language barrier concern, or a student motivational issue?
The data I have to support my inquiry question and concern is as follows: students behavior information (student file), observational reports from recess duties, perception reports from classroom teachers/parents, report card information, and summative/formative tests (Performance +) all show an achievement gap with this 7 year old boy. I want to better understand how we can support children in situations similar to this little guys.
Jenna I love this! I think this is a very powerful topic, we have a few adopted students as well and I instantly thought of our 3rd grader, from Kenya. Your topics are very similar, is it ELL, parent, or motivation? I can see this providing valuable, useable data.
DeleteI am wondering if the group of boys that are consistently being disciplined have positive interactions with adults. I want to know if the lack of positive interactions with adults contributes to the negative behaviors in the classroom/school. In addition, I want to know if students of color interact differently with adults at the elementary schools that they do at the junior high school level. Do the schools that have high discipline disparaity data have students that are in need of positive relationships and connections with adults.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Bens, we should talk about Check in/Check out and how this intervention may provide positive interactions with adults (if your "study" finds this to be an area of concern) for that group of boys. I would love to come to Ferrucci and share what I do with this at Brouillet :)
DeleteYes! This is a great topic Bens! I wonder what their history in behaviors is like as well? Have they just given up on being "good" because it's not noticed or recognized? How powerful will that be to show your staff the disparity in how certain students are treated.
DeleteTawana this is a great topic that can have implication for all schools. It makes sense that it would go back to the question of relationships, do they have positive relationships with adults with in the school? What are the relationships really like, and are the being used to help the students? I love your topic!
DeleteWith a free and reduced lunch population of about 24%, and with a high % of our students passing the SBA, I am wondering about those who do receive free and reduced lunch, and who aren’t passing the SBA. I will be looking for a student who fits those categories (of free and reduced lunch, and not passing SBA) as well as whose parents are not a part of the PTA, and who do not volunteer at the school.
ReplyDeleteMy inquiry question will be along the lines of what does a student’s day look like who does not have active parent participation in school… in a school where a large percentage of parents are highly involved in their child’s school experience.
The data I will look at is how the student is treated by adults working in the school as well as the many volunteers, as well as how they are treated by their peers.
Lauralee, I love this topic. We have a high volunteer population as well. I wonder about those kids (particularly in classes where the majority of parents volunteer or are seen in the building regularly) whose parents don't volunteer. I bet you could narrow your scope down and just look at the relationships with adults those kids have, is it positive? Would you see some behaviors associated with drawing attention (neg and pos). it could be very interesting!
DeleteWith a free and reduced lunch population of about 24%, and with a high % of our students passing the SBA, I am wondering about those who do receive free and reduced lunch, and who aren’t passing the SBA. I will be looking for a student who fits those categories (of free and reduced lunch, and not passing SBA) as well as whose parents are not a part of the PTA, and who do not volunteer at the school.
ReplyDeleteMy inquiry question will be along the lines of what does a student’s day look like who does not have active parent participation in school… in a school where a large percentage of parents are highly involved in their child’s school experience.
The data I will look at is how the student is treated by adults working in the school as well as the many volunteers, as well as how they are treated by their peers.
Zeiger is the home of the DHH (Deaf and Hard of Hearing) program for the Puyallup School District. It is a total communication program which supports pre-school aged students to 6th grade. The program services 14 students. All of the preschool students are self-contained. Our K-6th graders range from fully self-contained to half self-contained and half “push out” into regular education classrooms. There are six school districts serviced with the program: Eatonville, Bethel, Fife, Auburn, Puyallup (not home school) and Sumner. Their hearing ranges run the whole spectrum. The program also has 6 interpreters who interpret all conversations in the classrooms and assemblies. We also have photographs of our DHH students modeling the ASL sign for rooms and areas throughout the building. Many of our students and staff have incorporated sign language into their daily instruction, including using sign language for our TPR (total physical response) in GLAD. Having DHH students in our building has been an additional lesson in cultural responsibility for our hearing students and Zeiger has attempted to make our DHH students feel included in all school activities. That being said, I wonder if our DHH students truly feel as though they are part of the Zeiger culture. I want to shadow one of our 2nd or 5th grade students in an attempt to gain some understanding into this very topic.
ReplyDeleteMy question centers on our DHH students and how inclusive they feel in our building. The DHH culture is a unique culture in and of itself and they must learn how to adapt and live in a hearing culture for the rest of their lives. My question will be: What are the barriers that our DHH students face in navigating a hearing culture?
This quote spoke to me...
ReplyDelete“Too often, districts purchase additional equipment and bring it into classrooms-and that’s all; there’s no sustained support or learning. Many assume that the presence of more computers or an interactive whiteboard will lead to smarter children and better teaching. This couldn’t be further from the case. To ensure that this doesn’t occur, we’ve framed the second year around a teacher research process that requires teachers to approach their classrooms as inquirers seeking out the impact of technology on student instruction. Guiding questions for this work include:
• Are the technologies and practices we are exploring making a difference?
• What does that look like?
• How do we know?”
I feel very passionately about this work and have been integrating it into my internship in many different ways. So, I am interested in observing a student’s interaction with technology and how that is impacting learning.I would especially like to observe a student that is otherwise identified as struggling. I am still working out the details on this one...which classroom, which student, which school...
I want to find a teacher that has integrated technology as part of their daily practice. We don't have one at Brouillet so I am open to ideas! :)
I am still grappling with my focus.
ReplyDeleteI am alarmed that our middle school math scores range from 5% - 25% on any given year and in any grade. Looking at the same cohort in elementary and following them to middle school shows a huge dip in scores. I recognize this is a trend in middle school across the state yet I wonder what a day in the life of a middle school student looks like?
Our ELA scores are also lower in middle school yet not as dramatic of a dip as our math scores.
What alignment occurs between classes for a middle school student? Is each class operating without the collaboration of the other cohort teachers causing the student to not see that the learning can and is related from social studies to literacy and math to science? Are the routines the same? Expectations? How much time is spent on code switching for each teacher????
Kentwood High School is no different than many schools in that we are trying to better serve our ELL and Special Education students. With the inclusion model now changing and pushing these students into main stream classrooms we have gotten more creative about our hiring practice and how our ELL classrooms are leveled. I imagine that these groups are underserved in many schools, so instead of focusing on this group I am going to frame my inquiry question around Kentwood’s goal of getting our honors and AP numbers to reflect our demographics. We are currently working with Equal Opportunity Schools to study and promote the idea that all students can and should have the ability to choose to be in advanced classes. Our staff’s does not like the idea of students self-selecting to be in honors or AP. I do not believe this view to be driven by race or ethnic biases. The teachers are concerned more with failing grades and the possibility of putting a student’s on time graduation at risk.
ReplyDeleteMy inquiry question will be to examine and consider the challenges that students face in honors and/or AP courses as students that historically would not be in these classes had they not been encouraged or given the opportunity to be in them. Our data strongly shows that White and Asian, as to females, students make up the majority of our honors and AP students. I believe it is important to identify the areas that are weak or deficient to the students outside of these identifiers. These weaknesses or deficiencies could be academic, socio-economic, or other items that our staff might not have experience with and therefore the student to teacher relationship is impacting progress.
Jason I like your idea here. You might consider looking at some of the AVID data out there. Students can choose to be a part of the AVID program pushing towards AP type classes. AVID however provides a significant amount of support. I am wondering what other supports Kentwood is providing students are electing to push themselves?
DeleteI have many wonderings regarding the shadowing experience. We know it is a valuable experience to better understand what the educational day is through our students’ eyes and improve our methods. For our student we stay up worrying about, shadowing can provide the insight needed to make gains both socially and academically. Shadowing can result in professional growth and can improve the student experience. With a substitute shortage, and teachers already feeling overwhelmed at the thought of stepping away from the classroom, how do we put this into common practice? How do we make the systematic changes where teachers CAN shadow students? Although this would be a building shift that would require time and effort on everyone’s part, the gains are unsurpassable.
ReplyDeleteFor this project I am considering our deaf and hard of hearing population at Zeiger. I am interested what barriers they may experience in feeling included in the learning community. This quote from the reading resonated with me; “Most children fail in school not because they lack the necessary cognitive skills, but because they feel detached, alienated, and isolated from others and from the educational process (Beck& Malley, 2003)”. These students not only are pulled out often for instruction, but also face the challenge of communicating with others. Our DHH students are central to our school culture, and we strive to create access to classroom community, but are we doing enough? My questions driving the shadowing experience are;
What are the barriers our DHH students face to engage in our Zeiger community? How do they overcome or cope with these barriers? What can we do as a community to be more inclusive to this student sub group?
Initially in thinking about this question I was thinking specifically about what a day in the life of one of our functional transition (self-contained) students looks like, are we providing all the support and opportunities they need to move forward and be included in more general education classes. However, in thinking more I am leaning more towards our ASD students and the many needs they have in their lives. We have many students on the spectrum I wonder what a day in their life really looks like? Do they seek peer and or adult interaction or do they stray away? Do staff and students reach out to them,, or seek to avoid? Are we providing enough support? There are obviously many variables with each individual student, and at this point I don't have a specific student picked out, just wonderings...With the increasing number of students on the spectrum it is going to be an area that we are all going to have to address in all schools as we move forward.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about who I want to shadow and I have a number of students who come to mind instantly. I'm curious about perceived student behaviors and the impact they have on class climate and student learning.
ReplyDeleteMy question: Does a student with a perceived behavior (label or not, but shared by one teacher to another) receive the same teaching and learning experiences as those who haven't been identified as a behavior problem?
Data: student/teacher interactions, peer-to-peer interactions, student self-worth, positive interactions vs. negative interactions-student responses to each
I'm very excited about this assignment and I will share my learning with my leadership team. My hope is that each member of the team will shadow a student and bring back their learning as well. Using another lens to enrich our learning community and bring a different perspective to the forefront is powerful.
You have a very intriguing and possibly culture changing project brewing Kristin! Perceived behavior can be incredibly eye opening for anyone willing to stop and look from within. Many times there is a discrepancy between what we feel is objective and perceived.
DeleteI too, am grappling with where to begin. I am torn between looking closer at our ELL achievement data (we earned a Washington Achievement Award last year for our ELL scores on the WELPA for the last 3 years) or looking at achievement data for students that with IEPs for only Social/Emotional vs. students with IEPs for academic areas. As a district GLAD trainer, I am very involved in supporting Bethel's ELL model change by training teachers at schools with high ELL populations. However, as the admin. rep for our school's MDT(multidisciplinary team) and SIT (student intervention team) I have regular conversations with our staff about the growing number of students coming to us with Social/Emotional needs.
ReplyDeletePossible inquiry questions:
1-Do students with a Social/Emotional IEP receive the same amount of positive teacher/peer interactions as students on academic IEPs?
I could use data from student surveys, engagement survey, disciplinary data, and interim SBA data.
This assignment has had my mind racing for the past week. Two students immediately came to mind that have intrigued me lately. The first is a transfer student from Bethel whose parents have denied services even though he has been diagnosed with both ADHD and ODD. He rarely spends time in the classroom due to his behavior and increased safety risk. The other student is also new to our school and has been diagnosed as legally blind. The first time I met him he walked into the gym with a white cane yet immediately began jogging with his classmates. To say I was impressed would be an understatement, and I admire his desire to integrate himself with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAlthough my question will likely change multiple times during class, my initial question is: What are the barriers of students with disabilities in the general education setting and are accommodations being adequately met?
Data to be collected to answer my question may include observations, interviews with specialists, discussions with general education teachers, peer interactions, and Fall assessment scores.
I am torn between, shadowing a 9th grade student that has had one or more failing grade during Junior High or an Honors/ AP track student. The part that of this assignment that I am finding slightly difficult is attaching an inquiry question to the study without mentally trying to answer the question first. I need to just let it happen. As for now my wondering is centered on student engagement. How is the student being engaged during the school day? I am also finding that when I think about my wondering I find myself thinking about teachers and instruction.
ReplyDeleteI would like to investigate a student who is having a difficult time fitting into the mold of a classroom experience. For a variety of reasons, this student is not intersecting his values and personal norms with those of the school expectations. I want to investigate these reasons. Furthermore, I want to spend some time considering solutions to the gaps that are occurring in the school system that are enabling students to be misaligned. Is it possible to have every student align personal values with school values?
ReplyDelete