Category: Educators

Virtual Home Visits: Ways to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom 

Posted on by Vanessa Howard

I know my students well.  academically, socially, and emotionally.  The first week of school I spend quality time getting to know my students.  The first day of school, I have my students complete an essay, “What is something you really wished your teacher knew about you?”  I give students time to complete the essay independently, then I meet with them individually to have a discussion about their essay.  You will be surprised by the information that you can glean from the essays and the conversations.  Students can be very candid in their written and oral responses.  You must use your professional discretion with the information that your students provide.   

 

Then, I have students complete an interest survey. (See Attachment)

https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/teachers/blogs/john-depasquale/2017/JD-Survey-Survey.pdf

I used homework assignments to assist me in incorporating parent’s perspectives, learning more about the community, and developing a deeper understanding of the students that I serviced.

 

Sample Homework Questions                    

Interview your parent about the following topics: “What makes my family unique?” or  “What goals should we set for school and why?”

What do you and your family do for fun?

Who are the people in your immediate family?  Explain your relationship to them.

Share any family traditions or holidays?  Explain why this is important to your family.

Who is the funniest person in your family?  Share a funny story about this person.

What is your family’s favorite thing to do together? Share why this is your favorite thing to do.

What is you or your family’s favorite TV show? Explain why you like this show

What is your or your family’s favorite song? Explain why this is your favorite song.

 What is your favorite movie? Explain why this is your favorite movie.

 What do you like to do on the weekends?

What do you like most about school?

What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Tell me about a family trip.  Where did you go and what did you do?  Would you recommend this trip to a friend?  Why or why not.

Describe your community.  Describe any community workers and their jobs that you see in your neighborhood.

What community members or community places do you visit on a regular basis?  Explain why

           

Family projects

Create a family mural to share with your peers.

Bring something from home that you can share to help your friends learn more about your family.

Create a family tree

Create a family crest.  A family crest consists of a shield with a symbol and motto to represent your family.

Create a map of your neighborhood

Create a brochure to describe your neighborhood (homes, apartments, businesses, hang-outs, community helpers)

Regardless of the questions or tool that you choose, it’s important that we just ask. Asking your students’ personal questions demonstrates that you are sincerely interested in knowing more about them as individuals.  This is a powerful way to build a positive learning community. It tells students their voices and perspectives are valued, and it creates a classroom culture that acknowledges and responds to students’ unique needs and preferences.  These activities are designed to create a virtual home visit with your students to share and celebrate their family traditions and cultures.  Although home language is encouraged, these seemingly informal assignments should be prepared formally.   Students should present their homework in a G-rated way (anyone can view or read it and free from profanity etc).   Help students to know when and why it is appropriate, while valuing their home culture and language at the same time.

The classroom is a place where you can help your students develop a connection with the curriculum by incorporating their life experiences within the classroom.  The information that you can glean from these activities should be used to design more inclusive lesson activities that are directly related to the curriculum.  Building authentic relationships with your students will motivate them to meet and exceed your high expectations. 

Dr. Vanessa Howard

Founder

 

Good Fit Book: How do you help your child select the right book to read?

Posted on by Vanessa Howard

Good Fit BOoks

How do you help your child select the right book to read?

When your child is reading materials, they should read books that are not their textbooks.  Your child should be encouraged to read books for fun.  When children read books during recreational times, this is when they can increase their reading proficiencies.  The whole goal of reading is to understand.  If your child is not reading books and understanding the author’s message, then, your child is merely calling words. Fluent readers are children that can read words in books accurately, using phrasing to make the words convey meaning, and they are able to retell/remember what they have read.   So, the book selection is very critical in motivating your child to read independently.

 

What is A Good Fit Book?

Good fit books are the best motivator for keeping your child interested in reading books independently.  Good Fit Books are books that are books that your child can read independently without having to do a lot of reading work.  When your child has to frequently stop reading to figure out unknown words, it breaks the flow of their reading and may hamper your child’s comprehension. 

 

Good Fit Book Checklist
  1. Have your child select a book that they think they would like to read.
  2. Have your child read 1 or 2 pages aloud.
  3. If your child can read the page without making 5 or more errors, this is a good fit book for them to read.
  4. If your child can read the passage smoothly and with phrasing, it is a good fit book

 

 

Cultural Competency

Posted on by Vanessa Howard

Cultural Competency

What Cultural Competency?

 

Cultural competence is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people
across cultures. 
It’s Easier than you think
We may have a limited influence on the home lives of our students.  Though once they enter our school, we have the opportunity to assess student needs and then work to adapt our instruction to meet their needs. 
If a child’s most basic needs are not met, their learning can be hindered. Addressing emotional needs is one way to bridge a child’s security-based physiological needs. When a child does not feel an emotional connection with their teacher, they may have difficulty reaching their greatest potential. A child will not allow you to teach them unless they feel as though you truly care about them.  Learning is directly tied to your emotions (affective domain).
Before school starts, I initiate contact with my students. During the regular school year, I spend time in the cafeteria and at recess building relationships with them and taking mental notes on personalities.    In the summer, I send postcards to my students and I make an introductory phone call to students on my roster. What I have learned by doing this is that students have an easier time transitioning into my teaching style and expectations because I had a prior relationship with them.
Culture shapes identity and identity shapes how a child sees and understands the world. It is important that teachers pay attention to the nuance of the culture of the students that they serve.   During playtime, I am listening to what the students are discussing.  It is during the informal interactions with their peers that I learn students likes and dislikes.  Students refer to this as ‘ear hustling.’ When students are playing, their defenses are down and you can learn the true nature/personalities of your students.
I keep my expectations high for all my students. I use a multi-criteria for assessing and implementing instruction. When I was a classroom teacher, my students rarely stayed at home.  My attendance rate was high because the students wanted to be at school. My students had high state test scores because they knew I believed in them and I had given them to tools necessary to be successful.  I built on my students’ strengths and not their perceived weaknesses.   They knew my classroom was a safe place to learn, change and grow.  You can have the best lesson plans prepared and if you have not built a relationship based on mutual trust and respect… the learning in your classroom may be hindered.  

Urban Education Specialist

Posted on by montibon

Howard Univer-CIty
What’s the meaning Behind our name? 

The plight of urban education is well documented and highlighted throughout academia.  My goal to provide programming and curriculum to ensure teachers can meet the needs of all children.  Every child deserves a great teacher.

Each year, it seems, urban schools serve larger concentrations of poor students, racial minorities, and English-language learners. As higher-income families depart, resources go with them, and schools are faced with the daunting prospect of doing more with less.

Many urban schools remain socioeconomically diverse. The consensus about urban school mistakenly uses test results for a true barometer of school quality.  

Howard Univer-City emphasizes literacy and curriculum mapping to ensure teachers can meet the needs of all children.

 

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