Non-classroom Settings. Classroom SWPBS Subsystems Non-classroom Family Student School-wide.
School & Classroom Context
-
Upload
alex-green -
Category
Documents
-
view
230 -
download
0
Transcript of School & Classroom Context
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 1/14
School and Classroom Context
The School
Located in the heart of Santa Ana, Washington Elementary School serves an
overwhelming majority of designated English Learners. Within a district whose English Learner
population is 56%, Washington’s is nearly 80%. Though Spanish is the most represented
language, others include Vietnamese, Khmer (Cambodian), and Marshallese. With that in mind,
the hispanic population is 98%.1 The pressures are piled high. What happens to that one student
who speaks Khmer? He/she is ethnically and
linguistically targeted. The school is well-
prepared to serve the masses—Spanish/English
translators, resources in both languages, etc.
Thankfully, special effort is made on behalf of
that one student by the resource specialist.
However, he/she still lacks cultural capital in
the school. In pinpointing the linguistic
minority student, I make a parallel—
Washington Elementary is to California as the
Khmer student is to Washington Elementary.
The teachers/administrators are well-versed in culturally responsive instruction, most
often specific to its hispanic population. The families are seen in terms of language—most of the
front office professionals are fluent in Spanish and English, parent communication forms sent
Green 1
1 Ed-Data, 2008-09, http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/welcome.asp.
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 2/14
home in both languages (see pages 8-13). This is essential for parent communication with many
of its parents lacking English fluency. The school offers parent education classes in English as a
Second Language (see pages 12-13), healthy cooking, and computers. Most importantly, these
classes offer babysitting free of charge. Otherwise, many parents would not attend because it
would require leaving their children home alone. The free English classes are an asset to the
parents because as their students gain fluency in English, they will be less compelled to speak
Spanish in the home. This is disappointing, but well-documented in literature. Too often children
loose their ability to speak to their parents. One resolution is to promote literary in both
languages. The other, teaching the parents English. Because Washington Elementary submits to
school-wide English Immersion, its tactic is the latter.
The school runs a number of school-wide programs, all of which create unity across the
grades. In the lower grades (K-2), the reading program welcomes families into the classroom to
read with students during the first fifteen minutes of school. Parents, grandparents, siblings are
all welcomed. This places value
on families as an important
resource in the education of its
students. In the upper grades,
students take part in independent
reading for the first 25 minutes.
Students accumulated points by
taking the respective book
quizzes on Accelerated Reader .
Green 2
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 3/14
Classes with the most points are rewarded with ice cream/pizza parties. It is unclear if this
extrinsic motivation is beneficial for student literacy. Furthermore, all students keep a reading
log in which they catalog the nights’ reading (see page 14). Students are encouraged to read at
least twenty minutes every night with a family member. The parents sign off on the log before it
is turned in to the school monthly. Students receive books (among other prizes) as reward for
turning them in on time. In this case, the extrinsic motivation matches the action—a book for a
book.
All students also engage in a mathematics computer program entitled Jiji. It walks
children through grade-level material through a series of problems. In its defense, it provides
visual representation for all the concepts therein. However, teachers have a tendency to rely on it.
One fifth grade teacher (whose class accumulated the most points in the school), commented, “I
like it because it teaches everything, even the
concepts I cannot possibly teach in the time
allotted.” It is disappointing fact of the matter
—out of necessity, teachers are relying on
computer programs to do work for them.
Lastly, Washington Elementary did
not meet the Annual Measurable Achievement
Objectives (AMAO-3) for the 2009-10 school
year, based on the English-Language Arts and
Mathematics sections of the CST. Parents
received a letter signed by Santa Ana’s
Green 3
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 4/14
superintendent (in English and Spanish) detailing how the district plans to target literacy in these
areas in future including, but not limited to, implementing the Response to Intervention (RTI)
program to support underachieving students and providing on-going assessments to ensure
progress (see pages 8-9). Though the intention is good, this stipulates more assessments as if
students are not tested enough. Furthermore, the letter notes that the district is in jeopardy of
losing some portion of its Title III funds if progress is not made. As a parent, I could imagine
thinking, “What am I suppose to do about that?” Although parents should be informed of the
goings-on in the school district, the Board of Education should pay close attention to avoid
placing blame on the parents.
The Classroom
Children experience learning wherever they happen to be, not just in the classroom.
Bridging the experience between home and school, family reading is in full effect every morning
in room six. Nearly 90% of students have a family
member present, the others have the teacher as their
“surrogate” for time being. It is a beautiful site to hear
students read in English, a language of which many of
the parents speak little of. Students read the
collaborative writing pieces posted around the room.
Basically, it is Open House every morning! Parent
involvement does not end there. Those of whom do
not work or can afford to take work off are encouraged
Green 4
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 5/14
to volunteer. They are seen as valuable assets in the classroom. They engage in the lessons if they
feel so inclined. Some choose to do the “busy work” (compiling papers, etc.)—the feeling is that
their lack of English-language fluency limits their value in the classroom, even when the teachers
try to convince them otherwise.
The logistics of the classroom produces a chaotic, yet well-oiled order of events. The
class is taught by two teachers, Mrs. Kazanjy (Monday-Tuesday) and Mrs. Ozeran (Wednesday-
Friday). For a two-teacher classroom, it is imperative that the teachers collaborate and agree
upon the given plan. They follow a weekly curriculum that details the content objectives,
language objectives, Open Court
accompaniment, differentiated
instruction, etc. To complicate matters
even further, the class has two sets of
students (15 each) that overlap mid-
day. The “early birds” consist of the
students who did not attend preschool,
thus entered kindergarten with fewer
English-language skills. The “late
birds” attended preschool, giving them a leg-up in terms of English-language development and
socialization. Though most of my observation hours were with the “early birds,” the one
afternoon spent with the “late birds” provided insight into the disparity between the two groups.
The “late birds” were far more expressive. They communicated with the teacher and each other
with greater fluency and frequency. Preschool provided the socialization necessary for these
students to excel in language acquisition. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) are
Green 5
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 6/14
only developed when students are willing and comfortable communicating. In this case, the
“early birds” had to jump that bridge before language acquisition could flourish.
The two-teacher, “two-bird” class structure is even further complicated by the student
teachers, preschool teachers, and parent volunteers that walk through the swinging door. Mrs.
Kazanjy has a significant reputation in the district for her work with the Family Literacy
Program, the first in the state, several
years ago. For this reason, district
representatives and preschool teachers
observe her classroom regularly. With
many teachers having authority in the
classroom, Mrs. Kazanjy and Mrs.
Ozeran decided on one consistent
managerial strategy. Based on principles
of behavioralism, the students are
rewarded for working nicely, being well-
behaved, following directions, sharing,
etc. The children’s names are written on
cards with their photograph at the front
of the room. If the teacher notices any of the above behaviors, she draws a star next to his/her
name. At the end of the day, students with five stars dig into the surprise bag and choose one item
as a reward. Though Mrs. Kazanjy is not convinced by the tactics of behaviorism, she recognizes
its need in the classroom.
Green 6
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 7/14
Though the classroom is riddled with chaos, at the end of the day, it is all about the
children. The children are fully seen. Mrs. Kazanjy is fluent in Spanish, making her an ally to the
students and parents alike. Student pictures are posted at the front of the room, each with a sight
word in hand. Students refer to the words
as their own. It is not uncommon to hear,
“That’s my word!” Students scan the
pictures to reference spellings of the most
common words (the, a, it, and , etc.).
Moreover, the students pictures are posted
all over the classroom accompanying their
work. This simple strategy instills pride in
their schoolwork, making it a common
attraction when parents are present for
family reading time.
Green 7
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 8/14
Green 8
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 9/14
Green 9
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 10/14
Green 10
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 11/14
Green 11
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 12/14
Green 12
8/6/2019 School & Classroom Context
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/school-classroom-context 13/14
Green 13