Theme: Building Relationships
Quote:
"Like, one kid was like, ‘Well, I passed AP computer science!’. So now they assume, ‘Well since I passed computer science, I should be able to pass History and English.’”
Strategy 1: Warm-Demander
Teachers know a great deal about their students, often feel tremendous affection for them and empathize with their difficulties. Still, many teachers struggle to establish a positive classroom environment for all their students. Unfortunately, while teachers are often caring, the way they act on their caring is often not comprehensive enough to make a difference. Though teachers work hard to design interesting lessons, without a depth of relationship between students and teacher, a lack of engagement can occur. In that case, the quality of the lessons can be irrelevant and misbehavior or disengagement will reveal students' underlying resistance or lack of buy-in. What is missing is often not skill in lesson planning or content knowledge, but a teacher stance that communicates both warmth and a nonnegotiable demand for student effort and mutual respect. Judith Kleinfeld coined the term “warm demander” when describing teachers who most successfully supported student achievement. This, “warm demander” stance is central to sustaining academic engagement. Where do you fall on Kleinfield’s model?
Sophisticates: (Low expectations and low relationships) This style of teaching is often thought of as, “I delivered the information. Either you learn it or you don’t.”
Traditionalist: (High expectations and low relationships) — Often believe that developing and maintaining personal relationships are outside of their job description.
Sentimentalist: (Low expectations and high relationships)- These teachers often make tremendous investments in students’ lives. While they often feel badly for the students’ situations and difficulties their sympathy may cause them to lose focus on the students’ academic potential.
Warm Demanders: (High expectations and high relationships) As described above, these teachers combine a depth of relationship and personal warmth with high active demand. They explicitly focus on mutuality of the relationship and on building trust. They often show personal interest in the students’ lives beyond the classroom, including their family and friends. While they hold high standards, they also provide emotional and academic support to make sure their students are successful.
(Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. The School Review, 83(2), 301-344.)
Resources:
Being a Warm Demander in a Sea of CS Inequity
The Teacher as Warm Demander
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Quote:
“My student’s from last year encouraged their friends to join...It’s often word of mouth."
“Making it feel like every class is for everybody. There's not a lot of classes at the school where it's like, oh, I wouldn't sign up for that. That's not who I am or something. It's like. So I'm not just getting the nerdy kids, I'm getting the athletes. I'm getting the drama kids.”
“It starts before my students come in. I am definitely one of those teachers that are in the hallway. And during passing periods, one communicates to my students that, hey, I'm smiling, I'm in a good mood, even if I'm not, but I'm smiling and I appear to be in a good mood there...it helps for others sort climate of the school, where rather it helps for students who don't have a class to go to see my face and recognize me as a friendly face. So that helps just kind of beyond just even the scope of my, my own classroom, my own students. It helps to reinforce the positive school climate for students who don't have me as a teacher to still say, oh...she's nice and they (may have) no idea who I am. They may not even know what subject I teach, but they see me smile and laugh…”
Strategy 2: Purposeful Recruitment
The Equity Fellows engage in purposeful recruitment to ensure their classes are diverse and accessible to the greatest range of students. We start with the idea that everyone belongs and we advocate the building of relationships that allow students to see our belief in them. Being present in the school community beyond one’s classroom and a positive element in the greater school community, advocating for systemic access to CS classes (e.g. not tracking kids out of CS, making sure that students with IEP’s have access) and engaging in the direct recruitment of students from traditionally underserved populations are essential.
"Like, one kid was like, ‘Well, I passed AP computer science!’. So now they assume, ‘Well since I passed computer science, I should be able to pass History and English.’”
Strategy 1: Warm-Demander
Teachers know a great deal about their students, often feel tremendous affection for them and empathize with their difficulties. Still, many teachers struggle to establish a positive classroom environment for all their students. Unfortunately, while teachers are often caring, the way they act on their caring is often not comprehensive enough to make a difference. Though teachers work hard to design interesting lessons, without a depth of relationship between students and teacher, a lack of engagement can occur. In that case, the quality of the lessons can be irrelevant and misbehavior or disengagement will reveal students' underlying resistance or lack of buy-in. What is missing is often not skill in lesson planning or content knowledge, but a teacher stance that communicates both warmth and a nonnegotiable demand for student effort and mutual respect. Judith Kleinfeld coined the term “warm demander” when describing teachers who most successfully supported student achievement. This, “warm demander” stance is central to sustaining academic engagement. Where do you fall on Kleinfield’s model?
Sophisticates: (Low expectations and low relationships) This style of teaching is often thought of as, “I delivered the information. Either you learn it or you don’t.”
Traditionalist: (High expectations and low relationships) — Often believe that developing and maintaining personal relationships are outside of their job description.
Sentimentalist: (Low expectations and high relationships)- These teachers often make tremendous investments in students’ lives. While they often feel badly for the students’ situations and difficulties their sympathy may cause them to lose focus on the students’ academic potential.
Warm Demanders: (High expectations and high relationships) As described above, these teachers combine a depth of relationship and personal warmth with high active demand. They explicitly focus on mutuality of the relationship and on building trust. They often show personal interest in the students’ lives beyond the classroom, including their family and friends. While they hold high standards, they also provide emotional and academic support to make sure their students are successful.
(Kleinfeld, J. (1975). Effective teachers of Eskimo and Indian students. The School Review, 83(2), 301-344.)
Resources:
Being a Warm Demander in a Sea of CS Inequity
The Teacher as Warm Demander
---------------------------------
Quote:
“My student’s from last year encouraged their friends to join...It’s often word of mouth."
“Making it feel like every class is for everybody. There's not a lot of classes at the school where it's like, oh, I wouldn't sign up for that. That's not who I am or something. It's like. So I'm not just getting the nerdy kids, I'm getting the athletes. I'm getting the drama kids.”
“It starts before my students come in. I am definitely one of those teachers that are in the hallway. And during passing periods, one communicates to my students that, hey, I'm smiling, I'm in a good mood, even if I'm not, but I'm smiling and I appear to be in a good mood there...it helps for others sort climate of the school, where rather it helps for students who don't have a class to go to see my face and recognize me as a friendly face. So that helps just kind of beyond just even the scope of my, my own classroom, my own students. It helps to reinforce the positive school climate for students who don't have me as a teacher to still say, oh...she's nice and they (may have) no idea who I am. They may not even know what subject I teach, but they see me smile and laugh…”
Strategy 2: Purposeful Recruitment
The Equity Fellows engage in purposeful recruitment to ensure their classes are diverse and accessible to the greatest range of students. We start with the idea that everyone belongs and we advocate the building of relationships that allow students to see our belief in them. Being present in the school community beyond one’s classroom and a positive element in the greater school community, advocating for systemic access to CS classes (e.g. not tracking kids out of CS, making sure that students with IEP’s have access) and engaging in the direct recruitment of students from traditionally underserved populations are essential.