Culturally Equitable Instructional Practices

Developed for Gaithersburg High School

October, 2006

“Culturally relevant instruction is characterized by:

Ø  High teacher expectations

Ø  Caring relationships between the teacher, and the students, and among students.”

Ø  High teacher efficacy

(Shade, 1997)

The following “Look-Fors” describe those teacher behaviors which help to foster positive productive relationships, communicate high expectations, and increase student learning. Sources include MCPS “Framework for Teaching and Learning, MCPS “Teacher Professional Growth System Handbook,” references from the MCPS Diversity Team Website, and “HSA Best Practices” as identified by GHS staff. Contrasts are provided as a catalyst for reflection. While no teacher intends to negatively impact a student’s achievement, research has shown that many common practices may inadvertently communicate low expectations.

Given the challenge that we have, to improve student achievement for all student groups, it is imperative that we examine our instructional practices to be sure all students are treated equitably. While many factors may be considered in monitoring our progress ultimately MCPS will consider HSA scores and AYP indicators. Hence strategies specific to addressing these tests are embedded in the “Look-Fors.”

Evidence of Culturally Equitable

Instructional Practices:

High Teacher Expectations

/ Evidence of Inequitable
Instructional Practices:
High Teacher Expectations
1. Uses body language, gestures, and expressions to
convey a message that all students’ questions and
opinions are important
·  Smiles
·  Nods head in affirmation
·  Leans toward the student
Explains meaning of non-verbal messages / ·  Uses non-verbal behavior to convey negative
messages
·  Rolls eyes
·  Turns away from student
·  Frowns
·  Does not use non-verbal cues to validate students’
questions and opinions
·  Uses body language, facial expressions or voice tone not congruent with the verbal message
2. Uses random response strategies, for example
·  Numbered heads
·  Color-coded cards
·  Equity sticks/calling sticks/calling cards
·  ‘Popcorn’ reading or responding
/ ·  Calls only on students who raise their hands
·  Calls only on perceived high-achieving students
3. Acknowledges all students’ comments, responses,
questions, and contribution by:
·  Affirming
·  Correcting
·  Probing / ·  Ignores students’ comments, responses and
questions
·  Responds more readily to high performing students
4. Seeks multiple perspectives. For example:
·  “That’s one idea. Does anyone else have another?”
·  “That was one way to solve the problem. Who did
it another way?” / ·  Validates only one perspective and/or response
·  Does not acknowledge a variety of strategies to solve problems
·  Implies one correct response or perspective to open-ended questions
5. Uses Wait Time 1 and 2
·  Wait Time 1: Teacher silently waits at least 3-5
seconds for a student’s response after posing a
question
·  Wait Time 2: Teacher silently pauses at least 3
seconds to consider the student’s response before
affirming, correcting, or probing
·  Pauses silently following a student’s response to
allow other students to consider their reactions,
responses and extensions
·  Structures silent think time before expecting
students to respond / ·  Fails to provide silent think time to individuals or
the class
·  Comments immediately following a student’s
response
·  Answers own questions
·  Rephrases a question immediately after asking
·  Does not allow students to respond to each others’
answers or comments
·  Asks more than one question before stopping to
allow students to respond
6. Asks students for feedback on the effectiveness of
instruction
·  Asks students to indicate the learning activities that
are effective in helping them to learn
·  Uses interviews, surveys, and questionnaires to
gather feedback from students
·  Uses exit cards / ·  Fails to ask students for feedback on the
effectiveness of instruction
·  Does not use student feedback to re-teach
7. Provides multiple opportunities to use effective
feedback to revise and resubmit work for evaluation
against the standard
/ ·  Refuses to accept work for re-evaluation purposes
·  Provides feedback without opportunities to revise and resubmit work
8. Asks higher-order questions equitably of high- and
low-achieving students
·  Analysis questions
Synthesis questions / ·  Asks higher-order questions to those perceived as high-achievers only
8. Teaches specific academic strategies, for example:
·  Time management
·  Organization
·  Note taking
·  Study skills
·  Use of resources / ·  Assumes students should know or have these skills
·  Tells students to “get organized,” “study,” etc. but does not not show them how or provide strategies
9 Provides students with prompt and specific feedback on
their work and progress towards goals / ·  Feedback is greatly delayed or arbitrary and non-constructive
10. Shows students how differentiated assignments and accommodations are to assist them in meeting high standards. For example,
·  Talks about different learning styles
·  Provides examples of exemplary people who overcame difficulties
·  Provides for use of accommodations in class / ·  Fails to encourage students to use accommodations and differentiated assignments

Evidence of Culturally Equitable

Instructional Practices:

Positive Relationships

/ Evidence of Inequitable
Instructional Practices:
Relationships
1.  Welcomes students by name as they enter the
classroom
·  Correctly pronounces students’ names / ·  Does not greet students at the door
·  Does not know or mispronounces students’ name
·  Acknowledges only high performing students and/or behaviorally compliant students
2.  Uses eye contact with high- and low-achieving
students / ·  Does not make eye contact with all students equally
3.  Arranges the classroom to accommodate discussion
·  Teacher to student
·  Student(s) to student(s) / ·  Keeps classroom arrangement stable regardless of
the instructional activity
·  Structures all activities as teacher directed
4.  Ensures bulletin boards, displays, instructional
materials, and other visuals in the classroom reflect
the racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds
represented by students / ·  Displays materials that do not reflect students’
cultural backgrounds
·  Does not display student work
5. Uses students’ real life experiences to connect
school learning to students’ lives. For example
·  “What events or situations occur in your family
or neighborhood that require some knowledge
of _____?”
·  How does knowing about _____ benefit your
interactions in your family, neighborhood, or
school?”
·  How does not knowing about _____ impede
your interactions in your family, neighborhood,
or school?” / ·  Uses examples or illustrations not reflective of students’ lives to teach curriculum
·  Relies primarily on teacher-generated statements of curricular relevance
·  Does not ask students to make curricular connections to their own lives
6.Structures heterogeneous and cooperative groups to
promote peer support for academic achievement, for
example;
·  Four Corners
·  Line Up
·  People / Treasure Hunts
·  Uncommon Commonalities / ·  Lessons are all teacher directed
·  Structures only homogeneous groups or allows students to self-segregate
·  Fails to provide structure for small group learning
7. Encourages students and conveys the “ I believe you can
do this message.”
·  Uses encouraging methods
·  Shares stories of overcoming obstacles through
effort
·  Recognizes students’ use of effective effort
·  Conveys the message that you won’t give up on
them / ·  Fails to use encouraging language with students
·  Does not provide time for students to reflect upon and share effective use of effort
·  Communicates that learning is solely the students’ responsibility
8. Learns, uses, displays, some words in students’ heritage
languages / ·  Insists that everything be in only English
·  Makes no effort to acknowledge students’ heritages
9. Seeks to relate to students as individuals, for example:
·  Knows about students’ personal interests
·  Is aware of sports activities, jobs, outside endeavors / ·  Relates to students only as a class member, not an individual
10. Treats students respectfully and fairly
·  Is courteous
·  Acknowledges students’ opinions, prior knowledge and input
·  Explains reasons for decisions
·  Implements behavior management consistently / ·  Is condescending or totally inflexible with students
11. Models appropriate school behaviors
·  Uses formal language register
·  Dresses professionally
·  Follows school rules / ·  Expects students to meet a standard that they themselves do not uphold
12. Seeks to re-establish contact with students , for
example:
·  Welcoming them back to class following an absence or suspension
·  Following up with a student after a referral / ·  Does not take the initiative to re-establish contact thus leaving the student feeling “unwelcome.”
13. Is honest with students
·  Admits mistakes
·  Apologizes when necessary / ·  Is “never wrong.”
14. Maintains a sense of humor / ·  Has no sense of humor

Evidence of Culturally Equitable

Instructional Practices:
Teacher Efficacy / Evidence of Inequitable
Instructional Practices:
Teacher Efficacy
1. Uses proximity with high- and low-achieving students equitably by moving about the room. / ·  Remains in the same area or part of the room
2. Models use of graphic organizers, for example
·  Venn diagram
·  Anticipation guide
·  Flow chart
·  Concept ladder
·  Story Boards
·  Capture Sheets
·  Mental models / ·  Does not teach or model use of graphic organizers
·  Uses the same graphic organizer without assisting students to transfer to new organizers and content
1.  3. Uses a variety of visual aids and props to support
2.  student learning and language acquisition
3.  / ·  Teaches without use of visual aids or props
4.  4. Uses multiple means of presenting materials to students.
·  Visual
·  Oral
·  Interactive
·  Kinesthetic / ·  Relies primarily on one modalities
Us 5. Uses cooperative learning structures, for example
·  Think-Pair-Share
·  Teammates consult
·  Jigsaw
·  Pairs check
·  Partner A and B
·  Boggle
·  Last word
/ ·  Uses only teacher-directed instruction
·  Does not structure opportunities for students to learn together
6. Uses probing and clarifying techniques to assist
students to answer, for example
·  Restates the question
·  Breaks down the question into smaller ones
·  Asks a related question
·  Gives the student a hint, clue, or prompt
/ ·  Accepts answers without providing opportunities for students to explain their thinking
·  Moves to another student when there is no response or an incorrect response
·  Fails to assist students’ answers to respond
7. Uses multiple approaches to consistently monitor
students’ understanding of instruction, directions,
procedures, processes, questions, and content, for
example
·  Thumbs up
·  Unison response
·  One question quiz
·  Envelope please / ·  Teaches without pausing to check for understanding
·  Uses a single approach to check for understanding
·  Does not use a strategy for checking understanding that includes all students.
·  Uses only self-assessment tools to check for understanding
8. Uses a variety of models and organizational strategies to help students connect concepts, for example:
·  Concept maps
·  Outlines
·  Guided note-taking
·  Cornell notes
·  Story Boards
·  Venn Diagrams
·  Gallery Walks / ·  Presents information in one organizational framework only.
·  Does not help students to visualize the connections between concepts
9. Provides students with the criteria and standards for
successful task completion
·  Evaluates student work by providing
performance criteria (i.e. rubrics, exemplars,
anchor papers) / ·  Fails to provide students with models of excellence
·  Does not develop rubrics with students
10. Gives students effective, specific oral and written
feedback that prompts improved performance / ·  Does not provide feedback needed by students to improve their work
11. Teachers know the academic needs of their students / ·  Teacher has not analyzed data or reviewed available information on students
12. Provides individual help to high- and low-achieving
students / ·  Assists only higher-achieving students with
independent work
13. Identifies Students’ current knowledge before
instruction, for example
·  Word Splash
·  K-W-L
·  “What do you think when you hear…?”
·  Brainstorming
·  Evidence of pre-assessment / ·  Teaches prior to pre-assessing student knowledge
·  Teaches without activating students’ prior knowledge
14. Lesson plans reflect the work of collaborative course
Teams / ·  Lessons are inconsistent with other teachers of the same course
15. Clearly explains the course expectations to students and parents through a variety of means, for example
·  Posting on Edline
·  Back To School Night
·  Calendars
·  Shared folders / ·  Does not make expectations and standards clear and specific in multiple ways
16. Creates links between students’ backgrounds, prior
knowledge, and new knowledge / ·  Fails to connect course materials to student backgrounds or prior experience
17. Provides for a variety of assessment for students to demonstrate mastery of concepts, for example:
·  Brochure production
·  Power point presentations
·  Role plays
·  Charts or diagrams
·  Stories / ·  Relies on one or a few assessments
·  Relies solely on test and quizzes
18. Assessments include items form HSA test banks, presented in HSA format / ·  Class work does not reflect HSA items
19. Integrates a variety of technology tools and applications to synthesize and analyze concepts, for example:
·  Power point
·  Inspiration
·  United Streaming
·  Hand Out / Hand in folders / ·  Relies solely on pencil and paper tasks
·  Does not incorporate technology
20. Incorporates Before, During, and After reading strategies to get students interacting with the text / ·  Fails to use strategies
·  Does not set a purpose for reading
·  Students do not interact with text
·  Gives “Read and answer these questions” assignments.
21. Co-teachers / paraeducators are used effectively / ·  Co-teachers or paras have no active role or are used ineffectively
·  Co-teachers or paras are presented as “assistants”
·  Co-teachers or paras do not participate in the planning or delivery of instruction
22. Teacher is aware of and specifically teaches HSA related academic vocabulary / ·  Teacher only teaches content vocabulary
·  Teacher has not analyzed HSA questions and vocabulary lists
23. Teaches test taking strategies and test question “deconstruction” for example:
·  Writing ECR /BCRs
·  Scoring ECR / BCRs
·  Use of key words
·  SR strategies
·  Never skip a question / ·  Does not address the skills needed for successful test taking

Bibliography