Student to Community
and Family Relationship
Guiding Teacher Reflections
- What opportunities do students have to connect to their families through learning?
- What opportunities do students have to connect to the community through learning?
- Who do they consider as their community and how does this impact their daily life?
- Since communities are ever evolving, how I can incorporate ways for students to share about themselves
- and their communities in my classroom?
- To what extent do I incorporate family involvement in my classroom? In my assignments?
- How are students interacting with community members and solving problems in my classroom that relate to an identified community need?
- Do I invite people into my classroom explicitly and specifically?
- How do I incorporate local knowledge?
- How do I develop students’ understanding of interconnectedness–through cross-curricular opportunities, through collaborating with other teachers or local partners?
Guiding Student Questions
- What aWhat opportunities do students have to connect to their families through learning?
- How are you feeling about your family?
- Interactions within your family/kinship?
- Do you have people who you consider family/extended family?
- How do you perceive your culture?
- Are you learning what you want to know about your culture/identity?
- Do you want know more?
- Who can you ask? Are you participating in your community?
- Do you feel connected to your community?
Student to Student Relationship
Guiding Teacher Reflections
- How do I build a community in my classroom?
- Is my classroom-student centered or do I do most of the talking?
- Do students look at me for the majority of the class time?
Guiding Student Questions
- Do you feel like you have good friends/companions?
- Are you getting along?
- Are your friendships/relationships healthy?
- How do you know?
Student to Teacher
Relationship
Teacher attitudes about students, knowledge of the subject matter, and understanding of students’ cultures are all shown to promote improved academic performance and student behavior. Studies indicate that teachers who serve Native students effectively are caring & warm, give up authority, and have & show respect for students. Native students may mistrust schooling as a reaction to negative stereotypes perpetuated by teachers. Conversely, Native students demonstrated increased enthusiasm for learning under the instruction of approachable and caring teachers. These dispositions inform other elements of teaching: sociocultural consciousness, affirmative attitude regarding differences, constructivist approach, instruction from funds of knowledge, urgency around being culturally responsive, and identity development.
Guiding Teacher Reflections
- What opportunities do students have to connect to you through learning?
- Do you know their names? Stories? Families?
- How much do I know about my students?
- How do I demonstrate to students that I respect them, care about them?
- Am I kind to students?
- Do my actions align with my intentions, meaning do students actually experience what I am trying to convey?
- Do I care about their lives and their families?
- How do I both consider any challenges that students come to my classroom with while expecting students to do their best?
- Do I help students to set goals both in my classroom and beyond?
- Do I expect students to adapt to my way of teaching versus adapting my teaching to meet their needs?
- Do I believe students come to school with a lot of knowledge (versus, that it is my job to ‘fill the empty vessels)?
Resources:
Publications:
An Anglo-American Rethinks Native American Education
• Can We Avoid Yesterday’s Tragedies?
• University of Minnesota, Federal Bureau of Prisons
• Author/s: Mitchell J. Moore
Approaches to Measuring More Community Engagement
Publication Date: January 1, 2010
• Tamarack exists to build vibrant and engaged communities in Canada. Our work will result in more collaborative approaches and less poverty.
• Tamarack – An Institute for Community Engagement
• Author/s: Denise L. Whaley
Beyond the Bake Sale: An Educator’s Guide to Working with Parents
Publication Date: January 1, 1986
• This book is a guide for educators to help them work with parents to improve schooling
• National Committee for Citizens in Education
• Author/s: Henderson and Anne T.
Community Engagement Framework
Publication Date: June 1, 2009
• Fraser Health
Community Engagement Framework and Planning Guide
• Hume City Council
Connecting Academics, Indigenous Knowledge And Commitment To Community
• Indigenous Community Based Education
• Author/s: Tiffany S. Lee, Ph.D.
Coping with Today’s World: Focus on Parent Involvement
• Four Circles Learning
Culturally Responsive Positive Behavioral Support Matters
Publication Date: January 1, 2012
• Equity Matters: In Learning, for Life
• Author/s: Aydin Bal, Kathleen King Thorius, and Elizabeth Kozlesk
• Author/s: Bobbie Harro
Cycle of Socialization – Graphic
• Bobbie Harro
Decentering Whiteness
Publication Date: November 7, 1998
• Speech given at the 3rd National Conference on Whiteness
• Author/s: Jeff Hitchcock
Defining the Principles of Dialogue
Publication Date: January 1, 1999
• A Practical Guide to Facilitate Diversity Conversation
• Author/s: Sally Huang-Nissen
Ensuring Excellent Parent Teacher Conference Attendance
• Flamboyan Foundation
Example Phrases for Building a Culture of Error
From White Racist to White Anti-Racist
Publication Date: January 1, 2006
• dismantlingracism.org
• Author/s: Tema Okun
How We Are White
Publication Date: June 15, 2011
• Southern Poverty Law Journal, Teaching Tolerance
• Author/s: Gary Howard
Measuring Community Engagement
Publication Date: May 1, 2010
• Community engagement is essential to the success of most natural resource management (NRM) activities.
• Making Successful Investments in NRM Practice Change, Australia
Phrases For Building Students Writing Stamina
Positive Framing Examples and Non-Examples
Realms of Concern and Influence
• School Reform Initiative
• Author/s: Daniel Baron
Silenced Dialogue, Educating Other People’s Children
Publication Date: January 1, 1988
• Harvard Educational Review
• Author/s: Lisa D. Delpit
Stop Talking
Publication Date: January 1, 2013
• Indigenous Ways of Teaching and Learning and Difficult Dialogues in Higher Education
• University of Alaska
• Author/s: Ilarion (Larry) Merculieff and Libby Roderick
Strategies for Building Cultural Competency
Publication Date: August 1, 2014
• An overview of literature related to building cultural competency at the district level
• Hanover Research
Teacher to Student Interactions: Tracking Tool
• Author/s: Elena Aguilar
Teaching Tolerance Teacher Reflection Sheet
Working with Aboriginal Communities
Publication Date: January 1, 2008
• A Guide to Community Consultation and Protocols
• Board of Studies New South Whales
Research:
A New Wave of Evidence
Publication Date: December 31, 2002
The Impact of School, Family, and Community Connections on Student Achievement. Annual Synthesis
National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools, SEDL
Author/s: Anne T. Henderson and Karen L. Mapp
Classroom and Curriculum Accommodations for Native American Students
Publication Date: May 1, 2000
This article explores ways to enhance the classroom and the curriculum to meet the learning and social needs of Native American students.
Author/s: Scott Sparks
Constructing Failure and Maintaining Cultural Identity
Publication Date: January 1, 1992
A seven year ethnographic study of Navajo and Ute youth in a border reservation community analyzed such issues as leaving school, race relations, academic achievement, and culture change within the context of school and community.
Journal of American Indian Education Vol. 31, No. 2
Author/s: Donna Dehyle
Culturally Responsive Teaching In Special Education For Ethnically Diverse Students
Publication Date: January 1, 2002
Qualitative Studies In Education, VOL. 15, NO. 6, 613±629
Author/s: Geneva Gay
High-School Dropouts among Native Americans
Publication Date: October 1, 1983
A Montana study of 46 Native American high school dropouts found salient factors were perceived irrelevance/cultural insensitivity of curricula, perceived teacher indifference/failure to help with students' work, desire to be with other dropouts, problems at home, and the requirement that students attend school for the entire senior year.
Journal of American Indian Education, 23 (1), 15-22
Author/s: Theodore Coladarci
Indian Education Act Project in the Portland Public Schools
Publication Date: October 1, 1998
Portland Public Schools
Author/s: Kan Yagi
Promoting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous Children in Australian Schools
Publication Date: January 1, 2011
KidsMatter Australian Primary Schools Mental Health Initiative
Author/s: Brenda Dobia & Virginia O’Rourke
Service-Learning and Community Service in K–12 Public Schools
Publication Date: September 1, 1999
Statistics in Brief
National Center For Education Statistics
Author/s: Rebecca Skinner and Westat Chris Chapman
Why Do Parents Become Involved?
Publication Date: November 1, 2005
Research Findings and Implications
The Elementary School Journal, Vol. 106, No. 2, 105-130
Author/s: Kathleen V. Hoover‐Dempsey, Joan M. T. Walker, Howard M. Sandler, Darlene Whetsel, Christa L. Green, Andrew S. Wilkins and Kristen Closson
