Population Study Part 2
Ruby Payne Research and its implications for our population
Study of our school population and community through steering committees, local and district comprehensive team meetings and in-service activities, school and technology action plan writing, and last, but certainly a driving force, test data (especially NECAP data) has shown us that much of our population live in poverty. For the past several years our school has struggled to make AYP, primarily in the subcategory Free and Reduced Hot Lunch. Just below 50% of our students fall into this category, with many others not far behind.
Through on-going intense work with U.V.M.’s VT. Reads Bridging Project (Kathleen Harrington and Sue Biggam have been assigned to our school to help us address our population and target the students not meeting the standards set by the NECAP) we have been able to finally meet AYP. Assessment data from instruments chosen locally has shown us the areas our instructional methods have not met the needs of students, especially the struggling and disenfranchised.
In trying to really understand the students we need to also understand the environment they come from. Our whole faculty is currently reading A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Pane, Ph. D. Ruby Payne is regarded as a leading U.S. expert on the Mindsets of Poverty, Middle Class, and Wealth. The cover states this book is “A Must-Read for Educators, Employers, Policymakers, and Service Providers.” I have to say this is an easy but worthwhile read. As educators of children we are in the most important service industry of all. We must put the needs of those we serve at the forefront of all we do, whether it is in a classroom, a library, or a technology lab.
Ruby Payne uses an additive model (aha! Process, Inc. http://www.ahaprocess.com/ ) that focuses on “solutions, shared responsibilities, new insights, and interdependence.” This model recognizes that all people are problem solvers, irregardless of their economic status. After a brief introduction Payne’s book lists twelve key points to remember about poverty, along with statistical data, definitions, and resources. What makes this book an easy read is that the research is presented as a series of scenarios, with discussions about each following. What this information shows is that we need to consider the resources of the students and adults we are working with “before dispensing advice or seeking solutions to the situation.” P.25. In both classroom and library settings good “interview techniques” are essential.
Research shows that for many caught in generational poverty school is an unsatisfactory place. So the quest becomes how to make school a positive and valuable resource. For those in generational poverty entertainment is key. Both children and adults are survival oriented, and tend to live in the moment. Entertainment, background noise, movement, and use of humor are the norm. Ruby Payne’s research indicates that students bringing middle-class culture with them is decreasing, and students who bring poverty culture with them are increasing in numbers. She also exhorts that education is the key to getting out. Poverty is rarely a lack of intelligence or ability, but rather a lack of resources and support systems.
In chapter six Payne lists seven general categories of support systems. I find number three, Information and Know-How to be not only critical to success, but what is really at the heart of what of being in the information/education profession means if we are following Best Practice. Obviously if the services we are providing aren’t addressing their need we have the responsibility to rethink instruction and instructional arrangements. Because poverty is about relationships as well as entertainment we need to find ways to reach out and draw people in by relating to them in ways that are familiar and meaningful to them. As educators we must think outside the box. With today’s research and technology the options are overwhelming. My next few blogs will address creative ways libraries and classrooms are making learning interactive and fun. Edli 276 has certainly been an excellent resource for becoming acquainted to newer, exciting ways to teach to all students.
Payne, Ruby K.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Fourth revised
Edition.
Ruby K. Payne 1996. 199 pp.
Bibliography pp. 187-193
ISBN 1-292229-48-8
1. Education 2. Sociology 3. Title
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Wikipedia VS Conservapedia...You make the Choice
There seems to be a rivalry brewing between supporters of World-wide favorite Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
and newer kid on the web Conservapedia.
http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page
Both sites are free, multilingual, web-based, on-line encyclopedia projects written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Articles can be constantly updated, and additions and corrections are welcomed as are additional links.
Wikipedia is the registered trademark of the non-profit Wikipedia foundation. To read what Wikipedia is (and is not) according to them see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About#About_Wikipedia
Formed as a class project in November 2006, for a group of advanced homeschooled students, Convervapedia claims to be "one of the largest and most reliable online sources of its kind." Here's their short story:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Differences_with_Wikipedia
http://www.conservapedia.com/Rules
Although touted as world-wide collaborative projects Wikipedia and Conservapedia seem to have organized two distinct, and not necessarily accepting or respectful philosophical camps. Wikipedia claims Conservapedia's goal is to construct a pro-American, socially conservative encyclopedia that is supportive of (biased toward) conservative Christianity, while Conservapedia claims Wikipedia is increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American. They claim bias exists in Wikipedia due to contributions and editing by " liberal athiests who lack basic understanding of logic." Rutland Herald Sunday, March 18, 2007. This doesn't sound very collaborative to me.
So where does this leave us as users and dispensers of information? I guess it all goes back to good old Information Literacy Standard number 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and completely.
Indicator 1. Determining accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness
Indicator 2. Distinguishes among fact, point of view, and opinion
Indicator 3. Identifies accurate and misleading information, and
Indicator 4. Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand.
Sounds like job security to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
and newer kid on the web Conservapedia.
http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page
Both sites are free, multilingual, web-based, on-line encyclopedia projects written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Articles can be constantly updated, and additions and corrections are welcomed as are additional links.
Wikipedia is the registered trademark of the non-profit Wikipedia foundation. To read what Wikipedia is (and is not) according to them see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About#About_Wikipedia
Formed as a class project in November 2006, for a group of advanced homeschooled students, Convervapedia claims to be "one of the largest and most reliable online sources of its kind." Here's their short story:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Differences_with_Wikipedia
http://www.conservapedia.com/Rules
Although touted as world-wide collaborative projects Wikipedia and Conservapedia seem to have organized two distinct, and not necessarily accepting or respectful philosophical camps. Wikipedia claims Conservapedia's goal is to construct a pro-American, socially conservative encyclopedia that is supportive of (biased toward) conservative Christianity, while Conservapedia claims Wikipedia is increasingly anti-Christian and anti-American. They claim bias exists in Wikipedia due to contributions and editing by " liberal athiests who lack basic understanding of logic." Rutland Herald Sunday, March 18, 2007. This doesn't sound very collaborative to me.
So where does this leave us as users and dispensers of information? I guess it all goes back to good old Information Literacy Standard number 2: The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and completely.
Indicator 1. Determining accuracy, relevance, and comprehensiveness
Indicator 2. Distinguishes among fact, point of view, and opinion
Indicator 3. Identifies accurate and misleading information, and
Indicator 4. Selects information appropriate to the problem or question at hand.
Sounds like job security to me.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Awesome Technology Conference
On May 18th, 2007 at Champlain College in Burlington Dynamic Landscapes-2007 is offering A Technology Conference for Classroom Teachers A Focus on Skills for the 21st Century. It is sponsored by Vita- Learn and cosponsored by the Vermont Department of Education.
Chances for some very nice Door Prizes are also being provided. Free Keychain Digital Camera for each participant!!
Opening Session and Keynote: “ Blogging and streaming and Print In-Betweening-Classroom Education, New Media, and 21st Century Learning “ Dr. Rob Williams.
Among Session #1 nine choices I am most interested in:
B. Podcasting with iLife ’06: iPods
F. An introduction to Wikis in the classroom
Session #2 choices include:
B. All Students: iPods in the classroom to support literacy
E. Start Spreading the News: Using Web 2.0 applications such as podcasts, wikis, and blogs to reach your school community
F. Smart Pad Uses in the Classroom: a Cheaper and more interactive approach to technology in the classroom.
Session #2B and #3
Edublogger in Google for Elementary projects-Indefinite Thinking Machine-Part #1 Hands-on Part #1 followed by part # 2.
Session #3 also offers:
The Power of the Personal Interview: Integrating Technology and Creating Connections
This sounds like it aligns to my goal of creating connections in the library community outlined in my community survey. I have a hunch creative use of technology may be the key to creating appeal. On-line registration is encouraged at:
http://homepage.vita-learn.org/
Follow the links to Dynamic Landscapes 2007.
Cost: $125.00 up to May 7th. $150.00 after May 1st.
This is a very professional and well-attended conference. I only mentioned choices relevant to me at this time. Check out the web site for a complete listing.
Chances for some very nice Door Prizes are also being provided. Free Keychain Digital Camera for each participant!!
Opening Session and Keynote: “ Blogging and streaming and Print In-Betweening-Classroom Education, New Media, and 21st Century Learning “ Dr. Rob Williams.
Among Session #1 nine choices I am most interested in:
B. Podcasting with iLife ’06: iPods
F. An introduction to Wikis in the classroom
Session #2 choices include:
B. All Students: iPods in the classroom to support literacy
E. Start Spreading the News: Using Web 2.0 applications such as podcasts, wikis, and blogs to reach your school community
F. Smart Pad Uses in the Classroom: a Cheaper and more interactive approach to technology in the classroom.
Session #2B and #3
Edublogger in Google for Elementary projects-Indefinite Thinking Machine-Part #1 Hands-on Part #1 followed by part # 2.
Session #3 also offers:
The Power of the Personal Interview: Integrating Technology and Creating Connections
This sounds like it aligns to my goal of creating connections in the library community outlined in my community survey. I have a hunch creative use of technology may be the key to creating appeal. On-line registration is encouraged at:
http://homepage.vita-learn.org/
Follow the links to Dynamic Landscapes 2007.
Cost: $125.00 up to May 7th. $150.00 after May 1st.
This is a very professional and well-attended conference. I only mentioned choices relevant to me at this time. Check out the web site for a complete listing.
Getting Acquainted
Becoming a school librarian has been my dream for as long as I can remember. The thought of serving a community larger and even more diverse than my classroom is, for me, professionally exciting yet daunting.
At the beginning of each year I plan activities designed to help us get to know each other as individuals and as learners. Individual and group goals are set, and a sense of community is developed. While the curriculum remains basically the same from year to year each new group is unique, requiring me to adapt what I do and how I do it to best serve both individual and group needs.
As a (new) school librarian I will want to get to know the community I 'll be serving so positive connections can be made, and a sense of community can be built. We all know that librarians are also public relations experts, for a library is only successful if it serves, with excellence, its diverse community.
Because I hope to transition from classroom teacher to librarian at the school I've been teaching at for the last nine-teen or so years I decided to begin this blog by examining the population our library serves.
In order to develop a useful collection, it is important to analyze the school community and its impact on the collection.
1. Age and grade levels of students: Triple EEE, age 3 – Grade 8, age 13.
2. Number of students: 392
3. Number of teachers: 52
4. Number of support staff (include custodians, cooks, secretaries, etc): 13
5. Demographics of the community (rural, urban, city): rural
6. Number of towns in district: 4
7. Schools in district (include tech schools): 6
a. Fair Haven grade School
b. Orwell Elem.
c. Castleton Elem.
d. Benson Village
e. Washington St.
f. Fair Haven High school
8. Race and ethnic population:
a. Caucasian
b. Hispanic
c. Asian
d. Bolivian
e. Romanian
9. Special needs / Learning Styles (remedial classes,) Both in-class and pull out Title I services, Resource Room addresses learning impaired, spelling/language impaired, emotional-behavioral disorder, other health impaired, specific learning disabilities, and a large number of developmentally delayed students.
10. Surrounding community organizations (churches, libraries, clubs, day cares, etc.)
a. Churches
i. First Congregational
ii. Our Lady of Seven Dolors
iii. United Methodist
iv. First Baptist
v. St. Luke’s Episcopal
b. Day Care Centers
i. Bird’s
ii. Ellis’s
iii. Creative Kids
iv. Brannock
v. We Care
c. Nursery School
i. Dunleavy’s
11. Accessibility to school: Students walk, are bused or are driven by parents
12. School Programs:
Band
i. Beginner
ii. Jazz
iii. Intermediate
Key Notes (choral)
Drama
School Yearbook
School Newspaper
13. Sports:
Soccer
Baseball
Basketball
Cheerleading
Wrestling
Track
Cross Country
Field Hockey
Softball
Contact Football
Indoor soccer
14. Teacher Organizations, Unions, Committees: Addison Rutland Supervisory Union educational Association
Community Organizations who use the school (including evening & afternoon meetings):
Boy Scouts
b. Girl Scouts
c. Men’s Basketball Team
d. Historical Society
e. Planning commission
f. School Board
g. Drama
h. Hunter Safety Course
Summer Programs:
Summer School
Carp (Castleton Area River Project)
17. Public Library’s hours and programs:
Hours:
c. Tues. & Fri. 8:30A.M. – 4:30P.M.
d. Wed. 4P.M. – 8P.M.
e. Sat. 9A.M. – 1:00P.M.
Programs:
Every month a program is presented. If there is a special holiday during the month frequently it is highlighted. During the summer the library has visiting readers and it also does the State summer reading program.
18. Local Newspapers:
f. Rutland Herald
g. Lakes Region Press
h. Mountain Times
i. Sam’s good News
j. The Burlington Free Press
School Web page:
a. http://www.fhgs.org/
School Library Hours:
a. Mon. – Fri. 7:50A.M. - 3:15P.M.
School Library Staff and Staff Hours:
a. Same as school library hours.
b. There is only one librarian
As you can see our population is large as well as diverse. Our school library is the heart of our community, and it is used for most town functions practically seven days a week. My next blog will examine from a more personal perspective our library community with the goal being to build a library community that, like the Statue of Liberty, is welcoming to all. Just as I adapt my teaching at the beginning of the year to each new group in order to best serve their needs I want to be able to provide the library/ information literacy services needed by this unique community.
At the beginning of each year I plan activities designed to help us get to know each other as individuals and as learners. Individual and group goals are set, and a sense of community is developed. While the curriculum remains basically the same from year to year each new group is unique, requiring me to adapt what I do and how I do it to best serve both individual and group needs.
As a (new) school librarian I will want to get to know the community I 'll be serving so positive connections can be made, and a sense of community can be built. We all know that librarians are also public relations experts, for a library is only successful if it serves, with excellence, its diverse community.
Because I hope to transition from classroom teacher to librarian at the school I've been teaching at for the last nine-teen or so years I decided to begin this blog by examining the population our library serves.
In order to develop a useful collection, it is important to analyze the school community and its impact on the collection.
1. Age and grade levels of students: Triple EEE, age 3 – Grade 8, age 13.
2. Number of students: 392
3. Number of teachers: 52
4. Number of support staff (include custodians, cooks, secretaries, etc): 13
5. Demographics of the community (rural, urban, city): rural
6. Number of towns in district: 4
7. Schools in district (include tech schools): 6
a. Fair Haven grade School
b. Orwell Elem.
c. Castleton Elem.
d. Benson Village
e. Washington St.
f. Fair Haven High school
8. Race and ethnic population:
a. Caucasian
b. Hispanic
c. Asian
d. Bolivian
e. Romanian
9. Special needs / Learning Styles (remedial classes,) Both in-class and pull out Title I services, Resource Room addresses learning impaired, spelling/language impaired, emotional-behavioral disorder, other health impaired, specific learning disabilities, and a large number of developmentally delayed students.
10. Surrounding community organizations (churches, libraries, clubs, day cares, etc.)
a. Churches
i. First Congregational
ii. Our Lady of Seven Dolors
iii. United Methodist
iv. First Baptist
v. St. Luke’s Episcopal
b. Day Care Centers
i. Bird’s
ii. Ellis’s
iii. Creative Kids
iv. Brannock
v. We Care
c. Nursery School
i. Dunleavy’s
11. Accessibility to school: Students walk, are bused or are driven by parents
12. School Programs:
Band
i. Beginner
ii. Jazz
iii. Intermediate
Key Notes (choral)
Drama
School Yearbook
School Newspaper
13. Sports:
Soccer
Baseball
Basketball
Cheerleading
Wrestling
Track
Cross Country
Field Hockey
Softball
Contact Football
Indoor soccer
14. Teacher Organizations, Unions, Committees: Addison Rutland Supervisory Union educational Association
Community Organizations who use the school (including evening & afternoon meetings):
Boy Scouts
b. Girl Scouts
c. Men’s Basketball Team
d. Historical Society
e. Planning commission
f. School Board
g. Drama
h. Hunter Safety Course
Summer Programs:
Summer School
Carp (Castleton Area River Project)
17. Public Library’s hours and programs:
Hours:
c. Tues. & Fri. 8:30A.M. – 4:30P.M.
d. Wed. 4P.M. – 8P.M.
e. Sat. 9A.M. – 1:00P.M.
Programs:
Every month a program is presented. If there is a special holiday during the month frequently it is highlighted. During the summer the library has visiting readers and it also does the State summer reading program.
18. Local Newspapers:
f. Rutland Herald
g. Lakes Region Press
h. Mountain Times
i. Sam’s good News
j. The Burlington Free Press
School Web page:
a. http://www.fhgs.org/
School Library Hours:
a. Mon. – Fri. 7:50A.M. - 3:15P.M.
School Library Staff and Staff Hours:
a. Same as school library hours.
b. There is only one librarian
As you can see our population is large as well as diverse. Our school library is the heart of our community, and it is used for most town functions practically seven days a week. My next blog will examine from a more personal perspective our library community with the goal being to build a library community that, like the Statue of Liberty, is welcoming to all. Just as I adapt my teaching at the beginning of the year to each new group in order to best serve their needs I want to be able to provide the library/ information literacy services needed by this unique community.
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