1. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Teaching Struggling Learners Teaching Struggling Learners Model Schools Conference Conference Presenter: Peter De Witt Averill Park Central School District

2. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Averill Park Central School District 120 square miles 3200 students 4 elementary schools 1 middle school 1 high school 11 administrators 600 teachers/staff

3. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 District Structures in Place Curriculum Teams –Curriculum Leaders –Curriculum Administrators Curriculum Mapping –Techpaths Edline – Online portal for parents, teachers and students

4. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Goals For Today Identify What is a struggling learner? What factors impact struggling learners? What interventions can you use at the classroom and building levels?

5. Language Deficiency On average, professional parents spoke over 2,000 words per hour to their children, working class parents spoke about 1,300, and disadvantaged mothers spoke about 600. So by age 3, children of professionals had vocabularies that were nearly 50% greater than those of working-class children and twice as large as those of disadvantaged children (Rothstein, 2004, p. 28). Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009

6. A Struggling Learner is… How would you describe a struggling learner? How do you think their teachers, parents, and peers describe them?

7. Struggling to…teach

8. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Perspective Taking We need to increase our sensitivity to student learning experiences provide support that allows students to –maintain self-esteem –improve performance –gain independence & ownership of their learning

9. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Heres where you come in…

10. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 What Can Schools Do to Help? Be aware of interfering factors

11. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Factors that Interfere with Student Performance medicalsocialemotionalbehavioral home environment/stressors learning style learning impairment

12. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 What Can Schools Do to Help? Be aware of interfering factors Celebrate/Focus on student strengths

13. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 What Affects Struggling Learners Positively Interested adults Peer relationships Genuine praise/constructive feedback Recognition/affirmation of strengths Accommodations/interventions Differentiated instruction

14. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 What Can Schools Do to Help? Be aware of interfering factors Celebrate/Focus on student strengths Accommodate/Intervene at student breakdown points

15. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Breakdown Points The Big 3 Functions Memory Attention Language

16. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Attention The parts of your mind that help you plan, stay alert, check your work, and pick out the most important things for you to concentrate on.

17. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage physical activity Some type of physical activity helps students sustain their attention during classroom instruction –Doodling –Squeezing a ball –Rolling clay –Tapping a pencil on ones thigh –Moving to a rocking chair

18. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Model internal controls internal dialogue, or self-talk, to delay gratification so task can be completed brainstorm rewards for task completion for motivation during low interest and low excitement activities

19. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Provide guidelines for self-monitoring Explicit guidelines for checking progress during task completion following the completion of a task -Did I follow all of the directions? -What have I left out? -What information could I include to make my work better?

20. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Language The parts of your mind that help you to understand what you hear and read and to communicate your thoughts and feelings. what you hear and read and to communicate your thoughts and feelings.

21. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Listening Activity Close your eyes… Fold the paper in half Fold the paper in half Rip the top right corner Rip the top right corner fold in half again fold in half again Rip the middle Rip the middle Unfold the paper Unfold the paper Open your eyes Open your eyes

22. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Draw focus to important information Underlining or highlighting key words help students decode directions, questions, word problems

23. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Check for understanding Identify where breakdowns in understanding occur check progress frequently by observing student work

24. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Books are a Mysterious Thing… Books are a Mysterious Thing…

25. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Provide ample time Time to collect and organize thoughts and ideas Dont assume silence means that they dont know the answer…need more time to formulate their answer into words

26. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Memory The place in your mind where you store and find information

27. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Model how to connect new information to prior knowledge Ask how new information relates to previously learned material or a personal experience Build connections to help store and access information

28. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage sub-vocalization and mental imagery Sub-vocalize or whisper key information (adds a modality for input) Create mental images to organize important information

29. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage mnemonic strategies use memory aids to consolidate and access of information use movement to represent information (again, adds a modality for input)

30. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Breakdown Points The Big 3 Subjects Writing Reading Math

31. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Sharing Best Practices Examples: Examples: Blogs, blogs, blogs – Edline, Google Blogs, blogs, blogs – Edline, Google Daily 5 Daily 5 Book Clubs Book Clubs What is your best practice? What is your best practice? Identify one best practice shared at the table that you would try. Identify one best practice shared at the table that you would try. What is your biggest roadblock? What is your biggest roadblock?

32. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Classroom Approaches Collaboration Differentiated instruction

33. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Search for interventions based upon a description of students exhibited behavior

34. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Averill Park CSD homepage http://www.averillpark.k12.ny.us/ APnet Educational Resources- Response to Intervention (RTI) To search interventions using a description of student behavior…

35. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009

36. Classroom Approaches Collaboration Differentiated instruction Student Breaks Change the look of the environment Data driven decision making

37. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Data driven decision making Pre- and Post- Testing Formative assessment during instruction State Exam performance on standards/skills strands Other school assessments

38. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 What can you do to Help Struggling Learners? (Building Level) Proactive Approach – student connectedness –Kids Club –Morning Program

39. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Kids Club All staff members are involved Every staff member has a group of students from K-5 Kids Club takes place every other Wednesday for fifteen minutes Follow the students through their elementary career

40. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Magic Moments K- 2 Three mornings a week Kick-off to the day Parental involvement Theme/Structure

41. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Proactive Approach – student connectedness –Kids Club –Morning Program Professional Development CSTPAC What can you do to Help Struggling Learners? (Building Level)

42. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Professional Development Book Clubs –Daily Five Common Planning Times Best Practice Blogs Peer Coaching Mentoring Educational Links/Resources on Website

43. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Child Study Team Classroom level solutions for classroom level issues Problem Solving Data Collection –Aimsweb BrainstormingFollow-up

44. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 PAC Building level solutions for building level issues ChairCo-Chair Stakeholder Representatives

45. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Common Mission Statement Collaborative K-12 Administrative Team Curriculum Mapping District Level Plans –AIS/RTI –HAL –Technology Plan –Professional Development –Mentoring Accountability What can you do to Help Struggling Learners? (District Level)

46. Enabling Students

47. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Thank You!!! If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail us at: –dewittp@averillpark.k12.ny.us dewittp@averillpark.k12.ny.us –www.averillpark.k12.ny.us www.averillpark.k12.ny.us

48. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Breakdown Points The Big 3 Subjects Writing Reading Math

49. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Reading When reading, have students frequently stop and ask themselves questions about information they have just read and attempt to make connections to current content as well as prior knowledge. Have students practice underlining or highlighting key words to more easily identify what they are being asked to do. Cross out unimportant, redundant, or irrelevant information in reading passages and mathematical problems to avoid being distracted by this unneeded information.

50. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage rereading Require students to reread information they have determined to be important. Students also may underline, write down, or write a ? beside information they dont understand and then reread it before seeking help. When answering comprehension questions, they should indicate where they found the information that answers the question by placing the ? # in the margin.

51. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Writing Create a safe environment for writing Balance feedback between what is good about the writing and what needs improvement (be specific by using examples from their work) Always highlight whatever is positive in a students writing. Always highlight whatever is positive in a students writing. Avoid comparing one students writing with anothers.

52. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Check that the student has the optimum setup for writing Be consistent with the modifications being provided in the classroom slanted work surface stabilization of paper (ex. taped to desk, on a clipboard, holding it with her free arm) comfort (writing while lying on the carpet, or at waist level sitting upright at a desk, or at an upright surface like the chalkboard or whiteboard) assistive technology (keyboarding or using writing support software like Co-Writer, ReadWriteGold) appropriate writing utensils (pens vs pencils, grips) scribe

53. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Emphasize self-monitoring during and after completing a writing task For example, have students ask themselves a series of questions such as: What have I left out? What have I left out? Where can I give more details? Could I better explain Who, What, When, Where, Why, How something happens?

54. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage students to read their writing aloud while editing it Help students to listen for where sentences begin and end so that they may apply proper punctuation and capitalization, and also listen for grammatical errors and missing or incorrect word usage.

55. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage students to use brainstorming before starting an assignment For creative writing, start the brainstorming process with something of interest to the student. Allow them to brainstorm in any way they prefersfor example, if the student has difficulty with writing, let him brainstorm orally. Help by providing sentence starters to trigger thoughts. Ask students to finish a sentence, such as Jack runs.... by asking them questions about the sentence starter, such as, What kind of person was Jack? and Where was Jack running?

56. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Math Use effective reading strategies such as rereading, identifying key words, and crossing out unimportant, redundant, or irrelevant information Use effective writing strategies such as organizing thoughts before writing, and reading the answer aloud to check for clarity and details

57. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage students to check their work Emphasize that completing math assignments is a process. Encourage students to become comfortable reviewing their work, making changes, or asking questions when they are unsure of their answers.

58. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Have students draw pictures to represent what is going on in a math problem Suggest they draw representations of objects from the problem (e.g., three shirts, a 6-by-12 foot garden plot).

59. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Help students maintain their mental energy for tasks Allow them to take frequent breaks while working. Suggest that they get up and walk around during these breaks. Encourage finger and hand stretching exercises before and during writing activities.

60. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage self-grading Allow students to self-assess the quality of their work before turning it in. When rubrics or other grading criteria are provided, have students grade their work and submit their assessment of the final product.

61. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Encourage self-testing strategies Have students ask themselves questions they think might be on a quiz or test. This process can help with consolidation of information because students will need to understand the content in order to write good test questions.

62. Card/DeWitt/Lawrence 2009 Provide consistent feedback Be consistent with your feedback system so students understand which behaviors, actions, or work products are acceptable and which are not. Use specifics to praise good work and recognize when students use strategies effectively.