We know that, as educators, implicit biases show up in the ways we teach. We also know that the best feedback we can get is from observing and reflecting on practice with a critical lens and, more importantly, asking our dreamers for feedback. (Note that I am using the term Achiever instead of Scholar to honor the funds of knowledge and expertise each student already has.) In this post I want to synthesize what I am learning about the “Focus Student” process. Engaging in a Cycle of Inquiry around a focus student can increase a sense of belonging, which leads to an increase in learning and a change in teacher practice adapted to the achievers with whom we engage.

Start with an understanding of Learning Partnerships (Hammond) and keep these ideas close throughout the process of inquiry:

• Reimagine and intentionally design a partnership between achiever/s and teacher where the teacher learns from and with their achievers.
• Begin by establishing an authentic, trusting relationship and a sense of safety. (See Trust Generator).
• Together achievers and teachers redesign and co-design learning environments and instructional approaches.
• Take responsibility for and ensure social and academic belonging, empowerment and success for formerly marginalized students. Take action to reduce stereotype threat and microaggressions.
• Balance giving both care and push. Help achievers cultivate a positive mindset and sense of self-efficacy and hope, and give them the language to talk about their learning moves.

Learning Partnerships provide an approach to ensuring that students outside of the sphere of success will have access to all the social, emotional, and educational opportunities they deserve. ~National Equity Project

 

According to the National Equity Project, there are three components of a Learning Partnership:

1. Identity: Building trust across identity differences – cultural synchronization. Establish rapport to build trust. Work to build cultural synchronization: “a shared, implicit understanding of communication and interaction styles, both verbal and nonverbal, between students and teachers of different cultural backgrounds that can lead to increased trust, decreased frustration and improved learning opportunities.”
2. Mindset: Creating an alliance. Co-construct a goal and make a pact to work together on the goal (skills, decision-making, mindset shift). By the teacher offering support and belief in success, the achiever is more likely to stay engaged, believe in themself, see evidence of growth, and persist when challenges arise. This fosters empowerment, agency, and personal investment.
3. Skill: Formative assessment for independent learning. Teachers need to focus on the whole child’s learning: especially their thinking and the processes they use. Support the achiever to self-assess and reflect on new or pre-existing strategies. Consider Universal Design for Learning and the various ways that people access and express information, and provide choice and variety. Learn about the multiple aspects of a person’s: identify, self-perception, and understanding of their context.

With a Learning Partnership mindset, one can begin to engage in a Focus Achiever Inquiry. The process below comes from my conversations with colleagues and the resources cited; it focuses on what the process might look like in a K-5 school.

• Pick an achiever to focus:
  • What are their strengths and interests/passions? What gives them joy?
  • What is their culture and what do they bring to the classroom community?
  • Reflect on what your relationship is like currently. What are your beliefs about what’s possible with this achiever? 
• Observe the achiever closely for the next week. Some questions you might reflect on include:
  • How do I communicate with them (words, tone of voice, body language, volume, public versus private)? 
  • How much do they talk and what language resources do they use? What does their body language communicate?
  • What do I notice about how others perceive them, talk about them, and interact with them?
• Keep track of what you say to the student (you can also include where/when). You might also keep track of their responses.
  • Do this for a minute for each part of the day, for a whole lesson each day, during transitions, etc. You could videotape part of a lesson and watch it. When students turn and talk with partners or are in small groups, listen in to this achiever to collect data. Morning Meeting is a rich time to collect data.
• Analyze the data:
  • Code each teacher statement. Some coding ideas include: P for praise, F for feedback, + for positive comments/affirmations, * for neutral comments, and – for negative comments.
• Reflect on the data:
  • How did I communicate that I believe in them? 
  • What words of affirmation did I give (for their contributions, ideas, effort, kindness, perseverance)? Research says that, for nurturing relationships, we strive for five positive comments for every one negative.
  • What impact do my actions have on the achiever?
• Make an Action Step and engage in a Cycle of Inquiry:
  • How can I communicate that I believe in them?
  • How will I communicate caring, warmth, and personal regard in verbal and nonverbal ways?
  • How can I get feedback from them about what can be improved and what is working well? 
  • Could I write an Interactive/Dialogue Journal with the achiever to learn more?
  • Can I walk and talk with them to learn more about their perspective (people tend to share more when they are moving and are looking in the same direction)? Could we have lunch together, for me to learn more about their experiences?
  • Can I engage in Cogenerative Dialogues (see Feedback from Students: Cogenerative Dialogues)?
  • How can I model my own vulnerability and willingness to learn and try new things?
  • Interview the student:
    • What is going well for you in school right now? What is something you feel proud of? 
    • What is your biggest challenge or frustration? What is getting in the way of your learning/engagement and how can I best support you?
    • If you could change one thing at school what would it be?
    • Has there ever been a time in your life where you worked really hard at something and then felt really proud of yourself for learning how to do it? What worked well for you at this time?
    • Do you feel important here? Do you like coming to class? Why? 
    • Do you feel like I/your classmates care about you? Do you feel loved by your peers and me? Why?
    • Does this class help you feel smart? Why or why not? Do you get a lot of chances to show what you know at school?
    • When was the last time you came up with your idea in this class, and how did it feel?
    • What’s your favorite way to show what you know?
    • Do people pronounce your name correctly?
    • Is there anything else you want me to know?
• Reflect on what you learned while engaged in the action step:
  • What changed as a result of the small change? Was it the outcome you expected to see? 
  • What will you try for your next Cycle of Inquiry? What biases do you need to unpack, to increase your positive impact on formerly marginalized students?
  • What was the experience like for the student? What impact did this have on the student academically, socially, and emotionally?

Recently I learned about the term Subsidiarity. It means that the people closest to a situation are best able to address it. Listening to achievers, to truly understand them, then acting on their feedback is subsidiarity in action. When teachers act on the feedback, our practices improve. This creates more socially inclusive and just classrooms and models for achievers our own willingness to grow. For me, that’s what it’s all about!

Resources:
Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity: The Keys to Successful Equity Implementation, Floyd Cobb
For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood… and the Rest of Y’all Too, Emdin
Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally Responsive and Historically Responsive Literacy, Gholdy Muhammad
Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students, Zaretta Hammond (Trust Generator)
Learning Partnerships, National Equity Project