Do You Know My Students?

Do You Know My Students?

I sometimes wonder if other teachers have students like mine.  First of all, I should point out that the school where I work is located in an obscure part of California with the highest poverty rate in the state.  This distinction is accompanied by a myriad of challenges that school-age children bring into the classroom.  One of the most noticeable characteristics of our students is their lack of readiness for school at any grade level.  Rampant behavioral issues, unhealthy attitudes towards school and high transience are daily challenges that face the dedicated teachers at my school.  It’s not uncommon for a student who is asked why he or she is not working to give an apathetic response such as “I don’t care” or “I don’t like to read”.

Do you know any of my students?  As a special education teacher, all of my students have an identified learning disability or cognitive deficit that interferes with their ability to access the core curriculum.  That usually means they have difficulty understanding or remembering what they hear or see.  In some cases, their ability to analyze, conceptualize or generalize has been compromised for some unknown reason.

The majority of my students do not come to school with a wealth of knowledge and personal experiences that can help them to understand their lessons.  Many of the kids do not speak or hear any English at home and respond in English only when called on by their teacher in class.  Unfortunately, many of them spend most weekends, school holidays and summer vacations staying at home watching cartoons, playing video games or watching movies in their native language.  Students who speak English-only don’t seem to have much advantage over non-English-speakers in this neck of the woods.

Necessity is the mother of invention

I suppose this proverbial saying aptly describes how Intelligent Intervention came into being.  The standard curriculum materials were not only uninteresting and unappealing, but also lacked a strong language development component.  The impoverished home environments of my students left many of them with minimal expressive and receptive language skills.  So, when I decided to write my own literacy program, my first priority was to include a strong oral language component.  I also needed a powerful hook to snag even the most reluctant learners.  Of course, every child loves cartoons, et voilà !

Now, when students are referred to me for academic intervention, instead of complaining “Do we have to do this?”, they tend to ask questions like, “Are we going to start lesson 6 today?”

Accelerated Instruction Redefined

Accelerated Instruction Redefined

Promises of accelerated instruction can be seen everywhere.  The term accelerated instruction is commonly used to market everything from innovative educational products to new ways of toilet training for toddlers!  Apparently, any effort to speed-up the learning process is a good thing.

In the early 1500’s, China experimented with a new pedagogical technique for literacy instruction known as the accelerated literacy method (sucheng shizi fa) that was purported to teach illiterate soldiers in the Peoples’ Liberation Army how to read and write 1,500 Chinese characters in only 150 hours.  Based on just three simple steps involving memorization and practice, the method was denounced as being overly simplistic.  With the advent of the Cultural Revolution, literacy instruction was banned throughout rural China where the approach had been embraced by peasants and local governments.  (Peterson,G. The Power of Words:  Literacy and Revolution in South China, 1945-95. 2011)  

For over 150 years in the United States, accelerated instruction has been associated with special programs for gifted and talented students.  The general consensus is that gifted students, as opposed to non-gifted students, require a more challenging curriculum that progresses at a faster pace.  Conversely, students in remedial programs often receive less academic content at a slower pace.

Recently, there has been a trend towards providing struggling students with more instructional time, using the standard curriculum and a variety of instructional techniques, while teachers receive extensive in-service training on the latest programs designed to help raise test scores.  One professional development program even mimics the medical profession by instituting instructional rounds for teachers, so that they can supposedly learn from their peers.  Unfortunately, there are few resources that address specific ways to help teachers accelerate their instructional programs so that low-performing students can be brought up to grade level.

Prerequisites for Accelerated Instruction

Intelligent Intervention accelerates instruction for underachieving students by eliminating many common practices that actually interfere with or at least hinder the learning process.  While some of the following program attributes may seem to be counter-intuitive, they all contribute to a highly effective, fast-paced learning environment.

1.  Teacher-directed instruction

In today’s classroom, teacher-directed instruction often takes a back seat to more interactive learning schemes such as cooperative learning groups, study partners or whole class student-centered activities. An over-emphasis on such constructivist methods fails to acknowledge that underachieving students often lack prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to succeed in school.  The literature on cognitive research overwhelmingly supports the notion that, especially at the early stages of learning, the teacher should be regarded as the primary source of knowledge and that direct instruction should be the preferred approach. 

2.  Classroom management

Students are not just expected, but required to conform to certain behavioral standards that optimize learning.  A premium is placed on individual responsibility that encourages students to prepare for different activities with minimal teacher directive.  Peer pressure actively contributes to a highly productive learning environment in which everyone adheres to strict protocol and reaps the maximum benefit of each session.  Simple Rules of Engagement ensure that everyone is on-task.

3.  Feedback to students

Contrary to conventional practice, students should not receive feedback (“Good job!”) from the teacher after every response.  This merely encourages students to frequently look at the teacher for confirmation/affirmation which results in numerous momentary distractions.  Instead, students should be taught to silently self-monitor their own responses and those of their classmates using hand signals.  By doing so, they learn to experience the joy of personal accomplishment through powerful intrinsic rewards that effectively replace the need for constant praise or tangible points and prizes.  Such students tend to have a much greater appreciation for knowledge and develop a strong zeal for learning. 

4.  Time is of the essence

Underachieving students must accelerate their rate of learning to catch up with their peers.  However, accelerated learning can only be achieved through accelerated instruction.  Therefore, a fast pace of instruction is used that also serves to keep everyone on their toes.  Students don’t have time to fool around lest they be left behind.  All eyes and ears must remain alert for sustained periods of time.  Dynamic whole class instruction that includes ample opportunities for students to interact and learn from one another coupled with a healthy dose of anxiety is instrumental in sharpening active minds accelerating on a fast track.

5.   Language Acquisition

A mastery of English is the true passport into American society.  Students reveal their understanding most effectively when they are provided with complex, authentic opportunities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess.  However, none of these academic competencies are possible if students are not fluent in English.  Here they become adept at using academic language in response to a variety of questions that will typically be encountered in the curriculum.  This program applies the basic tenets of linguistics, language acquisition and language instruction to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to achieve academic success.