Following the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), my colleagues and I write daily “ I can”
statements to help our students focus their learning. My students and I review the statement at the start of class and then we review them again at the end of the class. For example, during our chemistry unit an “I can” statement, for this one of the lessons was as follows: I can explain the properties of acids and bases and identify the similarities and differences between them. Students assess their level of understanding and report back to me in terms of their comfort level based on the “I can” statement as we continue to explore this topic. When our principal stops in to visit, he usually asks my students, “What are you learning today?”. The “I can” statements help my students verbalize their goal for the day and it helps them speak more about their learning rather than the “doing”.
The words that begin the statement; “I can”, have me thinking more about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and how these practices could be part of the classroom. If we can use the “I can” statements in class to help drive our learning, we can also possibly use it to help drive the various competencies of SEL. I have been examining more closely the competency of self-awareness in which the driving force is knowing what we are feeling in the moment; having a realistic perspective of our own abilities and a sense of yourself (self-confidence, self-efficacy, emotions, and awareness of our strengths). With the change of one word, the “I can” statement can become a statement that begins with “I am”. For example, in demonstrating that one is aware of their emotions, one could state: I am aware of what I am feeling. In demonstrating that one is aware of their strengths, weaknesses, and potential, the statement could be as follows: I am aware of my traits, knowing what I do well, and recognizing what I can work on.
Demonstrating an awareness of the value of others in the greater communities requires a step towards understanding the competency of social awareness. As stated by Patti & Tobin (2003), today’s youth are growing up in a multicultural world that requires them to have knowledge and skills to question, problem solve, listen to diverse perspectives, make decisions and act as socially responsible participants in our democracy. The “I can” statement, in this case, could be altered to begin with the words, “ I care”. For example, in demonstrating awareness of others emotions and perspectives, one could state: I care about the feelings and viewpoints of others. If we were to help students demonstrate and develop their awareness of cultural issues and a respect for human dignity and differences, the guiding statement may read as follows: I care about and respect the individual differences of others.”
I have begun to dive into the process of solving a problem or at least forming a plan to help enhance student thinking about their behavior, feelings, emotions, care about others, etc. by first discussing the format of a standard or a written phrase that would remind both the student and teacher what our focus is when we are working with SEL. But, I think that is OK, since there is no wrong path for an individual constructing new meaning when analyzing each of the competencies of SEL, afterall, I have identified myself as a problem solver, so after any reflection, reading of articles, viewing videos, the analysis will naturally occur and the challenge to make things better will be in the forefront.
After reading the article about implicit biases, I was reminded with almost a “slap in the face” that I in fact have some attitudes or stereotypes that affect my actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. I am guilty of sometimes reacting to misbehaviors in my classroom in a manner that shows my biases. In this case, I am talking about my reaction when students are not staying on task and they are talking to their friends or playing. During a recent lesson I noticed in one of my classrooms two groups of students off task. We had completed an investigation in the lab and my expectation was that students would complete a “post-lab” activity at their classroom table. Two girls were talking softly to each other in one part of the classroom. I was attempting to listen to their conversation in hopes that it was related to the post-lab activity, but it was not. Meanwhile, across the classroom, two boys were playing “footsie” and it looked as though they were off task as well. As I reflect back to my behaviors on that day, I am guilty of falling victim, as Fuglei states in her blog, to the phenomenon of unconscious discrimination (Fuglei, 2013). That day I approached the boys first, and I must have unconsciously thought to myself that the “boys are out of control in the classroom” (Fuglei, 2013). In fact, I am guilty of even more. I handled the girls being off task in a different manner, and in this case, disproportionated the discipline due to my implicit biases (Safir, 2016). I was more upset with the boys, who were playing footsie than the girls who were talking about their favorite TV show. My tone when talking to the boys was different than when I talked to the girls. I was clearly upset with the boys more so than the girls. I had forgotten that they may have a lot of energy and may need to be more physical. The class work was not conducive to their needs at that time. The expectation to sit quietly and work independently was challenging for the boys and I reacted. I was stern, showed some of my emotions (being upset and disappointed), and decided to separate the boys. Once separated, I talked to both in attempts to bring some awareness to their lack of impulse control, offer guidance as to how to stop the behavior, but in reality, I was the one who needed a reminder of my own emotions and the ability to recognize social and ethical norms of behavior. I approached the two girls, hoping that they had returned to work, but their conversation had continue. I was not stern, nor did I express my disappointment to the girls. I did not separate them, nor offer guidance as to how to stop the behavior. When I approached the girls, I asked them if they needed any help with the post-lab activity, and I moved on, circulating the classroom. In mind, at that time, I thought that this is all I needed to do to remind the two girls that they need to be on task. I did not separate them or even talk about their behavior. My goodness! I am part of the statistics. This event is an example of the number one bias listed in the blog by Monica Fuglei (2013): Boys are out of control in the classroom. If we are to hold on to the idea of a Three-Component Framework for SEL, that includes the learning context, SEL for students and SEL for teacher (Schonert-Reichl, K.A., 2017), then continued reflections such as this can be a powerful tool for veteran teachers like myself. In search for a solution, I feel as though I can make improvements, moving towards a growth mindset, by reminding myself of the implicit biases that can exist and possibly working on my own “I care” statements in the SEL competencies of social awareness:
I care about and respect the individual differences of others.
I care about others and do my part to make my classroom better.
I appreciate the suggestions made by Safir, S. (2016) in which I can replace bias with receptive listening and affirming thoughts. Taking a moment to pause when facing prospective behavior issues and keeping in mind my “ I care” statements could be the road I take for improvements.
Earlier this month when I was reflecting on the past events I was having a proud moment as I realized I did do a good job of perspective-thinking during some small group discussions. My students and I have been exploring some acid/base indicators this week. A familiar one to many is called the Universal Indicator. It is a common one to use since it offers a rainbow of colors indicating the pH levels from 1-14 for any substance one would test. In the following lesson, I introduced my students to nature’s indicator; red cabbage. First, I shared with my students how earlier in the day I had boiled pieces of red cabbage (we could all smell this “soup” later in the day) and then filtered the liquid to have red cabbage indicator ready for us to use in the classroom. My students came up with a plan to test the red cabbage indicator. They decided to use four different substances we had used in our investigation the previous day with Universal Indicator and examined what colors red cabbage indicator showed up. As I circulated the lab area I was curious to hear what my students were noticing. One group connected the colors observed with Universal Indicator to mean or represent the same levels of pH for the red cabbage indicator. This was an assumption on their part, and unfortunately an incorrect one, but I did not immediately say so. Instead, I took a deep breath, and quickly in my mind, asked, why were these students making this assumption? In fact, I was putting myself in their shoes, and thinking about how others might feel (or think as in this situation) (Smith, 2013). Listening helped a lot. I asked the small group of students to offer their reasoning, talk about what they understood and the connections they were making. I made every attempt to offer nothing but support and encouragement, as well as a comfortable and safe space to convey their newly constructed meanings. It was important for me to ensure that the students recognized that I was hearing them, understanding them, and ready to share my thinking as well. I was making every effort to demonstrate my awareness of other people's’ perspectives and I was doing my best to demonstrate consideration for other and a desire to positively contribute to our community (our classroom). The following “I care” statements in the SEL competencies of social awareness may have subconsciously been in my mind as I worked to have a positive experience with this group of students:
I care about the feelings and viewpoints of others.
I care about others and do my part to make my classroom better.
I am a big fan of the author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I have read several of her books. One of my favorites is modified from a TED talk she gave in which she spoke about feminism. The word feminist, and the idea of feminism itself, is also limited by stereotypes (Adichie, 2014). She challenges our ways of thinking of the word “feminism”, offers a unique definition for it, one that is rooted in inclusion and awareness. Using a bit of “tongue and cheek” language, she gives herself a label that is as follows: Happy African Feminist Who Does Not Hate Men And Who Likes to Wear Lip Gloss And High Heels For Herself And Not For Men (Adichie, 2014). You can see it in this obscure, almost ridiculous label, how much explanation may be needed for one to “understand” or take the perspective of another. As with her Ted Talk about the dangers of a single story (Adichie, 2009), teachers must be careful not put a label on a student, recognize their many stories, along with the many “labels” that one could add behind their name. It’s time we took the time to know each other, be socially aware and appreciate the diversity.
References:
Adichie, C. (2009). The danger of a single story.[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.
Adichie, C. (2014). We should all be feminists. New York, NY. Anchor Books.
Fuglei, M. (2013, December 20). Unconscious discrimination: How to defeat four hidden teacher
biases. Retrieved from
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/unconscious-discrimination-
avoiding-teacher-biases/
Gregory, A., & Fergus, F. (2017). Social and emotional learning and equity in school discipline.
The Future of Children,27(1), 117-136. Retrieved from www.jstor.org
Patti, J., & Tobin, J. (2003) Smart school leaders: Leading with emotional intelligence.
Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.
Safir, S. (2016, March 14). 5 keys to challenging implicit bias. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/keys-to-challenging-implicit-bias-shane-safir
Schonert-Reichl, K.A. (2017). Social and emotional learning and teachers. The Future of
Children, 27 (1), 137-155. Retrieved from www.jstor.org
Smith, B., & Low, S. (2013). The role of social-emotional learning in bullying prevention
efforts. Theory into Practice, 52 (4). 280-287.
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