How and when to use these technical teaching tools will become important questions that you will need to think about carefully before integrating technology in your classroom. As a teacher using a constructivist approach, you will need to determine if the technology will help create the desired learning experience for your students. Will it enable them to communicate and interact in ways that will help shape their interpretation of that experience? Does it help support multiple intelligences and perspectives in learning? Is it appropriate for to the psycho-social abilities of the students in your classroom? If the answer to these questions is ‘no’, then a different approach might be needed. But even if the answer is ‘yes’, you still have a few things to think about before undertaking any major effort:

1. What classroom/school resources will be required?
   - what are power needs of your tools? will your power outlets supply those needs?
   - what are the Internet capabilities of your school? Do you have good bandwidth? Are some sites blocked?
   - are the lighting, acoustics, and layout of your classroom condusive to the exercise or presentation you want to make?
2. What hardware resources will be required?
   - what computers or peripherals are needed? Do they need to be reserved in advance?
   - are you familiar with setting up and running the hardware?
   - do you have a plan for solving tech problems, or a backup if those problems cannot be quickly solved?
3. What software resources will be required?
   - do you know how to install and run the software?
   - is it compatable with the hardware or other software that it will be used with?
   - does it adequately perform the tasks that are required for your lesson/exercise/presentation?
4. What human resources are required?
   - what IT staff or technicians are available to assist you with your technology?
   - are they familiar with the specific hardware and software you plan to use?

This is certainly a lot to cover, but perhaps foremost among these questions are those dealing with your personal knowledge and comfort level with the tools you will be using. Your ability to evaluate your own technical abilities will help determine whether or not your student’s classroom experience will be a success. One framework for evaluating your ability to assimilate technology in a constructivist classroom breaks down your ability into four levels (McKenzie, 2000):

1. Preliterate End Users – those without any practical experience in computers and related tehcnologies
2. Software Technicians – those who are familiar with computers and the Internet for personal use, but have not integrated them into the classroom
3. Electronic Traditionalists – those who have used technology in the classroom, but limited to traditional classroom styles
4. Techno-Constructivists – those who have fully integrated technology in a way that redefines the classroom experience for students

If you find yourself in one of the first two categories, it might be better to limit your objectives until you have become more familiar and experienced with the tools you want to use. In these cases, the question of human resources will be particularly relevant. IT professionals, or the more computer-savvy teachers in your school may be available to teach you how to use the tools you need.  Other resources outside the school may be available as well. Being familiar with the tools you will be using will help you create the classroom experience you want, and avoid some of the problems discussed in the video below:

Christopher Call

“…the stress of dealing with difficult parents is one of the top reasons that teachers leave the profession…”

-2005 Harvard Graduate School of Education (Emeagwali,2009)

While many teachers can believe this statistic is true, teachers must keep in mind the benefits that including parents in their students’ learning can bring.  Since constructivists believe that a student’s background can affect they way they learn, it would be a great loss for teachers to not try to foster relationships with parents. Whether the parents are cooperative or difficult, many answers to a student’s development lie in their home lives.

Information collected through a series of interviews with three teachers questioned teachers’ general feelings toward parent-teacher collaboration, teachers’ perceptions of parents’ feelings, the benefits of such collaborations, and helpful tips to new teachers. These interviews were conducted by a DePaul graduate student in the spring of 2009.

The questions:

• Do you believe a student a student comes to class with a set of knowledge, and how do you feel this prior knowledge can affect the way he/she learns?
• Do you believe your students’ backgrounds are important when deciding curriculum? If so, how do you use what you know about their backgrounds to tailor your curriculum?
• How do you feel about parent participation?

1. in the class room (in meetings, programs)
2. in the curriculum

• Have you had issues with a student’s learning progress that you felt warranted parent involvement/conference?

• Do you feel that parents are generally for or against student centered learning?

• If you already involve parents, what positive effects do you think they have on your classroom/program?

While each teacher interviewed was of a different teaching background, they all agreed that collaborating effectively and positively with their students’ parents was the cornerstone of student success.

All three teachers also agreed that taking a student’s cultural background (religious, ethnic, and even socioeconomic) into account was helpful in understanding certain learning hurdles.

When it came to curriculum, because of their backgrounds, they had different answers. Teacher “A” was a teacher in public school for 30 years and responded by saying that in most situations, the curriculum is already set. In this situation, Teacher A suggested that as a teacher you help students meet the standards, take the students as far as they can go while being realistic, and grade them based on that achievement. Teachers “B” and “C”, both music educators and with more freedom in curriculum, agreed that taking students’ backgrounds and preferences into account was important in relating to students. Both teachers suggested finding out what kinds of music the students like, then using that information to tailor the curriculum in content and how it is presented. Teacher C stated “Understanding my students’ individual cultural backgrounds means that I will customize not only what content I teach, but also HOW I teach it.”

Skepticism dispelled

While many teachers are fearful of including parents in any aspect of their students’ curriculum, teachers A, B, and C agreed that parents’ concerns and suggestions have at times served helpful in tailoring the curriculum, especially in how they present it. All three teachers admitted that including parents in this way helped to raise parents’ interest in their children’s learning as well as foster a feeling of community or joint ownership. In “The Best Practice” project, a project aimed at giving parents more autonomy in curriculum in Chicago schools in the late eighties, teachers voiced concerns that parents would not embrace new constructivist reforms. It turned out their worries were invalid. The program proved a success upon review eight years later.

“…we are happy to report that parent involvement works. The decentralization of our system and the transfer of authority to parents have unleashed the greatest wave of progressive innovation in the history of Chicago schools (Daniels, 39).”

On that note, all three teachers agreed that they find parents are generally on board with student-centered learning and more progressive methods of teaching.

Benefits

The teachers interviewed all agreed that involving parents in classroom activity, whether it be open house nights or other special programs, gives everyone the opportunity to learn. In an open house situation, teachers can see how their students interact with their parents, and parents can speak to teachers directly about any concerns. Teacher B stated that getting parents “on your side” helps teachers feel as if they are not alone, and have a community backing them up.

Teacher A, the veteran teacher who is also and educational psychologist, stated seeing his students and their parents interact gave great insight into the types of relationships they have.  This kind of observation also helped him to decide how he should approach the parents. For instance, when Teacher A held parent nights at the beginning of the year, he discovered that one particular student he had trouble reaching came from a single-parent home. He was grateful that the parent attended and was actually approached by the parent about issues with the student. Through this meeting, Teacher A was able to come up with a special homework plan for the student in which the parent helped and signed off on the homework. Teacher A stated that forming this mini-community made all the difference in the world in the student’s progress. Rice and Dolgen suggest that “Adolescents raised in single-parent families are more likely to exhibit emotional and personality problems….(258)”  You can see how knowing about a student’s home life can help you analyze and decide how to approach behavioral or developmental issues that arise in your classroom.

Handling Conflict with Parents and Making a Connection with Students

Teachers A,B, and C all had something to say and suggest about handling difficult situations with parents and making connections with hard-to-reach students. The following is a compiled list of tips including tips from the interviewees as well a tips from Susan Emeagwali’s article titled “Fostering Parent Teacher Collaboration in the classroom (8).” Hopefully these tips will help you in creating positive relationships with parents.

• Learn as much as you can about your students
• Make an effort to connect and relate to your students with their interests
• Make trust and understanding your goals for parent cooperation
• Limit communication with difficult parents to phone calls or face-to-face meetings, email is too impersonal
• Enlist a veteran teacher as a mentor to help in handling difficult situations
• Hold meetings and demonstrate strategies that parents can practice with their own children such as quizzing for tests and checking homework assignments
• Contact parents early on, before problems occur
• Provide a  weekly or regular report on classroom activities and learning
• Let parents know how they can reinforce learning at home
• Address parents’ concerns head-on
• Hold beginning-of-the-year meetings with parents to discuss expectations for achievement and field as many questions as you can!

Conclusion

“Some of the ways adolescents know that their parents care about them is by the interest their parents show in them, by the amount of quality time spent with them, and by their willingness to stand beside them and help them as needed (Rice and Dolgen, 224).”

Teachers can use this thought in two ways:

1. Knowing this further charges teachers to reach out to parents and form collaborations in an effort to foster the relationship of the parent and student. Since studies show that parental-support correlates with high-self esteem and academic success (Rice and Dolgen, 224), it is in teacher’s best interest of the student to participate.
2. Looking at this thought from a constructivist viewpoint means that teachers must show interest in students’ interests and life experiences, and in the meantime create a “home-away-from-home” situation in the which the student knows the teacher cares.

As adults, it is hard in many aspects to relate today’s teenage generation, not because of the issues that they face, but with the way it is being presented has changed. Media is more of an influence, sex and violence has been more prominent in music, television and in everyday life. With the advancement of technology, kids are more sedentary now than they have been in any generation before, which has caused an increase in major health issues like obesity.

Recently there has been a major disconnect between the generations. If you watch some family cars today you might see the teen either on their phones, their earphones in listening to music on their IPods or MP3 players, or staring out the window. You would see parents talking on the phone, talking to their spouse or the younger children or staring at the road ahead. Often times parents and adults think that teens are very self centered and egotistical. The teens often feel that their parents feel that they can’t and won’t understand the issues that are important to them and that their ideals and values are completely different from their own.

In the following section will be broken into two parts. The first part will focus on the Teens viewpoint on school, teachers, and staff. The second part will focus on three themes: Teens and self-esteem and self-concept, Teens and identity, and teens and body image. A majority of the information that is given is from informal interviews with high school teenagers, high school teachers, and other professional staff. In both of the sections advice will be given by teachers, staff, and students about how teachers can help their students.

The informal interviews were collected in April and May of 2009 at three different high schools. The fifty students that participated in the interviews varied by age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background and the10 teachers and staff that were interviewed varied by age, ethnicity, social background, and years on the job. The questions covered by different categories such as school, teachers, friends, body image, and gender identity. They were asked to give there honest opinion with the guarantee that any personal information will be kept confidential.

When the students were asked what was their favorite thing about school the majority of the students liked that they could socialize with their friends and other kids. When asked about what their least favorite thing about school was the amount of homework that was given. One of the students that was asked said that his least favorite thing about high school were the cliques. When I asked why he did not want to divulge more. The answers that were unique to the questions of what was their most favorite and least favorite thing they like about their school, two Hispanic males said that their current high school is the safest they have been in. one African American female who was in the same class said her the least favorite thing about the high school was that it was overcrowded and a lot of fighting.

When they were asked if they participated in school extracurricular activities currently or sometime during their time in high school (athletics, academics, and groups) around 45% said yes. Others said that they were either involved in activities like dance, city sports leagues, volunteer work or afterschool jobs.

When asked about friendships, the students stated that the thing that they look for the most in a friend is loyalty and trust. Some students added that they prefer friends that don’t bring in a lot of outside drama. They said that their friendships were very important to them. The students said that when it comes to influences some of them said that they participate in certain activities because their friends are involved in them as well. They also said that they did not feel pressured by their friends to do try or do something that they were not comfortable doing. When they were asked if they go to their parents or to their friends for advice, the majority of the students said they would go to their friends more. A few said that it would depend on what the issue was.

When the students from all three schools were asked about what they thought about the teachers and staff they were very opinionated. When asked what are some of the activities that teachers in class that they like, they all said they preferred interactive, challenging activities. When it also comes to homework they prefer to homework that is relevant to the topic that they are working on. The majority of the students also said that they like to work in groups especially for large projects. The thing that teachers did that students disliked the most in class was being given a lot busy work, especially when teachers are playing catch up on their work. They also dislike it teachers don’t really take the time to explain the work and tell the students to read the pages and “figure it out” on their own.

When the students were asked what they think about teachers in general, a few of the students said that sometimes that some of the teachers are afraid of the students. When asked if the students thought if they felt that the teachers in their school cared about them. From two of the high school about 80 percent of the students believed that they honestly did. From the third school, about 50 percent of the students believed that the teachers didn’t care and were just there to get a paycheck and have summers off. When asked if they felt that the teachers were respectful to them about half said no. One of the Hispanic males that I interviewed said that the younger teachers are but a lot the of the older ones act like their on a power trip. Another student said some of the teachers come at you as if they knew you. When asked if they thought if the teachers were “in the know” about some of the underlying problems going on at school. 70 percent of the students said that they probably do but the teachers either do not want to get involved or they do not care.

When the students were asked if they were given the opportunity to create their perfect teacher what are the qualities or characteristics would they want them to have, all of them said knowledgeable in the subject they are teaching, well organized, flexible, creative about how they teach the material, understanding, fair, give homework that challenges students, and be enthusiastic.

When the students were asked how they felt about the administration and other staff at their school the responses were somewhat surprising. At high school one and two the student said that depending on how they know you could get away with more. They also thought that the principal was cool. When it came to the third school the students felt that some of the staff especially the security was very disrespectful to them. A couple of students said that they have been sworn at. They have also felt that not all of the staff is very trustworthy. Some of the students said that either themselves or their friends had to situations were outside authorities were called to their homes or had to question them because teachers or other staff members blew something out of proportion.

During the same time span I had the opportunity to informally interview several teachers and staff members at a several high schools and middle schools. When I asked if there has been a change in the students over the years that they have teaching, there was a resounding yes. One teacher who is retiring this year said that there has been a huge change in the work ethic of the students. She said that a lot of the students don’t work to find the answers on their own, they expect the teachers to give it to them or they will just copy off their friends or other students in the class. A dean that I talked to said that the students today are more wrapped up in the media. Changes of fads have been faster because of technology. He also sees changes in attitudes in the teens. Today they expect unconditional respect from adults, even though some of them have become more disrespectful to them and their peers. They are also less willing to give detailed information unless it is requested. Another also said that there was a change in the way parents interact with teachers. She said that before parents would listen and work with the teachers about their child behavior. Today, says the teacher, it seems that more parents are defining their child’s behavior and either denying that their “little angel” could ever do anything wrong, even though more than one teacher of staff member is saying the same thing. A lot of the teachers and staff said that drugs and alcohol are more prominent in the schools. A math teacher said that he has noticed that a lot of the student are ready to fight more now than in the past. They don’t think about the consequences to their actions be fore they react.

The final question that I asked all the groups that I interviewed was “What advice would you give to first year teachers?” this is what the students, staff and teachers had to say.
• Be strict but flexible, especially at the beginning
• Stand your ground
• Be fair to all of your students
• Be excited about what your teaching
• If you want to connect to your students, talk to them on their level
• Be charismatic
• Be sincere with your students
• Be ready for anything
• Don’t give a ton of unnecessary homework
• Get to know your students and what their interest are
• Know your students names as fast as possible
• Chillax
• If a situation occurs and your unsure of what to do, talk to your department head or other professional staff in the building
• Encourage debate and participation
• Show that you care by asking how their day is going
• Be available to help when needed
• Set limits
• Have a sense of humor
• Give Life lesson that we can take with us after we leave high school
• Let them know that you do not know it all and encourage them to find the answer
• Challenge your students by setting high realistic expectations

In the second half of this section I am going to address three themes that have a major influence during the adolescent’s journey through adulthood. The first is self-esteem and self-concept. The second theme that will be covered is Identity which also includes the concept of gender. The final theme that will be address is body image, which will included covering eating disorders and obesity.

In each of these themes will include definitions and what role they play in the lives of adolescences, informal interviews from students and staff, and how the role of the teacher can influence each.

SELF-CONCEPT AND SELF-ESTEEM

Self-concept and self-esteem are closely related to each other and can influence how teens view themselves. Self-concept is defined as the conscious, cognitive perception and evaluation by an individual of himself or herself. The self-concept helps people develop concepts in relation to the various relationships with people that we have constant interaction with on a daily basis.
Every person has a different aspects to ones self. There is the self that one knows that they are, the self that they think that they are, the self that others think that they are, the self that one thinks that others think that they are, the future self that one believes that they will become, and the future self that others want one to become (Rice, 161).

Growing up with a parent who is considered a positive leader (a well known and respected teacher, police officer, pastor of a church) are good example of this. Growing up as child of a well respected leader of the community, the adolescent is constantly watched. Their personality and behavior often adapts to the people that they are around. At home or around friends and associates of their parents they could be well mannered and quiet and with their friends they could be loud and mischievous. Depending on the relationship that the adolescent has with the parents and siblings could determine how their different selves can develop. They could be well adjusted, they could become perfectionist seeking approval, or they could rebel against people’s ideals of them.

Self esteem is about how much one feels loved, valued, liked and accepted and though well of by others and how much we love, value, and accepts ourselves (Lyness, www.kidshealth.org). People with a healthy self-esteem are able to think of themselves in a positive manner. Those with a poor self-esteem most often think of themselves in a negative manner. Self-concept and self-esteem are positively correlated. If a teen has a positive well adjusted self-concepts of themselves are more likely to also develop a positive self-esteem (Rice, 162). Since our self-concepts and Self-esteem can be shaped by our interactions that we have with people in our everyday lives, how we feel about our strengths, skills, and abilities can either flourish of flounder. For example in the self help book the Four Agreements, author Miguel Ruiz explain and code of personal conduct to help improve out lives. In chapter two he explains the first agreement: be impeccable with your words because of their power. In this chapter he tells the story of a woman who had a little girl who had a beautiful voice. After a long hard and stressful day at work all she wanted to come home to peace and quiet, but her little girl wanted to dance and sing. Out of frustration the woman said to the little girl “Shut up! Just shut up! You have an ugly voice! Just shut up!” From then on the girl stops singing because she thought that it was soo bad that it upset anyone that heard it. She became shy and quiet in school and refused to sing whenever asked. The act of her mother yelling at her changed her self-concept about her ability to sing and her-self esteem. (Ruiz, Pgs 34-36).

Some of the signs if a student is having issues with their self-esteem are:
• Avoids a task or challenge without even trying. This often signals a fear of failure or a sense of helplessness.
• Becomes controlling, bossy, or inflexible as ways of hiding feelings of inadequacy, frustration, or powerlessness.
• They make excuses
• Downplays the importance of events
• Grades in school have declined, or lost interest in usual activities.
• Withdraws socially, losing or having less contact with friends.
• Experiences changing moods, exhibiting sadness, crying, angry outbursts, frustration, or quietness.
• Makes self-critical comments, such as “I never do anything right,” “Nobody likes me,” “I’m ugly,” “It’s my fault,” or “Everyone is smarter than I am.”
• Has difficulty accepting either praise or criticism.
• Becomes overly concerned or sensitive about other people’s opinions of him.
• Seems to be strongly affected by negative peer influence and behaviors (http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK5_SelfEsteem_Low.htm
Going though adolescence especially around puberty can be a difficult time because of the many changes that occur physically, mentally, and emotionally. As educators, we have the power to play a role in influncing the self-esteem and self-concept with the students that we interact with on a daily basis, even though we might only see them for a short time during the day. Here are a few ways to help build up the self-esteem of our students:
• Do not criticize the students.
• Find out their interest, strengths and hobbies and try to implement them in class work.
• Do not allow them to make negative statements about themselves or others
• Give them praise on accomplishments.
• Treat them as an individual. Don’t compare them to siblings or parents.
• Give encouragement and support to make positive decisions.With these suggestion and many others teachers with the support of parents, can help teens create a healthy positive self-esteem.

IDENTITY

Identity is defined as the set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group. The distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/identity).

Adolescents that have a positive identity also have a developed sense of self-acceptance and the ability to accept others (Rice, 173).Some identities like physical, sexual and in some cases ethnic identity are form usually by adolescence. Erick Ericson, a well-known researcher of personality’s believed that the main goal of all teens is to achieve a coherent identity and to avoid identity confusion (http://social.jrank.org/pages/322/Identity-Development.html).

Certain components of identity like gender can for some adolescence be difficult to fully develop. Often times the terms gender and sex are mistakenly interchanged. Sex according to Rice is defined as one’s biological endowment as male of female. This entails the anatomical genitalia sex chromosomes and hormones that determine if they are male or female. Gender according to Rice is defined as the psychological/sociological construct of what means to be a man or women. This entails all of the societal associations of the sexes. In society boys should play rough, and like sports and be active and girls should play nice, like to play with dolls and nurturing (rice, pg 178). The connection between self-esteem and a gender identity is very impactful. Kids who are still unsure of their sexual orientation and gender are at greater risk of facing rejection from friends and family, commit suicide than their heterosexual counterparts, be bullied, and harassed at school (Rice, 402).

I asked about thirty teenagers various questions about gender identity.
When asked what characteristics makes a person male the students said they were tall, athletic, muscular, likes chasing after females, participating and watching sports, angry, smoker, authoritative, and dominant. When asked about what characteristics makes a person female, they said that they were very expressive, dresses feminine, not satisfied, likes wearing makes-up, sensitive and when it come to being physically active in sports one male student said, “Women should be shimmering with sweat not dripping.” Another male student said that they should be out going, sexually active, and athletic.

When the teens were asked if one of his male peers students did not fit in to this male ideal how do people see him? The majority of the male teens said that he would probably be seen as a fag. One male said that he might just be really shy. One female teen said, “I prefer a male with some feminine characteristics because they would be more interested in getting to know a girl instead of thinking of her as another conquest.”

As an educator, it is ones job to help our students grow into confident adults. We must be careful not to seem biased against any student because it would harder to connect with them. If we isolate any student they will feel that we are not trustworthy.

Here is a list of tips for educators to help GLBT students from PFLAG:

As an adult inside the school every day, there is so much you can do to help guarantee that all students receive an education and are protected from bullying and harassment. First and foremost – stop harassment immediately every time you hear or see it. Students learn quickly what is acceptable and what is not. When you let an offensive comment to go by, students know that means it is acceptable to target that group or individual. If you don’t feel comfortable addressing the issue because you don’t know what works, what might make things worse or what to do if you become the target , ask for a training for yourself and the whole faculty. If you are struggling with this, most likely other teachers are, too.
• Remember: The most common place for students to be harassed is in the hallways, cafeteria, playground and school bus. Work to make the “no tolerance for bullying” policy a reality everywhere – with signs, posters and most important your presence.
• As an educator, you are often the first person students, other educators and parents confide in or come to with questions. Be prepared to listen and provide appropriate resources. For age appropriate resources for parents, educators and students, contact PFLAG’s Safe Schools Coordinator, Suzanne Greenfield at sgreenfield@pflag.org.
• If your school does not have a diversity club or a gay-straight alliance (GSA), offer to be the sponsor. The mere presence of a GSA signals to students that diversity and inclusion are supported in your school.
• Do not assume all of your students are straight. Or that everyone they love is straight, including parents, siblings and friends. When appropriate, bring examples of LGBT people into your curriculum. (http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1032)

Other online resources to help GLBT and other youth:
• Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (www.GLSEN.org)
• Advocates for youth(www.advocatesforyouth.org)
• The Advocate (www.advocate.com)
• Gay straight Alliance (http://www.gaystraightalliance.org)

BODY IMAGE

Another essential issue that is being addressed in this section is body image. Body image is defined as ones feelings about his or hers own physical appearance. Body image is often closely linked to self-esteem and identity because they are beginning to care more how they are viewed by others (www.kidshealth.org). If teens are satisfied with there physical appearance they are less likely to harm their bodies. Those who are not are more like to participate in harmful behaviors to achieve their physical ideal.

There are three body types that have been identified, which everyone can fit in either one or a combination of the three categories. The first is the ecthomorphs, which are tall, long, thin, and narrow with a slender, boney, lanky build. The second is endomorphs, which are short with soft, round, thick, heavy trunks and limbs, and wrestler type builds. Mesomorphs fall between these types that have square, strong, well-muscled bodies with medium length limbs and wide shoulders. They represent the athletic type’s builds that participate in strenuous physical activity (Rice, 99).

According to a National Survey conducted by the Girl Scouts of America, 73% of girls compare themselves to girls in the media sometimes and 29% of girls do it nearly all the time (www.girlscouts.org). Studies conducted by Harvard University Medical School found that 25% of the 8 million Americans with eating disorders are male (http://namedinc.org/statistics.asp). With the constant bombardment from the media and sometimes pressure to look good or perform well, many teens are at risk in developing a variety of eating disorders, like Bulimia, Anorexia Nervosa and Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Bulimia Nervosa as defined by The National Eating Disorders Association as a serious life treating disorder that is characterized by cycles if binge eating and then purging of food by self-induced vomiting to compensate for the bingeing. It affects around 2% of adolescent females and is often times associated with depression or changes in social environments.

There are three primary symptoms
• The large intake of food on a regular basis accompanied by the feeling of a loss of control over eating behaviors
• Use of harmful behaviors like abuse of laxatives, diuretics, and self-induced vomiting, fasting and excessive exercise.
• Obsession with weight and shape

Warning signs to look for
• Unusual swelling of the cheeks and jaw line
• Staining of the teeth
• Callous on the knuckles and hand due to self-induced vomiting
• Withdrawal from friends
• Any behaviors or attitudes where weight loss, dieting, and control of food intake is the main concern
(www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)

Anorexia Nervosa as defined as the National Eating Disorders Association as a serious life threatening eating disorder that is characterized by self starvation and excessive weight loss. It typically appears in early to mid adolescence and is one of the most common psychiatric diagnoses for young women. Little information is known but at least 5% of all reported suffers are males.

The Primary symptoms are:
• Resistance to maintain a normal body weight for one’s height and age
• Intense fear of gaining weight of being fat even if underweight
• Disturbance in the experience of body weight or shape, undue influence of weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of low body weight.
• Lost of menstrual period in females
• Reduction in testosterone levels in males

Some warning signs for both males and females are:
• Dramatic weight loss
• Intense fear of becoming fat
• Preoccupation with weight, food, calorie intake, and dieting
• Very rigid exercise regimen
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Depression
• Avoiding situations involving food
• Frequent comments about being fat despite weight loss
• Strong need to be in control
• Perfectionist
• Any behaviors or attitudes where weight loss, dieting, and control of food intake is the main concern
(www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)

Body Dysmorphic disorder is defined by the Anxiety Disorder Association of America is a body image disorder that consistent of the persistent preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect with ones physical appearance. BDD usually develops in adolescence. People with this disorder think that they are ugly, abnormal, deformed or monstrous. Causes are unknown but factors could include traumatic events involving their weight, low self-esteem, and parents being critical of teens physical appearance Teens with this disorder are preoccupied with their obsessions on certain body parts and the rituals or compulsions that they perform to help with anxiety could include:

• comparing body part to others’ appearance
• checking in a mirror
• avoiding mirrors
• skin picking
• excessive grooming
• excessive exercise
• Camouflaging (with body position, clothing, makeup, hair, hats, etc.)
(www.adaa.org)

Another issue that affects a teen’s body image is the issue of obesity. Obesity in adolescences rose from 0.5% to 17 (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html) There are many factors that contribute to this alarming trend. Obesity does tend to run in families and it is coming more convenient to get fast food which is usually high in fat. Lack of exercise and a more sedentary life style among teens has increased especially with the advancements of technology.

With the increase in obesity, kids that considered over weight or obese are at greater health risk, like hypertension, asthma, and type II Diabetes. Teens that are obese or overweight are also at greater risk of having low self-esteem, depression, and being bullied at school.

As teachers it is important to treat all students with dignity and respect. It is important to let your student know what behaviors that will and will not be tolerated in your classroom which includes bullying. If you set that tone with your students you are letting all of your students that your classroom is a safe environment.
Since these are very serious and possible life threatening issues, it is advised to talk to professional staff (social worker, school physiologist, etc.) or you department head for advice if you notice any changes in your students. As a dean I interview told me, “Go to the professionals, do not give direct advice but be observant.

With all the bombardment that teens face these days, teachers can help them navigate these sometimes turbulent times in their lives buy giving them encouragement, being open and tolerant of everyone, and empathetic to the challenges that teens today face.

 Ruiz, Miguel. (1997)The Four Agreements: A practical Guide to Personal Freedom pages  34-36.

 “Body dysmorphic disorder” Anxiety disorder Association of America. Retrieved June 5, 2009. http://www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/MFarchives/MonthlyFeatures(June).asp 

 “Body image and self-esteem” Retrieved June5, 2009.” Kids Health (http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/body_image/body_image.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle).

 “Childhood Overweight and Obesity” Retrieved June 5, 2009.  Center of Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html)

 “Educational info text pages” National eating Disorders Association (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)

Identity Development – Aspects of Identity Retrieved June 5, 2009.  (http://social.jrank.org/pages/322/Identity-Development.html).

 Identity Retrieved June 4, 2009.  (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/identity

 “Parent corner Q&A: What are sign of low self-esteem?” American Academy of Pediatrics (http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK5_SelfEsteem_Low.htm)

“Safe schools for all students” Retrieved June 6, 2009.” Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG) http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=1032) “Statistics” The National association for Males with eating disorders retrieved June 5, 2009 (http://namedinc.org/statistics.asp).

“What girls say about body image” Girl Scouts of America Retrieved June 3, 2009.  (www.girlscouts.org)

The “Catch 22” of teaching: what you will soon find out is that the students MOST in need of your instruction are the LEAST engaged in it. As teachers we need to engage ALL students in every lesson. Much of the following information was researched through Kevin Feldman’s website www.scoe.org/reading.

Structured Active Learning: “Tools for your engagement tool kit”

“It’s not what you say or do that ultimately matters…It is what you get the students to do as a result of what you said and did that counts.”

As teachers, we need to inspect what we expect. This includes factors such as proximity in the room, partner work, ask for participation by repeating words back, being active with learning and have daily evidence of “show what you know” by writing, saying and doing.

1) Chorals responses: all say it together- wakes students up- gives thinking time
2) Partner responses: increase active language use, attention, higher order thinking
3) Written responses: writing first increases thinking, accountability, focus, etc. and provides the teacher with concrete feedback
4) Randomly call on students or have whole group discussions

Formative assessment: What is it? Why is it important?

According to Gallaudet University, formative assessments are designed to provide teachers and students with useful feedback about what has been learned so that future learning activities can better target student strengths and weaknesses.

Exemplars has a website (http://www.exemplars.com/resources/formative/tools.html) to help students and teachers both incorporate and benefit from successful formative assessment practices. A sample of its professional development material is available for use. Please visit the website and you will find the following material.

Tools for teachers include:
• Assessment
• Questioning Guides
• Student Self-Assessment
• Planning and Implementing
• Improving Student Communication
• Tracking Student Performance

Bell Ringer” Classroom Protocol

Bell Ringer: A 3-4 minute pen to paper task related to the instructional aims of the lesson that requires critical thinking, involves no interactions and no movement until structured partner debriefing

Time Frame: Approximately 5 minutes for student completion and teacher debriefing at the beginning of the class session

Frequency: Regularly 3-5 times per week to ensure efficient productive results

Purposes:
-to get students in an active, focused, accountable learning mode
-to get students actively engaged in reviewing, reflecting and writing about focal lesson content using academic language
-to provide the teacher with an efficient formative assessment of students’ grasp of critical lesson content/key vocabulary
-to give the teacher an interim to take role, finish set up, etc.

Sample Task-
Take out your vocabulary notes from yesterday’s lesson. Determine whether this statement makes sense, paying attention to the underlined lesson terms: When a crisis occurs, it often requires a complex solution. Respond using the appropriate starter: This seems logical because              ; This seems illogical because                   .

Teacher comprehension strategies

I do it/You do it/We do it:I do it: modeling, explaining why, when and how
We do it: Supported practice, pairs, small groups and whole class- lots of feedback and remodeling as needed
You do it: independent practice, tied to clear task based accountability.

Reciprocal Teaching (Palinscsar and Brown)Predict: prior knowledge, anticipation, think about…
Clarify: key vocabulary that is unknown, big ideas
Question: formulate questions, discuss, read
Summarize: section by section of key big ideas, paraphrase

Yes/No/Why?A statement or question is given. The students are asked to either agree or disagree with the assertion and then explain why.

Image/Explain:Given an image and have students describe the image and use background knowledge of what they have learned.

Graphic Organizers
www.graphicorganizers.com

Graphic organizers can be a very powerful tool to guide the use of cognitive strategies. The idea of graphic organizers is to make the information easier to understand by making its organization self-evident. The website above, graphicorganizers.com, provides “think sheets” from actual teachers as well as information regarding what type of graphic organizer to use depending on the information in the lesson.

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

In a culturally diverse, increasingly unequal, and rapidly changing world,

building strong, reciprocal partnerships with others to develop the depth of

emotional understanding on which successful learning among and caring for

all students depends . . . has never been more necessary. . . . In short, it

requires teachers to redefine their emotional geographies of teacher-parent

relationships and to make these relationships a core rather than peripheral

part of their work. (Hargreaves, p. 1076)

What Hargreaves is trying to say is that teachers must evaluate and reevaluate their orientations toward parent-teacher partnerships for the benefit of their students’ educational health. Instead of being supplementary to classroom learning, this relationship must be central to designing plans of action for learning improvement and educational enrichment. Before you try to tackle specific adolescent issues, try to learn a little more about who your students are and where they come from.

As teachers come out of their shells, they must take a look around their classrooms and take student demographics into account when deciding how to approach parents and when charting a plan of action. Sometimes miscommunication between teachers and parents comes from a cultural misunderstanding. It is the teacher’s job to become culturally aware and develop a sense of cultural sensitivity toward the student and parents. It is important for teachers to analyze a student’s learning and development and to try to find a solution to learning blocks and communication blocks with parents within a cultural context.  Schecter and Sherri (2009) borrow an idea on teacher change from Richard and Placier (2001) that describes this change as “involving learning, development, socialization, growth, improvement, implementation of something new or different, cognitive and affective change, and self-study (905).”  While this next study took place on a primary education level, it is easy to imagine placing it in a secondary education environment. Try to focus not so much on the type of program implemented, but on the effort of the teacher and benefits for all.

This study on parent-teacher collaborations took place in three public schools in the Toronto area that serve ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse student populations (Schecter & Sherri, 2009). This study is focused on teacher investments and orientations toward parent-involvement as well as teacher value of such partnerships. Several teachers were the focal point of this study and they were asked these questions:

1.  What are teachers’ perspectives on parent involvement in general?

2.  What, if any, educational benefits/gains for students and their families do

teachers see in school-based community/family involvement initiatives?

3.  In terms of their own professional development and growth, what, if any, bene-

fits do teachers identify? And in what ways is “teacher change” associated with

their participation in school-based family involvement initiatives?

I will focus on the answers of one teacher, Mel, who came from an immigrant family and struggled with many learning difficulties because her parents were not involved in her schooling.

1.  Mel’s perspective on parent involvement was that, as “supplementary educational support”, it is key.  She acknowledged that, in general, parents do really want to help but “lack understanding of how the system works.”

2.  The benefits Mel sees in involvement initiatives is the opportunity for the minority/immigrant parents, by inviting them into the school, to feel like “experts in their chosen fields and to raise their status in their children’s eyes . . . because you’re always going to have the danger of ESL parents losing that power, because the kids know the language [English] and the parents don’t know the language, so that would help them, and also, it would . . . highlight the first language and make it a living language, not the language you’re trying to lose, and let it die off.”

Also, Mel noticed that parents were beginning to feel more a part of their children’s learning because of the heightened awareness of what the children do when they are at school. Reading and other campus-based projects also helped the parents to feel more comfortable talking to teachers, thus forming the ever-important parent-teacher partnership.

She felt that students thoroughly enjoyed having their parents around at the special school meetings and programs and that the parents were trying new things with them. She noticed a positive change in the attitude of the children toward things like reading.

3.  Teacher benefits and professional development from program initiatives:

After participating in the program, Mel felt a heightened sense of responsibility toward the parents, now that the parents know more about the educational process. She also stated that she felt more comfortable with the parents and families, answering questions on the spot, and turning those questions into “two-way” conversation.  She even stated that she has incorporated parents’ feedback into her curriculum. Through researching in preparation for working for ESL families, she stumbled upon many web resources that can also help parents.

Food for thought…

Obviously, a program like this one takes a lot of work on the part of teachers and school administrators. More than work, though, it takes a lot of support from your school to implement such a program.  Before you start to feel hopeless, take the questions and the answers from this study to heart and consider how they can be applied to your classroom situation. Before you become overwhelmed with the amount of effort it may take to form these special relationships with the parents, consider the benefits the teacher from the study noted, and the benefits of the parents and students in the classroom. Even if you cannot get a program like this started in your school just yet, you may be able to get one on a much smaller scale started in your own classroom.

Adolescents, like adults, don’t want to be controlled.  They are starting to seek a level of autonomy.  They want to be in the driver’s seat, both literally and figuratively.  It is during this period that they want more freedom, and rely less on their parents and more on their peers (Rice and Dolgin, Page 228).

The key is tapping into their changes in cognitive development and using it in the classroom to help them learn.  You do not want to disengage them; you want to engage them.

Constructivist theory and learning approaches work especially well with adolescents.  These students want to assume control, and when they have control they feel more empowered. Their apathy starts to turn to a sense of ownership over the subject matter.

Instead of telling them what (and how) to think, a teacher using a Constructivist approach is helping the student to look at various aspects of an issue or problem, to apply pre-existing knowledge and experiences, and to come up with a way to address the issue or resolve the problem.

The following sections provide you with some real-world examples of how constructivism is being applied in other classrooms; these are ideas that you might want to test drive in your own classroom.

In addition, the rationale behind how adolescents process information is highlighted.  Finally, high school students offer their advice to new teachers.  I hope you find these examples, and this advice, useful as you realize your goal of becoming a teacher.

Providing your students with the keys to your classroom can be scary, but there is nothing more rewarding than guiding them down the road to success!

Written by Joe Koenig

“I use a ‘student-centered approach’ rather than a ‘teacher-driven approach,”’ Matt says.  “It helps to build the confidence of the students.  Confidence is key.”  (Personal Communication, April 2009)

Matt uses discussion group exercises as a way to engage his students.  He takes a problem-based historical topic, such as dropping the bomb on Japan during World War II, and turns it into a classroom debate on whether that historical decision was the right one, based upon the information available at the time.  This “collaborative approach” allows a teacher to have more one-on-one conversations with students,” Matt said.  “They are on stage, rather than me.”

Matt assigns students play the roles of historical individuals involved with making key decisions.  On the day I visited him in class, Matt had students play the roles of figures who played a role in the decision to drop the bomb, such as President Harry Truman, scientists Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Generals Dwight Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur.

The student who played the role of Harry Truman brought in a homemade plaque for his desk that said, “The Buck Stops Here.”  As an outside observer, I could tell that this student took his role seriously and had researched the issues being discussed.  He took ownership over the subject matter.  He tapped into what he had learned about President Truman from past history classes and class readings and had fun at the same time.

“The students feel invested in what they are doing,” Matt says.  He uses classroom exercises from “The Choices Program” at Brown University.  The exercises encourage debate and role-playing.  Matt prefers his teaching style as a “facilitator” to that of lecturing students.  He said when you lecture students, one of four things can happen:

1.    Students get bored;
2.    They do not understand the material;
3.    They do not find it to be an engaging experience; or,
4.    They think the teacher sounds stupid.

Matt also uses experience-based constructivist learning approaches in his Sociology class.  This approach is especially useful in Sociology because he is able to tap into students’ experiences concerning such weighty topics as “social inequality,” “race and ethnicity,” “gender,” and “crime and deviance.”  He said connecting to students’ experiences fosters “a healthy debate” in class.

Written by Joe Koenig

Recently, at a high school near Chicago’s west side, Krista discussed the essence and history of “Hip Hop Culture” with a diverse group of students, many of them African American.

She showed the video “Hip Hop Beyond Beats & Rhymes” to the students over the course of a few days.  The video featured interviews with Hip Hop artists, as well as educators and students from Spellman College in Atlanta.

The movie showcased violence and its role in American and Hip Hop Culture, as well as how women are treated in rap videos.

The students are required by the teacher of the class, Jim, to turn in written homework assignments based upon the subject matter covered in the video.  Krista and Jim encourage the students to write their responses using the experience they have in their own lives with rap music and violence.

The homework assignment during the day that I visited the classroom was “What can I do personally to fight against the oppression of women?”  Krista and Jim asked the students to think about their own lives; they asked them to think about your real-life world.

During discussion time, one of the students accused Jim of not liking rap, and a few of the students did not agree that women were exploited by rap videos.  However, Jim told me in private: “At least this gets some of these kids thinking.”  During lunch with Krista, I asked her about her approach.  She said, “I use this approach to allow them to just be themselves.  I want them to recognize that they have a voice that they can use.”  (Personal interviews, May 2009).

Later, back in class, Krista was again discussing violence against women and how the images in rap videos perpetuate this cycle.  A student raised her hand and said that she had been raped at the age of 10.

Krista paused and commended the student for speaking up.  The student then said she completely understood, based on her own experiences, why these videos might be harmful to both male and females perceptions of women.  In some of the earlier classes, the students were fairly adamant that the scantily clad women showed in rap videos had a choice to be in these videos, and that they were profiting from these videos.  However, in this class, after hearing about the experience of their fellow classmate who had been raped at the age of 10, the students seemed to understand that there was a different viewpoint.

Written by Joe Koenig

So why do these constructivist approaches used by Matt, Krista and Jim work so well with adolescent students?

Much of the current research concerning cognitive development is based on the “information-processing approach.”  In this approach, scientists study how individuals perceive, attend to, retrieve, and manipulate information.   (Rice and Dolgin, Page 138).  “The information-processing approach to cognition emphasizes the progressive steps, actions, and operations that take place when the adolescent receives, perceives, remembers, thinks about, and utilizes information.”

The graphic below from Rice and Dolgin shows how information processing can be divided into a series of logical steps.  An adolescent may receive and select some information and take it in and out of memory to think about it over a long period.  Generally, however, this shows how the brain processes information in adolescents and adults.

If you keep in mind how the brain processes information, constructivism will be an effective way for your students to learn.

Written by Joe Koenig