Do you have any advice for working with students in a low-income school? This is my first year in this school, teaching 9th grade environmental science. Classroom management is not an issue and I have a good rapport with the students, but I haven’t been able to help them to achieve at the levels I think they can.
—Kathy, Vancouver, Washington
I've worked with students and schools in distressed communities. I’ve seen how heartbreaking the economic and social situations these students face every day are. These external situations can affect student learning and many are beyond our control. But we can do something about what happens within our classrooms.
Students need our love, respect, and patience. But if students have not had much success academically, they also need modeling, guided practice, feedback, resources, a positive classroom environment, and opportunities for using inquiry and creativity. From your question, it seems you're already meeting some of their basic needs. You have high expectations for them, and your good classroom management and positive rapport show you're establishing a good climate for learning.
In working with students who do not have strong academic backgrounds (regardless of their economic circumstances), you can't assume anything. For example, you might ask them to "brainstorm," "reflect," "read and take notes," or "review for a test," but they may not really know how to do these. Model the processes you want them to use through "think alouds" in which you literally talk your way through a process, making the process visible (and audible). Make some intentional mistakes, verbalize how you recognize the errors, and ask the students how you could deal with the errors.
Show the students what a well-written lab report and a science notebook look like--they may have never seen one before! Take notes together at first, to show how to find and record important information. Break down a task into small, do-able components that lead to a successful finished product. Plan for most assignments to be completed in class at first, so you can guide the students through the task. After a while, these “scaffolds” can (and should) be scaled down for most students; others may continue to need support.
Environmental science is appealing to students, and you can incorporate real-life, relevant, interesting issues. Having a "big idea" or "essential questions" for each unit provides a focus and a structure for the content and activities. In class discussions try to use "wait time" (pausing to give students a chance to respond to a question or comment). It is a powerful but very underused strategy to get students thinking at higher levels.
When you provide feedback, comment specifically on what the student did well and on what the student could do to improve, more than just saying "good job" or "needs work." This works best if you have rubrics for your reports and activities and the students know what the rubrics mean.
It's also helpful if you can provide resources we may take for granted: pencils, paper, time in a computer lab, information about the public library, science reading materials or videos, and a quiet place to read or study.
Be sure your tasks become more and more challenging, while providing scaffolding, safety nets, and constructive, focused feedback. Give students the opportunity, the intellectual tools, and the encouragement to be creative and to solve problems.