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A change of direction
Po Kok Secondary School
Elizabeth Petersen
Rita Wong Kam Ngun
The Rationale for Change
Who are our students??
• We are a band 2 school
• Our school has students from a wide range
of backgrounds
• Some students come to us with very limited
English.
• The pattern of disengagement among our
students is quite profound and embedded
The issue is never just temporary
disengagement
• The issue is the
pattern that this
disengagement
forms over time
• Our students have
had up to 7 years of
disengagement with
English
What does an
“engaged
“student look
like?
What pedagogy
produces high
levels of
engagement ?
Engagement. What does it look
like ?????..
“Throw the ball just beyond
reach” .The activity can’t be too
easy and it can’t be too difficult.
Question???
How can we adapt the material to the level of
each child?
How do we close the gap??
DRIVING QUESTIONS:_
• What do I want the students to learn?
• Why does that learning matter?
• What am I going to ask them to
produce ?
In 2008-9 one of our
NETs, Tim Robson,
analyzed the reading
levels and skills of the
students in the junior
forms. He found that :-.
1.The students had
difficulty putting words
in context . They could
read some texts but their
comprehension of those
texts was minimal .
2.The students ability to
manage phonics was
limited. Students found it
hard to associate letters
with sounds .
3.The text books given to the
students were well beyond
their ability level. They were
non-motivating as the subject
material was pitched to a
much younger audience.
4.Students did not read.!!
(This is the major criteria in
word recognition. Immersion
cannot occur if students are
switched off, and don’t
access reading materials .)
5.The only English that was spoken for
students, with very few exceptions, was in
class. Most did not speak it at home, most
students lived in families who did not use
English, and many in neighborhoods
where it wasn’t used. Most students’
parents were non English speakers .
6.School lessons and English activity
provided the only exposure.
7. It was also accepted by most students
that English was necessary if they wish to
have a tertiary education.
The difficulties the school faced were;• English is the lingua franca of the world.
• English was non –motivating
• English had a history of necessity but not
enjoyment
• English lessons were text book driven
• The requirements in English exceeded
the staff capacity to manage them
• The work presented was not engaging
because it was not significant, relevant or
meaningful to the students’ lives.
At the same time we know that the students of
the future should be able to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Solve problems
Think creatively
Think critically
Make decisions
Generate new ideas
Analyse information
Plan for the future
• Today, there is a demand for men and
women who can think, reason, and
use their minds well.
We must provide an education that meets
this for every child.
What’s my future?
Based on these
thoughts
• Where are our
students?????
Authentic
Engagement:
Profile Elements
Rebellion
Retreatism
Authentic
Engagement
Strategic
Engagement
Passive
Compliance
The task, activity or work
students are encouraged to
undertake has inherent value
and meaning to the student.
That meaning is connected to
ends or results that truly
matter. Students will do
“boring” tasks because they can
see the connection between
that and a task related end that
is of consequence. They see
value in the work and don’t
stop when difficulties arrive.
They experience a sense of
satisfaction, accomplishment,
pride, and even delight in
their work.
Strategic
Profile Elements Compliance
Rebellion
Retreatism
Authentic
Engagement
Strategic
Compliance
Passive
Compliance
The task, activity, or work has
little or no inherent meaning or
value to the student, but it is
associated in the student’s mind
with outcomes and results that
are of value (e.g. results,
pleasing parents etc.) There is a
separation of the means from
the end. Students carry out the
tasks for reasons disassociated
with the task itself. What is
important is the impact that the
successful completion of the
task will have on other areas of
the student’s life .The grade will
matter not the work. They meet
expectations for work more from
obedience than from
commitment.
Profile Elements
Rebellion
Retreatism
Authentic
Engagement
Strategic
Engagement
Passive
Compliance
Passive Compliance:
Students are willing to expend
whatever effort is needed to
avoid negative consequences.
They see little meaning in the
tasks assigned ,or in the
consequences of doing those
tasks.
This suggests acceptance and
resignation rather than
enthusiasm and commitment.
Children here are seeking
minimums. What will it take to
get by here? Not ,what will I
need to do to excel? The
motivation is to avoid the
unpleasant consequences of
not achieving success.
Profile ElementsRetreatism:
Rebellion
Retreatism
Authentic
Engagement
Strategic
Engagement
Passive
Compliance
Reference: Shlechty, P (2000)
The student is disengaged from the
task, expends no energy in
attempting to comply with the
demands of the task, but does not
act in a way that disrupts others
and does not try to substitute
other activities for the assigned
task. This carries with it the
suggestion of disengagement. The
task has no attraction and there is
no other considerations that will
attract the student to do it .e.g. the
grade is unimportant, no need for
peer acceptance,etc. These students
don’t want to substitute their own
demands to replace the task, they
simply withdraw.
Profile Elements
Rebellion
Retreatism
Authentic
Engagement
Startegic
Engagement
Passive
Compliance
Rebellion:
The student summarily
refuses to do the task
assigned, acts in a way that
disrupts others and/or
attempts to substitute tasks
and activities that he or she
is committed to in lieu of
those assigned by the school
and the teacher.
These students will reject the
task, refuse to comply and
want to substitute their own
agenda instead. They are not
passive about their failure to
comply.
Key words: refusal,
rebellion, disruption.
Levels of engagement
“Just try to Rebellion
make me Rebellion
do it”
Retreatism
“I won’t
do it”
“I want
to do it”
Authentic
Engagement
Strategic
Engagement
Passive
Compliance
“I’ll do it if I have
to”
“I should
do it”
Reference: Shlechty, P (2000)
If student performance is to be improved, there
are at least three ways to approach the problem:
work on the students,
work on the teachers, or
work on the work.
Which do you think is the most effective? Why?
What Teachers Cannot Control
• Resources available
• School calendar
• Level of parental
involvement
• Socioeconomic Status
of Students
• Primary Language
What Teachers Can Control
• The content of the
curriculum that they
deliver to students
• The qualities and
characteristics of tasks
assigned to students.
What else?….(some options)
Choose 3 students.
Collect work over a term and ask yourself
Was it connected?
How was it connected?
Does it show kids being extended?
Find the “wriggle” room…..”trouble the thinking”
High above the hushed crowd, Rex tried to remain
focused. Still he couldn’t shake one nagging thought:
He was an old dog and this was a new trick!