To know them is to teach them

We must maintain high standards and expectations, incorporate students' experiences into the curriculum, and use culturally relevant materials.

By Barbara Rush

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• Learn more about achievement gap, at-risk students, diverse learners, and motivation.

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All across America, educators are asking the question: "What can we do to close the achievement gap?" The answer is simple; to close the achievement gap, all students must perform at the desired level of achievement congruent with student performance of other subgroups of students. However, at-risk students and many other students are not performing at this level. A more profound question might be: "What can we do to help underachieving students reach proficiency?" As a result of many years of research and working with students from diverse and varied backgrounds, the question has been asked and answered countless times. The greatest discovery has been that in helping all students reach proficiency, especially the underachievers, we must first know them.

Knowing students means we understand the importance of maintaining high standards and expectations for all of them. Research points to the significance of the teacher’s belief in the students. As educators, we have to believe that our expectations will motivate students to be the very best they can be, because it encourages them to believe in themselves. Knowing students means we identify and dispel stereotypes that some groups of students can and will achieve and others cannot. Stereotypes of this nature cause us to lower our expectations, and thereby students’ performance is adversely affected. Research also confirms that teachers’ high expectations alone have motivated students to move to higher levels in their academic performance.

Motivating students to move to higher levels academically also requires incorporating their home culture, language, and experiences in the daily curriculum. Surely, this requires a mixture of creativity and "good teaching," but the outcomes are well worth the effort. Learning is so much more meaningful for students, — and the results are both beneficial and gratifying to us — when students are able to identify with the learning. Knowing how to relate our teaching to positive aspects of students’ culture gives them a sense of belonging, and students perform better when they feel comfortable and connected in the learning environment. Encouraging active participation of students’ parents and guardians is also a strong component in getting to know students. However, lack of parental involvement cannot be viewed as a barrier; various other creative means must be employed.

Studying and reflecting on current data is critically important to obtaining information concerning students and their needs. While the data may be used to identify individual as well as group needs, it may also be used to design programs and instructional techniques to accommodate identified needs. Knowing what students’ needs are allows us to capitalize on students’ background knowledge and differentiate instruction according to learning styles. Knowing students also involves the use of culturally relevant curriculum materials. From time to time, students need to see themselves in the books they read. The use of cooperative learning techniques are effective in that they provide opportunity to observe and know how students react in group situations. Using metacognitive tasks are essential in teaching students with limited experiences how to think.

What can we, as educators, do to close the achievement gap? We can continue to maintain high standards and expectations for all students while we identify and dispel stereotypes. We can incorporate students’ culture, language and experiences in the daily curriculum while we capitalize on their background and learning styles. We can use culturally relevant materials to create culturally compatible learning environments. Certainly, we can use data driven curriculums to identify and design programs to fit the needs of all students, and yes, we can truly know our students, because "to know them is to teach them."