Teaching with Poverty in Mindby Eric Jensen

District Leadership TeamDecember 14, 2010

• Learning Goals:– TLW gain an overview and general understanding

of the information from the book– TLW understand the different types of stress– TLW understand the emotional responses and

capital students bring to school– TLW understand the importance of enrichment

for students in poverty– TLW understand about “CHAMP”

Types of Poverty

• Situational Poverty• Generational Poverty• Absolute Poverty• Relative Poverty• Urban Poverty• Rural Poverty

Types of Stress

• Acute Stress • Chronic Stress– Children from poverty

experience significantly greater chronic stress than their more affluent counterparts.

What Stress Does to Memory

• Stress and Memory

Emotional Keyboard

Emotions Hardwired

• Sadness• Joy• Disgust• Anger• Surprise• Fear

Emotions Taught

• Humility• Forgiveness• Empathy• Optimism• Compassion

• Sympathy • Patience• Shame• Cooperation• Gratitude

Back to the Keyboard Analogy

• Chopsticks• Chopsticks II

Embracing the Mind of Change

“The reason things stay the sameis because we've been the same. For things to change, we must change!"

– Eric Jensen

We must change the ENVIRONMENT where our studentsare spending the most time.

The Brain’s Operating System

Components of an Academic Operating System

Commodore 64

- Very little processing power

Remedy?

- Create faster (super) computers with more processing power

Activities schools can use to help students improve their academic operating systems

･ Physical activity (increases the production of new brain cells...and is highly correlated with learning, mood, and memory)

･ Playing chess (increases students' capabilities in reading and math by increasing attention, motivation, processing, and sequencing skills)

･ The arts (improves attention, sequencing, processing, and cognitive skills)

･ Completing tasks administered by computer-aided instructional programs (improves memory and attention skills)

Music

･ Improves performances in mathematics (geometry)

･ Develops focused attention (enhancing memory)

･ Enhances students’ long-term will and effort (power of persistence)

Enhances self-discipline, wide brain function, and verbal memory

“It’s up to us to upgrade childrens’ operating systems – or prepare to see a downgrade in their performance."

– Eric Jensen

VIDEO CLIP

What can schools do to mitigate the effects of poverty on students’ brains?

Develop an enrichment counter attack.

Change the brain’s operating system.

A R T S

Hall, Tison band students earn positions on

the All-Region Band

Arts

Students taking theater and drama scored higher on the SAT than those with no arts instruction.

High arts participation makes a more significant difference to low-income students than to high-income students.

Arts build your students’ academic operating systems as well as or better than anything else your school offers.

Athletics

Athletics

In a study of 353,000 5th graders, 322, 000 7th graders, and 279,000 9th graders, higher fitness levels were associated with higher academic achievement.

Athletics improves self-concept and reduces stress and aggression.

Advanced Placement Courses

WHS receives '2010 College Readiness' honor from Texas ACT Council

Advanced Placement

As a contributing factor of college success, participation in AP courses outrank grade point average, class rank, and SAT scores.

A focus on college preparation in the context of a rigorous high school curriculum demystifies the college-going experience.

Poor and minority students need educators and counselors who will provide support and encouragement for enrollment in rigorous classes.

CHAMPS

1. Create foldable with CHAMPS information2. With a partner, discuss which of the CHAMPS

subskills is most important? Which of the subskills are evident in WISD? How do you know?

3. Be prepared to share one response, insight, or question with the whole group.

Overcoming poverty

http://gentx.org/get-inspired/stories/