Quick-Start Guide to Building Assets in Your School: Moving from Incidental to Intentional

A Quick-Start Guide to

Building Assets in Your School

moving fro m

in ci de n

ta

l

to

in te

n ti

o n

a l

by Deborah Davis & Lisa Race

A Search Institute Publication

A Quick-Start Guide to Building Assets in Your School: Moving from Incidental to Intentional Deborah Davis and Lisa Race Copyright © 2003 by Search Institute All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, mechanical or electronic, without prior permission from the publisher except in brief quotations or summaries in articles or reviews, or as individual charts or graphs for educational use. For additional permission, write to Permissions at Search Institute.

At the time of this book’s publication, all facts and figures cited are the most current available; all telephone numbers, addresses, and Web site URLs are accurate and active; all publications, organizations, Web sites, and other resources exist as described in this book; and all efforts have been made to verify them. The authors and Search Institute make no warranty or guarantee concerning the information and materials given out by organizations or content found at Web sites, and we are not responsible for any changes that occur after this book’s publication. If you find an error or believe that a resource listed here is not as described, please contact Client Services at Search Institute.

Printed on recycled paper in the United States of America.

Search Institute 615 First Avenue NE, Suite 125 Minneapolis, MN 55413 612-376-8955; 800-888-7828 www.search-institute.org The original version of this book was created by the authors in partnership with The Commission on Children, Families & Community of Multnomah County, Oregon, and the Take the Time Initiative with funds and support from the Josten’s Our Town Grant through Search Institute.

About Search Institute Search Institute is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization whose mission is to provide leadership, knowledge, and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. The institute collaborates with others to promote long-term organizational and cultural change that supports its mission.

A Quick-Start Guide to

Building Assets in Your School Moving from Incidental to Intentional TABL E OF

CONTENTS

4 5 9 11 13 17 19 21 21 22

Supporting Intentional Asset Building Unleashing the Power of Relationships Engaging Youth in Their Own Learning Meaningful Roles for Students Partnering with Families and the Community Nurturing Resiliency—Staff Supporting Staff Appendix A: Invisible Mentoring Appendix B: Questions for Families Appendix C: Reflection Questions for Teachers Bibliography

23

40 Developmental Assets: Essentials for Helping Every Young Person Succeed

25

Acknowledgments

3

" I WO U L D L I K E TO C O R R E C T T H E O L D S AY I N G WHICH IS LONG OVERDUE FOR A REWRITE. LET IT READ, 'THOSE WHO CAN, TEACH; T H O S E W H O C A N ' T, B E G R AT E F U L F O R T H O S E W H O C A N . ' "

ABOU

— N ATA L I E B A B B I T T

T THIS

supporting

BO OK

intentional

A few words about how we’ve organized the material you’re about to read. We’ve designed this book to be read in short installments. In each section you’ll find:

asset

building

Tthe teachers and educational assistants who interact with students on a daily

his book was created for those who have the greatest impact on student lives:

■ Quotations that highlight student, parent, and teacher perspectives. These quotations are taken from focus groups and interviews, primarily in high school settings; ■ Reflection questions that can help you examine your beliefs related to the topics; ■ Suggestions for practice that you can use within your classroom and incorporate into what you are already doing; and ■ School-wide strategies that involve organization and team effort. Launching these kinds of broad-based efforts requires the cooperation of administrators and staff members.

As you read these pages, we hope you’ll find plenty of concrete ideas that will make an immediate difference in your classroom and in your professional life. We also hope that you’ll see these assets— and the sources that we list in our bibliography—as a launching pad for your own creative ideas that will make a positive difference for all of your students.

basis.

Today, teachers are asked to do more with less. Benchmarks and standards are climbing, while budgets and instructional time are declining. Conditions like these can challenge even the most dedicated and experienced educators.

This book is designed to help you meet these challenges. It’s filled with ideas and approaches that other teachers have found useful. These ideas can work in tandem with what you’re already doing and should not take a lot of time to implement. In fact, you are probably doing many of these things already. This book is based on a concept known as “asset building.” It’s an approach that more and more educators around the country are turning to as a way to boost student achievement. It’s also a powerful way to renew your energy and find fulfillment in your work.

The asset-building approach is based on the framework of 40 developmental assets: supportive conditions that help young people to thrive. Assets include the people and activities that support young people, as well as the skills and commitments that kids possess. (We’ve included a list of all 40 at the back of this book.) Research has shown that students who have more developmental assets do better in school. They’re also less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol or engage in violence and crime. Although “assets” is a fairly new term, the concepts are based on established wisdom as well as extensive research. Above all, asset building is based on the awareness that it’s people, not programs, that make the difference for kids. It’s all about harnessing the power of positive relationships.

Teachers have always built assets incidentally — in other words, by chance, by accident, or in a catch-as-catch-can kind of way. We all enjoy connecting with kids, getting to know them, and linking them to opportunities that bring out their best. But incidental efforts don’t reach all kids. The students who are easiest and most responsive tend to get the most positive feedback and support. Others may be more difficult to reach. If we are truly going to reach all students, there must be a shift from incidental asset building to intentional efforts. This book helps you meet that challenge.

4

“ T H E WAY P E O P L E T R E AT M E I S A L M O S T A S I M P O R TA N T A S T H E L E A R N I N G . H AV I N G A T E A C H E R W H O C A R E S A B O U T YO U G I V E S Y O U A P U S H T O S U C C E E D .”

— HIGH SCHOOL SOPHOMORE

unleashing the

power of

relationships

The Power of Positive Relationships

S

tudents perform better when they have positive relationships with their teachers and peers. Research consistently shows the importance of relationships both for academic achievement and for young people’s healthy development. As an educator, it’s important to be intentional about building relationships in the classroom and throughout the building.

Creating a caring classroom community is an essential part of teaching. Research indicates that both teachers and students prefer classrooms that have: • More emphasis on teacher-student interaction; • A concern for students’ personal growth; • More opportunities for active learning, problem-solving, and inquiry; and • Attention to individual learning styles and preferences.

Let’s take a look at some activities that provide teachers with strategies to strengthen the sense of community in the classroom.

The Starting Point: Intentional Community Building It takes time and attention to build community in the classroom. A starting point is establishing a set of rules or agreements that can serve as an umbrella for classroom behavior. Here are some types of positive agreements that can be used or adapted for all grade levels: • Listen attentively.

• Appreciate. Don’t put down.

• Respect each other.

In addition, children should have the right to pass – in other words, to say nothing.

Researcher Jeanne Gibbs has identified three stages that groups need to go through to function effectively as a community. First, they must make each member feel included.

Next, they must help each member have influence, so that individual differences are valued. Finally, they must work together creatively as a community. As the leader of the group, teachers have a special role in integrating people into the group. The book TRIBES: A New Way of Learning and Being Together is an invaluable resource that’s filled with approaches and activities to achieve a thriving learning community.

5

SE

LF-R

EFLECTI

ON

QUESTIONS

As you read through this chapter, keep the following questions in mind: ■ Remembering your own experiences as a student, think of a teacher you felt connected to. What did that teacher do that let you know he/she cared?

■ What do you notice yourself doing when you feel connected and engaged with your students?

■ Imagine that your classroom’s primary goal was to create a strong, connected community between the students and with you. What would be different? What would be the same?

Building Relationships among Students

“EVERYONE NEEDS

The following activities can be adapted to all curriculum goals. Ask students to: • Find someone they don’t know well and spend five minutes talking about favorite good-weather activities; • Get into a group of three and find as many uses for a glass of water (or other object tied to the curriculum) as they can; • Turn to their neighbor and come up with three reasons Sitting Bull (or another historical figure) was a positive leader; or • Form a group of three or four people and/or things, and find everything nonphysical they all have in common.

R E L AT I O N S H I P S

Building Relationships between Teachers and Students

SOMEWHERE. IF YOU

Many educators spend part of their day on duty in hallways, on the playground, or in the cafeteria. These are perfect opportunities to connect with students. Make an extra effort to reach out beyond the students you know best. Some casual questions that aren’t too personal yet can build a bond are: • Did you watch the game this weekend? Who are you rooting for?

• How’s your brother/sister doing in the new school?

• Are you doing okay with your reading/math/science?

• What do you enjoy doing most on the weekend?

Kids consistently say how much they appreciate teachers who share themselves.

When you ask them questions about themselves, be aware that students also want to know about you. They love finding out that you’re a real person. You don’t have to drop your personal boundaries; just find ways to let them know that you’re a genuine person, with your own hopes, struggles, and interests.

HAVE POSITIVE R E L AT I O N S H I P S ELSEWHERE IN LIFE, THEN YOU CAN DO WITHOUT THEM TO A C E R TA I N E X T E N T AT SCHOOL. BUT IF YOU DON’T HAVE OTHER POSITIVE R E L AT I O N S H I P S ,

Award-Winning Qualities

T H E N W H AT H A P P E N S

What are the characteristics that make a difference with students? In thousands of “teacher of the year” nominations, students consistently listed the following teacher qualities. Nominated teachers were: • Good-humored and nonthreatening; • Easy to talk to and willing to listen; • Fair—not prejudiced or disposed to favoritism; • Able to explain things well; and • Constantly looking for ways to make learning fun.

You can also build a stronger relationship with students if you focus on their strengths.

Identify some personal strengths or skills for each student. Talk about these strengths when you are working with them. Make an effort to use their strengths to help them overcome gaps in other areas. For example, if a student is chronically late but likes to help others, ask him or her to coach another student on reading for the first ten minutes of class each day.

A T S C H O O L R E A L LY M A T T E R S A L O T .”

— HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

6

Personal Relevance In addition to helping students connect with each other through group activities, teachers can link the curriculum to each student’s personal experience by: • Incorporating life goals and future dreams into writing assignments; • Encouraging students to bring photos of family and friends and use artifacts that have personal meaning to students; and • Building self-reflections into assignments and study units through the use of journals and simple questions like “My personal level of effort on this assignment was…” or “What worked for me (or didn’t work for me) on this assignment was…” “ I H AT E D T H E

Deal with Bullying Head On Bullying can be hard to spot and easy to ignore if it doesn’t conflict with classroom routines, yet it can severely affect academic performance and make students dread school. According to a recent survey by the American Medical Association, over 30% of students in grades six through ten are involved in moderate or frequent bullying. Here are some strategies for teachers: • Interrupt acts of bullying and use them as teaching moments to get the group to reaffirm its classroom norms and agreements.

• Respond promptly to student complaints. Get help from other school and district resources if the problem persists.

• Create a positive, friendly, and fair environment in the classroom.

• Encourage students to appreciate their divergent strengths.

CLASSES WHERE I DIDN’T KNOW A N Y B O D Y. I F E L T L I K E A PIECE OF DIRT AND WANTED TO LEAVE THE CLASS AND S C H O O L .”

— HIGH SCHOOL

Find the Strengths of Diversity

SENIOR

Classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse, reflecting a rich array of races, cultures, languages, and income levels. In addition, students demonstrate their uniqueness through their varied interests, their appearance, and their social groupings. Help students explore the dynamics of difference in your classroom by: • Encouraging them to research and share their cultural heritage; • Exploring the impact of racism and oppression in the world and in the school community; • Asking students to interview a classmate whom they would describe as being different from themselves; and • Advocating for professional development that addresses diversity issues.

More Ways to Build Community Here are some additional activities that you might try: F I S H B O W L — In this activity, students write personal (but not private) questions that they’d like others to ask them. The questions are kept in a fishbowl or jar and are drawn out and answered by each student over the course of a week. The questions can be revised or adapted to the curriculum content, and new questions can be added throughout the school year.

7