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Student Alienation & Engagement

Student Alienation & Engagement. School Safety Project Marie A. Sutton EDU-615-B1 April 12, 2013 . The Safety Issue. Negative school climates and student experiences may lead to the eruption of violence in schools Alienated students may harbor hostile and aggressive ideation

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Student Alienation & Engagement

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  1. Student Alienation & Engagement School Safety Project Marie A. Sutton EDU-615-B1 April 12, 2013

  2. The Safety Issue • Negative school climates and student experiences may lead to the eruption of violence in schools • Alienated students may harbor hostile and aggressive ideation • Alienation may occur even in schools that are generally positive because of lack of awareness or concern about certain individuals and sub-groups who are outcasts from the mainstream school culture • In the wake of incidents of school violence, there is a growing desire to create school climates and communities that reduce the risk for victimization and violence (Hyman & Snook, 2001)

  3. "Now more than ever, I think it's important to re-affirm that real education is not something that is done to someone but is rather what happens between people in community. This sense of relationship, this sense of belonging is one of the most precious things we foster in our pupils, and it's something that society at large seems to have forgotten.” (Harman, 2012)

  4. “Engagement is the opposite of alienation” (Newmann, 1989) Engagement1 Disengagement2 Alienation3 •Participation •Connection •Attachment •Integration •Isolation •Separation •Detachment •Fragmentation VS. (Joselowsky, 2007; Newmann, 1989) 1 “Engagement has been found to be one of the most robust predictors of student achievement and behavior in schools… regardless of whether students come from families that are relatively advantaged or disadvantaged” (Clem & Connell, 2004). 2 Disengagement “is especially acute for middle and high school students” (Newmann, 1989). 3 Alienation not only adversely affects the quality of student life, “but it is an underlying factor in other school problems such as violence, vandalism, and poor achievement” (Newmann, 1981).

  5. Student Alienation Syndrome (Hyman & Snook, 2012) Three factors: 1)Oppositionality a pattern of adversarial relationships, particularly with authority figures 2)Hypervigilance the student is forever on edge in what s/he experiences as an unsafe, hostile school climate 3)Hopelessness feeling of lack of control over the environment and situation, leading to depression and risk of violence to self (self-mutilation, suicide) and/or others Develops where… students and educators, overtly or covertly, consciously or unconsciously, foster climates that either perpetuate or ignore physical and psychological assaults on children. bullying sarcasm teasing peer harrassment

  6. School Learning Environments Traditional Approaches • Students viewed as “recipients” of education or learning • Teachers “deliver” curriculum • The teacher as “the sage on the stage” • Student input either not solicited or not acted upon • Curricula and instruction are not designed to accommodate students’ different learning styles or interests • Teaching “to the middle” • Authoritarian model utilizing different forms of punishment More Recent Approaches • Recognition that engagement improves student learning and the quality of students’ school experience • Students viewed as stakeholders in their learning • Students are authentically engaged as co-constructors of their learning experience and environment • Teacher as facilitator – “the guide on the side” • Instruction is differentiated and makes connections to student interests and the real world (Joselowsky, 2007; Tomlinson, 2001)

  7. What can schools do to engage youth? • Develop a welcoming environment in a community of support • Connect youth with caring adults and peers • Give youth clarity about what they need to do now and a clear path to the future • Develop essential and meaningful content • Encourage youth participation and voice • Reduce the pressures both within and outside of them that threaten their success In summary, create a school culture & climate that provides a sense of belonging, direction, and purpose, and that makes students want to learn, take initiative, and seek out opportunities to learn and to lead (Campbell, 2010; Joselowsky, 2007; Youth Development Project, 2008)

  8. A Framework for Youth Engagement: Strategies for Engaging Students All students need to be engaged in… …their own learning …their peers’ learning Climate and Culture of the Learning Environment …improving educational opportunities …the community Source: Framework for Success for All Students (2006)

  9. Summary of features of a community of engaged students high expectations engaging activities experiences that build skills and knowledge continuity in relationships meaningful roles

  10. References (1) Campbell, D. E. (2010). Building positive relationships. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/ article/building-positive-relationships-students/ Framework for Success for All Students (2006). Collected papers from the technical support team for the Schools for a New Society Initiative and Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved from http://annenberginstitute.org/sites/default/files/product/274/files/SNS_cogs.pdf Harman, R. (2012). Children are alienated in materialistic society, warns headteacher Richard Harman (posted April 30, 2012). Huffpost Students UK. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/04/30/children-are-alienated-materialistic-society-richard-harman_n_1463728.html Hyman, I. A., & Snook, P. A. (2001). Dangerous schools, alienated students. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 10(3), 133-136. Johnson, L. S. (2009). School contexts and student belonging: A mixed methods study of an innovative high school. School Community Journal, 19(1), 99-118.

  11. References (2) Joselowsky, F. (2007). Youth engagement, high school reform, and improved learning outcomes: Building systemic approaches for youth engagement. National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 91(3), 257-276. Klem, A. M. & Connell, J. P. (2004). Relationships matter: Linking teacher support to student engagement and achievement. Journal of School Health, 74(7), 262-273. Newmann, F. M. (1989). Student engagement and high school reform. Educational Leadership, 46(5), 34-36. Newmann, F. M. (1981). Reducing student alienation in high schools: Implications of theory. Harvard Educational Review, 51(4), 546-564. Tomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to differentiate instruction in mixed-ability classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Youth Development Institute (2008). Promising practices in working with young adults. Retrieved from http://www.ydinstitute.org/resources/index.html

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