Читать книгу EL Excellence Every Day - Tonya Ward Singer - Страница 34

The purpose of this mindset is to ensure every student feels valued and a sense of belonging at school. A sense of belonging is a core psychological need (Maslow, 1943) and impacts student motivation and academic achievement (Goodenow, 1993; Walton & Cohen, 2007).

Without a sense of belonging, human brains go into fight-or-flight mode. Zaretta Hammond (2015) describes the impact of a perceived threat on the brain as an amygdala hijack: “When the amygdala sounds its alarm with cortisol, all other cognitive functions such as learning, problem solving or creative thinking stop” (p. 40).

In other words, a student’s sense of belonging in a classroom physiologically makes or breaks the learning process. Valuing ELs to foster their sense of belonging in your classroom community is more important than any strategy in this book.

“We cannot downplay students’ need to feel safe and valued in the classroom.”

—Zaretta Hammond (2015, p. 47)

The symptoms of a student not feeling valued vary by individual—and are often internal. That a student doesn’t feel a part of the classroom community can look to the teacher like lack of motivation or lack of initiative for learning. When a student is silent, opts to follow rather than lead, avoids challenge, or gives up quickly, there can be many reasons for such behaviors that are not about the individual student but about the climate we have created within our classroom for the student to thrive. When ELs exhibit such behaviors in an English-dominant classroom, reflect: Do my EL students feel a sense of safety and belonging in our community of scholars? Do they feel affirmation for who they are as individuals, for their unique life experiences, and for the cultural and linguistic assets they bring? What shifts will I make to ensure every EL feels a strong sense of belonging and value in my classroom learning culture?