Culture, Language, and Comfort Zones: University and Housing Authority Partnerships

1
Culture, Language, and Comfort Zones 
University and Housing Authority Partnerships

• Western Kentucky University
• and the
• Housing Authority of Bowling Green Kentucky

2
Housing Authority Perspectives

• Abraham Williams
• Executive DirectorHousing Authority of Bowling
  Green
• awilliams_at_habg.org
• http//www.habg.org

3
Abraham Williams, Executive Director

• Your project kids are holding my school back!
• Opening our first Learning Center
• Meeting with Provost Barbara Burch
• Black kids cant think!
• Partnership with General Motors and WKU - 20,000
  grant
• Additional Learning Centers
• Focus on Learning
• Growing our own teachers
• Fighting to be accepted
• Senator Mitch McConnell Just Think!

4
Administrative Perspectives

• Dr. Sherry PowersDepartment HeadSpecial
  Instructional ProgramsWestern Kentucky
  University Bowling Green, KY 42101
• sherry.powers_at_wku.edu
• http//edtech.wku.edu/spowers

5
Meeting Accreditation Standards

• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
  Education (NCATE)
• Standard- 3- Field Experiences and Clinical
  Practice
• Standard 4- Diversity
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
  (SACS)

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Fall 2005

• Reading Methods Courses Middle/Secondary
• Elementary
• http//www.pampetty.com/habgwku.htm
• Block 1 Collaboration Project
• Exceptional Education (3 courses total)
• Adult Education

Total number of WKU students
93 Number of contact hours
1,180(August December 2005)
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Spring 2006

• Reading Methods Courses
• Book club and trip to the Underground Railroad
  Museum in Cincinnati
• Exceptional Education 4 professors
• Includes parenting component
• Library Media 1 professor
• Categorizing and cataloging of new learning
  libraries

• Adult Education 1 professor
• Connection with Reach Higher Program
  http//www.pampetty.com/habgwku.htm

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Faculty Perspectives

• Dr. Janet ApplinSpecial Instructional Programs
• Western Kentucky University
• Bowling Green, KY 42101
• Janet.applin_at_wku.edu
• http//www.wku.edu/janet.applin

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EXED 331 Field Placements at HABG

• Early Childhood Special Education Course EXED
  331
• 19 Students Participated
• Placed at 5 Different HABG sites
• Students were required to observe and participate
  in routine after school activities at the HABG
• Students were required to plan and implement an
  activity or lesson at the HABG that focused on
  one Early Childhood Domain Communication
  Physical Cognitive Social/Emotional or
  Adaptive Skills
• Placement at the HABG allowed students to improve
  and gain new skills related to their teacher
  preparation.
• More importantly, students expanded their
  knowledge of diverse cultures and were exposed to
  students home cultures through their experiences.

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EXED 331 Student Feedback

• Seeing the kids outside of the usual classroom
  setting really opened my eyes to how I can
  incorporate their outside of school lives into
  lessons I will teach in the classroom.
• Working at the HABG was a great experience and
  one that I hope to continue even after this class
  is over.
• I had never thought before about what the kids
  do after schooll was always focused on the
  school day but now I will think about their
  families and how their cultures impact what I
  teach and how what I teach can impact them away
  from school.

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Spring 2006 Surveyhttp//www.pampetty.com/HApos
tspring2006.htm

• 1.  Positive aspects of field work/service
  learning you did at the Housing Authority.  (you
  can list these 1, 2, 3 or in a paragraph)
• 2.  AAHA moment What did you learn through your
  experience at the Housing Authority's Learning
  Centers that you didnt know before?
• 3.  How did your experience at the HA change your
  views of or the way you teach and interact with
  diverse populations of students?
• 4.  What suggestions do you have for how to make
  this field/experience/service learning a better
  experience for 420 students?
• 5.  How would you rate the education value of
  this experience in terms of making you a better
  reading teacher and citizen?

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Spring 2006
1299 contact hours
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Positive aspects of field work/service learning
you did at the Housing Authority. 
field prep
diversity
personal
atmosphere
Tutors/SS
class size
community involvement
flex hours
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AAHA moment What did you learn through your
experience at the Learning Centers that you
didnt know before?
diversity
want to learn
patience
personal
talented bright
social problems
15
How did your experience change your views of or
the way you teach and interact with diverse
populations of students?
appreciation
diverse bg
social issues
patience
kids/kids
fear
opportunity gap
16
What suggestions do you have for how to make this
a better experience for WKU students?
more structured
not busy
HA Staff
field students
communication
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How would you rate the education value of this
experience in terms of making you a better
reading teacher and citizen?
valuable
teacher
7-10
citizen
negative
prefer ps
4-6
1-3
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In Their Own Words

• On my first day going to the learning center I
  was nervous about being around these children I
  was afraid they would not accept me and not
  understand what I was doing there. But after my
  first day I looked forward to going back and
  interacting with this group of students, who were
  no different than any other children. I was able
  to appreciate our differences and see just how
  similar we all are. These children are my
  favorites.

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In Their Own Words

• Teaching at the Learning Centers, I learned so
  many things that I didnt expect. When I arrived
  on day one at the complex I walked in and found
  that I was in an atmosphere that I didnt expect.
  For the first time in my life I was placed in a
  situation where I was the minority. At the
  beginning I felt so uncomfortable, but as I was
  there longer and interacted with the children
  more I realized that pretty soon color faded away
  and at the end of the day they were just kids and
  I was just like any other teacher they hadever
  had. I have learned from this experience not to
  go into any classroom with pre-conceived notions
  children are just that children.

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Questions?

• http//www.pampetty.com/habg.htm