INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Schools in large urban centres are places where teachers are faced
with a plethora of challenges that range from poverty, violence,
cultural diversity and a multitude of languages. Successful teaching
in these low-income, urban, multicultural schools is different from
teaching in suburban settings, which have more homogeneous student
populations, more parental support and more stable student populations.
Wright (1981) says that students in urban schools need dedicated
teachers who respect children and youth, who actually believe they can
and will learn if properly taught, and who understand the types of
homes and cultures from which the children come. Haberman (1992)
argues that successful teaching in low-income, urban, multicultural
schools is a different order of teaching. Maeroff (1988) supports this
contention by stating that minority students need teachers who inspire
them, who have rapport with them, who have high expectations of them,
and who can provide students with supportive environments which bolster
their confidence. She states that these teachers need to be able to
communicate with the parents, to modify the curriculum where needed,
and to have the skills and the time to talk with students about life
and its problems.
Preparing teachers for these challenging environments is a problem
which many faculties of education are beginning to examine more
closely. "Preparing preservice teachers for their future classrooms
becomes more complex as the school population becomes more diverse.
Changing demographics require changing teacher education strategies"
(Fuller, 1994, p. 270). Faculties of education are realising that
prospective teachers need more than a general education. They need
"specialised knowledge of the lives and learning styles of the urban
child, first hand experiences in urban schools, and an understanding
of the community from which the child comes" (Reed and Simon, 1991 p.
32). Stallings, Bossung & Martin (1990) express the opinion that too
often new teachers who have received their field experience in the
suburbs are hired to teach in multicultural, inner-city schools with
little preparation to serve this population of children and families.
Throughout the literature there are exaltations to faculties of
education to change and improve the teacher preparation programs to
address the special needs of teachers in inner city schools.
In order to improve the preparation of teachers for urban
classrooms a network of faculties of education and schools in Canada
and the United States has been founded. The Urban Network to Improve
Teacher Education (UNITE) joins nine universities together in a project
to develop teacher preparation curriculum which can infuse a
broad-based, experiential urban focus into the preparation programs for
new teachers. Those participating include Central Connecticut State
University, Indiana State University, University of Louisville,
University of Miami, Ohio State University, Simon Fraser University,
Teachers' College - Columbia University, College of Tennessee and the
University of Toronto.
As part of the UNITE project the nine faculties of education are
involved in a variety of initiatives within their own faculties and in
urban schools. At the University of Toronto a number of pilot projects
are being worked on which will assist us in developing and implementing
a greater urban focus into the teacher preparation programs.
As we worked on these and other UNITE projects our curiosity was
piqued around the topic of practising teachers' perceptions of teaching
in urban schools; what they identified as the challenges and what they
felt faculties of education could do to prepare teachers more
effectively for teaching in these challenging environments. We believe
that teachers bring a great deal of experience and insight to their
teaching, and that by encouraging them to reflect on their practice and
why it is successful, much can be learned about teacher needs and
preparing teachers for urban schools. The study presented in this
paper was done as part of the UNITE project, and the findings will be
shared with those universities participating in the project. These
findings will add to the body of work being collected by the nine
participating universities as we continue to explore ways to more
effectively train teachers for urban settings.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study was to explore a number of questions
around preparing teachers to be better teachers in urban schools. We
were interested in talking with teachers who had had a variety of
experiences, those who were new to the profession, as well as those who
had taught for many years. We also wanted to find out what they saw
as the major differences between urban schools and other schools: in
other words, what made them urban, inner-city schools. Our questions
focussed around a number of areas. These included teacher preparation,
day-to-day life for teachers in these schools, and what recommendations
urban teachers had for teacher preparation programs.
We wanted to ask teachers how they felt we could "introduce
teachers to the profession humanely, in ways that engender self-esteem,
competence, collegiality and professional nature" (Colbert, 1992, p.
193), especially to urban school settings.
The following research questions guided the study:
1. What are the characteristics of urban schools?
2. What are the challenges of teaching in these urban schools?
3. What are the qualities of successful teachers in urban schools?
- Can these qualities be learned?
- What special skills/knowledge do teachers in urban schools
need?
- How do teachers in these schools stay motivated?
4. How can preservice teacher education programs better prepare
teachers for urban schools?
5. If you could have a resource wish list, what would it contain?
METHODOLOGY
Sampling Identification
Three schools, two elementary schools and one secondary school,
were involved with this project. These schools are all inner-city
schools in the greater Metropolitan Toronto area of Ontario, Canada.
The schools were identified by the central office of each participating
school district. Criteria for selection involved identifying schools
with the following characteristics:
- urban school,
- diverse multicultural student population,
- willingness to participate in the project.
The number of students enrolled in the three schools ranged from
198 to 1300 students, and the number of staff paralleled this range
with the smallest school having 20 staff members and the largest school
having approximately 100 staff members. All the schools in the study
had a diverse, multicultural student population, a large proportion of
whom spoke a language other than English as their first language. As
well, they all reported having an extremely high turnover rate of
students.
Data Collection
Qualitative methods were used to collect and analyze data from the
participating schools. Two methods of data collection were employed.
These were focus group interviews and detailed questionnaires. Within
each of the identified schools focus group interviews with selected
teachers were conducted. Teachers were identified and selected by the
principal, or were self-selecting. Administrators were given the
following guidelines for selection of participants:
- participants represented a range of years of teaching
experience,
- participants represented a variety of roles and
responsibilities,
- participants, in the secondary schools, represented different
subject areas.
Altogether 27 teachers and administrators participated in the
focus group discussions. In two of the schools two focus group
interviews were conducted in order to increase the participation of
teachers and maintain the group size at six or less. In the third
school only one focus group interview was conducted with six
participants. An additional separate interview was conducted with the
principal at each school. Questions in these interviews expanded the
information related to the school profile and needs.
To support the data gathered in the focus group interviews, all
participants were asked to independently complete a detailed
questionnaire. The questionnaires focussed on personal data, for
example, teaching experiences in urban schools, preservice preparation
and previous employment, as well as individual comments related to
preparation for teaching.
Another data source was a previous UNITE project which was
conducted at another urban school involved in the project. The data
included focus group interviews with eleven teachers from the school,
and similar questions were asked during the discussions. The data from
this study was included as a source as we examined and analyzed the
findings.
A review of the literature was done with a focus on preparing
teachers for urban schools, school/university partnerships, and the
needs of urban schools in the 90s. All focus group interviews were
conducted by two researchers. In order to increase reliability each
researcher collated and examined the data independently. This was
followed by a collective analysis in which common themes were
identified. No areas of discrepancy occurred between the researchers'
independent analyses. There was, however, some discussion around
degree of emphasis of characteristics. A re-examination of the
original transcripts clarified the varying degrees of emphasis.
FINDINGS
The findings are an analysis of the data collected from the focus
group interviews, the interviews with the principals, and the
questionnaires. Throughout this presentation excerpts from the
interview transcripts are included to allow the participants' voices
to be heard. Following a brief profile of the participants involved
with this study, their thoughts, ideas, experiences and suggestions are
shared under the following sub-titles:
A) Teachers' perceptions of the characteristics of an urban school
B) Challenges these characteristics present
C) Characteristics of a successful urban teacher
D) Improving teacher preparation programs
E) Motivation
F) Teacher wish list
Participant Profile
Twenty-two teachers and five administrators were involved in focus
group interviews conducted during the study. Over half of the 27
participants have been working in the field of education for less than
five years, although four have been teaching in their present school
for over 15 years. On average, the participants graduated from a
faculty of education 11 years ago. The teachers interviewed represented
all grade levels, from kindergarten to senior secondary, and
represented a variety of subject areas and roles within a school
community (e.g., physical education, visual arts, resource teacher,
special education teacher).
All but one of the participants received their preservice
education in the province of Ontario, and 45% of the teachers attended
the preservice program at the University of Toronto. Most of the
participants had been employed at some other occupation on a full-time
basis prior to entering the teaching profession. These previous work
positions included medical secretary, professional volleyball player,
child therapist, office systems manager, social worker, computer
operator, fitness instructor, construction worker and CUSO volunteer.
A) Teachers' Perceptions of the Characteristics of an Urban School
When asked to describe the characteristics of an urban school the
participants in all focus group interviews focussed on the student
population. The following characteristics were mentioned in all
interviews:
- enormous cultural diversity
- low socio-economic status
- high immigrant / refugee population
- high population of students whose first language is not English
- high incidence of poverty
- variety of social problems (e.g., drugs, alcoholism,
dysfunctional families)
- high turnover rate of students
Other characteristics which teachers identified as being common
to urban schools included:
- violence - in the family or in the neighbourhood
- wide variety / approaches of parenting skills
- students crave emotional attention, they carry 'baggage'
- high level of stress
- lack of parent involvement within the school program
B) Challenges These Characteristics Present
Emotional Needs of Students - The greatest challenge that was
identified by all groups was dealing with the emotional needs of the
students. Stories were shared in all focus group interviews that
described the traumas that many of their students had experienced in
their lives. Teachers described the refugee students who were often
in Canada living with distant relatives, worrying about their immediate
families who were far away. Others talked about students in their
classes traumatised by murder, war, family break-up, and at the
secondary level, students dealing with teenage pregnancy, abortion,
suicide, and being the care-taker of younger siblings at home.
We just spend less time on curriculum and a heck of a lot of
time on meeting the other needs. You couldn't possibly teach
them how to multiply or read if they haven't got the basic
essentials first.
I think the biggest challenge is emotional, dealing with
these children and their baggage, getting them to trust you,
and to a point where they're ready to learn.
The emotional support these kids need. You get very
involved, you are their advocate. It gets very draining.
Program Modification - Meeting the wide variety of intellectual and
academic needs of the students was also mentioned in all seven focus
group interviews. Many teachers shared their frustrations with
delivering the 'curriculum' they were hired to deliver, yet at the same
time acknowledging and accommodating the fact that some students in
their classroom have never been in school before and need to 'build the
foundations and develop the basic skills.' On-going individual
assessment and continual program modification presents a common
challenge facing the teachers of these urban schools on a daily basis.
Every student in the classroom is such an individual, and
every time you plan an activity you have to plan in such a
way that the task is able to be done by everyone in the room.
If you have someone that reads at a Grade 3 level and
someone that reads at a Grade 9 level, and someone who can
do math at a Grade 8 level, but only reads at a Grade 3
level, you have to plan for these students. It's a way of
planning that is open-ended, that can be modified and
individualized, so that each student can take it away and do
at their level, but their level is planned on their strengths
and weaknesses.
Language and Cultural Diversity - Another major challenge identified
was dealing with the language and cultural diversity of the students
in these schools. One administrator reported having a student
population representing 40 nationalities and 23 different languages.
We have to understand the different cultures, the different
religions. We have to know what we can or cannot do with the
children, what field trips are appropriate, what they can
eat.
English teachers at the secondary level discussed how their program is
"moving away from text-propelled courses" in an attempt to recognise
the diverse population of students they find in their classrooms.
For example, we feel that you cannot do justice to Dickens,
so we don't do Dickens. Some of us are putting less emphasis
on literature, per se, and doing more writing. If you've got
kids from Hong Kong there are certain things we take for
granted that they do not know. I've been trying to get more
multicultural literature in the classroom, but we don't have
the money to buy the multicultural texts. At the same time
I don't want to see the classics eroded either.
Communicating with Parents - Dealing with the parents of students was
another challenge that was frequently mentioned by the participants.
Teachers at both the elementary and the secondary levels spoke of
difficulties with finding time to spend with parents and guardians so
that they could develop a rapport, as well as the challenge of getting
parents and guardians to attend parent/teacher interviews. Language
barriers also inhibited the communication process between parents and
teachers. One administrator stated that the school's newsletter had
to be translated into multiple languages, and translators had to be
present for a large number of parent /teacher interviews. Overcoming
the communication barrier was often followed by the challenge of
dealing with the broad range of demands and expectations from parents.
Parents have different ideas about how important school is.
Some parents don't think their kids should get homework,
while other parents demand that their kids get homework.
Classroom Management - As well as those already mentioned,
participating teachers frequently referred to the daily challenges of
classroom management at both the secondary and elementary levels.
Swearing, bullying, school yard fights, and classroom disruptions were
a few of these challenges.
You've got kids bursting out at you for no reason because
something minor has set them off and you have to settle them
down and that is probably the biggest (challenge). I think
connected to that is their low self esteem.
Student Mobility - The high turnover rate of students was another
challenge that was frequently mentioned in all focus group interviews.
One school reported a turnover rate of 33% each year, while another
school reported a turnover rate of 50% every two years. As a result
of this high mobility participants, especially at the secondary level,
reported having few students at school assemblies and described it as
"a disaster for our school spirit."
Due to the high mobility, fewer students have a stake in the
school. For example, the Student Activity Council has
changed to what's called the Super Council because the ethnic
diversity is so varied we were finding that fewer and fewer
kids felt that they had a stake in running the school. So
with the Super Council we've gone to electing a
representative from every club or team in the
school, so that ethnic clubs for instance, will have direct
involvement with Council, where they did not before. But we
have fewer clubs now. We even lost the football team.
Changing Role of the Teacher - The last challenge that all participants
talked about was the changing role of the teacher. Because of the
multiple challenges facing teachers in urban schools today the
traditional image of the teacher is no longer applicable. Teachers in
urban schools have to take on the role of social worker, nurturer,
appeaser, counsellor, as well as academic teacher.
My role has expanded into social work, being a mother as far
as nurturing. Your scope has just opened because you have
the curriculum, yet there's a peripheral that you have to
work on constantly in order to tap in and get the kids
hooked.
The expectation hasn't shifted, but the reality of the job
has. So much more is involved in being a classroom teacher
now, but for some reason the expectation, when we hear about
it in the media, or when people are just sitting around
discussing what it is to be a teacher, those expectations
don't seem to have changed. As a matter of fact, if the
expectations have changed I think they have gone in the
other direction. There's a lot of pressure on schools, and
that pressure is increasing.
C) Characteristics of a Successful Urban Teacher
Eight characteristics were identified in all focus group
interviews as being important for teachers to possess in order to be
successful in an urban school. These eight characteristics are
discussed in order of the degree of emphasis placed on them by the
focus group participants.
Empathy - Since many participants noted that they had never experienced
many of the traumas and issues that their students are dealing with on
a daily basis, they all strongly believed that teachers in urban
schools need to be empathetic. Teachers mentioned the importance of
"not placing your morals, judgments and values on the students and
parents," and "making greater attempts at trying to understand the
different cultures and religions."
Respect for the students - Threading through all focus group
discussions were comments about teachers needing to respect students
and to operate on the belief that all students have the right to learn,
and to achieve success. Participants stated that teachers in urban
schools should not compromise expectations, and that they should
"believe that all students have a future."
Flexibility - Participants believe that teachers in urban schools need
to be flexible. Teachers reported that this flexibility was necessary
when dealing with such things as curriculum guidelines, programming,
evaluation, classroom disruptions, and student behaviour. One teacher
stated that, "You set up a wonderful day, and then it isn't working,
and you have to step back and reassess. It's constant."
Self-care - In order to be a successful teacher in an urban school,
participants stressed the need for caring for their personal needs.
Since urban schools "really challenge you, you have to make sure you
take care of the whole you, emotionally, physically, personally, and
manage your stress. You have to find the balance."
Patience - Another characteristic that was shared in the focus group
interviews was the need for teachers in urban schools to be patient.
Dealing with the diverse population of students, and all of the other
challenges previously mentioned, the need for 'infinite patience' was
believed to be necessary in order to be successful as a teacher in an
urban school.
Sense of humour - Participants in the focus group interviews strongly
believed that in order to be a successful teacher in an urban school
one must possess a sense of humour. One teacher described this need
in connection with self-care, and stated that, "If you don't have the
ability to laugh, you run the risk of becoming emotionally drained."
Collegiality - Another important characteristic for teachers in urban
schools mentioned in all focus group interviews was collegiality and peer
support. Participants described the need, especially in urban schools, for
staff to work together, to "share their ups and downs," to share their
resources, and to be there to support one another.
High energy level - In order to deal with the plethora of daily
challenges facing urban school teachers, interview participants stated
the need for these teachers to have high energy levels. A number of
participants extended this characteristic to include a willingness "to
make the commitment of time, energy and effort it takes to work in a
school like this."
Others - Beyond the eight characteristics discussed already, the
responses to this question included a variety of noteworthy comments:
Someone who could handle their own problems and not pass the
buck to the administration. Not afraid of conflict. They
can get in there and talk with the kids, and work it out
themselves.
The best teachers are the ones that have been terrible
students. Someone who has themself been the last in their
class, knows where the kids are coming from.
They need a sense of showmanship.
They should be creative in the use and development of the
strategies they use.
In all seven interviews discussion of the characteristics of a
successful urban teacher inevitably led to a discussion on whether
these characteristics were innate or could be learned. Two
administrators mentioned that they have had excellent teachers enter
their schools, yet 'not make it' due to the demands of teaching in
these urban schools. The following three excerpts give an indication
of the innate / learned debate that occurred in all of the focus group
interviews.
To teach at an excellent level is a gift. I don't think
faculties of education can touch that. It's in you. The gut
feeling response that a teacher will have in response to a
particular problem might be fostered by experiences, but a
teacher will either have intuition or not have it.
People can change. I've seen it happen. People have been
changed by the staff, the culture, the kids. I'm less
concerned by who is picked by the faculties of education and
what happens in there, and more concerned with whether they
like working with other people and are willing to learn.
You can probably take a dozen people off the street and put
them in here, if they have the right personality makeup, that
is they can learn from other people and watch and keep their
mouth closed and listen, they'll probably turn out as
reasonable teachers. I'm not too concerned with the
psychological make up of teachers coming in. I don't think
you can teach it, or say here's what you need and if you
don't have it don't go into it because who knows who's going
to make a really good inner city teacher. I think you have
to try it and learn.
There was general agreement that 'certain types' of people were
more successful as teachers in urban schools than others, and that
certain preparation and experience is critical in order to be
successful.
D) Improving Teacher Preparation Programs
When asked to rate how well their preservice preparation programs
prepared them to teach in an urban setting, on a scale from one (not
prepared at all) to five (well prepared), 68% of the teachers gave a
rating of three or less. Four participants identified their Special
Education preparation as being the most helpful in their current role
as a teacher in an urban school, and two participants identified their
English as a Second Language courses as being the most useful. New and
experienced teachers alike shared many recommendations on how to
improve teacher preservice programs to better prepare teachers for
teaching in an urban school. The interview discussions centred around
three major areas: identifying candidates for teacher preparation
programs; course work at the faculties of education; and the critical
need for appropriate in-school experiences during the preservice
program.
Identifying candidates for teacher preparation programs - All interview
groups commented on the need for faculties of education to seriously
address their admissions process. There was general agreement that the
admissions process should include an interview to enable a more
accurate assessment of an individual applicant to be made. It was felt
that faculties of education overemphasise an unrealistically high
academic requirement, whereas other factors, such as commitment and
personality, were felt to be just as critical. One secondary teacher
stated his belief that, due to the admission requirements, "student
teachers are so persuaded that teaching is an academic endeavour that
it's difficult for them to understand that teaching does not have much
to do with subject disciplines in many regards."
Course work at the faculties of education - A number of comments were
made with respect to the structure of preservice programs, specifically
that the one-year programs should be extended to two years, and the
concurrent programs are helpful in that they allow student teachers a
greater amount of time to decide whether or not teaching is the right
profession for them.
Many suggestions were made with respect to the content of the
programs delivered at faculties of education. Participants agreed
there was a need to equip student teachers with a broad repertoire of
strategies in order to more effectively prepare them for the diverse
needs of students in urban schools. Participating teachers suggested
the following content areas be included in preservice programs:
in-depth training in classroom management; how to plan for individual
differences; and how to modify curriculum. It was also noted that
student teachers should be made aware of the resources that are
available to them, in order for them to continue, as practising
teachers, to further broaden their repertoire of strategies.
Anti-racist training and conflict management were two other areas
that were suggested by the participants to be addressed in faculty
programs. One participant stated his belief that "the matter of
violence is really going to be crucial in the next little while," and
that new teachers should be "better prepared to deal with it."
Many participants commented that their preservice experiences
focussed heavily on aspects of curriculum (guidelines, implementation,
evaluation, lesson planning), and 'imparting knowledge,' at the expense
of a focus on developing an understanding of children. One high school
teacher recommended that secondary preservice teachers "have placement
experiences in elementary schools, because they are going to be
teaching kids rather than subjects."
Finally, a number of teachers mentioned how critical it is for
preservice teachers to learn and develop the skills necessary to be
reflective practitioners. Participants suggested that reflection be
built into every component delivered in a preservice program. Within
the broad area of reflection, it was also noted that since faculties
of education "are showing teachers how to assess students, they must
also show them how to assess themselves."
In all seven focus group interviews many issues were raised
regarding the realistic picture that fails to be presented in
preservice programs. Many questions were asked about how current
faculty members were with respect to urban classrooms in the 90's, and
suggested that practising teachers were probably better equipped to
share their experiences with preservice teachers. The use of case
studies was also recommended for use in faculty programs in order to
depict the realities of urban schools. One participant, who had
graduated from her preservice program two years earlier, mentioned that
she learned about 'the bump system' in her classroom management
classes, but in her current position as a teacher in an urban school
"the top bump is reached by 8:46 in the morning!" She suggested that
"the continuum of behaviour management strategies has to be extremely
extensive, and maybe this can be accomplished through case studies."
In-school experiences - All participants agreed that stronger
connections need to be developed between faculties of education and the
schools that student teachers are placed in. There was also general
agreement that preservice teachers should spend more time in schools,
and that school experiences should be for longer periods of time, and
in a greater variety of settings, which would include urban schools.
Teachers strongly stated their belief that the best preparation for
teaching in an urban school was to have a practicum in an urban school
where student teachers could get "a real feel for the school, as well
as the class." Many suggestions focussed on the need for student
teachers to have opportunities to become aware of the community that
extends outside of the classroom setting. Attending curriculum
evenings, sitting in on parent/teacher interviews, conducting home
visits with their host teachers, and getting involved with
extra-curricular activities were a few of the suggestions that might
allow preservice teachers to develop a greater understanding of what
it means to be a teacher in an urban school. One participant shared
the value of being placed in a practicum prior to the school year
starting, which enabled her to experience, first-hand, what it meant
to set up a classroom. A number of participants suggested that student
teachers be placed in classrooms in pairs to encourage "cooperative
planning" and to "have somebody to reflect with."
Discussing the variety of ways to improve a preservice teachers'
in-school experiences often led participants to talk about the quality
of placements. Serious concerns regarding the process of selecting
teachers as host teachers were shared by many participants.
But, if we extend the length of time (in practicums), the
faculty has to be very careful about the situations that
their faculty students get into so that it is a good
learning opportunity for that student, that the host teacher
is dedicated to helping that student along, and that their
personalities seem to blend well. That requires an awful lot
of communication between the faculty and the host
schools. I can't think of anything worse than 13 weeks of
a student being in with someone where they're not able to
work cooperatively together.
I think the faculties of education have to take some real
responsibility here and decide who is doing it right, and get
those people in those schools. I don't think they're
choosing their schools particularly carefully enough, and I
think they're putting young people in classrooms to learn the
craft of teaching and their mentor is mediocre at best.
There isn't a mechanism that verifies good teachers would
make good associate teachers. We let principals choose too
many mediocre teachers. I think we've got to do a better job
of this. The faculties of education are relying on the good
will of school boards. We're not doing the faculties a
favour, this is a professional responsibility. If we aren't
responsible for the next generation of teachers, they'll be
as bad or as good as luck will mandate. There are enough
excellent people. We need exemplary teachers. Some people
would say pay them to do that. I also think as
professionals it is our responsibility to assist the
profession.
E) Motivation
In all seven focus group interviews there were common themes that
were discussed when addressing the question of how to maintain a high
level of motivation in an urban school. The response that was
mentioned most frequently to this question was the support that these
teachers felt from their teaching colleagues and from the
administration. At each interview participants shared stories about
how this support was facilitated and demonstrated in their school. One
school had their weekly Wonderful Wednesdays to look forward to, where
guest speakers were invited to address a variety of topics such as
healthy eating, stress management, and technology in the classroom.
Another school staff shared how the teachers are encouraged to try out
new ideas, and stated that the school "is not a top-down school, very
few decisions are imposed, and staff feel that they have some stake in
it."
Discussing motivation led many participants to talk about the
empowering environments in which they work. During the focus group
interviews both teachers and administrators openly shared their high
regard for one another, and continually commented on the dedication of
fellow staff members. Although participants listed numerous challenges
of their day-to-day teaching, they were quick to state that one of the
reasons they were able to deal effectively with these challenges was
due to the fact that they were teaching in a school where there was a
great deal of support and encouragement from their colleagues.
Many participants shared information on the various rewards that
are a part of teaching in an urban school. On top of each reward list
was always the children. Participating teachers felt that they made
a difference in the lives of their students, that they could see
progress, and that it was sometimes the 'spark in their eyes' that kept
them motivated. One teacher shared how the enthusiasm from her
students 'rubs off' on her, and how she builds on strengths and
"celebrates every small success along the way."
The final theme that arose in the interviews while addressing
motivation, concerned the various approaches the participating teachers
take to maintain a healthy and balanced life. A number of comments
were shared that illustrate how the administration recognises that the
teachers have "a life outside of school," and that family commitments
and "outside school obligations" are acknowledged and respected by all
staff members.
F) Teachers' Wish List
All participants in the focus group interviews identified the need
for more resources as being a priority on their wish lists. Having
access to a greater number of resources was frequently translated into
more staff, both in the classrooms and as support workers. A number
of participants mentioned the need for a full-time social worker and
a full-time psychometrist to be placed in their school. A greater
number of classroom teachers would decrease class size and enable the
teachers to more effectively address the needs of the students.
Up-to-date material resources, such as books, manipulatives and
professional journals, were also mentioned in the focus group
interviews. Teachers shared how textbooks and reading material must
reflect the diverse population of the students in urban schools. One
teacher noted that "a great deal of curriculum assumes that kids have
had certain experiences" and although new curriculum is being developed
it is not finding its way into the schools.
Participants also noted that increased funding for urban schools
would allow teachers to provide students with experiences that might
be taken for granted in middle class schools. One participant stated
that, "these kids don't go to the zoo, or to the Science Centre.
There's just not enough money at home."
The final item that all participants mentioned when discussing
their wish list was more time. Teachers described the need for more
time to plan, to observe, to assess and deal with the individual needs
of the students in their classrooms. Administrators expressed the wish
to have more time to facilitate talking and sharing amongst their staff
members.
CONCLUSIONS AND INSIGHTS
For the most part the results of this study are straightforward,
general, and a list of familiar points. It was interesting to the
researchers that while the discussions with the teachers were
passionate and indicated commitment and dedication, collectively their
comments were neither illuminating nor provocative. Although the
analysis of the data does not contribute new insights or perceptions,
the data from the interviews does support the findings in the
literature.
An important question to ask is, "Why might this be the case? Why
is the data from teachers not more illuminating given their first-hand
experience?" This may be a consequence of the methodology used by the
researchers, or simply where these teachers are in terms of their urban
consciousness. By this we mean that teachers tend to focus their
energy and attention on the needs of the school in which they work, and
may not be familiar with the literature, or for that matter, with what
is happening in other schools within their own neighbourhood.
Consequently, when we talk to them about an urban context we tend to
get insular and focussed descriptions of what is happening in their
school, rather than a discussion of broader trends.
When we examine the findings in Section B of this paper, where
teachers identified what the challenges were, we are left with the
sense that all teachers, in all schools, need to be equipped with
skills such as program modification, communication with parents, and
classroom management, to name just three. It would be difficult to
find a school where teachers viewed skills such as these as unnecessary
for their practice. However, our discussions with the participants in
this project indicate that these skills are even more critical for
teachers working in challenging schools.
This has led us to question the clear distinction that is commonly
made between urban and suburban schools. After examining this research
data, as well as doing a review of the literature, we believe that it
is almost impossible to classify schools into one or the other of these
categories. Trying to do this may be an artificial exercise which does
not represent reality.
In our opinion schools appear to have degrees of 'urbanness.' We
would like to suggest that schools fit onto a continuum of urbanness,
or a continuum of challenging needs, depending on the nature and degree
of characteristics such as poverty, diverse ethnicity, high mobility
and violence present in the school. For example, the three schools
participating in this project would be placed at different points along
the continuum, but all closer to the 'high' end of challenging needs.
'Urban' and 'suburban' are geographic descriptors that fail to
reflect the complex and changing nature of schools today. Most
teachers interviewed stated that their own teacher preparation programs
did not adequately prepare them for dealing with the challenges of
teaching in urban schools. We believe that all teachers need these
skills, but, as we progress from the 'low' end of the continuum to the
'high' end of the continuum the development and refinement of these
skills becomes increasingly more critical for teachers.
In examining this continuum, and reflecting on what the literature
states, as well as the data from this project, we believe that
faculties of education prepare teachers to teach in schools clustered
around the 'low needs' end of the continuum. The practical components
of preservice programs take place in these schools, and therefore these
are the schools that faculty instructors are most familiar with.
However, the reality is that teaching jobs are available mainly in
schools that would be placed near the 'high needs' end of the
continuum, with the result that new teachers feel poorly prepared to
cope with the challenges in these schools. An important observation
that demands further examination is that no other profession gives
their toughest 'cases' to beginning practitioners, although this seems
to be the norm in education.
The participants in this project stated their belief that some
personality types can cope with the special needs presented in
challenging schools better than others. Teachers in these schools need
to be more resilient and flexible, need to be patient, not easily
offended, and unprejudiced. They did state however, that there were
some basic pedagogical skills that could be taught in preservice
programs which would better prepare new teachers for teaching in
challenging schools.
Teachers and administrators also felt that faculties of education
and schools need to work more closely in partnership to present a more
realistic picture of the challenges present in many of today's schools,
and to better prepare new teachers for the complexities of teaching in
these environments. A major factor in better preparing teachers is to
provide them with the opportunity to work in these schools during their
preservice program. It is also critical that these beginning teachers
be placed with exemplary teachers who can model and encourage best
practice.
Educators identified the need for greater resources in these
special needs schools. These included special professional support
(eg. social workers), more appropriate curriculum resources, and an
opportunity to provide these students with experiences which students
in other schools may get in their home environments.
Despite the challenges, the teachers that we spoke with expressed
a great deal of satisfaction with their jobs in these challenging
schools. These teachers had discovered ways in which, not only to cope,
but to turn these schools into professionally rewarding environments.
Many of these schools had instituted programs which facilitated peer
support, social activities for teachers, and had established
professional, collaborative environments in which the voice of the
teacher was acknowledged and respected. Most of the teachers stated
that a supportive administration was a major contributing factor in
making their school a good place to be for both staff and students.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The recommendations included below have been drawn directly from
the participants in this project, as well as from the analysis and
reflections of the researchers.
Partnerships
- Faculties of education and schools must work more collaboratively
to effectively prepare and support teachers in more challenging schools.
- Schools and universities need to identify situations that can
provide realistic learning environments for new teachers. These would
be schools which present a plethora of challenging situations, but
which are still good teaching arenas. These schools would be
collaborative, supportive and professional environments, where teachers
who have been identified as superior can act as supportive mentors and
role models.
Faculties of Education
- Faculties of education need to develop an admissions process that
goes beyond academic requirements and includes consideration of those
characteristics which make for successful teaching in all schools, but
are crucial for success in more challenging environments.
- Preservice programs should have a greater focus on the skills
necessary to be an effective teacher in the more challenging schools
of today, such as anti-racist training, conflict resolution, classroom
management, child development, and modification of the curriculum to
meet the needs of a diverse population of students.
- Preservice programs must provide longer and more appropriate
in-school experiences. These experiences should include a greater
variety of placements; longer, more intensive periods of time, and
opportunities to develop an awareness of the community from which the
child comes.
- Faculty of education instructors need to have knowledge and respect
for the realities of today's students, schools and communities, and
this in turn, needs to be acknowledged and rewarded by the university
community.
Schools
- Schools must provide environments where the administrators are
empowering, and the staff feel that their thoughts and ideas are valued
and affirmed by one another, and that the school is a good place to be
for all teachers and all students.
- The school should provide a variety of experiences for preservice
teachers, such as classroom teaching, parent/teacher interviews, and
an opportunity to get to know the community in which the school is
situated.
- School districts and schools need to provide better resources for
teachers in challenging schools. These include professional resources
in the form of support personnel, such as psychometrists and social
workers, as well as material resources in the form of curriculum
materials that are designed to meet the needs of a diverse population
of students.
Research
- More information needs to be collected around the realities and
needs of educators teaching in challenging schools. This could include
topics such as working with an ethnically diverse population, the
impact of violence on schools, communicating with parents, and the
impact of collaborative school cultures on staff and students.
- Teachers who express a great deal of satisfaction with teaching in
challenging schools need to be heard more widely. Currently there is
a very negative image of what it means to be a teacher in a challenging
school, and these teachers can play a large role in providing a more
positive perception of what it means to teach in a school with many
special and challenging needs.
- A thorough examination needs to be made of the practice of placing
novice teachers in the most challenging classroom situations. Such a
study could include identifying the roles and responsibilities of
universities, schools, districts and teacher federations with respect
to teacher placement, induction support, and the on-going professional
development of teachers.
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