1. Setting all learners up for success

Introduction

Did you know that when people are held to high expectations they often rise to meet the challenge? Conversely, when the expectations are set low, it is much more difficult to motivate students to excel.

In education, creating a culture of high expectations is critical to student achievement. High expectations as an educational principle focuses on how societal or group expectations influence the way we think about ourselves and about our potential.

Design skill

You will be able to design learning activities that enable all learners to succeed.

Here's how it works

We take mental shortcuts

In order to deal with the complex reality, we create shortcuts in order to act effectively. This includes us coming up with expectations of what other human beings are capable of, what they like, AND we act based on these expectations.

Society influences our expectations

The mental shortcuts we create are influenced by the society we live in and the way things are now (status quo). For example, poor schools fail exams, you have to bribe a police officer if you commit an offense, etc.

Our expectations influence learners

What we think about a person affects how we act towards them. If we think a student is bad a mathematics we express this expectation verbally as well as non-verbally. These cues have an effect on students, either helping them succeed or fail.

An example

In a study by Rosenthal and Jacobson, several classes of children in primary level were given nonverbal intelligence tests, which researchers claimed would measure the student’s potential for intellectual growth. Twenty percent of the students were randomly selected by the researchers as “intellectual giants” and their names were given to the teachers. Although their test scores actually had nothing at all to do with their potential, the teachers were told to be on the alert for signs of intellectual growth among these particular students. Overall these children, especially in the lower levels, showed considerably greater gains in IQ during the school year than did the other students. They were also rated by their teachers as being more curious, interesting, happy, and more likely to succeed in life. Because the teachers THOUGHT the students would be successful, the students WERE successful.

Background on equity in the classroom

In the African context, gender, tribe and socioeconomic background affect the opportunities individuals have to create their future. To be fully empowering, Educate! promotes equity in the classroom through a pedagogy that is sensitive to gender, tribe and socioeconomic background. Through gender responsive pedagogy training facilitators are equipped with a solid understanding of dynamics in the classroom that affect boys and girls differently as well as strategies to managing these dynamics. Supporting this training is a design that prompts facilitators to encourage all learners to participate, for example through group work, roles and responsibilities, question and answer techniques among others.

All case studies and stories seek to celebrate success of youth and teachers with a diverse range of backgrounds and go beyond stereotypes. Role models have a demonstrated influence on learning outcomes, Educate! seeks to create a platform to share the stories of positive role models, especially when they managed to fight gender barriers.

How can designers set all learners up for success?

The culture of high expectations can only be established by a teacher/facilitator. It is through their verbal and non-verbal acts that they can communicate their expectations. However, as a designer there are certain things you can do!

Train teachers and facilitators on how to create a culture of high expectations.
Set ambitious but achievable learning objectives.
Include Question & Answer scripts that encourage 'right-is-right' (see video)
Include mixed-ability group activities
Create formative assessment activities that help facilitators redirect their teaching based on learners' progress.
Make use of role models that have 'defied the odds'.

Examples

Low expectations in design

Question and Answer script

Allow insufficient time in Q&A for a teacher to involve all students and getting to the right answer.

Group work

Prompt facilitator to split students with high and low exam scores and give them different learning tasks (in every lesson).

Program targets

Set different profit targets for Student Business Clubs of high-status schools than for those of low-status schools.

Leadership profiles

Create profiles for club leadership that privilege academically strong students or single sex.

High expectations in design