Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop an innovative addition to the curriculum to help preservice teachers cultivate an understanding of poverty. Using technology, an interdisciplinary team created two online learning modules entitled Teacher as Learning Facilitator and Teacher as Anthropologist. Preservice teachers valued the newly developed modules and the activities that accompanied them. In addition, preservice teachers demonstrated their knowledge and awareness of poverty as it relates to teaching and learning practices. Some preservice teachers viewed poverty as an asset but others viewed it as a deficit. A discussion of lessons learned about collaboration and curriculum development concludes the paper.
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Notes
Child poverty rate is % of children living in households with equivalent income lower than 50 % of national median.
Poverty is defined using the U.S Census Bureau’s official measure. Children under 18 years in families with income less than 100 % of the poverty threshold are considered poor, and children under 18 years in families with income less than 200 % of the poverty threshold are considered low income. These figures are issued annually by the U.S. Census Bureau. The poverty threshold for four people with no children in a family is $23,021; however, if they have one or two children under 18 years these poverty thresholds are changed to $23,581 and $22,811, respectively. See http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml for the 2011 poverty thresholds.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading achievement level was used to determine students’ reading proficiency. According to the NAEP reading achievement level fourth-grade students’ cut-off scores for “basic level,” “proficient,” and “advanced” are 208, 238, and 268, respectively. Cut-off scores indicate the lower end of the score range for each level. NAEP achievement levels are cumulative; therefore, student performance at the proficient level includes the competencies associated with the basic level, and the advanced level also includes the competencies associated with both the basic and the proficient levels. See more information at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/reading/achieveall.asp#2009ald.
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Appendix
Appendix
Focus Group Questions
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1.
What is your definition of poverty?
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2.
What does poverty look like?
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3.
What percentage of your students fit this definition?
Please think about a particular student living in poverty and answer the following questions with him or her in mind.
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4.
How do you know this student lives in poverty?
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5.
How would you describe the relationship between this student’s family and the school? (If there is no relationship, why do you think this is the case?)
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6.
Please share a story when being in poverty led to a school-based problem for a student.
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7.
What should teacher preparation programs do to prepare new teachers to recognize and effectively address issues of poverty?
Below are the initial questions and should be used to guide a teacher who may be struggling with the above questions.
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8.
Do you think poverty affects academic performance?
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9.
Do you think poverty affects social interactions?
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10.
Do you think poverty affects behavior?
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11.
Do you think poverty affects attendance?
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12.
Do you think poverty affects classroom participation?
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13.
Do you think poverty affects involvement in extracurricular activities.
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Cho, MH., Convertino, C. & Khourey-Bowers, C. Helping preservice teachers (PSTs) understand the realities of poverty: innovative curriculum modules. Education Tech Research Dev 63, 303–324 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9366-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9366-9