“High expectations transcend all barriers.” That is the message Larry Bell delivered during his Special Feature session. “High expectations will allow you to capitalize on diversity and to make a difference with any child,” he said. “There is not a child they can put in front of you that you can't reach and teach.”
Larry Bell
A former high school teacher, Bell has seen firsthand how high expectations make a profound difference in the lives of students. He shared some teaching strategies that helped him reach “tough kids” and students whose native language wasn't English. Bell, an educational consultant whose company is called Multicultural America, Inc., used his evangelical speaking style to engage the audience in discussions about successful strategies for reaching diverse students.
Bell offered two main pieces of advice—model inclusive behavior and reach out to each student. He also encouraged teachers to study research that could help them connect with students of all backgrounds.
Bell provided several strategies for closing the achievement gap between minority students and their peers:
- Have students read.
- Provide questions and courses that address higher-order thinking skills. “Give them the basics,” he said, but also “move on up” to higher-level work.
- Make a commitment to reteach; students appreciate it when the teacher doesn't mind going back over material.
- Give them short-term goals.
- Tell them why learning the lesson is important.
- Assess their work continually.
Building a relationship with each child is another important factor. “Kids don't care how much we know,” Bell said, “until they know how much we care.”
The perception of fairness is another strong factor in building bonds with students. Bell advised teachers to explain disciplinary actions so students will understand that they are not being singled out because of their race, culture, or background. He also stressed the importance of having a friendly rapport with every student, not just a select few. “Kid and joke with all of them,” he said.
Teachers can promote “biculturality” among students of color, Bell said. Explain to them that “you cannot be successful in America without being able to speak standard middle-class English,” he advised. But they can still use their own dialect in their neighborhood. “I told my students, you don't have to choose here. I want you to be able to do both.” Promoting biculturality can help students feel that they can be themselves and still meet teacher expectations.
Perhaps the best thing teachers can do to help all students achieve is to give them hope, Bell said, even when family members are not encouraging them. “Even on your worst day on the job, you are still some child's best hope.”