Students at risk of dropping out

While planning for inclusion should take an individual focus, it should also occur within

an ecological context(Foreman, 2008:432)

Overview

• Bec – Students at risk of dropping out• Inge – ‘Ecology’ of the classroom

ACTIVITY• Siobhan – Policy and recommendations

Facts and figures

• ACT – 90% retention rate year 10-12• National average –

% 15 yr not attending % 16 yr not attending

ACT 0

NT 7

NSW

Qld

Tas

Vic

SA

WA

Which students drop out?

• Students at risk of dropping out => leave school without engaging in another education or training pathway; long-term problems

• Students less likely to complete year 12 are males, Indigenous Australians, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and from non-English speaking backgrounds

Why do some students drop out?

• Low levels of literacy and numeracy• Work-related reasons / economic pressures• Lack of family and other support systems• “Disengagement from school is not the same as

disengagement from education, as evidenced by the level of participation by non-completers in postsecondary education and training”

(McMillan and Marks, 2003: xi)

Impacts

• Students with low educational qualifications are at risk of economic marginalisation

• Long-term unemployment and under-employment

• Poor health outcomes, a greater likelihood of substance abuse and greater dependence on government income support.

• Inter-generational disadvantage in families may become entrenched

The choose-your-own-adventure Classroom

• Welcome!• Our roles (Miss Grey, students, facilitators)• The bell• The classroom ecology toolbox• The lesson activities• Three ‘at-risk’ students

Teacher factors•awareness of student needs

• provide structure and be explicit

• teach general study skills

•awareness of behavioural management discipline hierarchy

Physical environment factors•room lighting (artificial/natural)

•table arrangement

•student work displayed

Student factors•encourage students to use their own language/words

•prior knowledge/experiences

•hierarchy of needs (Maslow)

•connection with content

Curriculum and resource factors•using alternative resources

•active and engaging activities

•human resources

•reinforcement through rewards

Toolbox

Activity choicesTopic Activity and explanation LinkCommunity definition

class brainstorm - explore the class’ understanding of a community

Teenage communities

comprehension activity - students read an article and respond to questions individually

Spatial inequalities

creative cartooning activity - students draw 3 cartoons to represent scenarios

Global communities

ICT/visual activity - students watch YouTube clip and fill in a table of key differences

Online communities

reflection activity - students answer focus q’s about the role of facebook in changing communities

Australian communities

teacher-centred instruction using powerpoint slide-show of key definitions and visual aids

A

B

C

D

E

F

Introducing our students at risk…

COMMUNITY

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Case Study One – Low Income Bracket Jeremy is a fourteen-year old boy living in a flat with his two younger sisters and his mother. Jeremy's mother worked in a factory until a year ago, when she was laid off. His mum can't find a new job and is suffering from depression. Jeremy has had to take on a part-time job to help make ends meet. Jeremy works until midnight some nights and then has trouble staying awake the next day. Jeremy tries to make himself and his sisters' lunches to take to school, but often they have nothing in the cupboard. Jeremy doesn't have a lot of friends at school.

Case Study Two – Middle Income Bracket Luke is a fourteen-year old boy. Luke's father is a mechanic and his mother is a part-time teacher's aide at the local primary school. Luke has an older brother and a younger sister. Luke's favourite hobbies are Playstation and playing soccer. Each week, he receives $15 pocket money for mowing the lawn. This pocket money is for treats like going to the movies with his friends. Luke always has three good meals a day and his mother keeps the pantry stocked with his favourite foods.

Case Study Three – High Income Bracket Eliza Jane is a fourteen-year-old girl. Her father is an investment banker and travels the world on business. Eliza Jane attends a prestigious private boarding school on the North Shore of Sydney. She takes her class notes on a new laptop computer and schedules activities with her friends on her palm pilot. She gets $100 a week allowance to buy clothes, shoes, makeup, CD's and whatever else she likes.

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Creative cartooning

Teenage affluenza

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FACTOR Developed community Developing community

Rural-urban identity

Friendship circles

Family

Activities

Socio-economic status

Local community / neighbourhoodRole of popular culture

1. List any online communities that you belong to. Why have you joined these communities? What have your experiences been?

2. In what ways do you feel connected to other members in these groups?

3. Some people argue Facebook creates and connects new communities, whereas others see it as impoverishing important ‘face-to-face’ community interactions. What is your opinion on the role of Facebook in changing our Australian communities?

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The number of people joining Facebook is skyrocketing. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook now has 150 million active users. This means that if Facebook was a country, it would be the 8th most populated in the world. And this isn’t just a group of passive users; almost half of Facebook’s members use the service every day. On Christmas day, Facebook accounted for 1 in every 22 online visits. This participation is staggering.

The number of people joining Facebook is skyrocketing. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook now has 150 million active users. This means that if Facebook was a country, it would be the 8th most populated in the world. And this isn’t just a group of passive users; almost half of Facebook’s members use the service every day. On Christmas day, Facebook accounted for 1 in every 22 online visits. This participation is staggering.

Connecting demographics and communities

• Demographics is the study of population characteristics (eg urban/rural, age, ethnicity, income, language, employment, etc)

• Communities are groups of interacting people

• Demographic information helps us to understand (and improve) communities

• E.g. census

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Australia's population is ageing - by 2036, it is predicted that one quarter of Australians will be

over 65

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

65+

45-64

25-44

<25

Population (m)

1976 2006 2036

Source: ABS 3222.0, Population Projections, Australia, 2004-2101 (2006); ABS 3201.0, Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories (2006)

1976 2006 2036

<25 44 33 27

25-44 27 29 25

45-64 20 25 25

65+ 9 13 24

% population by age bracketAustralian population by age bracket: 1976-2036

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High cultural diversity is a phenomenon of inner urban communities, where between 5 and 35% of people arrived in Australia less than 5 years ago

Sydney Melbourne

Source: ABS, Data source: Census MapStats 2006 [Data available on request]2.7 to 4.4 0.2 to 2.74.4 to 6.86.8 to 16.716.7 to 35.1

Legend (% usual residents)

"New arrivals": Persons arriving on or after 1 January 2001(% total usual residents)

"New arrivals": Persons arriving on or after 1 January 2001(% total usual residents)

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Wrapping up...

• Not all tools are going to be “in the classroom”

• Working within a department, a school and a system

• An example: Olivia....

Policy

• ACT DET Policy website http://www.det.act.gov.au/

• Pregnant Student Policy and Implementation Guidelineshttp://www.det.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/19497/pregnant.pdf

• Canberra College Cares – Program for students that are pregnant or parenting – Year 10 and Year 12 Certificates – Flexible and on-line program– alternative education for students aged 14-21 years

http://www.canberrac.act.edu.au/special_programs/cccares

RecommendationsIdentify :• your own tricks for your toolbox - for each of

the factors of the 'ecosystem‘• what your strengths are and what needs to be

further developed• what you're missing - and where to get them -

colleagues, departments, PD, “the hardware store”

• funding issues and possible sources for funding

Conclusion

Ways to reduce dropping out• mentoring of students at risk • providing support for students and families • focusing on vital literacy and numeracy skills for

students at risk • training and professional development for teachers

“…the focus should not be on [students’] problems and failures, but rather on building on their strengths and maximising their potential.”

(Boykin (2000) in Murik (2002:15))