Everyone can participate in the Bunny Hop.
Given a dance floor, a groovy beat, and a willing leader, everyone can engage in a line dance like the Bunny Hop. The Bunny Hop is known as a social mixer dance, where people join in, hop up and down (like a bunny), and follow behind a leader as they frolic around the dance floor. There are many adaptations to and variations of the Bunny Hop, with lots of flexibility in the line dance. I don't know about you, but I've never seen someone chastised for taking a wrong step to the side or hopping off cue. For example, there's no mandate that you must touch the person in front of you; some folks prefer to join the line and leave space in front of them. If you use a wheelchair, there's always room to join the line: you choose where you want to fit in and groove, and everyone makes space. There are no assigned spots, and the unwritten/written rule is that everyone accepts everyone for what they bring to the line dance. If you are tired or get bored, just exit stage left. If you want to rejoin, more than likely the line will still be going, so pop back into it. No fuss, no muss … a dance with no pressure and just fun.
Like the beginning of the Bunny Hop, where the leader enthusiastically smiles and invites others to join, the leader of a welcoming classroom creates an atmosphere of belonging, inviting and engaging every student to be a part of the learning experiences. The classroom is flexible, everyone feels welcome, and everyone has choices on how to navigate their learning experiences. Just as the Bunny Hop has many adaptations, allowing for various gifts of dance fever, our accommodating classroom is based on the philosophy that everyone has “something to learn, and something to contribute” to the community. This chapter outlines the instructional moves to create an equitable, inclusive, and engaging learning environment for ALL students, a classroom where every student is excited to join our dance floor.
Equity and Inclusion are the leaders in creating a positive dance floor in our classroom for every learner. These two mindsets complement and lead effective instructional practices for diverse and exceptional learners. These two leaders guide our thought processes on ensuring that ALL students feel welcome and get what they need, understanding that fair is not always equal, and that “good teaching” isn't every student getting the same exact thing in the same exact way. Sometimes I hear the phrase, “We are doing Inclusion.” Unlike a grocery store checklist, it is nearly impossible “to do” inclusion. Inclusion isn't a verb. It is a mindset, an ideology, a belief, that all students can have their needs met inside our general education classroom. Equity joins inclusion as a leader in our line dance to ensure that our belief is followed with and demonstrated by our actions so every student gets access to resources and rigor at their right time.
An equitable and inclusive learning environment requires educators to strive to set high expectations for and to challenge students to reach beyond their potential. Though I long for the day when we don't say “general education classroom” or “special education classroom,” and instead just say “classroom,” an inclusive and equitable mindset in our general education classrooms is the first step in increasing students with disabilities' achievement. Let's move into the key dance steps of our line dance in a sequential pattern that we can all follow. As always, feel adventurous about adding some creativity along the way. After all, spontaneity makes the Bunny Hop even more spectacular for everyone involved.
Equity-Based Learning Environments
An equity-based classroom centers on relationships. As James Comer, 2015 reminds us, “no significant learning can occur without a significant relationship.” Take a walk down memory lane: Who was your favorite teacher? Why was this teacher your favorite? What types of experiences did you have with this teacher? How did this teacher affect your life or experiences in education? No doubt your favorite teacher made you feel special, like they were your champion. Every student needs at least one champion in their school community. The more champions, the better, of course! Can our most reluctant learner name at least one person in their school community that they can check in with to help them refocus, feel good, and connect with?
Have you seen the viral video of Mr. Barry White, Jr., enthusiastically welcoming each one of his fifth-grade students into their classroom? Students excitedly dance their way into the classroom using a special, personalized greeting that they individually created with this teacher. This special welcome occurs before students start the “academics,” and you can tell it makes a huge impact on each of the students. If you haven't had a chance to watch this minute of pure happiness, google, “Teacher creates personalized handshakes for all his students on Good Morning America.” You could literally spend 30 minutes as a school team annotating and answering the question: “What do you notice from this one-minute clip?” What I find astounding is this: Mr. White provided time for each student to create their unique handshake, devoted valuable time to building this routine, and committed to memory each student's preferred special greeting into the classroom. Simultaneously, Mr. White has provided a way for students to check in, reset, and transition. Can you imagine what this simple relationship-building strategy does each morning for the student who may have had a terrible morning, or struggled just to show up? No doubt: that student instantly feels valued and seen.
No, we do not have to create a special dance with each student (though dance does connect us), but we do need to intentionally build relationships and create a supportive learning environment. In her TED talk, Rita Pierson (2013) reminds us that “[k]ids don't learn from people they don't like.” Our students are intuitive: based on the amount of investment we incorporate into our daily schedule to build real relationships and a positive learning community, students determine if they like us enough to trust us enough to try hard academic stuff, even if they might fail at it the first few times. It is our privilege to show our students that no matter how they feel, we value them and believe that they can exceed their potential.
An equity-based teacher understands that successful classrooms focus on relationships first to create higher learning outcomes. Neuroscience tells us the brain feels safest and relaxed when we are connected to others whom we trust to treat us well. The brain responds to this sense of connection by secreting oxytocin, known as the bonding hormone. Oxytocin makes us want to build a trusting relationship with the other person we're interacting with. Trust frees up the brain for other activities such a creativity, learning, and higher-order thinking. Thus, because there is trust, the teacher can provide a degree of push or challenge without having the student experience an amydgala hijack and either withdraw or become defensive.
However … Neuroscience reminds us that trust and fear are inversely related. When the brain perceives a potential threat, based on past experience or perceived failure (without a relationship), the amygdala goes into action and hijacks the brain's other systems, throwing the body into defensive fight, flight, or freeze mode. Fear activates the amygdala and the release of cortisol. Cortisol can stop all learning for about 20 minutes and can stay in the body for up to 3 hours. Trust can deactivate the amygdala and block the release of cortisol. Building relationships supports connectivity and increases trust. Some students come to school to learn, others to be loved. Love first, and then we can teach. The following are concrete and practical strategies to build positive relationships with students:
Catch students doing it right more than you catch the wrong. Track the number of times that you provide a struggling student with authentic, specific, positive praise. Study after study confirms that positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment. Aim for a 3:1 ratio—three positive reinforces for every redirection or fix-up you provide a student. For many students, punishment creates resentment rather than reflection, so reverse the paradigm and provide attention for those college- and career-like behaviors we are excited to see. Try a tally sheet on a clipboard or an app like “Thing Counter,” a free tool to count clicks for the times you provide positive reinforcement (like a tally counter).
Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR). Celebrate and get to know each student as a “human,” and acknowledge them beyond academics. Ask a student their favorite color, hobby, team, food, etc., and capitalize on that interest in the classroom. Try Dr. Ross Greene (2016) “10 × 2” strategy: for 10 days, 2 minutes at a time, seek out the student and get to know them personally beyond school. Ask questions about their interest and likes.
Watch Your Language. The language we use creates the reality we experience. If we say things like I teach a “difficult child, an autistic child, or badly behaved child,” consider rephrasing “a child with difficulties, a child with autism, a child who is misbehaving.” Our language can build up a relationship or tear it down. Though bad behaviors may be learned, good behaviors can be taught. Move beyond labels and search for the child beneath. What are the child's behaviors telling us about their unmet needs for safety and connection? Change your language.
Connect before Content. Like dance, stories connect us. Stories make us human and are a cultural mainstay in many countries, especially Africa and Asia. Further, brain imaging scans show that the brain of the listener can sync with the storyteller's actions when listening to a story. Tell a story about yourself as a student, your challenges, and the strategies you used to overcome obstacles. Students will see you as a human and a relatable role model for overcoming obstacles.
High Support-High Challenge. If you see stress-reactive behaviors, check to see if students are outside of their proximal zone of development, and either lower complexity, offer more scaffolding, or provide more structure.
Create Weekly Thank-You Stickers. Write a note of appreciation on a sticky note and sneakily drop it off at a student's desk as you walk by.
Play “Compliment Hot Seat.” Invite one student up to sit in the “hot seat,” and invite the whole class to write on stickies and post on the board all of the wonderful attributes of this student. The student will always spin around, read their classmates' posts, and smile superwide (or they may smile with their eyes).
Google and watch Ryan Speedo Green's story and reflect on his school and life trajectory. Discuss the impact of a strong teacher relationship and implications in your school with your students.
