Souza 1

Natalie Souza

Dr. HH

Senior English Seminar

December 8, 2017

Incorporating Empowerment Supports in a Secondary English Classroom

Now no one is going to make you talkpossibly no one can. But bear in mind,
language is mans way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone
which separates him from the lower animals. That was a totally new idea to me, and I
would need time to think about it.

Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. Thats good, but not
good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human
voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

The above quotation describes a pivotal moment in a young Maya Angelous

life, where Mrs. Flowers, fulfilling the role of teacher, explains the power of words,

thus empowering Angelou to break her period of silence and find empowerment

through both writing and literature. Teachers should serve as more than a vehicle

for transferring knowledge to students; they also should serve as an active advisor

for students, teaching them life skills that will propel them towards success. One of

the most essential skills teachers should strive to incorporate into their classroom

and school environment is an understanding of personal empowerment. Secondary

English teachers can incorporate empowerment supports in their classrooms

through autonomous writing assignments, readings that offer global perspective,

changes in specific teaching methods, as well as changes in the classroom

environment.
 Souza 2

What Is Empowerment?

The most common definition of an empowering classroom is one that is

student-centered and/or student driven. Rather than having excessive control

within the classroom, teachers take a position of minimal power and empower

students to take control of their own learning (Nichols 231). Based on this notion,

empowerment and motivation go hand in hand. In order to create a motivating

environment, teachers must first encourage empowerment. To do this, teachers

should create positive relationships with students and give consistent feedback in

order to foster positive self-worth and efficacy, a belief in ones own abilities,

amongst students (Nichols 155). These skills can then be transferred to the

students personal and professional lives, helping them become more successful in

their future endeavors. Studies conducted by renowned education theorists and

philosophers such as Bandura, Pajares, and Pintrich and Schunk have found that

student self-efficacy can have positive impacts on student motivation, future goals

and achievement (Nichols 230). Being confident in ones ability may motivate a

person to go for opportunities outside of their comfort zone, to set long term goals

and lead them to be active in their learning and in creating positive relationships.

Despite the positive effects empowerment creates, it has been found that

compared to elementary teachers, secondary teachers provide students with a less

empowering environment (Nichols 237). While it must be noted that secondary

teachers are responsible for more students each day with rotating schedules and

also must concentrate on more subject-matter, this discrepancy raises the question
 Souza 3

of how secondary teachers can incorporate empowerment supports to their

students without compromising their content learning.

Creating a Classroom Environment that Fosters Empowerment

The classroom environment a teacher establishes plays a vital role in

fostering both learning and emotional development amongst students. According to

a study conducted by education professors at University of West Virginia and

Florida Atlantic University, teachers should strive to create a classroom

environment that welcomes and supports all students, and encourages cooperation

and acceptance (Bucholz 1). To accomplish this, teachers should first focus on the

physical classroom design. The physical environment of a classroom helps

determine the ownership students feel towards both their class and their school.

This sense of ownership will thus factor into how the students perform in class. The

atmosphere of a classroom should be one that is inviting, accessible to all children,

comfortable and well defined for its purpose. One way to create a warm and inviting

environment is through color choice. Studies have found that colors such as red and

orange can make students feel nervous or unsettled. Instead, teachers should try to

incorporate colors such as blue and green that help students feel calm (Bucholz 2).

By creating a classroom environment that calms students rather than making them

anxious, students will be set up to perform at their best ability.

Another aspect of classroom environment teachers should take into account

is the organization of the classroom. The classroom should be organized in a way

that encourages student cooperation and engagement, while also ensuring that

learning is accessible for all students. In order to ensure all students are able to
 Souza 4

learn to their best abilities, teachers should implement Universal Design for

Learning (UDL). UDL is the practice of making products and environments usable

for all people without the need for modifications. One way teachers can implement

UDL is making sure there is enough space for students to move throughout the

classroom. Furthermore, activities, materials and equipment should be physically

accessible and usable by all students (Bucholz 3). Another important factor of class

organization teachers should take into account is desk organization. While

arranging desks in orderly rows makes moving through the classroom easier, it does

not create a warm environment. In order to encourage cooperative learning and

class community, teachers should consider grouping desks at least for certain class

activities. Desk arrangements may be in a cluster or as a semicircle (Bucholz 3).

These groupings not only allow students to work with their peers, but also keep

students actively engaged within a well-organized classroom environment.

Empowerment Teaching Methods

Going hand in hand with a warm classroom environment, teachers should try

to incorporate different methods of teaching that encourages student

empowerment.

Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction

One model teachers might try implementing in their classroom is the Self

Determined Learning Model of Instruction. The aim of this model is to help

students set educational and learning goals for themselves, develop plans to reach

those goals, and monitor their progress toward those same goals (Bucholz 7).

Composed of three phases, The Self-Determined Model of Instruction has been

 Souza 5

found to be successful in teaching students with and without disabilities from an age

as low as five all the way through adolescence. In each of the phases students are

presented with a problem to solve. To solve these problems, students are given

specific questions to answer.

The first phase of the model asks students to identify a goal. To do this,

students create a list of things they want to learn, identify the information they

already know about the topic, identify what steps they need to take to learn the

information they do not know yet, as well as identify the criteria to help them learn

the new information. The second phase then asks students to create a plan in order

to accomplish the goal they have identified. During this phase students identify the

difficulties that might face trying to reach this goal as well as ways they can

overcome these difficulties. Finally, the third phase asks students to self-evaluate

their progress on meeting their goals and to make any necessary adjustments to

their plan in order to be successful. During this phase students reflect on the actions

they took, the difficulties they successful overcame, and the information they

learned. Based off of these reflections, the students are able to evaluate if they

learned what they had originally set out to learn when they first created their goal

(Bucholz 7). This method teaches students to stop relying on teachers to feed them

information and encourages them to take learning into their own hands, thus setting

students up to take initiative with their work in both an educational setting and a

work setting in the future.

While most Tennessee educators firmly support the practices surrounding

the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction, a recent study conducted by

 Souza 6

Vanderbilt University and funded by the Tennessee Department of Education has

found discrepancies between what skills educators find valuable and what skills are

actually being taught to students. Tennessee administrators across the state were

given two surveys, one that assessed the skills administrators found important to

teach to students without disabilities and how often these skills were taught to

these students and another survey that assess the skills administrators found

important to teach students with disabilities and how often these skills were taught

to these students. In regard to the skills of self-management and self-regulation,

while 71% of administrators said these skills were of high importance for all

students, and 75% said these skills were of high importance for students with

disabilities, only 31% reported that these skills were taught often in the classroom

setting to all students and 44% reported that these skills were taught often to

students with disabilities (Cabeza 8). Similarly, while 71% of administrators said

that goal setting and attainment skills were of high importance for all students and

64% said they were of high importance for students with disabilities, only 32%

reported that these skills were taught often in the classroom setting for all students

and only 33% reported that these skills were taught often to students with

disabilities (Cabeza 6).

While educators are not taking the time to teach the skills associated with the

Self Determined Learning Model of Instruction, they still consider these skills to be

of high importance to all students both with and without disabilities. This seems to

suggest a desire to empower students, but a lack of resources or understanding of

how to accomplish this goal. Thus, educators and administrators a like would
 Souza 7

benefit greatly from implementing methods such as the Self Determined Learning

Model of Instruction among other empowerment supports into their school systems

and classrooms.

Encouraging Empowerment Through Writing

Once teachers become comfortable with different empowerment-based

teaching methods, they can begin to develop lessons that further foster

empowerment, specifically those based through writing. One writing method that

can be especially helpful in accomplishing this task is portfolio writing. In his article

"Using Portfolios to Empower Student Writers," Winfield Cooper, a teacher in

California, claims that, In an English language-arts classroom, the very act of

compiling a portfolio can be a powerful process for many reasons, not least of which

is that it helps students see themselves as writers, particularly when it involves

many opportunities for self-evaluation and reflection (40). This very act of

reflection thus provides the opportunity for students to take ownership of their own

writing and their writing process.

Throughout the article, Cooper outlines how he structures student portfolios

and how each component contributes to the development of student empowerment.

The portfolios begin with an introduction where the students directly speak to their

audience. The introduction includes portions where the students introduce

themselves, describe their writing process and summarize the contents of the

portfolio. The introductions are particularly important because they give insights

into how the students view themselves as writers (Cooper 40). Next students are

asked to include at least one example of timed first-draft writing. By including

 Souza 8

examples of first drafts, the students are able to gain a better understanding of the

entire writing process and how each portion of the writing process is necessary in

creating a satisfying finished product (Cooper 42). The students are then required to

select one piece of writing as their favorite. This requirement is given for a number

of reasons, the first being that it provides students with additional personal choice,

which helps foster their authority as a writer. Furthermore, by having students

choose which piece of work is their best writing, it encourages the students to

evaluate their own work by giving rationale as to what aspects of this piece makes it

a successful piece of writing (Cooper 43).

Cooper further argues that using portfolios at the end of a school year or

semester is a powerful tool for learning as it allows students to look back on all the

work they have done and celebrate their accomplishments. Additionally, the

portfolio acts as a summative evaluation teachers can use to track how much

students have learned and accomplished. Cooper also suggests sending student

portfolios home in order to strengthen the link between teacher, student and parent

(45). This reinforces the idea that the classroom is a welcoming environment, one

that includes peers and family alike. This inclusive mindset coupled with student

power of choice makes the portfolio a great writing assignment to incorporate into a

secondary English classroom in order to fulfill the mission of fostering

empowerment amongst students.

Discovering Empowerment Through Literature

One of the most effective tools secondary English teachers can use to

promote empowerment is literature itself. Through literature, teachers can guide

 Souza 9

student learning from a local perspective towards a global perspective. This shift not

only increases student awareness of the world around them, but also allows

students to realize the power of literature in the way it gives a voice to the many

social issues that plague our world. Teaching secondary English course materials

from a global perspective can be achieved through a variety and/or combination of

approaches.

Humanist Approach

Ohio high school teacher Delane Bender-Slack has found great success

teaching British Literature using a humanist approach. In her article Using

Literature to Teach a Global Education: A Humanist Approach, Bender-Slack

explains that in order to motivate her seniors who are simply trying to coast

through school until graduation, she must first teach them about literature, or

rather, show what it can do for their lives and what it can do for their world (70).

Bender-Slack believes that students who develop a global perspective are not only

better prepared for the real world, but also will be able to promote cross-cultural

understanding that will hopefully lead them to later fight for social justice.

In order to instill this perspective in her students, Bender-Slack decided to

teach her sixteenth century through twentieth century British Literature class from

a humanist approach. Her reasoning for this particular approach was that it first

allowed teenagers, who often feel alienated during this stage of their lives, to feel

connected to the collective humanity, secondly because teenagers in particular care

about injustice and teaching from a global perspective would broaden student

awareness of the human rights violations occurring throughout the world, and
 Souza 10

finally, because this approach makes the content of the course more assessable to

students who may struggle to relate to content or struggle with the language

(Bender-Slack 71). Bender-Slack incorporated poems of protest and interior

monologues in her teaching to help students empathize and recognize the power of

voice, and also made an effort to incorporate more female authors and protagonists

into the course.

Her first major assignment for students was researching a global human

rights violation that was happening today. Students then reported their findings to

the class. Bender-Slack noted that the information students discovered made them

shocked, outraged, and, yes, interested (72). With student interest sparked,

students were then asked what they had learned about their own cultures values,

beliefs, and assumptions, as a way to show students the impact globalization has on

their own lives. This connection further reinforced the relevance of the study,

maintaining student interest.

The final project of the trimester encouraged the students to connect all they

had learned throughout the course in a way that promoted social change. In her

assignment entitled Action Pack: Writing Wrongs, students were able to choose a

human rights issue they felt most passionate about. The requirements of this

assignment allowed students to not only connect global issues to the literature they

read in class, but also encouraged students to take on the role of activist and find

their own voice.

While the assignment itself has nine components, there are a few key aspects

that I would like to highlight for secondary English teacher to consider

 Souza 11

incorporating into their own classes. The Action Pack begins with the students

choice of a poem from British Literature followed by an explanation as to why they

chose the piece and how it supports or connects to their topic. This requires

students to connect their project to literature and see how literature can be a vital

tool for activism. Another important aspect of this project is an interior monologue

as a victim of the violation. This assignment requires students to feel empathy and

gain a greater understanding of the thoughts and feelings of people outside their

immediate realm of life. Furthermore, students are asked to write a letter for change

based on research they have conducted about activist groups. Students are even

required to show e-mail proof that they have taken the steps to get involved in this

groups mission. This portion of the project allows students to find their own voice

and realize that through the skills (i.e. reading and writing) they have acquired in

the English classroom, they can make a difference in this world (Bender-Slack 73).

In this way, students are provided the necessary skills to fight for causes they

believe in beyond the school environment. This not only fosters empowerment, but

also prepares students to become well-informed citizens.

International Literature

Another method secondary English teachers can use to teach global

awareness is incorporating international texts into the unit plans. In Deborah Eville

Los article Borrowed Voices: Using Literature to Teach Global Perspectives to

Middle School Students, she argues that international literature is the most

effective way to integrate global perspectives into a middle school curriculum. She

defines international literature as literature that was originally written in a

 Souza 12

language other than English and then later translated, literature written in English,

but in a country other than America, and/or literature written for members of a

different culture from that same culture (Lo 84). Lo argues that international

literature is effective for teaching global awareness because it makes learning an

overall richer experience. Textbooks are often limited to content based on dates and

facts; however, literature can provide students with insights into how people feel,

how events affect their lives, and how their individual attitudes may affect events

both personal and historical (Lo 85). In this way, students are given an insiders

perspective on the events they are learning about while also being exposed to

viewpoints of people from a different time period or from a different culture. This

can also make learning more accessible for students who may struggle learning

from a textbook.

My Personal Classroom Plan

When creating my own classroom, I plan to use a variety of these

empowerment supports to create an inclusive and welcoming classroom

environment. When designing the physical atmosphere, I will incorporate a blue and

green color scheme in order to help foster calmness amongst students. This would

include the posters and quotes I hang around the classroom and the bulletin boards

where I will display student interests, work and aspirations. As a way to make the

classroom less rigid, I would try to incorporate fabrics as well to combat the typical

grey or cream cinder block walls. This would include makeshift curtains and some

fabric tapestry-like posters that help make the students feel more comfortable and

at ease in the classroom.

 Souza 13

I also would want to incorporate portfolios into my classes as a way for

students to find empowerment through their own writing. Depending on the class

and the content I need to teach, these portfolios may be paired with the humanist

approach or problem-based learning, which is another student-centered approach

that requires students to work in groups solving real life problems, incorporating

their learning from all subject areas. While problem-based learning may be more

difficult to achieve due to the support needed by all subject areas, both the humanist

approach and problem-based learning allow students to think more deeply about

problems. Furthermore, both approaches allow for a variety of writing formats and

assignments, which makes them pair perfectly with the creation of a writing

portfolio.

When considering what books I want to teach my students, there are many

factors I need to consider, including the students level of development, the students

background and what other content they are being taught in other classes. Pairing

up with other content areas allows for a richer learning experience and choosing

books that incorporate themes of empowerment or offer different cultural point of

views, only further helps students understand the importance of taking ownership

of their own learning and lives. Another way to incorporate empowerment through

reading is giving students the choice of what they want to read. This could be as

simple as giving students a list of preselected novels, all of which incorporate

empowerment in some way, and giving students the choice of what specific book

they would want to read. This list could include books such as Speak, I Know Why

the Caged Bird Sings, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Secret Life of Bees, The Giver, The
 Souza 14

Glass Castle, The Kite Runner, Night, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Help, The

Blindside, and Hidden Figures to name a few. These books should offer a variety of

genres, and types of main characters, allowing students to find a book that interests

them. After reading their book of choice, I would ask students to demonstrate their

understanding of the novel by creating some kind of project that connects the book

to content we have learned in previous lessons and to the theme of empowerment

as well. To further reinforce student-centered learning, students could choose to

present their final project in a variety of ways. They may choose a more traditional

route of writing a paper or creating a PowerPoint, or they can choose a less

traditional route by creating a poem, a piece of art work, a movie etc. With these less

traditional choices students would have to provide justifications for their creative

choices in order to ensure they have a firm grasp of the material. However, this

could simply be a page write up they turn in with their creative piece.

Trying to incorporate student empowerment may seem like a daunting task,

however, there are a wide variety of methods and assignments teachers can use and

adapt to make the process easier. Secondary English teachers have the ability to

empower students with simple changes to their classroom environment and

procedures. Though some of these changes seem small, they can leave a large

imprint on student lives, giving them the empowerment they need to succeed both

academically and personally.

 Souza 15

Works Cited

Bender-Slack, Delane. Using Literature to Teach Global Education: A Humanist

Approach. The English Journal, vol. 91, no. 5, 2002, pp. 7075. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/821401.

Bucholz, Jessica L. and Sheffler, Julie. L. Creating a Warm and Inclusive Classroom
Environment: Planning for All Children to Feel Welcome. Electronic Journal
for Inclusive Education, vol. 2, no. 4, 2009, pp. 1-13. CORE Scholar,
http://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&c
ontext=ejie

Cabeza, Benjamin, et al. Promoting Self-Determination Among Students With

Disabilities: A Guide for Tennessee Educators. Apr. 2013, pp. 114.
https://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/assets/files/resources/psiSelfdetermination.
pdf.

Cooper, Winfield and B. J. Brown. "Using Portfolios to Empower Student Writers."

English Journal, vol. 81, Feb. 1992, pp. 40-45. EBSCOhost, doi:
10.2307/819971.

Lo, Deborah Eville. "Borrowed Voices." Clearing House, vol. 75, no. 2, Nov/Dec2001,
p. 84. EBSCOhost,
bunchproxy.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx
?direct=true&db=aph&AN=6514599&site=ehost-live.

Nichols, Joe D., and Zhang, Guanglan. Classroom Environments and Student
Empowerment: An Analysis of Elementary and Secondary Teacher
Beliefs. Learning Environments Research, vol. 14, no. 3, 2011, pp. 229239.
doi: 10.1007/s10984-011-9091-1