Engaging Muslim Students In Public Schools - CEU Information

Engaging Muslim Students in Public Schools (EMSIPS) has been taken by over 2,500 educators in the United States. It has been previously conducted in person at the University of Washington, Ohio State University, and Hamline University and been endorsed by the school of education at Hamline University and adopted as part of their English Language Learners (ELM) in the Mainstream Project, a multi-district partnership program designed to build competency on in-service educators in servicing immigrant, refugee, and English Language Learner students. Hundreds of schools representing over 150 districts and organizations in the United States have approved EMSIPS for continuing education credit for their staff. Upon completion of the online program a certificate of completion is issued. 

Summary:
This course increases teachers' background knowledge and cultural competency of Muslim students. Further, it provides teachers with narratives and perspectives that are currently absent in the educational curricula and practice of teachers; but can be utilized to engage Muslim students in academics, honor their heritage and identity, and push them as students towards academic achievement and performance of exemplary indicators of Standards of Effective Instructional Practice. This includes providing concrete curricula material that has been specifically designed and researched to connect with and draw upon the background knowledge of Muslim students in Minnesota.

Training Outline:


       
  • Part 5 - Learning and Academic Structures in Mosques, areas of incongruence and strategies to utilize for ESL and struggling learners
 
  • Part 6 - Creating Mirrors for Muslim Students | A categorical understanding of texts that feature Muslims ​
​Engaging Muslim Students in Public Schools (EMSIPS) CEU Information

Total Length: 8-24 Hours
Learning Objectives: 
  1. Educators will become better equipped to nurture positive relationships with Muslim students and honor their cultural identity in the classroom.
  2. Educators will understand the importance of emotional control and cues of body language and facial expression as a starting point for building relationships. 
  3. Educators will acquire pedagogical tools, literary resources, and historical and cultural narratives that can be utilized in the classroom to increase academic engagement of Muslim students with culturally relevant pedagogy
  4. Teachers will bridge background knowledge gaps between themselves and students and be prepared to undertake further study of Islam and Muslim cultural background.
  5. Educators will explore the intersections of race, identity, and religion as it pertains to personal identity of Muslim students and consider the latent implications of that intersection in 21st century classrooms.   
  6. Educators will design a specific lesson or unit plan with the goal of practicing culturally relevant pedagogy with Muslim students and bringing absent narratives into the classroom and curriculum.
Assessment
The online learning format measures intake via state-of-the-art tracking of video watching as well as ongoing quizzes to measure intake of information. The course, which consists of six different modules and 39 different videos, cannot be progressed through without having the video watching tracked or scoring with 85% proficiency on the assessments. For in-person trainings, attendance is taken and written reflections are done in lieu of these measurements.   In both online and in-person learning formats, educators submit a plan of implementation of newfound strategies in learning following research-based action research guidelines.  

Course Evaluation and Feedback
Abraham education will send follow-up Likert scale surveys to participants , request participants submit results of action research,  and conduct phone surveys of participants. 

Professional Development Indicators 
  • Educators make connections between training content and student learning needs
Educators participating in this workshop learn about the cultural background and knowledge of Muslim students in order to empower educators to develop activities that give students opportunities to explain language and cultural context to their classroom peers.  These opportunities are essential for meeting the learning needs of students and cannot be done without proper background knowledge of educators Danielson (2013).  Educators will also explore and draw upon the teaching strategies and academic structures in mosques to engage Muslim students and accommodate their learning styles. Lastly, educators will explore texts in which Muslims are portrayed positively allowing for Muslim students to bring their Muslim identity into the classroom, creating a positive entry point for it in their discourse with peers and adults alike, as well as draw upon predictable background knowledge that Muslim students possess. These texts will also be complemented by corresponding cross-cultural lesson plans that connect to reading standards. 

  • Educators analyze the needs of diverse learners
Educators will analyze research studies that examine the experiences of Muslim students in America and other Western countries and learn about the religious/cultural practices of Muslims and how that can be used an asset in the classroom.

  • Educators apply the training to real present/future world experiences
​Educators will bridge background knowledge gaps between themselves and students and be prepared to undertake further study of Islam and Muslim cultural backgrounds. This will enable teachers to gain a more thorough understanding of one of the most misunderstood religions that has 1/5th of the world as followers. 

  • Educator-focused activities are utilized 
​Educators will design a specific lesson or unit plan with the goal of practicing culturally relevant pedagogy with Muslim students and bringing absent narratives into the classroom and curriculum. Educators will also be encourage to opt into an action research (AR) project after completing the the training will be assisted, coached, and supervised by Abraham Education. Mills (2007) defines action research as any systematic inquiry conducted by teacher researchers, principals, school counselors, or other stakeholders in the teaching/learning environment to gather information about how particular schools operate, how they teach, and how well students learn.  The culmination of participants’ AR  projects will be an AR paper that includes a 5-section write up. These five parts will be supervised over the course of one semester, which will include at least two data and analysis cycles. The AR paper will be done in APA format and will be a significant contribution to the still developing field of research on engaging Muslim students in Western public educational settings. Participants' action research papers' will be evaluated against a comprehensive rubric.

  • Educators reflect and collaborate with peers
Educators are required to fill out an electronic intake form in which they reflect on why they have chosen to attend this training. In the in-person version, educators are encouraged to discuss takeaways with other attendees every 50 minutes for approximately 10 minutes. In the digital version, educators are asked to reflect on the video lessons and complete quizzes between videos. 

  • Educator Professional Growth is connected to student learning
By learning about Muslim students' backgrounds, educators will be better equipped to nurture positive relationships with students and honor their identity in the classroom which is essential for student learning. Additionally, educators will provided with culturally relevant pedagogical tools that will improve engagement from Muslim students. Lastly, educators will develop an actual unit or lesson plan within the training that centers positive narratives Muslim students can relate to and engage with. ​

  • Educators are followed up with after the training is completed
Abraham education will send follow-up Likert scale surveys to participants , request participants submit results of action research,  and conduct phone surveys of participants. Participants are also invited to participate in livestreams and asked to submit follow up questions months after the training. 

​Teacher Standards
  • Instructional Planning and Delivery
Educators will learn about the religious backgrounds of Muslim students and become better equipped to nurture positive relationships with Muslim students, build on their prior knowledge, connect their real world experiences to new contexts, and honor their cultural identity in the classroom. Educators will acquire pedagogical tools, literary resources, and historical and cultural narratives that can be utilized in the classroom to increase academic engagement of Muslim students with culturally relevant pedagogy that enhances the learning environment. Educators will explore the intersections of race, identity, and religion as it pertains to personal identity of Muslim students and consider the latent implications of that intersection in 21st
century classrooms.

  • Knowledge of Students and Student Learning
Educators will build off of the religious/cultural knowledge of Muslim students and the academic styles of learning, particularly reading scaffolding, that students are accustomed to in Mosque environments. This takes into accounts students backgrounds and will allow educators to meet students' individual needs and see student backgrounds as educational assets that can be utilized to engage students. 

  • Content Knowledge and Expertise 
Educators will acquire pedagogical tools, literary resources, and historical and cultural narratives that can be utilized in the classroom to increase academic engagement of Muslim students with culturally relevant pedagogy. Educators will design specific lessons or unit plans with goal of practicing culturally relevant pedagogy with Muslim students and bringing absent narratives into the classroom and curriculum.

  • Learning Environment
Educators will learn about the religious backgrounds of Muslim students and become better equipped to nurture positive relationships with Muslim students and honor their cultural identity in the classroom. This will create an emotionally safe and supportive learning environment. Educators will utilize literary works that feature relatable Muslim characters and encourage student engagement.

  • Professional Practices and Responsibilities
Educators will have multiple opportunities to reflect on their own teaching and create a lesson plan or unit that utilizes the strategies discussed in the training. Additionally educators will be able to understand unique religious and cultural
differences among Muslim differences and professionally bridge resulting communication gaps. Educators are also offered the opportunity to do a follow up Action Research Follow-Up Project in which they will identify an area of focus related to engaging Muslim students in public schools, establish a research question, create an action plan, collect and analyze data and complete a reflection. This project will allow participants to serve as leaders in researching this topic on their campuses and will encourage collaboration among peers.

Principal Standards
  • Instructional Leadership
High quality instruction is culturally relevant and engages students. Principals will be able to encourage instruction that is relevant to the lives of Muslim students and meets their educational needs.
  • Human Capital
Principals will be able to identify strengths and weaknesses and give feedback to staff on their efficacy in engaging Muslim students.
  • Executive Leadership
By having a solid understanding of Muslim beliefs and practices, Principals will be better able to to develop strong relationships with Muslim students, staff, and families.
  • School Culture
Principals will learn what specific accommodations Muslim students need and thereby develop positive, culturally sensitive, and meaningful relationships with Muslim students and family and support the social and emotional wellness of students.
  • ​Strategic Operations
Principals will be able to identify resources for staff, such as this training, that will allow staff to meet the needs of Muslim students, and advocate for policies that address the needs of Muslim students.

                                                                                                 References
Danielson, C. (2013) Rubrics from the Frameworks for Teaching Evaluation Instrument. The Danielson Group. Retrievable from:
              https://www.danielsongroup.org/framework/ 

Mills, G. (2007). Action research : A guide for the teacher researcher / Geoffrey E. Mills. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.:
              Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.