Culturally Inclusive Classroom Assessment

Differentiation of instruction is the process of teaching in a way to meet the needs of students with differing abilities in the same class, including those with special learning needs. One way to do this is by providing several different avenues by which all students can learn the same material. In differentiating instruction, teachers plan out and implement a variety of approaches to content, process, product, and environment. Differentiated instruction is used to meet the needs of student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs. Many people in the education field believe differentiation has the potential to transform teaching and learning in a way that raises expectations for all students.

After reviewing my self evaluation and working with both groups of fifth graders, I have determined a need to provide a wider range of differentiated instruction. I have worked in the past to try groupings that benefited the students, but I am seeing that this is not working as well with this group. These students communicate and respond well to each other and are willing to help each other but some of the learning gaps between them are significant.

Differentiation can be guided by a teaching assistant. The teacher will plan guided reading sessions

Differentiation is the tool used by educators who recognize that all students come to them with different readiness levels and learning styles. It allows us to meet the needs of each individual student while meeting the standards developed by state and national education associations. Additionally, there are many different types of differentiation that can be used in a classroom: teachers can create learning centers, use differentiated assessments, and develop anchor activities, etc. Currently, I utilize differentiated assessments, but my goal for the upcoming school year is to utilize more learning centers and to incorporate anchor activities into my daily classroom routine.

I was in the Navy a long time ago, but I still remember that every time a new captain came on board a new set of cultures came with it. I have been in a school district for the past sixteen years, and the same is true, having around 10 principals each new person having ideas to make everyone feel welcome in our culture.We all want to feel as your state of belonging.

I’ve always I thought I was a pretty good teacher. I’ve been selected as a STAR teacher and Teacher of the Year. But after reading Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, I had to seriously self-reflect, and I came to the realization that if I had read and implemented the suggestions in the book perhaps I would have touched student’s lives on a deeper level, a long-term neurological life-changing level. My heart and intent were pure, but did I reach as many students as I could have? I have always been focused on getting my students to be interested in their studies and to give it their all. I’ve been told many times by them, “You do too much.” I took that as a compliment because I have always tried to motivate them to want to excel, not just in school, but in life. After reading Hammond’s book, I see that I must overhaul my thinking and my methods. By following the techniques suggested in Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain I can grow in my individual approach to each student and grow more confident that they can each reach and achieve their best.

Ladson-Billings (1994) describes the culturally responsive classroom as “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” I’m in total agreement with their definition because I’ve personally witnessed the power of embedding relatable aspects of students’ daily lives into the curriculum. Four years ago, I moved from Memphis, TN to the Bronx, New York for the sole purpose of diversifying my teaching career and expanding my repertoire as an educator. I had very knowledge about the community of students I served. As a matter of fact, I had never seen a Dominican, Haitian, or Puerto Rican in my whole life. I had a complete culture

of certain cultures that are represented and if that affects their way of learning, will allow for

To build a culturally responsive pedagogy in response to the advancing technological era, educators can promote individuals through curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Likewise, it can close the gap for low income families and students of color (Beerer, n.d.). Additionally, as students utilize digital resources, they are being prepared for success in life.

Educators in today’s school systems are encouraged to incorporate various aspects of cultural diversity into daily classroom routines and lesson content in order to develop students respect for various cultures within their community. The article reviewed, Promoting Respect for Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, written by Matthew Lynch, discusses the need for educators to encourage as well as promote respect for various cultures within the classroom that students may encounter or associate with. Additionally, educators must educate students on the importance of their own culture or heritage, as well as on the importance of cultures their peers or individuals have within the community.

The artifact that demonstrates the type of reading program I want in my future classroom is the book “Don’t Laugh At Me” by Steve Seskin, Allen Shamblin and Glin Dibley, and the song that goes with it. This book is a great resource to create an inclusive learning environment in the classroom which is essential for any program to be successful. Our classrooms are very diversified, with students belonging to different cultures, traditions, beliefs and backgrounds, as well as having different abilities, learning styles and needs. This book emphasizes on the fact that we all are different and have different strengths and weaknesses. When developing a reading program in the class, teachers should understand that students have varying needs, and hence they should adapt the instruction to meet those specific needs.

Pam: What is Culturally Responsive Teaching? Culturally responsive teaching is an educational theory that emphasizes the critical role that culture plays in the learning process. Below introduces this important and innovative pedagogical theory that is changing classroom curriculums and teaching styles.

This essay will examine two assessment strategies, firstly that of observation and secondly, The Common Assessment Framework (2007), in order to critically analyse their potential to promote inclusive practice in assessment. It will demonstrate the purpose and objective behind these assessment strategies and the use of assessment for a range of purposes drawing on current issues in practice and discussing measures used by practitioners. It will also demonstrate the importance of collaboration between professionals, learners and parents to ensure respectful and shared assessment practice showing an awareness of the importance of considering validity of content and technique to support the children’s learning and progress and the need for

When differentiating instruction, there is a five-step process that should be followed. The first step is to determine the need for differentiation (Smith et al., 2012, p. 112). The teacher needs to examine the class and see exactly who would benefit from differentiated instruction, based on the problems of the individual student. Teachers can also look at a student’s IEP or 504 plan to see who can best benefit from these accommodations. Once this has been identified, the teacher needs to think about what the student needs to be successful (Smith et al., 2012, p. 112). This change could be something related to the content, process, product, learning environment, or any combination of these.

Reflecting on the past two terms in school, I would constantly find myself preparing and delivering a lesson which I felt were missing something. I was constantly asking my mentor teachers how I could have better differentiated lessons, especially at senior level. I believe on completing this assignment I have discovered three extremely beneficial frameworks which will improve my lessons and I believe develop a flexible curriculum which allows differentiation for all students to develop their learning capacity and engage them throughout the lesson.