Differentiated Instructions

All students deserve a rewarding learning experience regardless of race, gender, economic status, or physical disability, for this reason Walnut Ridge Elementary school implements researched based practices such as differentiated instruction to help meet the individual needs of our students. Teachers are being made aware of the fact that diversity can have a detrimental impact on learning. Through the implementation of differentiation, we are able to expand the learning experiences for all diverse populations, thereby expanding educational opportunities for our students.

“Start Where You Are But Don’t Stay There” by Richard Milner is a book about dealing with diversity in the classroom in today’s day and age. It holds a focus on allowing all students to be successful academically and throughout their lives. Milner talks about several different case studies in which teachers must help students who are struggling. It goes through scenarios with Mr. Hall, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Jackson, and Ms. Shaw, who are all struggling with diversity in different ways. This book holds an importance in expressing ideas and concerns of equality in schools, and I believe it would be beneficial for all aspiring educators to read it.

Diversity is a beautiful thing; from religion to physical looks, the differences among people is astounding. The world would be such a monotonous place if everyone were the same. However, many tend to note that diversity in a classroom can sometimes be an issue- especially among the students. From my own experiences within a diverse class, I realize that the contrast between students is a blessing and a curse

Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).

Teaching in racially diverse classrooms often leaves educators feeling uncertain about how to proceed and how to respond to historically marginalized students. There is pressure to acknowledge and accept students of color with different perspectives, to diversify the syllabi, be more aware of classroom dynamics, and pay attention to how students of color experience the learning process.

The students that I observe are all diverse in many ways, which play into their educational development. To begin, there are certain classes that are predominately white, and some that are predominately black. I have noticed that there is never an in-between, and that there is a few Hispanic students thrown into

Diversity encompasses numerous characteristics including socio-economic background, ethnicity, special needs, gender, and giftedness (Cazden, 2001). Today, classrooms are getting more varied and diverse with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and students with a disability. It appears that teachers must meet the needs of all students successfully and individually to effectively teach a classroom of diverse students. This paper will first identify three challenges involved with ensuring that teaching strategies are

Glickman, Gordon, & Ross-Gordon (2014) noted that “educators need to take a two-tiered approach to the issue of inequitable treatment of diverse groups” (p. 369). This includes educators understanding their personal cultural identity and welcoming different cultures as well. They may need to thoroughly analyze the ways they hypothesize learning and performance so they can renew their sense of thinking within the diverse settings to ensure all students are not disadvantaged by certain assumptions and thoughts. The authors went on to pinpoint that “supervisors and teachers need to become directly involved in efforts to change public policy that works against lower-socioeconomic and racial/ethnic minority children” (p.

Who are these diverse learners? They are the normal everyday students that are met in any high school. We have a tendency to teach assuming that most of our students are like us, however this is often not the case. As Hutchison (2002) discusses, Canadian school systems have long been challenged to teach in an inclusive manner and are looking for ways to help all of its students.

No matter the grade level, discussing and acknowledging diversity can be one of the most beneficial experiences a student has within the classroom. Not only does it force them to address who they are as individuals, but it also brings forth curiosity for education based topics such as history and literature. However, when speaking with a classroom (especially a classroom of young students), diverse subject matter requires a careful and thoughtful approach. Examples of this approach, as well as proper facilitation, are both outlined by Barbra C. Cruz in her article, The Problem We Still Live With (2015).

High school is a crucial period for all adolescences, it’s a time where teenagers are approaching young adulthood, their learning new skills rapidly, and making important decisions (Blakemore, 2011). For this reason, it is highly imperative for high school students to have positive influences in their lives, especially in their educational setting. In high school, educators play an important role in their student’s lives because they have the opportunity to have a stronger impact on their future and their goals. In addition, they also have the opportunity to, inspire them to learn and try new things, teach them how to make sound decisions, and encourage them to collaborate with their peers (Bellanca & Brandt, 2010).

Like it or not, there has always been diversity among students in the classroom. It is the fact that each and every student is unique. From every circumstance, students bring a varying set of values, perspectives, and beliefs to the learning environment. Understanding the character of students is important in order to become a competent teacher. In fact, teachers should be aware and recognize students, as unique individuals, all acquire information differently than others. Some of these differences are due to developmental variations in cognitive, physical, intellectual, moral, emotional, and social changes caused by maturation and experience. And this reality of classroom conditions makes instruction much more challenging for teachers and

Students will a need a variation of methodologies to choose from. “Teaching diverse learners requires monitoring student progress and responding to student input -- which might mean teaching differently” (Strategies, 2008) which can be challenging for some instructors.

There are many factors that play a role in the learning process for every human being. Race, religion, language, socioeconomics, gender, family structure, and disabilities can all affect the ways in which we learn. Educators must take special measures in the delivery of classroom instruction to celebrate the learning and cultural differences of each of their students. As communities and schools continue to grow in diversity, teachers are searching for effective educational programs to accommodate the various learning styles of each student while promoting acceptance of cultural differences throughout the classroom. It no longer suffices to plan educational experiences only for middle-or upper class white learners and then

There are several benefits to developing good home-school connections. When communication between parents and teachers are made, it has been found that students are more successful and happier (Jensen, 2006). By building home-school connections, teacher relationships with both students and parents improved (Stetson, Stetson, Sinclair & Nix, 2012). Teachers can observe students outside of a school context, and parents can also view teachers from another perspective. Furthermore, knowing students ' families and their backgrounds allow for more personalised lessons where children benefit more (Jensen, 2006). While conducting family visits, teachers can see if the family is going through any difficulties and then offer any assistance. Additionally, creating personal connections with students and families, can have a positive impact on student behaviour within school (Stetson et al, 2012). Creating home-school connections can also allow students to understand that their parents and family are valuable resources and partners (Allen, 2010).