Diverse Learners

Throughout this class, I have learned valuable information that I will one day use in my classroom. Over the course, I have gained conclusions and insights related to the effectiveness of including students with diverse needs. I have learned through and from readings, observations, and course activities that have synthesized my learning. As a future educator, I have established and maintained a comprehensive classroom management plan. I have a basis for a variety of teaching strategies, skills, and approaches that will develop how my classroom runs in the future.

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).

Teaching requires creating a classroom where all students are able to participate in the learning. Chapter 1 discusses the importance language, expectations, and integration. Chapter 1 introduces the topic of multicultural teaching.

According to Richardson, Morgan, & Fleener (2012, p. 319), “educators often define diverse learners as those who might be at risk for academic failure and who need special understanding and attention”. When thinking of having diverse learners in the classroom, oftentimes teachers can feel the “added” weight because they have to learn to differentiate their instructions. Despite the fact that today’s classrooms are growing more diverse every day, teachers must learn to differentiate their instructions according to their students’ specific needs. However, this task might not be as tough and/or as time consuming as it might sound.

There has been a clear notion on what is needed in today’s education and that is diversity in the classroom to include material in the curriculum that openly addresses diversity. Teachers need to be aware that being multicultural is important, adaptation is required and ability to provide students with a safe environment. Meanwhile, also understanding the student’s interest, culture, and background is vital in the student’s learning. For example, according to Karmeen (2013), “21st Century Teacher Educator” and “Teachers as “Healers”: 21 Century Possibility? Or Necessity?” by authors Whitfield and Klug (2004); both promote the ideas of including multicultural materials in the curriculum. They both agree that the reduction of prejudice and promotion of social justice is key. One should obtain the knowledge to understand and recognize what is unique among different groups that each student represent.

Areas to develop further include teaching to diverse learners, classroom management, and developing my own classroom style. I do understand the importance of teaching to diverse learners and feel that I attempt to adjust my instruction to meet the needs of all students; I just neet to work toward better understanding the needs of each individual student and how I need to apply that to my instruction in order to achieve the best results. What I mean by classroom management being an area to develop further is that one thing I need to work toward improving is understanding how to be "friendly not friends." While I think I have improved in this during my time in Holdingford, I am still finding moments in which I reflect later on and realize that

Maya Angelou once said, “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” When we send our children to school, they are segregated based on the letter D (diversity, disabled, dysfunction), showing the young that not all children can enjoy the same educational opportunities that they are provided in schools. This is due to a controversial topic among teachers and parents known as inclusion. It’s time we put an end to this separation and bring inclusive classrooms to all schools. Inclusion secures opportunities for students with disabilities to learn alongside their non-disabled peers in general education classrooms. Classrooms that establish a healthy inclusive environment benefits

According to Peck (2004), children in inclusive classrooms show an “increased appreciation of the needs of other children and increased acceptance of differences in appearance and behavior among other children.” With very purposeful interactions, this appreciation and acceptance can only increase. The specific goals for each student would likely vary, but could be something such as positive interactions with people that are different from themselves outside the program four out of every five opportunities. At the beginning of the program, facilitators should discuss personal goals with the peer mentors so they also have specific goals to be working

Research suggests that while there is no cure for Dyslexia, students can adapt through multi-sensory instruction and become successful members of society (Allen, 2010). In order to instruct students with dyslexia, it is crucial that educators understand what dyslexia is, what causes it, and the steps to identifying a student who struggles with reading and shows signs of dyslexia (Allen, 2010). According to Allen (2010), of those who have identified as having a learning disability, 80% are affected by a reading disability. According to Dejerine, Dyslexia is suspected to be neurobiological in origin. This is confirmed by way of “functional magnetic resonance imaging (Allen, 2010).

On the other hand, the education community faces growing challenges related to diversity, such as the academic achievement gaps between students of diverse backgrounds; racial segregation and resegregation in our schools; gender inequalities and sex discrimination; bullying and harassment of students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender; educating students with disabilities; staggering disparities in educational resources based on class or income; access to education for immigrants; respecting students of all religious backgrounds; and so forth. Institutional hurdles such as high-stakes testing and the lack of resources for "nonessential" subjects make addressing the issue of diversity even more challenging

This guide is intended for educators to enhance their knowledge and practice to support culturally diverse students. Ethnicity and cultural diversity of students in the Australian schools have become norm which demand a meaningful and inclusive curriculum experience. The recent influx of the refugees and immigrants in the Australia has called for diverse and equal learning opportunities for each student. According to Lawrence, Brooker, and Goodnow (2012, p. 75) 44 percent of Australian citizens were born in overseas or are the children of parents from other countries. The cultural diversity may affect the emotional, social and educational development of the students. The culturally diverse students often get disengaged with learning because they feel alienated with the curriculum. The intended and enacted school curriculum is largely based in the mainstream culture of the rich, resulting in students from other background and culture feeling alienated (Ewing, 2013, p.86). The discrimination of students due to their race, culture or religion may have negative impact on their emotional and educational development.

Within a learning environment, it is important that I challenge stereotypes and prejudice through diversity, actively fostering a culture with other learners and inclusivity for all. This means making all learners feel like an important part of the session according to their individual needs and learning styles. I should also be aware of the differing learning levels of students and make every effort to incorporate this into classes using different teaching methods. Petty (2009) asserts that as teachers “we need to discover, and then meet individual needs…all students can learn if they are placed on the right programme, taught in the way they can learn, and given any help and support they might need”. I am also responsible for ensuring the content of the class is appropriate to the needs of the learners, and to the requirements of the course.

Communication and collaboration are so important in creating effective inclusive classrooms. Collaboration and communication between professionals is believed to help the effectiveness of inclusive programs. (Salend, 2016, pg 159) Communication and collaboration also help to create a sense of community, in which problems can be solved and strategies can be made to help students. According to our textbook, communication and collaboration also helps create ways to implement solutions that prevent and address learning and behavioral difficulties. (Salend, 2016, pg 159) Inclusive programs will have many students with different needs. Some will have different types of learning disabilities while other may need more challenging material. Working in an inclusive classroom, teachers need to plan differentiated instruction and materials that address different learning needs and styles. Inclusive classrooms usually consist of the general education teacher and the special education teacher. The two teachers work together to provide instruction to all students while also providing the supports needed for the students with disabilities to succeed. Teachers from inclusive classrooms may seek communication with professionals and families to find strategies to help struggling students or adjust curriculum to meet the needs of all students. They may also seek help with a problem or

In an inclusion setting it best facilitates learning and students were more motivated in that it provided and allowed for differentiation of instruction. I decided to implement a classroom strategy into my own classroom to study how I can address a group of diverse learners. These are students who are performing below, at, and above grade level in a general education inclusion classroom to help with providing instruction in depth while also keeping each student motivated and engaged.

It has been my first experience to observe a lesson in a school setting since I arrived in the U.S. All I have seen in this mainstream classroom seemed to leave positive impressions about the interactions between the teacher and students. As a teacher, most of the instructional strategies carried out during the lesson were quite familiar, others were quasi new for me for the fact that the context I am used to is far different from this one I have observed. It is commonly agreed that teaching and learning have general principles shared worldwide that any teacher can adjust him/herself to any learning environments. However, the context in which those principles are applied makes a big difference in ways students with culturally and linguistically diversity receive an instruction.