Navy Elementary School General Classroom Observation

As Ernest Dimnet once stated, “Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves.” Education is one of the most important aspects in children’s development. While studying to become an educator for these children, it is important that I consider learner differences in my future classroom. It is also important that I take into consideration that all children grew up with different parenting styles so this will also make an impact on their development and education. As the teacher, it is important that while planning I consider the diversity, atypical or typical development, and how I am going to teach each student according to their needs. The purpose of this essay is to consider diversity, atypical or

In the 21st century, teachers will be standing in front of many more racially and culturally diverse classrooms than ever before. Teachers now need to be more aware of culture in their classrooms more than teachers before them. In light of this, it is important to be able to be sensitive and aware of the needs of such diverse students. Teachers also have to be sensitive to the social and family issues of their students. In this new age of teaching, educators now have the ability to save children from potentially harmful situations in their home life.

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).

Teachers must learn about their student’s cultures if they want to educate them to the best of their ability. Many of the students in culturally diverse classrooms will want to learn in different ways. Some will want to learn in pairs, groups, as a class, or just alone. If the teacher is educated in their culture then lessons can be adjusted to appeal to every student as much as possible instead of forcing some to forget about their culture and learn like others. Students from

This paper will be discussing a recent fifteen hour field experience I participated in which I observed a classroom which included many students of diverse ethnic and cultural groups. I will discuss any prejudices/discriminations I observed in the classroom based on ethnic and cultural diversity. I will also describe how this experience has made me determined to try to create a positive learning environment for students of diversity in the classroom.

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

Funding allocation for additional training of educators as well as educators developmental programs would need to be created. Funding for curricula related expenses such as culturally relevant literature, events, speakers, and programs needed to facilitate learning. Learning in a real life setting such as the inclusion of community leaders, parents and institutions to give positive examples of diversity in action. In Lopez' (1995) study examined the relationship between the types of student learning, teaching skills and how knowledge affects the student performance. The teacher's race, gender and classroom size were examined to determine if student or teacher diversity or capacity affected the student performance for kindergarten through sixth grade. The results that were significant in regard to race and learning styles were that African American and Hispanic teachers were able to amplify student performance in the classrooms where the teacher’s race was the same as the students. This result indicates that young African American students have a positive school experience when they have teachers with whom they can identify with.

My findings can be useful to implement new social policies to create a more diverse educational classroom setting. In the beginning of the year, school administration may not focus on the racial diversity in a classroom when choosing classes, but I believe this should also be another factor when dividing students, to create an equal diverse classroom. While creating diverse classrooms will aid in the ethnic knowledge of children, organizing school-wide ethnic cultural celebrations can also help expand and introduce different cultures and ethnicities to children who may not otherwise be introduced to a different ethnicity and race, other than the ones they are surrounded with. In relation to personal experience, I grew up in a social setting where my ethnicity was the majority, but when I started college at Dominican University, I was sectored as a minority since most students were white, but I was not affected by this cultural shock as I had a close connection to my ethnic roots and did not let the change of environment affect me. Growing up in an environment where you are the majority, but then radically being introduced to an environment where you become the minority can easily affect the cognitive state of a person, if that person was not well-prepared

The article, Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners in FCS Classrooms, describes the changes in the ethnical make-up of today’s classroom and the challenges teachers face as they aim to teach children from different cultures. In addition, the article points out the different needs of multicultural learners in the classroom. Finally, the article also describes research based strategies and techniques teachers can use that prove to be effective for the diverse learner.

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).

When we structure our activities to acknowledge different perspectives we enhance student learning (http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/cultural-diversity-at-school/). As teachers we must find ways to teach our children in ways that they learn and this at times can be difficult and for

Morgan explains the struggle for many minority groups in our schools. One reason is explained that minority students are more likely to encounter more problems in school than mainstream students is due to incomplete knowledge of minority students’ learning an d communication styles. Morgan highlights how to avoid conflicts between students and teachers as well as conflicts between teachers and parents. Differences in learning styles are addressed as well as the discriminatory practice of treating students identically. Morgan explains how teacher misuse research on cultural differences which counterintuitively fosters discrimination. Although teachers must reach all students, Morgan offers that this should not be overwhelming and describes

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

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

Reflecting on my experience as a child, I realize that cultural diversity is essential, because our country, workplaces, and schools increasingly consist of various cultural, racial, and ethnic groups. Since I have a deep understanding how important diversity and integration is, I want to create a classroom where every child feels welcomed and accepted. Feelings of safety and acceptance are critical to learning, and relationships