Standard 2 Learning Differences Analysis

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.

InTASC Standard #2 (Learning Differences) states, “The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high

Streamed reading and problem solving groups are in place to further assist students who need that support. These groups are split across year level teachers while the lowest level group goes to a specialist teacher and receives additional assistance. Students are placed in groups with other students of similar level which is determined by a test that is taken every term. As students are placed in groups of similar level, the specialist teacher can focus on teaching one thing without having

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

Some of the students have a low level of English in this group however so I make sure that concepts are fully explained and groups are mixed so as the low level English speaking students do not group together.

When it comes to the students’ different abilities, she put the students in groups based on

This is what, I hope, will positively impact the lives of the children that I teach. I grew up in a community that both where not practiced and seldom talked about. This led to a very heightened state of being, especially for a young child who was female, multi-racial, and have several disabilities diagnosed and undiagnosed. Never feeling accepted for aspects of my being that I could not control was very stressing, confusing, and angering. I want my students to feel accepted and to have what they individually need to succeed. I want to include all my students in to all activities and assignments, with modifications and/or adaptations if needed. I want to teach content that includes all cultures and experiences of people all over the world, but specifically to those who are within my class. I want to create a classroom environment that will not only include everyone student but, also, celebrate who they are. If the classroom environment and the content that students are learning are not targeted for success, interest and is not personalized, I believe that the outcome of student’s learning will be generic, maybe unsuccessful, and a waste of time and effort for both teacher and

Promoting diversity and equality in education is essential both for teachers and for students. The main goal of holistic learning is to create a classroom environment where each student can thrive in learning as well as understand that the individual characteristics are meant to make people unique and not different. This means creating a classroom environment that is inclusive of all learners. A teacher should design an environment that pays attention to the needs of students from diverse backgrounds including learning and assessment process that ensures that every student is given consideration in terms of accessibility and inclusivity. A diverse learning environment must also incorporate

Pros: Supporters suggest gifted classes as a way of tracking to keep the talented students out of mixed ability classes that otherwise would restrict their learning and would place these students in boring classes. Duflo, Duppas, and Kremer (2011) state that the benefits of math ability tracking along with pedagogy that narrowly targets specifics may outweigh the affect of being in a classroom with classmates having lower math skill sets. Ansalone believes a more positive self-concept of students with low IQ when grouped homogeneously (2010). Vanfossen agrees that tracking improves self-concept and motivation (1987). Grouping is often seen as a way to maximize learning potential with the smallest financial investment. Teachers accept tracking because teaching is made easier by limiting the wide range of academic diversity in the individual classroom. Successful teachers often incorporate tracking within their classroom based on students’ ability now commonly called differentiation which stirs a moan within most teacher collaboratives. Ability tracking can be used as an aid to cover the most standards as quickly as possible. Gifted students in mixed ability classes get impatient with their peers who are struggling with the material and continue to ask questions when the majority of the class is ready to move on to newer concepts. Lower ability students may not ask questions they need answered because they are embarrassed to admit they do not understand the standard

In order to grasp the effectiveness of ability groups, it is necessary to point out the differences amongst them. Mathews (2013) states that ability grouping is classified into two categories which are between-class ability grouping and within class ability grouping. Between class ability grouping is essentially leveled groups (high, medium, low) across the grade level and is also known as “cluster grouping.” Each group is assigned to a particular classroom based on their academic ability or prior performance (gifted, special needs, and language learners). Within-class ability grouping is “the assignment of students to groups within each classroom based on interest, skill, ability, and various other factors” (Mathews, 2013, p. 82).

Research into ability grouping has raised questions about the process of creating homogeneous ability groups. Evidence suggests it is not uncommon for students to be placed in an inappropriate group for their ability level (Ireson & Hallam 1999; MacIntyre & Ireson 2002, as cited in Muijs & Dunne, 2010). Muijs and Dunne (2010) uncovered during their research that middle bands and even the high band contained students with low-test scores. The findings of Muijs and Dunne (2010) suggest the process in place to group students according to their ability is unreliable. Hallinan (2003) reported the process teachers were taking was to group students by standardised test scores, prior achievement and the recommendations of teachers and counselors. The benefit of homogeneous ability grouping is the opportunity to provide students with differentiated instruction based on their ability level. The result of heterogeneous ability groups created through the grouping process is one of many concerns.

So based on this experience, I am for ability-grouping within the classroom. Within the elementary classroom ability-grouping is called differentiation. Teachers are expected to differentiate for all subjects. Differentiation is when a teacher adjusts the delivery of materials based on a student’s ability level (Goldstein, 2013). So based on differentiation, teachers are now teaching based on the needs of the students. Our job is to meet the needs of ALL the students in our classroom. The groups are determined by academic level. The teacher is able to use material at the correct level to meet the state standards. According to my district’s best practices, all students need to hear the core curriculum for each subject. Each student needs to be exposed to grade level material based on the state standards. I do not feel that any student is left behind using ability grouping. On the contrary, I feel that students can work at their level and we can push the thinking of the higher ability students and we can also push the lower level students to try to get them on grade

This project was exciting to complete, as we rarely have prepared anything like this before. Beginning by looking at the roster of students, I was able to recognize how I would group the students. I knew, however, that I wanted to avoid groups larger than five students. I also understood, from the ideas of many education classes that the best pedagogical solution would be to include a mixture of performance levels. Because of these implications, my first set of groupings consisted of the grade of the student, followed by a break down of their level.

Tracking: The practice of separating students into ability groups, so that they take classes with peers at the same skill level

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