Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Teaching diverse students in the classroom
Diversity of learning styles
Teaching diverse students in the classroom
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Teaching diverse students in the classroom
As the world becomes more and more globalized classrooms are becoming more and more diversified. This has forced teachers to constantly review their approach towards educating their students. According to Dixon et al. (2014) one of the main challenges that teachers will face in this century and the next one is meeting the needs of their diverse students. Every classroom varies in socioeconomics, ethnicity, cultural factors and language. In the perfect classroom, the pace and level of instructions are matched to each and every student. However in reality, this is difficult to attain. Some teachers see this as impossible to attain. They argue that no individual can possibly take into account the needs of each and every student. However according …show more content…
According to the two, before the teacher sets up the classroom and the lessons he/she must first understand the various modalities, thinking and learning styles that are there and also the multiple intelligence genres that students fit into. After establishing this foundation, the teacher can then proceed to setting up the classroom as a learning environment. Smit & Humpert, (2012) go further and state that having the classroom arranged in the traditional manner where all the desks are in a straight line facing the board and teaching happens through lectures is not the most efficient way to teach. Having the desks arranged in circles or other “non-traditional” ways helps break away from the status quo. Also, filling the rooms with auditory experiences and visual stimuli allows for various learning styles to be introduced and considered (Moore, …show more content…
Levy (2008) says that in the classroom the teacher is the professional who is well trained using appropriate techniques to teach and guide the students, helping them achieve their full potential. Teachers are not only legally bound to help students in their development but they are also morally and ethically bound (Smit & Humpert, 2012). In responding to their teachers’ guidance, students seek to be independent and self-sufficient, they become more aware of their ideas, skills and abilities, they increasingly become more aware that their lives and their learning is their responsibility (Nevins Stanulis & Floden, 2009). This shows that the relationship between the teacher and the student is reciprocal – in line Vygotsky’s socio-cultural
While differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared towards the needs of diverse learners are currently highly prized skills for teachers, this has not always been the case. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curriculum are designed to meet the needs of a core group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, learners who were different, out of the mainstream, or did not fit into the mold to which teachers taught (were not part of the core) learned how or lost out on learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, as schools are mirrors reflecting mainstream societal norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006)—and, given that our society has not always valued diversity in people, be it due to disability, class, culture, or race—teachers in the past have largely focused their efforts where they could earn the largest return on their investment: the average student .
Rothstein-Fisch, C. & Trumbull, E. (2008). Managing Diverse Classrooms. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
When the majority of teachers in America are White, middle class women who only speak English in a country were students are starting to come from a multitude of backgrounds it is no wonder problems are arising. As more people from different cultures and religions immigrate to the United States the average classroom is losing the cultural uniformity it had in the past. Though the faces in classrooms are steadily changing many teachers have not been able to adjust as quickly to the ever growing diversity taking place. One would expect for teachers to still be able to teach students effectively whether they share a similar background or not, but in actuality cultural conflicts between teachers and students are only getting worse. Especially when
Diversity in the classrooms will give students access to experience other cultures and learn about one another. The different races effect how varied their backgrounds might be, and it will help the teacher engage a variety of ways to manage course material (Packard, 2017). According to Packard, it is up to the teacher to help spread the learning of diversity and use it to their advantage in their classroom. Throughout the years, diversity have grown in the classrooms, but the struggle of segregation continues.
Shore, Marietta Saravia. (2011). “Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners” Chapter 2. Educating Everybody's Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners. http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107003/chapters/Diverse-Teaching-Strategies-for-Diverse-Learners.aspx
There has been a major change in the past thirty years regarding the amount of immigrants coming to the United States. The impact the immigrants have had on education and diversity is unbelievable. There are many factors which contribute to the element of diversity in education, such as each student 's culture, the different languages each student speaks, promoting gender equality amongst students, and working with students who have exceptionalities. As today 's educators, teachers must understand diversity from an omniscient perspective and the influence it has on students, making the process of getting an education as equal and pleasant as possible for all students.
Students have their own pace at which they learn. If a teacher works with students at a slow pace with step by step instructions, students w...
The world is currently undergoing a cultural change, and we live in an increasingly diverse society. This change is not only affect the people in the community but also affect the way education is viewed. Teaching diversity in the classroom and focusing multicultural activities in the programs can help improve positive social behavior in children. There is no question that the education must be prepared to embrace the diversity and to teach an increasingly diverse population of young children.
Moreover, I believe every child in a classroom has something to offer. Every child entering the classroom has potential, the potential to bring something extraordinary and unique to the world. The classroom environment and the teachers need to be role models for students who allow them to grow morally, individually, spiritually and socially. Like Aristotle has said, teacher’s need to ingrain morals in students, and it is with education and learning we develop such values.
The concepts included in providing a more diverse, multicultural education are requiring teachers to review their own issues and prejudices while expanding their knowledge of the many cultures that make up the classroom. These efforts help the educator recognize the various individual and cultural differences of each student, as well as gain an understanding on how these differences impact the learning process. The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon individual and cultural difference research and why diverse students struggle to succeed in school. Furthermore, I will share some instructional approaches I could implement in the classroom to accommodate diverse students. Finally, I will discuss the responsibility of educators in addressing the issue of how our o...
In my personal experience, I have seen many different classroom designs that catered to the subject or content being taught, the teaching style itself, and the learning styles of the students. The physical environment is often modified depending on the type of classroom activities and the age group. In an elementary class, which usually covers all of the core subjects with one teacher, the layout is one in which each student can see and hear the teacher when being given instruction, but they are also usually set up in a way that is conducive for working together in groups. In addition, the walls in the classroom are usually covered in subject/content appropriate and age sensitive material that serves to help the students learn, rather than being a mere decoration. As the age of the students increase, and assignments become more individual based, the layout of the room follows suit, and tends to be set up more for teacher instruction instead of
The introduction of policies and legislations in regards to inclusion within the classroom demands teachers to reassess their learning environments in order to cater to the diverse range of students within our classrooms. As a teacher it is our responsibility to set up our learning environment to maximise student learning and teaching providing varying strategies to cater to our students’ differences.
The diversity among students can produce implications in the classroom. These challenges can affect the learning, educating, and evaluating in the classroom. For example, when instructing a lesson about ‘Bodies of Water’, some students may not know what an ocean is, while some may. This can make it difficult for the students to digest the information, since the student cannot comprehend the example (Waxman 16). In addition, it can be straining for an educator, since he or she will need to reconstruct his or her entire lesson.
For teachers to be effective their classrooms should be open, encouraging and safe environments, where a strong student-teacher relationship can be achieved (Marsh, 2008). Students should be treated with respect in order to meet their need for belonging (Eggen&Kauchak, 2010). The layout of the room and resources need to be well considered allowing different areas for different activities (Bennett &Smilanich, P. 1994) keeping in mind space for easy movement and creative work. Seating arrangements, noise level and room temperature all need to be taken into account when planning the classroom to maximise productive lea...
Some ways I plan to accommodate student diversity in my teaching is to maintain a diverse learning environment for my students. I understand that not all students learn the same so I plan to use differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction would include using strategies such as a Jigsaw classroom or Cooperative Learning and would allow students to have different opportunities to learn the