Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Academic diversity in the classroom
Importance of education for the society
Academic diversity in the classroom
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Academic diversity in the classroom
A. “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire” (William Butler Yeats). What I value most as an educator are student achievement and assimilation of the latest technological advances. With success come reputation, appreciation, distinction, and influence. I believe that it is crucial to integrate all possible resources in order to maximize student engagement and achieve a substantial learning environment that is vital for student success. As a math teacher, it has always been my goal to teach my students how to think analytically as they visualize and solve complex mathematical equations because that will be important if they are to hold prominent positions in our society. As an effective 21st century teacher, I am keenly aware that all students do not learn the same and have different learning styles and needs due to their diverse backgrounds. Nevertheless, I believe that all of my students can achieve at the highest level if they are encouraged to try, provided tutoring when needed, and provided the needed resources. As a result of their ancestry and social environments, students develop many of their perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors; therefore, it is important to embrace diversity in the classroom and avoid partiality of students in any form. They often distinguish me as an exceptional teacher and one that they can count on when they need support. My students feel empowered to accept math challenges without fear of failure even if they do not always win the competition. I feel honored when my students refer to me as their favorite teacher and math as their favorite subject. I believe that my love of teaching, patience, words of encouragement, great sense of humor, and my compassion as a mentor has helped to shape the school and community’s perception of who I
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 .
When it comes to education, it is about helping people discover, refine, and develop their gifts, talents, passions and abilities; and then helping them discover how to use those gifts, talents, abilities in ways that benefit others and oneself (Bull, 2015). However, with education, there are many places where this does not happen and learners may fall between the cracks. Schools are heavily measured on testing, student outcomes and student numbers that it has become the main focus to excel the school district—but what about the students? I recall a time where I was sitting in a classroom and the teacher was going over a math lesson. Many students struggled and were having a difficult time following along with the task. The teacher started
Students who are enrolled in elementary schools with a diverse population usually develop an understanding of insights and perspectives of children from different backgrounds and learn to function in a multiethnic, multicultural environment (Morrissey, 2014). Therefore, students need to learn how to interact in diverse environments. Teachers face challenges of making lessons and instructions “culturally responsive” for all students to avoid favoritism (Griner, 2012). Some students’ cultural backgrounds may have a negative impact on them in a modern classroom (Burt, 2013). It is imperative for elementary school teachers to be knowledgeable of different cultural beliefs and practices to help students adjust to traditional classrooms (Nigma, 2015). Defining the
Classrooms of today are full of students with varying learning abilities and styles, therefore teachers are put in a position to involve each of their students equally so that everyone has the greatest chance of success in their learning. There are many different ways teachers are able to set up the learning environment in order to maximise teaching and learning and cater for the diverse needs of their students. I will attempt to discuss in detail some of these strategies and unpack the potential advantages and difficulties that follow.
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students to gain a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably from a judgmental and prejudiced view. Diversity has a broad range of spectrums. Students from all across the continent; students from political refugees, indigenous Americans, and immigrants bring their cultural and linguistic skills to American classrooms. Students not only bring their cultural and linguistic skills, but they bring their ethnicity, talents, and skills.
As teachers we plan our lessons and think to ourselves, "my students are going to love this lesson and will be able to understand what I am teaching", but sometimes that isn 't the case. You may plan a lesson in hopes that your students understand but it doesn 't go as planned. Every student learns differently and thinks differently and because of this we, as teachers must learn to differentiate our lessons. This may require us to change the way we deliver our lesson, change the activities for our lessons or even change the wording of our material so students understand. In this paper, I will be differentiating a lesson plan based on student readiness, student interest and student learning profile for content, process, and product.
The United States is expecting drastic changes in the diversity of its population over the next 50 years. Minorities will become a larger portion of the country’s population. Changes will need to be made to the way our country operates, especially in education. New, innovative and inclusive ways of teaching will replace traditional methods. For these new changes to go smoothly, steps will be taken to implement diverse populations in schools, helping students benefit from the values of other cultures while learning to live along side each other. The competitive and biased curriculums will take back seat to new ones that cater to all members of the population, leaving behind disruptive and antisocial behaviors. And finally, the teacher population will become as diverse as the student counterpart, creating more chances for students to identify with their leaders. This research paper will identify problematic situations for educational diversity as well as examine the effectiveness of diverse populations in classroom settings with respect to the development of student's world skills and understanding, openness and tolerance of diversity.
Meeting the needs of academic diverse learners is the responsibility of their instructor. These diverse learners may include students who are one or more grade levels below classmates and the gifted student who is that much above. How can educators meet the needs of these students when their learning abilities are found at opposite ends of the instructional spectrum? The answer is planning successful lessons involving engaging activities, a variety of texts, technology implementation, and flexible grouping. The following is a lesson I implemented covering these key components.
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 expect students of other social classes and cultures to change perspectives on motivation and competition, learning styles, and attitudes and values that their homes and families have instilled in them (Manning & Baruth, 2009).
I feel that one of my greatest strengths as a teacher is the ability to
We ignore the plain fact that students learn at different rates and in different ways” (3). Furthermore, teachers are the main source of knowledge in the classroom. When teaching, teachers determine almost everything that happens within their classroom. Including what information they have students learn, and how they pass on that information. However, over the years, it has been neglected that every student learns differently. Additionally, it needs to be remembered that it is the students who are learning. A school system is needed that can retain all students’ curiosity, individuality, and creativity. For instance, whether it is the amount of homework given, the type of test, the pace of teaching, or the style of notes required, students should not be confined to only one way of
Math is the universal language, encoded at the molecular level. For this reason, the very understanding of this subject allows us to have a better understanding in how we, as humans, fit into the larger universal picture. This universal language is taken for granted by most people because they do not see how math interconnects, not only in their daily lives, but how it interconnects the actual atoms and atomic structures that make up literally everything in their daily life.
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.
An effective teacher will excite, inspire and motivate students to be active in their learning, investigate new areas of knowledge and make connections to future learning (Whitton et al 2010). When a teacher is successful, their students are motivated, mutually respectful and ready to build on their knowledge and solve real-world problems. To be a teacher of value, one must have many skills and qualities to cater for a diversity of learners and their individual development; this includes many personal traits that are noticed students.
Mathematics contributes to everyday life in some way or another. Some situations are simpler than others. Someone may just have to use simple addition or subtraction in paying his or her bills. Or someone may even have to use more complex math like solving for a missing variable in an equation to figure out the dimensions of a building. Mathematics will always be used in everyday life. Some theories and algorithms are more important or used more often than others. Many mathematicians have developed many different things that have contributed to mathematics, such as discovering theories and algorithms. Some mathematicians have done more than others to contribute to the mathematics that people use today. Pythagoras is a very well known mathematician that has contributed to the field of mathematics in a huge way.