INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT SUPPORT DIVERSITY
Diana Stein
EDL/505, University of Phoenix
February 3, 2014
Lisa Brizendine
Let's face it. Teaching requires us to be more flexible than we could have ever imagined! During my first year of teaching I found that I needed to differentiate my lessons to include three levels for every concept covered. The next thing I knew, I was modifying the levels and including three ways to learn them. This meant that each lesson became nine times more demanding. I was exhausted. Since then I have discovered that the best way for me to reach all of my learners is to find ways to personally connect the learning to each student. This means getting to know all about each student, and plenty of informal and formal observation. How do we do this?
We know that culturally responsive teachers facilitate
and support learning for all students. This is done through examination of teaching practices, and through conscientious
understanding of the diverse makeup of my community, school, and classroom. Awareness of educational polices and
procedures that greatly impact students needs to become second nature. Personal
reflection and identification of theoretically sound and culturally responsive
pedagogy is continual. This is achieved through modeling, mentoring, and leading
efforts in creating a school climate that effectively addresses the learning
needs of all students. Culturally responsive teachers challenge and empower all
students to be the very best versions of themselves. This post includes nine instructional
strategies and practices that are effectively used to facilitate learning by
all learners.
Instructional
Strategies that Support Diversity
Learning is all about making personal connections, building
trust, and earning respect. As I learn more about other people I take time to
reflect how my words and actions may impact them. Communication of high expectation needs to be
sent to each student consistently from both the teacher and the entire school. These
messages must be honest and respectful. This sort of belief in student ability becomes
part of a school culture.
One way to engage all learners is to include movement. Active teaching methods are used to promote
engagement of all learners. This requires the teacher to design, implement, and
facilitate lessons that are rigorous. These lessons make impact that help
transfer concepts to knowledge and cement understanding to long-term memory.
Brown
University published a paper in 2008 listing high expectations of students as a
major driver in student’s ability to achieve success. Here is a list of the
steps that educators can use within their own practices to improve
student performance, academic, and social growth:
1. Communication of High Expectations
There are consistent messages, from both the teacher
and the whole school, that students will succeed, based upon genuine respect
for students and belief in student capability.
Example: In the
differentiated classroom the teacher begins the lesson where students are.
The premise that all learners differ
in important ways is in place; therefore various learning modalities are
implemented. Each student has a variety
of modalities available (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and/or tactile) to
learn the objective at hand. Teachers understand that there are many paths
taken by individuals to attain concepts.
2. Active Teaching Methods
Instruction is designed to promote
student engagement by requiring that all students play an active role in their
learning. This is done by crafting curriculum and developing learning activities
that are varied and interesting for the students.
Example: Teachers
plan active learning models that appeal to differing interests, and by using
varied rates of instruction, along with varied degrees of complexity. Students
understand that they are competing against themselves, not each other, as he or
she develops deeper understanding of concept(s). Students rotate around various
learning centers. Each center focuses on using a different learning mode.
3. Teacher as Facilitator
Within an active teaching
environment, the teacher's role is one of
guide, mediator, and knowledgeable
consultant, as well as instructor.
Example: The
teacher provides specific ways for each student to learn the content deeply and
quickly. Lessons are written and facilitated to challenge each learner where he
or she is toward understanding. In this way each student comes to understand
that learning involves personal effort, and taking risks. Student must self assess between three levels
of the same concept. One provides added support, another challenges the student
to take the idea deeper, and a third invites the learner to transfer the idea
to another concept.
4. Positive Perspectives on Parents and Families of Culturally and
Linguistically Diverse Students
There is an ongoing participation in
dialogue with students, parents, and
community members on issues
important to them, along with the inclusion of these
individuals and issues in classroom
curriculum and activities.
Example: The
teacher must examine the lesson and confirm if it is challenging enough to
bring the learning up to the next level, no matter what level each student is
at. The teacher must assess development of each student continually to diagnose
next steps for instruction. Involvement from parents is helpful in understand
exactly where each student is culturally and linguistically. Academic language
that is a shared language between all counterparts will aid in attainment of
subject matter, especially in scientific and mathematical content. This may
require explicit instruction, modeling, and added practice before it feels more
natural.
5. Cultural Sensitivity
To maximize learning opportunities, teachers
gain knowledge of the
cultures represented in their
classrooms and translate this knowledge into instructional
practice.
Example: Teachers in culturally differentiated classrooms accept,
embrace, and plan for the differences that each learner brings to the
classroom. Making the classroom fit everyone’s needs means that everyone’s
needs are met. This may include
activities such as a Foods of the World
Festival, or Celebrations Around the
World Day. All students are encouraged to share their cultural foods and
traditions on special days like these.
6. Reshaping the Curriculum
A reshaped curriculum is culturally
responsive to the background of students.
Example: Teachers
can reach out to individual students to understand individual readiness,
interest, and preferred learning style(s). The teacher plans for the lesson by
including several choices to meet the same criterion. Students choose their own book from the
classroom library section based on the teacher’s continually developing sense
of individual readiness.
7. Culturally Mediated Instruction
Instruction is characterized by the
use of culturally mediated cognition; culturally appropriate social situations
for learning, and culturally valued knowledge in curriculum content.
Example: Teachers
know their students, their community, and their core values along with the
content they plan on delivering. Adjustments are fine tuned to meet each
learner, exactly where he or she is on the road to understanding a particular
concept.
8. Student-Controlled Classroom
Discourse
Students are given the opportunity to control some
portion of the lesson, providing teachers with insight into the ways that
speech and negotiation are used in the home and community.
Example: Teachers
know that there are many roads toward understanding content. Planning for
differentiated groups, and allowing the students to make choices in their own
learning empowers each one to make personal and meaningful connections.
This may look like students working
in one center more often until the idea is solidly formed. Ample practice using
mixed modalities is made available as a “recap” activity for daily concepts.
9. Small Group Instruction and Academically-Related Discourse
Instruction is organized around low-pressure,
student-controlled learning groups that can assist in the development of
academic language.
Example: Small
heterogeneous groups are formed with assigned roles and responsibilities. Each
team member is encouraged to assist his or her peers toward meeting the agreed
upon tasks. Teamwork is valued, and students understand that they are
responsible for contributing a fair portion of the work assigned. Students also
learn that they must use self-control and manage their own behavior positively
in order to work most effectively together.
Conclusion
“High
expectations influence teacher-student relations and affect student performance,
motivation, and self-concept. Positive measures on the part of teachers and
schools reflect the attitudinal prerequisites for effective teaching in a
multicultural society” (Brown University compilation of articles). I still modify each lesson to include levels, and offer three modalities to learn them with. Over time this practice has become more natural, and less formal. Using a wide variety of instructional models helps me to maximize
achievement of all students.
References
Robins, K. N., Lindsey, R. B., Lindsey, D.B., & Terrell, R. D. (2006). Culturally
proficient instruction (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press,
A Sage Company.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the
needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
