Teaching Diverse Learners In Any School Environment Education Essay

In this course, you’ll review relevant research, observe video discussions and classroom examples, and do activities on working with learners who are at different levels and who have different learning abilities and approaches. At the end of this course, you will better understand how to identify the various aspects of diversity that affect foreign language learning; and be able to develop strategies for improving the learning of all students in your classroom.

You will partake in activities will focus on how to be a leader in your school for diversity, how to assess diversity in your classroom, how to think critically about new ways to teach your curriculum, and how to engage diversity among students.

Teachers today gain a broad range of experiences and perspectives through working in public schools today and meet students that differ from them culturally, linguistically, and ethnically. Creating a classroom that caters to these diverse students offers a powerful resource for them to learn more in different ways, in new environments, and with different types of people. Every single teacher in our continuously changing and diverse system has the power to serve as an invaluable resource for all students and peers. Teachers will learn how to become an enabler in the classroom and in their school catering their classroom for all types of students especially because of the growing diversity in U.S. classrooms.

The student will be able to:

•    Use assessment tools to utilize in your class

•    Gain classroom tips and activities through

•    Learn best practices

•    Create an action plan to increase diversity understanding in your school both in and out of the classroom

•    Network with other educators who are concerned with diversity

Define and understand disability in the United States

Deal with conflict

Set up a classroom that caters to diversity

Incorporate all types of students

Incorporate University Design for Learning

Online Learning with Full Instructor Facilitation

Our institution maintains an online platform that automatically grades student pre- and post-assessments, monitors their participation in the lecture, and awards them credit when they post in the discussion area. Instructors will monitor the progress and quality of work the students provide, including the threaded discussions, and will provide feedback and evaluate the midterm and final projects.

Weekly Online Lecture Assignments:

Week 1

Text Reading: Read

BUILDING CREATIVITY AND COLLABORATION IN DIVERSE CLASSROOMS

Critical Issue: Educating Teachers for Diversity

Insensitivity to Physical, Racial, or Ethnic Differences

Answer Questions (Open Ended)

Describe the cultural, linguistic, and/or ethnic diversity in your classroom. How do you draw on this diversity to promote learning?

What learning styles seem to predominate among your students (for example, auditory, visual)? How do you accommodate those learning styles?

Watch Video Clips

Clip 1: Bank Street College of Education Empowers New Teachers (This old college is teaching aspiring educators new tricks, with a focus on experiential learning, classroom immersion, and mentoring)

Clip 2: 10 Big Ideas for Better Classrooms: Striving to Improve Public Education (Using Student examples: Successful examples of key elements in improving public education: Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration, Integrated Studies, Cooperative Learning, Comprehensive Assessment, Emotional Intelligence, Teacher Preparation, Parent Involvement, Community Partners, and Maximize Resources)

Clip 3: CREDE Principles Applied to the Re-Invention of Teacher Preparation(Marty Alberg – University of Memphis This presentation provides an overview of the application of CREDE principles at three levels: 1.) The University of Memphis teacher preparation classroom; 2.) Middle school classrooms in Memphis, TN through the Three Rs Program; and 3.) The state of Tennessee through the Problem Based Learning component of the Tennessee Board of Regents Teaching Quality Initiative. As do CREDE?based strategies, problem?based approaches to teacher preparation engage pre?service teachers in learning opportunities that challenge their cognitive and problem solving skills; promote learning through cooperation and teamwork; connect teaching with real?world student experiences, skills, and educational needs; and facilitate learning through meaningful, productive activity. Participants will experience problem? based pedagogy through sample cases developed for teacher preparation in Tennessee.)

Assignment:

Discussion Board: Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Week 2

Text Reading: Read

Linguistic and Cultural Diversity – Building on America’s Strengths

Preparing teachers for children in poverty: the Nashville district picks up the mantle for qualified instruction in high-needs schools

School Leadership and Student Motivation.

Answer Questions (Open Ended)

If you are familiar with the concepts of the multiple intelligences theory, what steps have you taken to incorporate them in your teaching?

In multilevel classes or ones in which proficiency levels are quite varied, how have you differentiated instruction for the range of performance levels?

Watch Video Clips

Clip 1: Teacher and Student Education In Diversity, part 1

Clip 2: Teacher and Student Education In Diversity, part 2

Clip 3: UDL Guidelines in Practice: Grade 5 Language Arts (A panel of UDL experts takes you inside a diverse urban school to show master teachers applying the principles and guidelines of UDL.)

Clip 4: Best Practices through Universal Design for Learning

Clip 5: An Introduction to Integrated Studies (Combining academic subjects produces deeper learning and a better understanding of the interrelationships between them)

Assignment:

Discussion Board: Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Week 3

Text Reading: Read

DIVERSITY AND COMPLEXITY IN THE CLASSROOM

Disaggregated Outcomes of Gender, Ethnicity, and Poverty on Fifth Grade Science Performance

Educating Students from Generational Poverty: Building Blocks from A to Z

Framework for Understanding Poverty

Answer Questions (Open Ended)

Have you taught special needs students in your classroom? If so, how did you respond to the instructional challenges that they posed? In your experience, how can learning disabilities or learning differences affect learning in a foreign language classroom?

What school resources have you found to be helpful when you are faced with making an accommodation that you have not had to make before

Watch Video Clips

Clip 1: Working With Students From the Culture of Poverty (In their Classroom Instruction That Works research, McREL and Robert Marzano identified nine strategies that can be applied in any learning environment and result in significantly increased student learning. When implemented consistently and correctly, these research-based strategies can provide average percentile point gains as high as 45% on student achievement tests.)

Clip 2: Working With Students From the Culture of Poverty 2 (Although most educators are familiar with the Classroom Instruction That Works research, teachers still need help transferring the theory into practice.)

Clip 3: Children in America’s Schools clip1 open (Poverty in the classroom)

Clip 4: Children In America’s Schools clip2 Poverty (Poverty in the classroom)

Clip 5: Children in America’s Schools Clip 3(Poverty in the classroom)

Assignment:

Discussion Board: Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Midterm Project Due

Week 4

Text Reading: Read

Diversity is a Key To Reducing Racial Bias in Schools

Diversity Reduces Racial Bias in Schools

Strengthening Teacher-student relationships

Watch Video Clips

Clip 1: High-Performing, High-Poverty Schools

Clip 2: Challenging Poverty (Some schools have over 75% of their students living in poverty. Many students are homeless. They may find alternative housing or simply couch hop with friends or relatives)

Clip 3: Challenging Teachers (Teachers and students talk about challenges in the classroom.)

Clip 4: Challenging Coursework (Students need challenging coursework to prepare them for higher education. High Schools and nonprofits have programs that help lower income students prepare for college.)

Clip 5: Challenging System (Minnesota used to be one of the top states in education. That is not true today. And the expectations of what education needs to provide for students futures are more challenging than ever.)

Clip 6: Challenging Peers (Peers can help each other succeed or fail. Education is seen by some to be not cool. Some black students feel doing well in school is white so they dont fully participate. Sometimes students can change to a different school or find their own way to succeed.)

Assignment:

Discussion Board: Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Week 5

Text Reading: Read

When teachers build relationships with students

Watch Video Clips

Clip 1: Learning on Purpose: Transforming a Good School into a Great School (Wall-to-wall career academies and a transition program for ninth graders have helped create an environment at this Texas high school in which rigorous, relevant education — inside and outside of the classroom — is the norm for all students.)

Clip 2: Teaching Students to Work Together (Integrated curricula, team teaching, and technology tools have built up the academic achievement and self-esteem of these rural Louisiana middle school students.)

Clip 3: The Key Learning Community: Cultivating Multiple Intelligences (Swimming against the tide, this K-12 Indianapolis school emphasizes exploration and deep understanding over rote memorization)

Clip 4: Principal Derek Pierce on Building Relationships Between Students and Teachers (How a Portland, Maine high school made human relationships the building blocks of high student achievement.)

Clip 5: Mr. D TV 1-14-10 Building Relationships With Students Mid-Year (Topic: Reaching out to students you haven’t built a relationship with. “Mr. D TV” is a weekly teacher advice vlog from the author of “I Want to Teach Forever (teachforever.com). )

Assignment:

Discussion Board: Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Week 6

Text Reading: Read

Diversity in America

Equal is not Enough – Current Issues in Inclusive Education in the Eyes of Children

Watch Video Clips

Clip 1: Big Thinkers: Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences (Edutopia revisits its 1997 interview with the Harvard University professor about multiple intelligences and new forms of assessment.)

Clip 2: The Key Learning Community: Cultivating Multiple Intelligences (Swimming against the tide, this K-12 Indianapolis school emphasizes exploration and deep understanding over rote memorization. )

Clip 3: Multiple Intelligences Leave No Child Behind (Edutopia revisits Indianapolis’s Key Learning Community to see how things have changed since our first look in 2001)

Clip 4: Diversity in Teach For America (Listen as corps members reflect on the importance of bringing diverse perspectives and backgrounds into the classroom.)

Clip 5: Teach For America Alums Reflect

Assignment:

Discussion Board: Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Final Project Due

Discussion Board:

Students must submit one unique comment each week in regards to each of the assigned text reading and reply to a fellow student’s comments at least twice each week. The comments should relate to the material the text reading discusses. Each comment should be at least three sentences in length. The week ends Sunday at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time

If a student works ahead during the six week course they should still post every week for the automatic scoring software to count the postings.

Students are reminded to check the announcement section of the discussion board frequently for items of interest from the faculty.

Students are also reminded to use the email, not the discussion board, to ask questions or make comments directed to their facilitator.

Methods of instruction: Percentage of Course Credit

Video Lectures 20%

Textbook/Articles Readings 10%

Midterm project 25%

Final project 30%

Discussion Board interaction (weekly submissions) 10%

Participation 5%

Grading criteria/system and evaluation activities:

A faculty member will be reviewing students’ answers and providing feedback. Students will be evaluated on their creativity and ability to incorporate techniques from the lecture into the discussion board, research papers, examples, lesson plans and teacher work samples.

University Grading Criteria

Grade Equivalent

97-100% A+

93-96% A

90-92% A-

87-89% B+

83-86% B

80-82% B-

77-79% C+

73-76% C

70-72% C-

69% or below U

Attendance/Participation

It is expected that students will attend all instructional sessions, complete all required activities, and field assignments.

Students who do not post in the discussion area during the first week of class AND do not notify the instructor in advance will be dropped from the course and may be charged a course drop fee.

University Computer Lab/Library Services

Please refer to Section VI in the Student Handbook.

Disability Services

Please refer to Section VII in the Student Handbook.

Due dates of major assignments and projects:

Midterm Project Due Date: TBA

Final Project Due Date: TBA

Midterm Project

Design for Instruction

TWS Standard 4

The teacher designs instruction for specific learning goals, student characteristics and needs, and learning contexts.

Task

Describe how you will design your unit instruction related to unit goals, students’ characteristics and needs, and the specific learning context.

Prompt

Results of pre-assessment. After administering the pre-assessment, analyze student performance relative to the learning goals. Depict the results of the pre-assessment in a format that allows you to find patterns of student performance relative to each learning goal. You may use a table, graph, or chart. Describe the pattern you find that will guide your instruction or modification of the learning goals.

Unit overview. Provide an overview of your unit. Use a visual organizer such as a block plan or outline to make your unit plan clear. Include the topic or activity you are planning for each day/period. Also indicate the goal or goals (coded from your Learning Goals section) that you are addressing in each activity. Make sure that every goal is addressed by at least one activity and that every activity relates to at least one goal.

Activities. Describe at least three unit activities that reflect a variety of instructional strategies/techniques and explain why you are planning those specific activities. In your explanation for each activity, include:

how the content relates to your instructional goal(s),

how the activity stems from your pre-assessment information and contextual factors,

what materials/technology you will need to implement the activity, and

how you plan to assess student learning during and/or following the activity (i.e., formative assessment).

Technology. Describe how you will use technology in your planning and/or instruction. If you do not plan to use any form of technology, provide your clear rationale for its omission.

Suggested Page Length: 3 + visual organizer

Design for Instruction

Rubric

TWS Standard:

The teacher designs instruction for specific learning goals, student characteristics and needs, and learning contexts.

Rating ®

Indicator ¯

1

Indicator Not Met

2

Indicator Partially Met

3

Indicator Met

Score

Alignment with Learning Goals

Few lessons are explicitly linked to learning goals. Few learning activities, assignments and resources are aligned with learning goals. Not all learning goals are covered in the design.

Most lessons are explicitly linked to learning goals. Most learning activities, assignments and resources are aligned with learning goals. Most learning goals are covered in the design.

All lessons are explicitly linked to learning goals. All learning activities, assignments and resources are aligned with learning goals. All learning goals are covered in the design.

Accurate Representation of Content

Teacher’s use of content appears to contain numerous inaccuracies. Content seems to be viewed more as isolated skills and facts rather than as part of a larger conceptual structure.

Teacher’s use of content appears to be mostly accurate. Shows some awareness of the big ideas or structure of the discipline.

Teacher’s use of content appears to be accurate. Focus of the content is congruent with the big ideas or structure of the discipline.

Lesson and Unit Structure

The lessons within the unit are not logically organized organization (e.g., sequenced).

The lessons within the unit have some logical organization and appear to be somewhat useful in moving students toward achieving the learning goals.

All lessons within the unit are logically organized and appear to be useful in moving students toward achieving the learning goals.

Use of a Variety of Instruction, Activities, Assignments and Resources

Little variety of instruction, activities, assignments, and resources. Heavy reliance on textbook or single resource (e.g., work sheets).

Some variety in instruction, activities, assignments, or resources but with limited contribution to learning.

Significant variety across instruction, activities, assignments, and/or resources. This variety makes a clear contribution to learning.

Use of Contextual Information and Data to Select Appropriate and Relevant Activities, Assignments and Resources

Instruction has not been designed with reference to contextual factors and pre-assessment data. Activities and assignments do not appear productive and appropriate for each student.

Some instruction has been designed with reference to contextual factors and pre-assessment data. Some activities and assignments appear productive and appropriate for each student.

Most instruction has been designed with reference to contextual factors and pre-assessment data. Most activities and assignments appear productive and appropriate for each student.

Use of Technology

Technology is inappropriately used OR teacher does not use technology, and no (or inappropriate) rationale is provided.

Teacher uses technology but it does not make a significant contribution to teaching and learning OR teacher provides limited rationale for not using technology.

Teacher integrates appropriate technology that makes a significant contribution to teaching and learning OR provides a strong rationale for not using technology.

Final Project

Lesson Planning Activity

The project will consist of constructing, implementing, and evaluating a lesson plan that incorporates diversity in the classroom. The student should include strategies and techniques emphasized in the course.

The assignment should contain the following information:

A description of the classroom environment (e.g. grade level, student/teacher ratio, race if known, ELL, etc.)

The proposed lesson plan, incorporating strategies and techniques emphasized in the KDS video presentations.

The desired or expected outcome of following the new lesson plan.

An evaluation of the lesson plan and its effect on student learning, attitude, etc. Did the results match your expected outcome? Why or why not? How do you know?

The assignment should be a total of 5-7 pages in length and include 3-5 references.

Use APA format:

Use the standard Cover Page and submit to your course facilitator.

All assignments are done in 12 pt. Times New Roman font and in APA, 5th Edition format.

Add a Reference page that lists items of the authors’ works cited in your document. Use APA format for the items.

Scoring Rubric for Assignment

Total Value: 100 Points (25% of final course grade)

Content of Paper -Value: 70 points – Copy of your lesson plan, your reflections.

Quality of Writing – Value: 20 points – Written work shows superior graduate quality in verbal expression, attention to detail, and correct application of the conventions of the English language. In students’ written work, paragraphing is appropriate with clear thesis statements and supporting details. Sentences are clear and concise. Students vary sentence structure making use of subordinate clauses. Transitional words and phrases are used effectively. Points and ideas are well organized. Word choice is effective. English language conventions are applied correctly (i.e. spelling, capitalization, punctuation, agreement, pronoun usage, sentence structure). 

Format – Value: 10 points – Cover Page, Reference Page and where applicable, citations and references are used correctly and consistently, with clear efforts made to include a wide range of relevant works. For any work requiring citations, students refer to a wide range of suitable sources. All non original ideas are cited correctly and referenced in a reference list. All works in the reference list are cited in the text. Students should follow the writing format and style as required by the APA Publication Manual, 5th Edition.