Diversity and the Classroom

This week, I wanted to write about Diversity in the class room.  It is an important part of life as well as life in the classroom to enrich students’ understanding of the different cultures of the world.  I know that there are probably still some school systems that are predominately one race with a few others in the mix.  In an article (very lengthy article) I read on ASCD.org:

“Students who learn to work and play collaboratively with classmates from various cultures are better prepared for the world they face now—and the world they will face in the future. Teaching and learning strategies that draw on the social history and the everyday lives of students and their cultures can only assist this learning process.” (ASCD.org)

The significance of allowing students to interact personally and intellectually is important to developing the students awareness even into adulthood of how different cultures live.  The teacher plays a large part in that development and can use lessons to encourage students to learn.  This is an important part of the Social Studies curriculum.  But, diversity goes beyond nationality or race.  It can be gender, learning styles and physical/emotional/mental differences.  You may have a student with Autism, a student who is very quiet and reserved, a student who is bouncing off the wall and a student who is just not paying attention.  As a teacher it is important to learn how to handle all of these situations and connect with all of these different types of students.  From an article at Harvard.edu:

“Teaching to the wide range of diversities we find in our classrooms is one of the hardest and most important aspects of our job as instructors. Diversity comes in many forms: personality, race, gender, class, ethnic background, sexual orientation, religion, class, natural aptitude for and previous training in the subject matter, the range and types of previous experience are among them.” (harvard.edu)

These are not issues to simply tip toe around, but they are important to address and learn ways to instruct students to treat others respectfully.  I think that having plenty of diversity in the classroom is a great and wonderful thing.  It prepares students for the world and the differences they may find in their community and workforce.  It also helps teach about different parts of the world and relate it to real life.  There are many people in the world who have Physical and mental difficulties, and teaching students to respect and effectively work with their friends and neighbors with these life challenges is important.  

For my future classroom, I plan on incorporating different cultural themes throughout the year. I would love the idea of even having different cuisine samples for students to try (accounting for allergies and cultural traditions: aka: parental permission). I also would like to implement different mini lessons on how some people have physical difficulties and mental difficulties but that doesn't stop them from accomplishing their goals. Here is an example of what I might share:

This area of expertise would connect to the NC Teaching Standard: 2: (Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students).  With more and more ELL students in the 21st century learner classroom, we as teachers need to be mindful of how to best incorporate different culture and traditions as well as help other students learn how to commune with other students who may not be the same nationality, religion, or have the same abilities as them.  

Resources:

-http://bokcenter.harvard.edu/classroom-dynamics-diversity

-http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107003/chapters/Diverse-Teaching-Strategies-for-Diverse-Learners.aspx

Images:

-https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/55/7f/0b/557f0bff8c6b628254fb6844b1978779.jpg

-https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/78/f4/d2/78f4d2b11352dec52101a4c8d1a4e71d.jpg

How Guided Reading Improves Productivity

In a recent article from EdSurge.com, I thought about how to improve my future students' reading and comprehension abilities. This article imparted a simple and effective method to helping students reach their full potential. Now we all know that each student is going to learn in a different way mostly and each student will have a different reading level and ability. Our goal, our mission, our challenge, is to include them all in the lesson and at the same time, enhance their potential on what ever level they are at.

 

One of the biggest take aways for me was establishing a routine. From the article: "Children tend to be more engaged when a routine is established. I’ve found that this is especially true in getting kids to respond to guided reading, since part of the learning is done independently." (edsurge.com) Routine is definitely a must in any classroom, especially if you have students on the Autism Spectrum.  With a routine, you are able to establish each day what you expect out of the students and what they can expect during the class time.  With Reading, routine will help the students relax and be able to focus on what they are learning.

Another idea was to break lesson plans down into sections.  " I start each lesson with a question, then go into reading, then ask a skill-based question, like why each detail in a book supports the main idea.  I then end the session with an open ended or multiple choice question, leaving time to provide feedback on the students’ answers." (edsurge.com) This helps the students with the first idea: routine. Irma, the teacher from the article, stated that this was great for students to know what was going to happen throughout the lesson so that they will be prepared for the questions.  It helps them dig in a little deeper into the content so they can be on their A game.  Dedicating enough time for Reading is sometimes a challenge.  You have to be creative with your time and integrate reading into other subject areas.  This will also improve student's knowledge of vocabulary and relate their readings to the subject they are reading about. 

The article also spoke of Reading stations to get students some differentiated reading time in.  This particular class room used the Daily 5 as a template to encourage students to explore different methods of reading and comprehension.  One section of this independent reading time is devoted to vocabulary, one is devoted to writing.  So students are "occupied" at each station while the teacher is able to work one on one or within a group to help each student with a problem area.  I witnessed this style of reading time when I visited with one of my clinical class rooms.  I think it is a great way to organize the class to have the most impact in what little time you have in the day.  Again, keeping with the consistent model, this will have a great impact on the students' progress.  

This will certainly align with the teaching standards 1: Teachers Demonstrate Leadership

 4: Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students and 6: Teachers Contribute to the Academic Success of Students.  As teachers it is important to create the best possible outcomes and environments for your students.  Using technology, consistency, and organization, the teacher should be able to facilitate a great environment and structure for student's to learn.  I plan to use some of these methods in my future classroom.  I think they will be very beneficial to my students as well as help me as a teacher leader to instruct the entire class effectively and efficiently.  The more tools and tips we have the better and the best learning is accomplished by trying new things.  

Resources:

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-02-13-guided-reading-how-to-organize-the-chaos


Photos:

http://www.d118.org/creek/classes/reading_teachers/IMAGES/read.gif

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--K6x-gFUt--/17hnqm2c5cujyjpg.jpg

21 Century Learner

This week, as I was browsing through some twitter feeds, I clicked on a link that led me to a framework for 21st century learners.  I really thought this was a really great illustration of what it means for students to grow throughout their school career.  Below is the info-graphic:

“The P21 Framework represents both 21st century student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the rainbow) and support systems (as represented by the pools at the bottom).” (p21.org)  In other words, the top section is what we hope students can learn from those areas listed and the bottom part would be the systems and tools used to create a platform for those actions to happen.  All of them interconnect and if used properly should really help all students succeed.  

The student outcomes listed include many of the methods we have been learning about in our other courses as well as SSED307.  From the bottom, the rainbow graphic shows that the development and mastery of subjects; (reading, writing, ELA, Math, Science, etc….) are the foundation of what we want our students to know think about and understand.  Using the 4c’s (critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication, the students will learn what it means to work as a team and think outside the box.  Moving to the right, implementing the knowledge and use of technology and other innovations, will contribute to students progressing in learning how to effectively use these items to enhance what they know and how to present, expand or transpose what they are learning.  In the process of collaboration and integrating technology, the students learn more about life skills and how to effectively connect with other people.  This is the hope anyway.  

So how do you create and environment to thrive in a 21st Century classroom?  I believe the Essential Standards as well as State Standards are the bedrock and foundation to beginning to improve the student’s environment.  Further down the rung of the picture, curriculum and instruction are next.  It is imperative that the teacher understands the curriculum (NCPTS 3 Teachers Know the Content They Teach), knows how to deliver it in an interesting and engaging way as well as meet the requirements of the standards to ensure the student is understanding the content.  This can prove to be a very tough job, but it is possible, obviously.  In order for teachers to improve upon their methods, they will need to spend time in Personal Development (PD) to build upon their knowledge as well.  This correlates with NCPTS 4: Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students.  This is something I am really digging into more and more as I progress toward being a teacher.  Learning environment is the last portion.  Creating a workspace for your students to explore, learn and be encouraged is important to student development as well.  Making sure you have plenty of opportunity to read, research, create, and collaborate with one another is important.  When all of these are in relation to one another, our students will have a great place to thrive and learn.  

Resources: http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework

How Intrinsic Motivation Works in the Classroom

I have been thinking lately about different methods to lead students in and through different subjects and lessons.  Each class, each student is different.  Differentiation is such an important part of what we do to prepare each student for assessment and moving on to the next grade level.  Though it is important to not stress students out or to limit their growth potential.  So how do you do that among overachievers, underachievers and those who are trying their hardest?  Each student is motivated by different things.  Some are motivated by EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION: good grades, points and acknowledgment and others are motivated by INTRINSIC MOTIVATION: interest in what they are learning, motivated because they love the content.  In an article from Edutopia, Amy Conley stated:

"Dweck found that praising students for intelligence actually made kids less likely to take academic risks because, on some level, they feared losing the label of "smart" if they did poorly."

edutopia.com

She found that in her classroom, most of the time "praising" or applauding students can limit their growth.  If students are unaware of areas they need to improve on and rely completely on a good grade, they may not be getting the info.  Meaning they are hitting the mark, but they are not understanding and absorbing the material as well.  Most students can memorize math problems or history but if they can't explain their reasoning, then do they really know the content?  Amy then states:

"Students praised for working through difficult material wanted to show they could do so again, with the cumulative effects of long-term academic success, confidence in trying situations, and happier outlooks." edutopia.com

So it seems, from her experience it is possible to stretch students by using intrinsic motivation.   So how do we make the content interesting and prompt them to do more or go beyond their comfort zone?  How do we correct students without crushing them.  How do you enhance the learning experience for the student who is really concerned about getting straight A's and push them without discouraging them?  It is a balance for sure.  We need to get students talking about the "why" of what they are learning.  "That is the correct answer, but why?"  Getting students to think about what they are writing in ELA and how they come to conclusions about their answers in Science class will help them develop a better understanding of what they are studying.  From another article:

-"When teachers and parents nurture their children's natural curiosity about the world by welcoming their questions, encouraging exploration, and providing a supporting and encouraging environment, they are giving their children the message that learning is worthwhile and satisfying." journey to excellence

and:

-"The researcher Cyril Houle (1966) conducted one of the most well known studies on what motivates learners and identified three distinct motivational styles:

• Goal-oriented learners - who use learning to accomplish clear objectives such as passing exams and tests.
• Activity-oriented learners - who use learning as a means of socialising with others and developing relationships.
• Learning-oriented learners - who seek knowledge for its own sake and for personal growth. journey to excellence

When you are able to understand and see these styles in your students, you are able to better plan and lead your student to a deeper understanding of the content.  I really like the intrinsic approach though I can see some limitations possibly with it.  Some students will need the extrinsic motivation because they only want the good grade.  Some students just don't care either way and it is important for teachers to find different ways to motivate them.  The main thing is be consistent and not overbearing.  I think for the most part though it is a great way to teach.  

This method can be associated with the Teacher Standards: 1a2: Teacher Draws on appropriate data to develop classroom and instructional plans.  This means that the teacher understands the way students learn through assessing their behavior and academic progress and how each one effects the other.  It also can represent 2a1: Maintains a positive and nurturing learning environment.  This effects all students in the class.  Hopefully it will motivate all types of learners.  3a2: Student learning can be positively impacted by effective literacy instruction that is integrated across all content areas.  Getting students involved in the process and to think about what they are reading or writing on a deeper level will likely help them to grasp the information. I can also see how this would apply to standards 4 and 6 as well.  

WORKS CITED:

-journey to excellence

-http://www.edutopia.org/blog/intrinsic-motivation-growth-mindset-writing-amy-conley?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialflow%20

PHOTOS:

-http://elearningworld.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/davinci.jpg

-http://www.mehr-fuehren.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Esel-mit-karotte.jpg

OTHER RESOURCES:

www.themotivatedschool.com

www.centreforconfidence.co.uk