Modern-day educators have extended their vision to create global citizens.
Teachers must be culturally sensitive to the diverse populations in our schools.
Classroom Diversity
•Children have changed and more foreign languages are being spoken in our schools
•Teachers must be sensitive to the changes in our schools.
• Teachers must plan to meet the needs of diverse school populations.
• Hold high but realistic expectations for all students.
• Modify plans for special students and Gifted/Talented students.
• LEP (Limited English Proficiency) is a major challenge in some parts of the country. In some schools, more than half the students have a first language other than English.
Multiculturally Sensitive Communication
• Teachers need to develop better communication and listening skills.
• Effective teachers communicate with parents, school administrators, and community leaders.
Education is, in a sense, a “golden door” of opportunity that enables people to transcend social, physical, economic, or cultural barriers to pursue their dreams.
If we want all students to enter this golden door of educational opportunity, teachers must be sensitive to their students’ cultural and academic differences. They need to create culturally sensitive learning communities, develop positive teacher– student–parent relationships, design lessons that motivate all students to learn, and implement those lessons using differentiated instructional strategies to maximize student learning
During classroom interactions and instruction, teachers must keep the special cultural needs of their diverse student population in mind. Diversity means differences among groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area. Thus, teachers must be prepared to identify diverse students’ strengths, weaknesses, aspirations, limitations, and special needs. Today’s classrooms must celebrate diversity.
Most classrooms include students who have documented intellectual, physical, and/or emotional exceptionalities.
In the past, children with special needs were mainstreamed into general education classrooms on a limited basis for a limited number of subjects. Today, mainstreaming has been replaced by inclusion, as children with special needs are taught full-time in a general education classroom by a regular education teacher and specialists.
TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Some planning guidelines for working with students who have special needs follow:
1. Gather information about the nature of the exceptional student’s difference and how that difference might affect the learning process.
2. Seek assistance from district special education or resource experts.
3. Use specialized equipment (typewriters, computers, DVD player, print enlarger, Braille material, etc.) to allow students to function at an optimum level.
4. Individualize the curriculum by adapting materials and teaching strategies to better meet the needs of the exceptional students.
5. Remove physical and psychological barriers that limit exceptional students’ ability to succeed in your classroom.
TEACHING STUDENTS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
A major challenge facing many school districts in many areas of the country is teaching students a second language: English. Limited English students who are learning to communicate reasonably well in English need encouragement and help.
Teaching students who have limited proficiency in English should include the use of plentiful visual displays, demonstrations, dual language texts, bilingual software programs, physical education activities, hands-on activities, group work, artwork, and cooperative learning. Teachers should attempt to communicate with LEP students through gestures, pictures, and any words they know from the students’ native language. Take time to teach English-speaking students some key words, phrases, or gestures so they can build peer relationships as well.
Encourage other students to include LEP students in their activities, explaining that they can make the new students comfortable by helping them learn the standard procedures and popular activities. Always maintain a positive attitude, even though attempting to communicate with LEP students may be challenging.
MOULDING GIFTED/ TALENTED LEARNERS
Gifted children are all different and don’t all have the same traits.
CHARACTERISTICS
• Consistently ahead of the class
• Learns rapidly
• Has an excellent memory
• Uses advanced, adult-like vocabulary
• Has a great sense of humor
• Tests or performs at unusually high levels for his/her age
• Highly imaginative or creative
• Early or avid reader (if too young to read, loves being read to)
• Good at jigsaw puzzles
• Reasons well (good thinker)
• Is a keen observer
• Has a wide range of interests
• Has strong curiosity
• Has a passion and intensity for learning
• Has a long attention span (if interested)
• Easily bored with routine class work and protests loudly or tunes out
• Independent worker that doesn’t like to work in groups
• Perfectionistic
• Perseverant in their interests
• Has high degree of energy
• Prefers older companions or adults
• Morally sensitive
• Shows compassion
• Sensitive (feelings hurt easily)
• Concerned with justice, fairness
• Judgment mature for age at times
• Tends to question authority ( if any undemocratic issues)
Role of teacher
The teachers of extremely gifted children try to make positive and physical relationships that can help the learning of them
• The quality and quantity of the verbal interaction, it is an important factor for the success of the leaning of these children.
• These teachers give great importance to the creativity of the their children.
• Provide the suitable environment support for studies and independent interest of the children.
Student’s Individual Differences
Teachers must be sensitive to and accommodate students’ learning styles.
Gardner suggests that humans have eight different intelligences:
Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory gives classroom teachers two extremely valuable tools that make learning more focused on individual abilities. First, it helps teachers to identify students’ innate strengths and abilities. Second, it enables teachers to design classroom activities that will give students an opportunity to experience working in different areas of intelligence. This will help students discover talents that may otherwise have gone unnoticed or untapped. Teachers need to use Gardner’s multiple intelligences approach to help students embrace who they are?, develop a sense of self, recognize their strengths, and capitalize on talents that will strengthen their self-esteem.
Inclusive practices are an integral characteristic of schools that achieve strong measures of academic success because in inclusive schools, the following characteristics are in place:
• Students are educated whenever appropriate in the general education classroom with teachers skilled in the content taught.
• Access and opportunities to progress in the general education curriculum is greatly facilitated through inclusive practices.
• High expectations for all students are the norm.
• Instruction is differentiated to engage students on the basis of the skill sets, interests, and learning styles.
• Teachers use flexible grouping that includes varied small group instruction, large group, and paired instruction.
• Students are actively engaged in instruction and in their own learning.
• Instructional accommodations and scaffolding are used to increase access to learning and academic success.
The use of a variety of learning strategies has been found to be effective when working with students from diverse backgrounds. Learning strategies or instructional strategies vary based upon the needs of the students.
Five learning strategies have been identified as beneficial for promoting student learning:
1) setting high expectations,
2) self-system of learning,
3) conveying the importance of the lesson,
4) promoting self-efficacy, and
5) understanding the student’s emotions
Teachers must be culturally sensitive to the diverse populations in our schools.
Classroom Diversity
•Children have changed and more foreign languages are being spoken in our schools
•Teachers must be sensitive to the changes in our schools.
• Teachers must plan to meet the needs of diverse school populations.
• Hold high but realistic expectations for all students.
• Modify plans for special students and Gifted/Talented students.
• LEP (Limited English Proficiency) is a major challenge in some parts of the country. In some schools, more than half the students have a first language other than English.
Multiculturally Sensitive Communication
• Teachers need to develop better communication and listening skills.
• Effective teachers communicate with parents, school administrators, and community leaders.
Education is, in a sense, a “golden door” of opportunity that enables people to transcend social, physical, economic, or cultural barriers to pursue their dreams.
If we want all students to enter this golden door of educational opportunity, teachers must be sensitive to their students’ cultural and academic differences. They need to create culturally sensitive learning communities, develop positive teacher– student–parent relationships, design lessons that motivate all students to learn, and implement those lessons using differentiated instructional strategies to maximize student learning
During classroom interactions and instruction, teachers must keep the special cultural needs of their diverse student population in mind. Diversity means differences among groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area. Thus, teachers must be prepared to identify diverse students’ strengths, weaknesses, aspirations, limitations, and special needs. Today’s classrooms must celebrate diversity.
Most classrooms include students who have documented intellectual, physical, and/or emotional exceptionalities.
In the past, children with special needs were mainstreamed into general education classrooms on a limited basis for a limited number of subjects. Today, mainstreaming has been replaced by inclusion, as children with special needs are taught full-time in a general education classroom by a regular education teacher and specialists.
TEACHING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
Some planning guidelines for working with students who have special needs follow:
1. Gather information about the nature of the exceptional student’s difference and how that difference might affect the learning process.
2. Seek assistance from district special education or resource experts.
3. Use specialized equipment (typewriters, computers, DVD player, print enlarger, Braille material, etc.) to allow students to function at an optimum level.
4. Individualize the curriculum by adapting materials and teaching strategies to better meet the needs of the exceptional students.
5. Remove physical and psychological barriers that limit exceptional students’ ability to succeed in your classroom.
TEACHING STUDENTS WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
A major challenge facing many school districts in many areas of the country is teaching students a second language: English. Limited English students who are learning to communicate reasonably well in English need encouragement and help.
Teaching students who have limited proficiency in English should include the use of plentiful visual displays, demonstrations, dual language texts, bilingual software programs, physical education activities, hands-on activities, group work, artwork, and cooperative learning. Teachers should attempt to communicate with LEP students through gestures, pictures, and any words they know from the students’ native language. Take time to teach English-speaking students some key words, phrases, or gestures so they can build peer relationships as well.
Encourage other students to include LEP students in their activities, explaining that they can make the new students comfortable by helping them learn the standard procedures and popular activities. Always maintain a positive attitude, even though attempting to communicate with LEP students may be challenging.
MOULDING GIFTED/ TALENTED LEARNERS
Gifted children are all different and don’t all have the same traits.
CHARACTERISTICS
• Consistently ahead of the class
• Learns rapidly
• Has an excellent memory
• Uses advanced, adult-like vocabulary
• Has a great sense of humor
• Tests or performs at unusually high levels for his/her age
• Highly imaginative or creative
• Early or avid reader (if too young to read, loves being read to)
• Good at jigsaw puzzles
• Reasons well (good thinker)
• Is a keen observer
• Has a wide range of interests
• Has strong curiosity
• Has a passion and intensity for learning
• Has a long attention span (if interested)
• Easily bored with routine class work and protests loudly or tunes out
• Independent worker that doesn’t like to work in groups
• Perfectionistic
• Perseverant in their interests
• Has high degree of energy
• Prefers older companions or adults
• Morally sensitive
• Shows compassion
• Sensitive (feelings hurt easily)
• Concerned with justice, fairness
• Judgment mature for age at times
• Tends to question authority ( if any undemocratic issues)
Role of teacher
The teachers of extremely gifted children try to make positive and physical relationships that can help the learning of them
• The quality and quantity of the verbal interaction, it is an important factor for the success of the leaning of these children.
• These teachers give great importance to the creativity of the their children.
• Provide the suitable environment support for studies and independent interest of the children.
Student’s Individual Differences
Teachers must be sensitive to and accommodate students’ learning styles.
Gardner suggests that humans have eight different intelligences:
- Linguistic
- Logical–mathematical
- Spatial
- Bodily–kinesthetic
- Musical
- Interpersonal
- Intrapersonal
- Naturalistic.
Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory gives classroom teachers two extremely valuable tools that make learning more focused on individual abilities. First, it helps teachers to identify students’ innate strengths and abilities. Second, it enables teachers to design classroom activities that will give students an opportunity to experience working in different areas of intelligence. This will help students discover talents that may otherwise have gone unnoticed or untapped. Teachers need to use Gardner’s multiple intelligences approach to help students embrace who they are?, develop a sense of self, recognize their strengths, and capitalize on talents that will strengthen their self-esteem.
Gardner’s Eight Areas of Intelligence
Teaching Strategies to Address the Multiple Intelligence
Inclusive practices are an integral characteristic of schools that achieve strong measures of academic success because in inclusive schools, the following characteristics are in place:
• Students are educated whenever appropriate in the general education classroom with teachers skilled in the content taught.
• Access and opportunities to progress in the general education curriculum is greatly facilitated through inclusive practices.
• High expectations for all students are the norm.
• Instruction is differentiated to engage students on the basis of the skill sets, interests, and learning styles.
• Teachers use flexible grouping that includes varied small group instruction, large group, and paired instruction.
• Students are actively engaged in instruction and in their own learning.
• Instructional accommodations and scaffolding are used to increase access to learning and academic success.
The use of a variety of learning strategies has been found to be effective when working with students from diverse backgrounds. Learning strategies or instructional strategies vary based upon the needs of the students.
Five learning strategies have been identified as beneficial for promoting student learning:
1) setting high expectations,
2) self-system of learning,
3) conveying the importance of the lesson,
4) promoting self-efficacy, and
5) understanding the student’s emotions
The role of the teacher is that of a gardener. He must provide necessary & suitable learning atmosphere to cater the diverse needs of learner. He should nourish the learners (plants) in the school (garden) with rich & needy learning resources (nutrients) to yield better learning outcomes (fruits).
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