Building Inclusive, Diverse, and Collaborative Classrooms

[unitedbylearning]

Standardized Testing

When the main focus in the classroom is to pass the state test, there isn’t much room for individualized education. Teachers have a lot of pressure for their class to achieve high on state tests. This causes the teachers stress which then causes teachers to mainly focus on the “average” student to be sure that they score well. Since the teacher is focused on the “average” student, students with learning disabilities can be left behind.

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Eurocentric Curriculum

The typical Eurocentric Curriculum primarily focuses on the European accomplishments which minimizes the contribution of the minority experience. This curriculum mainly shows the perspectives of the Europeans and does not connect with the cultural background from other students which often leads to these students feeling less engaged. With a curriculum focusing only on one culture, this can cause students to believe that the concentrated culture is superior, leading minorities groups to feel excluded.

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Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences is based on the idea that people are born better at certain types of learning than others. This means that someone could be musically intelligent. Teachers should find ways to incorporate music into their lessons for students. Gardner's theory is important because it gives a groundwork for teachers to work on. For instance, teachers should try to include nature, movement, or music, along with all of these other types of learning into their lessons so that every student gains something from the lesson.

“Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences and Education.” Infed.Org, 16 July 2024, infed.org/mobi/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-and-education/.

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Types of Learners

To comfortably say that you are broad in your teaching where all of your students can benefit from your teaching is difficult, however, there are ways to ensure you are on the right track. According to the article “How to Recognize and Support Learning Styles in the Classroom” there are four learning styles. 

Visual learners are learners who need graphs, diagrams, or pictures to aid them in learning. Teachers can incorporate more handouts to help these kinds of learners thrive.

Auditory Learning: These learners like listening to lectures more than taking notes. You can help these students learn by letting them have more discussions. This would allow these types of learners to share their thoughts and develop a greater attachment to the lesson.

Reading and Writing learners: These kinds of learners are students who learn through writing. For example, they might read an article and then write a paragraph about what stuck out. To help teach these students, teachers should let students have writing assignments. It is important to know that just because they are not as vocal in discussions they are not learning as much as other students-let them write their thoughts instead.

kinesthetic learners: These learners are students who need movement involved in their learning. For example, to help these students having some assignments where you encourage students to act out a play or historical moment would allow them to move and learn.

“How to Recognize and Support Learning Styles in the Classroom.” GCU, 28 May 2020, www.gcu.edu/blog/teaching-school-administration/how-recognize-and-support-learning-styles-classroom.

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[unitedbylearning]

Selected InTASC Proficiencies Related to Diversity

1(g) The teacher understands the role of language and culture in learning and knows how to modify instruction to make language comprehensible and instruction relevant, accessible, and challenging. (Knowledge)

2(d) The teacher brings multiple perspectives to the discussion of content, including attention to learners’ personal, family, and community experiences and cultural norms. (Performance) 2(k) The teacher knows how to access information about the values of diverse cultures and communities and how to incorporate learners’ experiences, cultures, and community resources into instruction. (Knowledge) 2(l) The teacher believes that all learners can achieve at high levels and persists in helping each learner reach his/her full potential. (Disposition) 2(o) The teacher values diverse languages and dialects and seeks to integrate them into his/her instructional practice to engage students in learning. (Disposition)

3(f) The teacher communicates verbally and nonverbally in ways that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives learners bring to the learning environment. (Performance)

4(m) The teacher knows how to integrate culturally relevant content to build on learners’ background knowledge. (Knowledge) 4(o) The teacher realizes that content knowledge is not a fixed body of facts but is complex, culturally situated, and ever evolving. S/he keeps abreast of new ideas and understandings in the field. (Disposition)

5(g) The teacher facilitates learners’ ability to develop diverse social and cultural perspectives that expand their understanding of local and global issues and create novel approaches to solving problems. (Performance)

6(h) The teacher prepares all learners for the demands of particular assessment formats and makes appropriate accommodations in assessments or testing conditions, especially for learners with disabilities and language learning needs. (Performance)

7(i) The teacher understands learning theory, human development, cultural diversity, and individual differences and how these impact ongoing planning. (Knowledge)

8(k) The teacher knows how to apply a range of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate instructional strategies to achieve learning goals. (Knowledge)

9(e) The teacher reflects on his/her personal biases and accesses resources to deepen his/her own understanding of cultural, ethnic, gender, and learning differences to build stronger relationships and create more relevant learning experiences. (Disposition)

Source: Council of Chief State School Officers. (2013, April). Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) model core teaching standards and learning progressions for teachers 1.0: A resource for ongoing teacher development

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Students with Exceptionalities

Communication, acceptance, and the freedom to grow

Communication: Teachers must be constantly cognizant of the unique needs of their exceptional children. Consistent and clear communication with the student, parents/guardians, IEP team, and potentially nursing staff will allow them to better meet this standard.

Teachers should not be afraid of their own uncertainty, if there is any question about how their student may be better supported, they should be open to having those conversations

Acceptance: A teacher can facilitate the acceptance of an exceptional learner in a classroom by exhibiting an open and positive attitude.

Arguments against integrating children with severe disabilities have often centered on the presumed inability of nondisabled children to accept their peers with disabilities. In reality, some of the reservations may be more a reflection of educators who themselves are unable or unwilling to accept the dignity and worth of individuals with severe disabilities.

Freedom to Grow: aligns with the principle of the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), ensuring exceptional students are included as much as possible in general education settings while receiving the supports they need.

This fosters a sense of belonging and equity, allowing them to collaborate with peers in meaningful ways and benefit from shared experiences and perspectives in diverse classrooms.

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Open Opportunities to Students from All Socioeconomic Groups

The opportunity gaps between students based on the socioeconomic status of their families begin early in a child’s life...

How?

Low-income students are more likely than their affluent peers to suffer from trauma as a result of homelessness, being a victim of a crime, or experiencing death in their families or communities.

Are less likely to attend preschool as 3- and 4-year-olds than children whose families are at the highest income levels.

Many teachers do not expect the students who are in the lower academic group at the beginning of the year to perform at high levels by the end of the year

Knowing this, how can we create classroom environments that open opportunities to students from all SES backgrounds?

Celebrate Student Strengths Beyond Material Wealth Highlight talents, creativity, and hard work rather than material markers of success, like designer clothes and electronics.

For example, rather than a traditional "Show and Tell," where the student brings in a material object, organize it so that students can share skills like art, sports, and cultural traditions, or simply share information about something they are passionate about.

This shift focus from material wealth to personal and collective strengths, fostering a sense of value in all students.

Storytelling from Different Perspectives Incorporate stories or case studies about children or families living in diverse socioeconomic circumstances. Encourage students to see the humanity and complexity behind different economic situations.

Educators must consciously review their expectations for students. Seeing students as individuals rather than as members of a specific socioeconomic group may assist educators in overcoming the classism that exists in the school and the community.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching

" “Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively” - Geneva Gay

Empowers diverse students by making knowledge not only accessible to them but also connected to their lives and experiences outside school.

Affirms the varied cultures of students, and views the cultures and experiences of students as strengths

 Reflects the students’ cultures in the teaching process.

[reasonsforhope]

Sacramento State makes history with new Native American College

The Native American College will welcome its first cohort in Fall 2025 and integrate tribal values, traditions and community engagement to s

"In a historic move Friday [November 8, 2024], Sacramento State announced its new Native American College, a first of its kind in the California State university system. 

The college, a co-curricular institution housed at Sacramento State, will support Native-based education with a focus on leadership and career building. It will offer a diverse range of programs that integrate "tribal values, traditions and community engagement," according to a press release. 

This marks Sacramento State's second ethnic-based institution. The university launched the the nation's first Black Honors college earlier this year. 

The announcement was made at the California State Capitol by President Luke Wood and Dr. Annette Reed, an enrolled member and citizen of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, who will be the first dean of the Native American College. 

Reed said students will have access to faculty mentors, advisors, outreach coordinators and more who have the expertise to work closely with Native American students and can support them holistically. 

She hopes this historic initiative will address low enrollment of Native students pursuing higher education across the state and in the country. Native American students face significant barriers to enrolling in higher education, such as financial constraints, feelings of isolation, historical trauma and lack of culturally relevant curriculum. 

"And so I'm hoping this impacts the students where they go through as a cohort. They can create networks, they can be able to have more of a support system going through and beginning together and hopefully graduating at the end together," Reed said.

Reed recalled taking her first class on Native American studies in 1980. She would later on serve as the director of Native American studies at Sacramento State and chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies. For her, advocating for Native American education was a natural top priority. 

"People always ask me, 'What is Native American studies?' It is history. It is looking at culture. It's looking at teaching sovereignty, federal Indian law. It's teaching social work, art. It's teaching about Native cultural expression, it can be literature," Reed said. 

The Native American College will introduce two new courses, according to Reed, which will be focused on Native American leadership. 

"It means that maybe some of the ones that start in Fall 2025 will end up here at the Capitol. Maybe they'll end up being the future senators or assembly people or the future of people in business. They might be leading our nation as tribal chairs, they might be going into the medical field," Reed said. "But whatever field they go into, leadership is really key." 

Students who want to be in the Native American College can apply after being accepted into the university's general application process. All students will be required to minor in Native American Studies, with an emphasis on Native American leadership."

-via ABC 10, November 8, 2024

[unitedbylearning]

This video gives very helpful tips for teachers when teaching to a diverse class.

[intothestacks]

Looking over my province's new elementary curriculum and

Being a school librarian, I've started reading over the new elementary curriculum my province's government has put out and holy cow. All the teachers hate it and now I know why.

Magnetism, which used to be a Grade 2 science unit (it's perfect for that age, since they still learn mostly through hands-on activities) is now a Grade 4 unit.

Meanwhile, they want to teach Kindergarteners about recycling and why it's important (which will either go way over their heads or will give them anxiety).

They want Grade 2s to be able to "examine properties, types, and selection of materials based on suitability, availability and sustainability".

Grade 3s (8-year-olds!) are now expected to do the Grade 4 unit on simple machines as well as to "investigate creativity and its relationship to computational and divergent thinking".

Grade 5s are learning about atomic particles while also learning some stuff that used to be Grade 1 and 2.

It's all basically a mishmash of "Hey kids, we want you to learn the names of colours -- and also to do junior high physics in the same grade!".

[unitedbylearning]

Expectations are growing further without giving students time to adjust properly.

[diversityineducation-blog]

Diversity education has been proven to work.

[unitedbylearning]

Teaching Philosophies

Within the realm of teaching, there are a few different philosophies that many teachers may not even realize that they are using. Maybe an English teacher loves using the works of Shakespeare to teach morals to her class. This is an example of a teaching philosophy. There are four main types of teaching philosophies: perennialism, essentialism, progressivism, and existentialism. Each philosophy has its strengths and weaknesses. Perennialism can be defined as the belief that when teaching, bringing up older ideas is necessary. This means that teaching should be centered around ideas that have been used throughout generations (like the example of Shakespeare). Essentialism is teaching that is matter-of-fact and centered around the basics. This is common in math classes where students are taught formulas. Essentialism is not focused on teaching students information without the intent of changing society. Progressivism is a teaching philosophy that encourages students to become independent learners. It promotes the idea of using a textbook as a tool rather than their only source of knowledge. Finally, existentialism is a philosophy that is not too common in America. It is surrounded by the idea that each student should learn what they are passionate about. Rather than forcing students to all learn the same lessons, if a student excels in math and is passionate about math, then they should be able to explore math further and not have to also explore language studies or history as thoroughly. 

This website was used to help find the information that I used:

Moore, Danielle, et al. “Philosophical Foundations of Education.” EESE 2010 Introduction to Education, 22 Aug. 2022, mtsu.pressbooks.pub/introtoedshell/chapter/chapter-3-2/#:~:text=Common%20educational%20philosophies%20including%20perennialism,the%20roles%20education%20should%20fill. 

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[intothestacks]

A tip from a school librarian for teachers about classroom libraries

Thinking about how your target audience searches is key to a good organizational system. Organize your classroom library based on how your students search for books.

For younger students, this will likely be by reading level and then topic, while older kids search by topic.

I organize my school library by topic rather than reading level and last year's Grade 5s liked the organization system so much that they reorganized their classroom library in a similar fashion: