In my twenty-plus years as an educator, I have seen many changes in our educational system. I have witnessed the explosion of technology in instruction and the change to more rigorous, student-centered teaching. However, the biggest change I have witnessed has been in the families of my students. Not only has the family structure changed, but the diversity of the families I serve has changed, as well. Many of the students on our campus are now coming from limited English speaking or economically disadvantaged homes. However, as an educator, I am still responsible for meeting the educational needs of these diverse populations.
Immigration is changing the composition of America and thereby changing the public education system. Lapkoff and
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One way is to help teachers understand the need to focus on the strengths, not the weaknesses, of the ELL students to help them be successful in a regular U.S. educational setting. Teachers should differentiate instruction to build on the students’ assets and encourage literacy skills applicable across all subject areas (Perez & Holmes, 2010). An area of concern for all students, but especially for ELL students, is content area vocabulary. Teachers need to find multiple ways to address content vocabulary. Graphic organizers, diagrams, charts, and other models can help bridge the language gap. These strategies would scaffold diverse students thereby providing a greater likelihood of participation and success within the classroom. In addition, educators need to remember to minimize the use of idioms and complex sentence structures when working with ELL students and include visuals and gestures as much as possible (Perez & Holmes, 2010). By building these connective strategies in classrooms, teachers can help ELL students transition into content areas and provide successful educational experiences for …show more content…
In 2000, Delores Pena studied the barriers that can occur in diverse populations. She found that disadvantaged parents often see school communities as part of a parent clique. Parents, especially those who are of low income, do not feel comfortable participating in schools because they feel that only parents who are in the clique are respected by teachers (Pena, 2000). Furthermore, the low income parents may feel that these clique parents look down on them. Whether these feelings are only perceived or if they are true, they still present a barrier that is hard to overcome. I know that in my own school, I have witnessed these types of parent cliques. Many low income parents don’t have the financial resources to buy the fanciest treats for parties or other class activities. As a teacher leader, I need to make all parents feel a part of the school culture. I would like to see teachers have more training and professional development on the effects poverty has on the economically disadvantaged students. It is important for teachers to realize the vast differences that exist among the financial resources of the students. Years ago, I overheard two parents talking in a local grocery store about an at-home project that their child’s teacher had sent home. One of the parents was complaining that the teacher sent home a project every month and this month she just didn’t
While differentiating instruction and being able to design lessons geared towards the needs of diverse learners are currently highly prized skills for teachers, this has not always been the case. The history of education in the United States is a history of segregation. Even today, schools and curriculum are designed to meet the needs of a core group of students, which does not include students with disabilities (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002). In the past, learners who were different, out of the mainstream, or did not fit into the mold to which teachers taught (were not part of the core) learned how or lost out on learning. This is not to say that teachers of the past did not care about their students, about being effective teachers, or about student learning. However, as schools are mirrors reflecting mainstream societal norms (Chartock, 2010; Delpit, 2006)—and, given that our society has not always valued diversity in people, be it due to disability, class, culture, or race—teachers in the past have largely focused their efforts where they could earn the largest return on their investment: the average student .
As a future educator, I have reflected on how my own personal experiences have formed me into the person that I am today, and how I can use my experiences to help my future students. I have also reflected on how I can information about family systems as well as risk and resiliency to better understand families that I will work with in the future, as well as how children with special needs impact a family’s structure. I believe all of these components are essential for teacher, student, and family collaboration and success.
It has been shown time and time again that a child’s family and background plays a substantial role in the future of a child. There have been a plethora of studies regarding the idea that students with a higher cultural capital, such as middle-class children, receive more assistance from teachers or rather just simply do better in their classes. It has been demonstrated that many of these middle-class students were instilled with this sense of entitlement and with that they have no fears of being looked down upon because they have been encouraged to speak out.
The definition of immigration has developed to include a profound understanding of migration. Immigration has put an emphasis on the effects of school funding. Evidence suggests that the largest challenge in school funding is the result of increase in migrant children in schools. As a result, as the South Carolina State Superintendent of Instruction a policy must be in place for the anticipated increase of immigrant children.
Immigration played a large part in public education. With so many children immigrating to America for an education, schools were being packed with students. However, many of these students were not going to school and instead were working in
Even when low-income schools manage to find adequate funding, the money doesn’t solve all the school’s problems. Most importantly, money cannot influence student, parent, teacher, and administrator perceptions of class and race. Nor can money improve test scores and make education relevant and practical in the lives of minority students. School funding is systemically unequal, partially because the majority of school funding comes from the school district’s local property taxes, positioning the poorest communities at the bottom rung of the education playing field. A student’s socioeconomic status often defines her success in a classroom for a number of reasons.
There are many challenges that teachers encounter when teaching children with learning disabilities, learners that are English language learners, or learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse. As a nation we are faced with the challenged that our schools are becoming more diverse. The majority of our schoolteachers are still predominately white females, but our student population is slowly changing. We are seeing more minority groups in our schools that are facing different challenges. The scary part of it all is that our teachers do not have the skills to accommodate those differences. “The nation’s changing school demographics are creating a demand for new teaching skills” (Utley, Obiakor, & Bakken 2011, pg. 5). Our student population
There has been a major change in the past thirty years regarding the amount of immigrants coming to the United States. The impact the immigrants have had on education and diversity is unbelievable. There are many factors which contribute to the element of diversity in education, such as each student 's culture, the different languages each student speaks, promoting gender equality amongst students, and working with students who have exceptionalities. As today 's educators, teachers must understand diversity from an omniscient perspective and the influence it has on students, making the process of getting an education as equal and pleasant as possible for all students.
Children are unique individuals with different desires and needs. They provide challenges for teachers to meet and conquer. Some of these many differences stem from the diversity of the students in the classroom. Ultimately, much of this diversity comes from the many special family situations in which students live. Cultural factors, prior experience with education, family structure, and socioeconomic factors all have effects on children’s education.
Parents and community members want to know that their contributions towards the campus are valued and appreciated. Many times we take for granted those events occurring around us. It is crucial we express gratitude towards those people investing in increasing student achievement. Stakeholders want to feel accepted and worthy in their contributions to the campus. In addition, communities are made up of different types of culture, race and income status making the culture diverse which may act as a barrier in creating a positive atmosphere. Yet, this type of misunderstanding can be avoided by simply asking questions in a respectful manner. School leaders must make parent and community involvement a priority, valuing and accepting each other’s differences. “Schools provide wonderful opportunities to bring together students, families, educators and other community members to build the collaborative partnerships that promote quality educational, recreational, and social opportunities for all citizens” (Lechtenberger and Mullins, 2004, p. 21). Schools, parents and community members must work together to support all students in a learning environment to ensure every student is a successful lifetime
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students gaining a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably than a judgmental and prejudiced view.
The world is currently undergoing a cultural change, and we live in an increasingly diverse society. This change is not only affect the people in the community but also affect the way education is viewed. Teaching diversity in the classroom and focusing multicultural activities in the programs can help improve positive social behavior in children. There is no question that the education must be prepared to embrace the diversity and to teach an increasingly diverse population of young children.
I believe it is important to first analyze the word diversity when examining the need for diversity within a classroom. According to Webster's New Pocket Dictionary, diversity means variety, a number of different kinds. I often discuss and read about diversity in terms of cultural backgrounds; the unification of histories and stories from people from all over the world. Although, I believe that in a higher-educational setting, diversity can also be discussed as the acceptance of the various minds within a classroom. I believe that it is important to recognize the thoughts and experiences of others in a learning environment. Collectively, students learn from teachers, teachers learn from students, and students learn from their peers. By allowing diversity within the classroom, a sense of community can develop. Diversity encourages an active, not passive, learning style. I believe that the culture of Columbia College Chicago is dependent on diversity. The motto “Create Change,” suggests students actively seek the change they want to see in the world. In order to obtain change a community developed out of diversity must be discovered.
There are many factors that play a role in the learning process for every human being. Race, religion, language, socioeconomics, gender, family structure, and disabilities can all affect the ways in which we learn. Educators must take special measures in the delivery of classroom instruction to celebrate the learning and cultural differences of each of their students. As communities and schools continue to grow in diversity, teachers are searching for effective educational programs to accommodate the various learning styles of each student while promoting acceptance of cultural differences throughout the classroom. It no longer suffices to plan educational experiences only for middle-or upper class white learners and then expect students of other social classes and cultures to change perspectives on motivation and competition, learning styles, and attitudes and values that their homes and families have instilled in them (Manning & Baruth, 2009).
According to David O. McKay (2013), multicultural education is constructed to prepare pupils for citizenship in a democratic society by facilitating them to take into account the needs of all individuals; it shed light on how issues of language, ethnicity, culture, religion race, abilities/disabilities, and gender are entwined with educational content and processes. A multicultural curriculum is needed to accommodate for diverse learning and teaching styles of facilitators and pupils and to expose biases, stereotypes, and policies that can restrict achievement. What is more, a multicultural curriculum is also needed to help pupils, faculty, and staff become advocates for multicultural awareness, to ensure that content is fair, accurate, and inclusive, and to prepare pupils for diverse workplaces and multicultural environments. In writing this paper, the author will describe key issues of culturally diverse students, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In addition, she will describe three key issues of male and female students recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In closing, she will describe three key issues of students with disabilities, who are mainstreamed, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected.