Discussion: Becoming an Agent of Change

© 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 1 of 3

RWRCOEL Diversity Proficiencies

1. Awareness of Self: The candidate demonstrates self-awareness of social identities, cultural influences, biases, and prejudices that influence professional practice.

2. Understanding the Learner: The candidate demonstrates awareness of

students’ prior learning, culture, family, and community values to improve teaching and learning.

3. Learning Environment: The candidate creates a learning environment that

affirms individual differences, supports the diverse learning needs of all students, and makes learning experiences meaningful and culturally relevant.

4. Planning, Instruction, and Assessment: The candidate designs, delivers,

and/or facilitates instruction and assessments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

© 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 3

5. Professional Practice: The candidate works collaboratively with others to create

equitable and inclusive professional practices that lead to positive social change.

Diversity Proficiencies and Indicators

1. Awareness of Self: The candidate demonstrates self-awareness of social identities, cultural influences, biases, and prejudices that influence his/her professional practice.

a. The candidate demonstrates awareness of the impact that culture, gender,

language abilities, and socio-economic status have on one’s ability to be an effective educator.

b. The candidate articulates potential biases (e.g., prejudices and stereotypes)

based on his/her own experiences and societal inequalities. c. The candidate articulates the impact that societal inequalities may have on

his/her relationships with students, colleagues, and families.

2. Understanding the Learner: The candidate demonstrates awareness of students’ prior learning, culture, family, and community values to improve teaching and learning. a. The candidate demonstrates an understanding of students' families, cultures,

and communities and uses this information as a basis for connecting instruction to students' experiences.

b. The candidate demonstrates an understanding of how students learn and develop and provides a variety of learning opportunities adapted to the needs of diverse learners that support intellectual, social, and personal development.

3. Learning Environment: The candidate creates a learning environment that

affirms individual differences, supports the diverse learning needs of all students, and makes learning experiences meaningful and culturally relevant. a. The candidate creates learning experiences that make the content meaningful

and culturally relevant for all students.

b. The candidate creates a learning environment where students learn about, understand, respect, and value individual differences.

© 2016 Laureate Education, Inc. Page 3 of 3

c. The candidate uses verbal and nonverbal communication skills that demonstrate respect for and responsiveness to the cultural backgrounds and differing perspectives of students and their families.

d. The candidate creates a positive learning environment that upholds the belief

that all students can learn.

4. Planning, Instruction, and Assessment: The candidate designs, delivers, and/or facilitates instruction and assessments that meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

a. The candidate develops instructional content that is adapted to individual

needs and supports, including the use of technology, to support students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and personal development.

b. The candidate incorporates cultural diversity, students’ prior learning

experiences, and the community context in instructional planning to improve teaching and student learning.

c. The candidate considers performance data to select and use teaching

strategies that are sensitive to the diverse learning needs of all students.

d. The candidate designs instruction and selects assessments appropriate to individual and group needs to minimize bias.

5. Professional Practice: The candidate works collaboratively with others to

create equitable and inclusive practices that lead to positive social change.

a. The candidate demonstrates effective reflection strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

b. The candidate collaborates with colleagues, families, and community members in intercultural contexts to meet the diverse learning needs of all students.

c. The candidate advocates for positive social change by working collaboratively

with others for equity in educational practices.

d. The candidate interprets and shares student assessment data with families using a culturally sensitive approach.