ADRIENNE ISAACS EDLC 651
IRIS Case Study – Classroom Diversity
Adrienne Isaacs
School of Education, Liberty University
Author Note
Adrienne Isaacs, LUID: L31540624
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this article
should be addressed to Adrienne Isaacs, Email:
ADRIENNE ISAACS EDLC 651
IRIS CASE STUDY: CLASSROOM DIVERSITY
Describe diversity
in today’s
classroom.
Today’s schools are more diverse than ever. In modern classrooms, there
are students with exceptionalities, ELLs, immigrants, impoverished
students, students with different family compositions, etc. Diversity
encompasses a wide range of differences in race, ethnicities, culture,
background experiences, language, socio-economic status, skills, and
abilities.
Why does
understanding
your culture and
your students’
culture matter?
Diversity in the classroom affects student engagement in, receptivity to
and retention of lessons and activities. Educators must understand that
diversity in the classroom creates a wide range of behaviors,
communication styles, interactions, values about education and learning,
etc. Teachers should plan their lessons and activities with the diversity of
their students in mind.
What are five
ways in which
diversity
influences student
learning?
One way that diversity influences student learning is that teachers’
perceptions and expectations can change based upon their own biases,
stereotypes, and cultural experiences. When teachers have different
expectations for their students their approach and teaching style will
differ and therefore affect student outcomes. For example, a teacher may
perceive that a student has low potential and therefore will not give that
student more opportunities to practice, will not provide more time and
prompts for responses to information, nor provide sufficient positive
reinforcement. This will create lower performance in that student (which
is the Pygmalion effect).
Secondly, diversity influences student learning because cultural
differences create different styles of communication and interaction.
Cultural values also affect classroom dynamics. One culture may value
silent observation to indicate learning, whereas another may value
interaction and verbal participation to indicate learning. Teachers should
be aware that students’ learning style and evidence of learning will look
different based upon their cultural background.
Third, diversity influences student learning because linguistic differences
can affect student understanding. Social language and academic language
are different. Social language may be easier for a student to understand
and gain proficiency. However, this does not me that he/she will as
easily understand technical jargon and academic terminology. Academic
vocabulary will have to be explicitly taught. Particularly for ELLs,
instruction that is scaffolded in the students’ native language as well as
English will help with student comprehension and retention of concepts.
Fourth, student learning is affected by exceptionalities. Students with
special needs will require accommodations and modifications. Teachers
must be aware of these exceptionalities to properly provide differentiated
ADRIENNE ISAACS EDLC 651
lessons with supports and services for those students that need them.
Lastly, student learning is affected by socio-economic status.
Statistically, students of lower SES have a higher dropout rate than
students of higher SES. Students of lower SES also score at least 10%
lower of standardized tests of math and reading skills. These students
also enter kindergarten with lower language skills. Students of lower
SES also tend to have more independence at home and may not respond
well to more authoritative limitations of such independence at school.
What are at least 2
considerations for
teaching a diverse
classroom?
Two considerations for teaching in a diverse classroom are that the
educator must be aware of 1- his/her own perceptions, biases and
stereotypical thinking, and the effects of such, and 2- the needs of his
her/students regarding their linguistic needs and exceptionalities. The
teacher must be certain not to have lower achievement expectations for
ELLs and students with special needs. The teacher must carefully
consider his/her actions regarding these students and whether his/her
actions communicate high expectations of those students. Secondly,
teachers must know what needs their ELLs and students with
exceptionalities have. The teachers must be aware of any supports and
services listed in IEPs. The teacher of ELLs must also use proven
techniques that help the language acquisition and achievements of ELLs.
What are 2
strategies to
implement in
teaching a student
with linguistic
diversity?
Two strategies for teaching linguistically diverse students are sheltered
instruction and building on background knowledge. In sheltered
instruction, the teacher must use slow, clear speech, shortened phrases
and simplified vocabulary. Multi-modal techniques (visuals,
demonstrations, etc.) also help in sheltered instruction to support the
students’ understanding. Building upon background knowledge involves
connecting the students’ prior experiences and understanding to connect
with new concepts. It means activating prior knowledge to help support
acquisition of new information.
What are 2
strategies to
implement in
teaching students
with
exceptionalities?
Two strategies to implement in teaching students with exceptionalities
are UDL (universal design for learning) and differentiated instruction.
Universal Design for Learning is research-based and focus on flexible
lesson plans and learning environments, that include teaching methods
and materials that can be adjusted to meet individual needs.
Differentiated instruction follows similar principle—the flexibility to
adjust to individual needs. In differentiated instruction the teachers can
use different strategies within a lesson to be able to appeal to as many
students as possible. For example, the teacher may provide an audio, a
video, and a book, as resources for study. Or he/she may allow a visual
presentation, a physical demonstration or written report as products of
learning. Differentiated instruction provides different avenues for
students to access instruction and demonstrate understanding.
Why do
socioeconomic
SES factors matter in the classroom because students of lower SES tend
to have different experiences in the home which affect their way of
ADRIENNE ISAACS EDLC 651
factors of a student
matter, and how
can a teacher help?
behaving within the classroom. Their home lives can include more
independent time (parent or parents may be working overtime or evening
shifts, and therefore not home to supervise) making students less
responsive to teachers’ approaches that limit their independent decision
making. Students may also have more responsibilities (cooking for
themselves and possibly for siblings, doing homework independently,
etc.) Furthermore, students of lower SES arrive to Kindergarten with less
language skills and perform lower on standardized reading and math
tests.
Teachers can help by understanding families of lower SES, and
attempting to involve these families. Different times for PT conferences
or school events can make participation more accessible for these
parents. Schools can also attempt to connect these families with
community resources such as food banks and clothing banks. The teacher
should also be certain to create a safe and nurturing classroom
environment which is important to all students, especially those of lower
SES.
