Diversity comes in many shapes and sizes, especially in the classroom. The term diversity can be used to describe racial, cultural, and religious differences as well as learning differences that may come from learning disabilities or disorders. Students are extremely complex. Just as teachers foster and cultivate racial, cultural, and religios differences in order to create a better informed student body, teachers need to embrace learning differences and accommodate student needs in order to provide the best learning environment possible. Equity Pedagogy is the term to describe the use of instructional strategies that address the learning characteristics and cognitive styles of diverse populations.
In 1973, Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act ensured that students with disabilities cannot be discriminated against or “excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance” (class notes) . Further, P.L 94-142 enacted “The Education for All Handicapped Children Act”, which outlines the whole basis up which current special education practices are based on. In 1990, IDEA was put into action which outlines the principles deemed most appropriate for individuals with special needs including: free appropriate education, least restrictive environment, individualized education, nondiscriminatory evaluation, due process, zero reject-child find, and teacher evaluation and eligibility. “When students are determined eligible and have Section 504 plans, those plans cover their instructional programs as well as after-school programs, field trips, summer programs, and other extracurricular activities” (Friend & Bursuck, 276).
Students eligible under Section 504 include students with chronic health or medical problems and students with learning problems, and students with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Accommodations should be individualized in order to meet students’ needs and they should be designed to “level the playing field” for the students. These students have unique needs. They may not necessarily need to be in special education, but they do benefit from individualized teaching strategies and help.
Most accommodations rely on the teacher changing work load and expectations in response to time and test administering, but administration may also need to be involved. Accommodations you may make for students with chronic health or medical problems: occasional rest periods, breaks sot he student may take medication, exemption from certain physical activities, and extra provisions for making up missed assignments. Accommodations you may make for students with learning problems: remedial reading instructions, separate testing, extended time, access to text-to-speech software, tests may be read aloud.
ADHD
Children with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder suffer because they have a difficult time controlling their energy and therefore their behavior. Children with ADHD have an inability to regulate their attention and to develop executive functions. This makes it difficult for students to pay attention to one thing at a time, including schoolwork. When routines and tasks are laid out for students, they have a much easier time controlling their behavior.
In order to best accommodate students, it is most important to understand the behavior disorder, AD/HD, also known as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Five out of every 100 children have ADHD, diagnosed or undiagnosed. ADHD is the inability to sit still and pay attention. Characteristics may include: fidgeting, squirming, running around, talking too much, being interruptive, blurt out answers, and not abide by social cues due to impulsivity.
There are three types of ADHD:
1. Predominantly inattentive (daydream, miss directions, lose things)
2. Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive(move around, think before act, blurt out answers)
3. Combined type (have difficulty focusing and restricting movement)
Students with ADHD are often medicated. Many students greatly benefit from being medicated. This is a decision made my parents along with physicians. An educator must not tell a student or parents that their child/student should be medicated. Teachers should be made aware of medication use, teachers and parents should tell the school nurse about medication use, and should be prepared to respond to parental and medical question regarding performance or behavior possibly related to medication.
As a teacher, here are some ways to help students with behavior intervention:
· Give clear directions for all homework and in-class assignments.
· Provide a rationale as to why the student should complete the assignment.
· Have students repeat back directions in order to check for understanding.
· Break long assignments down into shorter assignments.
· Schedule a time in which you can provide feedback to the students.
· Communicate student strengths.
· Keep instruction fast paced.
· Use movement during instruction.
· Tailor questions to student knowledge and skills.
· Use visual organizers.
· Draw on student interests.
· Place a checklist on the desk.
· Seat the child near the teacher.
· Provide the student with a fidget toy.
· Post-its to warn of bad behavior or compliment on good behavior.
· Figure out what are the specifics that are hard for the student.
· Post rules, assignments, and schedules.
· Follow clear routines.
· Allow the student to channel their energy. (Standing up while doing work as long as it is not disruptive for others, a bouncy ball chair, or have the student come up to the board often.)
· Give explicit directions.
· Break down instructions into small parts.
· Provide breaks.
· Keep group settings small.
· Provide a quiet spot in the classroom.
· Use cues.
· Help student with class transitions by giving them warnings.
· Use positive reinforcement by rewarding good behavior.
· Be in contact with parents.
· Be firm and consistent.
· Expect success.
Cultural diversity
It is commonly known that the racial, cultural, and religious diversity in the classroom has been drastically growing in recent decades. It continues to escalate and increase at faster than ever rates. In 1972, 22% of students were of minority groups. In 2006, 43% of students were of minority groups. In 2006, 70% in the nation’s largest schools were of minority groups. 11% of all students receive ELL services
nExtraordinarily high failure rates
Diversity is being redefined; recent research has shown that students that do not come from “Anglo-European backgrounds sometimes experience extraordinarily high failure rates in school” (Friend & Bursuck, 295).
- Students often lack role models from their racial and ethnic minority.
- Textbooks often have cultural biases and omit culturally important information.
- Teaching practices do not always practice student-centered learning and can put students at a disadvantanve due to background and experiences.
- School policies and practices do not always best serve students
Put away all books and reports, then listen. Learn from families from all cultures, Understand cultural values and traditions. Respond with respect and sensitivity. Try to better understand contradictions in expectations between home and school. Acknowledge that there may be miscommunications and language barriers. Learn fundamental characteristics of student backgrounds. Identify strengths and weaknesses. Understand that cultural factors influence student behavior. Find means to enhance communication with non-native English speakers. Keep a balance between material. Make class assignments culturally involved and friendly. Examine teaching practices from a family perspective.
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