PRQ #2

Engaging and Supporting Diverse Learners

Meagan Smith

EDUG 501

September 13, 2016

Mrs. Pishas 3rd grade class is filled with faces of students of all different backgrounds. At

the beginning of the year, she made sure to make an effort to get to know her students

individually. She learned about their strengths and their weaknesses, their abilities and

disabilities, as well as their cultures and backgrounds. In an effort to give each student the best

possible education they deserve, Mrs. Pisha follows the principles of Universal Access.

Universal Access provides equal opportunity in education, regardless of social class, gender,

ethnicity background or physical and mental disabilities. As a teacher, I plan to emphasize and

support this belief for all students, including diverse learners. I plan to provide equal opportunity

for students with special needs as well as English-language learners (ELLs) by going the extra

mile to get to know them, create a safe environment, assess their needs, and adjust instruction to

support their learning.

The first step in engaging and supporting diverse learners is getting to know the students.

As a teacher, it will be a privilege, as well as a responsibility to serve the students to the best of

my ability. By taking the time to get to know these students, teachers learn important things such

as cultural background and socioeconomic status. I would get to know my students through Get

to Know Me activities, where I can be introduced into the different backgrounds from which

they come from. (TPE 1.1) From these things, I will know exactly what the best ways for the

students to learn. For example, if I find that one student comes from a low socioeconomic

household, I will be aware that homework may be a little more difficult to get done at home, due

to the large number of people living in a small home. Then, I can communicate or find ways to

help the student find a place to get their homework done.

Creating a safe learning environment is another important aspect of engaging and

supporting diverse learners. I plan to manage a classroom that shares encouraging words and

respect for all students. After being aware of the students backgrounds, it is easier to make a

classroom feel like a second home for them. According to Teacher Performance Expectation 2.2,

teachers should create learning environments that promote productive student learning,

encourage positive interactions among students, and reflects diversity and multiple perspectives.

This should mean that no student will feel uncomfortable about being themselves in the

classroom. According to Methods for Effective Teaching, ELLs are not only functioning in two

languages, but also two cultures (page 21). A safe learning environment is only safe if it can cater

to the needs of all students, including students with disabilities. One example of this would to

make the classroom accessible for a student in a wheel chair. If all students, including the student

with a disability can easily access all parts of the classroom, teachers even out the playing field

for all student learning making their clear expectations easily accessible for all students.

After getting to know the students, it should begin to become apparent as to which, if any,

students are ELs or have disabilities. TPE 1.4 addresses that teachers should use strategies,

resources, and assistive technology to best satisfy the needs of their students. One way to assess

the needs of students is through a Response to Intervention (RTI). An RTI is a strategy to

intervene and give instruction for struggling students (class notes). The strategy is formed into

three tiers. First, the teacher assesses students by giving all students access to the same high

quality instruction. From there, the teacher is able to rule which students will need targeted

intervention. Once these students are picked out, they are given special instruction to help them

succeed. However, if the struggle in the subject area continues, they will move towards the third

tier specialized instruction.

Another way to engage and support diverse learners in the classroom is assistive

technology. After finding the needs of students through assessments such as an RTI or EIP,

teachers identify the students who may need these advances. According to Transforming

Learning with New Technologies, assistive technologies make it possible for individuals with

hearing, sight, mobility, or cognitive challenges to translate text and understand spoken words

and data with the aid of a supportive tool. These technologies come in a variety of sources and

make student learning possible for each student.

As a teacher, it will be my responsibility to promote student success by providing

opportunities to understand and advocate for strategies that meet their individual learning needs.

(TPE 4.5) After studying Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligences, I have found that being

aware of these intelligences is a tool for supporting and engaging all learners in the classroom.

Gardners Multiple Intelligences is the idea that each of us has a number of relatively

independent mental faculties, which can be termed our multiple intelligences (Gardner). These

include linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal,

intrapersonal, and naturalist. If a teacher can identify a students strength or intelligence, she can

use that as a strategy to engage the student in learning. For example, if an ELL student is a

spatial learner, the teacher can come up with strategies that get the student up and moving around

the classroom to better understand the content. This reflects TPE 1.8, which shares that the

teacher should adjust instruction to support all student learning.

Every classroom looks different. Some classes are filled with students just learning to

speak English, while others may have a student in a wheel chair or with a hearing disability.

Some classrooms may have both! It is important for teachers to be able to support and engage all

students, including diverse learners, in their educational curriculum. Through strategies such as
PRQ #2 Smith5

getting to the know the students to really understand them, assessing their needs through various

processes, using assistive technologies for the students who need them, or understanding a

students intelligence, I as a teacher, can truly understand how to best serve the students.

References:

California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, (2016). Teacher Performance

Gardner H. (2010). Multiple intelligences. http://www.howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

Maloy, R. W., Verock-OLoughlin, R.-E., Amherst, M., Edwards, S. A., Woolf, P., & Woolf,
B. P. (2013).Transforming learning with new technologies (withMyEducationKit)(2nd
ed.).Boston: Pearson.

Mun V. (2016) Vanguard University EDUG 501

Strauss, V. (2013, October 16). Howard Gardner: Multiple intelligences are not learning
styles.Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-
sheet/wp/2013/10/16/howard-gardner- multiple-intelligences- are-not- learning-styles/