Introduction
In class, a teacher can observe diversity, which can also become a big challenge. Dealing with a diverse range in the class seems worthy. However, some appropriate strategies are to be shaped and executed to predict some results. Language and culture are two important elements, which can drive diversity. By understanding these differences, the educator can implement strategies.
Differentiated Instruction
Differentiated instruction is a process of designing different lessons, which are based on different learning styles of students. Educators must integrate with various topics, interests, and the ability of students. Based on these differences, the educator can create several groups to teach and guide students. It is important to shape the instruction based on learning style, prior knowledge, interests and comfort zones of students (Blaz, 2016).
Knowing about differentiated instruction
In the educational environment, it seems necessary to enhance the visibility of differentiated instruction to create a supportive environment for every student. In the contemporary educational background, the educator must know the ability of students. The ability to perceive material may be different in different students. However, based on cognition, the ability of students can be understood to use, or shape differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction is one of the initiatives to build lives (Tomlinson, 2001)
Philosophical Assumptions and Theories
Some values and beliefs are in the limelight when using differentiated instruction in the modern educational era. For Instance, educators may have two different options to use differentiated instructions. First, they can perceive the student’s ability and try to make them learn what is necessary. The student can learn how the material is useful and relevant along with its application. Conversely, if an educator is dealing with extraordinary students in the class, he may provide an opportunity for every student to learn, apply and transfer efficiently. Differentiation is a crucial process to bring uniqueness in the education process. Dealing with different students differently can help to predict some key educational outcomes (Benjamin, 2002)
Impact in today’s Classrooms
Educators can get various benefits through differentiated instruction. In today’s classroom, it has been revealed that educators face the problem of diversity. Thus, the differentiated instruction can be streamlined by the educator to integrate with the needs, interests, and abilities of all students, despite containing some differences. Apart from it, it seems necessary in today’s class to sustain high ability students. Also, in the classroom, students should learn different things with different perspectives. Making students responsible for their learning is the right approach, as it can make them competent and capable students. In the modern educational systems, students are to be engaged effectively, and differentiated instruction is one of the key initiatives in this regard (Tomlinson and Imbeau, 2010)
Relating with me as a Teacher
All these insights, including differentiated instruction, relate to my profession. Being a teacher in a school, I usually have to face issues of diversity in my class. Interestingly, I always have to find a gap between high ability and low ability students. Thus, through differentiated instruction, I can engage every student and build a strong relationship to enhance the visibility of learning. In class, shaping the differentiated instruction takes time, but it is to be designed for students to identify their skills and ability. From the teacher’s perspective, it is an excellent opportunity for me to make different groups, identify weak students, and accordingly, reshape strategies to make some improvements. For a teacher like me, it seems fascinating. However, differentiated instructions are to be changed in each class due to some possible spikes (Benjamin, 2002).
Being a teacher in the school, I have to fulfill my responsibility diligently. In different classes, the student may show different interests, attitudes, behaviors, and abilities. It is not about streamlining top performing students and highlighting them in the class or school. The most important thing for me is to provide equal opportunities to weak students in the class, to make some improvements and understand the importance of the material. Differentiated material or instruction is significant support for me, as far as ethical responsibility is concerned. It is a crucial way to build relations, which can also provide support for learning in the class (Tomlinson and Imbeau, 2010).
Language and Culture
In the educational environment, it is necessary for educators to meet the needs of students in the class, despite observing the diversity. In the class, the teacher can see diversity due to the differences between language and culture. The communication process and learning outcomes can be influenced due to language and culture differences. Impact on learning outcomes, because of language and culture, is a concerned topic, which can help to derive several insights. Different language and culture in the class might be a great challenge for me. However, being a responsible teacher, I have to embrace diverse problems and predict outcomes.
Issue Concerning Working with Diverse Learners
When dealing with diverse learners in the class, resistance occurs, and it seems a big problem for me. Based on the student’s learning and ability, different learning strategies can be formed. For Instance, to accelerate the learning for a diverse group in the class, I can use “elaboration” as a critical learning strategy, the most crucial thing for teachers to elaborate different stuff with different conscious, which can facilitate understanding for all students. Each idea along with different perspective must be developed and eloborated. Students or a diverse group may recall the information, which can be associated with culture. The concept of cultural intelligence comes to life when teaching to different student groups. It seems relevant to the student’s learning, because it provides a space for the teacher to understand the culture or language and any other possible gap. Thus, it can be said, that cultural intelligence is a crucial driver to eliminate the gap. For Instance, based on language differences, students can depict the ability or potential to learn different things. In a diverse classroom, it seems pertinent to use data or information to derive insights. Working as a team to read and learn from different students a can work for an educator (DeBose, 2016)
Thus, differentiated instruction can be created for kids in the class to integrate with their learning abilities. For example, when I teach artwork to students, I must align with the unique needs of students, including language and cultural integration. Thus, in differentiation instruction, it seems easy for me to eliminate the language barriers and streamline the artwork, which is culturally associated (Tomlinson and Imbeau, 2010).
Language and Culture Addressed by Experts
Authors Catherine Chinyere Ukala and Ogar G. Agabi have tried to streamline some concerns regarding early education, which can be influenced by language and culture. Interestingly, it has been revealed that educators can align early childhood education with indigenous education. Indigenous education is a crucial source for an educator or teacher, which can facilitate in understanding language and culture. According to the authors, if an educator or teacher maintains a cultural value and identifies barriers or gaps, required outcomes can be achieved. It is a fact that the school may contain an immense diversity due to increasing immigration in the country. Thus, on the other hand, school is an excellent platform for these children to learn or understand their own culture (Ukala and Agabi, 2017).
Teaching can be depicted with different perspectives. For Instance, according to Sleeter and Cornbleth, the teacher can come up with a vision. The vision of the teacher can be understanding the culture and language barriers and coming up with learning strategies. The vision of the teacher shows that all students must have a right to get a quality education (Sleeter and Cornbleth, 2011).
Current Initiatives
Nowadays, my plan is to make several student groups based on their abilities and cultural and language gaps. I will come up with differentiated instructions, which will help each student to increase their learning. In today’s class, standard teaching can be demonstrated. I am quite aware of the different possibilities that a teacher can consider in the educational environment. Differentiated instruction is a crucial source for me to manage or maintain diverse environment effectively.
Content Map
Identification of Appropriate Strategies
In a previous reflection paper, it has been revealed that language and culture can create an impact on the education process in any educational environment. It seems a great challenge for an educator or teacher to manage diversity issues. Thus, appropriate strategies are to be formed by educators or teachers to achieve goals and objectives. The first strategic consideration is to embrace the diversity in the class and empower students to integrate with all possible learning opportunities. Reducing resistance and making a clear sense of ethnic and cultural identities may be an appropriate strategy, which can enhance the learning process. Teachers can embrace diversity as an opportunity to increase their interaction with different students of various cultures and races. It seems interesting, fascinating, and ethical to provide equal opportunities to all of the students (Cole, 2008).
Mapping out Three Ideas
Another appropriate strategy is to use modern technology to understand or derive the learning difference. The technology can help to find different ways to identify the need for learning for students. When dealing with the same group of students, it seems simple to shape the curriculum. However, when embracing diversity, differentiated instruction can be associated with modern technology, as it can make it reliable, easy to use, and differentiated (Sleeter and Cornbleth, 2011).
Three prominent ideas to address diversity are making learning tasks meaningful, creating a challenging curriculum, and finally building a different team. Making the task useful is useful because it can make the learning process exciting and fascinating for every learner despite having differences. In the real classroom, it is an excellent opportunity for students to get to know each other and work as teams to solve different issues. Language and culture are some concerns but working in teams can create a new culture of togetherness. In different student groups, the common language will be used to understand each other and work on various challenging tasks (Tomlinson and Imbeau, 2010).
Specifications
The content or process can be differentiated for learners by making it creative and challenging. For Instance, when shaping the differentiated instruction, it is necessary to make it in the way, which can streamline the needs of multiple learners. In short, a single student cannot solve or understand differentiated instruction. Language and culture are active elements in the differentiated informational, and every student may have to take part when addressing issues. Due to language and cultural values, the teacher can identify the strengths and weaknesses of different students. In the educational environment, the educator or teacher intends to identify the problems of students and solve them through active engagement or participation. The learning environment can be modified by evolving with the passage of time. For Instance, based on the level of difference or gap regarding the language and culture, differentiated instruction can be changed accordingly. Every learner, coming from a different language and culture, must take advantage of the instruction. Despite containing the language and culture difference, equality must be ensured, and all modifications may revolve around it.
Changes & Collaborations
My attitude with learners can be changed with time. Based on the level and the behavior of the diversity, I can depict the democratic approach. Being a responsible educator or a teacher, I have to engage every student in the class to enhance the learning process. Nevertheless, frequent changes in the attitude with learners must be restrained because more shifts may impair the learning process and sustainability in the class. Of course, I can integrate with the community or parents to raise my concerns. For Instance, I can tell parents about diverse challenges and benefits in the learning environment. If a student learns in a diverse culture, he can become a great contributor to both societies and corporations (Tomlinson and Imbeau, 2010).
Conclusion
In the end, it is to conclude that language and culture are two big elements to drive diversity. Differentiated instruction has become an appropriate solution to overcome differences and provide equal opportunities to all students. Making learning tasks meaningful, creating a challenging curriculum, and finally building a different team are their prominent ideas, which can be considered when dealing diversity. With clear goals and objectives, educators can overcome these challenges.
References
Benjamin, A. (2002) Differentiated Instruction: A Guide for Middle and High School Teachers, Eye On Education.
Blaz, D. (2016) Differentiated Instruction: A Guide for World Language Teachers, Routledge.
Cole, R.W. (2008) Educating Everybody’s Children: Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners, ASCD, Available: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/107003/chapters/Diverse-Teaching-Strategies-for-Diverse-Learners.aspx.
DeBose, G. (2016) 10 Tips For Meeting The Needs Of Diverse Learners, 10February, [Online], Available: https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2016/02/10/10-tips-diverse-learners-gbt [3 April 2019].
Sleeter, C.E. and Cornbleth, C. (2011) Teaching with Vision: Culturally Responsive Teaching in Standards-based Classrooms, New York: Teachers College Press.
Tomlinson, C.A. (2001) How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-ability Classrooms, ASCD.
Tomlinson, C.A. and Imbeau, M.B. (2010) Leading and Managing a Differentiated Classroom, ASCD.
Ukala, C.C. and Agabi, O.G. (2017) ‘Linking Early Childhood Education with Indigenous Education Using Gamification: The Case Of Maintaining Cultural Value And Identity’, Journal of International Education Research, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 17-26.
