Diversity
As a teacher in today’s society, it is important to identify the different types of diversity in your school, in your classroom setting and in your students. It is also equally important to meet the diverse needs within these populations and teach students about people who are “different” than them.
Diversity in schools is comparable to diversity in communities or society. We use subgroup test data and other school data by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, mental abilities, physical abilities, and more. We use the data we have collected from these subgroups to try to recognize successes and identify areas of needs improvement.
As a teacher, using this data is equally important. In my classroom, I am constantly using data from formative and summative assessments to facilitate learning and achievement of standards. When I break down the data, I analyze overall variation of student achievement. Then I look further to identify opportunities for improvement. I try to figure out which students need remediation and if these students have anything in common.
It is equally important to collaborate with colleagues to address diverse needs within the school and classroom settings. Through my Capstone Project I was able to help my colleagues meet the diverse needs of their students by introducing and modeling various Web 2.0 Tools.
I feel though what is equally important to identifying the diverse needs of our students and differentiating to meet those needs is educating our students about diversity. As a Spanish teacher, I am constantly teaching students about different cultures. I try to get my students to think outside of the box when I describe and present different customs and traditions. My students participate in cultural activities to hopefully give them a better perspective about other cultures in the world. I want them to not only gain understanding of other people, but I want them to gain acceptance and tolerance.
It is increasingly important to facilitate acceptance, tolerance and even respect of others in young people. In today’s society, the trend on social media to gain likes often comes at the expense of others – especially amongst teenagers. In my classroom, I try to develop and teach lessons that encourage understanding and allow my students to think outside of the box. Below is a list of some of the projects and activities that I have developed while completing my Master’s in Instructional Technology at Kennesaw State University:
Diversity in schools is comparable to diversity in communities or society. We use subgroup test data and other school data by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, mental abilities, physical abilities, and more. We use the data we have collected from these subgroups to try to recognize successes and identify areas of needs improvement.
As a teacher, using this data is equally important. In my classroom, I am constantly using data from formative and summative assessments to facilitate learning and achievement of standards. When I break down the data, I analyze overall variation of student achievement. Then I look further to identify opportunities for improvement. I try to figure out which students need remediation and if these students have anything in common.
It is equally important to collaborate with colleagues to address diverse needs within the school and classroom settings. Through my Capstone Project I was able to help my colleagues meet the diverse needs of their students by introducing and modeling various Web 2.0 Tools.
I feel though what is equally important to identifying the diverse needs of our students and differentiating to meet those needs is educating our students about diversity. As a Spanish teacher, I am constantly teaching students about different cultures. I try to get my students to think outside of the box when I describe and present different customs and traditions. My students participate in cultural activities to hopefully give them a better perspective about other cultures in the world. I want them to not only gain understanding of other people, but I want them to gain acceptance and tolerance.
It is increasingly important to facilitate acceptance, tolerance and even respect of others in young people. In today’s society, the trend on social media to gain likes often comes at the expense of others – especially amongst teenagers. In my classroom, I try to develop and teach lessons that encourage understanding and allow my students to think outside of the box. Below is a list of some of the projects and activities that I have developed while completing my Master’s in Instructional Technology at Kennesaw State University:
- WebQuest Creation: Students studied Spanish Artists and the impact of socioeconomic status from 1492 until Present
- Online Class: I created an online class for my Spanish III and Spanish IV students to learn about ancient civilizations in Central and South America. Students analyzed social class and cultural differences and beliefs amongst these civilizations and those of today
- Duolingo and NewsELA: I facilitated the learning process by introducing Duolingo to our ESL students to help them learn English. I also worked with their teachers to provide translation services and sites to promote comprehension and understanding. NewsELA helped identify the Lexile Levels of these students and promote content understanding and points of rememdiation
- Online Unit Plan: I created a unit plan for a flipped classroom to facilitate the needs of my students.
- Data Analysis: I learned various techniques to analyze data to identify specific subgroup data that will facilitate student remediation
- School Improvement Plan: I was on our School Improvement Plan Committee and helped identify School Goals for our current SIP based on subgroup Data.
- SWOT Analysis: Within the SWOT Analysis, I identified areas of strength, weakness, opportunity and threat in relation to diversity. I then developed a plan to address these issues.
- iPad Grant Proposal: I wrote a grant proposal for iPads and online resources for my Spanish IV class. This class is taught in the same class as another class and by receiving these iPads, it has allowed me to better meet the individual needs of my students.
- Capstone Project: By introducing various Web 2.0 Tools to my colleagues, I was able to help them better meet the needs of their students. I listened to their feedback on technology needs to help them use various forms of technology to facilitate individualized, student led learning in their classrooms.