Connecting Teachers, Students, and Standards: Strategies for Success in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms

Strategies for Success in Diverse and Inclusive Classrooms

Deborah L. Voltz, Michele Jean Sims, Betty Nelson

• Publisher: ASCD
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781416612254
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Creating and sustaining a classroom where every learner succeeds is a challenge for any teacher—especially when the elements of diversity and inclusion are added to the mix. How can teachers differentiate instruction in ways that help all students meet standards and develop lifelong learning skills?

The authors of Connecting Teachers, Students, and Standards provide a comprehensive framework for reaching and teaching English language learners, students from culturally diverse backgrounds, and students with disabilities. In this book, you'll learn how to

* Select the best instructional methods and materials for diverse learners
* Create classrooms that are welcoming, practical, and conducive to learning
* Develop classroom content that allows every student to achieve standards while meeting the individual needs of diverse learners
* Collaborate effectively with fellow teachers and education specialists
* Administer assessments that challenge and accommodate diverse learners

The book includes helpful, real-world scenarios that provide tips for connecting with diverse students in the classroom, communicating with their families, and coordinating efforts with colleagues. Packed with practical strategies for handling difficult issues, this is a go-to guide for any teacher facing the complexities of helping diverse learners flourish at school and beyond.

Chapter 1
Gathering and Using the Best Methods for Instruction

As educators, we face many challenges as we decide which methods are best for organizing and delivering instruction to diverse populations of students. The strategies and methods we use play a critical role in developing successful instruction in diverse classrooms. How we decide to teach is important for all learners, especially for students with disabilities, students from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and students who are different in other educationally relevant ways. For these students, it is especially important that we maximize their opportunities to learn by using instructional strategies that correspond to their unique learning needs. In this chapter, we will discuss the first element of the MMECCA framework, the METHODS of instruction.

Examples of Powerful Instructional Methods

The key to success in diverse classrooms is selecting and implementing powerful instructional methods that simultaneously address a variety of different learning needs. Some of the methods that have worked well within our classrooms include multiple intelligences, cooperative learning, tiered lessons, learning centers, and graphic organizers. Figure 1.1 shows how each of these methods reflects ideas associated with differentiated instruction, universal design, sheltered instruction, and multicultural education. The next section will describe each of these methods and provide specific examples from classroom scenarios.

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Figure 1.1. Powerful Instructional Models and Approaches

Instructional Method: Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated Instruction: Encourages process and product differentiation

Universal Design: Allows for multiple means of receiving and demonstrating knowledge

Sheltered Instruction: Encourages the use of visual cues to supplement language

Multicultural Education: Encourages respect for diversity in learning styles

Instructional Method: Cooperative Learning

Differentiated Instruction: Uses differentiation in role assignment

Universal Design: Capitalizes on learners' heterogeneity

Sheltered Instruction: Supports English language learners through peer mediation

Multicultural Education: Encourages respect for cooperative learning styles

Instructional Method: Tiered Lessons

Differentiated Instruction: Encourages process and product differentiation

Universal Design: Allows for multiple means of receiving and demonstrating knowledge

Sheltered Instruction: Provides a vehicle for differentiating language levels

Multicultural Education: Encourages respect for diversity in learning styles

Learning Centers

Differentiated Instruction: Encourages process and product differentiation

Universal Design: Allows for multiple means of receiving and demonstrating knowledge

Sheltered Instruction: Provides a vehicle for differentiating language levels

Multicultural Education: Encourages respect for diversity in learning styles

Graphic Organizers

Differentiated Instruction: Provides a vehicle for scaffolding instruction

Universal Design: Provides a vehicle for scaffolding instruction

Sheltered Instruction: Provides a vehicle for scaffolding instruction

Multicultural Education: Embraces diverse learners' needs

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Multiple Intelligences

The theory of multiple intelligences developed by Howard Gardner (1999), co-director of Harvard's Project Zero, is used extensively in educational settings. In essence, the theory states that we, as humans, have unlimited "bio-, neuron-, and psychological potential for knowing, for acquiring information, [and] for understanding" (Lazear, 2001, p. 202). According to Gardner (1999), intelligences are the skills and abilities we need to solve problems, create effective products, or provide services that are valuable in one's culture.

Currently, Gardner has identified eight intelligences—(1) linguistic, (2) logical-mathematical, (3) musical-rhythmic, (4) visual-spatial, (5) bodily-kinesthetic, (6) interpersonal, (7) intrapersonal, and (8) naturalist. An additional intelligence, existentialist, has been cited by some (Kellough & Kellough, 2007), although Gardner has yet to confirm it as the ninth intelligence. We have included it for your consideration. Figure 1.2 lists each of the intelligences and shows the range of characteristic abilities and talents that students can have. Given what we know about the theory of multiple intelligences, we can see its potential for increasing success with all students, especially struggling learners (Zwiers, 2004). By using the theory of multiple intelligences, we can determine students' learning strengths based on how we present concepts and ideas in the classroom.

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Figure 1.2. Definitions and Capacities for Multiple Intelligences

Intelligence: Bodily-Kinesthetic

Definition: This person has the ability to move through space effectively, learns well with movement, and can imitate movements easily.

Capacity:

• Has improved body function
• Has miming abilities
• Has a keen mind-body connection
• Can expand awareness through the body

Intelligence: Intrapersonal

Definition: This person understands his or her own ways of knowing and learning and is in tune with his or her own needs.

Capacity:

• Has keen mind concentration
• Has awareness and can express different feelings
• Has higher order thinking and reasoning

Intelligence: Interpersonal

Definition: This person reads others well, works well in groups, and interacts effectively with other people.

Capacity:

• Can create and maintain synergy
• Can discern underlying intentions, behavior, and perceptions
• Is tuned into others' perspectives
• Knows how to work cooperatively
• Is sensitive to others' moods, motives, and feelings
• Can communicate verbally and nonverbally

Intelligence: Verbal-Linguistic

Definition: This person manipulates words and language easily, understands what he or she reads, and enjoys verbal interactions.

Capacity:

• Understands the order and meaning of words
• Can convince someone of a course of action
• Can explain, teach, and learn from others
• Has a sense of humor
• Has a keen memory and recall

Intelligence: Logical-Mathematical

Definition: This person manipulates numbers and logic easily and understands the logical connections among concepts.

Capacity:

• Recognizes abstract patterns
• Has the ability to reason inductively and deductively
• Can discern relationships and connections
• Can perform complex calculations
• Has the ability to reason scientifically

Intelligence: Musical-Rhythmic

Definition: This person expresses him- or herself easily in rhythm and melody and sees patterns and music in all endeavors.

Capacity:

• Understands the structure of music
• Understands schemas for hearing music
• Is sensitive to sounds
• Can create melodies and rhythms
• Can sense qualities of a tone

Intelligence: Visual-Spatial

Definition: This person can see pleasing visual-spatial arrangements and has the ability to learn and express him or herself with visual arrangements, art, and beauty.

Capacity:

• Has accurate perceptions from different angles
• Can recognize relationships between objects in space
• Can create graphic representations
• Can manipulate images
• Can find his or her way through space
• Forms mental images
• Has an active imagination

Intelligence: Naturalist

Definition: This person values and cares for nature and living things and has the ability to classify species and grow natural things.

Capacity:

• Communes with nature
• Cares for, tames, and interacts with living creatures
• Is sensitive to nature's flora
• Can recognize and classify species
• Can grow things naturally

Intelligence: Existentialist

Definition: This person has the inclination to raise and explore questions about human existence and the meaning of life.

Capacity:

• Is a deep thinker
• Is sensitive to spiritual issues

Multiple Intelligences Capacities Summary (p. 205) by D. Lazear, 2001, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall and Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom (pp. 6–7) by T. Armstrong, 2009, Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Adapted with permission.

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Applying Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom

The following scenario shows how Ms. Smith uses the theory of multiple intelligences in her 10th grade English classroom at Meadow Brook High School. In this scenario we meet three of her students, Tranhi, Victor, and Jasmine.

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Tranhi is 17 years old. She and her family moved to the United States from Vietnam six years ago. Both of her parents and her two sisters work long hours in a local nail salon. Her family speaks Vietnamese at home with a smattering of English. Tranhi is personable yet shy. Her favorite times of the school day are during choir practice and modern dance class. School is very challenging for her. She is able to understand her peers, but she is frustrated by her limited grasp of the specialized vocabulary in her academic classes.

Victor is 17 years old. He and his mother moved to the United States from the Ukraine last summer. His mother is trained as a nurse, but because of language difficulties and certification problems, she works as a nurse's assistant at the local hospital. In Victor's home, he is encouraged to speak English. He loves the sciences, math, and technology. He was an academically proficient student back in the Ukraine; however, he is currently struggling in his English and social studies classes because his English language skills are limited. He dreams of becoming an orthopedic surgeon.

Jasmine is a 16-year-old multiracial female student. Her father is a truck driver who travels away from home most of the time, and her mother works in the bakery at the local supermarket. Of all her classes, Jasmine enjoys English the best. For Jasmine, books have taken the place of friends. She does not have a peer group. Jasmine has the potential to be an excellent student in English class, but she prefers to just get by. School does not seem to be very important for Jasmine.

Ms. Smith has taught at Meadow Brook High School for 12 years. Meadow Brook is a suburban high school that has traditionally served a white, upper middle class population of students. Within the last few years, however, there has been an increase in the number of immigrant students who have enrolled in the school. Many of these students are English language learners and represent a range of different countries and languages. The religious diversity of the student population also has increased with the inclusion of students who are Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and many other faiths. Approximately 85 percent of the students are white, and the remaining students are African American, Asian, Indian, or Hispanic. With the increased emphasis on inclusion, more students with disabilities are also appearing in general education classrooms at Meadow Brook High School. Out of the 130 students that Ms. Smith teaches each day, 10 students have disabilities, which include learning disorders, mild mental retardation, emotional disturbance, speech impairment, and hearing loss.

Despite Meadow Brook's strong reputation for academic excellence, the unthinkable happened during the last year's assessment cycle—Meadow Brook failed to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward established standards. The school's failure to make AYP was based on low test scores from English language learners and students with disabilities. Ms. Smith began wondering why all this "standards stuff" had to hit at the same time that the staff was charged with moving forward on inclusion AND receiving more students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Ms. Smith knows she will have to change her game plan to be more effective with these students, but she is not sure how to do it.

Ms. Smith is beginning a mini-unit on the 10th grade English standard related to naturalism. This literary movement is characterized by pessimistic determinism, which is distinguished by the belief that people have little or no control over their lives. She is excited about this unit because she believes that all of her students will be able to connect to this theme and relate it to their challenges as adolescents.

Before beginning the unit, Ms. Smith observed her students and gave them a brief survey to determine their strengths based on the theory of multiple intelligences. Based on her findings from Tranhi, Victor, and Jasmine's results, she identified appropriate learning activities for the unit that tap into each student's strengths.

As Ms. Smith uses techniques that reflect each of her students' intelligences, she also allows them to work in flexible groupings of pairs, triads, quads, small groups, and whole groups. She uses each student's strength as an entry point into the content. For Tranhi, Ms. Smith makes sure that there is a musical hook in the introduction of her content. She considers allowing the class to listen to an appropriate selection by Wagner or a Vietnamese selection that creates a mood of uncertainty and dread. For Victor, she creates a problematic perspective that involves an athlete with an artificial leg wishing to play in the World Cup games. Finally, for Jasmine, Ms. Smith links popular culture to the concept of naturalism. She brings in various photographs of young pop idols and asks Jasmine to identify the physical characteristics that help or hurt their careers. After a small-group discussion period, Ms. Smith brings all the students together, asks them to identify the common thread for all of the scenarios, and links their thinking to the planned unit. Once the students' interests are piqued, Ms. Smith continues her plans to integrate the theory of multiple intelligences into her instructional unit. She understands that while connecting students' learning to their d...