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Private: Teaching Reading: 3-5 Workshop
Teaching Diverse Learners Reflect on Your Learning | Teaching Diverse Learners
What Did You Learn?
Assignment
Consider what you have learned about diverse learners from Professor Strickland’s statements, the classroom examples, and the readings and activities in this session. Write a summary of what you have learned. Use the questions below to guide your thinking. When you have finished, save your written work to submit as an assignment and, if you are taking this workshop for credit, include it in your Literacy Practices Portfolio.
- Which ideas from the video most closely represent the diverse learners in your classroom and the instruction you provide?
- What changes will you make in your instructional practices to meet the needs of diverse learners?
- How will you differentiate instruction through grouping plans, student tasks, and instructional materials?
- What support and/or resources will you need in order to make these changes?
Final Project
If you are taking this workshop for credit, complete the next section of the Literacy Practices Portfolio.
Create a Literacy Practices Portfolio
Assignment
In this activity, you will continue to build your portfolio of instructional practices. When you have finished, save your written work to submit as an assignment. Your portfolio for this session will include the following :
- current practices in place in your classroom
- changes you would like to make
- a description of one change you have implemented
- evidence of student learning
1. Current practices
Include your written response from What Do You Do? Then, think about the cultural, linguistic, and intellectual diversity represented in your classroom and some of the challenges you face in meeting students’ varied and individual needs. Then write your answers to these questions:
- In what ways are your students diverse culturally and linguistically?
- How are they diverse in their ability to read and write?
- How are they diverse in their interests?
- Describe the diverse approaches to learning in your classroom.
- Discuss the diverse backgrounds and experiences of your students.
- In what ways can you build on this diversity in your instruction?
2. Changes you would like to make
Include your written response from What Did You Learn?
3. One change you have implemented
a. Make a change
Choose one instructional change that you described in What Did You Learn? to implement now. What is your thinking behind making this change? Describe the change in detail and explain how it will be implemented (e.g., an instructional practice, a lesson plan, a plan for modeling a strategy, etc.). What are the expected outcomes for student learning? Design a lesson plan and implement this change.
b. Reflect on the change
Write a brief reflection about what worked when you implemented this change and what you will change the next time you teach this lesson. (If you are taking this workshop during the summer, describe the learning goals and expected outcomes of this change.)
4. Evidence of student learning
In this section of your portfolio, you will submit evidence documenting student learning. Select one student and describe how s/he learns differently from other students. What did you do to scaffold instruction for this student? Include two to three performance samples and documentation on how you supported this student’s learning. How will you continue to scaffold this student’s reading and/or writing? Listed below are possible pieces of evidence:
- a rubric with sample attached
- anecdotal records (e.g., independent reading conference, observation from peer discussions, etc.)
- a retelling with tape recording or retelling form
- a piece of writing with student self-assessment
- a journal entry
- a response to reading
- a student reading log
