Addressing Diversity Among Learners

Darling-Hammond, L. & Bransford, J. (Eds.). (2005). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Summary

In Chapter 7, the authors aim to illuminate the issues of teaching diverse learners with particular consideration for the efforts by educators to positively influence the breadth of equity provided for students. The authors expound on factors that are associated with teaching a diverse population: demographics (homogeneity among educators with lack of cultural proficiency; socioeconomic status influencing outcomes/resources; lack of fair instruction and behavioral consequences), cultural responsive practices (inquiry-based; pedagogical mindset; culturally comprehensive curriculum; adaptive assessment strategies), teachers’ attitudes and expectations/dispositions (developing and strengthening students’ affective and academic achievement based on sociocultural consciousness), and inclusive practice for students with exceptional needs (Integrated Play Groups; autonomous strategy development; phonemic awareness/intensive supplementary training; modifications of performance goals, engagement, and support/resources).

As the educational system continues to render a means of impartiality for diverse learners, the authors believe that prospective and current educators should have high regard for learning about their students and communities, as well as oneself, which may happen simultaneously. Through teaching experience, the authors assert that educators can be more effective in their awareness and practices by using those experiences as a framework for learning how to attain necessary information. The authors’ solutions in teacher preparation programs for educating diverse learners are to focus towards equity, diversity, and social justice.

Reflection

As an educator at a Title I schools and other educational settings of diverse student populations, I was able to relate and challenge points that were made by the authors.

For example, the authors mentioned that the allocation of skillful teachers may play a significant role in equity among student outcomes. I understand the measures of requirements (education and certification status) that the authors use to classify “skillful” teachers; however, I had trouble understanding how experience levels and test scores could be palpable measures of a teacher’s ability to effectively teach. “Experience” can be such a nebulous term because experience may be marked by active participation in years, grade levels, events of gained knowledge, etc. For instance, I have known teachers who have traveled within schools of similar settings that have reported or shown growth in their practices/student achievement. Contrastingly, I’ve known teachers who have taught at schools of different settings and have not shown any particular growth in their practices/student achievement. Also, test scores are a vague estimate of knowledge that shows just how great someone can take a test, which is why educators are still contending to not use tests as a means to delineate teachers’ and students’ abilities. Skillfulness depends on how the teacher takes advantage of their environment(s).

As a classroom teacher, the authors affirmed my level of responsibility and responsiveness to my students. I was saw some glimmers of myself within the vignette of the teacher, Ann Lewis, in the way she acknowledged her students’ voices by providing herself and her students the opportunity to learn from each other through collaborative dialogue and praising students’ efforts. Therefore, as the authors suggested, there is grave importance in knowing when and how to use specific approaches to achieve goals in different situations. For example, while I have had classrooms of students with diverse socioeconomic, cultural backgrounds, and cognitive abilities, I would ask myself the following questions: “How should I answer that question?”; “Should I respond to that

statement?”; “How could I promote discussion for further learning?; “What strategies should be used next?” It is like a mindset of having a never-ending cycle of strategies and that are revamped, added, and eliminated. While there is no one perfect, fit-all strategy, I will acknowledge that I have made generous developments in improving my learning for further learning.

As a doctoral student, in hopes of becoming an effective teacher educator, I plan to use what I have learned through my “experience” and studies for imparting knowledge to prospective teachers. Within a plan for action, I agree with the authors’ notion of placing preservice teachers with culturally responsive cooperating teachers. The first question is: how can you readily identify those exemplary educators? In class, we discussed, how we, as a part of the university’s infrastructure, are visitors. How can we survey teachers when most of the power lies in administration at the school sites? Therefore, the issue points back to policy makers who impose standards of effective teaching through test scores that do not define a “good” teacher. It may take a unified movement of understand among all stakeholders to remember that students are at the center and we must make sure we are responsive in identifying and addressing issues of equity in various ways.