Ithaca College teaching professionals respect and possess knowledge of diversity in its many forms and know how to use this competence to develop relationships, instruction, schools, classrooms, communities and experiences that help all students achieve to their fullest potential and function effectively and respectfully in a diverse world.
If kids come to us from strong, healthy functioning families, it makes our job easier. If they do not come to us from strong, healthy, functioning families, it makes our job more important.
― Barbara Colorose
I believe all students deserve to feel like scientists, but not all students have access to the opportunities that will help them reach this goal. In situations where students have gaps in academic knowledge, additional needs with mathematics, literacy, or participation, or inequitable access to scientific competency, I hope to help students surpass the limitations their situation has placed upon them.
With all students I try to communicate my high, but achievable, expectations. I work to meet the needs of all students, particularly with those whose needs all too often go unaddressed.
Diversity, to me, encompasses language, race, culture, socioeconomic status, and academic achievement. To properly support the diversity in my classroom, the first step is to know my students, their interests, their strengths, their needs, and their families.
In my classroom, I try to echo Lisa Delpit, by connecting students’ knowledge and experiences from their social contexts to knowledge acquired in the schools and acknowledgement and recognition of students’ home cultures.
Artifacts
1. Differentiation for Data Tables
For certain activities, students are expected to create a detailed data table to organize their information. Some of my students have limited fine motor skills, and as such, creating this data table limits their learning instead of supporting it. For these students, I provide a partially filled in table, allowing them to focus on the key concepts that they are expected to gain from the activity.
2. Aristotle, Newton, and Galileo Reading Lesson Segment
In this lesson plan, I had students partner read to each other to help gain a deeper understanding of the text. This supported diverse learners as it allowed for strong readers and struggling readers to work together to find a best summary for each paragraph. Through this activity, I realized some students needed more explanation of how to summarize (I had modeled the first paragraph), as a few students would simply repeat the first sentence as their summary.
3. Community Profiles (Horseheads and Trumansburg)
By creating profiles of my class, grade, school, district, and community, I am better able to understand, serve, and appreciate my students. I learn more about their families, their history, their culture, and their interests. These profiles are continually developing and not necessarily indicative of every student, but they allow me to begin to understand the communities in which I teach and learn. Through them, I am better able to plan and inform my practice.