Fundamentals of Diverse Learners

Task 1 A) 1. Growing up, my parents were always working and stressing about our financial situation. A big part of this is because my mother got her diploma from a charter school and my father didn’t go back to get his GED until many years later. Since they both did not decide to further their education, the jobs they had were steady, yet still restricted us from financial freedom. When it came to my education, my family’s expectations were very clear. It was important to them that I attend college in order to feel comfortable financially in the future. They have always wanted me to succeed, and taught me that if I worked hard enough in school, I could have a career that I enjoyed in the future. This helped me develop a strong work ethic, since I knew the benefits greatly outweighed the cost of putting in hard work. My family’s expectations did not only influence me, but showed me how to set expectations for myself and those around me. Since this is the idea that my family and I grew up with, I know that as an educator, I am going to want all of my students to put in hard work when it comes to their school work so they can all become successful. 2. In grade school, my parents were a huge part of my schooling, because they had to hold me accountable for my work. However, as I got older, that responsibility all fell on my shoulders. My parents were not as involved when I got into high school because they trusted me to do well in school. The people who showed me the most support during that time were my group of friends. We all talked about school work, and how stressful it could be sometimes, but in the end, we always got it done. I would become motivated just by seeing how hard my friends were working. We continued this unconditional support throughout our friendships, through every aspect. In fact, we are all still friends to this day. This is an important aspect of my life that I am going to take with me to the classroom. It will be important for me as a teacher to create an environment that is supportive among all students since I know how helpful friends can be during difficult times. 3. The town I grew up and live in has a pretty diverse population. I am currently working at a local public school and it is easy to see the diversity throughout the school. Due to how populated my community is with latinos, the school offers a Spanish dual immersion program to its students and anyone is able to join, no matter their background. In these classes, general instruction is offered in two languages to better support English learners and native Spanish speakers. Since I work with these students, I see children of all backgrounds every day. The most important aspect of teaching a diverse group of students is treating them fairly. My group of students understand that everyone will get the same treatment no matter their background. As an educator, I want my future students to know that they can trust me to be a reasonable adult. They will know that I am not going to discriminate against any of my students. B) 1. a. One characteristic of Ahmed is that he has an Auditory Processing Disorder (APD), which makes learning for him more difficult than the average student. This means that he has a harder time understanding speech. Ahmed’s first language is Arabic, making school even more of a challenge for him since the primary language is taught in English. Although he can hold conversation well in English, he still struggles with the language in an academic setting due to his APD. b. Ahmed’s whole family speaks both English and Arabic, so they most likely speak to each other in the language that Ahmed understands best, Arabic. This puts a hinder on his learning at school, because he is not hearing the language in his everyday life. If his family were to switch to speaking only in English, there is a chance that Ahmed’s overall school work would improve since he is practicing speech every day. c. To get the best outcome from Ahmed’s learning, it is important that his classroom uses equity pedagogy. If his teacher takes the time to learn more about Ahmed’s culture, she/he can more effectively understand and support him. One way his teacher could incorporate equity pedagogy in the classroom is by creating an activity where students research and write about their own culture, then share with the class. This would give everyone the opportunity to share their own culture, while also being able to learn about their classmates as well. Ahmed would not only get in some speech practice, but he would also be able to see that all cultures are respected and included in the classroom. When it comes to learning, students want their teacher to care about them. If Ahmed saw how much effort his teacher put in to learn about his culture, he would feel not only seen, but more motivated to try his best in class.