Teaching Diverse Learners


Book Description

Covering cultural and linguistic diversity as well as special educational needs, this guide helps teachers set up an inclusive classroom; adapt curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and more.




Educating Everybody's Children


Book Description

Designed to promote reflection, discussion, and action among the entire learning community, Educating Everybody's Children encapsulates what research has revealed about successfully addressing the needs of students from economically, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse groups and identifies a wide range of effective principles and instructional strategies. Although good teaching works well with all students, educators must develop an extensive repertoire of instructional tools to meet the varying needs of students from diverse backgrounds. Those tools and the knowledge base behind them are the foundation of this expanded and revised second edition of Educating Everybody's Children. Each strategy discussed in the book includes classroom examples and a list of the research studies that support it. The most important thing we have learned as a result of the education reform movement is that student achievement stands or falls on the motivation and skills of teachers. We must ensure that all teachers are capable of delivering a standards‐based curriculum that describes what students should know and be able to do, and that these standards are delivered by means of a rich and engaging "pedagogy of plenty." By these two acts we can ensure that all schools will be ready and able to educate everybody's children.




Effective Teaching Strategies that Accommodate Diverse Learners


Book Description

This popular book examines the teaching, instruction, and curricula required to meet the needs of diverse learners, who by virtue of their experiential, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, challenge traditional curriculum and instructional programs. The updated book provides a summary of the characteristics of students with diverse learning and curricular needs and a critical examination of current issues in education. Based on these analyses, recommendations for teaching reading, comprehension, writing, mathematics, science, social studies, and also teaching English language learners are given to ensure that diverse learners succeed in the classroom. FEATURES: Includes new "application and reflection" sections in each chapter that provide applied case studies, application activities, and questions for discussion and reflection-This new feature allows students to apply the six principles of effective instruction to real life situations, with the goal of facilitating the translation of research to practice. Includes a new chapter on teaching reading comprehension-With the addition of this new chapter, the book now better covers the complexities of teaching reading with chapters on both teaching code-based elements of reading such as phonemic awareness, alphabetic understanding, and fluency as well as teaching meaning-based elements of reading such as comprehension strategies. Provides recommendations for determining the critical curricular and instructional priorities for teaching students with diverse learning needs, who are typically behind their school-age peers in academic performace and content coverage. Concrete examples of how key concepts in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies are taught, integrated, and supported-Examples are provided across grade levels, from the elementary grades through high school. Guidelines for developing, selecting, and modifying curricula to meet the needs of diverse learners into each chapter.




Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners


Book Description

Describes standards-based practices for teachers to reach diverse learners in the classroom, discusses learning in the twenty-first century and different types of learners, and provides more than sixty tools and interventions with exemplars and templates. Includes a CD-ROM with templates.




What Every Teacher Should Know About Diverse Learners


Book Description

"The book provides a root cause analysis of why so many students are failing in America′s public schools. The materials translate research into practice and provide a rich collection of data for instructional strategies." —Mary Reeve, Director, Services for Exceptional Students Gallup McKinley County Schools, NM Innovative, research-based strategies to reach all the learners in your class! This second edition of the best-selling volume in the What Every Teacher Should Know series presents critical information about teaching learners from diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, language, ability, and special needs backgrounds. Updated throughout, this essential guide assimilates new data about how the brain processes information and provides tools for understanding and working with diverse students, including a cultural proficiency checklist, a vocabulary pretest and posttest, and a vocabulary summary. Donna Walker Tileston explores: Brain-compatible teaching strategies that engage diverse learners Signs of bias to avoid in the classroom, including stereotypes, exclusion, selectivity, and more How culture affects learning styles Updated research on teaching children in poverty Guidelines for working with English language learners What Every Teacher Should Know About Diverse Learners shows teachers how to set high expectations for all students and facilitate their progress in fulfilling those expectations.




Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain


Book Description

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection




The Knowledge Gap


Book Description

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.




Reading, Writing, and Talk


Book Description

This book introduces a variety of inclusive strategies for teaching language and literacy in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Readers are invited into classrooms where racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse children’s experiences, unique strengths, and expertise are supported and valued. Chapters focus on oral language, reading, and writing development and include diverse possibilities for culturally relevant and inclusive teaching. Featured teaching strategies foster academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness—leading students to read their worlds and question educational and societal inequities. Early childhood teachers will find this book invaluable as they consider effective ways to teach diverse children. The hands-on examples and strategies portrayed will help educators expand their thinking and repertoires regarding what is possible—and needed—in the language and literacy education curriculum. Unique in its focus on equitable, fully inclusive, and culturally relevant language and literacy teaching, this important book will help K–2 teachers (re)think and (re)conceptualize their own practices. “Offers us a great opportunity to explore pedagogical strategies that are diverse and inclusive.” —From the Foreword by Gloria Ladson-Billings, University of Wisconsin–Madison “Readers will discover a treasure of teacher and student collaborative experiences to engage diverse learners.” —Yetta and Ken Goodman, University of Arizona “The authors offer rich vignettes and pragmatic guidance for learning about, responding to, and respectfully building community among children. We readers are in their debt.” —Anne Haas Dyson, University of Illinois “A beautifully written book filled with powerful examples. . . . I heartily recommend it for all teachers lucky enough to work on a daily basis with our brilliant early elementary students.” —Ernest Morrell, Teachers College, Columbia University




Facilitating Group Learning


Book Description

Praise for Facilitating Group Learning "In this engaging and accessible book, George Lakey draws on a lifetime's experience to provide a highly practical resource to anyone seeking to understand and respond to the complexities of group work. The book will be invaluable to anyone trying to effect social change through groups while striving to stay simultaneously sane and employed." Stephen D. Brookfield, Distinguished University Professor, University of St. Thomas "I've been working with forms of direct education for many decades, and I found new ideas and inspirations in every chapter. For anyone involved in teaching, training, sharing skills, or leading groups, this book is an invaluable resource!" Starhawk, author, The Earth Path, Dreaming the Dark, and Webs of Power "George Lakey has inspired our union to engage in education in a way that challenges us to redefine social justice and equality in new and exciting ways. This book helps us to continue our journey to touch the souls of union members." Denis Lemelin, national president, Canadian Union of Postal Workers "Facilitating Group Learning will ease the way of all who venture into the white waters of facilitation. George clarifies the most basic, complex, and nagging challenges of facilitation, while honoring the realities of individual and social power dynamics and providing real-life examples from the path of continued growth and mastery. A rare gift!" Niyonu D. Spann, founding president, TRV Consulting and Beyond Diversity 101 "This book is a must-read for people who teach adults of any age, no matter what the subject, and care about doing it in ways that yield deep and abiding learning. Wonderfully well-written and rich with psychological and spiritual insights as well as practical strategies, it represents the fruits of a lifetime of transformational teaching and learning by one of the foremost adult educators of our time." Parker J. Palmer, author, The Courage to Teach, Let Your Life Speak, and The Heart of Higher Education




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


Book Description

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.