Diversity
Diversity can mean many things, but in education we focus on the diversity or differences that individuals have regarding their ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, special learning needs, and anything else that makes us who we are as individuals. Differentiation is a buzz word that has been thrown around in education for many years now which is why the Instructional Technology program at Kennesaw State University has integrated the focus of diversity into each of its courses. Smith and Throne (2009) suggest that differentiating the curriculum for students is critical to success in the middle school classroom because each child is developing at a varying pace. When discussing diversity in the classroom it is important to realize we also must respect the diversity within our classroom in respect to learning needs not just cultural needs.
While we understand the theory behind tweaking the curriculum to best fit the needs of each individual as a learner that can be rather difficult to implement when you have a class of thirty students who all have different needs. To aide in this implementation our school district is encouraging teachers to utilize a learning management system (LMS), Canvas. The idea of an LMS allows teachers to assign and differentiate what learning path each student is taking in a digital form. While all of the students in the classroom may be learning about ecosystems for example, the LMS allows me as the teacher to assign something to the entire class or certain individuals. This helps with remediation as well as extension activities, which can often be forgotten because teachers are working so hard to help the struggling students.
Below is a list of activities I have completed during this program of study that demonstrates my ability to address diversity in today’s school:
Resources
Smith. G. & Throne. S. (2009). Differentiating instruction with technology in middle school classrooms. International Society for Technology in Education, 29-39.
While we understand the theory behind tweaking the curriculum to best fit the needs of each individual as a learner that can be rather difficult to implement when you have a class of thirty students who all have different needs. To aide in this implementation our school district is encouraging teachers to utilize a learning management system (LMS), Canvas. The idea of an LMS allows teachers to assign and differentiate what learning path each student is taking in a digital form. While all of the students in the classroom may be learning about ecosystems for example, the LMS allows me as the teacher to assign something to the entire class or certain individuals. This helps with remediation as well as extension activities, which can often be forgotten because teachers are working so hard to help the struggling students.
Below is a list of activities I have completed during this program of study that demonstrates my ability to address diversity in today’s school:
- Provided professional learning opportunities for teachers on how to use technology to differentiate for students, focusing on the idea of assessments.
- Created equitable classrooms by advocating for the fair and effective distribution of technology resources by pushing for our school to become completely 1:1.
- Provided technology training for parents and other community members regarding the use of our Learning Management System and online safety tips through Parent Night sessions as well as trainings held during the day.
- Developed a Technology Shared Vision for my school that addresses the many needs of all stakeholders within the school. The vision refocused the use of technology from a something flashy to a tool that will enhance the learning for each student at his or her specific need.
- Modeled, implemented, and promoted the use of how technology could be used to facilitate higher-order thinking skills with all levels of students.
- Developed and implemented several Internet lessons that were adapted and differentiated to meet the specific learning needs of students, allowing for leveled work, resources, and access depending on the needs of the student.
Resources
Smith. G. & Throne. S. (2009). Differentiating instruction with technology in middle school classrooms. International Society for Technology in Education, 29-39.