Improving Diversity in Todays Classroom - Report Example

Professional Development Plan number: Professional Development Plan The goal of a teacher’s Professional Development Plan is to assist teachers develop and apply the skills and knowledge necessary of assisting students in learning (Stiles & Mundry, 2009). It follows that preparing high-class professional development starts by examining student learning needs and classifying the teacher’s skills and knowledge needed to tackle those learning needs. The proposed outcomes of a teacher’s Professional Development Plan are revealed in terms of improved professional practice, but the long-term objectives and goals should always center on improved student outcomes (Darling-Hammond, 1999). This paper will create a professional development plan for a teacher who is committed to creating an academically and culturally diverse classroom. It will also include a timetable for meeting the goals and a thorough explanation of how the goals will be met. Finally, the paper will address any obstacles that might hinder an educator from reaching the goals and what the educator will do to overcome them. Professional Development Plan (Sample) Name: Will Smith Background/Teaching Context Classes You Teach: 11th and 8th Grade Mathematics, 8th Grade Physics and 6th Grade Web Design. Describe Your Classroom Population: I teach at an independent K-12 school, in a middle school, in the urban California community. Even though, the school is independent, the mathematics and science curriculums strive to reflect the state and national standards. For this reason, the school only incorporates students who do not do well academically. Describe Your Classroom and Students: My Classroom is approximately 11 by 8 meters with 20 desks all occupied. However, the classroom is filled with white students who do not do well academically. Teaching Philosophy: My teaching philosophy focuses on identifying the unique values of every student. Each learner should bring unique preferences, experiences, knowledge and skills to the table. My goal as an educator is to create an academically and culturally diverse classroom where learners feel free to interact and mingle with others. They should also ask questions freely to and take part in activities and discussions. We are all mathematicians and scientists. Everyday people observer and gather data or information to solve them so that they could make sense in their lives (Stiles & Mundry, 2009). Mathematics and science are, therefore, significant subjects in students’ lives. Discipline Knowledge Areas of Strength 1. Mathematics: My Bachelor’s Degree is in Mathematics. I tend to be incredibly strong in mathematical concepts, which apply to the daily reasoning of someone’s life. 2. Physics: I also hold a Masters degree in Physics. I grew up loving physics and took it as a Masters course after completing my Mathematics Degree. Areas of Improvement 1. Biology: Biology is an area I struggle with. I only took basic classes, in biology, while in high school, but dropped it after the main course selection. I have been urged a couple of times that I need to understand biology in order to understand the way people function, but I consider this more of a psychological matter than biology. 2. Communication skills. Even though, I consider the way I communicate, with others, to be fair enough, it is always essential to do the best in everything. Goals and Objectives 1. Mindset, Learning and Environment Differentiation: My goal is to set up a classroom for students with different mindsets academically. This means that the class will comprise of students who either want to be scientists, musicians, journalists, or any other job. The classroom should also incorporate students who view academics as a tool that opens their minds instead of just a career tool. My second goal is to create an environment, which includes students from diverse cultures instead of the usual white community. I seek to create an integrated classroom to support the integrated missions of my academically and culturally diverse students. I seek to do this by advocating, for critical infrastructure and guidance, to make sure effectiveness and efficiency are guaranteed. This will enable my class or all other classes that will embrace diversity to act in concert, creating opportunities for inter-professional collaboration and development. Educators, however, have to include two crucial spheres of activity these are educational affairs along with common student services in order to achieve this. 2. Curriculum and Differentiation My curriculum-related goal will be to introduce different forms of teaching that will assist my diverse students understand the contents I will teach. According to O’Malley (2008), in order to teach a class with academically diverse students, it is essential for educators to teach content that both skilled and the less academically skilled students understand. Teaching with curriculum understanding as a goal comes with responsibility of leaving open the likelihood of future revision or refinement of the student’s concept. This means that a teacher should have an excellent grasp of the concept the way mathematicians understand and use it. Many studies, sadly, have proved that teachers frequently do not have such understanding (O’Malley, 2008). It would also incorporate a curriculum, which favors diverse cultures so that some students do not feel left out. Such a curriculum would teach, at times, on the importance of cultural diversity. 3. Assessment and Differentiation My first goal regarding assessment and differentiation would fairly be to assess my academically diverse students fairly, so the students do not feel as if am favoring others. Such a case might arise when academically weak students feels that am favoring their strong ones or vice versa. My second goal would be to make ensure that my students understand the importance of cultural diversity as I would always assess who they are relating to students from other cultures. Cultural diversity is extremely significant in today’s society. People or students, in this case, should learn to interact with students from other cultures or their educators who might be from diverse cultures. This will perk up the chance of the student of doing well academically and also socially (OConnor, 2007). 4. Student Readiness and Differentiation My first goal, with regards to students’ readiness and differentiation, is to utilize my assessment techniques to help me match students’ needs with my instructions. I would use these techniques before, during and after giving instructions. One of the most essential faculty roles is the capability of "reading" students, and to determine their readiness or willingness to learn significant content, or perform needed tasks. It is imperative to determine the readiness of a student prior to determining which activities and teaching strategies are appropriate (OConnor, 2007). Surveys of students prior to beginning an experience will offer educators with much of the material they will need to determine how to move forward. My second goal is to build my instructions around what is significant for my diverse learners to be capable of recalling, understanding and doing the given content area. 5. Student Interest and Differentiation As I was being trained to become a teacher, my colleagues and me were always told that the best teacher is the one knows the interest of his or her every student. Therefore, my first goal, as a teacher who advocates for an academically and culturally diverse class, would be to learn the interests of all of my students. According to Hatch (2010), a decent teacher-student relationship will make it easier for an educator to interact with his or her student. It is also much easier for the student to learn in such a class than in a class where the teacher does not understand the students. My second goal would be to understand the cultural interests of my students since culture is what influences them substantially. Individuals, regardless of their age, are always influenced by their culture, but if students feel that education is more significant than culture, then they will be able to study properly (Hatch, 2010). 6. Student Learning Profile and Differentiation It is also imperative to understand how students learn in order to plan how they will be given instructions (Hatch, 2010). It is essential for an educator to understand the learning profiles of his or her students especially in a class which includes diverse students like mine. Therefore, my first goal as a teacher would be to understand the way each and every of my student understands the concepts I teach. Some might be audio learners. Others might be visual learners and so on. What matters most is for me to come up with a teaching technique that will enable these students with different learning techniques to understand the concepts. My second goal, on the other hand, is to establish whether there might be any cultural factor that would make my diverse students not to understand the concepts I teach. For instance, I might use techniques to teach, which are not conversant with a certain culture. I have to correct this for the learner to be open to learn. 7. Managing a Differentiated Classroom Running both an academically and culturally diverse class can be a tricky task particularly with students or parents who are not open to this. My classroom will be composed of diverse students both academically and culturally. Therefore, my first goal would be to create which people live in harmony despite the diversity. For instance, I would put both skilled and the less skilled academic students to lead the class. Also, I would select a leader opposite from my culture so that the students do not assume that I am favoring any culture. Such matters, in fact, matter a lot to students. My Second goal would be to ensure that students assist each other despite the diversity. I would ensure there is harmony in the class in order for this to be achieved. Timetable for Meeting Your Goals The class would begin at 9, in the morning, and end at 3pm. During this time, I would seek to achieve nearly all of my goals while still teaching my students. Creating a set mind, as well as a proper learning environment, would be done first thing in the morning of every school day from 8:30am to 9:00am. This is the part where I will let the students interact with one another as this will allow them to be open to one another. According to Darling-Hammond (1999), students need to feel open to one another especially in a culturally diverse class in order for them to focus academically. Curriculum would be explained to my students before the start of ever lesson as to what I would expect from them after the lesson. This is with regards to the subjects I teach, as well as the overall students’ progress. For example, I would tell my students that I expect them to be able to apply the mathematical concepts, which I teach them, I their daily lives. Assessing my students, on the other hand, will be done after specified periods. I would test the concepts, which a taught, two days later in order to check on the understanding of my students. Assessing the cultural diversity of my student would be done on a daily basis for a whole academic year for them to understand the importance of cultural diversity. It would group my students in culturally diverse groups and give them assignments to complete within a specified time period. Students’ readiness will be conducted within the first seven days of an academic year. Every student would be asked to explain their goals for being in school and why they think being admitted to my class would help them perform. During these seven days, students will seat for quick exams, and answer significant questions that would be asked with regards to their readiness. According to Stiles and Mundry (2009), in order to allow students to be innovative people, it is vital for educators to give them time to settle down, in a classroom, and be acquainted to the environment. Therefore, timing a student’s interest would be done on the first month of the academic year. These academically and culturally diverse students need first to settle down and allow them to be acquainted with one another before they start to show any interests (Stiles & Mundry, 2009). Finally, noting students learning profile and managing a differentiated classroom would be conducted on a regular basis throughout an academic year. Students learn new things daily and; hence, they need to be managed on the same basis before moving to the next level. Problems You Would Encounter When Trying to Achieve Your Goals According to OConnor (2007), every successfully managed class has had its own barriers at some point. Some of the hindrances that I might encounter during this process are for instance dealing with students of low resilience, breaking the cultural barriers of my diverse students, adequate finances to incorporate the needed technology in my lessons among others. I, therefore, would stress on the importance of my goals to both the students and the school administration at the start of each academic years. I would ensure that my students understand the importance of living in a culturally diverse society and also being around students who are academically diverse. According to O’Malley, (2008), it is essential to stress to students the importance of academics in order for them to build their resilience. Finally, it is vital to raise funds which would assist students with different learning profiles to understand the contents I teach. For instance, funds would be raised by the school to buying video showing equipments to assist visual learners. In conclusion, this is my plan for incorporating academically and culturally diverse students in my class. To summarize it all, I seek fully to assist students from numerous background receive first-class education in a setting, which incorporates diverse students. I suppose that such a setting, when properly managed, would allow students to achieve anything they want academically. References Darling-Hammond, L. (1999). Teaching as the learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley Publishers. Hatch, O. (2010). Improving diversity in today’s classroom. New York: Oxford University Press. O’Malley, M. (2008). Maryland teacher professional development planning guide. Retrieved from http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/NR/rdonlyres/DF957230-EC07-4FEE-B904-7FEB176BD978/18591/MarylandTeacherProfessionalDevelopmentPlanningGuid.pdf OConnor, C. (2007). Establishing and managing a differentiated classroom. ASCD Express, 4 (25), 34-36. Stiles, K., & Mundry, S. (2009). Designing professional development for teachers of science and mathematics. New York: Sage Publications. Read More