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Jennifer Glazier

Teaching Diverse Learners

Jen Glazier
TE 825
Dr. Jacobsen
June 27, 2014

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In the teaching world, the word diverse can mean many things. The great thing about
children is that they are all unique. In your classroom you might have differences in race,
ethnicity, religion, learning style, language and gender. When thinking about the qualities one
should embody for teaching diverse students it reaches further than just being a high quality or
effective teacher in the classroom. Simply being knowledgeable about subject matter is not
going to help struggling and at risk students succeed. A teacher must create an open and
comfortable environment for students and families, recognize and promote the strengths and
abilities of the students in the class, and find ways to relate relevant topics and ideas to students.
A teacher must be willing to challenge curriculum and policies that are in place that do not
reflect diversity. When a teacher does this the students in the classroom will be able to hold
appropriate and thoughtful discussions, take pride in their work, and feel like a member of a
community.
When teaching a diverse group of students it is important that a teacher has his or her
own philosophy and beliefs in place. This is important since students can be unpredictable in
what they say and do, so it is vital that a teacher of diverse learners knows what he or she
believes in to provide the appropriate atmosphere. Ultimately, for all of this to happen a teacher
must get to know the students and their families, recognize students strengths and weaknesses,
and plan and provide a curriculum that will fit their needs.
Types of Diversity
Before school starts, or around the first day of school, a teacher should have an idea of
the types of students that will be in the classroom. It is important for a teacher to recognize all of

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the diversities present in the classroom from the beginning. Figuring out the racial, ethnic,
language, gender, and socio-economic make up of the classroom in the very beginning allows a
teacher to immediately start building a classroom community. It is important to not only address
the obvious diversity in your classroom such as race and ethnicity, but also to look out for
diversity in language, gender, and socio-economic background. It is important for a teacher to
address how they would provide a classroom promoting all students. There might be things
teachers do or read that inadvertently promote different genders or races.
In an article by Linda Christensen (2011), she talks about how influential childrens
literature can be. There are many books and videos in society marketed for children and there are
some that actually portray negative ideas about stereotypes. Teachers have to be aware of the
texts that are provided in the classroom so that there does not appear to be a dominant race or
gender. This is extremely important that all students are able to connect to the classroom and the
materials. When classrooms are filled with stereotypical literature, the students continue to
practice those ways. Christensen (2011) notes, The stereotypes and world view embedded in
these stories become accepted knowledge. (Christensen 2011, pg. 451.) Teachers must
challenge curriculum books used and seek to find appropriate diverse materials. It is important
that a classroom has books portraying multiple races, ethnicities, families, abilities, and
languages. This will allow all students to feel like they are represented and important in the
classroom.
There are many stereotypes in our culture today that unfortunately are brought into the
classroom. A teacher must first reflect on any stereotypes that they may hold, and work to
change them in order to provide an open and accepted classroom environment. While kindness
and compassion are important qualities for teachers to have, teachers often display acts of racism

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without even realizing it. When a teacher deals with students who are different from them, it is
important to remember that just because you are friendly does not mean you are helping. Nieto
(2008) points this out by saying, nice educators sometimes convey, even unwittingly, a deep
distain and disrespect for families by suggesting that home cultural values have no place in
school, (29). A teacher must reflect on how things are portrayed and perceived in the classroom
and work to change the negative stereotypes or racism. Undoubtedly there are going to be issues
of stereotypes and negative connotations brought up by students in the classroom, intentionally
or unintentionally. When holding classroom discussions about topics of race, gender, and
ethnicity a teacher must be aware how to appropriately handle these discussions. Singleton and
Hays (2008) say there are four things that teachers should remember while holding courageous
conversations. A teacher should stay engaged, expect to experience discomfort, speak the truth,
and expect and accept a lack of closure (Singleton and Hays, 2008). These are four important
things a teacher should talk about or give examples of how that might look in their classroom.
This is going to promote a sense of trust, openness, and willingness to communicate from
students and also allows a safe place for a teacher to talk about tense topics.
Meeting the Needs of Students
It is important that a teacher recognize all of the needs that the students in the classroom
have and how they are going to be addressed. Many curriculums today are geared toward white
middle class citizens and not diverse populations. In a classroom of diverse learners, a teacher
must look at how they are going to change and shape their lessons to be effective. A teacher must
talk with families and students and get to know their perspectives, as well as reflect on their own,
to develop a curriculum that is going to serve all the needs in the classroom. Sleeter (2005)
suggests, Learning to work with multiple perspectives, multiple frames of reference, and

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multiple funds of knowledge is at the heart of multicultural curriculum design (pg. 32). This
will allow for ideas from the students themselves to build upon the ideas and concepts that are
going to be learned in the classroom. When a teacher finds out where students are in learning,
what they are interested in learning, and ways that they might want to tackle learning, a
relationship and bond builds. It is not enough for teachers to teach the mandatory curriculum.
Sleeter (2005) also mentions, While curriculum standards and textbooks give teachers
information and concepts to work with, they do not usually identify central concepts worth
teaching in specific classroom contexts (pg. 41). Getting to know the interests of students and
families will allow teachers to adapt lessons that will inspire and reflect previous knowledge in
students. Also, by getting to know students on an individual basis and through constant progress
monitoring, teachers can celebrate where students are in their development and make plans to
further learning. Recognizing and accepting the differences in the classroom will help teachers
see and meet the needs of the students.
Often, beginning teachers are consumed with teaching the given curriculum and making
sure all standards are met. While it is important to have these standards in mind when you are
teaching, students can often show how their interests can be a driving force to their learning. By
engaging students in concepts that are of interest, students excel and take pride in the work
because it is important to them. Brian Schultz, a teacher in urban Chicago, demonstrated this by
engaging his students in something called Project Citizen. This social justice project is an
example of how to get students interested in learning by incorporating something that is of
interest and need. The students were in charge of creating the curriculum based off of the desire
for a new school. Schultz saw what a success this was and said, A curriculum based off
students priority concerns can have a lasting effect on the students involved and can also help to

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shape our world (Schultz 2008, 155). This is important for teachers to remember when creating
lessons for diverse students. By incorporating student priorities into lessons, it creates
meaningful learning and ways for students to connect to learning and the world. Ultimately
teachers want to provide a learning opportunity for students to be world citizens.
Evolving Ideas About Teaching
After multiple readings, class discussions, and self-reflection addressing issues of
diversity, it has become apparent that this is more of a necessity than importance. There are
various forms of diversity that will be present in the classroom and it is important for teachers to
recognize those differences and find ways to make students comfortable in their learning.
Diversity is much more than just differences in skin color. There are many forms of diversity that
teachers must make sure are represented in the classroom. Books, class discussions, teacher
comments, and curriculum all should be designed with the diverse needs of the students in the
class. Teachers need to reflect on their own ideas and feelings about diversity and work through
stereotypes to provide an open classroom. Even in predominantly white classrooms, multiple
diversities still exist. There are differences in families, learning styles, abilities, and socioeconomic levels, and there can be stereotypes present in the minds of students. It is a teachers
job to break down those stereotypes and provide a class discussion and opportunities of
courageous conversations (Singleton and Hays, 2008). By addressing student needs and
initiating crucial discussions about diversity, teachers can prepare students for the future
academically and culturally.

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References
Christensen, L. (2011). Unlearning the myths that bind us: Critiquing fairy tales and
cartoons. In E. Marshall & O. Sensoy. Rethinking Popular Culture and Media (p. 189200). Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools
Nieto, S. (2008). "Nice is Not Enough: Defining Caring for Students of Color." In Everyday
Antiracism: Getting Real about Race in School. The New Press: Pgs. 28-31.
Schultz, B. D. (2008). Spectacular things happen along the way: lessons from an urban
classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Singleton, G.E. & Havs, C. (2008). "Beginning Courageous Conversations about Race.
In Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real about Race in School. (pp. 18-23) The New Press
Sleeter, C. E. (2005). Teachers' Beliefs About Knowledge . Un-standardizing curriculum:
multicultural teaching in the standards-based classroom (28-40). New York: Teacher
College Press.