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Farah Tahnin

Honors 3000

13 December 2018

Service Learning

INTRODUCTION

Every student in an elementary classroom is different, from the lifestyle they live to the

hobbies they take interest in. The way they approach education and the way they learn best are

different as well. Since the 90’s, the theory that students may possess different “learning styles”

in the classroom has become a prominent topic in education (Khazan). While many educational

researchers believe that the idea of different learning styles is a myth - research shows multiple

studies where students did not benefit from studying and learning via their proposed learning

style- educational researchers do seem to agree that students possess different capabilities, and

process information differently (May). There are students who can simply listen to a lecture and

fully understand a concept, while other students benefit from accompanying diagrams and visual

aids. Some students benefit from stimulatory and interactive activities to help them remember a

concept, while other students can remember a concept simply by reading it and not having to put

it into practice (Clements and Samara, Powers).

Other factors can determine the way a student handles information in the classroom. For

example, some students are bilingual, and did not grow up with English as first language.

However, their bilingual status is often overlooked in the classroom (Meshcheryakova). As a

result, they struggle to keep up with their education as they try to balance their learning of

English with their learning of technical subjects being taught in English. In addition, some

bilingual elementary students have not yet fully grasped their first language, putting them in a
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plight as they try to maintain two languages at the same time (Maria). Therefore, these students

require teaching methods that are more universal and catered to them.

It is important for educators to address the idea of different ways of learning in the classroom.

Young students should have opportunities to recognize and reflect on their learning capabilities,

so they can take control of their education and improve their work in the classroom. In addition,

by accommodating different ways of processing information, students will be given a fair chance

to engage what they are being taught in a way that actually works for them. In summary, UNI

should look to incorporate a variety of teaching methodologies into their educational programs in

order to accommodate different types of learners.

2:CHALLENGE

The necessity for methodology of teaching is derived from occurring challenges within

the success rates of students. Many students will come across some sort of struggle within their

education process. Whether the student is a visual learner, hands on learner or a bilingual learner,

these groups of students will mostly likely be overlooked. According to the article entitled

“Problem Training in Bilingual Education,” (Meshcheryakova) the issue of lower academic

success is not properly addressed by the current educators of bilingual students. This is a

problem students face when dealing with education. The proper time is not being taken to make

sure the student correctly understands the information being given, causing the student to fall

behind. Specifically, bilingual students find it to be a challenge to balance between the languages

(Maria). They also are unable to pronounce words in their second language which also results in

confusion (Maria). There are many ways to bridge the gap according to the article entitled “

Closing the Gap: Addressing the Vocabulary Needs of English-Language Learners in Bilingual

and Mainstream Classrooms,“ Maria (57-76). The major issue present is the bilingual students
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vocabulary knowledge. They struggle to know the spelling, pronunciation, morphology, syntax

and depth of meaning involving words. There is a gap in the learning among different types of

students. Educators and parents must know and understand that there is a difference when it

comes to teaching students with different learning strategies. Students may face a low literacy

rate as a result when the issue is not addressed, as discussed in the article entitled “Linguistic

Intervention Techniques for at-Risk English Language Learners,” Schneider(55-76). Schneider

argues that non native speakers are at a higher risk of failing and that rate is growing. When

students don’t have the proper education needed to succeed, they will fall behind. All students

are not being accommodated for their learning needs and that is a growing problem in education.

Bilingual students need the proper education to prepare them for higher grades. Different active

learning methods are needed to accommodate learning outcomes. STEM is heavily integrated

with multiple academic disciplines and real-world applications, therefor different active learning

methods for STEM topics are needed to accommodate learning outcomes (DeJarnette). The

traditional textbook-and-homework method works for some students, but does not do enough to

engage and excite all students in their learning. In addition, the way some teachers are

facilitating STEM learning does not reflect the way it is used in real life, and does not give

students a chance to relate to the topics (Clements & Samara). There is currently an expectation

that all students will learn and need to learn the same way. When realistically, this expectation

hurts the student.Teacher’s may also withhold the use of technology in classrooms mainly due to

beliefs and attitudes about learning in the classrooms, which require the absence of technology

when teaching. Some beliefs that are attached to technology includes technological mishaps,

such has hardware crashes, slow internet connection, and lack of resources in technology that

convey the teacher’s lesson, many teacher’s exercise technology in small percentages (Planning
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for Technology 1). The lack of resources provided to the students leaves an unfair advantage to

the students who are provided with technology. The advancement of technology is surging and

educators should stay up to date on their educating process. Many children who are found often

interacting with technology are less likely to be physically active. According to Paul Atewell et

al studies, children who utilize technology in both home and school are able to reveal their

creativity and expand their knowledge in school subjects. Studies were conducted to reveal

technological impact on different demographics. Results showed that boys have benefited from

technology far more than girls. Also, white students improved in school subject compared to

their minority peers. Students with computers at home did well in school subjects versus their

peers that lacked having technology at home (Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or

Social Harm?*). The issue of not having the technology resources available is an issue and

students need these resources to express creativity and get the most information that they can.

3: SOLUTIONS

The recommended solution to the problem would be to implement different methods for

special learners to enhancing the learning experience. The techniques designed to help special

learners would be to implement technology into the curriculum, create STEM programs for the

students, and to incorporate theatre into the curriculum. Since bilingual education does face

struggles, there are techniques to resolve this issue. In the article entitled “Access to Second

Language Acquisition Freeman”. The author suggests that you should have special classes

designated to the bilingual students. There are also different levels of being bilingual (Freeman).

Some students are more fluent than others so the students should individually be placed

according to what level class they belong. Another recommended methodology is implementing

STEM learning. The first main learning outcome of STEM, conceptual understanding, might be
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best achieved with an interdisciplinary approach that involves literacy skills (Wood et. al).

STEM education and literature are heavily linked. Every topic under the STEM umbrella has its

own list of complex vocabulary that appears in texts used to establish a base understanding of

concepts. Learning how to read critically, determine the meaning and contexts of new

vocabulary, and use definitions of vocabulary to paint a bigger picture can improve the way

students understand STEM concepts when they are first introduced in a text (Wood et. al). At

UNI, many students do not particularly like reading and improving literacy skills, therefore,

setting a reading session and allowing for a fun activity afterwards may help the students succeed

in STEM learning. Implementing theatre into the curriculum has shown benefits for students in

the classroom. Studies suggest that the inclusion of high-quality educational drama and theatre

curricula in early childhood education can provide young children with an entertaining and

engaging preschool experience while providing academic supports commensurate with those of

more traditional early childhood programs. Engaging in language-based drama and theatre

activities has the potential to help learners acquire language and narrative skills and may provide

young English-language learners with a compelling context to develop their English-language

proficiency (Mages). Implementing this technique at UNI may help students express their

creativity as well as learn the topic at hand with more ease. Lastly, a solution to the challenge of

special learners is to incorporate technology into the classroom. The study assessed the student’s

keyboard and word processing, word processing with instruction, and spell checkers. Majority

of the results have shown that technology also has positive effects on children with learning

disabilities. For occupational therapists, technology may serve as a bridge between lesson taught

and comprehending the material at hand (Technology supporting written productivity in children

with learning disabilities: a critical review). Though for a successful integration of technology is
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needed in order for students to properly use technology for the curriculum. According to a

model teachers’ characteristics influence technology integration, teacher’s experience with

technology influence technology integration, school characteristics influence teachers technology

integration, teacher’s experience with technology contribute to the indirect effects of teacher’s

characteristics and school factors on teacher’s integration of technology (Fethi Inan et al).

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between teacher’s characteristics and its

impact on the success of technology in classrooms. To answer these questions, Fethi had

teacher’s fill out a survey pertaining to their idea of their experience with technology, knowledge

about technology influencing students etc. Results showed that teacher’s readiness skills in

technology had a strong effect of teacher’s technology integration. Therefore, at UNI the

teacher’s should also be led through educational programs relating to technology for the success

of technology use in classrooms.

REFLECTION AND SERVICE PROJECT SITE

If education processes are changed to accommodate different sorts of students, students

would have the ability to understand and apply academic content with more ease than with

‘regular’ learning techniques and methodology. The specific service site in which our ENG3020

class worked with at UNI provides an academic environment for students, as they provide help

with homework, provide team building and learning activities, however it is observingly lacking

in some areas. Based on personal experience from volunteering at UNI, it is immediately seen

that the young students went about doing their work in different ways, and learning at different

paces. For example, many students showed having short attention spans, while some got their

work done early. As the students appeared contain short attention spans, not being able to sit still
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to do homework or read, it is apparent that they prefer hands-on, active, visual, interactive, and/

or kinesthetic methods of learning. Additionally, it was observed that some of the students in the

program were more comfortable with English, and some more comfortable with Spanish.

However, despite primarily coming from Hispanic families, there was a significant amount of

students who did not know much Spanish at all compared to peers and coordinators of UNI.

With these complications in mind and the problem identified, we have devised a solution to help

accommodate different types of learners by providing an alternate teaching methodology than

what is currently commonly used in classrooms.

Taking the ‘problem’ into consideration, we have conducted research and compiled

evidence to find multiple methods to use in order to accommodate or enhance the learning

experience of these young learners. It was found that, for bilingual students, it is beneficial to

provide a special ‘class’ designated only for them, placed in groups in correlation with their

levels of fluency (Freeman). For benefits in critical thinking, it is vital to include experienced-

based and hands-on learning the academic schedule of developing students (DeJarnette). To

provide an entertaining and engaging experience for students, one could include educational

drama in the curriculum (Mages). With these methods to improve the learning of students in

mind, any could affect the student body that UNI works with. UNI could provide activities for

the students that correspond with those listed previously.

With the students we worked with while volunteering in mind, it is not hard to imagine

how to include these new activities into the schedule of activities of the students. The students

that speak primarily Spanish, as recalled there were a handful of these individuals, could have a

seperate session from their peers that speak more English, and receive a more intimate lesson on

language. In order to do hands-on learning, the students could do activities such as using blocks
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to represent numbers for math, a scavenger hunt using a ruler to measure items around the room,

making a paper-mache volcano, or even making ice cream in the winter months- anything to get

the students up and moving, staying focused while learning. To include educational drama into

the students’ schedule, students could recreate a scene from their favorite book or movie, watch a

knowledgeable play, or put on a puppet show. All of these activities would help the students in

UNI’s program improve their skill sets, and assist in them develop into well rounded individuals.

All the students need is time taken at consider their needs; an entertaining activity, an

educational base, a working mind, and a learning student.

Volunteering at UNI has shown us that all children learn differently and its best to

accommodate the child’s needs. Some students are visual learners, incorporating technology

may help to accommodate the learning method. Other students are more hands-on therefore,

using education drama, theatre, for growth in the curriculum. At UNI, it is shown that students

learn best through visual and hands-on skills. From UNI’s mission statement, it is clear that the

staff are looking to enhance the student’s learning skills, and are willing to accommodate every

child’s needs. The volunteer coordinators at UNI display uphold the mission statement of

keeping the neighborhoods safe for the children.

CONCLUSION

To recall, the challenge discussed in this paper is UNI’s ability to use varying teaching

methodologies in their educational programs. The importance of addressing this topic is that

different factors cause students to process information differently from one another, and helping

younger students recognize the best way for themselves to learn improves their success in the

classroom (Clements & Samara, Khazan, Nolan). In addition, a special emphasis is placed on the

way bilingual students, as UNI functions in a Hispanic community where many of the residents
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and students maintain Spanish as a primary language, and some of the younger children struggle

to master English. As a result, a project proposal for UNI addressing these issues needs to be

able to accommodate different learning styles, and be accessible for bilingual students still

learning English. The research analyzed in this paper proposes a variety of different activities

that organizations such as UNI could implement into their educational programs to support

different capabilities of learning in the classroom. From theatrical activities and giving bilingual

children a separate classroom to the incorporation of technology and STEM-based projects, there

are a number of methods that UNI could use to engage the children they work with in a

successful way (Clements & Samara, DeJarnette, Fethi Inan et. al, Freeman, Mages, Powers).

However, based on the type of organization that UNI is and the main setting they work in, there

are certain methods that can be incorporated better than others. Therefore, for a final project

proposal, we suggest the implementation of two types of programs: an after-school science

experiment program, and a theatrical reading group program.

We believe that these two proposed programs can effectively address the challenge of

accommodating different types of learning outside the traditional reading method. A few types of

learning processes discussed in the introduction of this paper include the use of visual aids and

stimulatory activities. An after-school science experiment incorporates both visuals and

stimulatory learning. Watching a scientific project demonstration and managing their own

experiment allows the children to watch simple scientific concepts come to life (DeJarnette,

Feldman & Pirog). They can visibly see how a lack of nutrients and water can stunt a plant’s

growth, or how density affects the way different liquids float on top of each other. When faced

with that concept again in a classroom, they can recall what they saw, and thus what they

learned. An after-school science program also includes stimulatory learning by having the
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children participate in the experiment themselves. Since they are in charge of their own projects,

they can manipulate the project in their own style, and experience the process of scientific

inquiry and outcomes. Engaging in the activities themselves also gives them an opportunity to

familiarize with a science concept, such as learning what factors different plants need to grow,

and recall it later on (DeJarnette, Feldman & Pirog). The second program, the theatrical reading

group, can also incorporate both learning processes. The acting out of different ideas is another

example of a visual demonstration that can be seen and remembered by students. Engaging in a

skit is also stimulatory, as the students are actively taking on different roles and actions to

convey different ideas (Mages). In addition, a theatrical reading program is particularly useful

for bilingual students. While trying to verbally convey an idea between languages is difficult,

actions are a slightly more universal language. Bilingual students may be able to recognize

familiar actions more easily, and can associate them with English vocabulary to help them

remember what certain words mean or imply (Mages, Young). For example, to demonstrate what

the word “write” means in English, bilingual students may recognize a peer making scribbling

motions on an imaginary piece of paper.

While the use of technology was also suggested by the research, it may be difficult for UNI to

employ. UNI runs completely off of donations, and relies on the generosity of local residents and

citizens to fund their programs. Technology is quite expensive, and to be able to collect enough

funds to purchase enough technology for the students to utilize may be quite difficult and out of

reach for UNI at this time. However, the proposed projects of after-school science and theatrical

reading group programs are more accessible. In order to facilitate these programs successfully,

UNI could collaborate with volunteer students from local universities to aid in running these

programs. STEM-major students, theatrical major students, and Spanish major students could use
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the knowledge learnt within their respective fields to create and develop these two programs, and

adapt them to a level appropriate for younger elementary students. They could then act as the

leaders of these programs, and work with UNI to host them at different UNI sites. In order to

compensate for UNI’s donations-only function, the science program can easily utilize common

household items within the projects; there are many experiments that can incorporate simply

everyday objects and substances. The theatrical reading program simply involves books, which

are accessible everywhere. As a result, we believe that an after-school science experiment

program and theatrical group program are the best and most cost-effective way for UNI to

accommodate different processes of learning in their educational programs.

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