Diversity and Elementary School  Learners Instructions

In an elementary classroom situation, learner’s performance varies based on the need of the diversified student population and individuals’ interests. The variation in the learners’ attention leads to their performance difference resulting in three group categories, the first group being those with the learning difficulty who are the majority, learners with average performance, and those who perform above the grade level and beyond teachers’ expectations (Waren, 2012). For elementary teachers to respond to the variance in the primary learning classroom situation, they design and implement differentiation instruction elements based on the learning profile, interest, and the students’ readiness as  Mrs. Parkers quotes that  “Teachers influence should be felt far beyond the classroom” (Learning to Care, 2012)

Elementary School teachers, therefore, differentiate four elements to come up with the best possible solution for learners from different backgrounds in elementary school classrooms. These elements are process, product content, and the learning environment. According to (Johnson 2012), the Elementary School teachers that it is through believing in God where and leaning to care through which a teacher can gain passion and identify their students’ problems. Parker further asserts that regardless of the learner’s inability to grasp the content, the teachers should respect them care for them and love them according to the book of Psalm 100: 1, 3-5. Parker show love to one of her weak student whom she refers to as my Bob. A feeling of possession that regardless of Bob’s weakness, Parker still loves him, and as he quotes that “My Bobby Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth . . .” (Learning to Care, 2012). Parker advises his elementary colleague teachers to embrace the same spirit to their students in his Chapter of Learning How to Care.

Classroom Content Differentiation Instruction and Diversity

It is a type of differentiated instruction which examines the students need and how they can get access to the learning information. To distinguish the content for elementary learners, the teachers have to put the text material into tapes. Use the spelling and vocabulary lists, use the reading materials at the varying readability levels, presents ideas through the auditory and visual means use those reading buddies, and use the advanced learners to reach those who struggle as shown on Parkers Chapter on Learning How To Shine. Through Open Mic, and classroom presentation (Parker, 2012). Mrs. Parkers further quotes that “I ask my students on the first day of school to let me know on the back of their informational index cards if there is something I need to know about them to help me teach them better.

Process Differentiation Instruction and Diversity

Process are some of the activities the learners engage in to master the content taught by the teacher. An additional support to the struggling learners, encouraging the advanced learners to pursue the topics in-depth, offering hand support, and promoting the learners to pursue the subject of their interest. The learning process is reflected in Parker’s chapter of Learning How to Care reflects how Parker applies the talent and passion for helping the students with personal problems like Bob, Gregory, and Jordan She quotes that “Jordan… gave me a journal filled with her writings from the past year. In it, she expresses the anguish of losing her boyfriend in an accident and her effort to climb out of the pit of despair” (Learning to Care, 2012). After keen observation, Parker realizes that Jordan, her student, suffers from the psychological trauma caused by the death of his boyfriend and help cope with her bottomless helplessness (Parker, 2012).  Parker advises other teaching fraternity by asking the strength from the Lord almighty she quotes, “Father, give me the strength and patience to be more like you every day. Help me to love others as they are. Period.” (Learning to Care, 2012)

Products Differentiation Instruction and Diversity

Parker applied the content of creativity in solving Gregory’s problem by motivating him to write more poems about his life. Gregory, who felt lonely of lacking a girlfriend, became more competent and gained confidence after his poetry was published in the ENCOUNTER School Magazine (Parker, 2012) Learning to Care. Through the use of the product as an instruction for the learners in an elementary school teacher has to recognize the learner’s performance background and give their students options on how they can acquire learning through creativity like composing the poems and writing letters. Through product as an instruction, the teachers should encourage their students on how they can create their products within the limit of the needed assignment.

Learning Environment, Differentiation Instruction, and Diversity

The learning environment includes how the classroom works and feels to differentiate the learning environment at the elementary level. The teacher has to provide the materials that present a variety of culture and home settings since the learners are diverse. Every learner comes from a different background. Elementary teachers must set out a clear outline and guidelines for independent work that matches the individual’s needs (Toste, 2016). Parker, both in the chapter for learning to shine and learning to care, asserts that elementary school teachers should set a conducive environment for their students. Parker advises the teachers that they should do so by passing a paper from which the students share their problems affecting as family problems, poverty, and other personal problems (Parker, 2012). Parker also suggests the use of advanced learners to help weaker students. He refers to them as the best teachers in the elementary school who can help in achieving Differentiations in elementary school set-up helps the teachers to maximize the potential of their students fully as they attend to their distinct differences. Teachers in the primary school must create a high quality-curriculum and instructions that seem relevant and are of their student’s interest. The teachers have to ensure that there are joy and satisfaction in learning for every student

Diversity in Academics and Learning Styles

Promoting diversity to staffing aids in enabling students from different backgrounds to identify themselves with teachers; as a result, achieving the core pillars of classroom learning and understanding. The risky business under Mrs. Parker’s chapters on how to learn to shine and learn to care states the benefits to promoting diversity by whereby students gain confidence and competence and which is ideal in the day to day activities. The difference is more extensive with different branches, which include; religion, race, culture, academics, and many more. Under this chapter, we discuss majorly on academics and learning styles (Johnson, 2012). The techniques involve confidence, audio (presentations), creative writings, and many others, with the open mic, which is one of the standard practices in a classroom. Mrs. Parker further suggests that “In the same way, I have learned to challenge myself to offer public presentations, even when they make me nervous” (Leaning to Shine, 2012).

Public exhibitions have been a challenge too many students, according to Mrs. Parker’s chapter on diversity under learn to care and learn to shine. On reflections on Mrs. Parker’s chapters on learning how to care, public presentations have been noted. Auditory learners learn best through listening and conversation. For instance, in JAWS’s case, a shy student who was considering taking the creative writing class. She received encouragement, which later made her step up and gain her passion. She became comfortable at the point where her panic attacks ended. The book then identifies how now the girl is a good writer. With the aids of the advice and practice now, she can achieve the writing and learning opportune.

Gaining confidence has been one of the principal characters we try to achieve with the study of diversity. With the help of Mrs. Parker’s documentation, the reason to embrace diversity becomes a reality. However, Mrs. Parkers quotes that. “Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. —2 Corinthians 3:4-5”  (Learning to Shine, 2012)

Courtney, a profound writer who already had competence, confidence is all she needed. With Parker’s chapter on Learning to Shine, an event with an audience of 300 is recognized, he stood up and has the writer states that and God was at work in the confidence and competence. Seeing Mrs. Parker is open to anything which makes the students comfortable, and this is precisely how he managed and got confident.

The Learning how to Shine chapter presents a story of a former student who much thanks Mrs. Parker and appreciates her for open mic sessions, which were far much helpful for him. The young man called Brandon. Who would admit on throwing up on one free mic session. The teacher told her to speak his heart. Brandon went on the head and said he will still throw up. The teacher always came to his aid, and through the teacher’s encouragement, he gradually developed his composition and presentation on the open mic from four words to sentence.  This all credit to the teacher and the advice to the students. We can the diversity being embarrassed. The teacher’s insistence gradually overcame his resistance.

Physical and Emotional Diversity

Mrs. Parker’s chapter explains a story of a student who signed up for a voice lesson one semester because he wanted the learner to project his voice and also control some of the  warbling it did when he tried to sing loudly. The instructor made him practice the most embarrassing sounds aloud. Even though the student had an issue with an ear-piecing siren crescendo in volume as the pitch rose. He results dearly appreciated. Now the student can project his voice and control it thanks to the instructor. Parker suggests that teachers should keep a box or file of encouraging notes from students, colleagues, and administrators to express their gratitude for hard work and concern.

Initial surge is mainly affecting our teachers with high expectation for a new start sadly, which only last for a few weeks after the launch. Due to broken relationships, bullying issues, social skills, organizational methods, study skills, grief counseling, physical illness, emotional instability. Students undergoing all these tend to underperform. Mrs. Parker advises the elementary school teachers to step up and get responsible for students since it’s more of the tsunami, which destroys people’s homes and also takes people’s life referring to these standing waters problems. With a teacher’s aide to such students, there is competence and confidently achieved and hence a better performer.

Mrs. Parker’s chapters of learning to shine also present Dommenique’s story on how to care, grow up under stable conditions, regretting a very thing. Still, later, he changed the whys to how questions to come to the aid of his son never to undergo the same thing. Besides, we learn the most effective teachers in a classroom are the students themselves; an opportunity to give the platform to share their problems is the best way to overcome such issues later.

Religion Diversity

Theories of religion are the fact that there are significant differences in religious belief and practice. There are different religious characters, which include; belief in supernatural – beings, code of morality believed to be sanctioned by gods, ceremonial and rituals acts, and communications. Justin, according to Mrs. Parker’s chapter, the aspects of religion comes to play when he believed his help, confidence, and competence comes from God.  One young Man researched that it is tough for one to understand and help someone undergoing depression if he or he has never had it before. Which, according to Parker’s chapter on learning to Shine state, that was a clue to give credit where credit was due. And that’s the Jesus Christ has his savior, provider, and protector.

Another example is that of Angelica, who expresses her gratitude to her math teacher. Mrs. Parker quotes that “Angelica expresses her gratitude to her math teacher, Jessica F A teacher who has inspired me is Jessica F. She was my algebra and geometry teacher. She is a very nice, cool, and responsible person” (Learning to Shine, 2012). The impact was positive. Jessica F was her teacher. She later states that the influence came from a Christian view. The way she could handle any student or any, it was clear she followed the way of Christ. Jessica was an amiable and relaxed teacher and that she earned respect from the students. It is, therefore valid that learning Christian values or virtues helps a lot when it comes to teachers -students’ relations. These same relations are essential for the performance of any task. Mrs. Parker further suggests through the book of Corinthians that “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:10” (Learning to Shine, 2012).

Students narrate a story of his wit, Mr. V, as the role model. The students assert that he was encouraged to present his presentation after the inspiration from Mr. V. not only presentations but also listening in class and respecting others. Mr. V was such a teacher that could make fun and was very different when dangerous according to learning to care. The student admits that he never believed he would ever love a teacher, but with Mr. V, things were different.

As stated in Mrs. Parker’s chapter of Learning to Shine, religion is reflected as the promotion of patriotism. A student testifies that he has many teachers from different backgrounds throughout the year. Who has been of great help to him? He thanks the teachers for who he is right now.  His favorite teacher being Coach B. His attitude towards the students was so much different than most teachers’ views. Mrs. Parker suggests that what coach B did to his students can only happen when the Lord’s light shines on the teacher’s job as she quotes  “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 KJV). (Learning to Shine, 2012). The students went ahead to state that the teacher was once a soldier who protected the country of Iraq and now is helping students pursue education. Parker encourages both the elementary school teachers and the world at large through the book of Philippians 2:4 that we should not only consider individual interest but to the benefit of the other people as well (Parker, 2012)

References

Johnson, E. S. (2012). Intervention in School and Clinic. Designing Effective Tier 2 Reading Instruction in Early Elementary Grades With Limited Resources, 203-209.

Journal of Research in Curriculum Instruction. (2012). Teaching Plans for Musical Instruments Using Handbells, Handchimes, and Boomwhackers Focussing on the Fifth and Sixth grades of elementary school, 325-346.

Kim, Y. (2016). The Development of a Group Counseling Program to Improve Forgiveness Level for Upper Grades of Elementary school. Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, 999-1018. Retrieved from Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction

Parker, D. (2012). Christian teachers in public schools: 13 essentials for the classroom. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com.

Toste, J. R. (2016). Intervention in School and Clinic. Reading and Writing Instruction in the Upper Elementary Grades, 259-261.

Warren, M. A. (2012). Enhancing Literacy Instruction for Fluent Readers in the Early Elementary Grades. SSRN Electronic Journal.