What Successful Teachers Do in Diverse Classrooms

Foreword by Donna Heath Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Introduction 1. Making the Multicultural Connection Strategy 1: Be sensitive to the diversity of today's classrooms. Strategy 2: Move beyond "color blind" teaching and take the time to know students in specific localized cultural contexts. Strategy 3: Reflect on how multicultural competence is defined today. Strategy 4: Help immigrant students by understanding their personal beliefs. Strategy 5: White Ethnic students need multicultural education too. Strategy 6: Cultivate multicultural connections. Strategy 7: Develop and promote a positive ethnic identity to students. Strategy 8: Watch for factors of exclusion that influence multicultural curriculum choices. Strategy 9: Focus on the classroom management factors that best reflect culturally responsive teaching. Strategy 10: Include multicultural works when developing a quality English curriculum. 2. Including Students with Special Education Needs Strategy 11: Recognize that different cultures view disabilities differently. Strategy 12: Teach all students about disabilities to facilitate the social acceptance of students with special needs Strategy 13: Avoid excessive drill and repetition when teaching math. Strategy 14: Spend more time teaching a few key concepts rather than trying to cover it all. Strategy 15: Tailor homework to ensure success for students with disabilities. Strategy 16: Spend the time to develop and use a variety of assessment strategies. Strategy 17: Offer positive and constructive feedback rather than criticism. Strategy 18: Communicate student progress early in a course, but avoid using formal grades to do so. Strategy 19: Ensure students receive appropriate instructional or assessment accommodations. Strategy 20: Be aware of potential bias when considering the recommendations of the Student Study Team Strategy 21: Focus on classroom process before course content to increase time on task. Strategy 22: Consider using Universal Design for Learning Principles when designing lessons. Strategy 23: Encourage students to set process goals when learning new technology. Strategy 24: Create scaffolds to help students learn complex skills and procedures Strategy 25: Focus on instructionally centered communication when working with students with learning disabilities. Strategy 26: Encourage students with disabilities to develop positive interpretations of their academic performance. Strategy 27: Use instructional strategies that support the specific needs of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 3. Cultivating Gender Sensitivity Strategy 28: Open the dialogue with students regarding gender equity issues. Strategy 29: Support male and female students differently during school to school transitions as gender can influence their needs. Strategy 30: Become aware of the traits of gifted females. Strategy 31: Work to prevent inequities between male and female students'class partcipation. Strategy 32: Consider how students sometimes treat female teachers differently than male teachers. Strategy 33: Address gender issues in the classroom to increase student success and confidence. Strategy 34: Be prepared for subtle gender bias in academic situations. 4. Including Students Who are Sexual Minorities Strategy 35: Create a classroom environment of safety and respect. Strategy 36: Access libraries to provide a more inclusive collection for sexual minorities. Strategy 37: Explore curriculum that includes minority sexual identity and sexuality. Strategy 38: Weigh the issues of choosing to remain "closeted" vs. "coming out" within educational settings. Strategy 39: Consider the effect of teachers "coming out." Strategy 40: Be aware of the diverse and complex path that gay males undertake in self-defining themselves as gay. Strategy 41: Work to prevent "low-level violence" in schools. 5. Supporting Students Who are Economically Disadvantaged Strategy 42: Teach group skills to help low-income students establish a positive and encouraging support network to increase their likelihood of attending and completing higher education. Strategy 43: Use cooperative test review and study guides to improve student achievement. Strategy 44: Encourage all students to enroll in rigorous courses and build in the needed supports to facilitate their success. Strategy 45: Utilize a variety of print materials to inspire student reading and writing. Strategy 46: Explore the effects of pacing on student learning when working with low-income students. Strategy 47: Teach self-regulation and attention sustaining skills to help students improve their performance. Strategy 48: Explore team teaching to address the needs of economically disadvantaged students. Strategy 49: Mentor economically disadvantaged students to improve their aspirations. Strategy 50: Make academic success the first priority for economically disadvantaged students. Strategy 51: Use a variety of assessments to identify gifted students from underrepresented groups, particularly economically disadvantaged students. Strategy 52: Support equal access of extracurricular activities to promote student connectedness. Strategy 53: Use popular films featuring urban classrooms as starting points for reflection and critical analysis. Strategy 54: Be aware of the factors that contribute to the failure of highly competent students. 6. Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners Strategy 55: Be wary of low expectations for language minority students. Strategy 56: Reflect on the complex issues surrounding school literature selection for bilingual and bicultural students. Strategy 57: Carefully consider the use of cooperative groups with second language students. Strategy 58: Explore the definition of literacy and the complexity of the term when applied to bilingual and bicultural students Strategy 59: Actively address the diverse needs of English learners. Strategy 60: Prepare for a cultural and linguistic mismatch between teachers and their students. Strategy 61: Select spell checker programs that meet the needs of the specific student population. Strategy 62: Consider portfolios to create an overview of student performance and growth. 7. Working with Parents Strategy 63: Develop strategies to help parents help their children succeed academically. Strategy 64: Include parents from marginalized groups by making them feel welcomed. Strategy 65: Involve minority and culturally diverse parents as resources in the classroom. Strategy 66: Consider the positive and negative effects that homework has on students and their families. 8. Establishing and Sustaining Your Professional Identity Strategy 67: Actively seek opportunities to expand personal experiences in multicultural settings. Strategy 68: Internalize that cultural experience and perspective is different for each individual. Strategy 69: Recognize the signs and symptoms of "diversity-related burn-out." Strategy 70: Successful teachers should become knowledgeable about adolescent culture. Strategy 71: Do not underestimate the preparation necessary for placement in urban multicultural settings. Index