Written in an approachable manner, Reaching All Learners: Understanding Diverse Classroom Populations presents future educators with foundational knowledge on a variety of student populations. The text identifies multiple "categories" into which students fall in modern education in America through the lens of a first-year teacher being interviewed by a principal with a great deal of experience with student diversity.
The opening chapter initiates the teacher-principal interview and provides the framework for the text. Additional chapters discuss the characteristics teachers must possess to positively influence students and student learning, acknowledging that teachers will work with a wide range of diverse students. Readers learn about working with students living in poverty, working with students of different ethnic backgrounds, and supporting students with special needs taught in general education classrooms and taught in a variety of separate settings. Working with gifted learners and English language learners is also addressed. Closing chapters focus on creating quality learning experiences through technology and developing a better understanding of student mental health issues.
Each chapter includes a Setting the Classroom Scene feature, which introduces the subject of the chapter through a short narrative. Each chapter also features pre-reading questions, a formal introduction, and periodic Pause and Reflect and Pause and Discuss questions. Concluding real-world scenarios and questions help readers better synthesize the chapter content.
Engaging and enlightening, Reaching All Learners is an ideal textbook for courses and programs in education at all levels.
Industry Reviews
Reaching All Learners: Understanding Diverse Classroom Populations is a wonderful resource for beginning teacher education students. The text is written in way that is easy to understand while providing great real-world examples of common situations and issues faced by teachers in classrooms every day. The book presents information that is needed without falling into the standard format of a textbook; instead it reads more like a collection of stories based on the writer's experiences." -Tyler Booker, Special Education Teacher, Coffee County Schools, Alabama
"In Reaching All Learners: Understanding Diverse Classroom Populations, Johnson addresses key components of service delivery and educating children with special needs in diverse and challenging times. He provides a structure as well as a process that guides pre-service educators to maximize their experiences to be prepared for in-service practice. Additionally, the book provides dynamic information from a seasoned school administrator and her expectations of preparedness of newly minted teachers. Johnson's text is rich in examples of integrating the challenges of our times (e.g., diversity in needs, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and language)." -Dr. David Gordon, Adjunct Instructor, Troy University
"Reaching All Learners is a much needed reminder of the importance of pre-service teacher preparation. This book brings awareness to the diverse learning situations that await a new teacher as they begin their teaching journey." -Dr. Tami Shelley, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, Auburn University-Montgomery
