Hope Feldman

TPE C: Engaging and Supporting Students in Learning

Supporting diverse students through the use of engagement is one of the

best strategies used by teachers to promote inclusion and equity. In order to
provide essential support for all different kinds of learners, teachers must strive
to make content accessible, provide ample opportunities for student
engagement that are developmentally appropriate and incorporate strategies
for students who are learning English.

Making Content Accessible

What you teach and the delivery method of instruction determines how
well students will be able to connect to a lesson and meet learning outcomes. In
order for students to understand what they are learning, the content must be
accessible. This means that teachers are responsible for designing and
implementing lessons that not only meet the needs of their students but that
are also digestible and relatable.
Planning lessons using a universal design framework in which the
teachers consider the students and their various learning styles first, then
differentiate curriculum and content, processes, and products before delivering
instruction (Villa, Making Inclusive Education Work. pg.339, Kaleidoscope) can
ensure content is accessible for students. Catering instructional strategies and
curriculum to best fit our students interests and aptitudes sets them up for
success. In the classrooms I observe, I have seen teachers deliberately design
their instruction in order to address their student needs. For example, in Fourth
grade, when the class begins a new literacy unit, the teacher will give the
students a packet containing all the assignments, graphic organizers and
important notes they will need. This packet contains a variety of opportunities
for vocabulary, writing, critical thinking and reflection development. Depending
on the students needs, the teacher will provide additional support and adjust
instructional strategies to help them successfully complete the assignments.
Activating prior knowledge and building on students experiences is an
important way teachers can make content accessible. Learning should be
directly linked to students lives and to the real world. KWL charts seem to be

one of the best ways to find out about what students already know and want to
know. Not only have I seen KWL charts be an effective tool for tracking what
students learn, but I also have seen them being used to enrich learning
experiences by allowing students to provide input and to make connections to
the topic before they actually get direct instruction about it. For example, in the
Kindergarten class I observe, at the start of the ocean unit, the teacher began
with a KWL chart in which the teacher recorded students background
knowledge about the ocean (with prompting questions to stimulate thinking)
and also asked them what they wanted to learn about the ocean. Throughout
the unit, she recorded what the students were learning and based some of her
lessons on what she had found out about their background knowledge and
interests. I plan to use KWL charts when beginning a unit in order to gather
more information about my students in relation to the topic so that I can make
the content more meaningful and accessible.
Along with the development of content that provides rich and relatable
learning opportunities for a diverse range of children comes the necessity to
cultivate and improve our students communication skills. In order for content to
truly be accessible, students need to be able to communicate what they have
learned. Students must possess a specific skill set in order to be capable of
sharing their knowledge and to demonstrate their understandings. Since
communication is an essential piece of content accessibility, it therefore needs
to be explicitly taught and modeled with ample time dedicated for practice.
Common Core State Standards emphasize speaking and listening skills and urge
teachers to integrate these essential communication components into the
culture of the classroom and design of every lesson.
In the fourth grade class I observe, the teacher has a poster of speaking
and listening standards paired with step by step instructions for how to be a
good listener and speaker that she refers to when giving assignments that
provide speaking and listening opportunities. She will also set expectations for
what needs to get accomplished with the communication exchange, i.e. Your
partner will tell you 5 sentences to summarize what they wrote. Count them on
your fingers to help them keep track! I see that when students are given
appropriate training on how to communicate with one another and the teacher
sets clear expectations, the children can learn from one another while also

enhancing their speaking and listening skills.

Student Engagement
Extraordinary achievement comes from a cooperative group
(Johnson, Johnson, Making Cooperative Learning Work. pg. 194, Kaleidoscope.)

In my observations of diverse elementary classrooms, I have noticed how

profoundly different every student approaches learning. The ways in which
children apply and absorb strategies, recall content and demonstrate their
understanding of what has been taught varies drastically. The Multiple
Intelligence Theory provides insight as to how teachers can transform
classrooms into unique learning communities in which all students can flourish.
Since our job as teachers is to provide an equitable and inclusive education for
all students, and to ensure students develop the vital grade level expectations
in accordance with state standards, we must develop teaching practices that
support students individuality.
The Multiple Intelligence theory suggests that children will be engrossed
in learning if the educational experience being provided seeks to engage
students by building on their strengths and learning style preferences. In order
to develop academically responsive classrooms that strive to maximize the
capacity of each learner, (Tomlinson, Mapping a Route Toward Differentiated
Instruction pg. 202, Kaleidoscope) we must give children the chance to bring
forth their personal talents with regard to meeting shared learning goals. I
notice that in Kindergarten, the teacher will dedicate the first portion of a lesson
to direct whole group instruction but then sets aside a majority of the time to
integrate singing, art, movement and writing. She will teach the children songs
that relate to the theme of the unit and will often pair the lyrics with some sort
of dance movement. She designs projects that require students to do some
form of art and varies the projects to allow for a wide use of materials. The
children also have the opportunity to look at books and complete weekly writing
assignments based on the theme of the unit. She engages students in a variety
of activities that allow for multiple intelligences to shine.
Building on students individual intellectual abilities requires providing
rich experiences in which students can engage with material personally.
Kaleidoscope: Orchestrating multiple intelligences pg 188. To me, a rich
experience entails presenting children with lots of choices, opportunities for
hands on explorations with manipulatives, and through assignments that are
authentic and meaningful. A rich experience allows students with multiple
intelligences to work together, learn from one another and to approach
material in equally valuable but different ways. (Kaleidoscope: Orchestrating
multiple intelligences pg 188) I want my students, all of whom bring unique
intelligences and interests to the classroom, to be exposed to a vast range of
approaches to learning and to feel appreciated for their personal strengths and
contributions to the class community.

Developmentally Appropriate Teaching Practices

Content accessibility and student engagement is dependent upon the
teaching practices utilized for instruction. Teachers must carefully consider the
developmental needs of their students and align teaching practices, materials,
and content according to the grade level they are working with. Learning is
enabled when children can access and relate to the content and when specific
strategies are used to engage them in learning activities that stimulate
curiosity, allow them to be successful and that match their developmental
needs.
In kindergarten, I notice the teacher uses a morning routine to teach
foundational skills. She engages the children in a daily sequence of activities
that incorporates practicing beginning reading skills, counting and reviewing the
calendar with different movements and songs. The repetitive nature of this
morning routine encourages students to participate because they are familiar
with the procedures and also because they enjoy the movement. Engaging
young children in kinesthetic learning and using short, catchy lessons supports
their developmental needs since kindergarteners tend to have short attentions
spans. Essential skills such how to follow procedures/directions, pay attention
and participate in a group settings are built into the morning routine as the
teacher explicitly teaches, models and provides practice time for the children to
enhance these skills.
In fourth grade, I notice the teachers instructional strategies support the
social nature and maturity of her students. She gives them a lot of assignments
that can be completed in small groups or with partners. She also uses classroom
discussions to give students the chance to share their work and engage in
higher-level thinking and reasoning tasks. Not only does she recognize her
students enjoy having learning opportunities to communicate with one another,
but she also trusts her students to responsibly work together to get the
assignments done.
My students developmental stages will shape and inform my teaching
practices and planning. I know how important it is to structure the learning day
in a manner that meets my students needs. My classroom will be a place where
all students will be successful because the content and teaching techniques will
meet them at their developmental level and will spark their curiosity. I will set
up my classroom and organize activities in such a way that my students will be
able to internalize and appropriately respond to what is being taught in a hands
on fashion. My greatest hope is that my students will also be excited about
learning because my classroom and teaching practices will specifically address
their developmental needs and interests.

Teaching English Language Learners

In California public schools, almost twenty-three percent of students are
classified as English learners and forty percent of students speak a language other
than English at home. (http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sd/cb/cefelfacts.asp) As an educator,
you must be philosophically committed to student diversity (Kaleisocope- making
inclusive education work 334) because teaching English learners, as well as children
with all different needs, requires dedication and creativity.
Differentiated instruction is one of the best approaches to providing the
necessary support needed to meet diverse student needs. The goal of differentiation
is to make learning work for each student( kaleidoscope- the goals of differentiation)
which requires tactful planning and execution. Having an understanding for the
academic needs of students learning English is an important factor in successful
differentiation. In the fourth grade classroom I observe, the teacher fosters a positive
and rich learning environment for all her students, including those classified as English
language learners by incorporating lots of visuals, having labels in both English as well
as other predominant second languages, and by using tactful grouping, modeling and
cooperative learning. She asks students who are stronger in certain areas to help other
students in need of more support. She also dedicates time to holding individual
meetings with students to provide additional support during independent work time.
The use of graphic organizers also seems to be an effective strategy used to support
all students, especially those learning English. The graphic organizers I have seen the
fourth graders working on have scaffolding for language development including word
banks and sentence stems.
Differentiation enhances learning opportunities for all students in the classroom
by supporting students in areas they need more instruction and by building on their
strengths. Grouping students based on their needs whether they are language based
or subject specific, allows teachers to guide students educational trajectory based on
where they are currently functioning. Students are successful because instruction and
expectations are tailored to fit their abilities.