Building on Student Diversity: Profiles and Activities PDF
Preview Building on Student Diversity: Profiles and Activities
Building on Student Diversity: Profiles and Activities Joy R Cowdery FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page i Building on Student Diversity FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page ii To my family and students. To my former high school students for any insight and respect I have for teenagers and their resiliency. Especially to my sons for their contributions to this work: to Aaron for his insight and honesty, to Benjamin for his knowledge of Spanish and Latino life, to Dylan for the remarkable pterodactyl drawing from second grade that I attributed to Malcolm. To my family for their patience in sharing me with the work I love. Especially to my husband, Joe, for all his love and support in everything I attempt. —J.C. To Goodwin S. Rogness III, who was the wind beneath my wings. To the students who were the inspiration for Leslie and Yu-shin. —L.I. To the high school students I had the privilege of teaching, especially Phil. You showed me what perseverance in the face of adversity looks like and what can happen when teachers provide opportunities for all students to be successful. I promised you we would capture some of the challenges in a book someday. To my family, Roger, David and Lori, Nathaniel and Anne, whose unconditional love and appreciation of diversity across settings, time, and experiences have enriched my life beyond measure. And finally, to Eliza and Jack, for the hope that each new generation brings. —L.M. To the teachers who discover the gifts that lie within us all. To my first teachers, Dr. Kenneth N. Wilson and Rita W. Wilson. To Greg. —V.W. FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page iii Building on Student Diversity Profiles and Activities Joy R. Cowdery Linda Ingling Linda E. Morrow Vicki A. Wilson Muskingum College FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page iv Copyright © 2007 by Sage Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information: Sage Publications, Inc. 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 E-mail: [email protected] Sage Publications Ltd. 1 Oliver’s Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP United Kingdom Sage Publications India Pvt. Ltd. B-42, Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 110 017 India Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Building on student diversity: Profiles and activities/Joy R. Cowdery... [et al.]. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1–4129–3693–4 or 978-1-4129-3693-4 (pbk.) 1. Multicultural education—United States. 2. Children with disabilities—Education. 3. Teacher-student relationships—United States. 4. Effective teaching—United States. I. Cowdery, Joy R. LC1099.3.B84 2007 372.9′046—dc22 2006009933 This book is printed on acid-free paper. 06 07 08 09 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Acquiring Editor: Diane McDaniel Editorial Assistant: Erica Carroll Associate Editor: Elise Smith Production Editor: Beth A. Bernstein Copy Editor: Barbara Coster Typesetter: C&M Digitals (P) Ltd. Cover Designer: Candice Harman FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page v C ONTENTS Preface ix 1. Midland U.S.A. and Its Schools 1 Midland 1 Commerce 1 Features 2 Schools 2 Cultural Background 2 Religion 3 Clover Valley Elementary School 3 Activities 3 Students 3 Words From the Staff and Students 4 Midland Middle School 5 Grade-Level Organization 5 Scheduling 5 Behavior Management 6 Activities 6 Students 7 Words From the Staff and Students 7 Midland High School 8 Activities 9 Requirements 9 Students 9 Words From the Staff and Students 10 Activity 1: Examining the School and Community 11 Activity 2: Exploring the “Hidden Curriculum” 11 Activity 3: School and Community Collaboration 12 FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page vi Part I Profiles and Cumulative Folders 15 2. Casey Griffith: Motivating and Modifying for Learning Disabilities 17 Second Grade, Clover Valley Elementary School 17 Sixth Grade, Midland Middle School 19 Tenth Grade, Midland High School 21 Casey’s Cumulative Folder 23 3. Sarah Brown: Supporting Intellectual Giftedness 47 Second Grade, Clover Valley Elementary School 47 Eighth Grade, Midland Middle School 49 Twelfth Grade, Midland High School 50 Sarah’s Cumulative Folder 53 4. Malcolm Singer: Addressing the Challenges of ADHD 67 First Grade, Clover Valley Elementary School 67 Sixth Grade, Midland Middle School 69 Tenth Grade, Midland High School 71 Malcolm’s Cumulative Folder 73 5. Raul Ramirez: Bridging Cultural Gaps 105 Kindergarten, Clover Valley Elementary School 105 Eighth Grade, Midland Middle School 107 Twelfth Grade, Midland High School 109 Raul’s Cumulative Folder 111 6. Leslie Carr: Accommodating Physical Disabilities 125 First Grade, Clover Valley Elementary School 125 Sixth Grade, Midland Middle School 127 Twelfth Grade, Midland High School 128 Leslie’s Cumulative Folder 131 7. Kim Yu-shin: Reaching Reluctant English Language Learners 151 Eighth Grade, Midland Middle School 151 Twelfth Grade, Midland High School 154 Yu-shin’s Cumulative Folder 157 Part II Activities 163 8. Getting to Know Your Learners 165 Activity 1: Meeting the Students 165 Activity 2: Focusing on Special Needs 166 Activity 3: Expanding Your Resources 168 Activity 4: Knowing Your Students 168 Activity 5: Developing an Educational Plan 169 9. Designing Environments That Support Your Learners 173 Activity 1: Understanding the Cultural, Social, and Emotional Needs of Your Students—The First Day of School 173 Activity 2: Experiencing Cultural Differences 178 FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page vii Activity 3: Creating a Positive Learning Environment for All Students 180 Activity 4: Supporting Your Learners 183 10. Developing Lessons to Meet the Needs of Your Learners 185 Activity 1: Developing Lessons That Are Culturally Relevant to All Learners 185 Activity 2: Differentiating Instruction to Meet the Needs of All Learners 191 Activity 3: Creating Collaborative Units 199 Activity 4: Designing Responsive Language Arts Activities 199 11. Gathering Data to Improve Instruction 201 Activity 1: Learning About Student Interests 202 Activity 2: Preassessment of Student Knowledge 203 Activity 3: Concept Assessment 208 Activity 4: Goal Assessment 208 Activity 5: Authentic Assessments 209 12. Communicating With Families: Activities 211 Activity 1: Learning to Listen 211 Activity 2: Simulated IEP Conference 217 Activity 3: Parent-Teacher Communications 218 Glossary 221 References 227 About the Authors 229 FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page viii FM-Cowdery-(V-5).qxd 8/16/2006 4:45 PM Page ix P REFACE A s teachers of students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, we firmly believe that everyone can learn. As former classroom teachers, we put this belief into action by designing classrooms and learning activities that promoted the intellectual, emotional, and social growth of each of our students. Now, as professors who prepare college students to become teachers, we struggle to develop the dispositions and teach the strategies that will help our students promote the growth of each of their future students. In the past, we relied on short case studies and field experiences to teach our students about the challenges of teaching children from a wide variety of backgrounds and with a wide range of abilities. How much more beneficial it would be, we thought, to have a group of children that all our students knew who could help us show them how to create powerful learning experiences in classrooms and schools that were respectful and supportive of all. So we began to write stories—stories about children we made up from the knowledge and experiences we had had as parents, teachers, and professors. And we began to develop activities that would allow our college students to learn about these special children and their potential for growth as whole persons. As we began to use these stories in our classes, the children became an integral part of our teacher education program. They showed our students what it was like to be “different.” They showed our students how to create a caring school environment, to accommodate for special learning needs in instructional activities and assessments, and to interact with families and communities. They showed our students that all children, even those who are most challenged and challenging, have faces, names, and lives outside the classroom. In this book, which evolved from our writing project, we introduce you to six prototypical children—Casey, Sarah, Malcolm, Raul, Leslie, and Yu-shin—who have a wide variety of backgrounds and abilities. If you are a teacher candidate, they will help prepare you for work ing with real children in real classrooms. If you are a professor in teacher education, you will find that the stories of these children can bring your classroom instruction to life, from initial classes in diversity, through general methods and content-specific methods courses, and even into student teaching or clinical practice seminars. Because all of your students know all of these children, there is a common basis for instruction and discussion. If you are a dean or department chair, or the accreditation director, you will find that the activities in this book contribute to meeting Standard 4 of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), specifically Element 1: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of ix
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