Diversity

Diversity Framing Statement

Rachel Ostler

ED698 Master’s Portfolio Spring 2023

University of Alaska Southeast

Diversity
The teacher demonstrates an understanding of individual differences and diverse cultures in their
community in order to ensure inclusive learning environments that enable each learner to meet high
standards. The teacher interacts with parents and local communities to identify resources that can be
used to increase relevancy and learner engagement. The teacher adapts instruction and uses modified
materials, resources, tools, and technology to address exceptional learner needs, including those
associated with disabilities and giftedness.

In this paper, I will address the importance of recognizing diversity in the classroom as well as

the importance of adapting instruction to insure all learners are successful. Along with examples from

my own current teaching practice, the artifact that I will be using to support this paper is a paper that I

wrote during my Perspectives in Multicultural Education class. This paper discusses who is responsible

for deciding what is taught in terms of diversity and multicultural awareness and can be found here.

In my artifact of practice, I focus on two different people, or groups, that are responsible for

deciding what is taught in terms of diversity and multicultural awareness, community members and

teachers. In today’s complex, multicultural, multiracial world it is important to educate students with

the voices of those who have not been traditionally included. These voices include women of all

backgrounds, people of color, and females and males who perceive their education as not made for

them (Tetreault, 2013). Tetreault (2013) says, “It rests on the teacher to make education ‘education’ for

the majority that believe that their education was not made for them” (p. 159). As a teacher, it is my

responsibility to teach students of the people that came before them. It is important to teach about

their culture, their history, and about the people whose land we live on. However, it is not possible for

me to be a master of all of these subjects, so I have to rely on my community. I must rely on my

students’ parents, community members and my students to teach me information and hold me

accountable for the things that I do not know.

Our community can be our greatest resource when planning curriculum that teaches diversity

and multicultural awareness. When teachers choose what to teach James Banks (2013) says, “The school

can and should make effective use of the community cultures of students of color when teaching them
Diversity 2

subjects as writing, language arts, science, and mathematics” (p. 234). One example of taking advantage

of community cultures is that of the Russian Orthodox Community in my area. A large portion of the

community is Russian Orthodox. I have a student and an aide in my classroom that is part of this

community. When we learn about cultures, holidays, and traditions, I make sure to allow time for them

to share and teach the class. I am not an expert in their culture, and rather than skip over something

that I am not familiar with, I take the time to learn from them, so that my entire class can benefit from

the knowledge that comes from their community members.

Another form of diversity seen in my classroom is that of language. In my classroom, all of my

students speak English as their first language. However, I have multiple students that have parents that

speak other languages in the home. These languages include Spanish, Russian, and Filipino. It is

important for me to consider that although these students speak English, their understanding could vary

from that of their peers, because of their relationship with language in their own homes. Gail Tompkins

(2017) said, “Reading and writing are viewed as social activities that reflect the culture and community

in which students live, and students from different cultures have different expectations about literacy

learning and preferred ways of learning” (p. 8). This was evident in my classroom recently when we

were learning about the sound that the letters a and i make when said together and where they can use

them in a word. During phonics instruction I show students letter cards and they respond with the sound

they make. Often there is a saying that goes along with the card to help students remember their

sounds. For the card “ai” students will say, “Two letter ā that we do not use at the end of English

words.” This is in contrast to the card “ay” where students will say, “Two letter ā that we do use at the

end of English words.” When teaching these sound cards I explained to my students that English words

to not end in the letter i, so if we here the ā sound at the end of a word, it cannot be ai. When going

over these sounds on a later day, I had an English Language Learner (ELL) student ask me, “What about

other languages? What about Russian?” This student has parents that speak Russian in the home and it
Diversity 3

was at this time that I was reminded that language learning was going to look different for these

students, as they had multiple language rules that they would be learning.

An additional form of diversity seen in my classroom is ability and disability. I have multiple

students with Individualized Learning Plans (IEPs) as well as gifted students who work above grade level.

I do my best to create an inclusive classroom environment based on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

where everyone feels welcome. Rapp & Arndt (2012) explains, “The purpose of UDL is the meet the

needs of all students in an inclusive classroom” (p.145). Not only do I try to make my classroom

environment meet the needs of all my students, I explain to them that is what I am doing. In order to

meet the needs of the diverse abilities in my classroom I provide them with different things that they

might need. For a student that struggles with sitting still I have provided them with a wobble chair. This

chair requires them to focus more on sitting still, because if they move too much, they will fall out of the

chair. For other students I have provided them with wobble cushions that they can put on their chair or

chair bands that can go around the feet of their chairs to allow them to bounce their legs. For a student

that needs to keep their hands busy in order to help them pay attention, I provide them with a fidget

toy. Often when providing students with these things I hear other students say, “Why do they get to use

that but I don’t? That’s not fair.” It’s at this time that I teach a lesson on fairness and explain that fair

does not mean everyone gets the same thing. Fair means that everyone is having their needs met.

Another way that I incorporate UDL in my classroom is by providing students with

differentiation in the lessons. I do this by providing different means of presenting the lesson. I often

provide power point slides to give students a visual as well as provide instruction verbally. Students are

also able to turn and talk to a neighbor to help with brainstorming. When it is time to work

independently students are allowed to sit in any area of the classroom that will help them focus on

getting their work finished and allow them to be successful. This means I often have students sitting on

the floor at the front of the classroom, on a beanbag in the reading corner, or sitting at their desk. I also
Diversity 4

provide differentiated work. Instead of requiring every student to read the same book, students read at

their own level. Each week new decodable books are introduced based on the current phonics skill we

are learning. However, students will not move on to that book until they are comfortable with weeks

previous. This means I have students in a range of different books. They do not have to feel less than

their peers because they are not able to read the same books. By allowing them to read books at their

level they are able to build their skills and feel successful as they go.

Sousa and Tomlinson (2011) point out that there is a clear difference between ability and

readiness. Where ability is something static or difficult to change, “readiness refers to an individuals

current proximity to, or proficiency with, a specific set of knowledge, understanding, and skills

designated essential to a particular segment of study” (p. 85). It is because of this that I treat all my

students as capable of learning no matter their diverse background. This is where the importance of

scaffolding comes into place. By rooting teaching in an area that students are already familiar with, we

can help them become ready to take the next step in their learning. During the last hour of my teaching

day I have implemented literacy rotations to help my students grow in their literacy skills. In order to

take into consideration my students’ needs, I have differentiated the groups by readiness. This means

that while I have one group working on kindergarten level sight words, I also have a group in a literature

circle reading more advanced chapter books, making predictions, and teaching their peers the things

they have learned through reading. This differentiation makes it possible for me to allow all of my

diverse students be successful.

Today, diversity is everywhere. Sometimes it is obvious. Other times, it might take longer to see.

It is my job as a teacher to dive below the surface and be aware of the diversity in our classrooms. It is

my job as a teacher to take responsibility to ensure an inclusive learning environment for all my

students, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Part of that job includes using my community as a

resource to ensure that diversity and multicultural awareness is being taught.

References

Banks, James. (2013). Approaches to multicultural curriculum reform. In Banks, J.A. and McGree Banks,

C.A. (Eds.), Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (8th Ed.). (pp. 181-198). John Wiley

and Sons, Inc.

Rapp, W.H., & Arndt, K.L. (2012). Teaching everyone: An introduction to inclusive education. Paul H.

Brookes Publishing Co.

Sousa, D.A., & Tomlinson, C.A. (2011). Differentiation and the brain: How neuroscience supports the

leaner-friendly classroom. Solution Tree Press.

Tompkins, G.E. (2017). Literacy for the 21st century a balanced approach (7th ed.). Pearson.

Treault, Mary Kay Thompson. (2013). Classrooms of diversity: Rethinking curriculum and pedagogy. In

Banks, J.A. and McGree Banks, C.A. (Eds.), Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives (8th

Ed.). (pp. 125-143). John Wiley and Sons, Inc.