28th February 2013

This week at practicum I independently carried out two shared reading lessons with 25 children whilst small satellite groups went off and did guided reading with the teachers. I had the opportunity to create a lesson plan, use the ‘think, pair, share’ technique, and a combination of low-key behaviour management techniques too. On both occasions (including my first ever lesson!) I was observed, so my desire to not completely ‘bomb-out’ was incredibly high! In the first lesson, I was observed by the deputy principal (who had come in to do performance management observations of the entire class, and she ended up including me) and the next day by my site supervisor (who had come in especially to observe me).

I thought I’d be extremely nervous, but somehow, when I sat in front of the gorgeous little faces, all I could see and think about was them. I went into teacher mode, and we talked about book components, adjectives, and story morals. We discussed the word appealing, and I pointed out digraphs in words, so that what the children learnt in their literacy mat session was put into context. I held them accountable my randomly choosing children with questions, and I think it definitely helped with managing their behaviour. I made a conscious effort to have more positive praise than negative feedback, because I strongly believe that this will influence behaviour more effectively. I also decided to wear a clown's wig for the second lesson (the story was partly about wigs). It worked beautifully to hold the children's attention! I'm sure the children now believe Mrs Stewart is somewhat strange. They wouldn't be wrong!

The wig was also part of my effort to build strong rapport with the children in the class, especially those who might be seen as having disruptive behaviour. I can see that some children feel a bit different to others in the class, possibly because of their learning abilities, home life, and culture. They tend not to participate in the mat sessions, and are either extremely silent (trying to fly under the radar) or quite disruptive. Wearing a wig on my head, not only made them laugh and contribute, it also taught them that different can mean good, and that diversity doesn't have to be seen a a negative in the classroom. We don't have to feel like we need to be like other people to be celebrated. Rather, we are perfect just the way we are. That sentiment was also echoed in the story I read. 

Watching how aware the children are of their differences also made me particularly aware about just how diverse a classroom can be. Although my class has equal numbers of girls/boys, it also contains children who come from different cultures, families of different socio-economic status, children supportive families, and children in foster families. It has children with special learning needs, and those that would benefit from extension in some learning areas. 

So I started thinking...how will I support each one of these children in their individual learning journey?

I'm not too sure I can give a checklist of answers for this, other than to say I believe supporting a child means respecting their individual needs. Knowing and understanding individual needs can only come from knowing the child...and that means building a good rapport with the student, and with all of the people connected to them. I could do this before lesson time, and at the end of the day, during lunch and afternoon tea breaks, and during activities in the classroom. I could host a parent information night or after school activity that involved the child and their family.

Allowing for diversity in the classroom might mean adjusting my teaching to match a child's learning style, perhaps being more visual, or kinesthetic. It might mean adjusting my lesson delivery; reducing/chunking instructions to allow a child to retain and complete a task successfully and thus become more confident. It might mean making my voice softer, louder, being quiet, or more energetic in order to engage. I could celebrate a child's cultural heritage within my classroom planning, and recognise and respect a child's abilities in all areas, not just the area I am teaching in. Certainly, I could also use a child's skills in different areas as a scaffold for future learning.

I also see celebrating diversity as also making the classroom as accessible as possible for the child. If a child comes to school hungry, in emotional distress, with hearing issues, speech, language or sensory processing difficulties, then I need to refer them for extra support to ensure they are able to access/engage in as many learning opportunities as their peers. I also need to involve parents within the classroom environment, and open a dialogue with them to monitor what is happening in a child's world outside the classroom, as this may significantly impact on learning.

Although I believe I can answer some of my questions, I still have others. How can I be accountable in addressing diversity? Will my effort in this area be directly related to short term student outcomes, or is it more of a long-term measure? How can I measure my specific impact? I always seem to end up with more questions than I started with...I'm just hoping that's a good thing!