Spurlock Master’s Portfolio

Diversity

Developing diverse perspectives, learning to think inclusively and expansively while

engaged in scholarly activities classrooms exemplify academic success (Gay, 2006). As a

teacher, I actively focus on strategies of teaching students to move from being dependent

learners to independent self-directed learners while educating myself on their cultural

groundings. As a new teacher, I challenge myself to improve my teaching for the diverse

learner using the “Ready for Rigor” framework that combines awareness, learning partnership,

information processing, and community of learners, together with neuroscience and culture.

Culture, it turns out, is the way that every brain makes sense of the world. That
is why everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, has a culture. Think of culture as
software for the brain’s hardware. The brain uses cultural information to turn
everyday happenings into meaningful events. If we want to help dependent
learners do more higher-order thinking and problem solving, then we have to
access their brain's cognitive structures to deliver culturally responsive
instruction. (Hammond, 2015, p.35)

Recognizing that motivation is multidimensional and that students need choice; I strive

to create a productive learning environment for a classroom of diverse learners. Students are

acknowledged as individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Classroom activities

honor diverse cultural beliefs asking for students to share and use what they know in all their

learning experiences. Students of all abilities are appreciated, respected, and supported in my

classroom. Instructional content used, strategies employed, student products and the learning

environment are differentiated according to students' readiness, interest, and learning profile.

Students have many opportunities for choice including reading material, writing subjects,

learning activities, and products of work.

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Below are two artifacts from 1st grade representing how I honor diversity in the

classroom. Diversity can be seen through a developmental level lens and a multicultural lens.

In both cases, learners bring their interests and experiences when constructing knowledge.

To address diversity adequately, Prince and Felder (2006) suggest an alternative

constructivist approach to teaching that is primarily learned-centered based on inquiry,

discovery learning, or project-based learning. When student teaching, I implemented a

Bookmaker Station,

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RAX3gSEFx1tPs20v2unF_r_DbNbE_Oq8/view?usp=sharing ,

where students were free to explore making and writing mini-books. This station embraced

diverse learning styles and was open-ended to provide a differentiated learning experience for

each student. A variety of materials were given for choice. Students explored making print at

their readiness level. Some students engaged in full stories with a beginning, middle, and end.

Students who wrote used their developmentally appropriate writing strategies. Some students

drew pictures with words or just pictures.

Students were encouraged to share their books with the whole class at circle time, have

the teacher read their book, or share their book independently with a teacher. Writing and

sharing the books provided an encouraging environment for students to be proud of their

personal work as authors and illustrators at their various levels.

Gloria Landson-Billings (1994) is acknowledged as creating the term Culturally Relevant

Teaching (CRT) described as “a pedagogy that empowers student intellectually, socially,

emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes”

p. 17-18). CRT teaches to and through the strengths of students while regarding the diversity of
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these students as an asset rather than a deficit. In my classroom, I integrate learning in the

cultural context as much as possible. In Dillingham in 1st grade, we celebrated Indigenous

Peoples Day (all week) by discussing local topics throughout the week, wearing traditional

clothing and jewelry, eating important local foods, and participating in a district-wide assembly.

With this activity, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SuCWRHtqK-

JbkPjPzkN2rz3zoBrRqTFR/view?usp=sharing, the class focused on Alaska Native centered

stories and wrote about family traditions.  Students were encouraged to share their ideas

verbally with the class and then asked to write and draw a picture of their family tradition they

hold important.  Students were supported to write using developmentally appropriate word-

chunking strategies, sounding out their words to their best abilities. Each student was able to

access this open writing workshop by applying their interest, life experiences, and readiness.

I strive to learn about students’ experiences, values, and what motivates them while

supporting their diverse skill sets and teaching them new skills to unleash their potential. To

support a classroom culture that is inclusive of all students and embraces diversity, I believe the

best classroom practices are to involve all students in the construction of knowledge, build on

their personal strengths, and assist students to examine curriculum from multiple perspectives

(Holcomb-McCoy, 2007).
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References

Gay, G. (2006). Connections between culturally responsive teaching. In C.M. Everston & C.S.

Weinstein (Eds.), Handbook of classroom management: Research practice, and

contemporary issues (pp.343-370). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Hammond, Z, & Jackson, Y. (2015). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain: Promoting

authentic engagement and rigor among culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Holcomb-McCoy, C. C. (2007). School counseling to close the achievement gap: A social justice

framework for success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Landson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers: Effective teachers of African-American children.

San Francisco, CA: Josey Bass.

Prince, M.J., & Felder, R.M. (2006). Inductive teaching and learning methods: Definitions,

comparisons, and research bases. Journal of Engineering Education, 95(2), 123-138.

Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220017716_Inductive_Teaching_and_Learni

ng_Methods_Definitions_Comparisons_and_Research_Bases