Who are the students in the modern classroom and what do teachers need to do in order to teach them?

The students in the modern classroom come from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Each of these students have their own sets of needs that the teacher must learn and adapt to. Since some students will share a background, it is important that teachers learn as much about the different cultures in their classes as possible. However, teachers also need to treat students as individuals since there is variability within each culture and between each student, no matter how similar they may be.

• Recognizing Individual Characteristics

What strategies can teachers use in order to reach all students within the modern classroom?

In a given classroom there are several subgroups of students with different academic levels. Often there are ELL and EC students with classmates who are classified as being on grade level. In order to help the ELL and EC students be successful. Since each strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses, teachers need to be mindful of which ones they pick for each assignment. The strategies that I will focus on are the SIOP Model, Think-Aloud, and Asking the 4Ws.

The SIOP Model

The SIOP Model is one of the more common strategies to use with ELL learners and has been implemented in several schools across the country. This strategy provides extra support for ELL by focusing on vocabulary that they might not have been exposed to; this also requires the teacher to use effective teaching in order to assist with the language development of their students. Teachers can then use graphic organizers to allow students to focus their thinking on the topic, and use their new knowledge to create and present posters in order to showcase their new knowledge.

• Chapter 3, Content Area Reading
• The SIOP Model

Think-Alouds

Think-Alouds are when students are able to reason aloud as they are solving a problem. This allows students to vocalize their thinking, and to receive feedback from their teachers and peers. It is not uncommon for students from other countries to be missing literacy skills in their native language. Think-Alouds allow students to vocalize what they may not be able to write down or communicate in any other forms.

• Common Core in Action: 10 Visual Literacy Strategies

Asking the 4 Ws

Asking the 4Ws is a strategy that has students answering questions based on a photograph. Since ELL students may not be able to read, they can look at a photograph and use the 4Ws to show their understanding of what is happening. This strategy can also be used with other students, since part of the Common Core standards has students using photographs to answer questions. Also, since every person has a different interpretation of an event, this strategy can allow students to express their point of view on a single photograph.

• Common Core in Action: 10 Visual Literacy Strategies

What challenges are there to the modern classroom?

One of the main challenges of the modern classroom is the bias that people have to each other. Often these bias happen through our thought process without the person realizing this. These bias vary by group, and can vary in their unpopularity. Another challenge of the modern classroom is that the teacher population often does not reflect the students population. 84% of public school teachers are white, while 48% of students are from a diverse culture. Because of this, teachers may not have a firm understanding of their students' culture, which can have unintended negative consequences.

• Unintentional Bias
• Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters

What steps can teachers take to overcome the challenges of the modern classroom?

Teachers need to build relationships with students and parents in order to better understand students' cultures. Parents can also engage their own communities in order to support their students and increase parent involvement. In order to accomplish this, programs need to be made available to parents, who may also struggle with speaking and understanding English. Fund from Title 3 may be used in order to help teachers and parents link with these programs. Sometimes the simplest things can have the biggest impact on a student, parent, or community.

• Building Trust with Famlies