Diversity Interview
Interview Questions
What is your role as a teacher in a diverse classroom?
How do you develop an inclusive classroom?
How do you develop the students’ social skills?
What are the modifications and adaptations that you use in your classroom?
Why are adaptations important in a diverse classroom?
What is the importance of building relationships with the students?
How do you build health relationships with your students?
What is your general experience in teaching in a diverse classroom?
Experience of a Teacher in a Diverse Classroom
Teachers play an important role in the classroom as they impact the lives of the students in various ways. Their roles in the classroom goes beyond educating the students and are responsible for creating a conducive environment suitable for mentoring and nurturing the students. Teachers are role models that listen and care for the student’s well-being while in the school environment.
In a diverse classroom, the teacher is responsible for creating an environment that accommodates all the students’ needs. The classroom environment must be positive to reinforce learning and responsible social behaviors among students. Effective teachers are required to design an inclusive classroom that appreciates and accommodates the varying students’ needs and cultures. This means that the teacher is expected to acknowledge the individual and cultural differences that each student possesses and address them using positive strategies. Although teachers are provided with a curriculum that they must adhere to when teaching, they are required to have inclusive instructional methodologies that ensure that all student acquire all the pertinent knowledge taught in the classroom.
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The teacher must nurture the students to acquire effective social skills such as respect and understanding of cross-cultural factors. These social skills can be modeled, reinforced and taught by the teacher through using learning and teaching practices that are inclusive. In order for the teacher to effectively achieve this, they must examine the students’ behaviors and how they learn by identifying the appropriate task orientations. Once the teacher has recognized the students’ orientation, they can design instructional methods that are structured based on the students’ learning needs.
Teaching in diverse classrooms requires the teacher to modify the learning and teaching activities. Through modification, the teacher is able to create an inclusive learning environment. Some of the modifications in a diverse classroom include preparing a task that is detailed and tailored for specific learners’ needs. This means that students will be taught using different models or approaches. The teacher can provide the students with sufficient time to prepare for a learning activity beforehand. This allows both the teacher and student to organize themselves in advance.
Adaptations are also important in a diverse classroom as it enables the teacher to assist students in aligning their expectations based on their needs. As a result, the need for performance and participation within the learning environment is naturally assimilated to the learner’s capabilities. The classroom teacher consults with the students’ parents in order to learn the varying needs of the students and integrate an education program that the student can adapt to with ease. Nonetheless, the teacher adapts, modifies and changes the learning activities and resources as the students’ progresses in their academics. This is mandatory to ensure that the students benefit from the curriculum throughout their academic experiences. Furthermore, the teacher’s goal in using adaptation is to ascertain that each student benefits from the instructional activities by exposing them to successful learning experiences that will build a foundation for a life-long learning experience.
Teachers in a diverse classroom must build healthy relationships with their students in order to effectively achieve their goals and responsibilities as instructors. Creating an inclusive learning environment in a diverse classroom requires the teacher to understand each of their students. For instance, by analyzing the social, economic, cognitive or psychological challenges that students present, the teacher can relate better with their students. By gaining an in depth understanding of the students’ lives, the teacher is intentional in designing that students can relate to. For instance, the teacher is dedicated in improving the relevance of the lessons taught by using more relatable examples while teaching about concepts. Building trusting relationships with the students also allows the students to feel safe and actively participate in the learning activities without the fear of being excluded or discriminated. Moreover, the teacher can identify signs of behavioral issues or struggles presented by the student and address them. The teacher may follow the due process to investigate any behavior changes and implement the appropriate interventions.
Students must be taught to exhibit appropriate behaviors within the classroom. By teaching students the right behaviors they learn to recognize and appreciate the differences that make each one of the unique. Therefore, the teacher is expected to inform students on the acceptable behaviors and how they should conduct themselves within the school context and the community. To achieve this, the teacher may discuss the differences and similarities that exist between each student and why they are important in the development. This will allow students to positively adjust their mindset and attitudes towards themselves and their peers; hence creating a cohesive classroom.
Conclusion
This interviewing process was enlightening as it showed that teachers play a vital role in the growth and development of students. Teachers are not only required to model their students to succeed in their academics but are also expected to equip them with relevant social skills that prepare them to succeed in the real world. From this experience I was able to understand that teachers must be flexible in their roles and responsibilities. In order for them to create a positive environment in diverse classrooms, they must strive to adopt instructional methods that are inclusive and address all the learning needs of each learner. The teacher must be creative and professional when design a classroom plan and lesson for them to achieve the desired outcomes and positively influence the student’s learning experiences.