Meeting Diverse Needs

Why is this essential?

There is no one size fits all approach to teaching. Thus, the goal of meeting diverse needs is to ensure that every student is successful in the classroom. Diverse needs are met by accommodating differences in learning styles, backgrounds, levels of readiness, abilities, needs, and interests. Teachers juggle many considerations while they teach, and this element may be the most difficult to perform consistently. Even veteran teachers are still practicing and learning how to meet diverse needs in their evolving classrooms. But the importance is clear— students cannot be successful until their needs are adequately met by the teacher, other students, class content, and classroom environment.

My Experience

My first was on student needs. Some accommodations were made for individual students, and others were made generally because they benefit the entire class. For example, a student in the college prep algebra class missed a sizeable portion of the quarter due to medical emergencies, so accommodations were made so that they could complete coursework remotely at their own pace and remain on track. Other students had accommodations for extra time on assessments, but our classroom policy was more encompassing, such that any student who did not finish their Friday quiz could return to complete it another week. This met the needs of any student who feels time-sensitive pressure while taking quizzes.

The college prep algebra class had the most diverse needs. As the lowest offered level below honors, the class had students with a wide range of math abilities. When I began teaching this class, it was important for me to differentiate instruction for students at different stages of understanding. At first, I was not doing this at all; I taught the class with the same style as the honors classes, except the examples were simplified and I spent more time giving careful and thorough explanations while solving problems in front of the class. Upon reflection, I realized that this style was not friendly to all students and that I was not meeting the needs of students who benefit from individualized attention. My style in this class changed to incorporate many modes of delivery; we would cycle through an example as a class, practice problems in small groups, and independent checks for understanding. During group work, my mentor teacher would walk around the classroom, identifying students who were struggling and offering our personal attention to help them succeed. When students looked like they had given up, the individual attention showed them that their presence and outcomes matter, and the spark would ignite as they went back to work. Although it was difficult to manage so many individual needs, I found this to be extremely rewarding and enjoyed working with this group of students. But it always took the most of my energy!

As part of my pedagogy coursework at WPI, I took a course in Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) which taught me strategies that are used to meet the needs of English language learners (ELLs) in a mainstream classroom. While I did not have any ELLs in my classes, the instructional techniques benefit all students, so I employed many of them in my teaching: I would narrate the agenda at the beginning of class, repeat vocabulary words frequently, use direct and clarified language (e.g., well-paced talking, avoiding idioms, proper grammar), allow students to practice explaining concepts and solutions to each other, supplement descriptions with images and visuals, use sentence frames, and write clear sets of instructions on worksheets and quizzes. These strategies assisted students at all levels of English proficiency and made the classroom more accessible.

My biggest struggle in this facet was allowing students enough time to attempt challenging problems before stepping in to offer assistance. With diverse needs, students take different amounts of time to comprehend, develop, and solve challenges. When students struggled, it was my instinct to jump in and help, whereas I should have recognized that the struggle was a healthy and beneficial part of the learning process. As I reflect on this, I will continue to evaluate my instincts as a teacher and rethink what it looks like for a diverse group of students to work on challenging problems in the classroom.