Different Types of Learners

Different Types of Learners by Corey Taylor

Low SES Students

Low SES students are children who come from very poor families and are students who need lots of support and encouragement. Prevalent in Kentucky, with 26% of children living in poverty, these students could experience a multitude of different emotions daily. As educators, I believe it is not only our responsibility to educate these children based on the core content required, but also educate them on mental health and the opportunities to change their circumstances. Teachers should build students up rather than knocking them down. Particularly with low SES students because the last thing they need is another person telling them they can’t be successful.

Helping Low-SES Students Thrive. (2016, July 13). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.scilearn.com/blog/helping-low-ses-students-thrive

LGBTQ

As future educators we know how important it is for all students to feel safe in their environment to learn and be successful in school; Yet 60% of LGBTQ students who were harassed did not reporting their incidents in fear of it worsening, and 34% of students who did report their incidents said that educators did nothing in response. To me, his is a major problem. It is our duty to ensure that all students in our classroom are safe to grow individually and that they get the appropriate education they deserve. If we do not address the issue of bullying and harassment, we might as well be endorsing it. I hope that we will all fight against the unfair treatment of LGBTQ students and will stand up for these children who are simply trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be.

Queering Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www.queeringeducation.org/

ELL

With a rapidly increasing number of English Language Learners being admitted in the classroom, it is vital that educators have the training and resources to appropriately bring these students up to speed. With the use of various teaching strategies and technology resources available, there is no reason that educators should not be able to provide accommodations that will enable students to learn. All in all, it comes down to effort and time put in on our parts. We will have to put in extra hours for appropriate training and to learn different techniques use by various successful educators.

Integrating ELL Students in General Education Classes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-ells-general-education-classes-dorit-sasson

Universal Design for Learning

Definition

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way to meet the needs of all diverse learners and help them learn to their full potential. The intent for this way of learning is to break down obstacles that students may face when they come from different backgrounds and different ways of learning. UDL includes all students regardless of race, gender, disability, etc. 

Application in the Classroom

It is important as an educator to find different methods of teaching to help the students learn because each student learns in a different way. UDL is a tool that should be used in every single classroom because it gets rid of barriers that can be unintentionally caused in the classroom. As a teacher, it is important to know that your classroom will have many types of learners with obstacles that may arise. UDL helps teachers understand the obstacles and develop lessons that differentiates for students in the classroom.

Resource

According to the UDL Center, Universal Design for Learning is organized around three learning networks of the brain: affective networks, recognition networks, and strategic networks. The three networks are described below:

Reference

TAKE A TOUR: LEARN ABOUT UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR LEARNING. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2018, from http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/take_a_tour_udl

Different Types of Learners

LGBTQ, ELL, and Low SES Learners

As teachers, we set the tone for the classroom right from the start. If we do not address students when they are bullying another kid, then we are saying that it is okay to bully other students. We have got to stand up for these students, but most of all it is the LGBTQ students that get bullied the most and no one stands up for them. Here are some scary statistics:

63% of students who were harassed did not report their incidents to school staff for fear it would become worse

34% of students who did report said staff did nothing in response

Queering Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from http://www.queeringeducation.org/ 

We, as teachers need to become more aware of ELL students because there are more and more students that are ELL students. One way you can support them is by labeling your classroom and adding pictures to specific words, so that they can make connections. 

Integrating ELL Students in General Education Classes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/integrating-ells-general-education-classes-dorit-sasson

Also, as teachers we need to be aware of ways to help and support Low SES learners. These students need us more emotionally than other students will. These students have usually been through more than any of the rest of our students will. Kentucky has some of the most poverty stricken counties in the country. Education is a way for these children to escape their home life for a couple hours. 

Helping Low-SES Students Thrive. (2016, July 13). Retrieved April 10, 2018, from https://www.scilearn.com/blog/helping-low-ses-students-thrive

All teachers need to have professional development training's to understand and know how to handle these students and situations correctly. These websites give teachers ways to include them in the classroom and advice on things to do in your classroom to make it welcoming. 

Different Types of Learners in the Classroom

Low Socioeconomic Learners

26% of the children in Kentucky are living in poverty.In 2014, Kentucky had the 9th highest poverty rate of children according to the U.S. Census. 

Dr. Jennings is the Superintendent of the Jennings School District. With the implementation of programs that address students’ and families’ basic needs, the school district is thriving. Resources available at Jennings School District are a pediatrician, a College Prep Program, a place to do laundry, arts education, access to food, mental health therapists available at every school, and much more.

References:

How One Woman Reinvented School To Combat Poverty. (2016, May 26). Retrieved April 08, 2018,  from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKCnNZzhaMQ 

Ryan, J. (2015, September 21). Kentucky's Child Poverty Rate Ticks Upward, Census Data Show. Retrieved April 02, 2018, from http://wfpl.org/kentuckys-child-poverty-rate-ticks-upward-census-data-show/

ELL Students

English Language Learners are students who are not able to communicate fluently in English. Depending on the level of necessity, ELL students must be differentiated for in the classroom. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, Spanish was the home language of 3.7 million ELL students in 2014–15, representing 77.1 percent of all ELL students and 7.6 percent of all public K–12 students. Arabic, Chinese, and Vietnamese were the next most common home languages

Here are some examples of Supporting English Language Learners in the Classroom*

1. Make it Visual
2. Build in more Group Work
3. Communicate with the ESL Teacher
4. Honor the "Silent Period" 
• This is the frame of time in which ELL students speak very little.
5. Use Sentence Frames
6. Learn about the Cultural Background of your Students
• Embrace their culture; do not shove it aside!

*12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Classroom

References:

Gonzalez, J. (2014, December 11). 12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/supporting-esl-students-mainstream-classroom/

The NCES Fast Facts Tool provides quick answers to many education questions (National Center for Education Statistics). (n.d.). Retrieved April 08, 2018, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=96

Special Needs Learners

To ensure students with special needs are treated fairly in the education system, IDEA was passed. IDEA stands for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This act is mandated by the federal law, and it ensures that all students with exceptionalities have the right to FAPE (Free, Appropriate Public Education). To accommodate and differentiate for Special Needs Learners in the classroom, they will have an Individualized Education Plan or a 504 Plan. A 504 plan is broader than an IEP, while an IEP accommodates for a student who has a disability that is listed under the IDEA Act.

Here is an article that discusses ways to differentiate for special needs learners in this classroom: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-adapt-your-teaching-strategies-student-needs 

• If the student has difficulty learning by listening:
• provide visuals
• use flash cards
• provide written and manipulative tasks
• If the student has difficulty expressing verbally:
• wait for students to respond
• ask questions requiring short answers
• use a chart, graph, or table
• If the student has difficulty spelling:
• teach words by spelling patterns
• hang words from ceiling during study time
• use mnemonic devices

References: 

Bulloch, K. (2017, October 27). How to Adapt Your Teaching Strategies to Student Needs. Retrieved April 08, 2018, from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-adapt-your-teaching-strategies-student-needs 

Hallahan, Daniel P. Exceptional Learners. 1st ed. United States: Pearson, 2015. Print.