Influences of Experiences and Training on Effective Teaching Practices to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners in Schools

Abstract

Introduction This paper discusses one component of an ongoing project to explore differentiated instruction (DI) as an approach for meeting the academic and related needs of the wide array of diverse learners in schools. The project, The 3 Dimensions (3D) of Diversity for Inclusion, was conceived at the September 2001 faculty meeting of the Department of Teaching and Learning at Southeastern Louisiana University. During the meeting, a report on the results from the prior academic year's annual student teacher exit survey was presented. The lowest ranked item on the exit survey indicated that teacher candidates need more intensive preparation to be able to work more effectively with diverse learners in schools. Subsequently, a small group of elementary and special education faculty met to discuss the survey finding. Hence, a task force was formed to determine actions for enhancing teacher candidates' preparation to recognize the academic, behavioral, cultural (3 dimensions/3D), and other dimensions for effectively teaching all learners in inclusive classes. (1) Comprising the task force are university faculty representing elementary and special education, as well as two elementary school teachers who use differentiated instruction in their classes. Collectively and independently, the task force: a) reviewed research literature, educational materials, policy documents, and student teaching exit surveys; b) compiled a list of resources; and c) conducted pilot surveys of teacher educators and candidates. Before embarking on the pilot study, the task force set parameters to limit the scope of the research and identified questions on differentiated instruction and related items (e.g., forms of diversity, inclusion, accommodations and modifications). In 2003, The Louisiana Board of Regents awarded the task force a grant to conduct a pilot project to support training and research, a component of which is presented here. This study provides insight into teachers' instructional practices, their attitudes toward these practices, and their preparation to use differentiated instruction. If students are to achieve the high standards set by school districts and states in response to accountability, universities and school districts must explore teachers' current practices and determine which variables affect those practices to provide high quality initial teacher preparation and professional development for practicing teachers. The findings of this project draw a parallel to the redesigned undergraduate and graduate programs that include additional increased attention to diversity in two new courses and other courses that meet state and national standards and reforms (e.g., NCATE (2) Standard III-Diversity, INTASC (3), No Child Left Behind). Literature Review Studies have shown that teachers tend to teach the way they were taught. About twenty years ago, Cuban (1983) noted that a set of core teaching practices has endured over the past century. These practices (teaching the whole group, reliance upon a textbook, rows of desks, question-answer framework for carrying on dialogue, etc.) persisted over time, in different settings, in spite of changes in teacher education and the knowledge that students bring to school and major social and cultural movements. (4) Around the same time, Shubert (1986) wrote about the difficulty of transforming teacher practice. According to Shubert, change in K-12 classrooms is questionable when innovative teaching methods are not modeled in teacher education programs. He described methods courses of the 1980s and before as involving: drab lists of strategies to be memorized apart from any teaching-learning context and are interspersed with requirements to write units and lesson plans according to some rigidly specified format. If this is not enough, the student spends too many hours listening to outdated lectures delivered by someone who has little touch with the real world of school for many years. …

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