Paper on Effective Strategies for Teaching Diverse Learners in Grade Six English Language Classroom

Introduction

This research paper entails various strategies applied in the classroom that a teacher can use to help their pupils through the learning process. In grade six, there are forty students from diverse backgrounds with different ability levels who will be taught the English language. A lucid and shared focus by the teachers, a good environment, instruction, curriculum, and assessment are aligned to the ministry standards, and frequent monitoring of teaching and learning is done to ensure learners keep on track. The school also comprises professional development community involvement and high-level family to ensure a high level of communication and collaboration between the school, parents, and students. Some of the strategies that will be applied include; cultivating good relationships and being culturally responsive for instance making students feel known, comfortable taking intellectual risks, and emotionally and also feel appreciated. Teaching students language skills and using multiple modalities will help students to learn fast. Gifted learners, students impacted by trauma, struggling learners, and English language learners are some of the teaching strategies I will apply to students as discussed below.

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Gifted Learners

Gifted learners are those students whose IQ score is 130 or over and they may excel in the English language more than other students. We have seven students in grade six who are very sharp and intellectual in English thus outshining the others. Some of the strategies applied to these students include; offering the most difficult questions and enabling them to work together. Gifted students do not want to ask many questions but a few. Students who complete given work first like constructing sentences are excused from homework(Flink, Boggiano, and Barrett,2017) This method is manageable since teachers can cage the ability of the students and can compact their curriculum on the ability of students. Students can now tackle challenging assignments. Gifted kids can challenge themselves when they are grouped together thus improving their achievement.

Some characteristics of gifted learners include:

• They have an excellent memory.
• They are fast learners in that they can rapidly put their thoughts together.
• They have a very good vocabulary and have the ability to use new words in their sentences
• Have the ability to read widely.

Struggling Learners

A struggling learner is a student or pupil who strives harder than others to complete the same task assigned. However, some students for the example given to write a composition end up being late than others. Some of the strategies for making the struggling students work include; giving them time to think of the answer and also allowing them to explain their answers (Kameenui & Carnine, 2015). These two strategies assist struggling students in thinking and giving the correct answer. Take some minutes to give them enough time to digest the question and there is more likely to give the right answer. Give them also a chance to explain to you by writing down for example when constructing clear sentences.

Some of the characteristics of struggling learners include:

• They mix the order of letters in some words.
• They can add or omit a sound that should not be in the word.
• They confuse statements that look the same to each other.
• They cannot handle a lot of information while learning.
• Need to be reminded often.
• They ask questions often.

English Language Learners

English language learners are those learners who cannot communicate well or learn successfully in English. They come from non-English speaking backgrounds or homes and thus need a good instructor in the English language. Some of the research-based strategies for teaching English language learners include:

• Speaking slowly and enhancing your wait time
• Teach good language skills

When speaking to English language learners, you should not be in a hurry to ensure students do not miss the points. Take time to talk and also you can record your time to see later how you are teaching for the effective learning process. For English learners, you need to take time to translate and answer questions asked by the students. Students should learn English in detail and also develop their skills to use it in other subjects after being rich in the content.

Some of the characteristics of English language learners include:

• They are new to English
• They have no exposure or little to English as a native language class.
• They are well conversant with the first language
• They rely on translation.
• They experience silence for a long period.

Students Impacted by Trauma

Student trauma is a child experience that is irresistible and can lead to harmful emotions and can pose a self-threat. Grade six students are developing and growing as most of them are exposed to adolescents which can impact the student's ability to study and learn. Students can be preoccupied with their inner thoughts which can trigger their brains from paying attention in their tests, class, and studying. Some of the research-based strategies for teaching students impacted by trauma include; building relationships and creating a safe environment. By building good relationships, students can interact freely and air out their issues (Seelye, 2016). Bonds are fundamental for reduced stress and can help for good foundations of flexibility. Students feel connected and secure when the environment is safe.

Characteristics of students impacted by trauma include:

• Avoiding people and being alone
• Re-experiencing and thinking over and over again
• Always worried about small issues
• The student has negative moods and likes blaming others.

Conclusion

In conclusion, teaching strategies tend to determine students' abilities in the class. Some of the differential strategies can help teachers to understand the grade six students and these include; differentiating students through teams, mini-lessons, formative assessments, balancing of individual work and teamwork, and voice and selection in products. Teams help the academic ability of some of the students in that those who are slow can be assisted by others and can also collaborate on skills. By applying this strategy, students can interact freely and will be able to know more by boosting each other. Mini-lessons are the best for students in that they help because they prevent time in class. This can be applied through video games. Teachers can, however, balance teamwork and individual work for instance some students like learning on their own, and others better when they are in groups. The teacher ensures he or she applies both strategies to support a collaborative environment where every need is met and satisfied. Ensure you meet students on an individual basis. Creating a summative and formative assessment helps to meet student's goals and passions thus managing the process and moving them forward as one.

REFERENCES

Orlich, D. C., Harder, R. J., Callahan, R. C., Trevisan, M. S., & Brown, A. H. (2018). Teaching strategies: A guide to effective instruction. Cengage Learning.

Killen, R. (2019). Effective teaching strategies: Lessons from research and practice. Cengage Learning Australia.

Kameenui, E. J., & Carnine, D. W. (2015). Effective teaching strategies that accommodate diverse learners. Prentice-Hall Inc., Order Processing, PO Box 11071, Des Moines, IA 50336-1071.

Flink, C., Boggiano, A. K., & Barrett, M. (2017). Controlling teaching strategies: Undermining children's self-determination and performance. Journal of personality and social psychology, 59(5), 916.

Seelye, H. N. (2016). Teaching Culture. Strategies for Intercultural Communication.