Teaching Strategies
Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners Essay Assignment Instructions
Overview
Classrooms are filled with students from diverse backgrounds with various ability levels. Educators need to embrace the diversity among their students through the examination of instructional strategies. This assignment will allow you to investigate strategies for teaching students with specific academic and emotional needs. You will have an opportunity to consider how all these strategies can be used at the same time to meet the needs of all students.
Instructions
For this assignment, you will write a 1,200-word research-based essay that describes a plan for teaching a diverse class on how to view, interpret, analyze, or represent information from a learning standard selected from your endorsement area and grade band.
- If you are pursuing the MAT in elementary education, you may select a standard from any one of the four core subject areas (English, Math, Science, Social Studies) in grades K-5.
- If you are pursuing the MAT in middle grades education, you may select a standard from your endorsement area in grades 6-8.
- If you are pursuing the MAT in secondary education, you may select a standard from your endorsement area in grades 9-12.
For example, a student in the MAT Elementary Education program might select Virginia Math Standard 3.7b – The student will estimate and use U.S customary and metric units to measure liquid volume in cups, pints, quarts, gallons, and liters, and then explain how representation will be used to help students understand the relationship between each unit of measurement.
You must select a standard from the Virginia Standards of Learning for this assignment. You may not use standards from any other state. Use the provided link to access the Virginia Standards of Learning.
You will present research-based strategies for teaching your chosen standard to students from the following groups; gifted learners, struggling learners, English language learners (ELL), and students who have been impacted by trauma.
Your essay should be organized into the following sections:
- Instructional Overview – In this part of the essay, you will describe your class (grade level, number of students, school characteristics, etc.), the standard you have chosen to teach (copy the entire standard into the essay), and how you plan to integrate viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information from the standard into your instruction. This part of the essay is an overview that will provide the background necessary to prepare readers for the detailed instructional strategies presented in subsequent sections of the essay.
- Gifted Learners – In this part of the essay, you will describe at least two research-based strategies for teaching gifted learners. The description of these strategies must be aligned with your chosen standard and the integration of viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information. This part of the essay should also include a brief description of gifted learners and some of the characteristics of gifted learners.
- Struggling Learners – In this part of the essay, you will describe at least two research-based strategies for teaching learners who struggle with academic content. The description of these strategies must be aligned with your chosen standard and the integration of viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information. This part of the essay should also include a brief description of struggling learners and some of the characteristics of struggling learners.
- English Language Learners – In this part of the essay, you will describe at least two research-based strategies for teaching English language learners. The description of these strategies must be aligned with your chosen standard and the integration of viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information. This part of the essay should also include a brief description of English language learners and some of the characteristics of English language learners.
- Students Impacted by Trauma – In this part of the essay, you will describe at least two research-based strategies for teaching students impacted by trauma. The description of these strategies must be aligned with your chosen standard and the integration of viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information. This part of the essay should also include a brief description of the impact of trauma on students and some of the characteristics of students who have been impacted by trauma.
- Conclusion – In this part of the essay, you will summarize the strategies shared throughout the essay and discuss how a teacher might incorporate several of these strategies into one lesson through differentiation. Consider small groups, learning stations/centers, differentiated assignments, and other strategies. Use research to support your differentiation strategies.
This essay should include at least four scholarly resources published within the past five years. An APA formatted resource list should be included with the essay.
Teaching Strategies for Diverse Learners Essay Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Levels of Achievement | |||
| Content | Advanced | Proficient | Developing | Not present |
| Instructional Overview | 15 to 16 points
The class description includes grade level, class size, and at least three other school characteristics.
The entire learning standard is copied into the essay with context for instruction.
The overview contains a detailed explanation of how the candidate will integrate viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information from the standard into instruction. The connection between the standard and the integration area is quite clear. |
13 to 14 points
The class description includes grade level, class size, and at least one other school characteristic.
The entire learning standard is copied into the essay.
The overview contains a reasonable explanation of how the candidate will integrate viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information from the standard into instruction. The connection between the standard and the integration area is clear. |
1 to 12 points
The class description includes grade level and class size OR class description is not included.
Part of the learning standard is copied into the essay OR the standard is not aligned with the candidate’s grade band/endorsement area OR the standard was not obtained from the Virginia Standards of Learning.
The overview contains an explanation of how the candidate will integrate viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing information from the standard into instruction OR the overview contains a limited explanation of the connection between the standard and the integration area OR the connection between the standard and the integration area is not included. |
0 points
The requirements are missing. |
| Gifted Learners | 15 to 16 points
Two research-based strategies for working with gifted learners are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). There is a fluid connection between this part of the essay and the instructional overview. |
13 to 14 points
Two research-based strategies for working with gifted learners are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
1 to 12 points
One or two strategies for working with gifted learners are described. The strategies may or may not be aligned with the chosen standard and/or integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
0 points
The requirements are missing. |
| Struggling Learners | 15 to 16 points
Two research-based strategies for working with struggling learners are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). There is a fluid connection between this part of the essay and the instructional overview. |
13 to 14 points
Two research-based strategies for working with struggling learners are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
1 to 12 points
One or two strategies for working with struggling learners are described. The strategies may or may not be aligned with the chosen standard and/or integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
0 points
The requirements are missing. |
| English Language Learners | 15 to 16 points
Two research-based strategies for working with English language learners are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). There is a fluid connection between this part of the essay and the instructional overview. |
13 to 14 points
Two research-based strategies for working with English language learners are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
1 to 12 points
One or two strategies for working with English language learners are described. The strategies may or may not be aligned with the chosen standard and/or integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
0 points
The requirements are missing. |
| Students Impacted by Trauma | 15 to 16 points
Two research-based strategies for working with students impacted by trauma are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). There is a fluid connection between this part of the essay and the instructional overview. |
13 to 14 points
Two research-based strategies for working with students impacted by trauma are described in detail and aligned with the chosen standard and integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
1 to 12 points
One or two strategies for working with students impacted by trauma are described. The strategies may or may not be aligned with the chosen standard and/or integration area (viewing, interpreting, analyzing, or representing). |
0 points
The requirements are missing. |
| Conclusion | 15 to 16 points
A well-written summary of the strategies presented throughout the essay is included.
A thorough discussion of how a teacher might incorporate several of these strategies into one lesson through differentiation is also included. Differentiation strategies are supported by research (evidenced through in-text citations). |
13 to 14 points
A summary of the strategies presented throughout the essay is included.
A discussion of how a teacher might incorporate several of these strategies into one lesson through differentiation is also included. |
1 to 12 points
A summary of some of the strategies presented throughout the essay is included or omitted.
A limited discussion of differentiation strategies aligned with the strategies presented throughout the essay is included or omitted. |
0 Points
The requirements are missing. |
| Structure | Advanced | Proficient | Developing | Not present |
| Grammar and Spelling | 10 points
Correct spelling and grammar are used throughout the essay. There are 0–2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
8 to 9 points
There are 3–5 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
1 to 7 points
There are 6–10 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. |
0 points
There are more than 10 errors in spelling or grammar. |
| Word Count | 7 points
The essay contains at least 1,200 words. |
6 points
The essay contains 1,100-1,199 words. |
1 to 5 points
The essay contains 50-1,099 words. |
0 points
The assignment included fewer than 50 words |
| APA Format | 7 points
There are 0–1 minor errors in APA format in the required items: title page, font type and size, line spacing, headings, citations, and references. |
6 points
There are 2–3 minor errors in APA format in the required items.
|
1 to 5 points
There are more than 3 errors in APA format in the required items.
|
0 points
The assignment does not follow APA format at all. |
Complete Answer:
