There are many different factors to consider when we think of working with diversity. Some of these include; socio-economic status, gender, location, culture/ethnicity, adolescents and disabilities. It is vital that we as teachers are accepting, and take each difference as an opportunity to support teaching and learning with a variety of different individuals. We want to maximise the potential of each person, and allow them to be the best learner they possibly can be.
Taking on board a Multiliterate view of literacy can help us acknowledge and work with diversity, as it enables us to reach and connect with a range of diverse learners.
"The multiliterate person can interpret, use, and produce electronic, live, and paper texts that employ linguistic, visual, auditory, gestural, and spatial semiotic systems for social, cultural, political, civic, and economic purposes in socially and culturally diverse contexts"
Anstey & Bull, 2006. p.41
Taking on board a Multiliterate view of literacy can help us acknowledge and work with diversity, as it enables us to reach and connect with a range of diverse learners.
"The multiliterate person can interpret, use, and produce electronic, live, and paper texts that employ linguistic, visual, auditory, gestural, and spatial semiotic systems for social, cultural, political, civic, and economic purposes in socially and culturally diverse contexts"
Anstey & Bull, 2006. p.41
Things to consider when working with a student with Dyslexia
-At the beginning of the lesson, outline what you are going to do
-Summarise what has happened at the end
-Ensure students get verbal and written messages about things they need to do
-Checklists daily
-Ensure the student is clear about homework
-Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks
-Ensure the student is seated near students who are able to assist them or near the teacher
-Introduce new words slowly
-Use multimodal texts
-Use books they can listen to
-Don't place unreasonable demands on them
-Encourage them to proofread
–Use a structured explicit literacy program
–Provide scaffolds to help them organise their thoughts before writing.
–Using coloured paper
Hodge. (2000) Dyslexic child in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.dyslexia.com/library/classroom.htm
-At the beginning of the lesson, outline what you are going to do
-Summarise what has happened at the end
-Ensure students get verbal and written messages about things they need to do
-Checklists daily
-Ensure the student is clear about homework
-Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks
-Ensure the student is seated near students who are able to assist them or near the teacher
-Introduce new words slowly
-Use multimodal texts
-Use books they can listen to
-Don't place unreasonable demands on them
-Encourage them to proofread
–Use a structured explicit literacy program
–Provide scaffolds to help them organise their thoughts before writing.
–Using coloured paper
Hodge. (2000) Dyslexic child in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.dyslexia.com/library/classroom.htm
Sociocultural Theory in Education
The sociocultural theory of education and teaching highlights that within ones classroom there will be a variety of students from differentiated backgrounds, cultures and home situations. These students will all bring a different dimension into your classroom teaching, and it is important to consider the needs of these students in your classroom.
Sociocultural Theory in relation to Literacy Comprehension
‘A Sociocultural view of literacy maintains that comprehension must be seen in its social and cultural setting’ (Winch, 2010, p.98).
It is important to understand that when reading a text we must take into consideration the socio-cultural aspects that would have affected the writing of the text, as well as the way you comprehend it and respond. ‘Texts are parts of lives, talked, enacted, value-and-belief laden practices carried out in specific places and at specific times’ (Gee, 1996, p.1).
This statement reiterates the fact that the meaning of texts is influenced by the social and cultural context of the writer and reader, as texts are a human constructed initiative. ‘Every reader comes to the text with a different set of skills and understandings and that there are therefore as many meanings as there are readers’ (Winch, 2010, p.97).
It could be argued that there are aspects of a text that are common to all readers such as the literal meaning of the text, in other words: that there is one meaning within the text and it is the reader’s task to find it. The different levels of meaning would ‘produce varying amounts of difference depending on the input of the reader and the social and cultural context’ (Winch, 2010, p.97). It is vital that we as teachers acknowledge this socio cultural view of literacy, and ensure our teaching practices empower all of our students. ‘School literacy practices may advantage some and disadvantage others’ (Winch, 2010, p.98). Each student that comes into the classroom brings with them a different understanding of the world, a different set of ideas and concepts, and it is important we take this into consideration when planning literacy programs. Literacy not only ‘constructs the way an individual can operate in the world but also the way different cultural groups and agencies are structured and operationalised’ (Anstey & Bull, 1996, p.153).
The sociocultural theory of education and teaching highlights that within ones classroom there will be a variety of students from differentiated backgrounds, cultures and home situations. These students will all bring a different dimension into your classroom teaching, and it is important to consider the needs of these students in your classroom.
Sociocultural Theory in relation to Literacy Comprehension
‘A Sociocultural view of literacy maintains that comprehension must be seen in its social and cultural setting’ (Winch, 2010, p.98).
It is important to understand that when reading a text we must take into consideration the socio-cultural aspects that would have affected the writing of the text, as well as the way you comprehend it and respond. ‘Texts are parts of lives, talked, enacted, value-and-belief laden practices carried out in specific places and at specific times’ (Gee, 1996, p.1).
This statement reiterates the fact that the meaning of texts is influenced by the social and cultural context of the writer and reader, as texts are a human constructed initiative. ‘Every reader comes to the text with a different set of skills and understandings and that there are therefore as many meanings as there are readers’ (Winch, 2010, p.97).
It could be argued that there are aspects of a text that are common to all readers such as the literal meaning of the text, in other words: that there is one meaning within the text and it is the reader’s task to find it. The different levels of meaning would ‘produce varying amounts of difference depending on the input of the reader and the social and cultural context’ (Winch, 2010, p.97). It is vital that we as teachers acknowledge this socio cultural view of literacy, and ensure our teaching practices empower all of our students. ‘School literacy practices may advantage some and disadvantage others’ (Winch, 2010, p.98). Each student that comes into the classroom brings with them a different understanding of the world, a different set of ideas and concepts, and it is important we take this into consideration when planning literacy programs. Literacy not only ‘constructs the way an individual can operate in the world but also the way different cultural groups and agencies are structured and operationalised’ (Anstey & Bull, 1996, p.153).