Embracing diversity through planning, pedagogy, and reflective practice
Mr. Richards visits the building blocks centre and notes some observations he has made when Grey, Theo, and Ariana are making what appears to be the interior design of a house.
Theo: I need that big block to go here.
Grey: Why? It can go here - this is the bedroom and that's the wall.
Theo: No - this is my bedroom and the wall goes here. See!
Grey: Okay, I'll make my bedroom next to yours, then.
Ariana: Mr. Cousins, look! This is my room. It's pretty!
Mr. Richards: I see that you made your room. Well done, Ariana! I wonder what Theo and Grey think about your work. Grey, Theo - how many bedrooms are in your house?
Grey: Two - see, mine and Theo's. They are right here.
Theo: Mine is right here - it's got a bed, a TV, a door, and some walls. Grey is next to me, see. He's got some blocks to build his bed, his TV, and a closet for clothes.
Mr. Richards: I see. You have put a lot of careful planning into your house - Grey and Theo. I wonder if you both could tell me about the other parts of the house?
Theo: Yeah - we have a kitchen, a bathroom, and a garage.
Grey: ... And we have a backyard. Hey - Ariana, what are you doing? That's where our pets are supposed to go ...
Such a scenario is one where I have previously witnessed a breakdown of communication and accordingly a lack of comprehensive collaboration across all playmates in centres. In a group of three or four children, several are working together to work out an idea, resolve a problem, or venture out on some exploration with no anticipated or determined vision, while at least one is participating in parallel play or exercising autonomously in the vicinity of others but who has not shared ideas, communicated about their perceptions, or built upon a common vision emerged in context. Some might pass this off to pure chance or that it reflects the circumstances of gender differences or background interests.
A closer look might reveal another and more pressing reality: That Ariana or someone like her experience depicted lives with a different ability of English language proficiency compared to Theo and Grey and that it is proving to be a factor in shaping her experience of feeling left out and playing more independently than with and alongside her peers. Apart from this hypothetical conjecture, children living with exceptionalities or English language needs face a multitude of unknown or unidentified barriers that restrict their full participation at school (Watson & McCathren, 2009), and as a result are likely to experience frustration, isolation, and become less independent than their peers (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007).
How might Mr. Richards reflect on this experience and take deliberate steps to support Ariana's abilities to play more involvedly with her peers?
Research shows that when children are provided a safe, nurturing, and linguistically responsive environment in which to learn they are more likely to communicate their experiences and discoveries in a multitude of ways (Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, & Matera, 2013). To construct a learning environment like this for these diverse learners, educators can orient themselves to personalize the curriculum in ways that facilitate oral language learning (Ibid). Called Personalized Oral Language Learning (POLL), Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Metera (2013) have introduiced a method to increase the language and literacy learning for all students, but especially for those who practice more than one language at home and stand in need of English proficiency.
Families first: establishing a strong rapport and inviting families to become engaged throughout their child's school year is key to the successful development of English language acquisition and the address of any real or perceived disabilities. An interview may be scheduled to arrange a conversation in person and to deliberate upon shared ideas, strategies, and procedures, and to construct a set of routines and transitions that might prove to support the child from day one. A template of a semi-structured interview that an educator may wish to draw from, adapt or select questions, deliberate with a colleague and/or school administrator in advance of an interview, and to practice and/or reflect upon prior to conducting the interview can be found here: Semi-structured interview questions for parents of a child. Once you have conducted the interivew and gained insight on the child, you may use the data to consturct a working profile of the student(s): How to do this from the Learning for All (2013) is exhibited in a section that concentrates on student profiles (see pp. 42 - 50).
2. Environmental supports: The design and layout of the classroom is key in shaping whether the child's experiences are rooted in their worldview or whether the impulse of learning proceeds from without and according to the perspectives of the educators. How many centres and what features they exhibit have the power to stimulate or curb conversations among students and their space, and these can be accompanied by labels and signs that are authored by students, themselves. Conversational language usage is easier to build in the linguistic repertoire among students than academic language usage since it occurs among peers and reflects everyday realities of the children; academic language usage operates in the domain of formal situations, where such is featured in books, texts, and other transmissive forms of language learning. An educator who facilitates conversational language usage through provocative centres and spaces stands in a position to witness greater development of English Language proficiency among English Language Learners. As Jim Cummings (2016) notes:
Building a space where more than one language is shown and those that reflect the tongue of the students builds enthusiasm, passion, and motivation for learning further language. In the classroom library, shelving texts, artefacts, exhibits, and posters that reflect student contributions, family donations, or teacher-student constructions and which feature developmentally appropriate print and images serves to build loyalty to the space and learning new challenges. Adding sources of knowledge that reflect the everyday interests and experiences of the students - through imagination, through conflict, through problem-solving, through adventure - brings periodic change and an ongoing evolution of input to the classroom library.
Some recommended sources to draw from to find a way to co-build a vision for the classroom environment include:
3. Instructional Supports: To help the English Language Learner transition from conversational fluency to academic language comprehension and usage, consideration for what is taught and how it should proceed during carpet time is an essential complement to free choice play. Throughout the learning blocks, some intervals may be scheduled for inviting children to the carpet for formal conversations and the need for explicit instruction. At these times, there are opportunities to direct attention over to written messages, exposure to phonics study, selections of videos, the performance of book talks, interactive songs and dances, and similar others dramatic activities that emphasize interpretive performativity, attentive listening, and verbal communication. The usage of bold print to highlight sight words - their spelling, their pronunciation, their semantics - or the invitation for families to share personal experiences, stories, and talents are ways to bring personalized learning experiences while at the same time building proficiency in English language usage in incrementally and developmentally appropriate ways.
Some sources that provide insight and further guidance on the process to set up a nurturing, safe, and inclusive learning environment and one that can be extended to during carpet time instruction include:
While reviewing these sources and adopting some of their suggestions may prove helpful to planning a more inclusive learning environment for diverse learners, the reality of teaching diverse learners operates on a case by case basis. The experience for Ariana may feature a continuance of struggle and hardship to "fit" into the play with her peers, but being responsive to emergent needs and intervening when and where appropriate is key for the pedagogical leader in the Kindergarten classroom. These supports help to prepare for and respond more effectively to these situations, albeit with the hope of them occurring less frequently as development of English Language proficiency continues to emerge.