Student Population of our Classroom
Through our own field experiences, we have imagined a classroom reflective of one we might all encounter during our time teaching, where students come from a variety of backgrounds, races, cultures, etc. Our class is an 11th grade (junior) English class, and is not tracked in any way. As such, our students reflect a normal bell-curve in terms of academic abilities, with may towards the center, and smaller amounts on both extremes. This requires that all of our lessons be formatted in order for all students to do the work and take something away from every day, so that the higher-ability students are still challenged, while not going entirely over the heads of those on the lower end of the spectrum.
In a classroom of 25 students, there are 13 females and 12 males. 11 of the students are white, six are African-American, four are Hispanic, with four from multiple races. Besides English, students in our class are also speakers of Spanish (bilingual) and African-American English. This requires accommodations to be made in each of our lessons, so that it is equally accessible linguistically.
In addition to the racial/cultural and academic diversity, there is a good deal of diversity within our classroom with regards to family backgrounds and student interests. Some students come from two-parent households, while others come from single-parent homes or split time between divorced parents. Special education needs also play a role in this class, as a handful of the students require special attention due to mild visual impairments. There are a number of extracurricular activities and interests found among the students in our classroom, which is reflected in their participation in athletics, school clubs, and student organizations like student council and peer-leadership.
This makeup requires that we find ways to keep our lessons creative enough so that meaning and connections can be found by ALL students. While this provides a number of challenges, it also means that our classroom is an area where diversity is very present, able to be explored and employed for the education and betterment of our students.
In a classroom of 25 students, there are 13 females and 12 males. 11 of the students are white, six are African-American, four are Hispanic, with four from multiple races. Besides English, students in our class are also speakers of Spanish (bilingual) and African-American English. This requires accommodations to be made in each of our lessons, so that it is equally accessible linguistically.
In addition to the racial/cultural and academic diversity, there is a good deal of diversity within our classroom with regards to family backgrounds and student interests. Some students come from two-parent households, while others come from single-parent homes or split time between divorced parents. Special education needs also play a role in this class, as a handful of the students require special attention due to mild visual impairments. There are a number of extracurricular activities and interests found among the students in our classroom, which is reflected in their participation in athletics, school clubs, and student organizations like student council and peer-leadership.
This makeup requires that we find ways to keep our lessons creative enough so that meaning and connections can be found by ALL students. While this provides a number of challenges, it also means that our classroom is an area where diversity is very present, able to be explored and employed for the education and betterment of our students.
