Simple Rules for  Serving All Students

The following article is key to understanding the work required to complete this course and to understanding the basic rules of planning appropriate curriculum for all children.  In this article I will make connections between diversity and your own learning experiences, both past and future.  The article is divided up into several segments; begin by linking to the introduction below.  You may wait to read the rules when they appear in the weekly guide, or read them both now and later for fuller understanding.  An earlier version of the article is included in the course reading packet that is available from the bookstore, so you will have a hard copy once you purchase the packet.

Diversity:  The gifts in each, introduction

Six simple rules for providing services to all students

Dr. LeoNora Cohen (1994) has six simple rules for meeting the needs of gifted students.  These rules can serve as organizers to meet the needs of children from varied backgrounds.  Cohen refers to their result as 'taking the lid off'.  Notice how the children's interests are woven into each 'rule'.   There are cartoons for each rule.  Each concept is highlighted by a little real-life story as well.

1. View children as individuals, each having a unique pattern of abilities and interests that need to be nurtured.

2.  Children should spend at least part of their time with others of similar ability and interests.  This promotes healthy social and emotional development.

3.  Children should move as far and as fast in basic skills as possible.

4.  Children should be allowed to investigate, in depth, areas in which they are greatly interested, and should be encouraged to do original, creative work and to purposely investigate real problems.

5.  Children may need counseling, mentoring, and guidance from caring adults, whether parents, counselors, or their classroom teachers to optimize their potential.

6.  Provide skills for life-long learning.
 

Focus on the learner

If I work to make my classroom fully what every identified group of "differently-abled students" needs, I would have endless reading and preparations for each labeled "group", yet I might miss unique individual variations. It is more satisfying and appropriate to meet the needs of the 24 or 32  individual young people in my room who each have a history and will have a life! As I focus on individuals, their needs and passions, I include many lessons plans incorporating choice, student selected options, and student generated self-assessments. My job becomes easier and my classroom becomes "custom-made" for each student. A preservice teacher wrote a moving report about her work with special needs students. She had begun to know the children as individuals, with unique ways of knowing the world. She said, "Tim is a 4th grade science student who is medicated for hyperactivity. I haven't really done anything for him, except he was on my mind when I wrote the kinesthetic piece into my worm lesson plan." This focus on individuals as we plan for group and individual work may make the crucial difference.

In my continuing quest for tools to help meet the needs of individual children I have found two excellent organizing frameworks. The first, also work by Dr. Cohen, is a method of studying children's interests (1998).She sees interests in young children, starting as early as 6 months, falling into 6 themes: Action/Control, Putting it all together, Aesthetic/Expressive, Symbol/Symbol Systems, Nature/Nurture, and People.  I have found recognizing these themes helpful to providing appropriate materials and resources to students.

Next, is Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences (1984). He recognizes seven ways of knowing:  Visual/Spatial, Verbal/Linguistic, Logical/Mathematical, Body/Kinesthetic, Musical/Rhythmic, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. I find these categories useful in developing tools for effective multicultural education for the learning community.

These "fresh peaches" of current sound pedagogy beckon us and we need to appreciate the taste. Please try some of the practices found elsewhere on this site, such as those in "Observing with Fresh Eyes: Finding the Gifts in Each", and "Multi-cultural, multi-intelligent: Finding the Gifts in Each".

I believe that the central issue in teaching any student, black or white, blind or bilingual, rich or poor, bright or "challenged" is the same: FOCUS on the LEARNER and meet the needs.

 References