Growing up in the most populous U.S. state, by grade seven I was used to 30+ student classrooms as the norm. Throughout middle and high school, you would hear concerned parents discuss over-filled classrooms and the negative effects they were having on our youth. “Where are our tax dollars going?”, “Why aren’t my kids getting the time they need?” were among the common concerns about the struggling public school system in California. However plentiful the concerns for this fact of matter were, not much attention was being given to the growing diversity of backgrounds in any given public school’s classroom. Out of the thirty-five kids in my grade nine Spanish class, probably 10 were white, 12 were latino, 8 were asian, 3 were black, and 2 were middle-eastern. Each one of us had a different history with the Spanish language, and with learning in general.

Not just in California, but all over the world, classrooms are becoming more diverse. In a 21st century classroom, how can teachers create and apply a curriculum that understands and works around a diverse group of individual students? Is it enough to vary instruction through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic models, or does the teacher have an obligation to learn individual narratives and shape learning around them?

The Ontario College of Teachers claims as one of their standards of practice, “[Teachers] treat students equitably and with respect and are sensitive to factors that influence individual student learning.” Although the standards of practice do not specifically detail the teacher’s full obligation to the individual student, this statement covers the principle that teachers must understand their students as individuals, all coming from different interpretive communities, with different ideas of learning and the role of education in one’s life.

In her paper discussing the role of interpretative communities in remembering and learning, Farhat Shahzad suggests it is important to build up networks between teachers, parents, and peers to “bridge the gap” between the classroom and the individual’s interpretive community. We can then see that the responsibility expands beyond just the teacher. A well-rounded education system requires not only a committed educator, but also the cooperation of parents and peers in creating a learning community. The idea of learning involves many different inputs, and a fluid education system must recognize the need to relate school to an individual’s own home community and vice versa.

Sources:

“Ontario College of Teachers: Standards of Practice” http://www.oct.ca/public/professional-standards/standards-of-practice

“The Role of Interpretive Communities in Remembering and Learning” by Farhat Shazhad, Canadian Journal of Education 34,3 (2011): 301-316