Academic and Cognitive Skills

It is imperative to gauge students’ current state of being and knowledge in order to create curricula that challenges them and takes into account their personal needs. Various forms of pre-assessment can help lead to differentiating instruction for students with learning challenges, physical disabilities, non-native English speakers, various cultural backgrounds, gifted students, etc. At the core of providing novel learning experiences that grasps each students’ attention is the relationship between educator and student. “One primary key to effective individualized personalized learning is sparking the innate curiosity of students through active engagement with their environment” (Hughey, 2020 pg 2, paragraph 1). Only by taking the time to explore students’ personalities, interests, living environment, family, and prior knowledge can educators provide various types of assessments and classroom activities (project-based learning, creativity-based learning, transfer-based/real-world learning, gamification, adaptive technology, modified technology, etc.). Fortunately,  “The enhanced potential provided by digitized curricula and technology applications offer unique opportunities for those with physical and cognitive challenges,” needless to say for those with various language abilities, interests, access, and motivations  (Hughey, 2020 (pg 2, paragraph 2).

 

One highly effective form of pre-assessment (and continuous assessment) is through formative assessments, or low-stakes non-quantitative ways of checking in with the student about their current knowledge and progress towards goals. Pre-Assessment tactics include entry/closing tickets, reflection forms (digital or paper), self-assessments, think-alouds, pre-lesson practice problems, brainstorming, etc.  (Johns et al., n.d.). Feedback can then be provided to support students’ further progress, serving to reduce “the gap between actual performance and desired goal attainment” (Hattie et al., 2007, pg 87 paragraph 2), and assisting by “clarifying goals, enhancing commitment or increased effort to reaching them” (Hattie et al., 2007, page 87, paragraph 3). Effective feedback includes the questions “Where am I going?”, “How am I going?”, and “Where to Next?”(Hattie et al., 2007). By acknowledging students specific goals, recognizing where the student is in relation to the goal’s achievement, and providing specific and positive steps towards furthering that achievement, educators can increase not only the students’ motivation towards furthering their progress, but help develop metacognition: “Teachers can create a learning environment in which students develop self-regulation and error detection skills” (Hattie et al., 2007, pg 87, paragraph 3). 

 

Think-aloud techniques also support students’ awareness of how they are learning, what their approaches are, how they could approach a problem differently, and provide both the educator and themselves with valuable pre-assessment information  (Raihan, 2011). This metacognition helps students become more independent learners, providing them the skills to dive into their own topics of inquiry and passion with critical skills of awareness and self-progress: “When students have the metacognitive skills of self-assessment, they can evaluate their levels of understanding, their effort and strategies used on tasks, their attributions and opinions of others about their performance, and their improvement in relation to their goals and expectations” (Hattie et al., 2007, page 94, paragraph 4).  “Quietly and over time, students whose culturally sensitive assessments included options, personalization, and choice began to develop confidence and to share more about their backgrounds and perspectives with other students in the class. (Greenstein & Phi Delta Kappa International, 2011, pg 1, paragraph 3)”. A culturally sensitive, open, and safe classroom is one whose students help motivate each other, provides new insights into various topics and cultures, celebrates various perspectives, and encourages students to take risks and joy in learning.  

In the past, learning “systems have been adapted based on the following learner constructs: cognitive abilities, learning styles (debunked), affective states, and the external learning environment”, and also need to be adapted for student choice and applied learning (Gatewood et al., 2022, pg 1 paragraph 1). Students with learning disabilities are often disengaged in a traditional classroom, finding a general approach to learning seemingly impossible for their ability of attention, reading skills, processing skills, mathematical understandings, etc. Adaptations for children with learning disabilities need to account for a multitude of factors and adjust for disorders of attention, reading difficulties, poor motor abilities, written language difficulties, social skills deficits, psychological process deficits, quantitative disorders, and information processing problems (National Association of Special Education Teachers, 2005). Along with using adaptive technology for students with physical disabilities, classroom materials and environments should be adapted for students with less visible disabilities. 

 

There are many ways to account for students’ various needs through differentiation beyond adaptive technology, extra time for assignments, additional resources, etc.: “Differentiation is a way of teaching that enhances students’ abilities as well as the teaching practices” which includes focusing on the essential content; understanding and accepting students’ differences; modifying content, process, and products based on students’ abilities, interests, and learning needs; vary the teaching methods through different activities; appropriate assessment; collaboration between teachers and students; and flexibility (Alshareef, 2018, pg 18, paragraph 2). The most effective educators find ways to communicate high expectations along with continuous support, create a welcoming and safe environment for all students, and respond to varying readiness levels, learning profiles, and interests (Tomlinson, 2015, pg 2, paragraph 5). 

 

It cannot be reiterated enough that the relationship between the student and the educator is of primary importance to effectively create a supportive differentiated and personalized learning environment. Aside from that relationship simply providing the educator with the information required to fully create that environment, the relationship provides the support and high expectations that learners need: “teacher expectations were more predictive of college success than many major factors, including student motivation and student effort” (Boser et al., 2014, pg 3, paragraph 4). This student-teacher relationship is not the only requirement for student success, however.  “The relationship between students’ families, communities, and their school is often an overlooked variable, but one that has the potential to make significant improvements in gifted education for traditionally underrepresented students in gifted education” (Lockhart & Mun, 2020, abstract). While this study specifically focused on underrepresented gifted students, family and community involvement has been shown to be pivotal for all students’ success. At the heart of a student’s education is the student itself, and we owe it to them as educators, family members, and community members to provide learning opportunities so they can thrive as adults as well as children. 

 

The included resources here provide information, videos, and guides to support a continuously culturally diverse classroom that includes students of various learning abilities, perspectives, and needs. They include resources for English language learners, students with learning disabilities, students with physical disabilities, gifted students, and culturally diverse learners, as well as resources for the general classroom. Please take some time to review the resources, and hopefully you will find something helpful to apply to your own classroom.