Diversity and the IRP

Characteristics of a Learner

In every classroom, one of the most difficult aspects of teaching English Language Arts (ELA) is taking into account all the various levels and characteristics of your students. Each student enters the class with what Piaget calls a “schema;” a set of past experiences and knowledge that shape who the student is and how they learn (Tompkins et al, 2011, p. 5). No two students learn in exactly the same way, so teachers must be flexible and able to explain one thing in as many ways possible.

Students enter the classroom with diverse backgrounds that can either help or hinder learning in the classroom. Students whose parents read stories may enter with a passion for ELA and using their imaginations to create a plethora of stories. Others enter with a negative view that could stunt their growth in ELA. Students have different ethnic background as well, which can correlate to different strengths and weaknesses.

Some students will understand completely after verbal instructions, others will need visual clues and perhaps the shy boy in the corner learns best using mind maps. Tompkins et al (2011) describes how each student will also have what Vygotsky calls the “zone of proximal development (p. 8).” It is the teacher’s job to discover which areas are too hard, and which are too easy to find the zone in which the student will learn. Teachers not only need to understand what the characteristics of a learner are, but to know how those characteristics are represented in each individual student so that each child’s needs will be met.

An incredible movie called “Including Samuel” was brought to my attention the second week of September during an Education Student Association meeting. This movie highlights the difficulties associated with incorporating those with physical disabilities into classrooms in a meaningful way. A link to the trailer can be found by clicking here.

BC ELA IRP

Along with knowing the characteristics of learners, another important aspect of teaching is ensuring you follow the BC ELA IRP. In my first classes in the Education Program, I was confused between “PLOs” “IRPs” “ELA” and all the other acronyms being thrown around so casually. Thankfully, as the weeks have passed these terms have become more familiar and have been assimilated into my schema.

Positives…

As with the terminology, I found the IRP to be extremely overwhelming at first glance, with over 150 pages for each individual grade from K-7. However, the more time I spend looking over the pages, the more I understand the necessity of having such a document. Teachers must take so many things into consideration when preparing lesson plans, and it would be easy to over look something important. The charts and helpful headings separate things nicely, making it easier to flip to the right section. It also in theory ensures that no matter where a student lives, they will receive the same education and not above or below the rest of the province.

Not as positive…

One of the negative aspects of the ELA IRP is that I could see it restricting some classes. There’s a lot of material you have to cover, and it leaves the feeling that there is not much room for individual ideas. For me, this is both negative and positive because I see it as a challenge to be as creative and innovative as I can be. One of my hardest jobs will be that each of my students reaches their full potential under IRP guidelines, regardless of any language or physical barriers. I came to understand these sorts of difficulties more clearly after watching the trailer of “Including Samuel.” When the teacher nearly broke out into tears, my heart broke for her, and I began to fear that without the proper training or practice, that could be me one day.