Three Practices Embedded in Teaching to Diversity
(1) Spirit Buddies
- Students are put into proups of 3. Ideally – people they do not know! Groups can change every 2-3 months.
- Groups touch base every morning for 15 minutes.
- Spirit Buddies creates a positive community where everyone knows someone and has a support network.
- Main goal of Spirit Buddies: Every student feels connected to somebody.
(2) Democratic Classrooms
- The intention is to teach social problem solving skills and empower children to be involved in their learning community.
- Teacher sets safety and reason parameters for ideas/solutions.
- All individuals are equal including the teacher.
- A way of connecting Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and instructional practice through differentiated instruction.
(3) Respecting Diversity (RD) Program
- A script of lessons to create a classroom atmosphere that supports inclusion of diverse students.
- The recognition that we all have strengths and challenges that are valuable to the community.