DIFFERENTIATION By Luis A. Moreno

LATINO STUDENTS IN THE USA Latino students are more likely to leave school than any other ethnic groups. WHY? ¿Por qué?

Are you a good teacher? Every good teacher always adapts to the different generation of pupils and different cultures. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards mentions that, “Professionals recognize individual differences in students and adapt instruction accordingly” (2004) Are you capable to differentiate for all of you students?

Why do ESL students drop out of school?

The Latino Students Reality According to the PEW Hispanic Center the amount of Immigrant Latinos, that dropout rate did not decrease from 1990 to 2000, Fry (2003). That means that 33.7% of Immigrant Latinos are going to leave school to start working in factories and restaurant in the USA.

Teachers can use the technology that they have available in their classrooms to create lessons using differentiation. The utilization of online programs that can help teachers to communicate with students that cannot speak English are accessible via Internet. Some basic tools such as Google translate and online dictionaries can help teachers create an interdisciplinary lesson plan for my ENL students. In addition, programs that incorporate pictures are very helpful to provide a visual reference for non-English speaking students. According to OSHA, “Studies by educational researchers suggest that approximately 83% of human learning occurs visually, and the remaining 17% through the other senses - 11% through hearing, 3.5% through smell, 1% through taste, and 1.5% through touch” OSHA (1996). That means that I can use technology and computer programs to show students pictures, videos, and drawing that are connected to the topic I want them to study. The solution to help ENL students

THE SOLUTION TO HELP ENL STUDENTS The book of Instructions for English Language Learners mentions that “effective teachers—those whose students had the strongest academic outcomes—used effective instructional practices such as explicit teaching, monitoring student progress, and opportunities to practice. They also incorporated strategies that supported student acquisition of English language skills” (Graves, Gersten, & Haager, 2004; Haager et al., 2003).

HELP CHANGE THE STATISTICS

REFERENCES · Fry, R. (2003, June 12). Hispanic Youth Dropping Out Of U.S. Schools. Measuring The Challenge. Retrieved April 14, 2013, from pewhispanic.org/files/reports/19.pdf · Greene, S., & Perkins, D. (2003). Making race visible: literacy research for cultural understanding. New York: Teachers College Press. · Linan-Thompson, S., & Vaughn, S. (n.d.). Research-Based Practices for English Language Learners. Membership, policy, and professional development for educators - ASCD. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from Based_Practices_for_English_Language_Learners.aspx Based_Practices_for_English_Language_Learners.aspx · Tomlinson, C. A., & Strickland, C. A. (2005). Differentiation in practice a resource guide for differentiating curriculum, grades Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.