The classroom should be a place where all students can learn and develop. Achieving that goal requires equity to ensure every student has the resources needed to succeed. The path to academic achievement starts with acknowledging that students have different needs that parents, teachers and educational leaders must meet. The good news is that there are practical and effective methods for closing the learning gap.
Providing Targeted Help
Students who are struggling in school require targeted help and instruction that is repetitious. The student should have time to think about and process the information learned. Scaffolded learning is also beneficial because it allows students to understand the lessons in chunks. For instance, scaffolding can be used in writing exercises for 3rd graders to break down a challenging assignment.
Tracking and Analyzing Progress
Tracking and analyzing the students’ progress will allow teachers to shift their focus when appropriate. Learning gaps cannot be resolved if they are never understood or acknowledged. Gathering data will help you set benchmarks and monitor progress. Technology can make it easier for you to assess the information obtained and develop a plan of action.
Getting Parents Involved
The involvement of parents has proven to play a significant role in the academic achievement of their children. When teachers cultivate relationships through regular communication, parents are more likely to get involved in their child’s education. For example, a parent’s involvement can vary from attending school events to helping their child with assignments, such as writing exercises for 3rd graders.
Introducing Culturally Relevant Topics
Classrooms that introduce culturally relevant topics create more opportunities for participation by diverse students. Whether it is texts pertinent to students with disabilities, students of color, transient students, English language learners or students from any other disadvantaged group, the curriculum must reflect the realities of the students in the classroom. It can be as easy as using books with characters similar to the students reading them.
Using Evidence-Based Instruction
Evidence-based instruction has proven effective for large and diverse groups of students. It can help everyone make progress consistently. That means students struggling at any level can get the help they need. Instruction is informed by assessments when using this approach in the classroom.
Increasing Engagement
Increasing student engagement is a great way to help close the learning gap. It usually involves implementing varied content and activities that include creating, analyzing and evaluating. It is also beneficial to provide information in many ways, such as audial, visual, tactical and textual.
The goal is to involve every student in the classroom. Having Adobe Education Exchange knowledge and expertise can help you incorporate media into the classroom for increased engagement.
Committing to Teacher Development
Ongoing teacher development leads to personal growth and contributes to higher student achievement. Therefore, it is best to support professional growth by implementing teacher development programs. Teachers should also be encouraged to pursue learning opportunities because the benefits for everyone are far-reaching.
While closing the learning gap requires a tremendous amount of ongoing effort, it is good to know that these practical solutions can be highly effective.
