Teaching Diverse Students – Module 2 Lecture Notes

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from Module 2: Teaching Diverse Students.

Student Diversity

The range of differences among students—including socioeconomic, cultural, gender, developmental, learning-style, and ability factors—that teachers must recognize and address.

Culture

The shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors of a group that guide how members understand and interact with the world.

Subculture

A group within a larger culture that possesses distinctive traits, values, or behaviors.

Minority Group

A population subgroup that differs from the majority in ethnicity, race, or culture and often has less power or representation.

Low Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A classification for individuals or families with limited financial resources, often linked to educational and developmental disadvantages.

Early Intervention

Educational and support services provided in the early years of a child’s life to offset developmental risks associated with poverty or disabilities.

Sense of Efficacy

Students’ belief in their ability to succeed; fostering it helps low-SES learners overcome challenges.

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Instruction that acknowledges, respects, and builds on students’ cultural backgrounds to make learning meaningful.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Learners

Students who are not yet fluent in English and require bilingual or language-support services.

Bilingual Support

Instructional assistance delivered in both the student’s native language and English to facilitate academic learning.

Gender Role Development

The process by which children learn societal expectations of behaviors, interests, and abilities associated with their gender.

Gender Equity in the Classroom

Fair treatment and equal opportunities for all genders in learning activities, interaction, and evaluation.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

Eight developmental stages in which individuals face crises that shape personality and identity.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Four sequential stages—Sensorimotor, Pre-operational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational—describing how thinking evolves.

Hands-On Activities

Learning tasks that involve physical manipulation of materials, suited to students in Piaget’s concrete operational stage.

Peer Learning

Instructional strategy where students learn by teaching and collaborating with one another.

Constraint Morality

Piaget’s term for child morality based on rigid obedience to authority.

Cooperation Morality

Piaget’s term for morality in which rules are seen as flexible and mutually agreed upon.

Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Reasoning

A three-level, six-stage theory explaining how individuals reason about ethical dilemmas from pre-conventional to post-conventional stages.

Learning Styles

Preferred ways individuals perceive, process, and retain information.

Dunn and Dunn Learning Styles Model

A framework describing environmental, emotional, sociological, physiological, and psychological factors that influence learning preference.

Conceptual Tempo

The tendency to respond quickly and impulsively or slowly and reflectively when solving problems.

Field-Sensitive Learners

Students who perceive information holistically and are socially oriented; they benefit from cooperative work.

Field-Independent Learners

Students who are analytical, work well independently, and excel at restructuring information.

Convergent Thinking

Logical reasoning that narrows possibilities to find a single correct answer.

Divergent Thinking

Generating multiple, creative solutions to a problem.

Perceptual Modalities

Sensory channels—visual, auditory, kinesthetic—through which individuals prefer to receive information.

Multiple Intelligences

Gardner’s theory of eight distinct intellectual capacities, including linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.

Gifted and Talented Learner

A student who demonstrates outstanding levels of aptitude or competence in one or more domains and requires differentiated instruction.

Enrichment

Activities that deepen and broaden learning for gifted students without accelerating grade level.

Acceleration

Allowing gifted learners to progress through curriculum faster, such as grade skipping or early course advancement.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

A neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity.

Inattentive Type AD/HD

Subtype marked primarily by distractibility and difficulty sustaining focus.

Hyperactive-Impulsive Type AD/HD

Subtype characterized by excessive activity and impulsive actions without prominent inattention.

Combined Type AD/HD

Subtype showing significant symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.

Communication Disorders

Impairments in speech, language, or hearing that hinder effective communication.

Learning Disabilities (LD)

Neurologically based processing problems that interfere with learning basic skills such as reading, writing, or math.

Inclusive Teaching

Instructional practice that accommodates diverse learners and ensures all students feel valued and supported.

Sense of Belonging

Students’ feeling of being accepted and included in the classroom community, essential for motivation and learning.

Advocate Teacher Role

The teacher’s responsibility to champion the needs and rights of diverse students in educational settings.