Profile of the classroom
Class Level: Year 1 & 2 (with one Year 3 student)
Number of Children: 19
Number of Boys: 8
Number of Girls: 11
What ethnic backgrounds are represented in this classroom?
- Pākeha
- Māori
- Pacific Island
- China
- Syria
Identify (Using pseudonyms) any children whose first language is NOT English, state what their first language is, and add any relevant comments.
Tane-rore and their family arrived from Syra several years ago. Tane-rore has audio and visual impairments, and while this ākonga uses hearing aides, this didn’t occur until around age 3, meaning some of the vital early language development has been missed.
What special learning needs are represented in this classroom?
As above, Tane-rore has special learning needs. This includes having a specialist teacher aide assisting by sitting with the ākonga and ensuring instructions are understood, or adapting the instructions to suit Tane-rore’s learning and abilities. Teachers, or those adults speaking to whole class learning), wear a recording device that transmits directly to hearing aides, so Tane-rore can hear all instructions – even across a playground when needed. During circle time, or a whole class activity where ākonga are talking in turns, each child holds a handheld microphone that also transmits directly to hearing aides.
Identify (using pseudonyms) any children who show signs of giftedness and add brief relevant comments.
While not necessarily gifted, Ruaumoko has an ability with numbers, however this may be more associated with a supportive home environment that encourages mathematical concepts, as there doesn’t seem to be a natural ability with pattern recognition.
Using your own observations and your discussions with your Associate as a basis, describe the socio-economic mix represented by the children in the class.
As a decile 4 school, it is unsurprising that most of the ākonga come from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The school works to create equity amongst all students, with several initiatives that aim to remove socio-economic barriers.
Think about the information that you have gathered above. Suggest some of the implications that this diversity has for the class teacher.
In a less able teacher this mix could easily run out of control. There are distractions in the form of emotional outbreaks, avoidance, oppositional defiance, and a diverse range of learning styles, learning abilities, and background knowledge to be managed.
Ensuring that all ākonga have a very strong grounding in the foundational knowledge that will set them up as learners for life seems to the guiding philosophy of the school, and while this may mean ākonga miss out on some of the learning or experiences that could be found in more homogenous schools, it does help to see ākonga that continue to grown in confidence and abilities throughout there lives.