8 amazing tips on how to provide diverse learner needs while learning English

English teachers and tutors amongst other educators are constantly looking for new and creative ways to address diverse leaners needs. This could be a result of different cultural, race, academic ability, native language among other aspects.

Although diversity in the classroom does not just refer to cultural diversities but it primarily refers to diversity in skills and knowledge. A student with learning difficulties often feels singled out. On the other side teachers in this situation may become frustrated because trying to adapt each student individually creates a lot of stress and often a troublesome workload.

There are essential requirements for presenting a high qualified English teaching curriculum suiting diverse learner needs in the English learning process is the key requirement. To get this aim, teachers first know well and exactly diverse learner needs. Then, they should do their best to comprehensively provide these needs.

As mentioned, the first step in the English process is the accurate recognition of diverse learner needs; that is, teachers are first required to fully and truly realize their diverse learner learning styles, attires, and interest in English learning; otherwise, they will fail in the delivery of good comprehensive suitable English education. Diverse learner needs originate from cultural, personal, emotional, and educational purposes; therefore, one cannot tell all diverse learner needs while learning English in all times and countries for sure. But generally, these needs are provided in the eight following sections.

Meeting needs of a diverse learner 

It’s the teacher’s priority to have a commitment when it comes to all students receiving an equivalent and adequate English education. But it’s that figuring out how to provide that for all the student specifically a diverse learner that requires consideration. In-general, the term diverse learner indicates someone who differs from the majority of the students in a classroom and that difference is affecting his/her education.

There is more diversity and different backgrounds when it comes to an English classroom. For instance, all students are not even in the same age groups. It can be challenging to keep students engaged and actively involved, especially for students who struggle with learning. Some of the great ways to address this issue are learning English through group learning and group discussion.

Learning English through group activities can be of benefit for all learners uniquely a diverse learner. It helps the educator by addressing knowledge gaps through useful communication during an English class. It also promotes collaboration and communication among students which is vital for learning English.

It also helps the educator to receive a detail-oriented feedback on what are the learning techniques of every individual learner in the classroom. Teachers in this situation may become frustrated because trying to accommodate each child individually creates a lot of stress and often an unmanageable workload.

Teaching English is not like other subjects at school

Learners expect real life results after each session. The most important thing an educator can do is to learn as much as possible about the students. Engaging them in activities especially group activities is one of the greatest ways to receive information about them. Using a combination of methods can help clear the picture about the needs of every single student. After learning as much as possible about their needs and differences it’s now time to design some activities that covers all the student’s needs.

Every individual has a learning technique that best works for them. Teachers have been proven to fall into old patterns of behavior. For teachers that means that if not taking that into consideration all classes are to be taught the same way. As students enter an English classroom, they bring with them a unique background. Affecting that diversity into teaching techniques is vital for a diverse learner. Group activities are the perfect solution for addressing all students’ need with every type learning technique. Also, it generates the educator with information that can be of use in further situations.

Purpose

The first one of diverse learner needs is the purpose of English learning. Millions of people around the world learn English for different purposes such as personal, business, or academic purposes; thus, the diverse learner purposes of English learning can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. For example, the one who learns English due to his interest in the English language and culture has an intrinsic purpose but the one who learns English to get good academic results has an extrinsic purpose for language learning.

As you can see, it depends on diverse learner attempts to find out their purpose accurately. Teachers can also help such learners in this matter by talking with them, asking relevant questions, and giving advice or guidance. Without knowing the purpose of learning, students do not know to how well or to what extent they should do their best to learn English; as a result, all diverse learner attempts in gaining English fluency and accuracy go in vain.

It is the purpose of English learning that shapes the English learning process and drives students to pick up an English studying curriculum meeting all their educational needs. Studying English purposelessly is nothing but a waste of time and this is what most students or teachers, unfortunately, ignore since they think that only hardworking and cramming for the final exams would be enough. But the fact is that meaningful English studying with a prior determined purpose at the right time not only takes less time but also is the key to the real achievement of diverse learner goals.

Motivation

Students, especially the very young ones, need to be emotionally involved in something. There should be a powerful trigger driving students towards the English learning process so that the students would be much more hardworking and enthusiastic in classes. In simple terms, one of the essential diverse learner needsis motivation in English learning.

There are two types of motivations. Students can be either intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. When learner is extrinsically motivated, he is under the influence of objective motivators such as his parents, school, teacher, scores, etc. while a student with intrinsic motivation is subjectively triggered by his desires, goals, or interests.

In most cases, intrinsic motivations are proven to be stronger than extrinsic ones. With that being said, teachers would better trigger their diverse learner interests and participation in English learning than force them to learn and practice English instructions. Although only having intrinsic motivators are not enough for getting good academic results since most traditional written exams are mainly focused on assessing diverse learner recipient English skills and grammar, they can help students to learn English with much enthusiasm and care.

Awareness

Students need to be completely aware of their learning interests, habits, and styles at first. No one learns the same way and that is why it is difficult for English teachers to apply teaching methods suiting all diverse learner needs. Teachers should first spend enough time with their students to be informed of their diverse learner learning styles or attitudes and let their students know of their strong and weak points in English learning.

Without awareness, there would not be any meaningful high qualified English learning since students have no idea what stops them from English learning and what they need to work on to improve their English. Students need to be given opportunities to know and then show their hidden talents, aptitudes, and special interests. Triggering diverse learner awareness towards the English learning process, as one of the primary essential duties of English teachers, brings much joy, simplicity, and meaning to the process.

Cultural background

One of the diverse learners’ needs while learning English is having enough knowledge of English culture. The knowledge of English culture empowers students to learn different English units, especially idioms and proverbs, much better, easier, and faster. It also helps the students learn English practical rules so that they would use their repertoire of English knowledge and vocabulary in the right manner, place, and time; in this case, the nonnative students would not face any misjudgment, conflict, or misunderstanding resulting from the cultural differences.

Immersion in the English world is the final step of mastering this global language. Without any prior knowledge of English culture, students cannot get immersed and interested in English. The more students learn, respect, and adjust to the English culture, the easier and better they can learn English lessons.

Teachers are required to initially give a short background of English culture before and related to the English lesson they are supposed to teach. In this way, students are more ready to receive and analyze the given English instruction and keep them in their memories for a long time. As a result of providing this diverse learner need, English class would be more fun, enjoyable, and flexible.

Modeling

A teacher, as the superior force, plays a role model. If a teacher does well, his students get used to taking good behavioral patterns and vice versa. Teachers need to know well about psychology and behavioral patterns to perform well as good role models in their classes; therefore, the mental health of teachers plays a fundamental role in the quality of good English education delivery.

Students, especially kids, need a leader to help them distinguish bad deeds from good conduct. They should realize they will be punished for their unfair bad deeds and get rewards for their fair good deeds by a fair suitable established rewarding system in class. It is recommended for teachers to associate English instructions with teaching moral values and beliefs; take “improving English reading skills in class” as an example, it is suggested to bring up a related suitable English story conveying moral lessons in the class so that students would be encouraged to both learn reading strategies and admire moral values.

Providing this diverse learner need plays an essential role in shaping the personalities and attitudes of students. Teachers can help their students be good versions of themselves and play positive useful roles in society in the future by providing this diverse learner need. They also can consult with the students’ parents over the behavioral and ethical patterns so that parents would be much more mindful of both their behaviors and words at home.

Constructive feedback

One of the diverse learners needs in receiving constructive feedback from a superior force such as a teacher, principal, or parent. Providing this diverse learner need enhances students’ progress and interest in English learning. It helps students to be much more concerned about the overall quality of their English learning process.

Constructive feedback is clear, short, and supportive. It reveals diverse learners’ weak points in learning English. It is provided to qualify and enhance diverse learner English learning process.

Giving constructive feedback at the right time and place is highly crucial. To maintain diverse learner confidence in English learning, teachers are required to be polite and caring enough to let their students know of improving their English skills demanding much practice. As mentioned, teachers play role models so they must be very concerned and careful when it comes to providing this diverse learner need.

Encouragement

Encouraging in the right time and place promotes and accelerates diverse learner English learning progress. Students need to be encouraged equally so that there would not be any quarrel, hostility, or jealousy in the atmosphere of classes. Therefore, teachers are required to be highly concerned, mindful, and supportive in providing this diverse learner need.

Teachers need to give enough courage and confidence to their students in class. They should lessen their diverse learner mental struggles in-class participation to keep their students much more active and interested while learning English.

Providing this diverse learner needs makes students be a wee if their strong pints in learning English so that they would improve their English skills much better and faster. It helps teachers to provide an engaging competent atmosphere to grow their diverse learner talents and skills. It also protects and strengthens the positive supportive teacher-student relationship which causes diverse learner academic success.

Practice

The final diverse learner is doing many related suitable practices. Choosing the right English practices is very important in terms of improving students’ basic English skills and making them ready for the final assessment. Providing this diverse learner need requires much celebration, time, and care from English teachers.

Students need to do much practice to effectively keep the new information in their minds. Without enough practice, all students’ attempts in English learning go in vain. Therefore, much time, interest, and patience should be dedicated to practicing English from students, too.

In addition, practice helps teachers to measure diverse learner English learning progress. Teachers can also realize the English learning styles, attitudes, and habits of their students with the help of many English practices. The more teachers practice English with their students, the more experienced and aware the teachers would be in terms of both providing diverse learner needs and English teaching in the most practical effective ways.

After teaching, teachers should dedicate enough time to practice the taught materials so equally that each student would be assessed accurately. To get this aim, most English practices can be done in collaboration. Anyway, all English teachers are required to behave highly deliberately, politely, and equally when it comes to providing this diverse learner need; otherwise, diverse learner hope and enthusiasm towards English learning get diminished.

Conclusion

Overall, one of the most crucial requirements of presenting a good English teaching curriculum is providing diverse learner needs while teaching English. diverse learner needs are too complex to be summarized in a piece of paper; however, general diverse learner needs while learning English are provided in this article. This list helps amateur teachers to know diverse learner needs well so that they would have a better flexible enjoyable atmosphere in their classes by providing the diverse learner needs.