Engaging Students in a Diverse Classroom

Today’s classrooms are filled with students from differing cultural backgrounds, family situations, and learning needs. Finding ways to meet the needs of all students is one of the biggest challenges that teachers face today. Keeping all students engaged is an important aspect of effective teaching. There are many “definitions” of engagement depending on who you ask, but one great summation of engagement comes from Phil Schlecty. His work states that engaged students show three characteristics, as noted below (as cited in Strong et al., 1995).
- Engaged learners are attracted to their work.
- Engaged learners persist in their work, even when challenges arise.
- Engaged learners are visibly excited in the process, and it is easy to see how happy they are to accomplish tasks.
Working to find the best way to include these characteristics in classrooms and learning experiences helps to ensure successful outcomes for students. Remember, engagement is not a one-size-fits-all application, but rather it is a process that must be well thought out. Naturally, each teacher will use different strategies and activities to meet the engagement needs in their classroom. While some activities will work for most students, adjustments will undoubtedly need to be made to other learning experiences to create the most successful outcomes.
Identifying Goals and Needs
Guiding students to take an active role in creating goals and understanding what success looks like is a critical piece to ensuring engaged and active learners. This builds a path for students to follow to become lifelong learners. Showing students what it means to be successful, how to determine when they are successful, and how to value success as an important part of who they are helps underscore the importance of effort. The hope is that this factor will intensify curiosity which in turn, will keep students engaged in the learning process. Throughout this process, it is important to remember that success can and does look different for each student, no matter what his/her classroom situation is like.
One piece of the puzzle that can be easily overlooked is the emphasis on the value of creativity and originality. Many factors come in to play here. First, exposing students to masterful original works and studying what makes the work so highly rated is a great benefit to students. This first puzzle piece helps students understand why some products are judged to be better than others. Taking a new perspective on creative ways to show mastery can be challenging, but it can also be a great asset. Many students feel discouraged because they are not able to show their complete understanding through traditional assignments like essays or basic assessments. Committing to embracing choice and creativity can be difficult, but the outcome can be monumental for students.
Another great benefit of effective engagement in the diverse classroom is the ability for students to form meaningful relationships. Providing students with activities in which they are dependent on each other allows them to take not only individual responsibility, but also taps them to use their social skills to form a full understanding of the learning activity. This is especially beneficial for students who need to practice their social skills and can be a chance for very social students to take leadership roles.
Putting all these things together can be tricky. The acronym SCORE, as illustrated below, can be used by teachers to help them remember what to consider during their planning (Strong et al., 1995).
Success — Explicitly teach how success can be achieved.
Curiosity — Create curiosity in the learner before assigning an activity or project.
Originality — Encourage originality and creativity through examples and specific praise.
Relationships — Guide students to build relationships through the social aspects of activities and learning experiences.
Energy — Keep the energy level up!
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a great place to start when considering how to effectively approach teaching in a diverse classroom. UDL is an approach to teaching that is meant to guide all students in becoming successful learners. It came into being during the 1990s as a direct result of the cornerstone belief that students learn in multiple ways, and it is highly influenced by Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. David H. Rose, a developmental neuropsychologist and educator whose primary focus is on the development of new technologies for learning, is generally considered to be the principal architect of UDL, a research-based educational framework that guides the development of flexible learning environments so that individual learning differences can be accommodated within the classroom. The overarching purpose of UDL is to remove barriers to learning and build a flexible learning framework that is calibrated to each student’s learning profile. As such, UDL recognizes that barriers to learning lie not in the learner, but in the learning context itself. Thus, by providing students with multiple ways to engage with, represent, and express their ideas, UDL consciously celebrates neurodiversity and learner variability (Vanderberg, 2021).
UDL is meant to guide the development of curriculum so that all learners can experience success, including those with learning differences or special needs. As such, the guiding principles of UDL allow educators to recognize that this variance across individuals is the norm rather than the exception. Therefore, the curriculum should be adaptable to these individual differences rather than the other way around. A classroom that has been purposefully designed with the principles embedded in the UDL framework ultimately provides options for all learners, giving them the opportunity to discover how they learn best.
Universal Design for Learning places its main emphasis on learning, meaning that the principles upon which UDL is founded make education possible for all learners. It is designed to span from early childhood education all the way through postsecondary school. It is also important to note that the term universal does not mean “one size fits all.” Rather, it means that all learners with their individual differences should have equal and fair access and opportunities to learn the same content in ways that work best for each of them.
Before going further, it is important to note the concept that fair is not the same as equal. In terms of schooling, fair means that each child gets what s/he needs to be successful. Of course, that does not mean that all children get the same things. Some students need more in some ways or areas than others do. Look at the picture to the right. Which side shows the concept of “equal”? Most would agree that the left side does. All children have an equal number of boxes to stand on. But, in this case is equal “fair?” Again, most would agree it is not. The picture on the right helps visualize what it means to be “fair.” In the picture, all children get what they need to be successful.
UDL is different from other approaches to curriculum design in that educators begin the design process expecting the curriculum to be used by a diverse set of students with varying skills and abilities.
The Three Guiding Principles of UDL
The three principles that guide the UDL framework are based on neuroscience research which demonstrates that people learn in different ways. These principles that surround UDL include the following.
Multiple Means of Engagement
(The "why" of learning) |
Goal: Develop learners who are purposeful and motivated.
|
Multiple Means of Representation
(The “what” of learning) |
Goal: Encourage resourceful and knowledgeable learners.
|
Multiple Means of Action and Expression
(The “how” of learning) |
Goal: Create learners who are goal oriented and strategic.
|
Adapted from CAST, 2018
This model is based on the science of how humans learn best. The Universal Design for Learning Guidelines are used by researchers, curriculum developers, and educators to create the most effective learning environment for all students. One of the best things about the UDL Guidelines is that they are updated periodically as new science emerges. This is an excellent tool for educators to ensure they are using research-based practices to meet the needs of all learners. These guidelines are meant to be just that, a guide to help educators and parents make the best choices for their learners. Click here to explore the UDL Guidelines in greater detail.
UDL and Engagement
Let’s “zoom in” on the engagement part of the UDL model. Teachers know that different students have varying interests and motivations. These interests and motivations even change and differ over time or across subject areas. This fact makes engaging whole classrooms of students even more puzzling. One important aspect of being successful in using the UDL model is to provide options and alternatives for activities whenever possible. Making lessons relevant and authentic is helpful for multiple types of learners and backgrounds. And perhaps most importantly, teachers should take care to create a safe environment so that their students feel comfortable taking risks. When these points are taken into consideration, student interest and motivation is sparked.
Getting the attention of students is only the beginning. Developing learners who are willing to persevere through challenges and maintain their motivation can be challenging, at best. Teachers know that while some students are intrinsically motivated and can focus easily, others have trouble reaching and/or maintaining sustained concentration. As students move through a lesson or activity, it is important that they know what the goal is and how it relates to their learning. Keeping expectations high for all students and building a positive community of students who want to learn is essential to stimulating students’ interest and motivation in the learning.
Finally, self-regulation is not only an important life skill, but it is an essential element of the overall engagement process. Explicitly teaching self-regulation practices helps teachers become more effective when trying to engage their diverse group of learners. One way to do this is by helping students learn how to set personal goals that are S.M.A.R.T. This helps students build confidence and allows them to take ownership of their learning (CAST, 2018).
Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Perhaps the most important skill we can teach students is to set and meet goals. As Ferlazzo and Hull-Sypnieski (2016) put it, “Extended research has shown that a scaffolded and supported goal-setting process, particularly one where students choose their own goals, enhances student motivation and academic achievement” (p. 22). In addition to the quality of the various learning strategies which are employed, students must possess both a growth mindset and a high level of intrinsic motivation to achieve growth. Students become active agents in their own growth when their goals become personal.
Whenever possible, try to involve students in the setting and tracking of goals. It is not enough to simply share these results. Rather, teachers must also be willing to communicate and guide students in their own personal goal-setting journeys. Depending on the grade level you teach and the ability level of your students, try to involve them as much as possible in setting their own goals and keeping track of their progress. Remember that the goals themselves need to be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely). Take a look at the following example. As you progress through the goals, you should notice that they move from (not so) smart to SMARTer to SMARTest. As the graphic illustrates, the goal gets SMARTer as it progresses because now an action plan and/or benchmarks have been added to the original goal.

The following graphic organizer can be used to help students make the goal-setting process easier. For your convenience, a blank S.M.A.R.T. Goal Planner can be found in the Course Guides folder.

Implementing Inclusive Instruction for Diverse Learners
Most traditional classrooms are centered around curriculum, which can make learning rigid for some students because they are not easily adapted to the unique needs and challenges of diverse learners. Instead of adapting the curriculum to students’ needs and interests, students must adapt themselves to the curriculum. Not surprisingly, this can lead to a decrease in motivation and engagement. Fortunately, UDL can be used in all classrooms to make learning more inclusive for a diverse set of students. Below are three separate ways in which curriculum and instruction can be adapted so that the diverse needs of all students can be met (Parrish, 2019).
Teach Content in Varying Ways | Plan with all students in mind (as opposed to planning with a “typical” student in mind). One way to help educators wrap their mind around this principle is to take a survey of student interests, current knowledge, and preferences for learning. Using student input to make a plan for learning is incredibly helpful. This can be done in a variety of ways, depending on the grade level or age of students.
It is important to note, however, that while each method is valuable, it is also important that explicit instructions and procedures are taught before the learning activity begins. |
Provide Choice | Providing choice in the classroom does not only mean choice in the type of learning activities provided, but it also involves choice in terms of seating, group formats, or freedom of movement around the classroom. Of course, all these things need to be taught and practiced often so that they are more effective and engaging for students. Please note that providing choice can absolutely be possible for students of all ages. It just takes patience and practice! |
Provide Accommodations for All Students | Accommodating students with IEPs and 504 Plans is obvious to teachers, but what about those students who have not yet been identified? Or what about those students who may not have special needs, but who have some sort of executive function deficit? Or what about those students whose first language is not English? To accommodate these diverse learners, it is highly beneficial to offer the same tools and accommodations to the whole class (as opposed to “saving” them only for those who have required accommodations). An example of this is to give access to the lesson presentation or slides in Google Classroom or give access to a recorded lesson to all students. Another example is to allow all students to have access to a voice-to-text application. Even if some students never use the tools, having a variety of accommodations available for all students to use helps make the learning experience more inviting and comfortable for everyone. This, in turn, boosts engagement and motivation, two very important aspects of academic and social-emotional success in the classroom. |
Moving Forward
Teachers should not only take a closer look at what works best in their classroom, but they should also review what is working in the classrooms of their colleagues. There are many talented educators with wide ranges of students. Taking the plethora of scientific information that educators currently have access to and pairing it with the wisdom of personal experience and the successes of colleagues ultimately ensures engaging and effective classrooms.
Are you curious? Want to take a deep dive on this topic?
To learn more about engaging students in a diverse classroom, visit the course details page for Boosting Student Engagement Using Active Learning Strategies to view the topical outline and download the syllabus.
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