Meeting Diverse Needs Of Learners Through Learner -Centered Strategies and Equitable Access

             Ms. Brown's (pseudonym) second grade ESL classroom had one addition, Lupita (pseudonym) half -way through the year. By now, her class was moving on to reading and writing full sentences in English, both as a class and individually. Ms. Brown had been working tirelessly the first part of the year to bring her classroom this far, and now, Lupita, who spoke fluent Spanish but not a word of English, was far behind the other students. During a writing exercise, where students read a paragraph together, then wrote down a response, Ms. Brown would sit Lupita at a table touching her desk, with a Leapfrog book and headphones. The books had colorful and descriptive pictures and text at the bottom. Lupita could touch the words or the pictures and listen to the English pronunciation and interpretation through the headphones. At times she would raise her hand, and Ms. Brown would come over, speaking to Lupita in Spanish to help her better understand what she was reading.     
            There are many available technologies today that can support the needs of all types of learners. Some include tablets, Smartboards, assistive technologies, interactive books and computers. Having one or more of these technologies available to students, not only makes a show of trust, but can help support learning in individualized instruction in a way that can be difficult to do in a room full of 30+ learners. Technology cannot replace the role of the teacher in the classroom, even if the teacher's role is to simply instruct students how to use them. At times, technology can better track the learning of the individual as well as send information to the teacher quickly about where students are. In the case of assistive technology, it helps student learning become as safe and equal as possible in the classroom community. Overall it can be used to help students achieve to their highest potential if used correctly.
              Soon, Lupita was able to communicate with her peers more confidently both in Spanish and English. She was able to catch up with her peers by doing individualized instruction without the fear of sounding "stupid" or becoming overwhelmed and intimidated. She also felt "special" in comparison to feeling "left out" because she was having fun using playful technology while others wrote in notebooks. The leapfrog also had its own center, so she was not the only student with access to it, and instead was instructed to other centers during rotations.  
               Technology is not a replacement for teaching, but a tool for teachers to use in order to make their classroom environments as safe and productive as possible.