Best Practices: Supporting Refugee Students in the Classroom

This curriculum project explores best instructional practices that support refugee students in the classrooms. The questions that guided this project were: What are effective ways for classroom teachers to engage refugee students in learning? How can teachers foster a sense of belonging and demonstrate cultural competence when working with refugee students in the classroom? What research-based best practices provide academic support for refugee students in the K-12 classroom? The literature review provides background knowledge about the best practices that support of the existing literature on the best practices that support the education of refugee students in the United States (U.S). It begins with information on the resiliency of refugee students. It further continues to provide literature on psychological issues facing refugees, the stress of dealing with learning a new language, and the different types of strategies that support refugee students’ learning. The purpose of this curriculum project is to research best practices that support refugee students in K-12 schools. The theoretical framework based on theories that are grounded in student development, social inclusion and culturally responsive pedagogy. Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Universal Design for Learning, and Direct Instruction practices were reviewed because of their evidence for socially, culturally, and linguistically responsive instructional practices that are geared towards improving refugee students’ academic performance. The findings from the project will be used to provide suggested classroom practices and instructional strategies that support refugee students