Diversity In The Classroom

This paper is intended to explore and report upon the topics posited by Tyrone C. Howard in his book, Why Race and Culture Matter in Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap in Americas Classrooms. Closely examining each and every chapter as they come and how the structure of this book gives a detailed framework and guidance system for novice and experienced teachers to take their pedagogical skills to more diverse and multicultural levels. Also, this paper will review a few lessons or projects that can be adapted and used within my personal educational institute in order to create

All professions deal with issues surrounding diversity, but especially in the profession of physical education. The

Poverty is a serious issue which our society and children faces every day. It is a constant struggle that shouldn’t be ignored. UNICEF states “The study of OECD countries in 2007, over fourteen percent of Australian children under the age of eighteen are currently living in households who are defined as poor or with incomes less than half of the median national income”. The increase in the number and percentage of children living in poverty within our society has contributed to making today's classrooms more diverse than ever it has been. This highlights and makes both teaching and learning more challenging. Diversity exists in the students who are living in poverty and the education assistant and teachers must provide the concept of diversity

A recent study performed by Derry and Allen (2004) on females in same-sex physical education classes had dramatically higher engaged skill learning time and initiated more interaction with their teachers versus the females in coeducational physical education classes. Other research on same-sex physical education classes found that these classes had “fewer distractions, freedom to focus intellectual energy, improved working conditions, a decrease in student attention-demanding behavior, fewer discipline problems, and greater time-on-task; same-sex schools have also been found to foster greater competition among students than coeducational schools (Lirgg, 1994)”.

Students have their own best way in effectively learning the lesson. With the diversity of students, the problem is each student has a preferred learning style. It becomes undeniably one of the reasons that make it difficult to achieve the best expected outcome out of teachers’ effort. However, teachers try to incorporate various teaching techniques to make every learning opportunity become productive, meaningful, and relevant for the learners.

The realm of collegiate athletics is made up of participants that hail from all walks of life. In many instances the athletic programs that make up the university can be considered the most diverse group on campus. The will to win largely attracts participants from every conceivable ethnic and demographic background. The diversity and racial composition of athletic programs can provide opportunities for athletes to learn about people who are different than themselves, help improve interracial understanding, and help reduce prejudice among groups. Although diversity among student athletes is a favorable goal, it is important that the coaches, athletic counselors, or anyone working with student athletes have practices and procedures in place to immerse athletes within the culture of collegiate athletics. The ability to succeed will be determined by the athlete and the programs ability to function within a multilevel system that includes knowledge of the NCAA rules and regulations, university policies, athletic department standards, and team dynamics (Fletcher, 2003).

Schools must make students conform when it comes to the popular debate on physical education primarily for health reasons. To begin, obesity is a growing problem in the United States, and along with obesity comes a plethora of health problems such as heart disease and diabetes (Menza). As this epidemic

This paper explores Multicultural Educational Reform. It investigates how the current state of our democracy urges the educator to consider the pertinence and definition of multicultural education and how it can be achieved. It demonstrates how the knowledge of a cultural curriculum transformation combined with understanding what constitutes multicultural curriculum can lead to reforming a mainstream curriculum that currently caters only, or primarily, to the Eurocentric, male-centric society that laid the foundation for education. This paper will

The United States serves as a culturally rich country who opens its arms to individuals from many different ethnicities, backgrounds, and life experiences. It seeks to be the melting pot of a blended group of people, providing opportunity and equity for all. Consequently, our educational system is the cornerstone for providing equal opportunity for all persons. Therefore, as the United States continues to be immersed with individuals from various cultures, the educational system must consistently seek to assure that educational opportunities are equally distributed to our students. In order for this task to be accomplished, developing a well-defined illustration of what multicultural education is necessary.

Within the core of many educational institutions, diversity is a commercial tacit. While every institution cannot offer the same kind of diversity, the endorsement of such exists through various definitions. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges define diversity through the various classes: race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and age (“Statement on Diversity”)

Once students and teachers are aware of cultural differences, they become aware of racism and can fight to eradiate it. Through their unbiased understanding of the differences between cultures and races, they are able to come to a point of acceptance of themselves and others. If you noticed in my previous paragraph, I mentioned the different types of diversity. Diversity emphasizes how different students and teachers are, but when explored in a classroom, can be used to reveal our similarities. Once students and teachers grasp the concept of diversity, displayed through everyday interactions with diverse groups of students and teachers, racism begins to disappear. In addition, positive sense of self can be developed once students and teachers have an understanding of their own uniqueness through experiences and understanding of diversity. Once teachers and students

During the late 1960’s, America had entered into a period of cultural definition especially with the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. Although the term “multicultural education” had not come into play yet, the idea that the U.S needed to reexamine their efforts of educating diverse groups was emerging. During this time inequality especially among minority groups in comparison to the white dominant culture became a social issue (Banks 1999). Before the arrival of this reform multicultural education was displayed in the classroom as having minorities adapt to the predominant culture. Teachers during this time felt it would be more beneficial for minorities to adapt. However, many parents of these minorities begin to argue that the

Education is one of the most important factors in every person’s life regardless of where they’re from, their race, or their culture. Becoming educated not only makes life easier for us but also can help people become more successful in all things. However with so many people of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States it is difficult to create an education system that attends to each student’s individual culture. Ones own culture influences their actions and lifestyle, therefore this can create conflict if it is different from their schools cultural teaching style. Multicultural and multilingual classrooms have become the norm in many educational and professional settings throughout the U.S. because of changing immigration patterns caused by globalization (Institute for Educational Leadership, p. 2). For teachers today, it is essential to understand the role of culture and have the ability to interact interculturally in the classroom to create an effective learning environment. Analyzing cultural issues or differences can help teachers to understand some of the unconscious processes that shape individuals’ actions and interactions, as well as their language use and communication. “Teachers who understand cultural diversity…are more likely to be successful in their multicultural classrooms” (Samovar, Pg.2).

This essay will critically analyse gender equality in physical education teaching. There is evidence to support that many girls and some boys are subject to gender inequalities in physical education (Dowling, 2004). Most studies confirm girls are less involved and motivated to participate in sporting and physical education activities (Gutierrez & Lopez, 2012). There is also international research that shows how physical education teacher education courses often fail to construct equal gender learning opportunities for their students (Brown & Rich, 2002; Wright, 2002). The physical differences between males and females in adolescence influences the way in which physical education is delivered (Vertinsky, 2012). Biological differences between boys and girls such as boys being stronger, faster and more powerful from adolescence onwards should not be ignored in secondary physical education, girls cannot be expected to compete against boys in activities which require strength and power as this would place them at a disadvantage (Capel & Piotrowski, 2000). Many researchers support the view that schools and sporting organisations breed gender inequalities. Family environment teaches and forms gender roles in a home environment (Zaravigka & Pantazis, 2012). However, school environments have been shown to promote the stereotyping of male and female students in physical education (Romao, 1985;

As of July 1, 2011, there are 36, 708, 083 people in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2017a). 1.2% higher than the population last year, which was 36, 264, 604 people of all ages and both sexes (Statistics Canada, 2017b). The growth of population in Canada, which in this case powered largely by immigration, increases not only the human capital, but the diversity in every province as well. Hence, as diversity expands, there is also a rampant growth in religion. In 2011, there are 108 religions observed in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2011) - Christianity, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu – to name a few. These demographics have connotations on how diversity in school is also evident.