The Importance Of Student Diversity

The concept of diversity has allowed me to learn about other identities and the importance of representation. My experiences and exposure on campus have introduced me to diverse perspectives, religions, sexualities, and cultural members of our community. My roommate during my sophomore year was Jewish, and actively participated in Jewish traditions. Through our conversation

As an inspired teacher of secondary education /special education, one of the ideas that most appealed to me was working with students of various ages and learning abilities. I’ve come to realize even more so now with the changing demographics in U.S. schools that we are becoming a very diverse population. Within my classroom student’s differences may consist of their academic level, cultural background, personality, religious beliefs, and the list goes on. Hence, in today’s classroom as a teacher it is important that I embrace, model the attitude to my students, and make positive use of diversity. When educators value diversity, we recognize and respect the fact that people are different and that these differences are generally a good thing. For example, when attempting to solve a problem, it is better to assemble a diverse team with many skills and many different ways of approaching the problem than it is to assemble a team that has all their strength concentrated in one area. If a student feels uncomfortable, unsafe, or not respected, then their chances of success in my class dramatically decrease. Therefore, as an educator I must provide students with an environment that is conducive to learning. I have a number of roles in my classroom; valuing diversity is one of the most important ones a teacher must fill.

The United States population is filled with diverse individuals. It is important for educators to understand that diversity in classrooms is not just based on race but ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, economic status, learning disabilities, and etc. It may not affect your student directly but it can be a part of their family background. Educators may assume that students have the same social or educational status of each other which in some cases is not true. If they assume that every student is on the same academic level, the students may suffer educationally or emotionally. Teachers need to understand that all students grow and progress at different times and it is up to an educator to help start their growth in the right direction and to make each child feel accepted. Yale University () discussed how it can affect teachers if they do not understand how to assess diversity, “teachers may themselves feel out of place based on their own ascriptive traits (i.e. differences based on class, privilege, etc.).” Diversity in classrooms is becoming more frequent and educators need to understand how to properly assess their student’s based on their educational needs and how to teach other students how each of them are different individually. There is no right choice to teach diversity but it is something that needs to implemented in classrooms.

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.

This paper will be discussing a recent fifteen hour field experience I participated in which I observed a classroom which included many students of diverse ethnic and cultural groups. I will discuss any prejudices/discriminations I observed in the classroom based on ethnic and cultural diversity. I will also describe how this experience has made me determined to try to create a positive learning environment for students of diversity in the classroom.

In order to implement this into my future class I first need to recognize the variety of individual culture, gender, background, socioeconomic status, learning style, developmental stage and other factors of students, families and colleagues. Establishing that my classroom is a safe zone and a place where differences are celebrated and embraced will help me create an environment where everyone’s diversities are respected.

It is imperative to understand that while positive interactions with diversity can create positive outcomes, recent research demonstrates how negative interactions with diversity can cause harmful effects (Denson & Bowman, 2013). Therefore it is prudent to create quality interactions among diverse students in order for them to reap the benefits of these interactions (Denson & Bowman, 2013). The need for quality interaction is one way in which student affairs professionals can encourage growth in handling different backgrounds of people. Providing students with different experiences than what they are accustomed to opens the students up to positive interactions with their peers (Denson & Bowman, 2013). It is necessary to encourage every student to participate in experiences related to diversity; students

Diversity has been a main theme within Education 100, and throughout the past eight weeks I have learned about the many ways that diversity applies to education. The first assignment we were given was to complete the Diversity Module, and that helped explain many terms and concepts about diversity, specifically in context to a college campus. Though with the topics we talked about throughout the eight weeks, each one can be applied to diversity in a different way.

No matter the grade level, discussing and acknowledging diversity can be one of the most beneficial experiences a student has within the classroom. Not only does it force them to address who they are as individuals, but it also brings forth curiosity for education based topics such as history and literature. However, when speaking with a classroom (especially a classroom of young students), diverse subject matter requires a careful and thoughtful approach. Examples of this approach, as well as proper facilitation, are both outlined by Barbra C. Cruz in her article, The Problem We Still Live With (2015).

When we structure our activities to acknowledge different perspectives we enhance student learning (http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/cultural-diversity-at-school/). As teachers we must find ways to teach our children in ways that they learn and this at times can be difficult and for

Race, religion, culture, language, and disability are a few of the many forms of diversity that we see in classrooms around us. Diversity, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is “the condition or quality of being diverse, different, or varied; difference, unlikeness” (OED, n.3.d.). Each student in the classroom is going to have varied abilities, needs, and interests. As the teacher, he or she will utilize multiple teaching methods in order to meet the needs of every individual in the classroom. Some faculty has reported that teachers are failing to make little or no changes in their classroom operations to handle issues concerning diversity (Pasque, Chesler, Charbeneau, & Carlson, 2013, p. 1). By following guidelines to accommodate each student in the classroom, it is imperative that the teacher designates different abilities, interests, and tasks to help the students succeed and achieve their goals.

As we have learned this week, the meaning of the term diversity has evolved throughout the years and has a plethora of different definitions. Diversity can include students that are exceptional learners; multiple intelligences and learning styles; different ethnicity, race, and culture; different gender and religion; and even different socioeconomic status (“Notes On Diversity,” n.d.). According to Florian (2012), “the increasing cultural, linguistic, and developmental diversity of today’s classrooms demands more inclusive approaches to schooling, but classroom teachers often report feeling unprepared for inclusive education”. The articles’ findings that I read, Preparing Teachers to Work in Inclusive Classrooms: Key Lesson for the Professional

We have placed emphasis on celebrating difference and diversity and we see this as one of the core components in our approach to teaching and learning. We have created a learning environment in which students with a wide range of learning abilities can progress at their own rate, experience success, reach their potential and feel a real sense of belonging in our school community.

Exhibited teaching strategies that support the learning for adult students from culturally, educational, and linguistic 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