Philosophy of Student Diversity 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. Establishing respectful relationships within my classroom is something I will make a priority from the first day of class until the
Matthew Lynch is the author of “4 Reasons Why Classrooms Need Diversity Education”, his article addresses four key reasons that children need to be a part of a diverse classroom. Lynch states that to insure that all students get equal treatment by giving them equal chances to
This essay will be arguing that colleges and universities should promote more efforts to diversify and create equal representation of all students. Attending higher education institution for minorities has been an uneasy struggle and one that few minorities accomplish. The dilemma of African American enrollment for example, in a college lecture hall at Texas A&M containing 250 seats, only a maximum 4 out of 250 seats will contain African American students. Unfortunately, many institutions are similar to Texas A&M University, they have an underrepresentation of minorities their on campus in relationship to white students. The lack of diversity keeps stigmas associated with racism relevant and disregards the demographic representation of
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.
Diversity encompasses numerous characteristics including socio-economic background, ethnicity, special needs, gender, and giftedness (Cazden, 2001). Today, classrooms are getting more varied and diverse with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and students with a disability. It appears that teachers must meet the needs of all students successfully and individually to effectively teach a classroom of diverse students. This paper will first identify three challenges involved with ensuring that teaching strategies are
Having diversity is very important, and the learner has to understand how important it is have the correct relationship is there in the group of people. The students will also have to understand this.
Within the last decade or so, the number of minority students and “first generation students” enrolling, attending and graduating from colleges in the US has increased significantly despite the rising cost of enrollment. This increase is due to the available scholarships, funding opportunities, affirmative action or quota to be met by these institutions. The shift in the number of minority students graduating has also affected the diversity of people in the workplace. Although discrimination legally ended more than 40 years ago with the Civil Rights Movement, the ongoing battle of minority people in the United States trying to assimilate into a culture and justice system that does not work in their favor has continued although it is
I would like to open by identifying leadership theories that fit me the best. Honestly I believe all three fit me and I will begin with a brief backstory to explain why. Prior to coming to the University of Toledo I spent 17.5 years working for the Lucas County Juvenile Court specifically at the Lucas County Youth Treatment Center where our charge was to save the taxpayers of Lucas money by lowering the amount of youth who were committed to the Department of Youth Services in Columbus (Juvenile Prison). Our program focused on arming offending youth with the skills to re-orient safely back into the Lucas County Community. We could house 44 youth 36 male, 12 female at maximum capacity
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).
The district is committed to practices that will teach students to appreciate diversity and recognize its necessity in a democratic society aiding students in continuing the lifelong learning process. Priorities of this commitment include removing prejudice, cultural barriers, and discrimination that may occur regardless of intention or not. The district recognizes that students need to be educated about social justice and equity while learning to accept and respect those that are not the same as they are. To achieve this requires that the district’s faculty also treat students and each other with acceptance and respect. Students should be prepared to thrive in a society that is multicultural and interconnected globally. Lifelong learners need an appreciation for the various cultures and their innate differences which bring about greater problem solving when each group’s contribution may be
Being at university is such an incredible experience because it gives you a sense of what the real world looks like. You shape yourself and allow the entire experience to decide the kind of human being you want to be. Make sure you take advantage of every opportunity to meet new people, share stories and laugh. Diversity is something that as students of NMMU, we should all strive for.
Bringing a diverse structure to medicine is vital for generating a change in the medical field such as reducing healthcare disparities and improving health care for all. Diversity is imperative because it provides us with the opportunity to learn from one another by exhibiting a level of understanding that assists us in facilitating collaboration and cooperation. Once we learn about other cultures it helps us understand different perspectives within the world in which we live, and helps to dispel negative stereotypes and personal biases about different groups. Student diversity for example needs to be vocalized more in medical education because it can become a key component in creating a physician workforce that can meet the needs of a diverse
Like it or not, there has always been diversity among students in the classroom. It is the fact that each and every student is unique. From every circumstance, students bring a varying set of values, perspectives, and beliefs to the learning environment. Understanding the character of students is important in order to become a competent teacher. In fact, teachers should be aware and recognize students, as unique individuals, all acquire information differently than others. Some of these differences are due to developmental variations in cognitive, physical, intellectual, moral, emotional, and social changes caused by maturation and experience. And this reality of classroom conditions makes instruction much more challenging for teachers and
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