This chapter discusses how instructors can promote inclusive, deep learning among students from diverse cultural backgrounds in online courses. It describes a study of Native American, Hispanic, and Mestizo college students and their preferences for learning processes that incorporated mind-body interactions, storytelling, reflection time, real-world applications, and opportunities to learn from peers. The chapter recommends that instructors assess their own cultural assumptions, include varied learning activities, provide quality feedback, and establish a social presence to facilitate a more culturally inclusive online learning environment.
This chapter discusses how instructors can promote inclusive, deep learning among students from diverse cultural backgrounds in online courses. It describes a study of Native American, Hispanic, and Mestizo college students and their preferences for learning processes that incorporated mind-body interactions, storytelling, reflection time, real-world applications, and opportunities to learn from peers. The chapter recommends that instructors assess their own cultural assumptions, include varied learning activities, provide quality feedback, and establish a social presence to facilitate a more culturally inclusive online learning environment.
This chapter discusses how instructors can promote inclusive, deep learning among students from diverse cultural backgrounds in online courses. It describes a study of Native American, Hispanic, and Mestizo college students and their preferences for learning processes that incorporated mind-body interactions, storytelling, reflection time, real-world applications, and opportunities to learn from peers. The chapter recommends that instructors assess their own cultural assumptions, include varied learning activities, provide quality feedback, and establish a social presence to facilitate a more culturally inclusive online learning environment.
This chapter discusses how instructors can promote inclusive, deep learning among students from diverse cultural backgrounds in online courses. It describes a study of Native American, Hispanic, and Mestizo college students and their preferences for learning processes that incorporated mind-body interactions, storytelling, reflection time, real-world applications, and opportunities to learn from peers. The chapter recommends that instructors assess their own cultural assumptions, include varied learning activities, provide quality feedback, and establish a social presence to facilitate a more culturally inclusive online learning environment.
Chapter 8: Promoting Inclusive, Deep Learning in Online Contexts
Summary of Argument Ke, F. & Fedelina Chavez, A. (2013). Web-Based Teaching and Learning across Culture and Age. New York: Springer. 143-154. This chapter discusses how instructors can promote inclusive, deep learning amongst integrated cultures in distance education. The researchers question how integrated learners, who hold strong cultural epistemologies experience disconnect between their own learning processes and those experienced in online courses (Fe & Fedelina, 2013). This was a longitudinal study which took place over two years. Data was collected from college students. It is assumed that data was collected through surveys or written feedback. It was hypothesized that integrated learners, Native, Hispano and Mestizo American college students, would benefit in online learning spaces if instructors would assess their own cultural constructs with contemporary pedagogical practices (Fe & Fedelina, 2013). The underlying issue within this chapter focused on the needs of integrated learners and the importance of honoring their preferred learning processes. These preferences included:
Mind/body interactions with content
Sharing examples and storytelling
Time for reflection or wait time prior to discussions
Application of content to the real world
Variety of learning processes (videos, websites, charts, social media)
Offering choices for assignments or evaluation ( paper. e-posters, websites, video)
Opportunities to learn from peers (peer review or reading opinions)
With such a high level of relational cultural epistemology, Ke & Fedelina (2013) emphasize the need for instructors to shape their teaching to be culturally inclusive of students who hold integrated theories of learning. Suggestions for educators include:
To overtly show care for students (sharing stories or campus services available)
Share personal connections to content with students
o
Ex: A professor had his students develop health charts of their families and in their communities to assess health-care needs and patterns (Ke & Fedelina, 2013, p. 147)
Include a variety of learning processes while teaching abstract concepts
Create opportunities to share assignments to widen diversity of knowled ge
accessible
Embrace the power of the internet to make learning environment more engaging (ex: links, social media, articles)
Gurpreet Koonar 86908134
Distance education allows for students to become self-regulated learners and there is a prevalent shift from the teacher to content. Murray, Perez, Geist & Hedrick (2013) define the student-content interaction to be the process of intellectually interacting with the content that results in changes in the learners understanding, the learners perspective, or the cognitive structures of the learners mind (p. 100). Since the student-content interaction is the main foundation of design, three design solutions have been suggested in this chapter. In order for the instructor to facilitate learning, educators can integrate direct instruction into the content (Ke & Fedelina, 2013). For instance, this may include visual notes or audio but with voiceovers or videotaping of lectures. Another suggestion is to provide quality feedback on assignments, responding to emails in a timely manner and creating a virtual office which displays weekly schedules and assignments. This structure creates a sense of comfort among students as they know what is expected and what is coming next. Lastly, it has been suggested that in structors should establish a social presence within the course. Sharing experiences with content makes the learning experience more personalized.
Commentary The main argument in this chapter was to facilitate a learning environment which was inclusive of integrated learners. The study followed Native, Hispano and Mestizo American college students and their experiences outlined useful strategies for online instructors. I feel this was the most appropriate choice of data in this type of study because the non-western cultures first hand experiences accounted for the majority of the groups learning preferences. Culture among these groups was defined as interconnected, contextual, involving mind/body/spirit/emotions, starting with doing/examples/ storytelli ng, including broader conceptions of time and built in ways to learn (Ke & Fedelina, 2013, p. 145). In accordance with integrated cultures, this was a good explanation of what these students valued in learning. I selected this section because I find value in creating a classroom environment which is inclusive of all types of learners. I find this process to be very complex and challenging; however, as I read through this chapter, I have come to the conclusion that it will always be a challenging issue for educators. It is important for educators to step outside their comfort zone to experience what learners may be feeling. In order to implement this within my own classroom, I follow 4 strategies recommended by the GIHE Resource Booklet on Designing Cultu rally Inclusive Learning and Teaching Environments (See Figure 1). I feel the authors conclusions are justified because instructors should be partnering with students to develop curriculum which is flexible and able to differentiate among learners. I would recommend this text as a valuable future resource for ETEC 565G because it allows students to make connections with their own experiences in online education and possibly provide feedback to their instructor. If students cannot articulate their concerns with instructors, the development of a culturally inclusive learning environment will never develop.
Gurpreet Koonar 86908134
F IGURE 1-R ECOMMENDE D STRATEGIES TO ASSIST WITH CREATING A CULTURALL Y INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM
Gurpreet Koonar 86908134
References Figure 1. (2013, March 24). Recommend strategies to assist with creating a culturally inclusive classroom.
GIHE
Good
Practice
Resource
Booklet.
Retrieved
from
http://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/184853/Creating -a-CulturallyInclusive-Classroom-Environment-mcb2.pdf Ke, F. & Fedelina Chavez, A. (2013). Web-Based Teaching and Learning across Culture and Age. New York: Springer. 143-154. Murray, M., Perez, J., Geist, D., & Hedrick, A. (2013). Student interaction with content in online and hybrid courses: Leading horses to the proverbial water. Informing Science, 16, 99-115. Retrieved from http://www.inform.nu/Articles/Vol16/ISJv16p099-115MurrayFT114.pdf
Classroom-Ready Resources for Student-Centered Learning: Basic Teaching Strategies for Fostering Student Ownership, Agency, and Engagement in K–6 Classrooms
Classroom-Ready Resources for Student-Centered Learning: Basic Teaching Strategies for Fostering Student Ownership, Agency, and Engagement in K–6 Classrooms
