STUDENT DIVERSITY

Individual Differences

Factors that Bring about Student Diversity

In all learning environments, individuals interact with others who are in some
ways different from them Recall how these differences were shown in your class
tally--gender and racial, ethnic or cultural background (nationality, province,
language). This diversity also comes from other factors like the following:

1. Socioeconomic status-The millionaires' lifestyle differs from that of the

middle income or lower income group
2. Thinking/ learning style-Some of you learn better by seeing something,
others by just listening; and still others by manipulating something. (You will
learn more of these in Module 5)
3. Exceptionalities- In class there maybe one who has difficulty in spoken
language comprehension or in seeing, hearing, etc.

How Student Diversity Enriches the Learning Environment

A teacher may be "challenged" to handle a class with students so diverse.

There may be students having different cultural background, different language
abilities, different attitudes and aptitudes and behaviors. Some teachers might see
this diversity as a difficult predicament, really a hassle! Yet a more reflective teacher
may see a diverse classroom as an exciting place to learn not just for her students,
but for herself, as well. A wise teacher may choose to respect and celebrate
diversity! Read on to discover the benefits and learning opportunities that student
diversity can bring to your classroom.

1. Students' self-awareness is enhanced by diversity. Exposing students to

others with diverse backgrounds and experiences also serves to help
students focus on their awareness of themselves. When they see how
others are different, students are given reference points or comparative
perspectives which sharpen assessment of their own attitudes, values and
behaviors.
2. Student diversity contributes to cognitive development. The opportunity
to gain access to the perspectives of peers and to learn from other students,
rather than the instructor only, may be especially important for promoting
the cognitive development of learners. Supreme Court Justice, William J.
Brennan said: "The classroom is peculiarly the 'marketplace of ideas. The
depth and breadth of student learning are enhanced by exposure to others
from diverse backgrounds. Student diversity in the classroom brings about
different points of view and varied approaches to the learning process.
 As the German philosopher, Nietzsche, said over 100 years ago: "The
more affects we allow to speak about one thing, the more eyes, different
eyes we can use to observe one thing, the more complete will our concept of
this thing, our objectivity, be."
3. Student diversity prepares learners for their role as responsible members
of society Suzanne Morse stresses one competency that has strong
implications for instructional strategies that capitalize on diversity: "The
capacity to imagine situations or problems from all perspectives and to
appreciate all aspects of diversity". Furthermore, she argues: "The
classroom can provide more than just theory given by the teacher in a
lecture. With student diversity, the classroom becomes a public place'
where community can be practiced.
4. Student diversity can promote harmony. When student diversity is
integrated into the classroom teaching and learning process, it can become
a vehicle for promoting harmonious race relations. Through student-
centered teaching strategies, diverse students can be encouraged to
interact and collaborate with one another on learning tasks that emphasize
unity of effort while capitalizing on their diversity of backgrounds.

Some Tips on Student Diversity

1. Encourage learners to share their personal history and experiences
Students will be made to realize that they have something in commonwith
the rest. They also differ in several ways.
2. Integrate learning experiences and activities which promote students'
multicultural and cross-cultural awareness.
 You can encourage or even initiate co-curricular experiences that are
aimed at promoting diversity awareness. These activities could be held
to coincide with already-scheduled national weeks months which are
designated for appreciation of diverse groups. Disability Awareness
Week, Linggo ng Wika, Indigenous People's Week, etc.
 Let students interview other students on campus who are from diverse
backgrounds (foreign students or students from other ethnic/racial
groups). These students of different racial and ethnic origin serve as
source of first-hand information on topics related to their culture. This
can also provide opportunity for interaction among students who may
otherwise never come in contact with each other.
 Invite students to Internet discussion groups or e-mail; have students
"visit" foreign countries and "talk" to natives of those countries.
 Ask students if they have ever been the personal target of prejudice or
discrimination, and have them share these experiences with other
members of the class.

3. Aside from highlighting diversity, identify patterns of unity that transcend

group differences.

Clyde Kluckholn, an early American anthropologist who spent a lifetime

studying human diversity across different cultures, concluded from his
 extensive research that, "Every human is, at the same time, like all other
humans, like some humans, and like no other human" (cited in Wong, 1991).
His observation suggests a paradox in the human experience, namely: We are
all the same in different ways. It may be important to point out to students
the biological reality that we, human beings, share approximately 95% of our
genes in common, and that less than 5% of our genes account for the physical
differences that exist among us. When focusing on human differences, these
commonalities should not be overlooked, otherwise, our repeated attempts
to promote student diversity may inadvertently promote student
divisiveness. One way to minimize this risk, and promote unity along with
diversity, is to stress the universality" of the learning experience by raising
students' consciousness of common themes that bind all groups of people-in
addition to highlighting the variations on those themes

 Periodically place students in homogeneous groups on the basis of

shared demographic characteristics (e.g., same-gender groups or same-
race/ethnicity groups), and have them share their personal views or
experiences with respect to course issues. Then form a panel comprised
of representatives from each group who will report their group's ideas.
You can serve as moderator and identify the key differences and
recurrent themes that emerge across different groups, or students who
are not on the panel can be assigned this task.
 Try to form groups of students who are different with respect to one
demographic characteristic but similar with respect to another (e.g.,
similar gender but different with respect to race/ethnicity, or similar in
age but different gender). This practice can serve to increase student
awareness that humans who are members of different groups can, at
the same time, be members of the same group and share similar
experiences, needs or concerns.
 After students have completed self-assessment instruments (eg,
learning style inventories or personality profiles), have them line up or
move to a corner of the room according to their individual scores or
overall profile. This practice can visibly demonstrate to students how
members of different student populations can be quite similar with
respect to their learning styles or personality. profiles, 1.e., students can
see how individual similarities can often overshadow group differences.

4. Communicate high expectations to students from all subgroups.

 Make a conscious attempt to call on, or draw in students from diverse

groups by using effective questioning techniques that reliably elicit
student involvement. In addition to consciously calling on them in class,
other strategies for "drawing in" and involving students include: (a)
assigning them the role of reporter in small-group discussions, i.e., the
one who reports back the group's ideas to the class, and (b) having
them engaged in paired discussions with another classmate with the
stipulation that each partner must take turns assuming the role of both
 listener and speaker, and (e) scheduling instructor-student conferences
with them outside the classroom.
 Learn the names of your students, especially the foreign names that you
may have difficulty pronouncing This will enable you to establish early
personal rapport with them which can later serve as a social/emotional
foundation or springboard for encouraging them to participate.
5. Use varied instructional methods to accommodate student diversity in
learning styles.
 Diversify the sensory/perceptual modalities through which you deliver
and present information (eg, orally, in print, diagrammatic and pictorial
representations, or "hands on" experiences).
 Diversify the instructional formats or procedures you use in class:
 Use formats that are student-centered (e.g., class discussions, small
group work) and teacher-centered (e.g., lectures, demonstrations)
 Use formats that are unstructured (e.g., trial-and-error discovery
learning) and structured (e.g., step-by-step instructions).
 Use procedures that involve both independent learning (e.g..
independently completed projects, individual presentations) and
interdependent learning (e.g., collaborative learning in pairs or
small groups).
6. Vary the examples you use to illustrate concepts in order to provide
multiple contexts that are relevant to students from diverse backgrounds.

Specific strategies for providing multiple examples and varied contexts that
are relevant to their varied backgrounds include the following:
 Have students complete personal information cards during the first
week of class and use this information to select examples or
illustrations that are relevant to their personal interests and life
experiences
 Use ideas, comments and questions that students raise in class, or
which they choose to write about to help you think of examples and
illustrations to use.
 Ask students to provide their own examples of concepts based on
experiences drawn from their personal lives.
 Have students apply concepts by placing them in a situation or context
that is relevant to their lives (eg., "How would you show respect to all
persons in your home?").

7. Adapt to the students' diverse backgrounds and learning styles by allowing

them personal choice and decision-making opportunities concerning what
they will learn and how they will learn it.

Giving the learner more decision-making opportunity with respect to

learning tasks: (a) promotes positive student attitudes toward the subject
matter, (b) fosters more positive interactions among students, and (c) results
in students working more consistently with lesser teacher intervention Also,
 when individuals are allowed to exert some control over a task, they tend to
experience less anxiety or stress while performing that task.

8. Diversify your methods of assessing and evaluating student learning.

You can accommodate student diversity not only by varying what you
do with your teaching, but also by varying what you ask students to do to
demonstrate learning. In addition to the traditional paper-and- pencil tests
and written assignments, students can demonstrate their learning in a variety
of performance formats, such as: (a) individually- delivered oral reports, (b)
panel presentations, (c) group projects, (d) visual presentations (eg, concept
maps, slide presentations. Power Point presentations, collages, exhibits), or
(d) dramatic vignettes- presented live or on videotape. One potential benefit
of allowing students to choose how they demonstrate their learning is that
the variety of options exercised may be a powerful way to promote student
awareness of the diversity of human learning styles. You will have more of
assessment in your courses on Assessment of Learning.

9. Purposely, form small-discussion groups of students from diverse

backgrounds. You can form groups of students with different learning
styles, different cultural background, etc.

Small peer-learning groups may be effective for promoting student progress

to a more advanced stage of cognitive development. Peer- learning groups
may promote this cognitive advancement because: (a) the instructor is
removed from center stage, thereby reducing the likelihood that the teacher
is perceived as the ultimate or absolute authority, and (b) students are
exposed to the perspectives of other students, thus increasing their
appreciation of multiple viewpoints and different approaches to learning.