TEACHING DIVERSE LEARNERS Jian He College of Applied
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TEACHING DIVERSE LEARNERS Jian He, College of Applied Engineer, Sustainability and Technology, Kent State University Oindrila Roy, Department of Political Science, Kent State University August 2014
Outline • • Why care about diversity? What does diversity really mean? Diversity in learning styles & best practices “Facing the Uncomfortable Silence” Campus resources Q&A Contact details
Why Care about Diversity? • Enhances student experience & highlights the worth of multiple perspectives • Promotes social and professional development • Encourages self-awareness
Visible & Invisible Diversity • Visible Diversity – Examples: Age, race, sex, ethnicity, accent, and other physical attributes • Invisible Diversity – Examples: Socio-economic status, work experience, sexual orientation, parental status, religious affiliation and beliefs, nationality, geographic location, and political views • Personal Diversity
Best Practices • Be careful and intentional about the course-design • Be attentive to issues of diversity while planning the schedule • Be aware of, and avoid problematic assumptions • Be extra-careful about cultural references • Be prepared to deal with controversial issues • Familiarize yourself with the student body
Diversity: Dimensions in Learning Styles (Felder 1993) Question Learning Type What type of information does the student preferentially receive? Sensory vs. Intuitive Through which mode is sensory information most Visual vs. Verbal effectively perceived? With which organization of information is the student most comfortable? Deductive vs. Inductive How does the student process information? Actively vs. Reflectively How does the student progress toward understanding? Sequentially vs. Globally
Teaching Techniques to Address All Learners (Felder and Silverman 1988) • • Talk about diverse learning styles Balance teaching material Do not lecture the entire time Encourage students to share their learning experience with you • Diversify assessment techniques
GS 0: Facing the Uncomfortable Silence Series • Diversity-related scenarios discussed: –PTSD –Minority –Coming-out –Disability –Language-barrier –Religion • Web link for the resource document: http: //www 2. kent. edu/graduatestudies/gso new/upload/gso-fall-2013 -conversationsresource-doc. pd
Campus Resources Academic Success Center: Tutoring www. kent. edu/asc/index. cfm 330 -672 -3190 Career Services Center www. kent. edu/career/networking/socialmedi a. cfm 330 -672 -2360 Center for Adult and Veteran Services www. kent. edu/cavs/index. cfm 330 -672 -7933 Counseling & Human Dev. Center www. kent. edu/ehhs/chds/counseling-andhuman-development-center. cfm 330 -672 -2208 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion www. kent. edu/diversity/index. cfm 330 -672 -8540 Financial Aid www. kent. edu/financialaid 330 -672 -2972 International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) www. kent. edu/isss/index. cfm 330 -672 -7980 LGBTQ Center www. kent. edu/diversity/lgbtq 330 -672 -8008 Math Emporium www. kent. edu/mathemporium/index. cfm Office of Student Ombus www. kent. edu/emsa/ombuds. cfm 330 -672 -9494 Portage County Veterans Services www. co. portage. oh. us/veterans. htm 330 -297 -3545 Psychological Services www. kent. edu/uhs/psych/index. cfm 330 -672 -2487 Sexual Assault Response Team www. kent. edu/srvss 330 -672 -8016 Student Accessibility Services www. kent. edu/sas 330 -672 -3391 University Health Services www. kent. edu/uhs/index. cfm 330 -672 -2322 Women’s Center www. kent. edu/womenscenter/index. cfm 330 -672 -9230 Writing Commons www. kent. edu/writingcommons 330 -672 -1787
Contact Details Jian He jhe 2@kent. edu & Oindrila Roy oroy@kent. edu
Bibliography Felder, Richard M. 1993. “Reaching the Second Tier: Learning and Teaching Styles in College Science Education. ” Journal of College Science Teaching 23(5): 286 -290. Felder, Richard M. , and Linda K. Silverman. 1988. “Learning and Teaching Styles in Engineering Education. ” Engineering Education 78(7): 674 -681. Hyman, Jeremy S. , and Lynn F. Jacobs. 2009. “Why Does Diversity Matter at College Anyway ? ” U. S. News and World Report. Retrieved August 5, 2014, from http: //www. usnews. com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2009/08/12/why-doesdiversity-matter-at-college-anyway Saunders, Sari , and Diana Kardia. n. d. “Creating Inclusive College Classrooms. ” Retrieved August 5, 2014, from http: //www. crlt. umich. edu/gsis/p 3_1
