Final Reflection
I grew up in a multicultural, mixed race home. My mother is Korean and African American, my biological father was African American and Native American Indian, and my step-father is Caucasian. For as long as I can remember, I have heard the word “diverse” used to describe my family as if it was special or out of the ordinary, but never quite understood why some thought it was unusual. That is my family; that is all that I knew so it was normal for me. My mother is a social worker and quite often exposed my siblings and me to the different diversities of the people she encountered. She worked in several group homes where the tenants were homosexual, transgender, or bisexual. I sometimes went with her to the homes on visits and met many of the people she helped. I have also met many United States veterans that she has helped. Some of them had physical handicaps, mental illnesses, or were homeless. I believe that it is because of these experiences that I have come to have what I consider to be, a clear understanding of diversity.
Impact of Coursework and Fieldwork
In regards to the classroom, I am always aware of the diversities of colleagues and students. I recognize the differences between others and myself and always attempt to understand and respect those differences. Perhaps the most significant things that EDUC 5173 has helped me do are learn how to address diversity in the classroom and create a culturally sensitive environment for students. The coursework was presented in diverse ways such as learning logs, Socrates Cafés, and Wikis, and all of the assignments addressed and catered to different learning styles. I had to diversify how I completed each assignment and had to think differently for each assignment...
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...d respect for others and their differences, but when I thought about what the word value means, I wonder if I have actually done it. I asked myself “What is the worth have I placed on diversity?” The answer is this: I regard diversity with esteem. I believe that valuing diversity is equivalent to valuing a person. Diversity is not an obstacle to overcome but an advantage to human growth and positive change. Without diversity, the advances we know in technology, medicine, art, and the many other aspects that make up our lives, would not exist today. Diversity is not to be feared or ignored; it should be welcomed and embraced.
References
Cushner, K., McClelland, A., & Safford, P. (2012). Human diversity in education (7th ed.).
New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Wong, H.K., Wong, R.T. (1991). First days of school. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.
Every individual in society and in a community is unique in their own ways, and their diversity shows up in many ways. Some of these ways include: religion, race, socioeconomic status, lifestyle, and so on. Everyone’s backgrounds are different, and this is what creates diversity in people. Even though everyone might not be the same, only by uniting everyone can we create the big picture. It’s like a puzzle—even though people are different, we can come together to create a big picture that couldn’t be created by puzzle pieces of the same shape. To me, diversity symbolizes the unique backgrounds that we come from. Every individual in their communities and in their society are influenced by their background—and this can come from various reasons. If someone comes from a different socioeconomic background, or lifestyle, their thought processes and their view of life might be much more different than mine. Their reaction to a certain situation can be much more different than mine, and it is important for me to see all these viewpoints in order to be a more informed member of my community. Everyone is diverse in their expression, style, and
When people hear the word 'diversity', they often think in terms of black and white. I believe the true meaning of diversity is not simply about skin color, economic background or the face value of any other characteristic, rather it is the increased knowledge and sensitivity gained from unique experiences. The strength of diversity then comes from having many points of view and trying to reconcile them by finding common truths or resolving differences amongst people. Being a person of mixed heritage, my father is black and my mother is white, has definitely affected my life and contributed to the development of qualities that enhance my ability to embrace the uniqueness of those around me. Being raised in a single parent household and the values passed on to me by my mother have also been strong influences in my life. My greatest contribution to my community is the ability to create relationships between people of diverse backgrounds and a desire to understand others' beliefs.
I would like to consider my cultural heritage as diverse, but this is far from reality. Over the years as I matured through my teenage years, I was exposed to different cultures by life experiences and travel. I struggled to create both a personal and cultural identity while trying to adjust to my sight loss and with the support of my family I traveled overseas to experience other cultures for the first time. My family opened up their home to a foreign exchange program in turn allowing me the opportunity to travel over to Europe at the age of 16 years old. This opportunity started the slow progression of experiences that would open my mind to others who are unlike myself, especially traveling to a strange place and feeling different in a mainstream culture. It was not until the past 5 or 6 years until I fully accepted my disability that changed my view on being different, whether it’s race, class, gender or disability. Before this time period, my own fear of being different was so intense that I thought my weakness (disability) made me inferior of not only other cultures, but also my own family members.
When the majority of teachers in America are White, middle class women who only speak English in a country were students are starting to come from a multitude of backgrounds it is no wonder problems are arising. As more people from different cultures and religions immigrate to the United States the average classroom is losing the cultural uniformity it had in the past. Though the faces in classrooms are steadily changing many teachers have not been able to adjust as quickly to the ever growing diversity taking place. One would expect for teachers to still be able to teach students effectively whether they share a similar background or not, but in actuality cultural conflicts between teachers and students are only getting worse. Especially when
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R.T. (1991). The first days of school. Sunnyvale, CA: Harry Wong
I believe that it is important to recognize that there is diversity not only in the world, but also here at UW-Whitewater. To me, an important part of diversity is acknowledging that everyone is a unique individual. Each person comes from his or her own background and are shaped by the experiences in his or her life. Differences can come in many forms whether athletic ability, cultural background, intelligence level, religious beliefs, or personality. It is essential to be aware of the differences in society so that you may live a lifestyle that is considerate of everyone. However, this may prove to be more difficult than it seems as diversity is such a broad ranging scope of differences. Something you may find harmless might be offensive to someone else, for instance,
There are many challenges that teachers encounter when teaching children with learning disabilities, learners that are English language learners, or learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse. As a nation we are faced with the challenged that our schools are becoming more diverse. The majority of our schoolteachers are still predominately white females, but our student population is slowly changing. We are seeing more minority groups in our schools that are facing different challenges. The scary part of it all is that our teachers do not have the skills to accommodate those differences. “The nation’s changing school demographics are creating a demand for new teaching skills” (Utley, Obiakor, & Bakken 2011, pg. 5). Our student population
Diversity is a notion, when applied to the majority of circumstances, can create a positive conclusion. The trick to producing a positive outcome is often how the different aspects are brought together. Consider a classic dinner combination peas and carrots, the two colors look appealing and the two flavors comes together as one making a superb side dish. Now consider oil and water, these two substance are not often considered a good combination. Although, this is not always the case; olive oil and vinegar (which is water based) when mixed, come together into a delectable salad dressing. Diversity and inclusion should also apply to humans by bringing people together who are different it can creates a whole that is enhanced by the uniqueness of each individual.
Today’s society is characterized by changes that in some way or another put one in a position where his surroundings, are people from a different background than his own (Vertovec, 2007). Because of that, the institutions that have the mission to nurture individuals in a way that they can cope with diversity, must implement strategies that enlightened them about diversity (McCormick & Zhao, 2005).
In recent years, diversity has become a popular topic in today's society. Whether it is justified or not, it is prevalent because it is a main factor that influences people across the world. Diversity has effects and influences in your social groups, schools, jobs, and any where where human interaction is seen. However, this diversity can provide a well-needed insight onto a topic, or an abrupt concealment in oneself. With this, to what extent is diversity beneficial.
middle of paper ... ... Several teachers do not know how to receive the support they need. Diversity in classrooms is both positive and negative. However, if teachers are provided with the right resources and keep an open mind, their students can become successful civil human beings.
When most people think “Diversity” they think of the most communal characteristics: such as: Age, race, gender, sexual orientation, body type, ethnicity, and a person’s
Diversity should be respected and definitely noticed because it shows our uniqueness and self worth (McHale). Culture is a very strong part of everyone's life. Instead of trying to ignore our differences we should embrace differences and be proud of who we are. We can learn many different things if we give people who are culturally different from us a chance. Cultural diversity gives us an opening to learn about the uniqueness of the world. People can't go around wanting everything to be the same. They can't go tell themselves that cultures and differences aren't important (“Section 1”).
There are many factors that play a role in the learning process for every human being. Race, religion, language, socioeconomics, gender, family structure, and disabilities can all affect the ways in which we learn. Educators must take special measures in the delivery of classroom instruction to celebrate the learning and cultural differences of each of their students. As communities and schools continue to grow in diversity, teachers are searching for effective educational programs to accommodate the various learning styles of each student while promoting acceptance of cultural differences throughout the classroom. It no longer suffices to plan educational experiences only for middle-or upper class white learners and then expect students of other social classes and cultures to change perspectives on motivation and competition, learning styles, and attitudes and values that their homes and families have instilled in them (Manning & Baruth, 2009).
Some ways I plan to accommodate student diversity in my teaching is to maintain a diverse learning environment for my students. I understand that not all students learn the same so I plan to use differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction would include using strategies such as a Jigsaw classroom or Cooperative Learning and would allow students to have different opportunities to learn the