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Methods for Infusing Diversity into the Curriculum

With all the talk of diversity being bandied about lately, do we have any idea what is meant by the term? What exactly is diversity? Let me share with you one student's definition of the term:

Diversity encompasses: age, life experiences, profession, race, region, nation, lifestyle, social class, learning style, philosophy of life, orientations, religion, personality, mental and physical challenges, customs, values, and gender.

In other words, diversity encompasses all the ways we differ as human beings. In one sentence, then, diversity includes anyone with a different perspective or a different angle on reality. For the purpose of this article, I will use this as my working definition.

So, where do we encounter diversity? In the workforce, in social and cultural interaction, and in the democratic process.

The workforce is changing. "By the turn of the century, experts predict that 80% of the American workforce will be made up of women, minorities, and persons from other countries; currently, these groups make up 68% of American workers. Yet, supervisors still communicate as though their workers are "mainstream" white American males." (Basics of Intercultural Communication, p. 1)

Into the next millennium, as the demographics of the nation change, we will encounter diversity more and more in social and cultural interactions. And, at the heart of the democratic process is the airing of differing viewpoints in order to reach a just and fair consensus.

Challenges for Educators

1. What am I doing to communicate with this changing and diverse student population?
2. What am I doing to prepare my students for the diverse workforce into which they will eventually be thrust? and
3. How do I honor differences among my students?

Answer: Either change the content of the course, or change the approach to the content.

Change the Content of the Course

1. Change the content of the course. Change to a text that is more inclusive. This requires countless hours reviewing books and many more hours in new preparations.
2. Keep the canon and supplement. Add articles by a few of the lesser known voices -- i.e., women and minorities.

Change the Approach to the Content

1. Keep the content the same, and change the approach. Is your discipline left-brained? (e.g. science, math, philosophy) Try one lesson with a right-brained approach.
2. Move from the known to the unknown, from the familiar to the unfamiliar, from the students' microcosm into broader, more expansive macrocosms. Give them the words/vocabulary they need if there is a lot of "jargon" in your field, but relate the esoteric terms to real life situations; otherwise, students will forget them.
3. Ask open-ended questions (when appropriate to the course content and the subject at hand) that give students the opportunity to answer from their own experiences or perspectives.
4. Observe and analyze class discussion. Does any one group dominate? Acknowledge participation and encourage more. Work toward balance, so that students air as many different perspectives as possible.
5. For class discussions, establish ground rules that come from the students themselves and honor and respect all members of the class.
6. Establish a safe environment in class for all members. (Are they all speaking at once? Do they insult each other? Attack or call each other names? Cut each other off? If so, it's not a safe environment.)
7. Invite a colleague in to do a presentation/lesson/lecture/exercise. Try to choose one whom you respect for his/her expertise, but one who has a very different approach or delivery style from yours. You can then sit in the audience and play the role of student along with the rest of the class. Do the exercises along with the class. You may find you learn something, too!
8. Consider people as living resources, as "walking books." Set up an assignment or class project allowing students to present to the class for 15 minutes. Require all the intellectual rigor you would of yourself(outline/audio visuals/documentation), but make the assignment such that the students learn to celebrate each other. (Students do not learn just from us or the text. They also profit from the exchange/interaction with each other.)
1. Have students "shadow" an expert and report back to the class.
2. Have students interview an expert and do a writing assignment.
3. Have students talk about/present something on their own cultural background.
9. Try role playing with a "case study" approach. Have the class analyze the interaction afterwards.
10. Do feedback sheets at the end of the semester and ask for suggestions. Sometimes, students see things we don't even anticipate.
11. Look at assumptions underpinning the course. Are the assumptions you have as a teacher shared by the students? (For example, as an English teacher, I have always assumed that students would read the text and be prepared to react to the text and discuss in class. I have found that beginning students -- i.e., first semester students -- many times are not prepared to discuss, don't know the simplest rules for polite discourse, or expect me to "feed" everything to them! Some don't even see what is to be gained from discussion of an assignment. I have to teach them the purpose and the logistics of discussion/discourse.)
12. Are you verbal? What are you doing in class that is visual?
13. Allow students to challenge and correct you. Teach them to do this politely. In addition, make sure that women and minority students feel free to challenge the views of others.

Food for Thought

"Culture can influence different ways of thinking, processing information, and communicating in the educational setting, and cultural diversity should increase the range of learning styles and behaviors in learning situations." (Knott, pp. 14-16+)

"I have noticed people in the same country who seem to be living in very different universes." (Pearson, p. 149)

Sources

Knott, Elizabeth. "Working with Culturally Diverse Learners." Journal of Developmental Education. Vol 15, pp. 14-16+, April, 1991.

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1989.

URL: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/labyforum/Spr96/spr96F3.html