Title:
Diversity
Convener:
Irene Ruiz
Participants:
Judy Boschult
Irene Ruiz
Jim Walters
Bill
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Discussion:
- Learning modalities/options
- Diversity
- Awareness
- Understanding
- Acceptance
- Classes are diverse at this time. Learn a lot from other classmates. Makes it more interesting. Learn more from age, diversity of background. All contribute to the learning environment.
- Bulk of what happens in the classroom is traditional lecture and notetaking. We have tried as educators to fix students rather than fix what we do. Options, i.e.: lecture based ENG101 or discussion based ENG101. Different ways to experience learning. Not talking just technology.
- Learned more from lab setting interactions, group work and discussion. We need to find out what students want for learning alternatives.
- How about different modalities within one course based upon student selection? Assessment should focus on learning styles, and course selection should reflect this. If we are going to have learning as a core value, then we need to deliver how the student wants the information. How do we get students involved? Modalities could be that certain courses are team taught. How do we involve faculty in training in different delivery systems?
- Diversity, people think it is culture and in the classroom it is different learning styles. We find out what is going on, but never discuss how to improve it. We need a way to discuss this problem.
- Another component of diversity is to stretch people beyond the way they came in. Challenge them to learn in other ways. We talk about customer service and if we are strictly customer service you will never challenge values. We are avoiding something we really need to do by not getting students in groups, learning collaborativly, or community based projects related to the learning.
- Do faculty have dialogues about different learning? Each faculty has own way of delivery. Many try different deliveries, but on their own.
- Task is to make students life-long learners, not to educate. Ensure that students become life-long learners.
- Maybe the faculty should try different modalities within a course, then they could get an idea of what motivates students.
- Need to understand who the students are, culturally. If you stereotype‹that attitude should not be in the classroom, but sometimes is.
- Teaching is learning. You develop teaching from learning.
- Teachers are not as friendly or caring as in high school. Do not seem as open. Just give assignments. HS teachers are more open. They talk to you about how they are. You¹re the student and I¹m the teacher. Not enough communication.
- We need to humanize the process more.
- Part of that is the responsibility shift to you as a student.
- How do we work through our preconceived notions about one group or another?
- Lots of times we don¹t know to stop looking at the superficial diversity. When we learn about the different reasons why cultures act differently, we can have a perspective in order to deal with diversity.
Recommendations:
- Have faculty share and meet formally to discuss what each teacher is doing within the classroom regarding different methods. Responsibility should not be totally on faculty. More initiative for faculty than students.
- Students need to give more feedback to the teachers. Need a way for students to give feedback on what style/type of learning works well. Perhaps on the evaluation form.
- There is a university that has a book on student critiques of teaching styles. This is put out by students. Available in the bookstore.
- List in course documentation how the course will be taught. Let the student decide what modality they prefer.
- Know ahead of time who is teaching what and using what modality.
- Put together an advisement tool that gives more information about the course, i.e.: what types of papers to write, lab work, etc.
- Do an informal survey at the beginning of the course in order to understand the modality best for this class.
- There are cultural differences that impact the learning environment. This is not restricted to a culture.
- Establish a rapport for the students by talking about him/herself and letting students know they are approachable.
Open Space Forum - 10.7.98 - Phoenix College
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