Diversity in the Classroom

Getting to know your students should be the first and foremost step each year when you meet your new class. Knowing your students is the best to teach them, gain their trust and respect for you as their educator. Every classroom is made up of a unique set of students that all have different backgrounds and previous experiences both in the classroom and at home. It is important as a teacher to recognize the the diversity in the class and use it to your advantage. Some teachers feel that you need to constantly compensate when you have a diverse class but I think that you should be able to learn a lot from the diversity. Students can teach other students about their culture and how they are unique and they can gain a lot from that interaction. In the reading Instructional Conversations by Goldenberg they talk about how the U.S school system is like "painting by numbers." We ask the students a question and expect a single response most of the time. If we used Instruction Conversation, or IC, in the classroom more learning can occur. IC allows for an open ended discussion where students can share opinions and provide personal examples of what is being taught. IC looks at the bigger picture and realizes that students can also learn from each other. The best way to learn about diversity in the classroom is by getting to know your students. One simple way to get to know your student body is driving around the area where the school is situated. You can learn from what your students have access to and what their neighborhood provides. It will help you know where your students come from and make you more aware. Another simple way to learn about the diversity is to talk to your students. If the teacher is able to implement IC in the classroom students will be able to discuss their diversity and learn from each other's experiences. Sometimes teacher's forget that students come to the classroom with plenty of knowledge, and if you take the time to actually get to know them you will learn a lot. It's important to take the time to get to know your students and where they come from so you can better educate them.

In the next few weeks I want to increase my understanding about diversity and the students that I am working with. Although I have been in the classroom for quite some time now there are still a few students that I would like to get to know better. My goal is to sit with these students more often and talk to them in a way just to get to know them. Let them share with me anything that they want. While doing this I also want to try and find more ways to use my students previous experiences and connect it to their learning. Often I hear "this isn't important" or "why do I need to know this?" from my students and I would like to be able to find ways to show the importance that are culturally relevant to them. If I am able to find ways to teach my students in a way that they find important and meaningful I will be able to get through to them more and further their learning.