MOUNT CARMEL COLLEGE OF CASIGURAN, Inc.
CASIGURAN, AURORA
3204
FACILITATING LEARNER TEACHING (PEC 8)
REPORTER:
Precious Jewel P. Bernal
BSED – 3
TITLE OF REPORT:
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
TOPIC OUTLINE:
Factors that bring about student diversity
How student diversity enriches the learning environment
Some tips on student diversity
What is the Individual differences?
Individual differences are the unique characteristics and traits, which distinguish us from others. Individual
differences are especially important to the field of differential psychology. Differential psychology assesses and
studies the magnitude, nature, consequences, and causes of psychological differences between groups and individuals.
Factors that Bring about Student Diversity
Factors that Bring about Student Diversity in all learning environments, individuals interact with others who
are in some ways different from them. Recall how these differences were shown in your class tally-gender and racial,
ethnic or cultural background (nationality, province, language).
This diversity also comes from other factors like the following:
1. Socioeconomic status - The millionaires' lifestyle differs from that of the middle income or lower income
group.
2. Thinking/ learning style - Some of you learn better by seeing something; others by just listening; and still
others by manipulating something. (You will learn more of these in Module 5).
3. Exceptionalities - In class there maybe one who has difficulty in spoken language comprehension or in
seeing, hearing, etc. We will have more on these in Module 6.
How Student Diversity Enriches the Learning Environment
A teacher may be "challenged" to handle a class with students so diverse. There may be students having
different cultural background, different language abilities, different attitudes and attitudes and behaviors. Some
teachers might see this diversity as a difficult predicament, really a hassle! Yet a more reflective teacher may see a
diverse classroom as an exciting place to learn not just for her students, but for herself, as well. A wise teacher may
choose to respect and celebrate diversity! Read on to discover the benefits and learning opportunities that student
diversity can bring to
your classroom.
1. Students' self-awareness is enhanced by diversity.
Exposing students to others with diverse backgrounds and experiences also serves to help students
focus on their awareness of themselves. When they see how others are different, students are given reference
points or comparative perspectives which sharpen assessment of their own attitudes, values and behaviors.
2. Student diversity contributes to cognitive development.
As the German philosopher Nietzsche, said over 100 years ago “The more affects we allow to speak
about one thing, the more eyes, different eyes we can use to observe one thing, the more complete will our
concept of this thing, our objectivity, be.” The opportunity to gain access to the perspectives of peers and to
learn from other students, rather than the instructor only, may be especially important for promoting the
cognitive development of learners Supreme Court Justice, William J. Brennan said the classroom is peculiarly
the 'marketplace of ideas.
The depth and breadth of student learning are enhanced by exposure to others from diverse
backgrounds. Student diversity in the classroom brings about different points of view and varied
approaches to the learning process
3. Student diversity prepares learners for their role as responsible members of society.
Suzanne Morse stresses that have strong implication for instructional strategies that capitalize on
diversity: "The capacity to imagine situations or problems from all perspectives and to appreciate all aspects
of diversity”. Furthermore, she argues: The classroom can provide more than the theory given by the teacher
in a lecture. With student diversity, the classroom becomes a 'public place' where community can be practiced.
4. Student diversity can promote harmony.
When student diversity is integrated into the classroom teaching and learning process, it can become a
vehicle for promoting harmonious race relations. Through student-centered teaching strategies, diverse
students can be encouraged to interact and collaborate with one another on learning tasks that emphasize unity
of effort while capitalizing on their diversity of backgrounds.
Some Tips on Student Diversity
1. Encourage learners to share their personal history and experiences.
Students will be made to realize that they have something in common with the rest. They also differ in
several ways.
2. Integrate learning experiences and activities which promote students multicultural and cross-cultural
awareness.
You can encourage or even initiate co-curricular experiences that are aimed at promoting diversity awareness.
These activities could be held to coincide with already-scheduled national weeks or months which are
designated for appreciation of diverse groups: Disability Awareness Week. Linggo ng Wika, Indigenous
People's Week, etc
Let students interview other sudents on campus who are from diverse backgrounds (foreign students or
students from other ethnic/racial groups). These students of different racial and ethnic origin serve as source
of first-hand information on topics related to their culture.
This can also provide opportunity for interaction among students who may otherwise never come in
contact with each other.
Invite students to Internet discussion groups or e-mail; have students "visit" foreign countries and "talk" to
natives of those countries
Ask students if they have ever been the personal target of prejudice or discrimination, and have them share
these experiences with other members of the class.
3. Aside from highlighting diversity, identify patterns of unity that transcend group differences.
Clyde Kluckhohn, an early American anthropologist who spent a lifetime studying human diversity
across different cultures, concluded from his extensive research that, "Every human is, at the same time, like
all other humans, like some humans, and like no other human"(cited in Wong, 1991). His observation suggests
a paradox in the human experience, namely: We are all the same in different ways. It may be important to
point out to students the biological reality that we, human beings, share approximately 95% of our genes in
common, and that less than 5% of our genes account for the physical differences that exist among us. When
focusing on human differences, these commonalities should not be overlooked; otherwise, our repeated
attempts to promote student diversity may inadvertently promote student divisiveness.
One way to minimize this risk, and promote unity along with diversity, is to stress the
universality" of the learning experience by raising students' consciousness of common themes that bind
all groups of people in addition to highlighting the variations on those themes.
Periodically place students in homogeneous groups on the basis of shared demographic characteristics
(e.g., same-gender groups or same-race/ethnicity groups), and have them share their personal views or
experiences with respect to course issues. Then form a panel comprised of representatives from each
group who will report their group's ideas.
You can serve as moderator and identify the key differences and recurrent themes that emerge
across different groups, or students who are not on the panel can be assigned this task.
Try to form groups of students who are different with respect to one demographic characteristic but
similar with respect to another (e.g., similar gender but different with respect to race/ ethnicity, or
similar in age but different gender).
This practice can serve to increase student awareness that humans who are members of
different groups can, at the same time, be members of the same group and share similar
experiences, needs or concerns.
After students have completed self-assessment instruments (e.g., learning style inventories or
personality profiles), have them line up or move to a corner of the room according to their individual
scores or overall profile.
This practice can visibly demonstrate to students how members of different student populations
can be quite similar with respect to their learning styles or personality profiles, i.e. students can
see how individual similarities can often overshadow group differences
4. Communicate high expectations to students from all subgroups.
Make a conscious attempt to call on, or draw in students from diverse groups by using effective
questioning techniques that reliably elicit student involvement. In addition to consciously calling on
them in class other strategies for "drawing in" and involving students include: (a) assigning them the
role of discussions, i.e. the one who reports back ideas to the class, and (b) having them engaged in h
another classmate with the stipulation that each partner must take turns assuming the role of both
listener and speaker, and (c) scheduling instructor-student conferences with them outside the
classroom.
Learn the names of your students, especially the foreign names that you may have difficulty
pronouncing. This will enable you to establish early personal rapport with them which can later
serve as 'a social/emotional foundation or springboard for encouraging them to participate.
5. Use varied instructional methods to accommodate student diversity in learning styles.
Diversify the sensory/perceptual modalities through which you deliver and present information (e.g,
orally, in print, diagrammatic and pictorial, representations, or "hands on" experiences)
Diversify the instructional formats or procedures you use in class
Use formats that are student-centered (e.g., class discussions, small group work) and teacher-
centered (e.g., lectures, demonstrations).
Use formats that are unstructured (e.g., trial-and-error discovery learning) and structured (e.g.,
step-by-step instructions).
Use procedures that involve both independent learning (e.g., independently completed projects,
individual presentations) and interdependent learning (e.g., collaborative learning in pairs or
small groups).
6. Vary the examples you use to illustrate concepts in order to provide multiple contexts that are relevant
to students from diverse backgrounds.
Specific strategies for providing multiple examples and varied contexts that are relevant to their
varied backgrounds include the following:
Have students complete personal information cards during the first week of class and use this
information to select examples or illustrations that are relevant to their personal interests and life
experiences.
Use ideas, comments and questions that students raise in class, or which they choose to write about to
help you think of examples and illustrations to use.
Ask students to provide their own examples of concepts based on experiences drawn from their
personal lives.
Have students apply concepts by placing them in a situation or context that is relevant to their lives
(e.g., "How would you show respect to all persons in your home?")
7. Adapt to the students' diverse backgrounds and learning styles by allowing them personal choice and
decision-making opportunities concerning what they will learn and how they will learn it.
Giving the learner more decision-making opportunity with respect to learning tasks:
a. promotes positive student attitudes toward the subject matter,
b. fosters more positive interactions among students, and
c. results in students working more consistently with lesser teacher intervention. Also, when individuals are
allowed to exert some control over a task, they tend to experience less anxiety or stress while performing
that task.
8. Diversify your methods of assessing and evaluating student learning.
You can accommodate student diversity not only by varying what you do with your teaching,
but also by varying what you ask students to do to demonstrate learning. In addition to the traditional
paper-and-pencil tests and written assignments, students can demonstrate their learning in a variety of
performance formats, such as:
a. individually-delivered oral reports,
b. panel presentations,
c. group projects,
d. visual presentations (e.g., concept maps, slide presentations, PowerPoint presentations, collages,
exhibits), or
e. dramatic vignettes-presented live or on video tape. One potential One potential benefit of allowing
students to choose how they demonstrate their learning is that the variety of options exercised may be
a powerful way to promote student awareness of the diversity of human learning styles. You will have
more of assessment in your courses on Assessment of Learning.
9. Purposely, form small-discussion groups of students from diverse backgrounds.
You can form groups of students with different learning styles, different cultural background,
etc. Small peer-learning groups may be effective for promoting student progress to a more advanced stage of
cognitive development. Peer - learning groups may promote this cognitive advancement because:
(a) the instructor is removed from center stage, thereby reducing the likelihood that the teacher is perceived as
the ultimate or absolute authority; and
(b) students are exposed to the perspectives of other students, thus increasing their appreciation of multiple
viewpoints and different approaches to learning.
