Diversity

Today’s classrooms are becoming more and more diverse with students that have disabilities and those that come from different cultures. It is important for educators to ensure that their teaching strategies are appropriate for all of the children in their classroom. When it comes to the classroom there can be many cultural challenges that educators will have to address to ensure that all students are growing and developing appropriately. Educators need to make sure that they are capable of addressing each of their

How has your cultural background influenced your learning and school experience? My cultural background influenced my learning and school experience by shaping my opinions and beliefs about education. I grew up attending good schools that were open to inclusion and new ideas. Due to being exposed to inclusion and different teaching styles, I now believe that children with disabilities should be included in general classrooms as much as possible. Since I was exposed to different teaching styles and different methods of completing a lesson, I feel that my classroom should be the same way. My classroom should be effective in the way that the lesson taught is clear to all of my students, not just children with a specific learning type like visual

The third important principle is to realize that we all have prejudices. They are formed very early in life and are often very strong. They become a natural part of our lives, and cloud our minds with ignorance. Teachers are seen as role models, authority figures, and mentors. So many children fail to challenge them whether they be right or wrong. "A corollary of the concept that we all have prejudices is the idea that it really is okay to make mistakes, and that mistakes are opportunities for learning and growing" (193). It could do wonders for both teachers and students if the educators taught about prejudice and taught about, and admitted their own mistakes.

Students from various racial and ethnic backgrounds bring different learning experiences, interactions skills, values, languages, culture etc into the classroom learning situation. For example, I am African and my learning experiences are very different from those that are here. Students from different ethnic backgrounds share their language or vernacular in the classroom

I mentioned in my Journal 2 that my parents emphasized focusing on similarities you share with an individual rather than their difference. Though you have not been as exposed to many people from different backgrounds, it is important that note that you are open to learning more about different cultures. I firmly believe learning about those different than yourself is a way of growth both intellectually and socially. It is also important as future educators that we realize that our classroom has a possibility of being very diverse or lack diversity. Regardless, of the classroom racial demographics we must be able to effectively reach and teach every student. We must develop an equitable classroom on different spectrums and awareness of cultures is one to accomplish

It is crucial that teachers develop the knowledge and skills to teach children from diverse racial, language, and social backgrounds because classrooms today are growing in diversity. Without direct attention to cultural and individual differences in the classroom, some students have

As a teacher it is important to make sure the classroom atmosphere is comfortable in order to ensure productivity. Teaching students that differences are a good thing and those differences can be learned from and valued is a way to help ensure a positive classroom environment. As a teacher I will help my students understand biases, and I will help them be able to accept differences and treat people fairly by educating them about the differences of the people around them. I believe there are many ways a teacher can incorporate diversity lessons into the classroom. Overall, I believe that teaching students to respect each other despite their differences will benefit the students, the teachers, and the rest of the world. Diversity is an important topic today because everyone is different and unique; as a teacher I understand that I will never be in a school that is not a diverse teaching environment. I think that by taking this diversity class, it has helped me to realize and understand the importance diversity in the classroom and the community has to

This can be incorporated into an educational setting by integrating respect and tolerance for diversity into programs, policies and services as well as respecting and acknowledging the different needs of each child as they relate to their cultural backgrounds

In recent years, diversity has become a really important topic in human interactions. Being exposed to different cultures and accepting people’s differences is essential for a harmonious coexistence. Looking at the past and comparing it to what we now have in our society, there has been a lot of progress. Injustices are no longer “swept under the rug” and people are starting to create important conversations about where to go next. That being said, I believe that we are only at the beginning of making real positive changes in our society. Society has just begun recognizing the importance of diversity and how it can catapult us into a brighter future. In order to move forward and achieve real change, we must fully accept these individual differences and start focusing on how these contrasts can propel us into a single harmonious coexistence.

Since I started this class, I have a learned a great deal about cultural diversity in the classroom and abroad. My perspective has changed slightly but my knowledge of this subject has improved. In my family, my father taught me about the civil rights movement and the evils of segregation in the U.S. My parents taught me to be tolerant of all humans, no matter what they look like, how they dress, or their sexual orientation. My family has always been liberal thinkers who taught me the dark history of racism and bigotry in this country. As an educator I would be accepting to all race, creeds, and religious peoples.

The danger with the ready-made textbooks is that they can seem to absolve teachers of responsibility. Instead of participating in the day-to-day decisions that have to be made about what to teach and how to teach and operate the system, secure in the belief that the wise and virtuous people who produce the textbook knew what was good for us. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. (Swan, 1992)

We live in a society where people come from different countries, they belong to different cultural, religion, ethnic groups, and races. All these factors come together and contributes to differences that make us unique from each other. Hence, a multicultural country with huge diversity. This reflection journal will cover what “human race” is and what role it plays in ones’ personal life and in a nursing profession. Moreover, what bias, assumptions and judgements are, and how to avoid them. Lastly, what caring is and what role does it play in nursing.

Foreign students also need to be given clear demonstrations and examples of what is expected before they are asked to perform (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). This keeps anxiety among them low since immersion into a new language and culture is very stressful to the students. In occasions, the teacher also needs to check comprehension often by offering instructions to be followed and by asking questions that need only a maximum of two answers. Verbal interaction with the students in the classroom is also important since it makes them feel included (Driscoll & Nagel, 2008). This could also help the teacher understand their culture to make the student feel comfortable. Therefore, when the student does something different or irritating, the teacher understands that the action is most likely a learnt trait that the student does not have any control. As the student becomes increasingly integrated into the culture as he or she learns English, conflicts between the two cultures will most likely arise. Therefore, all concerned parties require being patient and understanding while striving to improve their inter-communication skills. I have chosen the Hispanic American culture as an example to describe the roles in families and elders. Hispanic Americans form the largest minority group in the USA and their population has steadily increased over the decades. Hispanic Americans have a distinct culture of their own. Their culture has immense influence on the lifestyle of the Hispanic

How did you demonstrate mutual respect for, rapport with, and responsiveness to students with varied needs and backgrounds, and challenge students to engage in learning?

If you teach and the students do not learn anything it is not your fault it is your job to teach the students the curriculum, and it is the student's job to pay attention and to listen to the teacher. If they don’t learn anything they will say that it is your fault but in actuality they either didn’t pay attention in the class or he wasn’t even there.