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Teaching for Diversity:
Effective Instructional Strategies
The effectiveness of diversity education depends not only on the content of the curriculum, but also on the instructional methods used to deliver the content. As much thought should be given to what teaching strategies will be employed as to what material will be covered; in other words, process is as important as content.
Student-centered teaching starts with and focuses on the learner; it puts the student at the center of the learning process by focusing on the learner and what the learner is doing, rather than focusing on what the teacher is covering in class. The goals of effective, student-centered teaching are to meet the learning needs of the student, facilitate the learning process and, ultimately, achieve positive learning outcomes (American College Personnel Association, 1994; Angelo, 1997; Barr & Tagg, 1995). The experiences of students are integrated into the teaching process and the learning process becomes more active, interactive, and engaging (EdChange Multicultural Pavilion, 2009). Student-centered learning also embodies the principles of democratic education by allowing students to take action during the learning process and take personal responsibility for their own learning (Gutmann, 1999).
“All aspects of teaching and learning in school must be refocused on, and rededicated to, the students themselves.”
—EdChange Multicultural Pavilion
The intended learning outcomes of diversity education simply cannot be realized without use of engaging, student-centered teaching, which research indicates is a core characteristic of culturally competent teachers (Slavin & Madden, 2001; Dalton & Yamauchi, 2000). For example, studies show that the success of Hispanic students is compromised by instruction that does not engage students in the learning process (Pardon & Waxman, 1993; Haberman, 1991). Thus, culturally competent teaching not only relies on selecting content that is inclusive and allows students from diverse backgrounds to see themselves and their experiences in the curriculum; it also involves reliance on a process of learning that engages students from diverse backgrounds.
Among the intended learning outcomes of diversity education is to promoting attitude change, and research repeatedly shows that trying to change people’s attitudes or opinions by lecturing or presenting information to them is a very ineffective strategy (Bligh, 2000). The positive impact of diversity education rests heavily on the process of enabling students to directly experience and appreciate human differences, and less on the content of teacher’s lectures about why students should value differences. “Lectures are relatively ineffective for teaching values associated with subject matter. Sermons rarely convince agnostics, but they give solidarity to the faithful. Similarly, lectures are ineffective in changing people’s values, but they may reinforce those that are already accepted” (Bligh, 2000, p. 12).
Furthermore, when teachers rely exclusively on the method of lecturing students about diversity rather than actively involving students in the learning process, they fail to model the democratic process, civic involvement, and political self-efficacy. Instead, they may reinforce an authoritarian approach to learning and decision making that serve to oppress, rather than empower students. As Paulo Freire, Brazilian educator, argues in his classic book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed:
Narration (with the teacher as narrator) leads the students to memorize mechanically
the narrated content. Worse yet, it turns them into ‘containers,’ into ‘receptacles’ to be
“filled” by the teacher. The more completely she fills the receptacles, the better a
teacher she is. The more meekly the receptacles permit themselves to be filled, the
better students they are. Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the
students are to memorize mechanically the narrated content. This is the ‘banking’
concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends
only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits. In the banking concept of
education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves
knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing. Projecting an
absolute ignorance onto others, a characteristic of the ideology of oppression, negates
education and knowledge as processes of inquiry. The banking concept maintains
attitudes and practices, which mirror oppressive society as a whole: the teacher is the
Subject of the learning process, while the pupils are mere objects (1970, pp. 71-73).
One way to convert the philosophy of student-centered teaching into a practical action plan is for teachers to focus on creating three key, student connections in the classroom:
(1) the student-teacher connection: establishing rapport with the class
(2) the student-subject connection: engaging students’ with the subject matter
(3) the student-student (peer-to-peer) connection: creating a sense of community among
classmates
Consistent with the philosophy of student-centered teaching, each of these connections begins with and centers on the student as the key agent in the learning process. These three student-connection points will be used as a general framework for organizing the specific teaching strategies discussed in this chapter.
MAKING THE STUDENT-TEACHER CONNECTION:
Establishing Rapport with the Class
Teacher-student rapport may be viewed as a precondition or prerequisite for active student involvement and engagement in the learning process. If students feel comfortable relating to their teacher, they will be more responsive to the teacher’s attempt to interact with them and to engage them in the learning process.
On the first day of class, make an intentional effort to learn students’ names and something personal about them. Taking time to get to know your students, and allowing students the time to get to know, should precede any attempts to cover curricular content (i.e., people before paper). Before diving into coverage of course content, teachers should establish personal connections with students.
Learning the names of students as quickly as possible is probably most effective way that teachers can establish early rapport with the class and generate a positive first among students. It can lay the foundation for a classroom environment in which students feel comfortable interacting with their teacher and begin to become actively involved in the class. Furthermore, learning student names and calling on them by name is a very effective way to convey high expectations for each and every student in class, regardless of what their particular cultural background happens to be. As Forsyth and McMillan point out: “High expectations are communicated as teachers learn students’ names and call on them by name” (1991, p. 58).
Carl Rogers, renowned humanistic psychologist, artfully expresses the value of knowing your students: “I think of it as prizing the learner, prizing his [her] feelings, his opinions, his person. It is a caring for the learner. It is an acceptance of this other individual as a separate person, a respect for him as having worth in his own right” (Rogers, 1975, p. 107). Teaching effectiveness depends not only on technical teaching skills, such as organization and communication, but also on personal characteristics of the teacher that serve to humanize the classroom environment and promote student feelings of self-worth (Jones, 1989). Said in another way, effective teachers are not only well organized and effective communicators, they also provide students with personal validation. When students feel personally validated, they feel valued as a human being, are recognized as unique individuals, and sense that their teacher cares about them and their personal development (Rendón, 1994). When students feel validated, they relate more easily and openly to the teacher, feel more comfortable about asking questions, and are more likely to be honest about seeking advice or assistance from the teacher on personal issues that are affecting their academic performance.
An effective way to learn relevant personal information about students, as well as to help learn students’ names, is by having students complete a student-information sheet. This practice involves having students respond to questions about themselves on a sheet of paper in class while the teacher responds to the same questions by recording information about herself on the board. (See Exhibit B for specific, step-by-step directions on how to conveniently construct and make use of a student-information sheet.) The Student Information Sheet can be used to learn more about your students on the first day of class (e.g., their backgrounds, goals, and interests). The student-information sheet can be used to initiate individual conversations with you students, which, in turn, may increase their willingness to contribute their experiences in class. The Student Information Sheet can also be a valuable tool for helping you identify forms of diversity that may not be clearly visible (e.g., students’ geographical background, current living situation, or whether they are first-generation college students). You can then capitalize on this information to create heterogeneous learning groups that expose students to these “invisible” forms of diversity.
Allow students an opportunity to share their personal histories.
To appreciate diverse cultural experiences, students must first hear about them, and ideally, they should hear about them from people who have had different experiences. One way to enable students to capitalize on the diverse experiences of students in your class is to ask them to write a short, autobiographical story about their personal journeys. To give students some direction and focus for this writing assignment, they could relate their personal stories to such topics as: (a) turning points in their life, (b) past experiences or decisions made that continue to affect their life (positively or negatively), and (c) role models or sources of inspiration in their life.
Students could share their written histories in small, intentionally formed groups containing members from diverse backgrounds. Allowing students from a variety of students to share their personal stories may enable them to see that others have had very different personal journeys and experienced different challenges to overcome major obstacles to get where they are now. In addition to (or in lieu of) sharing their stories in person, stories may be shared online. Sometimes, the absence of eye contact during online communication can reduce student fear or embarrassment about sharing personal information on sensitive subjects. The absence of face-to-face contact can provide reticent students with a greater sense of privacy or anonymity, which may allow them to share personal information in a less defensive and more forthright manner.
Have students bring an artifact to class that reflects their cultural background (e.g., food, clothing, music, art), and ask them to briefly describe its role or significance in their life. This may be a non-threatening, nonverbal way to initiate discussion of students’ personal stories and cultural experiences. It also helps create a classroom atmosphere that reflects and respects cultural differences, which is one hallmark of effective multicultural education (NCSS Task Force, 1991).
Once you have learned your students’ names, continue to refer to them by name. It is important to learn your students’ names, but it may be even more important to show them that you know them by regularly using their names.
Personalize the classroom experience by learning and remembering information
about your individual students. Teachers who go beyond knowing who their students are to knowing something about their students sends a strong message of personal validation to each and every student in class. An effective way to learn relevant personal information about students, as well as to help learn students’ names, is by having students complete a student-information sheet. This practice involves having students respond to questions about themselves on a sheet of paper in class while the teacher responds to the same questions by recording information about herself on the board. (See Exhibit B for specific, step-by-step directions on how to conveniently construct and make use of a student-information sheet.) The Student Information Sheet can be used to learn more about your students on the first day of class (e.g., their backgrounds, goals, and interests). The student-information sheet can be used to initiate individual conversations with you students, which, in turn, may increase their willingness to contribute their experiences in class. The Student Information Sheet can also be a valuable tool for helping you identify forms of diversity that may not be clearly visible (e.g., students’ geographical background, current living situation, or whether they are first-generation college students). You can then capitalize on this information to create heterogeneous learning groups that expose students to these “invisible” forms of diversity.
Interact with students in a personable and empathic manner. Specific recommendations for behaving personably toward students include the following practices:
- Greet students when you enter class and when you see them on campus.
- Welcome back students back after a weekend or semester break.
- Acknowledge the return of an absent student (e.g., “Glad to see you’re back, we missed you last class”).
- Wish students good luck on a forthcoming exam.
- Express concern to students who are not doing well or to those students who have been excessively absent (e.g., “Everything okay?” “Anything I can do to help?”).
- Acknowledge emotions expressed by students in class (e.g., “You seem excited about this topic.” “I sense that you’re feeling tired, so let’s take a short break from this task.”).
Provide personalized feedback to students. Feedback is more likely to be attended to and responded to in a non-defensive manner if it is delivered in a personalized fashion. Personalized feedback may be delivered by such practices as (a) addressing the student by name in your written and spoken remarks, (b) comparing students’ present performance with their previous work and noting areas of personal improvement, and (c) signing your name at the end of written comments so your feedback is delivered in a form similar to a personal letter.
Though it may be may be too time-consuming to write a personal note to all students on every returned assignment or exam, personal notes may be written to a smaller subset of students (e.g., students with last names A-M in your grade book). On the next assignment, a different subgroup of students may be selected to receive personal notes.
For students who are struggling in class, write a personal note on returned assignments or exams that invites, requests, or requires them to see you outside of
class. This written note could be reinforced by a private verbal comment before or after class. The importance of reaching out to under-performing or low-achieving students is supported by research indicating these students are often the least likely to initiate or seek extra help their own (Knapp & Karabenick, 1988).