Schwarz and Karge (1996) cited by Smith T. and others in Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings (Third Canadian Edition, 2009), identified different types of diversity: of ethnicity and race, language and culture, age, gender and sexual orientation, physical and intellectual abilities as well as diversity of behavior and personality features.
What is diversity in a classroom?
There is nothing more pertinent to describe the classrooms nowadays than diversity. In order to be in a good teacher-student relationship, it is essential for teachers to understand the motivation of each student that comes to class and what drives each of them to learn to finish their studies: some older students see in school an opportunity to get a better-paid job, others want to keep the job they already have, but for which, nowadays, they need their college diploma. Younger students have already understood that the economy nowadays requires well-trained people, so to face the competitive job market they need to know as much as possible.
Teachers must satisfy each student’s educational needs, but also observe the cultural, community and family values that can influence the student’s educational process. In such diverse environment students learn toleration and co-operation for everyone’s benefit and they come to accept and appreciate what makes each of them different and unique.
Classroom Diversity – ethnicity and race
The existence of a variety of nationalities and races, especially in countries like United States and Canada where immigration holds a special place in legislation, can be professionally stimulating for the teachers and beneficial for the students. Teachers have the opportunity to learn a lot about the people they teach and, being aware of their students' differences of cultural background and of life experiences, they can adjust their teaching strategies and subjects to their students’ knowledge and interests.
They can adapt their lessons to reflect actual concerns and to answer real problems of the modern world. Thus, students are even more motivated, as they see that what they learn is directly connected to the real life situations. More than that, students themselves can learn about their classmates and their way of thinking and acting, so they can better understand diversity at the global level. Even if they don’t always agree with one another, they learn to be more tolerant and they become more understanding of their fellow students.
Classroom Diversity – different ages
When it comes to diversity of age, teachers have to adapt their teaching methods to their students, because at different ages they learn differently. The 35-year old students already know how to learn, they have organizational skills and strategies already formed; the 18-year old students need to be taught these skills and strategies in order to be able to learn efficiently.
The older students have a stronger motivation and they are more serious in pursuing their goals than the younger ones, because they have more life experience and they know exactly what they want. Most of them have a whole life going on outside school, with children of their own going to school or older parents to take care of, but every day in class they try to focus on their future career.
The younger students generally have another perspective on school and tend to take their studies lightly. They are the ones that need to understand how important this stage in their life is. They feel stuck between secondary school, when they lived with their parents having no worries about tomorrow, and their present life as young adults, when they need to take responsibilities and deal with the consequences of their actions. They need to acknowledge the fact that life is a tough competition and that they need to have the “weapon” to fight for their place in the world – and this weapon is their knowledge.
Classroom Diversity – different behaviors and personalities
There is also diversity in terms of behaviors triggered by external situations or actions. Some students are shy and emotional when speaking in front of others because they are afraid they might make mistakes, and being self-conscious they usually prefer not to say anything at all, and this can have serious consequences on their social interactions as well as on their academic performance.
Others are natural and spontaneous, depending on their temperament and their life experiences and they choose not to think of the mistakes they can make. They are generally the adepts of the “trial-and-error” kind of action and they believe that in order to see if you’re right or wrong you have to try first. What’s the use of being right if nobody knows it?
Classroom Diversity – challenging and rewarding
Teaching adults is challenging not only in terms of the work volume and the diversity of materials and didactic strategies teachers need to use in order to maximize the efficiency of learning, but also because of the psychological and emotional implications in the process. It can also be rewarding as long as teachers appreciate each and every one of their students for their ambition and effort and they understand what brings each of them to school every day. They must try to get the best of each of their students, because no matter which of the “categories” above they belong to, they have the same hopes for the future, and teachers are the ones that can help them make their dreams come true one day.
Carmen Paduraru - A Canadian citizen living in Montreal, Quebec, teacher of English and very passionate about my profession, about traveling, reading and ...
