Week 2, Assignment #2

Diversity in Teaching and Learning: Affirming Students as Empowered Learners

In the world of education, we clearly see how diversity is embedded in who we teach, who teaches, what is taught, and how it is taught. Every factor affects the result in its own way.

As we focus mainly in the multiple social identities of the students nowadays, we should not forget also that another important factor is the staff identities, which both shape the nature of the relationships and the outcome of the educating process.

This is a quite interesting article where evidence is provided (from the 2010–11 Diverse Learning Environments survey and the 2010–11 HERI Faculty Survey) to illustrate three key points:

·       the relationship between an inclusive curriculum and academic validation as experienced by students

·       the link between faculty identity and goals for undergraduate education that shape the learning environment, and

·       the connection between faculty diversity and academic validation among diverse students.

The researches conducted show the importance of introducing diversity into the teaching and learning process, and how that affects the success of the students.

It is worth mentioning that by teaching and designing inclusive educational programs, faculty and staff (who value diversity and know how to work with diverse students) will provide the necessary scaffolding for student success. Let’s highlight again how important it is to work wisely towards the success of the diverse students by faculty (with diversity as well) and use diversity as a smart and productive tool in a successful learning process.

SOURCE:

Diversity in Teaching and Learning: Affirming Students as Empowered Learners