Working with Diverse Students including Adult Learners

The Best Choice | Rationale | Basic Information | References | Links

The Best Choice .... according to the experts

Penn StateVice Office of the Provost for Educational Equity, 2003 – "American institutions of higher education . . . face the challenge of preparing students to live and work in an increasingly diverse society in which cultural knowledge and understanding are more important than ever before. To meet this challenge, the universities of the CIC must educate students from all segments of society and must provide those students with a meaningful exposure to cultures other than their own."

Lieb, 1991 – "The best motivators for adult learners are interest and selfish benefit. If they can be shown that the course benefits them pragmatically, they will perform better, and the benefits will be longer lasting.

Rationale

• Enrollment statistics show there is a great diversity of students entering college classes (Levine and Associates, 1990).
• Strategies and tactics are needed to improve diverse students' personal, academic, and professional development.

Basic Information

Definition of Diversity

• "Diversity usually is related to the ethnic background of students. It is, however, a much broader concept. Anytime that a student is different from the rest of the students in a class, that student is diverse. Diversity can relate to gender, sexual orientation, economic status, ethnicity, country of national origin, etc." (Oklahoma State University, no date).

Adult Learners

• Adult learners: Knowles (1984) identified that adult learners have the following unique characteristics:
  • They are responsible and can direct themselves.
  • They come to class with a wealth of working experiences.
  • They are ready to learn what they need to know or do in order to solve real world problems.
  • They usually know what goal they want to achieve.
  • They like to know why they should learn something.
  • They are motivated to learn in order to apply what they learned to real life, to increase job satisfaction, etc.

General strategies in working with diverse students (Davis, 1999)

• Recognize any biases or stereotypes you may have.
• Treat each student as an individual, and respect each student for who he or she is.
• Rectify any language patterns or case examples that exclude or demean any groups.
• Do your best to be sensitive to terminology.
• Get a sense of how students feel about the cultural climate in your classroom.

Selecting course content and material, consider (Davis, 1999)

• Whenever possible select texts and readings in a language which is gender-neutral and free of stereotypes. For example,
  • Instead of Uncle Tom's Cabin, choose a more neutral or multi-sided perspective.
  • Assign a project that requires a female perspective.
• Aim for an inclusive curriculum.
  • Use text and readings that reflect new scholarship and research about previously underrepresented groups.
  • Discuss the contributions made to your field by women and various ethnic groups.
• Do not assume that all students will recognize cultural, literary, or historical references familiar to you; consider when they were born, where they live or have lived, etc.
• Consider students' needs when assigning evening or weekend work, especially when many students are working adults.
• Bring in diverse guest lecturers.

Examples of Stereotypes and Biases

References

Connecticutt Women's Educational and Legal Fund ((2001-2002)). An exclusive approach to excellence.
Retrieved May 14, 2003 from http://www.cwealf.org/pdf/equityfall01.pdf

Davis, B. G. (1999). Diversity and complexity in the classroom: Considerations of race, ethnicity, and gender. Retrieved May 14, 2003 from http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/diverse.htm

Indiana State University (2003). Promoting Diversity.
Retrieved May 14, 2003 from: http://www.indstate.edu/ctl/TAGA/promoting.htm

Knowles, M.S. (1984). The adult leaner: A neglected species. (3^rd edition). Houston: Gulf.

Levine, A. and Associates.(1990). Shaping Higher Education's Future: Demographic Realisties and Opportunities, 1990-2000. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lieb, S. (1991). Principles of adult learning. Retrieved May 14, 2003 from http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/adults-2.htm

Menkart, D. (1993). Multicultural education: strategies for linguistically diverse schools and classrooms. Retrieved May 14, 2003 from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/pigs/pig16.htm

Merryfield, M. M. (1995). Background information: Looking for biases and stereotypes about Africa. http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/davtur/content.htm

Oklahoma State University (no date). Working with Diverse Students. Retrieved May 14, 2003 from http://home.okstate.edu/homepages.nsf/toc/EDUC5910iep8

Penn State (1998–2003). A framework to foster diversity at Penn State. Retrieved May 14, 2003: http://www.equity.psu.edu/Framework/introduction.html

Additonal Links

• Penn State MELD Database - Click the "Browse" button at the bottom to view resources
• University of Minnesota Diversity Toolkit
• University of North Caroline Diversity in the College Classroom
• Encouraging Students in a Racially Diverse Classroom (Harvard)
• Managing Hot Moments in the Classroom (Harvard)
• Diversity Web - Research into including diversity in teaching