Diversity in the Classroom
I've been teaching in brick and mortar colleges, as well as online, since the mid-nineties. I find that in online courses especially, there is a diversity of students; in cultures, learning styles, languages, attitudes and expectations.
How do you accommodate these differences in your students, making each and every one of them feel they are valued in the classroom and should respect one another?
Sometimes group projects will workby getting the students to work together. Have discussions with each group and then with each group member. Choose topics that are relevant tothe issues that you are faced with in class; be creative.
Hi Mary,
You ask a very good question in relation to online teaching. I have been teaching online courses for a number of years and I am still trying to get a clear understanding of a model that will do what you ask. What I have found as you probably have is that by working hard at the beginning of the course to create a relationship and rapport with each student I can get an idea of how to engage them. After a few exchanges I start to see a pattern of interest emerging and then I can start to customize my approach for that student or group of students which results in increased performance.
Gary
