Cultural Diversity and its Effects on Learning and

TeachingMonica A. Devanas

Teaching Excellence Center

Rutgers University

Diverse Students

• motivational and learning characteristics of students different from white, middle class males

• interplay of social and cultural diversity and learning style, curriculum content and instructional style

Diverse Students

• Social relational skills, values, characteristics

• Information processing orientations and skills

• Communication patterns

• Learning styles and strategies

• Motivational styles

• Psychological characteristics

Cultural, Learning and Motivational Styles

• Non-traditional– Social interactions– Peer cooperation– Performance– Visual perception– Symbolic expression– Narrative

• Traditional– Independence– Competition– Verbal skills

Cultural, Learning and Motivational Styles

• Females– affiliation– relationships– collaborative-

cooperative interaction

• Males– separation– autonomy– competitive

achievements

Learning Styles Relational

– holistic, global– intuitive– social– verbal– nonacademic task

oriented– affected by opinions– withdraw from drill– style conflicts with

school environments

Analytical– focus on detail– sequential– impersonal– abstract– academic task oriented– not affected by

opinions– persist in drills– styles matches school

environments

Experiential Learning Model

Concrete Experience

Testing Implications Observations and

of Concepts in New Reflections

Situations

Formation of Abstract

Concepts and Generalizations

Experiential Learning Model

Concrete Experience

Testing Implications Observations and

of Concepts in New Reflections

Situations

Formation of Abstract

Concepts and Generalizations

Experiential Learning Model

Visual

Concrete Experience

Testing Implications Observations and of Concepts in New Reflections Situations

Connected Separate Formation of Abstract Concepts and Generalizations

Verbal

Learning Styles and Strategies

Felder and Soloman ModelActive/Reflective

Sensing/Intuitive

Visual/Verbal

Sequential/Global

http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSpage.html

Effective Teaching Strategies

• Concrete Experience- readings, examples, fieldwork, problems, observations, simulations, primary texts, films, games

Effective Teaching Strategies

• Concrete Experience- readings, examples, fieldwork, problems, observations, simulations, primary texts, films, games

• Reflective Observation - logs, journals, discussion, brainstorming, thought/rhetorical questions

Effective Teaching Strategies

• Concrete Experience- readings, examples, fieldwork, problems, observations, simulations, primary texts, films, games

• Reflective Observation - logs, journals, discussion, brainstorming, thought/rhetorical questions

• Abstract Conceptualization - lecture, papers, projects, analogies, model building

Effective Teaching Strategies

• Concrete Experience- readings, examples, fieldwork, problems, observations, simulations, primary texts, films, games

• Reflective Observation - logs, journals, discussion, brainstorming, thought/rhetorical questions

• Abstract Conceptualization - lecture, papers, projects, analogies, model building

• Active Experimentation - projects, fieldwork, homework, laboratory, case study, simulations

UCLA Freshman Survey

1998 33rd year sampled: 383,815 students,

668 Two & Four Year Institutions

adjusted: 275,811 students,

469 Institutions

represent: 1.6 M entering 1st year students

UCLA Freshman Survey

• 82.9% Internet – educational, research tool

• 65.9% email

• 54.2% chat rooms

• 72.9% “other”

• 80.4% play computer games

UCLA Freshman Survey

private public black colleges

email in HS 80.1% 41.4%

homework 90.2 77.6

UCLA Freshman Survey

Interest in:

Politics Law

1998 – 25.9%* 3.0%*

1997 – 26.7 3.3

1966 – 57.8 1989 – 5.4

* record low

UCLA Freshman Survey

Volunteerism in HS:

1998 – 74.2*

1997 – 73.1

1989 – 62.0

* record high

UCLA Freshman Survey

Academic Disengagement:

(“bored in class” in HS)

1998 – 37.7*

1997 – 36.0

1985 – 26.4

* record high

Implementing the Principles of

Good Practice

for Diverse Learning Styles

Technology as the Lever

Promising Instructional Technologies

Visual Materials – artifacts– overhead projector and slides– computer graphic presentation– movies, video, videodisk

Promising Instructional Technologies

Visual Materials – artifacts– overhead projector and slides– computer graphic presentation– movies, video, videodisk

Auditory Materials– tapes– instruments– human voices

Classroom Technologies

“Smart” Classrooms (HEFT)

• see, hear, breathe

• equipment: – overhead, ceiling, 16 mm, slides– VCR, CD/Video disk– computer connections– audio tape player/recorder

Video Conferencing

“Open your Classroom to the World”

languages, cultures, literature, film

Students at a Distance

Research, Meetings, Seminars

“EXTRA-classroom”Instructional Technologies

• Electronic data bases– library– web-based

• Graphic Data

• Statistical Data

“EXTRA-classroom”Instructional Technologies

• Email

• Listserv

• newsgroups/discussion groups

• “chat rooms” real time

• web-based materials

• on-line courses

Uses of Email

• Communication - Q&A, “virtual” office hours

• Information distribution - FAQ’s,

announcements

• Course Organization - homework,

assignments

• Content Enrichment

Intro to Macro & Micro Economics

http://TeachX.rutgers.edu/gag

Biomedical Issues of AIDShttp://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~devanas/AIDS

Student’s Listserv Discussions

• megan wrote: just a question to ponder.... how do you think life will change if a cure is found. do you think people will change their attitudes …

• In respone to megan if there was a cure i think people will have another excuse to hace unprotected sex. I know many people who refuse to use…

• For the past week or so, I have received many emaill messages about a conspiracy theory. It bothered me to hear that people had that little faith in their government…..

• in response to what megan wrote...i think people will still have protected sex because the cure for AIDS is going to be very expensive, and besides …

• I must say that for those of you who believe that our government would not withhold the cure for AIDS, have to much faith in their government…

Listserv Discussion Groups

• Group 2: Should convicted criminals be required to disclose their HIV status and/or be tested for HIV?

• Many people agreed that, for the majority of cases, a criminal should not be forced to be tested and therefore disclose their information. Afterall, as someone stated, "having your personal medical records made public is not part of the sentence." Others felt that it would be too expensive to test everyone in prison and that the money could be used elsewhere. The fact is that other inmates would discriminate against the HIV positive person and a great deal of violence would occur. If you think about it, why should criminals be forced to be tested and/or forced to disclose their personal medical history just because they are in jail? Afterall, they don't test you for any other diseases in jail- why only HIV?

Conferencing Software

• Conferencing - Web-Based Discussion– Nicenet (http://www.nicenet.org)– NetscapeProfessional, Allaire Forum

• WebCT (https://webct.rutgers.edu/)– conferencing– organization– testing

Testing Software

• Half-Baked Potato Software– http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked/– JBC on-line quizzes (multiple choice)– JQuiz (short answers)– Markin (annotate text)

• PerfectMatch (beta preview)– http://biomedia.bio.purdue.edu/PerfectMatch/– match image with concept

Precautions for using Instructional Technologies• Purpose

• Evaluation of Effectiveness– teaching– learning

• Back-up plans

• Reliance on Infrastrucure

“Highly Interactive” Learning Model

• Bork Model

• “New Learning Structures”

• learning and evaluation blended– frequent interaction (20 sec)– Socratic format– memory of learning style

http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/erm9946.html

Assessment

• Student survey

• Instructor satisfaction

• Attendance

• Graduates

• quantitative scores

“Seven Principles of Good Practice”

Increase Contact Cooperation

Active Learning Feedback

Time on Task High Expectations

Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Chickering and Ehrmann 1996 IMPLEMENTING THE SEVEN

PRINCIPLES: Technology as Lever. AAHE Bulletin

Teaching Effectiveness Goal

Research - Strategies - Assessment

“Multicultural Teaching Repertoire” is….

…effective teaching for all students