Teaching & Learning in Higher Education: session 3

Tools for addressing diversity in the South African university classroom

Jeff JawitzHigher & Adult Education Studies & Development Unit

Centre for Higher Education development, UCT

Who are we talking about?

The importance of putting yourself in the picture:

Using “I” but not using “them”.

We form part of the diversity in our classroom

“4 students … behaved disruptively during the activity. I called each to account for their behaviour and the matter was resolved. However, one student accused me of being hard on them in an effort to defend someone of my own race to his detriment. His reference about “your people” really surprised me … it took me a few days to take a step back from his comment.

Since then I have tried to guard against assumptions about race in my class. I try to stay sensitive to my student’s needs, and try to work on any negative thoughts I harbour about them.”

(Lecturer – CHEC course)

Who teaches in the Western Cape?

PERMANENT ACADEMIC STAFF PROFILE IN THE WESTERN CAPE 2008

Race CPUT   UCT   US   UWC   Total  

African 95 14% 74 8% 30 3% 74 14% 273 9%

Coloured 244 35% 83 9% 95 11% 201 39% 624 21%

Indian 25 4% 55 6% 16 2% 39 8% 135 4%

White 332 48% 551 59% 726 84% 204 39% 1,815 60%

No Info   0% 174 19%   0%   0% 174 6%

Total 696 100% 937 100% 867 100% 518 100% 3,021 100%

(Downloaded off HEMIS Feb 2010)

UNDERGRAD STUDENT ENROLMENT IN WESTERN CAPE - 2008

Race CPUT   UCT   US   UWC   Total  

African 13,445 48% 4,665 31% 638 4% 4,526 38% 23,275 34%

Coloured 9,042 33% 2,556 17% 2,446 17% 5,825 49% 19,870 29%

Indian 346 1% 1,304 9% 210 1% 844 7% 2,704 4%

White 4,934 18% 6,089 41% 11,464 78% 409 3% 22,897 33%

No Info   0% 288 2%   0% 342 3% 630 1%

Total 27,767 100% 14,902 100% 14,758 100% 11,946 100% 69,376 100%

Who studies in the Western Cape?

Exercise: • In what way are the students in your class diverse? • Which of these do you think matters?

Dimensions of diversity in the classroom

Physical Home/

accommodation Disciplinary preparedness

Cognitive Linguistic Socio-cultural

Prior learning

Learning Style (Felder and Silverman) Constructive alignment (Biggs)

Language competence BICS/CALP (Cummins)

Individual Social

Age Disablility

Where is home? - in Cape Town - elsewhere in SA (rural/urban) - foreign country Where do they stay? - in res - at home - boarding - in digs

Cultural capital (Bourdieu)

Social constructivism (Vygotsky)

Primary and secondary Discourses (Gee) Cultural capital (Bourdieu)

Race Gender Class Religion Cultural capital (Bourdieu)

Diversity enriches the classroom

• having a hearing disabled student in the class made me realize that people with ‘normal’ hearing, can NOT listen! She would remember EVERY word I said

• we encountered a French-speaking patient from the DRC who … could not speak a word of English. Fortunately, we had a student in the group who had lived in France for a few years … and was fluent in French and he could translate for us. The patient was both surprised and pleased and we obtained all the relevant information, which may not have been possible without this element of diversity!

• Because the Tourism Industry is so diverse students can learn how to deal with different people where they can before they start working. (Lecturers – CHEC course)

Cognitive factors (related to learning)

"cognitive constructivism"

how individual learners understand things, in terms of developmental stages and learning styles,

Need to differentiate between

"social constructivism",

how meanings and understandings grow out of social encounters

www.learningandteaching.info/learning/constructivism.htm

Learning styles (Felder-Silverman)

Language

“Students who are not comfortable with English (teaching medium) – have major difficulties … I need help with this kind of situation. Students who are in command of the language (at least speak ok and can read with understanding) do better, and do not lack confidence. They can ask a “stupid” question comfortably and still look confident. I have many students who keep quiet, not because they are stupid (in fact they are cleverer than those confident ones) but they don’t ask questions and just are not confident.” (Lecturer – CHEC course)

Cummins’ Language proficiencies

Language work is analysed in terms of its a) cognitive demands (low to high) b) contextual support to help make sense

1. Basic interpersonal communicative skills – BICS (fluency)

2. Cognitive academic language proficiency – CALP (ability to think / reason / conceptualize)

Context embedded: Meaning making is supported by contextual or interpersonal cues (gestures, facial expressions, intonation, body language, ask questions etc.)

Context reduced: Meaning making is dependent on understanding linguistic cues that are independent of the immediate context.

Gee’s notion of Discourse

“Discourses are ways of being in the world, … which integrate words, acts,

values, beliefs, attitudes and social identities, as well as gestures, glances, body positions and clothes. . . A sort of identity kit.”

Primary Discourses: those acquired early in life within the socio-cultural setting of the family.

Secondary Discourses: those that have to be learnt as a part of socializations within school, religious communities, and other local, state and national groups.

Gee (1996, p.137)

Where do Discourses come from?

“Every time a student sits down to write for us, he has ... to learn to speak our language, to speak as we do, to try on the peculiar ways of knowing, selecting, evaluating, reporting, concluding and arguing that define the discourse of our community. . .

He must learn to speak our language. Or he must dare to speak it or to carry off the bluff, since speaking and writing will most certainly be required long before the skill is ‘learned.’ ”

(Bartholomae 1985, p.134 – 135)

Discourse and academic discipline

Socio-cultural Dimensions

• Religion/Culture • Gender• Class• Race

Religion/cultural

“Last year I had a first year who refused to draw a women in the nude. (against his beliefs)

Once I touched a boy while drawing. I held his arm to try to show him to draw something and he was so sad because he was fasting and [I] broke it.” (Lecturer – CHEC course)

Class

Money actually affects your academic performance . . . I have to work so I don’t have as much time to spend on my studies. It impacts on my performance to some extent.

When projects are set and you’re expected to travel . . . all over Cape Town. Some people will hop in a car and go, . . . You hopping on several trains and walking around for hours in the sun , and at the end of the day you will have less to show for it . . .and you’re exhausted and criticised

(UCT Students interviewed by Steyn & Van Zyl 2001 p 50)

Class

A group of multidisciplinary allied health students … were expected to create health promotion material of their choice (posters, dvd, pamphlets etc) … As the students brainstormed ideas… the diversity in income groups was quite apparent. Students… from a low income group were reluctant to create health promotion material that was costly, where as the group of students from the higher income group did not even consider expenses. The ‘low income’ students felt embarrassed about their financial concerns and started to interact less. The ‘high income’ students perceived the other students attitude as being lazy and uninterested in the task. I facilitated a discussion on group dynamics, budget, feasibility, and sustainability. The group agreed on a budget that would meet the needs of the project and keep all members of the group happy. It was an interesting learning experience for me, and I now always keep “income diversity” in mind when setting up tasks for students. (lecturer -CHEC course)

Race

“Many black students expressed anger and bitterness towards the environment they inhabit, finding it hostile and alienating. Some white students attempted to defend it by lamenting a loss of standards, while others were open to and excited by, the diversity of cultures they saw around them.

(Steyn & van Zyl 2001 p 39)

“Sometimes being not taken in consideration when teaching a majority white class, where you find black people happy with your teaching and white being against the way you teach” (lecturer CHEC course)

Using ‘race’

“Am I a racist if I think about race in my courses? Shouldn’t I treat all my students equally?”

(Milner 2003 p. 176)

How comfortable are you using race as a descriptor?

What are the problems with using race as a descriptor?

What is the value of using race as a descriptor?

How does one address the significant difference in retention and graduation rates between black and white students at university in SA without reference to race?

Race reflection

“[T]he conscious, effortful thinking that invites teachers to continually and persistently reflect on themselves as racial beings in order to better understand themselves in relation to others’ racial identities, issues, and experiences and reject commonly held beliefs and stereotypes.” (Milner 2003 p 178)

Critical questions to help your process of race reflection (adapted from Milner, 2003)

How will my race influence my work as a teacher?

How might my students’racial experiences influence their work with me?

How do I negotiate the power structure around race in my class to allow students to feel a sense of worth?

How might racial influences impact on my and my students’interests in the classroom?

How might I connect lessons to these interests?

Am I willing to speak about race on behalf of those who might not be present in the conversation both inside and outside of the school?

Am I willing to speak about the injustice of racism in conservative spaces?

Exercise: What three things can you do to make your classroom more a inviting and inclusive place for all your

students?