Student Diversity

Hello folks.

Oh well, it's been very quiet lately and I haven't really post anything in a week but here I am.. posting another summary from another chapter of the book. But enjoy it guys! 

Student Diversity

What is student diversity actually? Well there is evidence that every students are different in how they habitually think. These differences are more specific than learning styles or preferences, and psychologists sometimes call them cognitive styles, meaning typical ways of perceiving and remembering information, and typical ways of solving problems and making decisions (Zhang & Sternberg, 2006).

These differences are more specific than learning styles or preferences, and psychologists sometimes call them cognitive styles, meaning typical ways of perceiving and remembering information, and typical ways of solving problems and making decisions (Zhang & Sternberg, 2006).

Howard Gardner proposes that there are eight different forms of intelligence, each of which functions independently from others.

In the end, it may not be important to label students’ talents or intellectual strengths. It may be more important simply to provide important of learning and knowledge in sveral modes or styles, ways that draw on more than one possible form of intelligence or skill.

There is an idea that multiple intelligence leads to students who have special gifts and talents. It is called the gifted and talented, the meaning of gifted recently had broadened to include unusual talents in range of activities, such as music, creative writings, or the arts.

Qualities of the gifted and talented:

1. They learn more quickly and independently than most students on their age
2. They often have well developed vocabulary, as well as advanced reading and writing skills.
3. They are very motivated, especially on tasks that are challenging or difficult
4. They hold themselves to higher than usual standards of achievement.

Ironically, in spite of their obvious strengths as learners, such students often languish in school unless teachers can provide them with more than the challenges of the usual curriculum. A kindergarten child who is precociously advanced in reading, for example, may make little further progress at reading if her teachers do not recognize and develop her skill; her talent may effectively disappear from view as her peers gradually catch up to her initial level. Without accommodation to their unusual level of skill or knowledge, students who are gifted or talented can become bored by school, and eventually the boredom can even turn into behavior problems.

Supporting students who are gifted and talented.

Acceleration involves either a child's skipping a grade, or else the teacher's redesigning the curriculum within a particular grade or classroom so that more material is covered faster. Either strategy works, but only up to a point: children who have skipped a grade usually function well in the higher grade, both academically and socially.

Gender difference in the classroom

Gender role are the patterns of behaviors, attitudes, and expectations associated with a particular sex- with being either male or female. Although there are many exceptions, boys and girls do differ on average in ways that parallel conventional gender stereotypes and that affect how the sexes behave at school and in class. The differences have to do with physical behaviors, styles of social interaction, academic motivations, behaviors, and choices. They have a variety of sources—primarily parents, peers, and the media. Teachers are certainly not the primary cause of gender role differences, but sometimes teachers influence them by their responses to and choices made on behalf of students.

Differences in cultural expectations and style

A culture is the system of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that constitute the distinctive way of life of a people. When a classroom draws students from many cultures or ethnic groups, therefore, the students bring to it considerable diversity. Teachers need to understand that diversity—understand how students’ habitual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors differ from each other, and especially how they differ from the teacher’s.

• Bilingualism: language differences in the classroom.
• Cultural differences in language use. In some cultures, it is considered polite or even intelligent not to speak unless you have something truly important to say. “Chitchat”, or talk that simply affirms a personal tie between people, is considered immature or intrusive (Minami, 2002). In a classroom, this habit can make it easier for a child to learn not to interrupt others, but it can also make the child seem unfriendly.
• Cultural differences in beliefs and attitudes. Besides the languages difference, there is also cultural groups differ in variety of other attitudes and beliefs. For example, in white, middle-class American culture, beliefs that self is usually thought as an independent. They determine their future by themselves. Otherwise, the majority of non-white  cultures and ethnic groups believe in something closer to an interdependent self or a belief that it is your relationships and responsibilities, and not uniqueness and autonomy, that defines a person

Accommodating diversity in this case is about actually working with students’ diversity and turning it into a resource rather than a burden or challenge, In particular—where appropriate—they should consider using cooperative activities, avoid highlighting individuals’ accomplishments or failures, and be patient about students’ learning to be punctual.