Lesson 6 Individual Differences

  


Factors that Bring about Student Diversity

            According to Lucas and Corpuz (2013), in any learning environment individuals can interact with others which are some ways different form them in terms of gender, racial, ethnic and cultural background. These two authors pinpointed that this diversity comes mainly from the three factors:

  1. Socioeconomic status – pertains to the social standing or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation. Examinations of socioeconomic status often reveal inequities in access to resources, plus issues related to privilege, power, and control (American Psychological Association). Lifestyle of our students is highly affected by this factor. Their nutrition and experiences somehow are dependent in their families’ income capacity.


  1. Thinking or learning style – is an individual’s preference for the conditions of learning process that can affect one’s learning including but not limited to where, when and how learning occurs and with what materials he/she learns best (Aquino, 2009). Each one in class has his/her own preferred way of learning. Some learn better by seeing while others by listening and manipulating.
  2. Exceptionalities – refers to the physical, behavioral, or cognitive performance of individuals which is so different from the norm that additional services are required to meet the individual’s needs. In not necessarily means being handicapped or having difficulty in processing mental operations but also those advanced knowledge and gifted characteristics.

Benefits of Student Diversity

            Dealing with a vast type of learners with diverse background is somewhat challenging for a teacher. However, if he/she reflect on it properly learners’ diversity also offer opportunity to further improve the learning environment that will enrich students’ learning experiences. Below are some of the learning opportunities and benefits student diversity can brought about:

  1. Enhance of students’ self-awareness. As students became expose to other students with diverse background, they realize how they differ from each other and were able to recognize their unique capabilities which can be considered as their advantage among the rests.
  2. Contribute to cognitive development. Student diversity in classroom brings about different perspectives and approaches to learning process. This resulted for the opportunity in gaining access to others point of views and learn from them. The more diverse are the students in the classroom the more different ideas spurs.
  3. Prepare learners for their role as responsible members of the society. Inside the classroom, learners assume different roles ranging from a leader, a contributor, advocate, organizer, planner, etc. The roles they take on depends on their different capabilities as individuals. This somehow mimic the roles of adults in a community where their strengths are share for the benefit of everyone.
  4. Promote harmony. Integration of student diversity in classroom teaching-learning process can serve as a vehicle in promoting harmonious relations to other individuals vis-à-vis their individual differences. They can be encouraged to interact and collaborate with other students in unity utilizing the advantage of their diversity.

 

Tips on Student Diversity

            Lucas and Corpuz (2013) identified nine (9) tips in incorporating student diversity in class:

  •      Encourage learners to share their personal history and experiences
  •      Integrate learning experience and activities which promote students’ multi-cultural and cross-cultural awareness
  •     Aside from highlighting diversity, identify patterns of unity that transcend group differences
  •     Communicate high expectations to students from all subgroups
  •      Use varied instructional methods to accommodate student diversity in learning styles
  •      Vary the examples you use to illustrate concepts to provide multiple contexts that are relevant to students from diverse backgrounds
  •      Adapt to the students’ diverse backgrounds and learning styles by allowing them personal choice and decision-making opportunities concerning what they will learn and how they will learn it
  •      Diversify your methods of assessing and evaluating student learning
  •      Purposely, form small-discussion groups of students from diverse background. Form groups of students with different learning styles, different cultural background, etc.

References

  • Aquino, A. M. (2009). Facilitating human learning (First Edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.
  • Bulusan, F., Raquepo, M. R., Balmeo, M. L., & Gutierrez, J. C. (2019). Facilitating learner-centered teaching (First Edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.
  • CMO No. 75 s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd), p. 39
  • CMO No. 80 s. 2017, Policies, Standards and Guidelines for Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd), p. 24
  • Lucas, M. R. D., & Corpuz, B. B. (2013). Facilitating learning: a metacognitive process (3rd Edition). LORIMAR Publishing, Inc.
  • Ornos, P. S., Gonzaga, E. P., Esgra, C. B., Gomez, N. G., Tarinay, A. R., & Verde, S. P. (2008). Facilitators of the learning process. Grandwater Publications.
  • Vega, V. A., & Prieto, N. G. (2012). Facilitating learning (Revised Edition). Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.

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