ࡱ> ` bjbj .4444444H4D,H02|^$$$ 0"0"0"0"0"0"0$1h;4F04Z'm$"$Z'Z'F044[0)))Z'44 0)Z' 0)):L.,44.p XL(x. 0q000. '5('5..h'54/,$K%)%l=&$$$F0F0($$$0Z'Z'Z'Z'HHH , HHH,HHH444444 Written and designed by the staff of the Center for Teaching and Learning. Reproduce with permission only. Chapter 1: Your Diversity, the Academic Culture, and Teaching and Learning Styles Aspects of a teacher's personal identity (such as race, religion, socio-economic background, and learning style) are important as the teacher tries to relate to students and instill in them an interest in a field. Good teachers not only convey a body of knowledge to their students, but they are also aware of how to convey that knowledge by connecting their own experience with their students' experience of the world. For this reason, we have chosen to discuss diversity issues for the teacher before discussing diversity within the classroom. A teacher's learning and teaching styles are one important part of diversity. How such styles match with students' learning styles can play an important part in the success of any course. Diversity Issues for the Instructor Perceived Diversity When we speak of diversity in the classroom, we usually focus on the diversity of the students in the room. We often forget that the teacher also brings a range of diversity issues to the classroom. Every teacher brings his or her physical appearance and culture into the room at the same time as the students do. How you look, how you speak, how you act upon your opinions of the role of academics (and particularly of the class you teach), and the extent to which these differ from the physical, cultural and intellectual backgrounds of your students will have a profound effect on the interactions in your classroom. Thus you need to be aware of possible reactions among the students to your race, gender, age, ethnicity, physical attributes and abilities. Preparing for such reactions will involve not only knowing as much as you can about your students, but also turning the mirror to yourself, and finding out more about your own diversity issues. You might identify your own attitudes toward diversity by remembering certain pivotal moments in your life. Ask yourself the following questions: 1) Recall the incident in which you first became aware of differences. What was your reaction? Were you the focus of attention or were others? How did that affect how you reacted to the situation? 2) What are the "messages" that you learned about various "minorities" or "majorities" when you were a child? At home? In school? Have your views changed considerably since then? Why or why not? 3) Recall an experience in which your own difference put you in an uncomfortable position vis--vis the people directly around you. What was that difference? How did it affect you? 4) How do your memories of differences affect you today? How do they (or might they) affect your teaching? Teachers should be aware of the comfort level they have in discussing these topics before they enter a classroom. It is crucial to understand how you feel about these issues and what you would say in a room where some may not understand your particular position. If diversity becomes a topic of discussion in the class, students will expect the teacher to be able to explain his or her perspective. Try to have thought of a formulation that clarifies your perspective, while leaving enough room for your students' perspectives in the discussion. You may look like you "belong to" a minority, or to the majority, even if you do not. Either way, your students will initially perceive this to the exclusion of your own diverse experiences, intentions, background, etc. until they get to know you better. Students who perceive the teacher as belonging to a particular racial or ethnic group and who then draw initial conclusions from that classification can affect the class atmosphere either negatively or positively from the first day. One assistant professor at UNC faced with perceived diversity issues in the classroom puts it this way. An issue that concerns me greatly has to do with issues of gender and race/ethnicity in student-teacher interaction. Although some of my students have shown respect (and even admiration) toward me as a professor and as a person, other students have challenged my authority and have openly questioned my knowledge. I wonder to what extent the combination of my gender and ethnicity colors students' perception of my teaching. It is probably impossible to determine exactly to what extent perceptions of race, gender and ethnicity motivate such challenges to the authority of the professor. Clearly however, such perceptions do color people's everyday assumptions. The above quotation shows that some students can see a professor's gender and ethnic diversity as advantages. If a student does repeatedly challenge the teacher in a manner the teacher deems inappropriate, however, it may be wise to ask the student privately to come to an office hour. There the teacher can discuss the possible reasons behind the student's behavior in a non-threatening and less public place. Discussing the problem privately may avoid the possibility of a single student-teacher relationship affecting the tenor of the entire class. It will also give the student the chance to explain his or her position, thus giving the student a hearing which may in itself defuse the situation. Showing the student that you care about his or her progress, all the while maintaining your professional demeanor will make the point that you both have a professional teacher/student relationship to uphold. Listening to the student, and being willing to advise him or her in a friendly manner will emphasize that relationship. The best way to minimize the likelihood that your own perceived diversity will affect student behavior is to establish a "safe" environment in which the class can discuss both your and your students' diversity. Such a safe atmosphere establishes the difference between a highly successful class, and one where both teacher and students fear one another, experiencing discomfort when it comes to discussing the "real" issues. This fear can be the fear of being labeled as an outsider, or the fear of offending someone and making him or her feel unwanted in the group. Either way, fear is not a good basis on which to start any discussion. For further discussion about how to establish a comfortable classroom climate, see Chapter 2. The issue of diversity will be an important point of interest to the students you meet in your classrooms because the average 18-22 year-old student is in a stage of development where cultural and value orientation is being established. For the first time, these students find themselves in an environment where they must form opinions on these topics without worrying about what their elders will say. For many of them, the university is the first place where they meet a wide range of people from various groups and where they leave their habitual groups behind. The university environment gives them a chance to explore these issues, and most students react well when they have the chance to reevaluate the opinions with which they grew up, and to develop themselves independently. Invisible Diversity In addition to such visible differences as race, gender, and physical attributes, any teacher also brings invisible diversity to the classroom. Invisible differences such as political opinion, sexual orientation, ethnicity when it is separate from distinct racial characteristics, teaching and learning styles, regionalism, class, family history, and religion have more to do with an individual's own self-perceptions and definitions than with others' immediate perceptions. These internal perspectives influence how a person sees the world, and are a source of personal identity. All people are shaped by a complex mix of experiences, backgrounds, as well as their visible identity. Everyone in a classroom is struggling with the tension between group identity and the feeling of individual worth that transcends the group. The assumption that diversity has only to do with the students in the classroom can make it hard for a teacher to recognize personal hidden assumptions. This may in turn hinder proper learning in class, as a teacher may unwittingly slant the choice of reading materials or the direction and form of class discussions. Of course, any choice of class materials presupposes an exclusion of other materials; any organization of those materials into a coherent syllabus involves decisions about which elements to emphasize. These devices are necessary for structuring any class and most often benefit from the teacher's perspective. As long as you are aware of your own presuppositions and assumptions, however, you can avoid the kinds of slant in your class that can be harmful to students, or unnecessarily strain your relations with them. The diversity in your classroom can serve as a catalyst for intellectual and emotional growth, both for you and for your students. Seen as an opportunity rather than as a handicap, the diversity of your class can facilitate the kinds of change that a university education is designed to promote. A motivated teacher can challenge hidden assumptions in the classroom, and provide equal and fair access for students from all walks of life to his or her chosen field. As students graduate and begin work in their professions they may carry the enthusiasm and openness they have experienced in academia out into society. This handbook will deal with the issues of race, gender, physical abilities, sexual orientation, regionalism, nontraditional students and religion more extensively in later chapters. As we have already stressed, with each of these topics, the teacher must turn the mirror back on him or herself at the same time as trying to understand the students' position. In this chapter we will first address some specific issues arising from the teacher's diversity which directly affect the student/teacher relationship. Age TAs who go directly into graduate school and immediately start teaching are less likely to have problems relating to their students' culture than older teachers. Younger TAs are close enough in age to have been exposed to similar television shows, music, political events and so forth. However, many young TAs fear that they will fail to command attention and respect because they are too close to their students' age. This fear usually subsides rather quickly when it becomes clear that most students respect their teachers, young or older, as long as the teachers come to class well-prepared. TAs are considerably more knowledgeable in their field than most undergraduates, and will have little trouble commanding student respect if they prepare well for class and behave respectfully toward students. Many professors and TAs who are four or more years older than their students, however, often experience a mini-generation gap. They no longer share the same tastes in music or in clothing and they watch different (and often fewer) television shows. Often, older teachers have considerably different views on politics and current culture than their students simply because they grew up at a different time. Such differences are not negligible. One runs the risk of seeming so old-fashioned and out-of-touch that the topic one is presenting seems "purely academic" to the students. Such attitudes arise more often in courses that meet general undergraduate requirements, since students have not chosen those courses out of personal interest in the topic. You can more easily engage your students if you can speak to them about their culture and put the major topics of your field into the context of their lives. Here you might take the opportunity to become a student of your students by educating yourself about their experience of the world. Some knowledge of current popular culture will be a step towards learning about the students' interests. Such familiarity with their interests can mean the difference between being able to teach and interest students in your field, or presenting them with material that seems irrelevant. Learning about your students' interests is relatively easy. Reading the Daily Tarheel's a non-time consuming way to keep in touch with current campus affairs and with what engages your students locally. Other publications such as Black Ink(the Black Student Union publication), Zeitgeist(a student news magazine), and Yackety Yak(the student yearbook), will also be useful. You might also engage students in discussions about what music they listen to, what magazines they read, or what shows they watch on TV. Viewing an occasional show to familiarize yourself with what is there will help you to incorporate this material into your class. If you have a relatively small class (20 to 25) one very effective way to learn about your students is to schedule two required office hours for each student, one at the beginning of the class and one at the end. All students then feel as if you know them and respect them individually. Minority students in particular feel more included if they have the opportunity to speak to you personally, and they are then more likely to participate actively for the rest of the semester. One minority student put it this way: I like the conference, where they allow you to sign up for a day. I thought it was kind of neat to meet, at least twice, throughout the semester even if you didn't have any questions. But to have a conference at the beginning that was required and a conference at the end that was required- you didn't even have to talk about the course. She just said "how are you doing?" and "how much work do you have?" It was so much more comfortable for the rest of the semester in class. The students' interests, then, do not need to become the focus of your class discussions, but your understanding of them can be a spark that may ignite your students' enthusiasm for your field. Teaching and Learning Styles: the Academic Culture Learning Styles In recent decades, studies have shown that students have varying learning styles, and that no single teaching style fulfills all students' needs. Learning styles have very little to do with the student's motivation or attitude toward the class or the material. Often, professors and TAs complain that some students do not apply themselves to their studies, and therefore do not learn well. However, it may be that the teacher simply has not yet addressed these students' particular needs in class, and that new approaches will reach the students more effectively. A student's learning style has to do with the way he or she processes information in order to learn it and then apply it. Professor Richard Felder of North Carolina State University (Felder and Porter, 1994) has described some of these varied learning preferences. Some students may be visual learners, and prefer to study graphs, look at models and pictures, and take notes to review later. Such students react well to extensive blackboard use, (especially drawings, models, etc.) and handouts with appropriate illustrations. Others are aural learners- they listen closely in class, often read out loud when studying or subvocalize during lectures in class, and find it helpful to confer with their peers in class to confirm information. These students work well in study groups where discussion of the material reinforces class discussion and lectures. They may also react well to tapes and films in class. Verbal learners are likely to absorb reading materials and lectures more easily than other students. They seem to learn best from written materials, rather than from visual materials such as graphs and illustrations. Most university teachers are verbal learners, and thus find it easiest to relate to and teach such students. Still others may be sensing learners. Such students may be tactile learners who favor subjects that allow them to work with their hands. These students learn best by handling the textures and shapes of objects as they apply their knowledge: they enjoy looking at and handling objects of interest to the topic, such as original documents, photos, magazines, natural objects etc. Or sensing learners may be kinesthetic learners who learn and remember by moving around physically. Moving them into small groups or pairs for discussion, having them participate actively in an experiment, or getting them to "act out" a debate by placing them on opposite sides of the room will help this type of student to remember the content of the discussion. Both tactile and kinesthetic learners prefer "real-life" connections to the topic, rather than theoretical approaches. They are "active learners" who learn best by physically doing things, rather than reflecting about them by themselves, and thus they react well to group work. They may also often learn by induction rather than deduction. Inductive learners prefer to begin with experience or hard data, and infer the principles behind them. Deductive learners prefer to start with abstractions or principles, and enjoy deducing the consequences. Most college classes are taught in a deductive manner, not only because it is easier and less time-consuming to teach a class this way, but also because most often the teachers themselves are deductive learners. Deductive learners may often be reflective learners who prefer to think about the topic by themselves, or at most in pairs, and to work out the solutions. They do not react as well as others to group work. These different learning styles explain why in most classes, the student evaluations show that some students see group work as the most important part of their learning experience, while others from the same class complain that they dislike group work and find it unhelpful. Providing a variety of approaches to the material can keep most of the students engaged in the class throughout the semester. Global learners seem more likely than others to see a project as a whole and have trouble breaking it down into its component parts. Teachers who expect them to start analysis from abstract concepts in order to reach a conclusion may find themselves as frustrated with the result as the students. Abstractions may be difficult for this kind of learner, because they grasp information in large chunks and have a hard time analyzing a topic from incomplete information. This type of student is excellent at synthesis, and by the end of a class may even outpace his or her peers in coming to appropriate conclusions quickly, but he or she often has trouble understanding material when first faced with a variety of pieces of information that make an incomplete picture. Sequential learners, on the other hand, are good at analysis of concepts because they learn linearly. When doing a project, they can take partial information and organize it into a logical order, and they can see what must be done first, next and last. They are patient with the fact that a typical class gives them information in a certain order, and that they must wait until the end of the semester to get the full picture the teacher is trying to present. Since most classes are organized sequentially, this kind of learner excels in the typical college class. No teacher can make all students happy all the time, partly because of the diversity of learning styles in any class, and partly because each person uses a particular mix of the learning styles discussed above. No student is 100% a global learner or 100% a tactile learner. Preference for one style or another may be strong, moderate, or balanced. However, it is important is to recognize that learning styles differ, and that your students may not learn well if you use only your style In order to teach everyone most effectively, a teacher cannot consistently ignore a whole sector of the class simply because their learning styles do not correspond to the teacher's preferred teaching habits. To reach as many students as possible, the teacher must incorporate varying teaching techniques and strategies into the classroom. Lectures may be appropriate for verbal and aural learners, group work may be appropriate for kinesthetic learners, but any teaching style to the exclusion of the others will also exclude those students who do not learn best by that style. Felder (1993) has devised a useful list of five questions teachers can ask themselves as they get to know their students: Dimensions of Learning Style A student's learning style may be defined in part by the answers to five questions: 1. What type of information does the student preferentially perceive: sensory sights, sounds, physical sensations, or intuitive memories, ideas, insights? 2. Through which modality is sensory information most effectively perceived: visual pictures, diagrams, graphs, demonstrations, or verbal sounds, written and spoken words and formulas? 3. With which organization of information is the student most comfortable: inductive facts and observations are given, underlying principles are inferred, or deductive principles are given, consequences and applications are deduced? 4. How does the student prefer to process information: actively through engagement in physical activity or discussion, or reflectively through introspection? 5. How does the student progress toward understanding: sequentially in a logical progression of small incremental steps, or globally in large jumps, holistically? From: "Reaching the Second Tier: Learning and Teaching Styles in College Science Education." by R. M. Felder, 1993, Journal of College Science Teaching, 23 (5), p. 286-290.  Such questions will provide the basis for choosing a balance of teaching methods and techniques that are the most effective. Any teacher must eventually decide which mix works best for the subject matter and for the kinds of students in a class. The questions themselves suggest that a teacher should begin with a variety of approaches, and, after deciding which are the most effective for the students, select techniques to add to his or her repertoire. Teaching Techniques to Address All Learning Styles Motivate Learning. As much as possible, relate the material being presented to what has come before and what is still to come in the same course; relate it to material in other courses, and particularly to the student's personal experience (inductive/global). Provide a balance of concrete information (facts, data, real or hypothetical experiments and their results (sensing) and abstract concepts (principles, theories, models) (intuitive). Balance material that emphasizes practical problem-solving methods (sensing/active)with material that emphasizes fundamental understanding (intuitive/reflective). Provide explicit illustrations of intuitive patterns (logical inference, pattern recognition, generalization) and sensing patterns (observation of surroundings, empirical experimentation, attention to detail). Encourage students to exercise both patterns (sensing and intuitive). Do not expect either group to be able to exercise the other group's processes immediately. Follow the scientific method in presenting theoretical material: provide concrete examples of the phenomena the theory describes or predicts (sensing/inductive); then develop the theory or formulate the model (intuitive/inductive/sequential); show how the theory or model can be validated and deduce its consequences (deductive/sequential): and present applications (sensing/deductive/sequential). Use pictures, schematics, graphs and simple sketches liberally before, during and after the presentation of verbal material (sensing/visual). Show films (sensing/visual); provide demonstrations (sensing/ visual), hands-on if possible (active). Use computer-assisted instruction when possible sensors respond very well to it (sensing/active). Do not fill every minute of class time lecturing and writing on the board. Provide intervals, however brief, for students to think about what they have been told (reflective). Provide opportunities for students to do something active besides transcribing notes. Small-group brainstorming activities that take no more than 5 minutes are extremely effective for this purpose (active). Assign some drill exercises to provide practice in the basic methods being taught (sensing/active/sequential), but do not overdo them. Also provide some open-ended problems and exercises that call for analysis and synthesis (intuitive/reflective/ global). Give students the option of cooperating on homework and class assignments to the greatest possible extent (active). Active learners generally learn best when they interact with others; if they are denied the opportunity to do so they are being deprived of their most effective learning tool. Applaud creative solutions, even incorrect ones (intuitive/global). Talk to students about learning styles, both in advising and in classes. Students are reassured to find their academic difficulties may not all be due to personal inadequacies. Explaining to struggling sensors or active or global learners how they learn most effectively may be an important step in helping them reshape their learning experiences so that they can be successful (all types). From: "Teaching and Learning Styles in Engineering Education," by R. M. Felder and L. K. Silverman, 1988, Engineering Education, 78 (7), p. 680. The Center for Teaching and Learning has a collection of materials to give you further ideas for teaching various kinds of learners. Other resources on campus that can provide both new classroom strategies as well as help for those students who may require more guidance include: the Learning Skills Center in Phillips Annex, the Writing Center, and the Learning Disabilities Center. See Appendix E for more information on these campus organizations. The Academic Culture and Teaching Styles As you saw in the previous section, students' learning styles vary, and a teacher might have a complex mixture in a single class. However, the average college teacher is much more likely to be sequential, verbal, deductive, and reflective than his or her students. Traditionally, college teachers prefer to organize their class in a "logical" order during the semester, starting with simple premises and working up to a more complex view of the field in question. They use lectures and discussions as the primary means of transmitting information to the students, and classes are usually conducted in a deductive manner, with principles clearly laid out and the expectation that the students can draw consequences and come up with applications. Students are encouraged to work individually, and achievement is measured by their ability to produce "original" materials or answers. Instructors generally emphasize individual accomplishment, verbal assertiveness in class discussion and competition for grades among students instead of collaboration. As a matter of fact, the academic community often discourages or even punishes collaboration, because it fears a heightened potential for plagiarism in a collaborative effort. Such a teaching method encourages learners who already share the teacher's learning style, but it slows down learners who must adapt to conditions of learning that do not come naturally to them. Thus a dominant "academic culture" exists in college classrooms which encourages sequential, verbal, deductive and reflective learners to progress quickly to advanced positions in a field. This leaves behind equally intelligent and resourceful students who must wonder if there is a place for them to excel in the academic world. The Academic Culture and Reacculturation In the above discussion the terms "academic culture" and "academic community" were used to describe what students encounter when they come into the university. These terms were chosen because they are particularly apt for what happens in university classrooms. Students arriving on campus must, in a sense, learn a new language and new rules of conduct to fit in with the expectations of university professors and other students who have already had university experiences. (Bruffee, 1993, p. 17) The university classroom has norms and values which may be foreign to first generation university goers, or to students from a cultural minority (e.g. Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, students from other nations etc.). University classroom culture values verbal assertiveness in discussions, active participation on an individual level in class, and competition among students for marks of excellence. Teachers prefer a certain form of self expression or style of speech: it should be rational, logical, and derive consequences from general principles. Styles of speech emphasizing personal experience and emotion or using vernacular dialects are not encouraged, and may even count against students when it comes time to grade them. A certain classroom decorum is expected: students are expected to come to class dressed in what is conceived of as "an appropriate style" (such styles usually exclude ethnic or religious costumes). Students are to follow rules of conduct in discussion which underline the teacher's power to direct and control the class and they must make and maintain eye contact with the teacher as they contribute to the discussion. A mix of lecturing and the Socratic method of questioning students in class dominates teaching styles. Verbal learning is assumed and deductive logic remains the dominant format. The fact that students must master this complex "grammar" of the university classroom to make passing marks means that all students coming to the university must be reacculturated. Reacculturation is thus not only an issue for "minorities"but is also important for any student who is the first family member to arrive at the university. First generation university students are disadvantaged because the academic culture is not a tradition in their family history, nor have they encountered it among their friends. Other "minority" cultures simply underline the problem most clearly because they often do not have the academic culture in their backgrounds. In addition, many minority cultures may even value things that are antithetical to the academic culture. The university classroom experience may be doubly difficult for cultures that do not value individual success over group results, or that value modesty over individual assertiveness. Hispanics, Native Americans and Asian Americans, for example, come from cultures that do not traditionally condone the behavior expected of university students in class. In all three cases, direct eye contact, maintained for even a minimum of time, may be considered highly impolite, especially toward such figures of respect as teachers. Asserting oneself in discussion may seem to them dangerously close to challenging the teacher and may imply that the teacher does not have the authority or the knowledge to conduct the class adequately. These groups often view standing out among one's fellows in a competitive manner as damaging to the peer group. These students may view the Anglo emphasis on "leadership qualities" as destructive and self-serving, while their teachers may admire such qualities in their students. The predominant academic teaching style at universities is thus really an unexamined cultural stance that involves complicated rules of conduct and its own language. This cultural norm is often foisted onto students under the guise of academic standards. Of course, academic standards are important, and should be to any teacher. The point here is that any single teaching style to the exclusion of others does not necessarily ensure any standards. It simply means that teachers may be leaving behind certain students who could be learning "up to standard" expected. Collaborative Learning as a Tool for Reacculturation A culture is based on a social and a linguistic community. Reacculturation in the first years of a university education teaches students the kind of language and behaviors necessary to be successful in the university world and in many professional situations beyond. Students coming to the university for the first time, or even just starting a new class each semester, must find their place in a new group in which they must become members. Learning the "language" of their new group and understanding its rules will enable them to perform adequately and provide them with a passport to other groups. Kenneth A. Bruffee in Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence and the Authority of Knowledge (1993) suggests that this reacculturation happens most quickly and successfully for students when they work together with the other members of the class, rather than concentrating on solitary work. People in all fields make advances through collaborative learning, learning which happens through interdependent work with others. Literary critics, chemists, lawyers, historians or journalists, the knowledge these people have of their chosen field is socially constructed, and has been arrived at through conversations among peers. Advances in the science community, among historians, and among literary critics are announced through published papers which are then discussed publicly in journals and at conferences. Writing, another form of discussion or conversation, airs a certain theory which the community either accepts or rejects. Knowledge is constructed interdependently by people who talk together and reach a consensus. Since such a "conversation among peers" is necessary for establishing criteria and learning new facts in every arena of human learning, Bruffe suggests that the most effective way to learn-and thus to teach-is to incorporate collaborative strategies into the university classroom. In addition to the traditional lecture, structured small group discussions can be very useful to expose students of all learning styles and backgrounds to a new discipline. The teacher can divide classes into smaller groups who must each work toward a consensus on a specific problem. Then the teacher can conduct a whole-class discussion of the groups' results, with an eye toward creating class consensus, but also taking into account those places where groups could not reach a consensus. This classroom strategy teaches the kinds of activities and skills that students will later need to use in their chosen fields. The questions will remain the same, be they questions in a class or, later, questions that the young scientist or literature teacher must answer: Here are different results: why and how are they different? How did we get the results? What was the situation? What were the assumptions? What was the process? Can the differences be "explained" in terms of the rules we already know? Can the differences be reconciled? How do we-or do we-change the rules so that the differences will no longer challenge accepted rules and practices? Creating a classroom where students participate actively in such questions not only trains students for their future careers, but also makes them learn the current material more solidly because it engages them more completely and it teaches them about negotiating within a diverse community. When the teacher attaches the actual class topic and material to the success of the class as a community, he or she puts each student in the position of establishing an important role for him or herself in that community and this gives each student responsibility for the success of the class. Small group activities release the students from the fear of speaking out in front of an entire class, or of being directly judged by the teacher all the time, while putting them in the limelight in a smaller setting, where participation counts even more because there are fewer people involved. Engaging students actively makes it possible for them to learn the rules (and thereby join a new community of knowledge) because they have to use those rules to solve the problems given in class. Such exercises encourage students to think independently at the same time as they work interdependently in an academic field. In a small group, students must find a way to balance their earlier knowledge of the world with the new rules they are learning. They must also deal with their peers' preconceptions and prejudices that stem from their own particular experience and background. In group discussion, those peers become real to them in ways they cannot during a lecture where the teacher is the focus of attention. Active participation in group work forces face-to-face encounters that do not allow for abstract preconceptions about other class members. This preceding discussion serves only as an introduction to the idea of collaborative learning in the college classroom. For more information and help on collaborative learning techniques, contact the teaching center that supports your department. Two useful books are: Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence and the Authority of Knowledge by Kenneth Bruffee, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993; and New Directions for Teaching and Learning: Number 59, Collaborative Learning: Underlying Processes and Effective Techniques edited by Bosworth and Hamilton. Conclusion Various diversity issues come to mind as soon as you enter a classroom; the visible ones of gender, race, age, ethnicity, and physical abilities will, of course, receive the most immediate attention. Unseen diversity issues also have a great impact on classroom atmosphere, however. These include: political orientation, sexual orientation, ethnicity if not related to distinct racial characteristics or dress style, teaching and learning styles, regionalism, class, family history, and religion. Your teaching style may come from years of teaching and/or learning in a certain manner. Make sure that your chosen style is not simply a force of habit too comfortable and "efficient" to change. Inductive learning leads to better retention of material for most students, but deductive teaching is easier to do in classes that are only 50 minutes long. Active learning takes more time and preparation, but often leads to more satisfying results. It will take ingenuity and attention to details to make your classroom the optimal learning environment for all students. Also remember that no matter your age, your experience in the field will be far greater than that of your students. Through your studies, you have internalized complex ideas about your subject that now sound "natural." Your students may never have heard of these ideas, and will need some time to absorb them. Anyone who has studied a subject for a long time, or is already used to teaching it, often forgets what it is like to learn something entirely new. Teaching from the standpoint of knowledge makes acquiring the facts of your field look easy. In order to stay in touch with how students experience your class, try learning something completely new yourself; or, try changing your class materials so that you explore a new topic along with your students. This keeps you on your toes as you teach, and also may lead to new insights to your subject that you and your students can discover together.  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