{"id":18,"date":"2017-04-05T13:06:08","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T18:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/brandonheidt\/?p=18"},"modified":"2017-04-05T13:06:08","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T18:06:08","slug":"diversity-among-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uww.edu\/brandonheidt\/2017\/04\/05\/diversity-among-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversity Among Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

As future teachers, we’ll encounter students from many different backgrounds. \u00a0Most of the students we’ll encounter will have backgrounds that are far different than from our own. \u00a0It is up to us to develop lesson plans and learning experiences that can help students from all sorts of different backgrounds maximize their learning potential.<\/p>\n

One difference that I’ve encountered down at my Observation and Practicum in Beloit is students who come from low or working class families. \u00a0This is rough on the students because their families cannot afford the basic needs for their education. \u00a0Their parents might also be focused more on paying the rent, putting food on the table, and other more important things that what their child needs for school. \u00a0One way that my cooperating teacher tries to counteract this issue is by buying basic school supplies (pencils, notebooks, etc.) for those students. \u00a0He also ties in a behaviorist aspect to these supplies. \u00a0By that I mean, he allows other students to grab some of these supplies only if they have remained on task or have not disturbed class.<\/p>\n

The School District of Beloit also tries to counteract this issue by providing a free breakfast and lunch to all students. \u00a0This way the students of parents who struggle to keep a good source of food on the table can get something to eat on a consistent basis. \u00a0Students may decline to take breakfast at any time but the option is always there.<\/p>\n

As a future history teacher, I hope to maintain open communication about racial differences in my classroom. \u00a0Not only may there be barriers and tensions between different racial and ethnic groups but maintaining open communication provides a valuable learning experience when it comes to history. \u00a0Throughout history there have been countless examples of tensions between people of different races and ethnicities; and that is just in the United States alone. \u00a0I could try a similar activity to Jane Elliott’s discrimination activity (Weber, 2017), although that could have some unwanted backlash.<\/p>\n

Not only could the racial differences in my classroom be a beneficial learning opportunity when it comes to history but it could help the students better understand what their fellow students experience on a daily basis (Munniksma, Scheepers, Stark, Tolsma, 26). \u00a0Open communication could help them empathize better with their fellow students and, who knows, they may find some common ground.<\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n