Reading a) http://www.unc.edu/depts/ctl/tfi2.html (Chap 2 is ~15 pages, well worth reading it all)

Reading b) http://www.umich.edu/~crltmich/gsibook/F6.html (~12 pages total…very good)

Reading c) http://www.indiana.edu/~handbook/tideasac.htm (you got the whole thing)

http://www.cmu.edu/provost/teaching/resources.htm (well organized with specific tips for TAs)

http://www.umass.edu/cft/handbook/handbook.htm (Part 2, Sections 1 and 3, includes learning styles)

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~bok_cen/docs/TFTrace.html

http://www.indiana.edu/~handbook/div.htm

http://www.cmu.edu/provost/teaching/resources.htm (Go to Section About Different Student Audiences)

http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/~diversity/teach.htm

http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/homepginfo/equity/Equity_handbook.html

http://www.umich.edu/~crltmich/ (go to Teaching Strategies, then Creating an Effective Learning Climate)

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~bok_cen/docs/krupnick.html

http://eagle.cc.ukans.edu/~cte/TT-StudentsNames.html

http://www.csuohio.edu/uctl/tt1know.html

http://www.indiana.edu/~handbook/tideasac.htm

http://www.cmu.edu/provost/teaching/resources.htm (go to For Beginning a Course, Learning Students Names)

http://www.psu.edu/celt/largeclass/lunches/9-9-97.html

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~tep/tshooting/managing.html (Relationships)

http://eagle.cc.ukans.edu/~cte/TT-101Things.html (Relationships)

http://uga.berkeley.edu/sled/compendium/ (Suggestions; Section 16)

http://web.indstate.edu:80/ctl/progr/Tips/tips.html (Fall 1998, Tip#1)

http://www.csuohio.edu/uctl/tt1att.html

http://www.psu.edu/celt/PST/feedback.html#CATs

http://www.cmu.edu/provost/teaching/resources.htm (go to For Beginning a Course, Questions to Ask Students on an Information Sheet)

The most important thing to keep in mind is that teaching for diversity means teaching to the individual. By taking an interest in students' experiences, interests, beliefs, and goals, you take the most important step in making students feel that they can succeed in college. In addition, recognize that differences between individuals are more significant than differences between groups. The greatest challenge you face as a teacher is not tailoring your teaching to be sensitive to a whole group, but rather tailoring your teaching in a way that will meet the diverse learning styles of each student. 

Some students, regardless of race or gender, find the university an impersonal environment that does not connect to their own experiences and goals. There are also students who lack confidence or assertiveness, yet are quite capable of learning the content and skills of the courses they take. As discussed in Chapter 1, academics generally perceive verbally aggressive students as being brighter. But some students simply have been raised in environments where they have not been encouraged to speak out. In addition, feelings that the university lacks relevance to their lives or treats them as anonymous faces may add an extra burden to these silent students.

This chapter will explore basic teaching principles and techniques that can be used to create a learning environment that will help enable all students to feel included and to meet their potential. These guidelines apply to classroom interactions, syllabus design, assignments, and interaction outside of class. For clarity, we will illustrate these basic principles with specific examples, but expect that individual teachers will need to adapt these ideas to their specific teaching situations.

Chapter 1 discussed the importance of getting to know your students individually, and trying to understand their interests, beliefs and values. This process can begin the first day of class. Try to learn the names of your students as early in the semester as possible and find out by what name they prefer to be called. Also, ask about their interests and experiences early on in the course. On the first day of the course, in addition to asking students some factual questions about their experience with the subject matter, you might ask some questions that require them to give their personal feelings or views on a topic related to the course. For example, you could ask students in a literature class not only what books they have read in high school (which lets you see the students' reading experience), but also what kind of a book or movie they would make if they had unlimited time and funds. This question allows students a wide latitude in divulging information about themselves, and it will help you see them as individuals rather than as members of particular groups.

Encourage students to learn each others' names and to get to know each other in group discussions. Use the students' names when you call on them or respond to their comments. Encourage students to respond to each others' questions and comments, not just your own. Some teachers have created an e-mail list for their courses so that students can communicate with each other and with the teacher in an informal way outside of class. E-mail accounts are free to all university members. Your departmental computer coordinator can assist you in using electronic communication tools to foster class discussion and sense of community.

No matter how objective we may try to be, many of us inevitably share some of the stereotypes which the media propagate about various groups. Such stereotypes are particularly evident for cases where the student's group affiliation is visually evident, such as racial background or physical disability. Although teachers should consider the potential needs of such students, it is equally important not to assume the student's needs. The well-meaning teacher often offends a student by offering extra assistance that the student has not requested. The media and debates about Affirmative Action frequently have created the impression that African American students come to college unprepared and that they need extra help. A teacher, although well-intentioned, should never automatically assume that an African American student might need extra assistance. This attitude conveys to the student the impression that the teacher does not think the student has the ability or intelligence to do the required work. Teachers should always base their interaction with students on the student's performance. If the student exhibits the need for help, then the instructor can offer help. Above all, remember that students have different learning styles and that a student's apparent difficulty with the material may actually stem from a difficulty with how you are doing something in the classroom.

On the other hand, some students might have issues not evident at first glance that influence their learning. For example, a gay or lesbian student, or a student with strong religious convictions may feel alienated by classroom discussions or projects that make assumptions about their experiences or beliefs. In addition, a student's ethnicity is not always visible. These students' issues are "invisible," but may affect their learning just as strongly as the student whose diversity issues are visible. Try to anticipate issues of sexuality, religion, or other values for students as you give assignments and lead discussions. Look for warning signs of students who feel distress because some aspect or event in the course threatens their personal identity. Students may respond flippantly or sarcastically to an assignment, or voice criticism of comments made by you or other students. Or, they may become uncharacteristically quiet. In such cases, approach the student individually and ask the student to explain his or her objections and concerns.

Many students may not voice their concerns unless you actively solicit them. Give students this opportunity by using a mid-term course evaluation, about a third of the way through the course. A simple questionnaire will allow you to gauge how the class is working and hear about any concerns. Sample mid-term class evaluations are included in Appendix A.

The students most likely to feel alienated in the university classroom are students from groups who hold less power in society and whose values are frequently maligned by "majority" society. However, students can feel alienation from the particular makeup of an individual class. In some cases, "majority" students may feel alienated because of the subject matter and/or student composition of the course. Caucasian and male students may find themselves in the minority for the first time in their lives in Women's Studies or African American Studies classes and may feel intimidated to participate in discussions. Some teachers have made the argument that it is positive for these normally privileged students to feel alienated so they can learn how it feels to be in the minority position. However, if students feel they are under attack and that their opinions do not count because of minority or majority group affiliation, they may not be comfortable enough to open up to learning in the course. It is essential to make any students who are in the minority feel comfortable from the first few days of class. Ultimately, these are the students who can most benefit from the course concepts. Showing an interest in their learning and a respect for their contribution to the classroom will make them feel included in your course.

Assumption: Students will seek help when they are struggling with a class.

For a number of reasons, students do not always feel comfortable asking for help. In order to address this issue, you can request meetings with students as problems arise or make office hour meetings part of the course requirement (e.g., each student will meet with you after receiving his or her grade on the first assignment). The latter is an ideal method because it allows you the opportunity to meet one-on-one with every student. It also removes the stigma attached to going to office hours.

Assumption : Students from certain groups are not intellectual, are irresponsible, are satisfied with below average grades, lack ability, have high ability in particular subject areas, etc.

It is essential that instructors have high expectations for all students. For example, if a student earns a grade of C or lower, you should inform the student of the need for a meeting to discuss his or her performance. If students are absent, you should show concern about their absence when they return by asking if things are all right with them. If there are repeated absences, you should request a meeting with the student to discuss the situation. It is important for you to make initial contact with students; however, at some point, students need to take the initiative.

Assumption: Students from certain backgrounds (e.g., students from urban or rural areas, students who speak with an accent, students from specific racial or ethnic groups) are poor writers.

While the degree of writing preparation varies across the public school system in the US, students' regional background or group memberships do not serve as accurate predictors of the degree of preparation they received. Furthermore, you need to be sensitive to cultural differences in writing styles, recognizing that many standards apply to the evaluation of good writing. If a specific type of writing is expected for a given class, it may be useful to assign a short, un-graded assignment early in the term to identify students who may need additional assistance in meeting that particular writing standard.

Assumption: Poor writing suggests limited intellectual ability.

It is misleading to equate students' writing skills with their intellectual ability. Students have varying degrees of experience with "academic" writing. You have a responsibility to be explicit about what is expected and share with students examples of good writing done by other students. You should also alert students early on of their need to improve their writing and should suggest resources to them (e.g., English Composition Board's Writing Workshops).

Assumption : Older students or students with physical disabilities are slower learners and require more attention from the instructor.

While there are many cultural assumptions about links between age or physical ability and one’s intellectual capacity, these characteristics are not typically linked. Most classes do include some students who require extra attention from the instructor but such students cannot be readily identifiable by physical characteristics.

Assumption : Students whose cultural affiliation is tied to non-English speaking groups are not native English speakers or are bilingual.

If you feel that it is important to know whether students speak or understand other languages, you should ask this question of all students, not just those to whom you think the question applies. If there are concerns about students' academic writing skills, it would be best to meet with the students during office hours to discuss their work. One of the questions you could ask as part of your data gathering protocol is, "What were the languages spoken in the environment in which you were raised?" Following this question with appropriate probes would give you an opportunity to find out whether students are native speakers of English and, if not, how recently they became fluent. It is important to identify the source of students' difficulty with writing (or speaking), because identification of the factors that contribute to the problem will influence the actions taken to address the problem.

Assumption: Students who are affiliated with a particular group (gender, race, ethnic, etc.) are experts on issues related to that group and feel comfortable being seen as information sources to the rest of the class and the instructor who are not members of that group. AND/OR European American students do not have opinions about issues of race or ethnicity and members of other groups do have opinions about these issues.

One way to effectively deal with this set of assumptions is to pose questions about particular groups to the entire class rather than presuming that members of a certain group are the only ones who can reply. For example, questions could be phrased so that students would be able to share experiences of their friends or comments that they've heard as well as their own experiences. It would be best to let the class know that if any individual has experiences or information that she or he thinks would be beneficial to the class, she or he should inform you about such experiences or information. If you would like to hear from a particular student on a specific issue that relates to group membership, you should speak with the student privately instead of calling on the student when the issue arises in class. In this way, you can find out the students' ability to comment on the issue and willingness to do so publicly. This would avoid putting the student in an awkward position, particularly if the student lacks knowledge about questions related to his or her group.

Assumption: All students from a particular group share the same view on an issue, and their perspective will necessarily be different from the majority of the class who are not from that group.

You can regularly encourage all students to express different perspectives on issues, and you should not express surprise when people from the same "group" share opposing views or have a view consistent with the majority of the class. It is important to understand, however, that some students who are part of a "group" will feel hesitant to share views publicly that differ from the "anticipated group position" for fear of being admonished by members of their "group" or isolated from the "group" (e.g., an African American student expressing an anti-affirmative action view).

Assumption: In their reading, students will relate only to characters who resemble them.

This would most frequently occur in courses in which students read literature. Instructors should be careful not to treat with suspicion comments that suggest affiliation with a character that does not resemble the student in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, etc. For example, if a Caucasian student claims to feel her or his experiences resonate with an African American character, you should not dismiss her or his response, but probe for further explication about why she or he feels the connection.

Assumption : Students from certain groups are more likely to: be argumentative or conflictual during class discussions OR not participate in class discussions OR bring a more radical agenda to class discussions.

Participation levels vary across all students, with some students more comfortable in listening roles and others more comfortable taking the lead in class discussions. While these discussion styles may be influenced by students’ past experiences, families of origin, and cultural reference points, a priori assumptions about student participation may hinder class discussion. It is important that you encourage participation among all students while also respecting the differences among students that will emerge. More equitable discussions can often be created by prefacing the discussion with a writing exercise that provides all students with the opportunity to clarify their thoughts on the discussion topic. It is also useful to remember that students’ participation levels evolve over the course of a term as they become more comfortable with the course, their classmates, and the instructor.

URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~handbook/ Copyright 1999, the Trustees of Indiana University

Affective Concerns of Teaching