Nancy's Notes

Diversity –  I’m not sure why this became the buzzword because it implies only 2 sides or 2 types of anything, which we know is silly. I suppose the way to make the “di “in diverse work is to think of it as your perspective, experience, reality and someone else’s—ANY someone else’s who is different than yours. I would actually submit that we should change the word to multiverse, implying that many versions of reality are true, all at the same time, all with the same inherent value and importance, both in the real world and in the classroom. There is so much richness in the multiverse, so much to draw from. Classroom climate and classroom culture directly impact learning. These ideas meet, and we have a tremendous opportunity to give our students better access to learning.

One of my mantras is “Meet them where they are and help them figure out where they want to go.” But in order to meet your students where they are, it is your responsibility to learn where they are. 

I usually visualize all of our different backgrounds, cultures, genders, ethnicities, biases, and prejudices as planes that intersect at any given time. Our job, as instructors, is to encourage an awareness of all of these simultaneously occurring realities.

So why is this a critical part of teaching adults? Adults come to us with a lot of their universes well-populated. They have traditions, beliefs, values, priorities. Why should this be something we think about when we’re preparing to help them achieve their goals? Here are the benefits of changing your teaching paradigm to the multiverse:

Creates positive learning outcomes – One of the best things we can do for our students is SEE them. See, accept, and celebrate ALL of them, not just the part that needs to learn our subject matter. This is especially significant for the developmental learner, who is relationship-driven. 

Improves Cognitive Skills and Critical Thinking—By encountering viewpoints and cultures different than one’s own, we are nudged toward examining our own beliefs more thoroughly

Helps Younger Students Enter Adulthood – Helps students navigate the world’s differences in a safe place, where they are free to ask questions, exhibit curiosity and interest in the unfamiliar

Prepares Students for Engaged Citizenship – It is a lot harder to denigrate a culture or gender if you have personally known someone from that protected group. This promotes a voting body who has a deeper understanding of our differences and our similarities

Do you have reading assignments? This one’s easy. Start including samples from different cultures. Discuss your students’ reactions to them. If you’re teaching history or social studies, you may wish to focus on areas that seem most relevant to the people sitting in your seats. This can often lead to some of the lesser known aspects of history and social studies, which is more interesting anyway. Are you teaching Art or Music, or using Art or Music to teach another subject? Be sure you’re using examples from all over the world, representing different cultures, different aesthetics. The same for film, architecture, urban planning—whatever your subject matter, there is a way to look at it from the multiverse perspective.

In addition to differing multiverses, you also have diversity to learning styles. Help your students figure out their learning style. Perhaps it would be helpful to take a learning style assessment. There are many free ones online, with descriptions of the various learning styles. This information would be helpful in their own education, but also that of their children down the line. 

This acknowledgement, acceptance, and actual proactive address of our differences sets the tone for a far more open dialogue about what they need from you. If you’re like me, it may even lead to some major changes in how you approach your teaching.