Course Code: Educ 2
Course Description: This course explores the fundamental principles,
processes and practices anchored on learner-centeredness and other
educational psychologies as these apply to facilitate various teaching-
learning processes.
Module 4. Student Diversity
I. Learning Outcomes
After reading the resources and accomplishing the activities in this module, you are
expected to:
1. Differentiated students’ abilities and cognitive styles
2. Explained the different factors that bring about diversity
3. Applied the principles learned about student diversity
II. Discussion
The concept of diversity is important for future educator like you. You need to
understand and inculcate this concept into your mind because you are dealing with students
who have different backgrounds, experiences, languages, and cultures. This lessons will enrich
your learning so that you will know how to handle your students later on and prepare them for
life in the 21st century which is the global society.
4.1. Individual Differences
Individual Differences-account for our distinguishing characteristics that make us unique
Two Types of Individual Differences:
1. Individual differences in abilities
2. Individual differences in cognitive styles
Differences in Abilities
-refer to our capacity to carry out cognitive functions
We exhibit various differences in abilities such as:
-Verbal comprehension refers to our ability to understand words, sentences, paragraphs or
long compositions such as stories, novels, essays and plays.
-Sensitivity to problems refers to our ability to devise approaches and ways in solving a
problem.
-Syllogistic reasoning accounts for our ability to draw conclusions and inferences.
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-Number facility deals with our capacity to use arithmetic operations
-Induction is our ability to perceive relations
-General reasoning is the use of our cognitive tasks to find solution to algebraic expressions.
-Associative memory pertain to our ability to recall previous experiences in relation to new
ones.
-Span memory accounts for our ability to recall a set of elements after one presentation
-Expressional fluency deals with our ability to produce different ways of saying the same
words and phrases.
-Spontaneous flexibility refers to our ability to produce diverse functions and classifications for
an object.
-Perceptual speed deals with our cognitive task that determines patterns under certain
conditions
-Visualization is our cognitive task that manipulates forms of images for us to see how they
appear
-Spatial orientation refers to our ability to imagine parts that are arranged in space
-Length estimation accounts for our ability to calculate lengths or distances between points.
Differences in Cognitive Styles
Types of Cognitive Styles and their Descriptions
Cognitive Categories Descriptions
Reflective-The students postpone
Cognitive Tempo
decisions and examine the possible
consequences of any decisions made.
They think several times before they make
a decision.
Impulsive- The students give the decision
quickly. They give their answers in the
spur of the moment. And so, they commit
errors due to a hasty decision.
Field Independence- The students are
Field Independence or Field
analytical. They want a very little
Dependence
interaction. They want to accomplish the
tasks alone.
Field Dependence- The students are
global. They are people-oriented. They
seek the help of various elements in the
environment. They accomplish the tasks in
groups.
Factors that Bring about Student Diversity:
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In all learning environments, individuals interact with others who are in some ways different
from them. Differences in gender, racial, ethnic or cultural background. This diversity also
comes from other factors like the following:
1. Socio-economic status
2. Thinking/Learning Style
3. Exceptionalities
How Student Diversity Enriches the Learning Environment
1. Students’ self-awareness is enhanced by diversity
2. Student diversity contributes to cognitive development
3. Student diversity prepares learners for their role as responsible members of
society
4. Student diversity can promote harmony
Some Tips on Student Diversity
1. Encourage learners to share their personal history and experiences
2. Integrate learning experiences and activities which promote students’
multicultural and cross-cultural awareness.
3. Aside from highlighting diversity, identify patterns of unity that transcend group
differences
4. Communicate high expectations to students from all subgroups
5. Use varied instructional methods to accommodate student diversity in learning
styles
6. Vary the examples you use to illustrate concept in order to provide multiple contexts
that are relevant to students from diverse background
7. 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.
8. Diversify your methods of assessing and evaluating student learning.
9. Purposely, form small-discussion groups of students from diverse backgrounds. You
can form groups of students with different learning styles, different cultural backgrounds,
etc.
III. Assessment
Answer each of the following activities.
IV. A.Matching Type. Match the terms in Column J with their meanings in Column T. Write
the letter of the correct answer on the blanks before the number.
V. Column J Column T
VI. E______1. Associative memory a. ability to draw conclusions and inferences
VII. G______2. Spatial orientation b.ability to recall a set of elements
after one presentation
VIII. A______3. Syllogistic reasoning c. cognitive ability that determines patterns
under certain conditions
IX. I______ 4. Verbal comprehension d. ability to produce different ways of saying
the same words or phrases
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X. J______5.Induction e.pertains to our ability to recall previous
experiences in relation to the new ones
XI. H______6.General reasoning f. ability to calculate lengths or
distances between points
XII. D______7.Expressional fluency g.ability to imagine parts that are arranged
in space
XIII. K______8.Spontaneous flexibility h. use of cognitive tasks to find solution to
algebraic expressions
XIV. B______9.Span memory i. ability to understand words, sentences,
paragraphs and long compositions
XV. C_____10.Perceptual speed j. ability to perceive relations
XVI. k. ability to produce diverse functions and
classifications for an object
XVII.
XVIII. B. What is your dominant cognitive style? Why do you say so?
XIX.
XX.
XXI. C.What strategies will you use to cater student diversity? Explain how you will use
these strategies.
XXII.
IV. References
Lucas, M.R. D. & Corpuz, B. B. (2014). Facilitating Learning: A Metacognitive Process.
Quezon City. Lorimar Publishing, Inc.
