Portfolio Assignment Unit 1
Traditional Learning versus a diverse classroom
Dr Kenneth Chapman Jr
University of the People
5710 - 01 Barriers to Learning
Date: September 6th,2022
V.Vidyashankar
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Let’s first start by examining the notions of a traditional classroom. A place where learning happens.
A milieu where a teacher moderates and regulates the flow of information and knowledge. Students
would be expected to continue their learning curve by developing expertise and competency in that
subject outside of classroom hours. This could be achieved by means of self-study with guidance
from the teacher. The student's main resource is their instructor who only teaches them face-to-face.
There is a standard curriculum associated delivered by a teacher in-person. Standardised tests are
administered from time to time to test the student's level and comprehension. In this model, the
students learning is constant from the perspective of time, place of learning and pace of learning.
( Singh, 2022)
Let’s also extrapolate to digital learning environments, which in some cases, became the norm
during the pandemic. Almost everything remains the same except that in this case, the learning is
taking place in a digital environment. There is peer-to-peer interaction in a virtual environment that
transcends geographical barriers. In both environments, digital and physical, there are advantages
and disadvantages. The possibility of looking at pre-recorded content and learning from it is of
paramount importance as the student can pace his or her own learning as per need. There are also
cost advantages that online learning confers in stark contrast to the traditional setting.
Enter the diverse classroom. It is a place where students from different nationalities, ethnicity,
gender, races, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds. The diverse classroom also has students
who exhibit a wide range of academic, physical and social abilities or skills. The diverse classroom
differs in certain important aspects. We start by examining them sequentially and in the process look
at the teacher’s role in these environments.
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Firstly, the curriculum which is the framework that teachers go by to serve their instruction must be
modified in a diverse classroom. It must therefore be adaptable to change. This can be done by
including different racial and ethnic perspectives thereby creating a welcoming environment for
diverse students. ( May hew et al, 2006). Including diverse perspectives in the content of the
curriculum is associated with a variety of desirable educational outcomes. Meta-analytic studies on
courses with diverse content demonstrate a consistent relationship between diverse coursework with
students’ cognitive development (Bowman, 2010) and civic behaviours and dispositions (Bowman,
2011). Students who take courses with diverse content also show a significant change in the
reduction of prejudice toward other racial/ethnic groups ( Engberg, 2004; Denson, 2009 ). An extra
effort on the teacher’s part to highlight different races and ethnicities’ contributions in their chosen
fields might help bridge the gap. So in this case, the teacher’s role has evolved progressively to
include such high points of instruction.
Secondly, one must follow the principle of inclusive pedagogy which says that teaching practices
can definitely have an impact on student learning, behaviour and achievement. Inclusive pedagogy
looks at a larger picture rather than mere classroom teaching which is the central focus of traditional
classrooms. It looks at social transformation. Teachers in such a milieu must equip themselves with
the know-how of being globally aware and constantly looking at the big picture. ( Tuitt, 2003 ).
Modifications to the teaching strategy are due here: positive student-faculty interaction creates a
welcoming environment for learning; sharing power makes students and faculty equally responsible
for constructing knowledge; the dialogical process of professor-student interaction increases trust
and encourages risk-taking; activation of student voices makes sure that students are recognized and
that no student remains invisible, and personal narratives are used to concretise subject matter and
make connections between the classroom and life experience.
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The above points mainly highlighted some of the traits which the teacher has to develop to face a
diverse classroom. However, there are also external factors which may aid learning in the diverse
classroom as opposed to traditional instructional methods. We looked at aspects of teachers gaining
a better awareness, being more worldly wise and possessing the flexibility to incorporate some
internal processes to better aid in their strategies for a diverse classroom. Knowledge of learning
styles, awareness of stereotypes, biases and a conscious effort to do away with these should be there
positively. Theory must be supplemented by practice. Project-based learning, experiential learning,
research projects, differentiated instruction, class discussions using student inquiry to drive
learning, reflective writing, cooperative learning and group projects, student presentations, and
allowing students to select topics for course content are all some of the ways in which the needs of a
diverse classroom can be met. Clearly, these were lacking in the traditional classroom.
In summary, I would like to say that the teacher’s evolution from a traditional setting to a diverse
one in a physical classroom or a virtual one is not radically different. It is a matter of internal
attitudes that should change and in the aforementioned paragraphs, we looked at the qualities or
traits that should simultaneously evolve in the teacher, as the teaching milieus change. In addition to
these, there has to be a combination of several approaches to overcoming one’s unconscious biases
which might range from being alert to one’s biases and fears, looking for evidence that contradicts
biases, taking personal action, seeking a balanced perspective on historically marginalised groups
and learning from different groups of people in the class itself. All of these are healthy trends in the
trajectory of the teacher in a diverse classroom.
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References:
1 ] Singh, Ambika ( January 28, 2022) -What is a traditional classroom? How is it evolving in
Times? https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/what-is-a-traditional-classroom/
2 ] Garibay, J. C. ( 2014 ). Diversity in the classroom [Pamphlet]. UCLA Diversity & Faculty
Development.
https://equity.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DiversityintheClassroom2014Web.pdf
3 ] Sharma, Deepika ( 2020 ) - Why diversity in the classroom matters?
https://www.educationworld.in/why-diversity-in-the-classroom-matters/
4 ] Hurtado, S. ( 2001 ). Linking diversity and educational purpose: How diversity affects the classroom
environment and student development (ED45619) https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED456199.pdf
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