CHAPTER 7:

STUDENT DIVERSITY
I

INTRODUCTION
-One of the educational challenges that teachers face nowadays is the diverse learners inside the
classroom. This situation calls the teachers to become more innovative and creative to satisfy the
varied characteristics and needs of the 21st Century learners. It is essential that future teachers
like you to be more knowledgeable, most especially on how to deal with learners’ needs and
interests for you to prepare learning activities that are more meaningful for the learners. In this
chapter, you are expected to:

- discuss the factors that contribute to student diversity;

- analyze classroom scenario that considers student diversity
- suggest ways on how to provide learning activities considering student diversity.
 Lesson 1: Learning Styles

THINK
Learning Styles

- Ignacio Estrada statement that, “ If learners cannot learn the way we teach them, maybe we should teach them the way they
learn,” is a clear reminder for teachers to always consider in their daily teaching the unique style of learners. Considering the
different characteristics of the learners as visual, auditory and kinesthetic, teachers are challenged to provide activities and
materials that will correspond to their learning preferences, especially if the learners are electric (a learner whose learning
preference is a mixture of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). In 1984, a known educational psychologist, David Kolb, described
learning styles as the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Jones and Blankenship
(2017) view learning styles as the preferential way in which the students absorb, process, comprehend, and retain information.
Each learner has their way of processing unique learning styles of the learners. The importance of knowing the concept of
learning styles could influence teachers’ understanding of students’ individual differences. When teachers are critically aware of
learning styles, they are likely to be very careful when designing a lesson plan, during, their teaching and when assessing
individual student.

Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle

- Kolb’s experiential learning style theory is typically represented through a four-stage learning cycle. Effective learning style
theory is typically represented through a cycle of four stages. Kolb (1974) views learning as an integrated process in which each
stage I mutually supportive and feeding into the next part of cycle. It is further explained that effective learning only occurs when a
learner can experience all four stages of the model.
 Kolb’s Learning Styles
Due to the heavy demands of improving the teaching-learning process, having knowledge of the
learning style of the students is very important. Maddux, Ewing-Taylor, and Johnson (2002) state that
one way to ensure quality education and positive student outcome is considering the relevance of
student learning styles in designing instructional methods. Kolb presented four basic learning styles:
accommodative, assimilative, divergent, and convergent, and each learning style is incorporated
with four learning modes: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract
conceptualization, and active experimentation.
Kolb and Fry, in 1975 described four different conductive learning environments that will accommodate
different learning styles and learning modes: affective learning environment, symbolic learning
environment, perceptual learning environment , and behavioral learning environment.
 Learning Styles Learning Modes

Assimilative Abstract Conceptualization

Focus: Logic, Ideas and Concepts
Strengths: Building Theoretical Models
Values : Conceptual Systems and Rigorous Idea Analysis
Emphasis: Less on People and More on Ideas
and Concepts Reflective observation
Focus: Understand Meaning of Ideas
Values: Patience, Impartiality, and Thoughtful Judgment

Accommodative Concrete Experiences

Strength: Doing and Risk-taking Focus: Involved Interpersonal Experiences
Emphasis: Adapting Oneself to New Values: Real-world Situations
Active Experimentation
Situations
can Focus: Influencing People and Changing Situations
Values: Ability to Manipulate Environments

Convergent Abstract Conceptualization

Strengths: Intelligence Tests Focus: Logic, Ideas and Concepts
Emphasis: Problem-solving and Decision Values: Conceptual Systems and Rigorous Idea Analysis
Active Experimentation
making
Focus: Influencing People and Changing Situations
Values: Ability to Manipulate Environments

Divergent Reflective Observation

Strengths: Creativity and Brainstorming Focus: Understand Meaning of Ideas
Emphasis: Social Interaction and Perspective Values: Patience, Impartially, and Thoughtful Judgment
Concrete Experiences
Taking
Focus: Involved Interpersonal Experiences
Values: Real-world Situations
 LEARNING STYLES ( Kolb, 1984)
Accommo These types of learners excel at accomplishing tasks by following directions, meticulously planning, and ultimately
dative seeking new experiences. They are characterized as being opportunistic, action driven, and risk takers. They can
easily adapt to changing circumstances. They can solve problems in an intuitive trial-and-error manner rather than
through careful examination of facts, and they rely heavily on other people for information rather than on their analytic
ability. The learning models associated with this learning style are concrete experience and active
experimentation.

Assimilat These type of learners can reason inductively. They can create theoretical models in assimilating disparate
ive observations into an integrated explanation. They are concerned with ideas and abstract concepts rather than with
people and social interactions and are concerned with abstract logical rather than practical aspects of theories. They
incorporate the learning modes of reflective observation and abstract conceptualization.

Divergen Divergent learners are best at tasks that require imaginative ability and awareness of meaning and
t value. They can identify concrete examples of a concept and generate numerous qualities of a concept
from many perspectives. They are considered as brainstormers because they prefer to observe rather
than act, are emotionally oriented and tend to be very creative. They prefer the learning modes
concrete experiences and reflective observations.

Converge Convergent learners’ greatest strength is the ability to efficiently solve problems, make decisions, and
nt apply practical ideas to solve problems. These learners do well on standard conventional intelligence
tests because they can organize knowledge by hypothetical-deductive reasoning and converge to one
given answer. People with this learning styles are well adept at controlling their emotions and prefer
dealing with technical tasks and problems rather than with issues that involve interpersonal and social
interactions. Convergent learners draw from the learning modes of abstract conceptualization and
active experimentation.
 LEARNING MODES (Kolb, 1984)
Concrete This learning mode is the characteristic of learners who desire plenty of opportunities for direct
Experience human interpersonal interactions. They prefer to feel and experience rather than think. They
are intuitive decision makers who value circumstances involving people in real-world
situations. This learning mode is concerned with the uniqueness and complexity of reality as
opposed to theories and generalization. Learners who prefer these learning mode take an
artistic, intuitive approach to problem solving rather than a scientific approach.

Reflective This mode focuses on the ability to understand the meaning of ideas. Learners under this
Observation mode value objective judgment, impartiality, and patience. They prefer abstract understanding
over practical applications and prefer to reflect and observe rather than act on a situation.

Abstract Learners who belong to this mode typically attend to tasks that involve logical investigation of
Conceptualization ideas and concepts. They are characterized by a preference to depend on cognitive rather
than emotional skills. They involve themselves with and tackle academic problems that require
the ability to build general theories to come up with a solution. They value rigorous idea
analysis and well-defined conceptual systems. This mode involves the use of systematic
planning, manipulation of abstract symbols, and quantitative analysis.

Active This mode focuses on actively influencing people and changing situations. Individuals prefer to
Experimentation be involved in peer interactions that allow them to play an integral role in the decisions made
in these interactions. This mode emphasizes practical applications or solutions rather than a
reflective understanding of a problem. Learners who belong to this mode are pragmatists and
focus on doing rather than observing, they enjoy and are especially efficient at getting the job
done, and truly value the ability to manipulate their environment to produce productive
results.
 LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS (Kolb,1984)
Affective This learning environment emphasizes concrete experiences so that learners experience the real
Learning thing. Affective learning tasks include activities such as practical exercise, simulations, or field
Environment experiences. Information is usually peer-oriented and delivered informally. Activities are non-
competitive, and feedback should not be comparative but peer-oriented and delivered
informally. Activities are non-competitive, and feedback should not be comparative but
personalize to the individual learner’s goals and needs
Symbolic Learners are involved in trying to solve problems for which there is usually a right answer or the
Learning best solution. Information is abstract and usually presented in readings, data, pictures, and
Environment lecture formats. Characteristic activities may include lecture, homework, and theory readings.
The teacher is acknowledged as the expert, enforcer of rules, regulator of time, and taskmaster.
The instruction format is typically with a top-down, hierarchical class structure.

Perceptual The main goal is to identify and understand relationship among concepts. Perceptual
Learning environment emphasizes the process of problem solving rather than coming up with the best
Environment solution. Learners are required to collect relevant information for researching question and are
expected to attack a problem situation through different perspective (own opinion, expert
opinion, and literature) by listening, observing, writing, discussing, and personal pondering. The
teachers role is to act as a mirror by reflecting student observation and comments. Learning
processes may include reflective exercises such as keeping journals, writing reflective essays, or
engaging in dialogue with other students.

Behavioral This learning environment emphasizes active application of knowledge or skills to a practical
Learning problem. Activities should not be structured so that learners gain intrinsic rewards and values.
Environment The teacher acts as a coach or guide but only when the student initiates or solicits help. Small
group work, interactive projects that apply theory to real-world settings, and peer feedback are
prime examples of student activities in this environment. Measurement is in the form of how
 Figure 22. Conceptual schematic of Kolb’s learning styles, modes,
and learning environments.

It is important to note that for each learning style, there two corresponding learning modes,
and for each learning mode, there is a corresponding learning environment is supportive of a
particular learning mode with its accompanying learning styles. The Symbolic Learning
Environment best supports the Abstract Conceptualization learning mode, which is part of
both the Convergent and Assimilative learning styles. The Perpetual Learning Environment is
the most effective environment for the Reflective Observation learning mode that is part of
the Divergent and Assimilative learning styles. The Behavioral Learning Environment best
supports the Active Experimentation learning mode, which is part of the Convergent and
Accommodative learning styles. Finally, the Affective Learning Environment is the most
effective learning environment for the Concrete Experiences learning mode, which is part of
the Divergent and Accommodative learning style
Lesson 2: Multiple Intelligence
At the end of the Lesson, you will be able to:
- explain the concept of Multiple Intelligences;
- discuss each component of Multiple Intelligence; and
- suggest activities that will cater to the need of Multiple varied Intelligences of the
learners.

THINK
Multiple Intelligences
Educators understand and know that learners come to school with different, varied,
and unique intellectual and information processing abilities because learners have
different biological , cultural , and personal backgrounds. Learners respond to different
motivation in a very special way due to their mental capabilities that help them to process
knowledge and skills using their way of operating information. This difference is the
reason of the paradigm shift from the traditional teaching-learning process to student-
centered classroom where the questions of what content to teach and how it would be
taught were changed into big questions of how to do students learn and process the
lesson and how can the teacher facilitate the delivery of the lesson. This perspective in
teaching has led educators to view the classroom as a place where teachers can provide
more enjoyable learning activities in which student learning is facilitated. Once the
student-centered classroom is given emphasis, the Multiple Intelligences (MI) of the
students is given consideration. In the research conducted by Reid (1998), MI has the
potential to positively influence classroom teaching. Through accommodating the MI and
learning styles of the learners, learning and understanding of the lesson can be maximized
because the learners will be potentially more receptive to the teaching presentation and
modes of presentation. Through these practices, learners manifest varying degrees of
The Nine Multiple Intelligence

While identifying the potential of intelligences, Gardner identified eight criteria to be

identified as intelligence.

a. potential isolation by brain damage;

b. the existence of idiots, savants, prodigies, and other exceptional individuals;
c. a distinctive developmental history;
d. evolutionary plausibility;
e. support from experimental psychological tasks;
f. support from psychometric findings; and
g. susceptibility to encoding in a symbol system.