Diversity, Learning Styles, and Culture Reflection

       As teachers we try to find the best possible way to educate out students. We hope that eventually we will find one specific way that we will be able to use for the rest of our career that will make teaching simple. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Frequently I need to remind myself of this because our students do not fit snugly into one particular “mold”. They each come from vastly different backgrounds and many times, we cannot even relate to what they have experienced. Because our students are so diverse in their backgrounds and cultures, the more diverse we will need to be in our teaching strategies.

       In the past (and to some extent today) students are given labels for how they act in school. Often times that takes the form of Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, where students have a difficult time staying focused or on task. What we must remember is that students are going through so many other things at school that may inhibit their ability to learn. For example, they may be bored with a lesson, be anxious about a bully, upset about a family matter, allergic to milk, temperamental by nature, or a variety of other things that we are unaware of. Again, it all relates back to knowing our students and getting to know them on a personal level so we know their backgrounds.

       At the end of the day, it all comes back to the importance of knowing the learner. The better the teacher can understand the learner and their habits, rituals, backgrounds, and home life, the better the teacher can accommodate for the student.

Guild, Pat Burke. "Diversity, Learning Styles, and Culture." Johns Hopkins School of Education. New Horizons for Learning, Oct. 2001. Web. 9 Sept. 2015. <http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Learning%20Styles/diversity.html>.