Activity 1: Vignettes

Discuss your reaction to one or more of the vignettes   described in Presentation 2, Active Learning in Your Diverse Classrooms by Carol Steimer Bailey and Lynda Milne [see PowerPoint link at the bottom of Readings page for review] using the following questions.

1. What is at stake for the students?
2. What are the issues for the professor?
3. What would you recommend to each?
4. Which of the “pedagogical keys” is missing?

• Interaction with diverse peers
• Discussion of diverse perspectives
• Application of knowledge in diverse contexts
• Critical analysis of background & history

    5. What would I do?

• What was your first reaction?
• Did these situations meet your definition of active learning, of diversity? Why or why not? 
• After completing the reading and thinking activities above, has your reaction changed?
  • If yes, how? What would you do differently?
  • What active learning techniques would you incorporate to address the dilemma?

Activity 2:  Questions for Dialogue on Diversity, Curriculum, and Learning

These questions are designed to provide a starting point for dialogue about learning goals in a diverse society.

1. What kinds of diversity knowledge do students need in the contemporary world? How well do we foster this kind of knowledge in our courses?

• How well does our curriculum include the roles of diverse groups in U. S. history and society? How do my classes fit into that goal?
• How well do we prepare students for civic engagement and social responsibility? How can I help do this in and out of class?
• How well do we relate diversity knowledge to students’ majors or programs? What is my role in this?
• What are the implications of diversity for organizing work in different fields or disciplines? What will my students encounter in the workplace?

2. What developed abilities help students respond to cultural diversity and difficult differences? How well does our curriculum foster these abilities?

• Does our curriculum require that students consider the implications of diverse world views, perceptions, values and institutions? How can I adjust my courses to achieve this goal?
• Do we provide opportunities for students to organize work and solve problems in diverse groups? How would team-building skills help my students in class or in the workplace?
• How do different cultural groups approach working in teams and working independently? How might those approaches be reflected in my classes?

3. What values and dispositions help graduates contribute to the success of a diverse democracy?

• Does our curriculum address these values and dispositions?
• Does our curriculum encourage tolerance for difference?
• How do I encourage tolerance in the classroom?

Activity 3: Change is Good! What do I want to change?

Identify one area or component of your course in your teaching or work responsibilities in which you want to incorporate active learning to address diversity. This can be a teaching activity that you already use in your classes, or an aspect of your teaching and/or work activity that needs to be further developed, etc.

• Identify the current strengths of this approach.
• Identify the problems and/or barriers.
• Develop a plan for addressing these barriers.

If this is a written document, incorporate these changes in your document and/or write a statement of your intended actions to address the problem you have identified.

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