Engaging Diverse Students in Your Classroom

IVY Tech Community College

Adjunct Conference

April 19, 2008

Think about your favorite cartoon character…..

Diversity

• Age – Generation• Socio Economic• Family Education/Experience• Race, culture, religion• Ethnicity• Gender• Politics• Major/ education background

OBJECTIVES

• CLASSROOMS TODAY ARE DIVERSE• MAKING CONNECTIONS FACILITATE

LEARNING• STUDENTS LEARN THROUGH VARIETY OF

DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS• WHAT CAN WE DO TO PROVIDE

ENVIRONMENTS FOR THOSE CONNECTIONS TO OCCUR.

Learning is About Making Connections: “A-HA”

• ABSTRACT TO CONCRETE

• CONCRETE TO ABSTRACT

• BETWEEN TWO FORMERLY ISOLATED CONCEPTS

Making Connections is Imperative for Learning

• ““We must explore ways to help students make We must explore ways to help students make those connections…”those connections…”

1.1. CognitiveCognitive

2.2. NeuralNeural

3.3. SocialSocial

4.4. Experiential Experiential

Dr. K. Patricia CrossDr. K. Patricia Cross

HOW?

• WHEN THEIR EXPERIENCES ARE SO DIFFERENT?….

• AND THEY ARE ALL IN THE SAME CLASSROOM?

• WHAT TO THEY HAVE IN COMMON?

How Adults Think

• Perceptions are reality

• Inundated with data

• Forget fast

• Learning styles differ

• Use different languages

• Reference experiences

How Adults are Motivated

• Attitude

• Values

• Ego involvement

• Credibility

What Adults Need

• Desire to Learn

• Learn by Doing

• Center on Problems/Solutions

• Experiences Important

• Informality

• Variety of Methods

• Guidance, not grades

They Differ in Style and Approach

• Find the Motivator

• Define the Attention Span

• Create options in Organization/Strategies

• Create Different Relationships

Differences in Style

• Generation Y:– Not like to memorize– Want faculty to act as their peers– Have shortest attention span– Motivated by technology– Expect fun and entertainment

Differences in Style

• Generation X– Memorize begrudgingly– Recognize Faculty authority, but ignore it– I like it when class is fun; but and I have other

more interesting things to do.– Motivated by reduced load and getting finished.– Have attention span if interested.– Is class over yet? I have lots I want to do.

Differences in Style

• Baby Boomers– Memorize to get ahead; a tool to use.– Recognize faculty authority; but complain

about it.– Create own fun in and out of class.– Motivated by performance; group dynamics– Have longer attention span

Differences in Style

• Matures – GI Generation– All faculty have complete authority– Hard assignments make you tough– Longest undivided attention span.– Gotta memorize to learn it!

1. Learning is About: The Powerful Paradigm

• How do we identify it?

These powerful experiences are called our...

• Boundary

• Box

• Truth

• Belief

• Paradigm

• Schema

2. Learning is About: Using Whole Brain Thinking

• Right Brain• Left Brain• Shift from divergent to

convergent thought.

Right Left Brained• emotional, intuitive,

lateral, diffused, integrative, imaginative, creating, analogous,dreaming wondering, timeless

• rational, logical, linear, sequential, discriminative, deductive, active, analytical, defining, goal-centered, questioning

Skill Builder - Roman Numerals

•Turn the Roman Numeral Seven: VII

into an 8 by adding a single line

_________. Now, turn the 9 into a 6 By adding a single line _______.

How to move from one to another

• Right to Left– Print

– count

– multiplication tables

– alphabet

– outline

– diagram

• Left to Right– walk backwards

– sit on floor

– cursive

– mind map

– draw illustrations

– cartoon

– metaphor

– music/candles

3. Learning is About: Attention Span Realities

• 7/7 Rule

• 3 Rule

• First /last

TEACHING THE ADULT IS LIKE FLYFISHING

4. Learning is About: How We Organize Information

• Single Focused

• Multi-Task Focused

What is this?

• QWERTYUIOP

What is the pattern?

• 1,4,9,16,25,36,49• Painted eggs, fireworks, champagne, candy

canes, shamrocks, jack-o-lanterns.

• We recognize sequences, cycles, shapes, processes, similarities, and probabilities.

Single Focused Thinkers• Do one thing at time• Concentrate on the job• Committed to tasks• Adhere to a plan• Respect privacy• Emphasize

promptness

Multi-focused Thinkers• Do many things at

once• Highly distractible• Committed to people• Change plans easily• Interrupt more than

value privacy• Borrow & lend easily

5. Learning is About: How We Process Information

• Visual

• Auditory

• Kinesthetic

• Emotions

• Intuition

• Scientific inquiry

• Linear/logic

Is it Really True?…

• 10% of what they hear

• 60% of what they see

• 90% of what they do

6. Learning is About: Using Need Based Language

• Personality Traits/Needs

• Value

• Control

• Self Esteem

How Do We Provide a Stimulus for Making Connections?

Strategies for Cognitive, Neural, Experiential, Social Connections

1. Frame

2. Metaphors

3. Mind Mapping

4. Brainstorming

5. Celebrate/FUN

Framing Concept

Transition

Application

Anchors Benefits

Transition

Anchor

Application

Benefits

The Frame

• Transition: Take the adult student from one place to another

• Benefit: WII-FM- What’s in it for me?

• Anchor: Anchors in the mind: story,illustration,data, testimony,visual

• Application: What do I do? What is my next step? How will I use this?

2. Share EXPERIENCES…Ask for a METAPHOR

•Life is Like….

3. MIND MAPPING

Relocation

goodparking

sametown

building

buy/rentnear MAC

4. BRAINSTORMING is...

• Cross-Fertilization

Rules for Brainstorming

• Generate many ideas

• Not criticism

• Share ideas

• Quantity more than quality

• Moves quickly

• Everyone participates

5. Celebrate...Have FUN

•Give me

a “W”

SUMMARY

• CLASSROOMS ARE DIVERSE.• ALL ADULTS HAVE NEEDS FOR SOCIAL,

EXPERIENTIAL, NEURAL AND COGNITIVE CONNECTIONS FOR LEARNING TO OCCUR.

• WE CAN PROVIDE THOSE EXPERIENCES THROUGH KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ADULTS AND TECHNIQUES THAT WORK.

“Creating a climate for learning is the challenge that lies ahead. It will require the active participationof every member of the collegecommunity, working to establishthe connections that constitutelearning.”

Dr. K. Patricia Cross