Globalization has had its impacts on all sectors including economics, politics, culture, and education. Diversity in the education system has intensified especially because learning institutions all over the world have opened their doors to foreign learns (Banks, 2015 p. 30). Educators are tasked with ensuring that every learner is well integrated into the system regardless of their cultural, religions, and ethnic backgrounds. The world’s future is in the hands of educators. They have to produce graduates who are well endowed with curriculum-based skills and survival skills.
As an educator, equality, diversity, and inclusion are my most important guiding principles. Strongly founded principles and values are necessary for the development of learners who are confident, successful, and responsible adults (King, 2018). For comprehensive and effective delivery of the learning programs, I provide guidance and support to the learners. By creating a close relationship with each student, I’m able to identify their individual learning needs and provide extra support in the areas they are deficient.
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Taking into account the social, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds of my students also helps in understanding their needs. To ensure that there are a safe learning environment educators should take into consideration the expectations of each learner, what motivates them, and their intellectual abilities and skills (King, 2018). Another way through which I incorporate the learners into the education programs is through collaborative learning processes. In such programs, the students are placed in groups whose members come from different cultures and backgrounds. Group discussions give the learners an opportunity to understand and appreciate one another.
The most creative way of ensuring that the learners get to share their learning experiences and understand their roles and their responsibilities is through collaborative learning. According to King (2018) collaborative learning helps to cultivate team spirit which empowers learners in their studies and later in life. Within the groups, learners get to compare their diverse ideas, understand their differences in reasoning, and freely express their ideas. They are also able to listen to the opinions of others and develop their methods of understanding diversity.
Another innovative activity used to make learning more effective is the assessment of the learners. Controlled assessment helps to ensure that students remain focused on learning and meeting the goals of the learning process (Mata, 2015). Signs of boredom, defensiveness, poor understanding and indecisiveness should be closely looked out for and dealt with as soon as possible. Finally, by frequently conducting self-evaluation, I’m able to ensure that my values as an educator match what is instilled in the learners.
To promote positive behavior in instances where discrimination is evident, I focus on challenging the idea of racial, ethnic, intellectual, social, and religious discrimination rather than the individuals. In case my views contradict with those of the learners as a result of our different backgrounds, I respect their views. It helps to ensure that all students feel appreciated in class. According to Banks (2015 p. 32), with the right strategies in place, teachers have a better chance of enjoying working with a diverse group of learners.
Technological advancement has brought in a new dimension in the education system. According to Mata (2015), the future of education is based squarely on technological growth. Since technology is investable, it could be used as a collaborative tool. Online group projects assigned to students to work from their homes over the internet gives them an opportunity to interact and share ideas. Individual students are also able to communicate with me over the internet, where we discuss issues that affect them. The online students’ community is large and highly diversified. Through the available online education platforms, they get to interact and learn from one another.
When solving the English and Math problems experienced by the students, I encourage the use of storytelling both verbally and written. The approach aids in understanding their areas of need English, whether it is grammar, punctuation, pronunciation or spelling. In math, I develop math trails whereby I take the students outside the classroom and invoke them visualize the existence of math everywhere in the world. I also take a real-world approach and ask them to calculate or estimate the volume and areas of land feature and spaces that we come across during out trails. According to King (2018), math trails triggers enthusiasm and involvement for mathematics, especially where the learners are not open to learning the subject. Through storytelling and math trails, I get to understand individual needs and tailor my program to meet the needs of each student.
The validity of the Math and English support strategies is determined through continuous assessment and evaluation. By interacting with colleagues from other institutions and sharing our experiences, I’m able to gauge and improve my teaching skills. I also attend education based seminars and workshops where educators are trained on how to enhance our teaching skills. Through these interactive activities, educators can expand their knowledge, skills, and abilities. As a result, their confidence and motivation in teaching are boosted and elevated.
- Banks, J.A., 2015. Cultural diversity and education. Routledge.
- King, A., 2018. Finding the Beauty of Math Outside Of Class. Edutopia.
- Mata, W., 2015. The Importance of Technology in the Classroom. Centre Technologies.