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College of Education

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT FOCUS WITH BEHAVIOR

MODULE 1:

DIVERSITY IN THE CLASSROOM

Lesson 2: SOURCES OF LEARNER DIVERSITY

Culture
Attitudes & Values
Child-Adult Interaction

Gender
Socio-economic Status
Role Identity
Basic needs and experiences Stereotype Threat
Parent Involvement
Attitudes & Values
Learner
Diversity

Learning Style Language

Visual, Audio,
Kinesthetic, Tactile Dialect

Figure 1. Sources of Learner Diversity in a Typical Classroom

Table 1. Cultural Considerations Influencing Learning

Dimensions Considerations
Time  How do students perceive time?
 How is timeliness regarded in their culture?
Space  What a personal distance do students use in interactions with other students and
with adults?
 How does the culture determine the space allotted to boys and girls?
Dress and Food  How does dress differ for age, gender, and social class?
 What clothing and accessories are considered acceptable?
 What foods are typical?
Rituals and  What rituals do the students use to show respect?
Ceremonies  What celebrations do students observe and for what reasons?
 How and where do parents expect to be greeted when visiting the class?
Work  What types of work are students expected to perform, and what age, in the home
and community?
 To what extent are students expected to work together?
Leisure  What are the purposes for play?
 What typical activities are done for enjoyment in the home and community?
Gender Roles  What tasks are performed by boys? By girls?
 What expectations do parents and students hold for boys’ and girls’ achievements
and how does this differ by subject areas?

1
 Status  What resources (e.g. study area and materials, study assistance from parents and
siblings) are available at home and in the community?
 What power do the parents have to obtain information about the school and to
influence educational choices?
Goals  What kinds of work are considered prestigious or desirable?
 What role does education play in achieving occupational goals?
 What education level do the family and student desire for the student?
Education  What methods for teaching and learning are used in the home (e.g. modeling and
imitation, didactic stories and proverbs, direct verbal instruction)?
Communication  What roles do verbal and nonverbal language play in learning and teaching?
 What roles do conventions such as silence, questions, rhetorical questions, and
discourse style play in communication?
 What types of literature (e.g. newspapers, books) are used in the home and in what
language(s) are they written?
 How is writing used in the home (e.g. letters, lists, notes) and in what language(s)?
Interaction  What roles do cooperation and competition play in learning?
 How are children expected to interact with teachers?

TASK 3: Answer the following…

1. Where can you attribute the following and why?
a. Perception of time during programs?
b. Girls doing household chores while boys perform carpentry?
c. Choice of high paying jobs?
d. Greeting parents and adults courteously?
e. Using big fonts when presenting reports?
f. Use words that can be understood by all members of the family and community?
2. Which dimension of your behavior has been significantly influenced by the culture of your community?

TASK 4: Do the following…

 Observe a child with special needs. List the most observable behaviors displayed. Interview the
parent(s) using the sources of diversity as your guide. Write a report on your observation focusing on
the explanation of behavior and probable sources. Attach also pictures during the observation and
interview.
 Reflect on your own behaviors. Draw 2 columns on your paper. Make a list of what you think are your
desirable behaviors on the left column and the undesirable ones on the right column. Analyze where
you learned those behaviors. Which column has the longer list? Explain why one column has a longer
list than the other.

Reference: Dañocup, O. B. (2010). CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: Preparing Special Education Teachers.

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