What strategies or techniques can you use in order to teach to every student how can you be diverse in your teaching style and be able to reach more students?

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2. Teaching Resource
3. Strategies for Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

There are many school factors that affect the success of culturally diverse students – the school's atmosphere and overall attitudes toward diversity, involvement of the community, and culturally responsive curriculum, to name a few. Of all of these factors, the personal and academic relationships between teachers and their students may be the most influential. This relationship has been referred to as the "core relationship" of learning – the roles of teachers and students, the subject matter, and their interaction in the classroom.

Certain behaviors and instructional strategies enable teachers to build a stronger teaching/learning relationship with their culturally diverse students. Many of these behaviors and strategies exemplify standard practices of good teaching, and others are specific to working with students from diverse cultures. A number of these behaviors and strategies are listed below.

Teacher Behaviors

Appreciate and accommodate the similarities and differences among the students' cultures. Effective teachers of culturally diverse students acknowledge both individual and cultural differences enthusiastically and identify these differences in a positive manner. This positive identification creates a basis for the development of effective communication and instructional strategies. Social skills such as respect and cross-cultural understanding can be modeled, taught, prompted, and reinforced by the teacher.

Build relationships with students. Interviews with African-American high school students who presented behavior challenges for staff revealed that they wanted their teachers to discover what their lives were like outside of school and that they wanted an opportunity to partake in the school's reward systems. Developing an understanding of students' lives also enables the teacher to increase the relevance of lessons and make examples more meaningful.

Focus on the ways students learn and observe students to identify their task orientations. Once students' orientations are known, the teacher can structure tasks to take them into account. For example, before some students can begin a task, they need time to prepare or attend to details. In this case, the teacher can allow time for students to prepare, provide them with advance organizers, and announce how much time will be given for preparation and when the task will begin. This is a positive way to honor their need for preparation, rituals, or customs.

Teach students to match their behaviors to the setting. We all behave differently in different settings. For example, we behave more formally at official ceremonies. Teaching students the differences between their home, school, and community settings can help them switch to appropriate behavior for each context. For example, a teacher may talk about the differences between conversations with friends in the community and conversations with adults at school and discuss how each behavior is valued and useful in that setting. While some students adjust their behavior automatically, others must be taught and provided ample opportunities to practice. Involving families and the community can help students learn to adjust their behavior in each of the settings in which they interact.

School is an extremely important place for students to feel safe and comfortable. In order to learn, students need an environment that makes them feel welcome. If a student feels unsafe and insecure, they will not be able to focus on learning. 

Students with a diverse cultural background may feel that they stand out alone in the classroom, they may feel underrepresented in the teaching materials, etc. Children with a diverse background may then feel unsafe and uncomfortable in a classroom when they don’t feel that their diversity is seen or valued. Racial, cultural, and gender differences are important factors in a person's identity, and it's extremely valuable for teaching to help students understand differences better.

Efforts that current and aspiring teachers make to improve diversity in the classroom can benefit all learners in a variety of ways. From elementary students to high school students, it is always a good time for teaching to focus on racial and culturally unique differences in the past, present, and future. It can benefit diverse students who need to be represented and accepted, and can help all students learn from unique perspectives and increase their understanding.

School diversity inclusion and representation is crucial in education, in terms of student demographics, staffing, and lessons. There are many educational benefits from introducing new thoughts on racial or cultural differences in a classroom. Ethnicity, cultural differences, racial differences, and more are all important to talk about as part of a student's education. Resources are available to help teaching these subjects be appropriate and positive. There are many specific reasons why diversity is key in the classroom and schools, including:

• Diversity brings new perspectives into a classroom. Students of different genders, races, backgrounds, etc. bring multiple insights and thoughts into a classroom. This enhances a classroom discussion and learning opportunities. It can add well-rounded views and can help students learn more from each other. It will allow students to see things in a new light—one that they may not have considered otherwise. From elementary to high school, new perspectives are important to learn at any age.

• Research shows that diverse classrooms improve learning outcomes for every student. Schools that are more diverse, when controlled for socioeconomic factors, see no difference in test scores from schools that are less diverse. There is also research that shows diverse groups are better able to solve problems and work more efficiently. Diverse schools also see students who are more empathetic and less prejudiced, allowing everyone to feel more safe and confident in their learning environment. No matter what age, elementary or high school, introduction to culture and racial differences can have great positive impacts on students.

• Including diversity in your curriculum as a teacher improves self-efficacy in learners. Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to meet challenges and accomplish tasks. It also helps improve their self-worth, tolerance and appreciation for different views, and more. Different understandings of culture can help students see how people that are like them have succeeded. White students, black students, Asian students, Hispanic students, female students, male students, high school students, elementary school students—self efficacy is important for every kind of student out there. Cultural individuality helps students understand their worth and feel appreciated.

• Diversity in a classroom leads to better discussions among students. When there is more diversity in the classroom, it lends itself to better, well-rounded discussions. Students of a different ethnicity, racial, or cultural background will have a unique perspective to offer. All students can offer their insights from what they understand culturally, helping them to understand one another and connect. Groups are able to benefit from different ideas, students get new perspectives and insights about the world around them.

• More classroom diversity prepares students for their future. The world around us is increasingly culturally diverse. It’s extremely likely that students will be working in a field that is incredibly diverse, and classroom diversity can help prepare students for that future. It increase their cultural awareness in a classroom setting, helping set them up for success in their future. Having respect and kindness for culturally unique individuals will help them succeed in a career where it is likely they will interact with those of different races and culture.

• Diversity in the classroom fosters creativity. Diverse, cross-cultural classrooms encourage more critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Collaboration encourages creativity inside the classroom, and diverse classrooms where students feel encouraged to collaborate help them learn from each other’s experiences, bouncing ideas off of each other and creating creative solutions. It increases their cultural awareness in a classroom setting, preparing them for a future career.

If you’re a current or aspiring educator it’s important to learn how to foster a culture of diversity inside your classroom. Some things you can do to embrace creativity inside your classroom include: 

Students need to be able to express their individuality in the classroom. It’s important that teachers create a classroom that is a space for expression and reflection for students to feel that they can be themselves. This improves self-efficacy and learning outcomes for students. Teachers can do this by making rules that prevent bullying so students feel safe in their classroom. It’s also important for teachers to establish positive relationships with students so they feel they can express their individuality freely. 

Teachers can include a diverse range of perspectives by introducing diverse authors and historical figures into teaching materials. This will help all students understand and appreciate diversity more. Diverse learners will be able to be inspired by learning about people who they can look up to and learn from. It’s valuable for teachers to look at lesson plans from other educators to find diverse authors and historical figures to reference in their lessons.

All students have different learning needs, so it’s valuable for teachers to use different strategies to appeal to the different strengths of learners. Teachers can utilize regular reviews of concepts learned to help students retain information, use a variety of visual, audio, and tactile learning activities to meet the needs of different kinds of learners, provide opportunities for group activities as well as one-on-one interactions, and listen to student feedback to adapt based on what each student needs. Being prepared to utilize different teaching methods and strategies will help foster a successful diverse classroom. 

Working and collaborating with other teachers is key to helping introduce diversity into a classroom. Teachers who focus on different subjects can help create an interdisciplinary curriculum that highlights the importance of diversity. For example, history and English teachers can come together to talk about cultures and diversity in history across classrooms for Black History Month, giving students additional support and understanding in that area. Doing this gives reinforcement to the ideas of diversity, and helps student apply it in multiple areas of their schooling and life. Teachers can begin each term with a simple email or conversation with other teachers, asking if they would be interested in collaboration on a subject of diversity. 

If you’re a current or aspiring teacher, understanding how to incorporate diversity into your classroom is crucial for student success. Working to incorporate diversity in learning materials, in staff and students, and encouraging students to be kind and respectful are key to making a safe and happy learning environment for all students.