Diversity and Disability: Richness or Roadblock to Effective Learning

1. Diversity and Disability: Richness or Roadblock to Effective Learning Dr. Even A. Culp Professor Evie Lindberg Mr. Don Roberson

2. Mandates &Laws Classroom Culture Engagement Skills Student Resources

3. Mandates &Laws Professor Evie Lindberg IDEA NCLB 504 ADA FERPA

4. Classroom Culture Goal- Trust & Relationship Teachers play a major role in creating, perpetuating, or extinguishing stereotypes about competence; building or tearing down self-perceptions; molding expectations for success or failure; or encouraging students to develop their abilities or sending disheartening messages (Eccles, 1995)

5. Classroom Culture Learning Community “A learning community is an environment where learning is valued and accessible for all learners and where teachers and students work together to make sure everyone in the community is learning” Lenz and Deshler (2004, p.104).

6. Classroom Culture Empathy “…to lead and interact in group environments, and to listen with understanding and empathy are most important for all teachers” (Rubin & Feezel, 1986).

7. Activity Ima Your Student Sex: Female Age: 20 years, 7 months Sophomore in the college (Consider in 14.0 grade level) Background Information: She is an African American who is a sophomore at Oral Roberts University. Her major is Theology. She has struggled in school subject matter all her life and complains of having difficulty staying focused. She works part-time as a bank teller. She is currently taking sixteen hours. She has difficulty writing research papers and written responses on exams

8. Activity Ima Your Student Group A: What strategies/methods/questions would you ask the student to better aid her? What can Ima do on her own to help her self develop better writing skills? Group B: What resources within the college/university are available to the (student like Ima) to help her with her area of apparent weakness? Group C: What resources are available within your college/universities that are available to the professor to help him/her with a student like Ima? What legal issue must the professor be mindful of when making recommendations to the student?

9. Engagement Skills Whether or not teachers are aware of student’s learning challenges, they can accommodate these challenges through multiple instructional strategies and activities.

10. Engagement Skills … activities designed to actively engage the student in the learning process. These learning activities are best facilitated through discussion, group work, problem-based learning, simulation, and hands-on projects. Well-designed lessons focus on higher levels of learning: application, interpretation, and problem-solving.Such learner-engaged activities will enhance student outcomes.

11. Engagement Skills There is also a relationship between teacher immediacy behaviors of eye contact and physical proximity and improved student learning (Gorham, 1988). Smiling, vocal expressiveness, and a relaxed body position were shown to enhance student learning as well (Richmond, Gorham, & McCroskey, 1987).

12. Engagement Skills In practice teacher immediacy behavior positively impacts learning outcomes. (Christensen & Menzel, 1998) Humor and self-disclosure both proved to be characteristics of effective teachers (Nussbaum, Comadena & Holladay, 1987).

13. Engagement Skills By building rapport and trust, teachers not only connect with the students they build positive interactions among students as they participate in activities and learn substantive content. As a result, students are more likely to attend classes, have more positive attitudes, and show higher achievement (Van Sickle & Spector, 1996).

14. Student Resources Faculty need to be familiar with student support services. Most colleges offer supplemental support systems such as: assessment of disabilities, peer tutoring, writing labs, remedial courses, and study skill courses. Since struggling students may not be aware or seek out these services, teachers are the critical link to these services.

15. Student Resources As students seek assistance, faculty can provide options regarding appropriate support services. Some students may resist, but hopefully, the student will respond to the faculty members’ counsel.

16. Diversity and Disability: Richness or Roadblock to Effective Learning Ephesians 1: 3-8 sets the tone telling each of us, we are chosen, accepted, favored, adopted and redeemed. May our student experience this care in our classrooms.