Fostering diversity in the class room
Diversity comes in many forms and provides a great deal of benefit to the classroom. It is beneficial to all students, public school through post secondary. These benefits are then transferred to the workplace when the student leaves the academic world and enters the labor market. San Diego Community College District Chancellor Augustine Gallego concludes "Education in a diverse environment enhances the creativity, innovation, and problem-solving skills that graduates bring to their jobs". (La Presna San Diego, 2002).
It is important to promote diversity early on in life, without diversity our ability to adapt and enhance would slow to a standstill. Children develop thoughts about themselves at a young age, often before starting school. Children need to learn to foster self-awareness at the simplest level; they need to learn to love themselves. Studies have found that when people love themselves, they are least likely to fear differences among people (Russell, 2007).
Max M. Fisher College of Business
English: Pfahl Hall at Fisher College of Business,...
Fisher College of Business CourtyardIt is important to prepare children for the real world, what they will see on TV and hear on the radio. Children always want to know why, why did she do that? Why does he look like that? We need to ensure we are providing children with the correct information and resources they need to recognize bias and respect multi-culturalism (Russell, 2007).
Diversity is about constant exposure to new people with new skill sets, new talents and abilities. In the real world we usually don't get to choose who we work with, a very simple yet effective strategy intended to encourage diversity would have students create random workgroups, or persuade students to make groups with people they do not know. Susan L. Josephs of Fisher College of Business recommends that educators 'insist that the group composition must be as diverse as possible...