Diversity Consciousness

Concept of Education in a Classroom

What the question poses in this concept is whether students in the same classroom, reading the same assignment and listening to similar questions received the same education. To answer this question, it is important to first understand the meaning of the term education and ascertain the measures that can be used to gauge whether education is the same. Education can be regarded as a systematic process in which learner’s uses to acquire knowledge, experience, skill and sound attitude. The aim of education to enlighten an individual and make them perfect. The process of education is described as being purposive, conscious or unconscious, psychological, sociological, scientific and philosophical. Education is carried out to bring the desired change to the students (Carr, 2003).

In that sense, having a student in the same classroom and utilizing the same resources implies that these students are undergoing the same systematic process thereby can be said to be receiving the same education. Upon joining college, we got engaged in a communications class where we would attend to lectures, handle assignments, and participate in group assignments and tasks as well as listening to the same lecturers. What this implies is that we were all engaged in a similar and systematic process. In one way or the other, this education process transformed us in the manner in which we communicate and relate to other. Education should be confused with results are different people respond differently even when subjected to similar conditions.

Students in a classroom setup have a different attitudes about learning, their purpose of them being in class and also different ways to which they respond to teaching in class which affects the quality of the education that each student receives (Gbollie & Keamu, 2017). The process of education does not therefore solely rely on the teachers, classroom, assignments, and lectures listened to, but rather is also highly affected by the intrinsic characteristics of the students.

Diversity among Friends

The beauty of friendship comes in diversity which is evident regarding race, religion, nationality, hobbies, occupation, tribe, temperament, cultures, beliefs, sex and perceptions on various issues. A group rich in diversity offers an opportunity to learn with one another as well as a compliment on each other’s abilities. It is no doubt a means to enhance tolerance among individuals from different backgrounds and point of view. 

 Diversity  prompts us to get out our comfort zones. We get challenged, and as a result, improve our personality and abilities. There is always something challenging in the process of coping and adapting to a diverse group. People of different diversity always ensures that we learn something new and if not new, we learn to improve on where we saw it being done in the wrong way. We get more and more knowledgeable about such diversity. We must not be too comfortable with what we have or even what we know. Diversity is the way as it has more merits to a person’s life than demerits.

With the diversity of friends, we learn various cultures about people, learn more about religion, and we may end up embracing it and even traditions (Cousik, 2015). Some members of my group in campus include a Zulu from South Africa, Maasai from Tanzania, Latino from Brazil, and cowboy from Texas, and a few other friends from New York City. The diversity in culture provides an important aspects of interaction among the groups. There is always something new to learn from each other regarding culture, a way of life, food, and dressing. Last Halloween we used this by exchanging costumes from a different culture.

Diversity also assists to eliminate perceptions of others and how we view them. People rely mostly on hearsay. Whenever there are opportunities of mingling with people who are diverse in Nationality, Cultures, Race, hobbies or even Religion, we can know certainly about them, and we eliminate what is said about them without enough proof (Cousik, 2015). It is therefore important we expand our boundaries to whom we get involved in as it helps us become more enlightened.

Contributions of Diverse Culture in Our College

In our Business College, what is being taught, the readings, lectures, and discussions reflect a lot on the contributions of many cultures. With people from different cultural backgrounds, we have learned how to be considerate and avoiding making biased comments that may be considered as offensive to other peoples’ culture.  Understanding the importance of culture and how to co-exist granted us an upper hand to help us live and study peacefully without discrimination. Cultural competence is a term used for the ability of people of one culture to understand, communicate, operate, and provide effective services to people of another given culture, or in other words, cross-culturally (Plessis & Bisschoff, 2007). Our lecturers have been able to embrace all students of different cultures, and teach effectively without any fear or favor.

 In many occasions, debates have been raised in institutions of higher learning to discuss the issue of diversity in these institutions. Racial diversity is one of the most discussed and analyzed the form of diversity. This has been supported by higher education leaders due to its contribution to educational efficacy. A diverse learning environment has been considered as vital in the provision of quality education and is known in producing students with capabilities of existing in a diverse society. It provides an opportunity for the learners to practice tolerance and mutual respects which promotes a civic health life.

A theory called Contact Theory and proposed by Gordon Allport aimed at reducing prejudice. This theory has become very informative in the educational policy formulation concerning issues on racial diversity. The theory calls for the presence of some conditions if racial distribution in an institution is expected to yield positive results. To reduce prejudice, and increase understanding in a multicultural set-up, there is need to accord equal status to all individuals, to have a common goal under pursuit and the acquire support for those in positions of authority  (Antonio, 1998).

Lecturers can handle lessons well due to their understanding of different contributions cultures have done. Students can discuss very healthy discussions because they are not limited to cultures, and they have learned a lot from students and lecturers of different cultures without stereotyping. Culture requires a lot of tolerance to ensure a peaceful coexistence.

Honouring and Respecting Diversity

No one can honor or respect culture without understanding it. This is because, without the knowledge and a deep knowledge of culture, one is not likely to embrace another culture. But with enough knowledge of culture, one shall be in a position to honour and respect it. This is the only way, understanding it, that you shall be in a position to eliminate stereotyping. You shall have first-hand information about culture, and with this, you shall be able to respect it and honour it. It is almost impossible to honour and respect what you don’t know. So, it is crucial we study a culture for us to be able to honour and respect it.

A culturally diverse education system follows the path of culturally responsive education that is respectful to the different cultures and people whom they interact with, in and out of the education setting. It is not possible to honour and respect diversity without understanding it. For to fully honour and respect cultural diversity there in need to develop cultural competence. Cultural competence is an indicator that one understand the concept of cultural diversity. This makes have and portray the capacity to value diversity, participate in self-reflection on one’s cultural basis, assumptions, biased and opportunities of growth, building knowledge and understanding of past and current systematic inequities and their impacts. Unless one respects cultural diversity, it is difficult to support actions that may have the potential of causing equity in opportunity and services as well as institutionalization (Perso, 2012).

My Personal Hot Buttons.

My hot buttons include; People unwilling to listen to me, taking for granting and not appreciate my presence and contribution, being called names, people’s inability to operate as a team when teamwork is needed, relapse of same mistakes and when making a good opinion but no one wants to buy to it. When people are unwilling to listen to me when am trying to explain myself, it heats me up. This hinders my abilities to express myself, and it ends up breaking the communication process.

Judging by other by stereotypes is another thing that pisses me off. I would always want to be taken as my personality and as history dictates and not contrary to that. Being called names instead of being addressed as a person, always heats me up. It always triggers me and may result in altercations and hinder communication. Having been engaged in the football team in my high school and college, I have to love when people work as a team. Facing a situation where some members of a group fail to play their part or are more concerned about their welfare at the expense of other team members pisses me off.

When I keep repeating same errors, it works on my nerves and makes me upset. I always want to be excellent at what I am doing. Lastly, when offering the best opinion, and everyone else is does not want to buy into it. I always view it as if they are trying to underrate me. When someone triggers one of these hot buttons, it always angers me, and I feel able to concentrate effectively on the work at hand. I also want to stay away from such people. These hot buttons hinder my communication as am not able to make rational decisions nor communicate effectively.

References

Antonio, L. (1998). Student Interaction Across Race and Outcomes in College. American Educational Researc Association .

Carr, D. (2003). Philosophy and the Meaning of ‘Education’. Theory and Research in Education.

Cousik, R. (2015). Cultural and Functional DIversity in the Elementary Classroom: Strategies for Teachers. Research and Creativity at IPFW.

Gbollie, C., & Keamu, H. (2017). Student Academic Performance: The Role of Motivation, Strategies, and Perceived Factors Hindering Liberian Junior And Senior High School Students Learning. Education and Research International .

Perso, T. (2012). Cultural Responsiveness and School Education. Menzies School of Health Research.

Plessis, P., & Bisschoff, T. (2007). Diversity and Complexity in the Classroom: Valuing Racial and Cultural Diversity. Educational Research and Review, 245-254.