Individual differences

Factors that Bring about Student Diversity

1. Socioeconomic Status - The millionaire's lifestyle differs fromtha of the middle income or lower income group.
2. Thinking/Learning Style - All of us differ in learmingstyles, some learn by seeing, others by listening and still others in manipulating objects.
3. Exceptionalities - In a class there maybe one who has difficulty in spoken language comprehension or seeing, hearing etc.

How Student Diversity Enriches the Learning Environment

1. Student's self awareness is enhanced by diversity. Exposing students to others with diverse backgrounds and experiences also serves to help students focus on their awareness of themselves.

2. Student diversity contributes to cognitive development. The opportunity to gain access to the perspectives of peers and to learn from other students, rather than the instructor only, may be especially important fro promoting the cognitive development of the learners.

3. Student diversity prepares learners for their role as responsible members of the society. 

4. Student diversity can promote harmony. When the student diversity is integrated into the classroom teacvhing and learning process, it can become a vehicle fro promoting harmonious race relations.

Some Tips on Student Diversity

1. Encourage learners to share their personal history and experiences.
2. Integrate learning experiences and activities which promote students'  multicultural and cross-cultural awareness.
3. Aside from highlighting diversity, identify patterns of unity that transcend group differences.
4. Communicate high expectations to students from all sub-groups.
5. Use varied instructional methods to accommodate student diversity in learning styles.
6. Vary the examples you use to illustrate concepts in order to provide multiple contexts that are relevant to students from diverse backgrounds.
7. Adapt to the students' diverse backgrounds and learning styles by allowing them personal choice and decision-making opportunities concerning what they will learn and how they will learn it.
8. Diversify your methods of assessing and evaluating student learning.
9. Purposely, form small-discussion from diverse backgrounds. You can form groups of students with different learning styles, different cultural background and etc.