My Reflection Based on the Excerpt by Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (2009, p. 13)

  

My Reflection Based on the Excerpt by Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (2009, p. 13)

Author: Santosh Kumar Biswa, Sr. Teacher, Damphu CS, Tsirang, Bhutan

 

Abstract

Diversity and motivation are critical in the classroom for effective teaching and learning. Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (2009) made a valid point when they said, "As educators, [we] exert a powerful influence over classroom norms; it is important to make explicit those values that are most often implicit and profoundly affect students in our classrooms," because students needed to be aware of the distinctions between culture and motivation because both the world and people's views are changing daily. Teachers have a bigger role in the classroom, and they should look for efficient and useful ways that encourage motivation in the present multicultural learners. Teachers should also have a thorough understanding of the instructional strategies that help students develop respect, relevance, engagement, and academic achievement from the start of class (Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2009, p. 13).

My Reflection and Interpretation

After reading the excerpt by Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (2009), it is clear that I play a bigger part in fostering diversity in the classroom. I must create an inclusive curriculum and encourage motivation by exposing my students to events taking place in the field of their study in their neighborhood so they can understand the relevance of the text. When teaching English literature, for instance, I should reassure my students that even if they don't like the poet or author they are reading about, they should be involved in thinking about how they appear and where they are from. Through reflection, they learn to take their own discipline's philosophies and prevailing customs into account in light of how students from various backgrounds may interpret or think about knowledge differently than they might anticipate (Cornell University, n.d.). As per Cornell University (n.d.), teachers should consider the following as well:

• What cultural influences do I have and how do I teach and learn personally?

• What cultural influences and individual teaching and learning styles do my pupils have?

• How some students might find the course material alienating.

• Which student types, and why, would perform well in my lesson? Do some students have an advantage over others?

After conducting my research, I concluded that students need to be given specific tools to develop the four fundamental conditions for intrinsically motivated learning, including establishing inclusion, cultivating a positive attitude, enhancing meaning, and engendering competence, as well as becoming adept at adhering to the social justice implications of each condition. Additionally, educators ought to make diversity a learning objective so that students develop respect for everyone in the classroom and their community.

Teachers should create compelling lessons, encourage fair conversations in classes with a variety of language backgrounds, and fairly evaluate students using the right assessment procedures to allow them to practice being open-minded. We are assisting them in critically appreciating their values, cultures, and backgrounds, as well as those of others, and growing through the acquired experience, by empowering them to be open-minded individuals (IBO, 2013). This complies with the notion of influence over classroom norms put out by Ginsberg and Wlodkowski (2009), which has a substantial effect on the kids in our classes. As a result, I came to understand the critical role that an inclusive learning environment plays in the classroom and that I should be making efforts to improve the curriculum's content (Garibay, 2014) and promote multiculturalism throughout a course, rather than simply in one lesson or at the conclusion (Cornell University, n.d.). According to Gurin, Dey, and Hurtado (2002), students should be motivated to learn through interactions with peers from various racial and cultural origins in a relaxed classroom setting that encourages critical thinking and intellectual engagement.

We include all cultural views to develop a culturally responsive curriculum in my school since we have the freedom to adapt the curriculum (O'Donnell, 2021). This curriculum validates students' cultures, values, beliefs, and experiences. To do this, we first make sure that the curriculum framework's learning objectives are appropriate for all of the students in the classroom. The syllabus and topic materials are then reviewed to make sure they address the various ethnicities, genders, beliefs, and values, as well as the various learning requirements and learning styles of all students, and are then designed accordingly. Finally, we restructure the evaluation procedures and instruments to satisfy the needs of various genders, races, beliefs, and values.

Conclusion

How pupils react in the classroom is greatly influenced by their cultural experiences. As a result of the increasing challenges, diversity and drive are needed in the classroom. The only people who have the power to change classroom norms in a way that benefits students' learning are teachers. There is a need to address how to engage, challenge, and motivate students from varied backgrounds in the classroom by employing culturally sensitive teaching methods (Slarkin, 2015).

References

Cornell University. (n.d.). Incorporating Diversity. https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/incorporating-diversity#:~:text=%E2%80%9CBecause%20we%20as%20educators%20exert,13).

Garibay, J. C. (2014). Diversity in the classroom. https://equity.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DiversityintheClassroom2014Web.pdf

Ginsberg, M. B., & Wlodkowski, R. J. (2009). Diversity & motivation: Culturally responsive teaching in college. Jossey-Bass.

Gurin, P., Dey, E. L., Hurtado, S., & Guring, G. (2002). Diversity and higher education: Theory and impact on educational outcomes. Harvard Educational Review, 72(3), 330-366.

IBO. (2013). IB learner profile. https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/fd82f70643ef4086b7d3f292cc214962/learner-profile-en.pdf

O'Donnell, C. (2021). How can I create an inclusive and equitable classroom with culturally responsive education? https://www.physport.org/recommendations/Entry.cfm?ID=125042

Slarkin. (2015). Diversity & Motivation, A Review. https://ctal.udel.edu/2015/10/01/diversity-motivation-a-review/