Diversity in the Classroom
For the Fairmont State Honors Association Lobby Talk on Tuesday, February 16th, Fairmont State students and teachers had an open dialogue on diversity in the classroom. The discussion was led by 2013 Fairmont State Graduate Anup Poudel, who is now a graduate student at the University of Iowa. He was able to share some of his experiences and knowledge he has gained about how to foster openness and comfort in a diverse classroom through his time as a teaching assistant (TA).
Poudel believes that the main way to bring diversity into the classroom is through the instructor. There not only needs to be diversity in instructors in schools so students can be taught and learn from a wide variety of perspectives, but instructors also need to foster diversity. Poudel believes there are numerous ways professors can do this; one of the most important ones being connecting with students. The more comfortable a student is with a professor, the more willing they will be to tell the professor about any discomfort or discrimination they are feeling within the classroom.
Poudel shared a story from his time as a TA where he saw first-hand how important having this comfort level between teachers and students is. As a TA, he would assign students into groups of four to work together two days out of the week. One day, an international student from the Middle East approached him and told him she was not comfortable with the group she was in. This was due to her being the only female in her group, with the other three students she was working with all being men. Poudel then changed her group and saw an improved performance from her after the switch.
Poudel acknowledges that being able to cater to every single student in such a way as what happened in that situation is not realistic, but he emphasized the fact that the student was comfortable enough with him to approach him with her problem in the first place. This is why Poudel stresses this shared understanding and respect between students and professors. With this relationship, students have the confidence to approach the teacher about problems, which can be important when wanting to have the important discussions about inclusion that come with diverse classrooms.
Professors need to know when students are falling behind because they are not being recognized and compensated for any cultural differences they have from other students. Students also need to be willing the approach instructors with any of their problems in this regard, if necessary.
Poudel also believes that it is important for instructors to know what the demographics of their classrooms are. He says, “As a teacher, you have to take a look at the demographic and teach and create an environment that students can relate to. How you teach a class partly depends on student demographic, it is very crucial to keep an eye on it.” He believes having students introduce themselves at the start of a class is very important, so both the instructors and teachers can see what perspectives make up their classroom. People relate to and understand different things depending on what atmosphere they grew up in, so it is very important to teach based on these backgrounds, so the largest amount of students can relate to what is being taught. Those who cannot relate can also be compensated for the differences they have.
Poudel believes instructors also need to push students beyond their comfort zone to help promote diversity. He says, “A student from West Virginia working with a group of Chinese students could be a good learning experience for both, as long as the kid from West Virginia is not isolated.” Poudel encourages instructors to help bridge the gap between certain groups in the classroom, and make sure that students are not being abandoned due to their differences from the rest of the group. He says, “You want to push students just far enough so you do not alienate them, as pushing them too far can do damage.” When teachers know which students to push, how far to push them, and when to push them correctly, some of the most open and diverse classroom experiences can occur.
