Classroom for All
Work aimed at teaching diversity skills is an essential task, and this part of the curriculum requires particular attention. To help first-year students adapt to college life, it is necessary to offer them appropriate educational materials that can be useful for achieving success. According to Bucher, in the context of demographic issues, developing diversity consciousness is a critical task (247). As the skills that need to be developed in this direction, communication attainments are essential.
An ability to interact with people of different backgrounds effectively allows avoiding any prejudices and establishing a productive mode of operation. Another important skill that should be taught is proper workplace relationships. If students assess the activities of each of their classmates with respect, it will contribute to creating a cohesive team that could solve any goals efficiently. Finally, conflict management skills developed during the learning process will help avoid misunderstanding and provide an opportunity to resolve disagreements at an early stage.
As useful resources for learning, academic sources can be used, for instance, the article by Dessel et al. and research by Valls et al., which are related to training communication skills and the ways of avoiding conflicts. Also, the book by Bucher is a valuable database where various methods of training diversity consciousness are collected. As online sources, a significant list of websites may be helpful. All of them present relevant information related to the concept of diversity among young people and the development of essential communication skills.
It includes the following platforms: “Teaching for Change” (Teaching for Change), “Zinn Education Project” (Zinn), “Rethinking Schools” (Rethinking), “EdChange” (EdChange), “Teaching Tolerance” (Teaching Tolerance), “National Equity Project” (National), and “Project Look Sharp” (Project). All the materials found here can be useful in teaching diversity skills.
Works Cited
Bucher, Richard D. Diversity Consciousness: Opening Our Minds to People, Cultures, and Opportunities. 4th ed., Pearson, 2014.
Dessel, Adrienne B., et al. “LGBT Discrimination on Campus and Heterosexual Bystanders: Understanding Intentions to Intervene.” Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, vol. 10, no. 2, 2017, pp. 101-116.
EdChange. 2019. Web.
National Equity Project. 2019. Web.
Project Look Sharp. 2019. Web.
Rethinking Schools. 2017. Web.
Teaching for Change. 2019. Web.
Teaching Tolerance. 2019. Web.
Valls, Víctor, et al. “Linking Educational Diversity and Team Performance: Team Communication Quality and Innovation Team Climate Matter.” Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, vol. 89, no. 4, 2016, pp. 751-771.
Zinn Education Project. 2019. Web.