Learning-through-Diversity

The literacy and engagement of all students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is a priority goal for U.S. higher education. The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) seeks to contribute to this goal by enabling present and future STEM faculty to enhance the learning of all students whom they teach irrespective of, but not limited to, preferred learning styles, race, ethnicity and culture, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, religion, age or socioeconomic backgrounds.

CIRTL's contributions to diversity in STEM are founded on the principle that excellence and diversity are necessarily intertwined. Faculty and students bring an array of experiences, backgrounds, and skills to the teaching and learning process. Effective teaching capitalizes on these rich resources to the benefit of all, which we call "Learning-through-Diversity".

At the same time, CIRTL recognizes the reality that existing social and educational practices do not always promote equal success for all learners. Thus, creating equitable learning experiences and environments requires intentional and deliberate efforts on the part of present and future faculty. CIRTL is committed to developing a national STEM faculty who model and promote the equitable and respectful teaching and learning environments necessary for the success of Learning-through-Diversity.

To achieve these goals, CIRTL provides development experiences, programs and resources that promote the abilities of present and future faculty to:

• Know the diverse backgrounds of their students and their implications for learning.
• Identify curricular, teaching and assessment practices that promote learning for all.
• Draw upon the diversity of their students to enhance and enrich the learning of all.
• Recognize existing inequities, and promote an equitable, inclusive and respectful climate for learning.

These aims require specific attention of the practitioner to:

Practitioner-participant interactions - such as inclusion and engagement of the ideas of all participants; respectful teaching behaviors; accessibility for all participants; mentoring of less experienced practitioners.

Participant-participant interactions - such as welcoming and respectful inclusion in collaborative work; respect for the ideas of all and recognition of their value; accessibility in activities that occur outside of the primary learning environment.

Participant-content interactions - such as how participants experience content; how content can be adapted and varied; and how exploring novel contexts for presentation can enrich the experience of participants and practitioners alike.

Developmental Framework

Download the Learning-through-Diversity Developmental Framework as a PDF

The following framework has been developed as a touchstone for program developers/ instructors/facilitators as they develop the learning goal and evaluation plans for their participants in their programs, as well as to guide their own practice.

Definitions of developmental stages

The descriptions below define each development stage in the framework.  Two intermediate stages are included to illustrate the “gray” area that exists between each of the major developmental stages.

Developed understanding, systematic action
Practitioner increases his/her knowledge and understanding of the impact of concept on participant’s learning. He/she takes action based on this increased understanding, evaluates the actions and improves his/her practice based on these evaluative data.

Developed understanding, moderate or irregular action
Practitioner has some knowledge and understanding of concept based on personal reflection and external sources of information. He/she understands this in the context of his/her own teaching/outreach situation and acts on this knowledge.

Cursory knowledge, minimal action
Practitioner makes elementary changes to teaching/outreach practices based on limited information and with little understanding of why he/she is making the changes.

Illustrative narrative

Participants have diverse backgrounds. This diversity has implications for their learning.

Developed understanding, systematic action
Practitioners at the advanced level understand that demographic characteristics (such as class, nationality, family background) often have profound influences over participants’ experience with and understanding of educational structures, the purposes of evaluation, and the value of certain types of information, inquiry method, or educational venue.  Advanced understanding of this influence enables practitioners to develop a grounded approach to understanding his/her participants’ backgrounds and their impact on participants’ learning, and takes into consideration the impact on content and pedagogy when developing further learning opportunities.  They evaluate, in sensitive ways, the impact of incorporating these new opportunities into their practice, and makes changes to them for “the next time around.”

Some understanding, moderate or irregular action
Practitioners at the medium level understand that considering “diversity” means more than just considering a variety of preferred learning styles in a classroom.  They consider the impact a full range of demographic characteristics on participants’ learning situations, and not just whether participants prefer one format or another.  Practitioners consider the variety of ways they prefer to learn, and note that it often varies between learning contexts and across their lifespan.  Practitioners incorporate these new understandings in parts of their course where it doesn’t interfere greatly with the content.

Cursory knowledge, minimal action
Practitioners at the lowest level understand the buzzword “diversity” to mean that educators need to consider the variation of their participants’ preferred learning styles.  Practitioners may notice, for example, the popularity of group-based projects in their colleagues’ courses.  Practitioners therefore integrate some group-based projects into their teaching practice without considering the impact this implementation may have on the diversity of people in their class.

CIRTL
1025 W. Johnson St.
Madison, WI 53706
ph.: 608.263.0630
fax: 608.265.0538