October is Diversity Awareness Month. Dictionary.com defines diversity as:
- noun di·ver·si·ty \də-ˈvər-sə-tē\
- the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc.
As I teach the subject in my Marketing Career Preparation course, I think what better time than when studying diversity to create a differentiated assignment for my students.
Differentiated instruction is a method in which a teacher anticipates and responds to a variety of students’ needs in the classroom. To meet students’ needs, teachers differentiate by modifying the content (what is being taught), the process (how it is taught) and/or the product (how students demonstrate their learning).
Some of the diversity topics we explore in class are age groups, race/ethnicity, culture, disAbilities, and sexual orientation, but the assignment the students have to complete takes it a step further allowing them to choose the WAY they want to complete it, according to their diverse learning preferences.
They students have six choices from which they pick one.
- Read blog posts from a microaggressions website. Create an artwork piece (collage, painting, drawing, sculpture…) that is inspired by (or expresses) a microaggression
- Read an interview with a local Hmong family understanding their cultural uses of their home and how culture affects home deign. The students then create a layout/design of the home described.
- Watch a video on Valuing Generations in the Workplace. Write a paper describing their own generation’s ‘common’ traits and characteristics and tell how they can effectively relate to other generations.
- Watch a video on Ability Awareness vs. Disability Awareness then reflect upon changes they could make in their life if they had Cerebral Palsy using a typical week’s activities from their life. (What and how)
- Students choose one area within the realm of diversity, find a person to interview who represents that diversity and can give them insights into it and how it has impacted the interviewee’s life. Students then retell their interviewee’s story using a presentation or creating a story ‘book’.
- Students review short videos about Mattel’s Monster High, an All-Inclusive High School for Ghouls including Dracu-Laura, Frankie-Stein, etc. Their Kind Monsters Campaign (#KindMonsters) is partnering with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation (#BornThisWay) to overcome bullying and encourage inclusiveness. The students will create their own character who has been bullied due to a chosen diversity topic then write a short story including the character, bullying situation, and how she will feel when welcomed to Monster High.
At the next class meeting, I have the students get into groups with others who have chosen the same activity and do a Share-Compare-Consolidate, then report out to the class on what they did.
Depending on the class size, I may ask the students to choose a couple of activities that appeal to them. I then limit the number of students choosing each activity forcing some to take their second choice, thus allowing more variety.