Running head: CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION

Cultural Diversity Research Project and Reflection Jesse Tremaine EDF-3214-171 Edison State College

CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION The Jigsaw Approach Finding ways to engage all students in learning, at all times within a lesson, has been a goal that teachers have striven for since Socrates sat with Plato to discuss the nature of the universe. In classes with upwards of twenty or more students, all coming from different cultural, ethnic, socioeconomic, physical, mental, and social backgrounds, educators today have been given the seemingly impossible task of ensuring that all students, no matter their capability or experience, are made successful, knowledgeable and prepared to enter society able to compete and prosper. This need has given rise to a multitude of theories and strategies, from those of Universal Design and Inclusion, to research concerning the very nature of the human brain and its function. The Jigsaw Classroom is one approach to teaching that follows the model of Universal Design. The goal of the Jigsaw Classroom is to ensure that all students are involved and integral in the learning process. Elliot Aronson describes the benefits of the Jigsaw Classroom. First and foremost, it is a remarkably efficient way to learn the material. But even more important, the jigsaw process encourages listening, engagement, and empathy by giving each member of the group an essential part to play in the academic activity. (Aronson, 2012) In doing so, all students, even those with disabilities, are made important, and essential to the completion of tasks. This ensures that each student has worth and helps to promote self-esteem and inclusiveness among students no matter what the students socioeconomic status, physical limitations, ethnic makeup, or any other social variance.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION Impact of Cultural, Ethnic and Socioeconomic Diversity The subject of cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in classrooms has become a major point of discussion, study and research within the scientific, psychological, and educational fields of study due to the implications that these factors play in the education of American students. These, along with many other factors, have led to numerous studies and countless suppositions about the importance, or lack thereof, in student progress and performance. The idea that a student will perform differently if they are from a higher or lower economic strata, various different races, or cultures, is not a new one. Students from families who have greater wealth have greater access to facilities and tools, as well as opportunities to engage in valuable learning practices. Students who are from certain ethnic or cultural backgrounds tend to view education and its value in different ways. These factors play heavily on a students performance in school. This has led to a desire to achieve cultural pluralism within our public schools. Snowman and McCown break the effects of the existence of these various differences in students down into five areas of influence: verbal communication patterns, nonverbal communication, time orientation, social values, and instructional formats & learning processes. (Snowman & McCown, 2012) Depending on the culture or, ethnic group, that the student belongs to, there could be drastically different definitions for each of these categories, though studies on exactly how these differences affect students are few and far between. Sherry Marx states in an article released by Utah State University that We were able to find just three articles since 1990 that used the term multicultural school climate

CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION (Diaz, 1992; Lawrence, 2005; Sass - Lehrer, Gerner de Garcia, & Rovins, 1997). The Diaz (1992) and Sass - Lehrer, Gerner de Garcia, and Rovins (1997) papers are available on the ERIC database and are not peer -reviewed. (Marx, 2012, p. 2). It seems apparent that though the varied subjects regarding the differences in students based on culture, home income, or racial makeup have been recognized as significant identifiers of how students will behave in a school setting, and even how they may perform, there are relatively few solid studies conducted in recent years to back this up. Additionally, it seems that the studies that have been completed are either conflicting in results and methodology, or fail to come to a solid conclusion on exactly how the nature of these variances contribute to student performance and inclusion. Ruben Garzas explains that in his study, The Perceptions of Teacher Caring, or PTC, Although ethnicity was not a significant factor in influencing adolescents perceptions of teacher caring behaviors, the significance at the item level merits further research and may provide some important insights about caring. (Garza, 2010, p. 16) This has many implications, and shows that more research is necessary, though it seems to have become common belief that these factors influence students in multiple ways. It seems; however, that no one can agree about just what ways these factors play a role and to what degree, in a students academic life. Ultimately, a complete view of this may be simply unattainable as student mentalities, experiences, and backgrounds are completely individual and so varied that a baseline is very difficult to achieve due to variances from state to state, and even from community to community. The many variables, inherent to this field of study, make addressing the multitude of students as a singular entity virtually impossible.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION Impacts of Emotional, Social, and Intellectual Disability and Giftedness The subject of inclusion, or students with disabilities placed in general education classrooms, has been at the forefront of educational reasoning now for quite some time, especially since the revision and adaptation of the IDEA standards which govern how students with exceptionalities are accommodated in classrooms. There have been several studies conducted showing that students with disabilities, in many cases, function as well, if not better, within a general education setting, than in a special needs setting which caters only to students with disabilities. The question about whether this has impacted the students without disabilities has been somewhat neglected, however. Students with exceptionalities are classified in multiple ways. Students could be classified as ID or Intellectually Disabled, LD or those with a Learning Disability such as ADHD, or students with emotional disturbances. Even gifted students fall under this classification, though do not benefit from federal support under IDEA as other exceptionalities do. In a recent study conducted by the University of Northern Colorado, it has been shown that general education students, who have students with disabilities in their classrooms may benefit from the experience, or that, at least the students become more socially aware of these students. Ashley D. Novak states that Results of the data analysis indicate that the general education students perceptions of students with special needs did improve, or evolve, as a result of the inventions employed in this study. (Novak, 2012, p. 1) Effectively, this study investigated the ideas espoused in the concepts of Universal Design, in which all curriculum and student participation; from the classroom layout to the nature of social interactions, are designed to be accessible to all students. This applies to both

CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION general education students and those with special needs. Mandated within Universal Design is the practice of Inclusion wherein special needs students are placed in general education classrooms. These have become viewed as positive teaching strategies in more recent years as studies have shown the benefits of this style of education for those with disabilities. Questions had arisen though, concerning the social effects of having students with a disability, or even giftedness, within a general education setting. Would there be bias, bullying, or other socially negative consequences to placing the students into general education classrooms? The results of the study conducted by Novak suggest that when teachers integrate targeted interventions within the classroom, general education students perceptions of students with disabilities can shift to more positive and accepting attitudes. Essentially, the more students interact with students who may have disabilities or exceptionalities, the more positive those interactions become. Where there is initial trepidation or stigma exhibited on behalf of the general education students, this eventually gives way to acceptance of the disabled student through guided and strategic implementation of strategies agreed upon by the general education instructor and the ESE liaison. In conclusion, there are multiple factors that influence a students learning process, from their economic background, to their level of disability. The task placed before educators of the future lies within finding ways to accommodating all of these students simultaneously, while still providing the required informational objectives, and training students in critical thinking skills. Through strategies like the Jigsaw Classroom and research studies that focus on the best way to deliver this education to all students, no matter their situation, we hope to see a bright future for all of our young people.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY RESEARCH PROJECT AND REFLECTION References Garza, R., Ovando, M.N., & Seymour, C.E. (2010). Latino and White Students Perceptions of Teacher Behaviors That Convey Caring: Do Gender and Ethnicity Matter? Current Issues in Education, 13(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/ Marx, S. & Byrnes, D. (2012). Multicultural school climate inventory. Current Issues in Education, 15(3). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/960 Novak, A. D. & Bartelheim, F. J. (2012). General education students changing perceptions of students with special needs. Current Issues in Education, 15(2). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/view/963 Aronson, E. (2012). Jigsaw classroom. Retrieved from http://www.jigsaw.org/overview.htm Snowman, J., & McCown, R. (2012). Psychology applied to teaching. (13th ed., pp. 149-150). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.