Discussion - Oct 11

• I can see the danger in waiting for a struggling student to approach us, however isn't it also dangerous to approach the student with the assumption that she is struggling due to her cultural differences?

• Also, regarding students with disabilities, is there any information (special considerations for testing/lectures, etc.) we should know beforehand?

• Other than my multicultural courses, instructors have never asked students if their culture has any influence on their life as a student. It seems that the best way to address the issues of acculturation, is to assess for them at the begining of the course, how often does this occur, and should you change the format of the course to make one student feel comfortable?

• We as a class have expressed some concerns over students privacy, but yet again the author suggest an extremely high level of envolvement (going so far as contacting others regarding the student) I presume this would only occur with the students permission but even then doesn't the university have policiy's on how close is too close? After all, this is college and these are adults - should we really be in there homes talking to their family etc?

• What are some ways in which we as teachers can incorporate cultural sensitivity into class structure and planning, even before our class meets for the first time? How can we reflect this cultural sensitivity through our syllabus?

• McKeachie stated that he asked a Latina graduate student about her weekend plans. She stated that her boyfriend was coming to town. McKeachie then asks the student if he will be a distraction for her studies/assignments. She then goes on about her parental expectations and that dropping out of school is not an option and that she is basically there to study and her boyfriend understands this. Is this an appropriate way to embrace diversity?

• Should you avoid any test format that might potentially be affected by cultural issues, or make adjustments after you see that there is a problem?

• With the University setting being more and more diverse, is there any way to teach in a way so that every student is treated equally? Or will there always be some students who you will have to accommodate to?

• The author says that people from different ethnic roots act differently in the classroom. Is this being too stereotypical or general? What about an individual's personality, regardless of their ethnic background?

• Since CSUS is primarily a Jr/Sr level school, (plus the fact that this is Calif.), is there much of a problem with reaching students of varying cultural backgrounds? If some cultures are hesitant to question instructors, it seems that using small group discussion in class is all the more advisable in order to encourage participation.