Graduate Research Papers

Availability

Open Access Graduate Research Paper

Keywords

Minorities--Education; Adult education;

Abstract

In predominately Caucasian educational systems, diversity in the classroom is becoming a fast-growing phenomenon. With this new phenomenon, adult instructors now have a new challenge of facilitating learning in an environment where the learners not only have different learning capabilities, but also language and cultural differences. The reviewer answers the following questions: what are the important considerations for instructors to prepare diverse adult learners for corporate work environments, higher education, and K-12 professional development? And what are the appropriate cultural specific media and literature resources to include in training?

The literature collected focused on resources related to teaching adult minority learners, instructor challenges of teaching diverse adult learners, instructional strategies for trainers and teachers to use, and characteristics of African American student communication. The reviewer also documented the influences of media such as: uses of current materials, uses of films in the classroom, stereotypes in television and Hollywood films, and ethical considerations.

Being an effective instructor means acknowledging that there are students with cultural differences. Culturally responsive instructors know that diverse learners also use slang or Ebonics in formal settings because that language is common in their homes or community. Instructors must design curriculum to include non-Caucasian writes, stories, pictures and films. The reviewer concludes that by understanding an individual's characteristics, instructors can make informed decisions on how to structure the curriculum.

Year of Submission

2008

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

First Advisor

J. Ana Donaldson

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this graduate research paper and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

2008

Object Description

1 PDF file (v, 35 pages)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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