Commitment to diversity is supported throughout the mission statements and philosophies of the university and the College of Education. Our conceptual framework reflects our dedication to preparing initial and advanced candidates to support learning for all students, including individual differences based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status,gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area.
The College of Education is committed to diversity as a vital characteristic of a community of scholars, practitioners and learners. The College of Education promotes understanding and respect for differences in professional and personal identity. The promotion of understanding and respect extends to the acceptance and appreciation of diversity in its many forms. This understanding and respect provides a context for how knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to diversity are integrated across the curriculum, instruction, field experiences, and assessments. Additionally, the College of Education is also committed to provide candidates with opportunities to work with diverse higher education and school faculty, candidates, and students in P-12 schools so that candidates are prepared to support learning for all students.
Conceptual Framework Goal:
- creating instructional opportunities and environments that are adapted to diverse learners and effectively integrate technology.
Language, ethnicity, race, gender, beliefs, and socioeconomic status can all influence learning, and learning is most effective when educators are aware of these factors as they create learning experiences. Consideration of these factors in instructional contexts increases the potential for designing and implementing appropriate learning environments. Students are more motivated and their performance is enhanced when they believe that their differences are valued, respected, and accommodated.
In order to be effective in today’s pluralistic society, educators must be sensitive to individual differences in students’ linguistic, cultural, and social backgrounds. Candidates affirm diversity by developing an understanding of socioeconomic class, ethnicity and race, gender, cognitive abilities, religion, language and multiethnic/multicultural education and their impact on learning. An understanding of conditions, dynamics, values, and challenges of the diverse school community and how they affect teaching and learning lead candidates to develop a framework for using strategies and models as they apply to the social and cultural context of schooling.
An appreciation of diversity, while developing an understanding of students with varied learning styles, instructional needs, emotional needs, and cultural differences assists candidates in viewing students as unique individuals. Thus, candidates develop an inclusive, non-biased educational culture where all students are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. Candidates accommodate these individual differences by adapting and varying instructional methods and materials.
Expertise with technological and instructional background knowledge, as expected of today’s classroom teacher, allows candidates to move from using technology as a productivity and management tool to using technology as a tool to support, enhance, extend, or enrich instruction, thus meeting diverse student needs. By understanding of the real and potential role technology has on student learning, school culture, and communities, candidates have the skills to support learning that is active, constructive, collaborative, intentional, contextualized, and reflective. Technology is viewed as a tool to positively impact student learning, not learning how to use technology in isolation.
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