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FYE 101: First Year Experience

Diversity

Activity

Common Threads Pass the yarn to someone with whom you share a

common experience

Objectives

Define basic definitions/concepts relating to diversity including race, ethnicity, religion, class, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, learning differences, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, and prejudice.

Discuss the influence of culture on one’s personal values, perspectives, and attitudes.

Identify interpersonal skills to interact with diverse individuals in educational institutions, the workplace, and society in general.

Culture

CULTURE refers to shared:

norms

traditionsbehaviors

language

perceptions

Culture is..

The sum total of the learned behavior of any given society. Learned Shared Adaptive Dynamic

Aspects of Diversity

Individual Activity

Complete the Cultural Self-Assessment form

Group Activity

Split into groups of three or four (three is preferable)

Using the Shared Culture Worksheet, identify cultural characteristics all of your, two of you and only one of you share.

Class

System that structures group access to various resources: Economic Political Cultural Social

Class

Individual Responsibility Societal Restriction

Class

Socioeconomic status Income Wealth Occupation Education Power

Class Population below poverty level

Group Number Percentage

All races 35.9 12.5% of U.S. population

Asian American 1.4 million 11.6% of all Asian Americans

Black 8.8 million 24.4 % of all blacks

Latino 9.0 million 22.5% of all Latinos

White 15.9 million 8.2% of all whites

Older than 65 years 3.6 million 10.2% of over 65-year0olds

Younger than 18 years 12.9 million 17.6% of children and youth

Single Female Head of Household

12.4 million 30.0% of female headed households

Class

Class and education Greatest factor affecting socioeconomic status Challenge of first generation college-bound Not all cultures value education

Ethnicity and Race

Ethnicity National origins Native country of ancestors Weakens after several generations

Race Social construct, not biological or scientific Like a caste system Racial identification varies

“He can call himself whatever he wants, but he’s still black.”

Ethnicity and Race

Educational disparity Students of color more likely to be taught low level

curricula with low performance standards by unqualified and inexperienced teachers

62% of white students take algebra II compared to 52% of African-Americans and 45% Latinos.

African-American and Latinos less likely to go to college than whites and Asian Americans.

Activity

Boys are better at… Girls are better at…

Gender and Sex

Sex based on biological differences Male Female

Gender based on cultural definition Masculine Feminine

Gender and Sex

Greater variability within than between sexes Differences affected by cultural expectations

and norms Nature versus nurture

Exceptionality

Differ from the norm Below

Developmental delayed Learning differences

Above Talented Gifted

Factors that Affect Student Achievement

Parental Expectations

Summer Experiences

Quality ofInstruction

CulturalBeliefs

School Funding

Child RearingPractices

Beliefs of Schools

Socio-economic

Status

StudentAchievement

Questions