EDF 2085 - Diverse Populations

College of Education

Credit(s): 3
Contact Hours: 47
Effective Term Fall 2022 (610)

Course Description

Designed for the prospective educator, this course provides the opportunity to explore issues of diversity, including an understanding of the influence of exceptionalities, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, language of origin, ethnicity, and age upon the educational experience. The basic framework of multicultural education and its impact on students will be explored. Students will also examine personal attitudes toward diversity and exceptionalities and ways to support the diverse learning needs of all students.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

  1. The student will explain basic concepts and terms related to diversity and multicultural education by:
    1. Defining key terms (e.g., diversity, multicultural education, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, exceptionality, linguistic diversity, religious diversity, immigration, geographic diversity, youth culture, culturally responsive teaching, bias, prejudice, etc.).
    2. Discussing the history of multicultural education and its principles.
    3. Identifying the elements of inclusive classrooms and schools that accommodate and respond to the diverse learning needs of all students.
  2. The student will compare the essential elements of culture and how culture is reflected in the classroom by:
    1. Identifying categories of cultural diversity found in classrooms such as ethnicity/religion, nationality, race, language, social class, gender, exceptionality.
    2. Describing the impact of cultural issues in the educational environment related to learning styles, communication styles, teacher attitudes, community attitudes, linguistic diversity and bilingual models.
  3. The student will describe how culturally responsive teaching promotes student learning by:
    1. Identifying books and additional resources on a specific diversity topic discussed in the course.
    2. Writing a lesson using books and other resources on a specific diversity topic.
    3. Synthesizing text information and applying it to course reflections by analyzing class activities and course readings.
  4. The student will examine how school practices are reflections of society by:
    1. Discussing disparate school practices and policies, including segregation, testing and IQ, gender bias, tracking, academic achievement expectations, disciplinary policies and discrimination based on exceptionality, and their impact on different groups’ performance in school.
    2. Discussing demographic changes in the United States, with respect to race, culture, language, social class, gender, and ability, and their influences on public schools and classroom practices.
    3. Identifying legal precedents of educational equity and equal educational opportunities.

Criteria Performance Standard

Upon successful completion of the course the student will, with a minimum of 70% accuracy, demonstrate mastery of each of the above stated objectives through classroom measures developed by individual course instructors.

History of Changes

C&I 11/19/96; DBT 12/17/96, Effective Session 19963 TeleWeb delivery 20001 3 Yr Review 2000. Effective 20011 (college name chg). 3 Year Review 2006, eff20061(0370). Was EDG2701; changed by State Field Review eff 20091. 3-Year Review 2010: Acceptable As Is C&I Approval: 11/30/2012, BOT Approval: 01/15/2013, Effective Term: Fall 2013 (475). C&I Approval: 02/09/2017, BOT Approval: 03/21/2017, Effective Term: Fall 2017 (535).
C&I Approval: , BOT Approval: , Effective Term: Fall 2022 (610)