Legitimizing Differences
Introduction
This vignette features a first year teacher Liz who is having trouble engaging her students.
In the first video Liz talks to her menu about her feelings about reaching students who do not participate.
<quiz display=simple>
{Based on this above video what do you think are Liz's main concerns?
|type="()"}
- Covering the material.
|| She does have a worry about time but that is not the biggest obstacle.
+ Not embarrassing students by singling them out.
|| Yes, she sees attention focused on a student as negative.
- Apathy about students.
|| No, she seems to care about the students.
- Showing high student grades.
|| She is not thinking about grades in this context.
</quiz>
Application
Now watch the following video to see how Liz applies the technique of legitimizing differences in her classroom.
<quiz display=simple> {What effect did the technique have on the class? |type="()"} - Students resented having their time wasted. || No, most people are social learners and become more engaged when working in a group. - Students appeared very uncomfortable. || Initially they were surprised but soon warmed to the attention. - No effect. || No, watch the video again. + Students appeared to show more interest. || Yes, students were interested in the experience of their peers.
</quiz>
Main Points
Legitimizing differences involves a change of attitude regarding classroom dynamics. Some teachers work hard to give all students the same experience and ignore the prior knowledge and experience of students. This technique takes the unusual backgrounds of all students and makes it an asset. Here are some benefits:
- You get to know your students better and the help you individualize your message.
- Students build confidence by by having their prior experience valued.
- Students have the opportunity to learn from other students.
- Interest in the topic is reinforced by prior interest by peers.
- It sets a positive tone for student participation and social learning