Learning Partner Web Conference

In discussion with my learning partner, Kimberly, I learned how recognizing and  adapting to the cultural needs, backgrounds and resources brought to the class by each of our students, can help us to provide diverse instruction. The inclusion of cultural differences and approaches is vital to our success as instructors.

These cultural differences don't need to be derived from the participants being from different countries. The use of online tools and resources such as Skype and Facebook have required both of us to leap forward and do things in a new and totally different way than what we are accustomed to. In the development of our own course materials we realize that we must be aware that the instructions as well as the tools, must be familiar to our students or we need to structure our lessons to include the basics of how to use the new tools and resources in a way that ensures the likelihood of the students succeeding. The environments of our personal trade backgrounds are such that there is always room to include input from our students in our learning plans and teaching methods. Whether it be the inclusion of a new spice in a recipe for food cooked in Kimberly's class, or the apprentices learning a different way of laying out the wiring in a building in my classes, there is always a need for cultural awareness in the learning styles and needs of our students.