Population Diversity

Diversity is all of the ways in which people are different and unique from each others. The extent of diversity includes such characteristics such as ones race, religion and spiritual beliefs, cultural, color, bodily appearance, gender, sexual orientation, language, ability, education, socio-economic condition, vocation, ancestry, age, marital standing, family status, health status, where they live, group history, parental upbringing and a multitude of life experiences.

With diversity there is always the issue of becoming more aware and conscious of the similarities and differences between each of us. There seems to be an integrated pattern of human behavior (or culture), which includes ones thoughts, how they communicate, their language, their beliefs, their values, their social customs, their race, their religious background and physical abilities which need to be bridged between each of us.

This literature review will center on a variety of questions in hope to disseminate information needed in providing answers to help both the instructor and learner. The literature and information should shed light on to the following questions:

1. How do we become more aware of our own identities, our biases and individual fears as we teach and learn about the plethora of diversity issues?

This questions brings up questions from educators as to their abilities to teach and deal with diversity related classroom discussions. These types of discussions bring up questions, as well as the reality of our own race, gender, educational background, social class, as well as many other topics of diversity. In the classroom the issues of diversity become real when it touches each of us.

Schultz (2003) discusses way in which teachers, either new or experienced, may be able to alter their ways of teaching and learn to grasp and learn from the diversities that they may encounter from their students. Shultz (2003) also discusses the idea of "deep listening" and how to "listen for the rhythm and balance of the whole class" and "listen for the broader contexts of students' lives", where Nieto (1999) focuses on many ways in which teachers may be able to adapt their teaching in order to increase the academic achievement of students from different racial and ethnic groups. This discusses a variety of ways in which to help diversity students who may be failing in school and even in society.

In Ladson-Billing's (1997) book it looks at many ways to look optimistically and positively at the future of education for African-American students. Ladson-Billing's book delves with the questions of: Who are successful teachers? What do they do? And how can we learn from them. The book expresses "pertinent teaching is not a matter of race, gender or teaching style", but "what matters most is a teacher's efforts to work with the unique strengths a child brings to the classroom.

The development of awareness comes by looking at a variety of cultures and groups. Jandt (1998) endorses and encourages the needed skills of intercultural communication. The book looks at "stereotypes as barriers to communication", as well as verbal and non-verbal communication and issues of media and marketing to the many diversity groups.

Diversity issues in education include how to motivate