Purpose: Even as sites for higher education work to transform curricula and strive for greater diversity among students and faculties, little is done to create safe, inviting environments for people to openly discuss the contradictions and challenges in teaching about differences. The authors' purpose is to examine multiple and intersecting…

In public institutions, there is an assumption that religious neutrality promotes inclusivity, but this assumption does not negate the existence of religiosity and spirituality that permeates the lives of students. Emphasizing the value of a diverse student body cannot stop at merely establishing racial and ethnic diversity. Indeed, cultural…

Students' degree of territoriality based on gender and seat preferences in different types of classroom arrangements was studied. The types of classroom arrangements included rows of tablet-arm chairs, U-shaped, clusters, and rows of tables with individual chairs. The study was carried out through a survey at a large public institution in the…

Most university pedagogy involves emptying useless or subversive knowledge from a student's head and filling it with relevant and productive information, and all students are taught the same. Pedagogy should involve teaching students to hear what a text says to them, raising the level of reflection, and encouraging students to take charge of their…

U.S. society is diverse, consisting of individuals who may differ in culture, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, exceptionality, and age. Optimum learning for all students can occur only in an environment that supports and encourages such diversity. Multicultural education addresses the challenges of recognizing diversity…

Creation of a college classroom environment that is genuinely culturally inclusive requires leadership of faculty willing to make major changes in an entrenched, traditional academic culture, including a teaching approach combining personal caring with high expectations, incorporation of new knowledge into the curriculum, and authentic response to…

An overview is presented of classroom observation instruments which have been created and refined since 1962. The components of teacher-pupil transactions measured by different observation methods are listed, and the complexities and difficulties encountered when using the instruments are discussed. A description is given of the Coping Analysis…

Student ability, involvement in the class, and classroom climate created by the instructor activities were examined as multiple and interactive predictors of course performance for 915 students in 74 sections of an undergraduate mathematics course. Climate was defined in two ways: (1) as individual perceptions and (2) as shared perceptions. Two…

Presents a longitudinal study of teacher talk that examines the use of affective particles in the language of the university-level elementary Japanese as a foreign language classroom. Results reveal that affective particles are used far less frequently in the classroom language analyzed than in ordinary conversation and that significant…

This paper addresses the issue of multiculturalism in public schools and the role teacher education programs play in preparing teachers to create, implement, and evaluate curriculum and instruction responsive to the educational needs of diverse learners. Ethnographic interviews and observations were utilized to present a case study which…

The many dimensions of individual differences that make each learner a challenge to the foreign language teacher are discussed. The teacher must interpret the information and provide differentiated environments to "match" these differences. Emphasis is placed upon learning styles and learning strategies. An historical perspective of adapting…

The booklet discusses the concept of environmental psychology and suggests ways of applying environmental psychology principles to education. A new field of study, environmental psychology deals with influences of the physical environment on human attitudes and behavior. Of potential use to educators on all levels as they seek to use the physical…