AEE 530 Assignment # 4 Workshop Reflection

This past week our class began the AEE 530 series with our group.  Our group facilitated the workshop of “Does Diversity Matter? Maximizing Multicultural Competency for Teaching Success.”   This instructional and interactive workshop gave educators and students specific strategies to deliver instruction that supports all students’ preferred learning styles. Participants gained tools that help create classroom climates where each student has a successful learning experience. This workshop was helpful for teachers in alternative schools, schools wanting to enhance delivery methods, and teachers seeking to connect with students who are not achieving the learning objectives.  Out learning objectives were to identify major components of multicultural education among instructors and educators, classifying personality styles, and identifying instructional strategies to increase student performance and support at risk learners and address needs of students.  Before conducting the workshop, our group worked together to develop a lesson plan and list of duties for each member. We met 3 times to ensure all tasks were completed and utilized skills and talents of our group members. I was able to conduct the beginning phases of the planning and my other group member served as piecing all information together in the lesson plan to create more understanding for the entire group to meet tasks. I think we had some difficulty in creating workshop presentation and tasks based on language barriers and understanding of the other group member. This issue was solved by finding a place in the presentation for the students to give their international perspective on teaching and learning and student preferred learning in Ukraine.  The group also utilized resources from the multicultural director in the college of AG and peer reviewed literature to support our topic.  Outreach and promotion of the workshop was viewed through networks of listservs of one group member and we were able to gain nearly 30 participants for the workshop.  An interesting point I think was a plus to the planning was our hands on activities, which gave participants a chance to network with others and gain there learning personality style better.  Reviewing the workshop evaluations, participants felt that the workshop was useful and they could utilize this information in there learning environments and classrooms in the future.  Some comments from participants were to make sure the group watch the timing of allowing through the interactive activities, the international perspective, the tasty dunkin donuts and coffee.  After our workshop the group got detail feedback from the class for future delivery and learning.  Some points were to offer more time for reflection for learners and offer beginning definition documents before. Students pointed out that the group did a great job and the break out sessions and the climate of the workshop as far as demographics was a great fit for the topic. I really enjoyed working with my group and topic and could see expanding or creating a novice workshop or discussion on the topic in the future.