Demonstrate Cultural Relevance

This page was developed as a synthesis of lessons learned by participants in InTeGrate program models and is part of an extended set of InTeGrate resources on increasing the diversity of students learning about the Earth.

InTeGrate: Develop Cultural Competency »When teaching Earth Science it is important to acknowledge the student, faculty, and institutional background as well as their contribution to the regional environment. Effective educators strive to acknowledge the variety of background experiences students and faculty bring to the classroom and ensure that the materials and methods are representative of this diversity. In learning about the environment, students should be provided with opportunities to connect their learning experiences to their own lives and also actively contribute to the learning process.

Utilize Local Context

Local examples, including those on campus and in the surrounding community, often offer a rich collection of opportunities for students to apply their classroom knowledge to real world issues. Further, working in the local environment couples this applied knowledge with an opportunity to improve upon skills such as working with field equipment, critical thinking, and team work. The nature of working with local examples engages students because it builds on their sense of place and can help students make connections between what they learn and their everyday experiences.

Teach with Local Examples and Data »

Explore the Impacts of Socioeconomic Differences

While extreme weather events impact people across the socio-economic spectrum, research has shown that natural and anthropogenic hazards disproportionately affect certain socioeconomic strata, especially people of color and those who live in poverty. For example, lacking political and economic power, minorities and poor groups have less clout with the government bodies that make decisions about where to locate power plants, processing facilities and waste sites and are more likely to have their homes located in hazard prone areas. Approaching learning about the earth from the standpoint of environmental justice can help students in these groups or from these areas engage with the important issues in their everyday lives.

Help Faculty Employ Proven Educational Practices

Many faculty have no formal training in active learning pedagogies and other proven practices for attracting or supporting diverse students in their classrooms. Providing opportunities for faculty to learn and practice those techniques is going to be very important to the the success of such efforts.