One of the challenges that came up when I started teaching vocational business was how to help diverse students understand and apply the materials from the text in their own businesses.

As a starting point, I considered communication.  From there, the question became how communication barriers could be reduced or eliminated in diverse classes.  The third aspect of the question was to think about how this approach might be used in other business activities. 

Communication

People learn to communicate with the individuals with whom they associate, whether in business or in life.  That is certainly common sense. 

When people move outside of the circles with whom they normally associate, they have to change their communication style.

If there is no incentive for people to change their communication style, why would they do so? 

The effectiveness of communication is determined by whether one understands what the other person is saying. 

Application

In the context of teaching diverse students, the issue was not necessarily as much with the text, as it was in finding examples that students could understand.  Finding appropriate examples is important because they increase understanding.

Selecting simple examples was very helpful.  Examples that worked as a starting point were restaurants, grocery stores, schools, day cares, and doctor’s offices.

Every student had experience with businesses like these so we were able to talk about the business without having to delve down into the nature of the business.   

Implication

If one identifies areas that the target audience can relate to it can facilitate communication. 

A simple approach is to think about the target audience.  What will members of the target audience care about?  What do they do on a routine basis?  From there, identify an situation to which the audience can relate.  Build the content around that situation.

Filed by Coleen Davis at 11:36 pm under Business Tips, Planning Tips, Training