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From Research Into Practice
Approaches to learning vary systematically from one culture to another (Richardson, 1994) and those students who may have little or no experience of discussion-based learning and of their role vis-à-vis the tutor in their own background may also need guidance in adapting to learning in groups both through careful use of inclusive methods in the group. The encouragement of collaborative study outside class time (Ryan, 2000) can be very helpful, a strategy supported by Biggs (2003) in respect of particular groups of students who can be "so demure and shy in the classroom (and) so noisy and boisterous outside". The inference that online discussion might be of special value for less assertive students is borne out by Rainsbury and Malcolm (2003) who found that two groups of students who often lacked confidence in face-to-face situations - mature students and those of non-English backgrounds - found it easier to express an opinion on asynchronous discussion boards, and inferred that such online discussion could be used to develop their groupwork skills.
Where diversity includes such factors as wider differences of ability, low motivation or disillusionment, the task of supporting learning may extend to one of mitigating low performance, or even attrition rates, whether it be in respect of the group itself or the course as a whole. Here, the effectiveness of the tutor in creating an inclusive climate which allows students to be themselves and which does not assume the learning and social styles of the more academic or younger students can be crucial. This climate of learning can include an awareness of different previous educational experiences, the language of instruction and implied requirements, alternative learning styles and needs and other assumed norms
(Thomas et al., 2003).
Explorations of learning styles challenge many assumptions and continue to suggest alternative solutions in the realm of student learning. They also present insights on the value of group work and the way in which groups may be organised and run to greater effect.
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