2008 Woodie Awards
Faculty Focuses on Student Diversity, Improving Classroom Performance
Speakers brought in to host workshops dealing with cultural and gender sensitivity
Aaron Castrejon
Issue date: 1/19/05 Section: News
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Before classes begin each semester, the faculty sets aside one day for a series of training on how to better meet the needs of Citrus College students.
This semester's Flex Day, which was held Jan. 7, brought instructors together to address a variety of topics, workshops ranging from communication skills, team building, and identity theft to plagiarism, highlighted by three diversity training workshops to help teachers gain knowledge and be sensitive to students' learning and social needs.
The first diversity workshop dealt with gender bias in today's career fields. The starting point in the workshop was a list of the most important changes made gender-wise in the last 50 years (the right to vote, choose, equal rights etc.).
Facilitator Inez Yslas, an independent consultant working for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discussed major historical changes regarding women in the workplace, the right to vote, and the right to choose and equal pay.
"We were able to list out what the changes were, and they all sounded good," said Yslas. "Yet when people look at the other side of the situation, there are those areas where we still need to make improvement."
A discussion afterwards dealt with how to make Citrus vocational programs-such as the Diesel Tech. Program (which is predominately male), the Licensed Vocational Nursing and cosmetology programs (female)-less of a one-sided gender issue.
Yslas challenged participants to think about what they personally can do to address whatever diversity issue affects them, whether it is gender or race.
"This is something that everyone can benefit from," said Citrus counselor Lisa Boisse. "One of the things we can do is advertise that these [automotive, nursing, cosmetology] classes are open to everyone and not just aimed at any gender."
Workshop exercises gave faculty the opportunity to get to know each other better by having them discuss some aspects of their lives such as the origin of their names, family ancestry and by having them work together and brainstorm how they can help students and each other.
This semester's Flex Day, which was held Jan. 7, brought instructors together to address a variety of topics, workshops ranging from communication skills, team building, and identity theft to plagiarism, highlighted by three diversity training workshops to help teachers gain knowledge and be sensitive to students' learning and social needs.
The first diversity workshop dealt with gender bias in today's career fields. The starting point in the workshop was a list of the most important changes made gender-wise in the last 50 years (the right to vote, choose, equal rights etc.).
Facilitator Inez Yslas, an independent consultant working for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, discussed major historical changes regarding women in the workplace, the right to vote, and the right to choose and equal pay.
"We were able to list out what the changes were, and they all sounded good," said Yslas. "Yet when people look at the other side of the situation, there are those areas where we still need to make improvement."
A discussion afterwards dealt with how to make Citrus vocational programs-such as the Diesel Tech. Program (which is predominately male), the Licensed Vocational Nursing and cosmetology programs (female)-less of a one-sided gender issue.
Yslas challenged participants to think about what they personally can do to address whatever diversity issue affects them, whether it is gender or race.
"This is something that everyone can benefit from," said Citrus counselor Lisa Boisse. "One of the things we can do is advertise that these [automotive, nursing, cosmetology] classes are open to everyone and not just aimed at any gender."
Workshop exercises gave faculty the opportunity to get to know each other better by having them discuss some aspects of their lives such as the origin of their names, family ancestry and by having them work together and brainstorm how they can help students and each other.