Intellectual diversity is the exposing of multiple points of view. It introduces people to a variety of different viewpoints.[1] When people from diverse backgrounds come together, it creates opportunities for learning. There are many ways intellectual diversity is incorporated into grade schools, workplace, and universities. There are different aspects to intellectual diversity, and how it connects with racial diversity and people with intellectual disabilities.

Grade schools

In grade schools, the goal of implementing intellectual diversity into the curriculum is an overall strengthened understanding of the content. Children respond differently to various teaching styles, so it is vital to provide many approaches toward understanding a subject. There are four main learning styles in children; they are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing.[2] For example, singing the alphabet song promotes linguistic skills for auditory learners, whereas creating the alphabet out of play dough will help develop the same skills for kinesthetic learners. According to Anna Harris, it is an important part of the educational career to push children to apply multiple learning styles when becoming familiar with a subject or topic.[3] Also, by providing an intellectually diverse setting, students will have opportunities to engage in conversations that challenge their own existing beliefs. Giving children the opportunity to apply their strengths and improve upon their weaknesses will lead to more well rounded and confident adults, ultimately creating well-rounded individuals who are equipped to contribute to a diverse society.[4]

University

In a university setting, it is important to incorporate diverse lessons in order to cater to many types of thinkers. For example, a study conducted by the National Academy of Engineers found that the students exposed to a more diverse curriculum scored higher on the "King and Kitchener reflective judgement scale."[5] Diversity amongst lessons may lead to more versatile people. According to a Pew Research Report, the United States will continue to diversify within the next few decades.[6] Creating more diverse lessons will instill new knowledge in students which will benefit them when they run into different kinds of people. Additionally, diverse campuses tend to expose people to many different types of cultures which may offer valuable experiences. There are many kinds of clubs on college campuses which offer many different perspectives, which will expose people to many types of intellect. Universities are where students will go to educate themselves in order to become a functional part of society, so incorporating intellectual diversity will help to emulate the diverse environment in the "real world".

Work environment

In the work environment, intellectual diversity is a crucial part of fostering innovation and creativity. Since there are people from all sorts of backgrounds in places of work, there is a larger range of ideas and solutions. When an employer takes the time to find each team members strengths, there is more opportunity for creative problem-solving and decision making.[7] Encouraging intellectual diversity not only helps with creativeness, but also encourages inclusivity and an equitable space. There are a variety of problems in a multitude of fields, but overall, if you put people together with different strengths, it is more likely for some of those problems to be solved. Additionally, intellectual diversity will boost employee engagement, as well as their overall satisfaction.[8] When talking about intellectual diversity in a place of work, it is important to talk about the overall diversity and inclusivity of that place. People of color bring a different kind of experience, which is underrepresented in "white-collared" jobs.[9] To ensure that a company remains diverse, it must start at the very top of the company with the CEO. When the CEO of a company takes the stance of promoting diversity in their company, it sets the overall tone for that company.[9] Overall, intellectual diversity is a crucial part of a well run business.

Racial diversity

When talking about racial diversity on a college campus, having a diverse educational setting, like many different people from many different cultures, makes a campus very diverse and makes people want to go there. Every single person will think differently than one another. When a student is exposed to a wide range of different people and thinkers, it fosters new growth and helps you to be more prepared for when you are out of school and have to go into the workforce and into a society that is very diverse as well.[10] When a person is exposed to a variety of different races, it can also make them more accepting. There are numerous studies that show alumni who graduated from a racially diverse college felt that because of attending a racially diverse college, they were able to get along with people of different racial backgrounds better and came to be more accepting of other people's cultures.[10] A study done in 2004 by Antonio et al. was done where an African American student was placed in a discussion with all white students. The results showed that by having the other race in the group, the environment was enriched. Racial and ethnic diversity can help create a better learning and social environment. It can also further a person's ideas or thinking when you have a mix of different races in an educational setting, specifically when the discussion revolves around an issue that involves race.[10] Racial diversity also goes for professors at a college. When you are exposed to different professors with different racial backgrounds, you are able to learn in different ways and hear many different opinions. When there are different kinds of racial backgrounds at a campus, there is a greater chance that the students at the campus will become involved in activities that revolve around diversity, and become involved in groups that have a mix of races. This can help move along the students' development.[10]

People with cognitive disabilities

When talking about people with cognitive disabilities, it is important to define what cognitive disability is. Cognitive disability refers to how a person thinks, and can include people with conditions of autism, mental illnesses, brain injuries, strokes, Alzheimer's disease or dementia, and more.[11] People with cognitive disabilities think very differently than people who do not have cognitive disabilities. It is important to include people with cognitive disabilities under the term "intellectual diversity" because intellectual diversity is the exposing of multiple different viewpoints. A person who is autistic might have a totally different viewpoint on a certain topic than someone else might have. Cognitive diversity allows you to be able to look further into understanding the basics of knowledge, and who it can come from. It unveils new ways of thinking.[12] There are many people with disabilities in a college setting, and it is important that they are included and that they are given a voice. People who have cognitive disabilities think in their own way and have valuable knowledge to share with others, but are often labeled as unknowledgeable and their ideas are discarded when it comes to people sharing their different ideas or point of views.[12]

References

  1. ↑ American Council of Trustees and Alumni (December 2005). "Intellectual Diversity. Time for Action" (PDF). Goacta.
  2. ↑ "4 Types of Learning Styles: How to Accommodate a Diverse Group of". Rasmussen University. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  3. ↑ Seifert, Kelvin; Sutton, Rosemary (2019-05-01). "Student diversity". Educational Psychology.
  4. ↑ "Four Ways Schools Can Support the Whole Child". Greater Good. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  5. ↑ Kellogg, Stuart (2014). "Building diversity by embracing intellectual diversity". 2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings. pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/FIE.2014.7044495. ISBN 978-1-4799-3922-0. S2CID 9536380. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  6. ↑ "Why Is Diversity Important in the College Experience?". Maryville Online. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  7. ↑ "Measure Your Team's Intellectual Diversity". Harvard Business Review. 2015-05-21. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  8. ↑ "The role of diversity practices and inclusion in promoting trust and employee engagement | Deloitte Australia | Diversity & Inclusion case studies". www.deloitte.com. Retrieved 2023-10-20.
  9. 1 2 Cox, Gena; Lancefield, David (2021-05-19). "5 Strategies to Infuse D&I into Your Organization". Harvard Business Review. ISSN 0017-8012. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Denson, Nina; Chang, Mitchell J. (June 2009). "Racial Diversity Matters:The Impact of Diversity-Related Student Engagement and Institutional Context". American Educational Research Journal. 46 (2): 322–353. doi:10.3102/0002831208323278. S2CID 143521385.
  11. ↑ "Cognitive Disabilities". www.fcc.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  12. 1 2 Maeve, M. O’Donovan (October 21, 2010). "Cognitive Diversity in the Global Academy: Why the Voices of Persons with Cognitive Disabilities are Vital to Intellectual Diversity". Journal of Academic Ethics. 8 (3): 171–185. doi:10.1007/s10805-010-9116-x. S2CID 145080289 – via Springer Link.
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